physics
Science
Confirmed: CERN Is Just A Huge Half-Life Level
9:00AM John Herrman | Plenty of people have given CERN and Half-Life’s Black Mesa research facility the This Thing Looks Like That Thing treatment, but this tour of the facility’s deepest bowels is just too much. Steam geysers? Endless corridors? Rusty valves? Slime growths? More »
Science
A Brief History of Williard Boyle and George Smith
10:40AM Rosa Golijan | Williard “Mr. Modesty” Boyle and George “Three Page Dissertation” Smith, extraordinary sailors and co-winners of this year’s Nobel prize in physics deserve time in our spotlight: they invented the CCD image sensors which gave our digital cameras eyes. More »
Science
Nobel Prize In Physics Rewards Fiber Optics Expert, CCD Creators
8:00AM Jack Loftus | So apparently a controversial Nobel Peace Prize was awarded this week. Forget that one. Focus instead on the far geekier one that was also awarded this week. Why? Because we gadget lovers have a lot to be thankful for! More »
Science
She’s Got It Where It Counts: LHC Hyperdrive Testing A Possibility
6:00AM Jack Loftus | Parallels between the Large Hadron Collider and the beloved Millennium Falcon are becoming increasingly clear. Both take a bit of work to get off the ground; both feature rogue agents; and soon both could employ hyperdrive technology. More »
Science
Large Hadron Collider “Light” Will Half-End World In November
12:30AM Jack Loftus | While we doubt the loud sex is the real reason for CERN’s LHC-related woes, we are certain of one thing this morning: The “world-ending” LHC (citation: ill-informed ignoramuses) LHC will restart at half-strength in November. More »
Vehicles
World’s Fastest Car Wash Has Its Disadvantages
1:20AM John Herrman | I feel like there’s an adage in here somewhere. How about this: If you have to say “oh, but it’s just water!” before doing something, then you probably have no business doing it. More »
Science
A Pack Of Canadians Claim They Can Deliver Nuclear Fusion, Cheap
10:00AM Adrian Covert | Vancouver-based startup General Fusion has been running around claiming they can build a nuclear fusion reactor in the next 10 years for under a billion dollars. And some anonymous futurists just gave them 9 million dollars for their troubles. More »
Science
4:00AM Adam Frucci | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Bevatron was the world’s largest atom smasher when it was build for $US9 million in the early ’50s. Soon, it’ll be reduced to a pile of rubble. More »
Historic, Gigantic Atom Smasher To Be Demolished
4:00AM Adam Frucci | Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Bevatron was the world’s largest atom smasher when it was build for $US9 million in the early ’50s. Soon, it’ll be reduced to a pile of rubble. More »
Science
Doomsday Postponed Until October
12:30AM Jack Loftus | An electrical fault has delayed the LHC startup to October. The silver lining is events have aligned in such a way that I can wear my Higgs Boson costume with confidence. October, as you know, is home to Halloween. [MSNBC]
Science
