The startup of the LHC is huge, but is there still more to come?

The recent start up of the LHC has raised curiosity among many spectators. What will it find? Will we find the "God particle"? Will its experimental collisions create tiny black holes that will devour the Earth? All of these questions will hopefully be answered in the next few years or even months. Hopefully we won't find out that tiny black holes have destroyed the Earth. However, I'm not sure how we would even know that this is even going on. You would think it would be pretty quick. Even if this did happen, no one would know nor care. Getting back to the point, there is a lot of sceptecism and excitement shrouding this project. This excitement should last for some time, but it won't be the final chapter in man's quest for unveiling the secrets of our existence. According the the Times Online there is already talk of a bigger and better machine that will take the work of the LHC one step further.

The ILC (or International Linear Collider) is built on the same concept as the LHC as it hurls billions of particles at each other at tremendous speeds and analying the resulting collisions. The primary difference between the two projects is that instead of accellorating the particles in a series of circular tunnels, the ILC will simply fire two sets of particles at each other in a straight line from two opposite ends, 31 miles appart. The biggest advantage of this concept is that when you accellorate particles in a circular tube, you lose energy as the particles release bursts of x-rays. By firing two sets of particles at each other in a straight line, the particles don't have to contend with the awesome force of having to bend through tubes at near light speeds.

Don't get your hopes up anytime soon because the final design of this project isn't expected to be complete until 2012. When it does begin to operate in the next couple of decades, it will hopefully shed some more light on the mysterious substance known as dark matter. Buckle your seatbelts. You will be in for one wild science ride during the next half century or so.

Go Nebraska!!!

The good old Nebraska Cornhuskers are set to kickoff around 6 tonight against the feisty New Mexico State Aggies. All I have to say is Nebraska better win. There's nothing worse than losing to some low ranked team at the beginning of the season. The Huskers are off to a promising 2-0 start and are looking to up that to 3-0 later this evening.

Joe Ganz is leading the way for the Huskers with 561 yards in the air with 4 TD's and a solid 149.71 QB rating. Hopefully he can cause some damage against the Aggies tonight.



Too bad I can't watch the mighty Huskers tonight because TV is stupid and only shows regional games. Oh well, I'll be going to the Husker game when they play Baylor on October 25th so maybe that will give me my Husker fix for the year. Go Huskers!

Redneck Invention of the Month

If you own a cat and are on a tight budget, there really isn't too much you can do to pamper your precious Whiskers. However, if you are like me and enjoy a little boozing, you can always be thrifty and use that leftover 30 pack of Busch Light box from last weekend to tote your pimpin' kitty around town. Not only is it stylish, but it's also economic. On one hand, you are providing shelter and safe transit for your cat. On the other hand, you are promoting your beverage of choice, which in turn stimulates the economy by implanting the idea of booz in the minds of the American working man. What better way to say, "Man I love Busch Light," than to tote around a poop-filled carrying box that resembles an empty beer box. Plus you're recycling. So the next time you think about tossing away that remnent of an awesome weekend cut short by passing out too early Saturday night on your best friend's couch and waking up Sunday morning with a brutal hangover, think about your best friend Whiskers and how much he would appreciate the comfort of a cardboard box the next time you take him to your girlfriends for the weekend...Even if she lives in the same house and for some reason has the same last name as you.

Yesterday's Trivia Answer: The world's most expensive science experiment

The laboratories at CERN (located on the border between France and Switzerland, I think) have spent the last 20 years or so constructing the largest particle collider, the LHC (Large Hadron Collider), on Earth in an attempt to replicate the conditions that existed prior to the Big Bang. By firing trillions of Photons at each other and analyzing the collision that entails, scientist hope to discover new particles, other dimensions, and the "God particle" (which will help explain our existence). Oh yeah, and the slight chance of a supermassive blackhole that will devour the Earth in a matter of seconds.



Last night, the world's most expesive science experiment successfully completed it's first test by firing a beam of photons around the 17 mile circular, underground tunnel. The screenshot from yesterday was that of one of the 4 experiments that hope to take advantage of this powerful particle collider.



If some of you are thinking that this project sounds familiar, it plays a key role in the book by Dan Brown, "Angels and Demons." (Great book by the way)

Stay tuned for more posts about this project. I have a feeling we will be discovering some pretty intense things when this particle collider operates at 100%.

Daily Trivia

Describe what this screenshot represents and why it is significant.

Whats the deal with iTunes???

I found something that really annoys the hell out of me. I use iTunes maybe once or twice a week and it seems like every time I open the damn thing, I have to update to a newer version, which takes 15 minutes. Then, if that wasn't enough, all of my links to the previous version of iTunes don't work anymore. In order to get to the actual application, I have to dig through my Program Files just to open it and make a new link. What the deuce? Anywho, this post once again has no point but I thought I would vent and hopefully someone else shares in my personal anguish. Yay, Apple!

Welcom visitors!!!

This is it, ladies and gentlemen. The time has come for myself to spoil the world with my wonderfly useless thoughts and ideas. No word yet on what this random individual plans on doing with this post but the word on the street is that it will be unlike anything you have ever seen. Get ready and enjoy!