Hawking bets $100 against Higgs in Off Topic

ID:47851
 
Sep 9 2008, 1:37 pm
http://www.physorg.com/news140161003.html

Renowned British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has bet 100 dollars (70 euros) that a mega-experiment this week will not find an elusive particle seen as a holy grail of cosmic science, he said Tuesday.
#1 Sep 9 2008, 1:42 pm
Can I tack another 100$ onto that bet? It's a big experiment, don't get me wrong, and something will definitely be discovered. Probably not dark matter, or dark energy, though.
#2 Sep 9 2008, 1:49 pm
Jeff8500 wrote:
something will definitely be discovered.

For the cost of the machine that they are conducting this experiment, i should hope so lol Stephen Hawking also said "vital if the human race is not to stultify and eventually die out." so there counting on it...
#3 Sep 9 2008, 2:24 pm
will not find an elusive particle seen as a holy grail of cosmic science

Is "gateway to an insane hell dimension" the same thing as an elusive particle seen as a holy grail of cosmic science? I hope so, 'cause that's what we're gonna get.
#4 Sep 9 2008, 2:28 pm
Chris-g1 wrote:
Jeff8500 wrote:
something will definitely be discovered.

For the cost of the machine that they are conducting this experiment, i should hope so lol Stephen Hawking also said "vital if the human race is not to stultify and eventually die out." so there counting on it...

I thought Hawking said that in respect to colonizing other planets.
#5 Sep 9 2008, 2:55 pm
Just FYI, Dan (of Dantom fame) is a part of the big Higgs detection project. So maybe if it busts he'll come back to us!
#6 Sep 9 2008, 3:14 pm
Jeff8500 wrote:
Probably not dark matter

If supersymmetric particles exist, the LHC should be capable of producing them.

or dark energy, though.

The LHC isn't really in the realm of detecting the two most likely candidates of dark energy, quintessence and the cosmological constant (different from Einstein's, before anyone says anything).
#7 Sep 9 2008, 3:24 pm
Tom wrote:
Just FYI, Dan (of Dantom fame) is a part of the big Higgs detection project. So maybe if it busts he'll come back to us!

Is he serious?
#8 Sep 9 2008, 3:25 pm
Yammen wrote:
Is he serious?

Probably. If I remember correctly, Dan is working at a university in Wisconsin, and universities and private foundations are tier 2 (I think) of the LHC's data system.
#9 Sep 9 2008, 4:54 pm
Hawking bet against finding black holes, too, as a means of consolation if he was actually wrong. Which seems to make the chances of finding the higgs boson pretty high!
#10 Sep 9 2008, 7:29 pm
Well, nothing better happen to my Swiss account!

Well, if I had one, that is what I would be saying...
#11 Sep 9 2008, 8:51 pm
Gughunter wrote:
will not find an elusive particle seen as a holy grail of cosmic science

Is "gateway to an insane hell dimension" the same thing as an elusive particle seen as a holy grail of cosmic science? I hope so, 'cause that's what we're gonna get.

Best get my pistol and knuckle-dusters ready.

Cue music: http://www.sirgalahad.org/paul/doom/mp3/e1m1.mp3
#12 Sep 9 2008, 8:52 pm
Just so y'all know, they're running the first test of the LHC in about two hours. You can catch live webcast here: http://webcast.cern.ch/index.html

Might take while to get in. It's a popular site right now, what with the end so nigh.
#13 Sep 10 2008, 2:56 am
Tom wrote:
Just FYI, Dan (of Dantom fame) is a part of the big Higgs detection project. So maybe if it busts he'll come back to us!

Maybe he'll come back once the experiment is completed. =)
#14 Sep 10 2008, 5:39 am
Tiberath wrote:
Tom wrote:
Just FYI, Dan (of Dantom fame) is a part of the big Higgs detection project. So maybe if it busts he'll come back to us!

Maybe he'll come back once the experiment is completed. =)

Or go off researching some more to whatever the results comes out to.
#15 Sep 10 2008, 3:42 pm
Xooxer wrote:
Might take while to get in. It's a popular site right now, what with the end so nigh.

http://www.hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/
#16 Sep 10 2008, 9:42 pm
"Experts assure us that based on everything we know about science, the chances of doom are fairly slim. Experts also say LHC will change everything we know about science. So there is a certain chance that one of the brand new things they learn about the LHC is that the LHC has the ability turn the entire planet into a fine cloud of particles."

http://www.cracked.com/ article_16583_5-scientific-experiments-most-likely-end-world .html
#17 Sep 10 2008, 9:49 pm
There's also a chance that manbearpig will crawl out of my ass and sneeze Paris Hilton. Doesn't mean that chance is significant enough to care about.

[Edit]
Also, I hope you don't honestly believe any of that shit, or otherwise you're more fucking insane than we already realized. Given the circumstances, though, you can't go anymore bonkers, nor would believing this be too out there for you.
#18 Sep 10 2008, 9:51 pm
You're right. Nobody cares about your insignificant ass. :P
#19 Sep 13 2008, 6:19 pm
Popisfizzy wrote:
[Edit]
Also, I hope you don't honestly believe any of that shit,

Excuse you? Shit? I take it you didn't read it, then?

or otherwise you're more fucking insane than we already realized.

I think you're the crazy one here, Mr. ego.

Given the circumstances,

Elaborate.

though, you can't go anymore bonkers, nor would believing this be too out there for you.

Believing what, that science would test something they aren't sure won't wipe out all life on the planet, or that the LHC will do so? The first is already a known fact, or have we forgotten the Manhattan Project? The second is possible, though I think it highly unlikely, though not for any reason you'd like. The article, though, I believe was a funny and refreshing comedy about the whole debate, nothing more.