The $6 billion LHC Circus

[davesmith_au]

September 10 ~ Wallace Thornhill

Science has become an international circus. And opening day for “The Greatest Show on Earth” has arrived. In the 27 km main circus ring we have the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project, starting up after $6 billion dollars and thirty years of development. Before the show the clowns have warmed up the audience with fantastic stories of what we might see. But why should we take clowns seriously? ... [More...]

[gopappy]

Here is a question, I have not had a decent response too. Why was the Super Collider project of the 1980s, being built near Dallas, Texas abandoned, after several zillion dollars were wasted ? It was never completed, simply abandoned.
gopappy

[seasmith]

gopappy,

The total funding obligation was not secured before commencement of construction.
Can we say "government project cost overrun" ??

s

[bdw000]

Thanks Wal for another fine statement.

Come to think of it, we've had several masterful thunderblogs lately.

This site is truly a gem.

[Marnee]

I greatly appreciated the appeal to synthesis between rational philosophical premises (metaphysics and the implied epistemology) and science. I am often surprised by cosmologists who wave their hands at the plain fact that their BB theories allow for the violation of the law of identity (and its corollary of the law of causality). It's as if logic had no place in cosmology.

[StevenO]

I love the way Wall Thornhill puts his question marks at the madness pervading scientific explanations these days.

Too bad he replaces them with his own magic hat...

First, it looks like Wall assumes 'charge' comes before 'mass' and denies radioactivity or pair production.

This explanation for the phenomenon of mass should have been stillborn if common sense was used. To begin, the annihilation and creation of matter is forbidden by a principle of physics. It is tantamount to magic. Second, field theory is a purely imaginary construct, which may or may not have physical significance. And third, it is not explained how the Higgs particle can have intrinsic mass but no charge and yet interact with normal matter, which has charge but is said to have no intrinsic mass. Rather than explain the phenomenon of mass, the theory serves to complicate and confuse the issue. The most amazing feature of this $6 billion experiment is the confused and illogical thinking behind it.

Then the rabbit comes out of the hat:

Particle physicists would be well advised to study chemistry and the ‘London force’ between electrically neutral systems of atoms. It is a weak force, sufficient to form solids and liquids, and is always attractive. In other words, it is like gravity. The extreme feebleness of gravity can be understood as the result of tiny distortions of orbiting systems of charge within the proton, neutron, electron and neutrino.

Let me give the correct explanation: mass is a property of rotating photons.There are only a few rotating photon constructions that are stable. The most prominent ones being atoms and some subatomic particles.

[MGmirkin]

Let me give the correct explanation: mass is a property of rotating photons.There are only a few rotating photon constructions that are stable. The most prominent ones being atoms and some subatomic particles.

And do you have anything to back that up Steve-O, or are you pulling your own white rabbit out of your own black hat?

I hope people check their hats for rabbit "presents" before putting them back on...

*Tongue planted lightly in cheek*

~Michael Gmirkin

[StevenO]

Let me give the correct explanation: mass is a property of rotating photons.There are only a few rotating photon constructions that are stable. The most prominent ones being atoms and some subatomic particles.

And do you have anything to back that up Steve-O, or are you pulling your own white rabbit out of your own black hat?

I hope people check their hats for rabbit "presents" before putting them back on...

*Tongue planted lightly in cheek*

~Michael Gmirkin

Hi Mike,

I knew you would bite! (I could have mentioned the "magnetic rotation" of photons in atoms, but that would have been too much). I can show this is a logical consequence of a few simple postulates on the structure of the universe. Just wait for my article...it's stilll drying up.

[MGmirkin]

Hi Mike,

I knew you would bite! (I could have mentioned the "magnetic rotation" of photons in atoms, but that would have been too much). I can show this is a logical consequence of a few simple postulates on the structure of the universe. Just wait for my article...it's stilll drying up.

I'm assuming this is a bit tongue-in-cheeky as well? Let me know when the paper dries out...

~Michael

[edcrater]

What actually happens is that a percentage of the contract price is fed into each end of the machine. The dollars bang together in a titanic blast redolent of the big bang. A new particle called 'numbered account' is formed, and all the money disappears into it, then goes up vertically into a bank fortuitously placed above the collision chamber.

[StefanR]

Thanks Ed,

now I understand why they need Inflation in the Big Bang cosmology.

[MGmirkin]

Another helium leak? Lordie... Will this thing EVER work properly?

http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressRel ... 9.08E.html
http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_CERN_Shu ... 24753.html
http://www.universetoday.com/2008/09/20 ... wo-months/

And the prior event due to faulty engineering:

(Particle Collider Magnet Failure Blamed on Faulty Engineering)
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=par ... der-magnet

Regards,
~Michael Gmirkin

[substance]

The sad outcome we`ll see...

[edcrater]

Magnetic fields reconnected? Field lines frozen in?
Never mind; take a break and "limerick with Ed"!

........................

There was a machine LHC
That the taxpayer bought for a fee
It took all their money
Which wasn't very funny
But employed many jerks, don't you see?

The machine itself wouldn't start
There was want of a magnetic part
They built it again
The result was the same
No muons, no higgs and no quark

The taxpayer wanted return
So he closed down the mess that was CERN
The tunnel was back
As a big go-cart track
And apartments you can rent for a term.


More verses, anyone? Here's a start:

There was a young lady from CERN
Whose bosons were splendidly firm
.................
.................
.........................................

[Solar]

LOL

I think you better quit while you're ahead.