I consider myself to be an intelligent and wise person but for some reason, even though I know it is overhyped panic, part of me is worried that the world will end on Wednesday when they switch on the LHC in switzerland. The media seem to be loving the idea that it could destroy the world but I know that scientists see no danger of a black hole being created which could destroy the earth.

I try to remind myself to think back to the Y2k bug which ended up being a complete anti-climax but there is something that sticks in the back of my mind which says the world could end of wednesday. Anyone have any helpful advice to stop this thought?

Best advice I could give you is, stop worrying about the future so much. You've probably got more chance being hit by a bus tomorrow or struck by lightning than this thing ending the world.

In fact I am a philosopher on physics and the universe. I won't go into any unnecessary detail but there is a lot more going on in this universe than most people are aware of. Compared to that, what they are doing in Switzerland is nothing.

There's no point worrying anyway - if the 'worst case scenario' does happen, and some kind of world-consuming black hole is created, then what ya gonna do about it? I should expect that, within seconds, all of our existence as we know it will be obliterated, compressed into a space the size of a grapefruit. I think we wouldn't even have time to realise it had happened.
Maybe it has already happened, and because of the immense forces involved we are all just on the event horizon, perpetually stuck in the last few seconds of our existence....
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Bwahahahaha....i was talking about this very same thing with my friend in a drunken stupour on Saturday night.

If the world ends on Wednesday, we arent going to know about it until we are dead. And then we arent going to know about it because we are dead.

However if we do die on Wednesday, I will be sincerely pissed off as i met someone nice who i havent had the chance to meet yet! Damn world!

WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE.

There is as much a chance as plaiting fog.

I've been following this for several months.
From what I have understood, the scientists involved know what will NOT happen - i.e. the end of the world - it's what WILL happen that they are not sure about.
Hhhhmmmm, not sure that gives me much comfort!

But as others have said, if it is the end of the world on wednesday, well that sucks but if thats the case cheeriebye people, I'm off to Cornwall for a few days, my only comfort being that I will actually shuffle off this mortal coil with my family, and it dont get better than that.

Scott, let's hope we can discuss this further on thursday, but if not -- well, we shant know about that anyways!

It's the end of the world as we know it, not.

Hello Jackburton we is still here!!

Woohoo!!!

Millions, possibly Billions to build a 17 mile pipe to create a minute flash.
Hmm, money well spent.

The world could end because of a black hole!?

Well that would suck.

From what i have heard, and i am sure some of you will have something to say if i am way off, we arent really going to find out about the whole black hole thing until the 21st October anyway, because they only started the thing yesterday.

Also, didnt they use the same kind of machine to discover half the elements in the periodic table anyway? So if it was that dangerous, wouldnt we have died by now?

Worst case scenario is they are going to find some other element for the periodic table that is already in our atmosphere that could kill us. Whatever.