The "Big Bang" is happening ... and we're still here

One cannot change the past, so there is little use in regretting it.  But one can learn from it and try to move on in a positive manner.  Still, while I cannot change the era in which I was raised and the mentality that generally decreed ... which I accepted all too easily ... that females have no gift or need for math or science, one thing that I truly do regret is that I did not study either in a much more dedicated and thorough manner.  In the final analysis, that I did not is due more to my own decisions than to anything or anyone else.  Had I really wanted to, I probably could have.  Suffice it to say, however, that girls in Montana in the '50s and early '60s were not encouraged to pursue such studies; those who did were more the exceptions who proved the rule.

I like to think that I attempted to remedy that deficit somewhat by having the good sense to marry HWMBO, who is an engineer.  As such, he has a deep respect for and knowledge of both math and science, physical science in particular.  More importantly, however, he has the instincts of a teacher, keeps learning himself and has pushed me, albeit often figuratively kicking and screaming, into the computer age.  Thank heavens for that!

Had I not had this positive and enlightened influence, I would not be nearly so excited by the truly worldshaking events that transpired yesterday, 30 March 2010, in Geneva.  The LHC (Large Hadron Collider), a particle accelerator used by scientists to study particles (the smallest known fundamental building blocks of all things), began sending two beams of subatomic particles in opposite directions at speeds accelerating nearly to that of light so that they would collide head-on in an effort to recreate the conditions occurring just after the "Big Bang."

The LHC is located at Cern, officially the European Organization for Nuclear Research, even though it has retained the original acronym of its long-ago predecessor.  The history, development and timeline of CERN are well described at the CERN website.  Other general information can be found here.  What is immediately pertinent to me, however, is that the LHC is quite literally beneath my feet.  It occupies a 27 km circular tunnel 100 metres beneath the French-Swiss border near Geneva.  Just thinking about all these frenetically accelerating particles makes my own head spin.

Knowledgeable scientists everywhere, particularly particle physicists, are tremendously excited that this is finally happening.  They expect to glean all sorts of knowledge, not only from the happening but also from the process.  Here is a photo showing the dedicated concentration at CERN itself.  Some reports of the event can be found here and here.  Videos can be found here.

This is one reason why I truly wish that I had been intelligent enough to get past the obstacles of my days as a student and learn enough to understand even the smallest bit of what is now happening.   I am very happy to see that several in my family's younger generations have not been deterred, or distracted, as I was.  This milestone is literally fascinating.  To the extent that the knowledge obtained can make the world a better place, it is desperately needed.

Unfortunately, science or knowledge of any sort that doesn't fit with preconceived notions is too often seen as the "enemy" by those who either do not understand or who simply refuse even to try.  They prefer that individuals be ruled by fear and superstition.  Just as Christopher Columbus was plagued by "flat-earthers" and Galileo, the greatest scientist of his age, was tried by the Inquisition for his beliefs - among them, that the Earth circled around the Sun, which we all know to be true today - we have our present-day doubters and Doomsday cults.   That has been the case for CERN's experiments.  Fortunately, the experiments were not halted.

Most of us, fortunately, only know about Doomsday cults from the newspapers.  But I actually had a tangential personal experience with one back in October 1979, while I was living in Montana.  I was aiming to broaden my professional horizons and had prepared a cv for printing, which in those pre-personal computer days meant having to go to a print shop.  Unbeknownst to me, the clerk at the counter was a member of a Doomsday cult that fervently believed that the world would end in March 1980.  As I attempted to discuss formatting with him, he asked me why I was even trying to look for a new job, which took me aback, then amazed me as he explained why.  I responded that I would take my chances, that I wanted my cv printed and, if he didn't want my business, I would go elsewhere.

He printed the cv for me, showing that he either needed to eat or had a modicum of common sense after all.  And here I am today.  Even after yesterday.  Still.