Neotorama was featuring this really interesting explanation of how the Large Hadron Collider actually works yesterday evening:

Linear acceleration, circular boosting in 4 packets with pulses, further acceleration in the proton synchotron (a larger ring) and gain of mass, further energy addition in the super proton synchotron, and finally the LHC itself with 2 rings with opposite directions, which then allows the actual collisions. Really neat.

As for the black hole doomsday scenario that cookie mentioned wasn’t upon us just yet: It isn’t due until October 21st (source, via), so long they won’t do any collisions and just test the two individual rings. Also, it’s just one of many such scenarios, every one just as improbable as the next.

Random related tidbit, an Indian girl commited suicide because she was afraid of dying (via Arathor.net). Tragic, which doesn’t quite mean that I understand it -- as Ramuel in that thread put it so eloquently:

I really don’t get it. I mean if you were thinking about killing yourself and believed the end of the world was nigh, why not just save yourself the hassle and wait until you get sucked into oblivion?