Large hadron rap
CERN, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research, has just sent its first lot of proton particles around the Large Hadron Collider - a 27km track buried deep under the French and Swiss alps.
The whole project has cost about £5bn so far with numerous cost overruns and delays. But in the media and among the public we have seen hardly a breath of criticism. Contrast this with the hullabaloo surrounding the Millennium Dome that cost £789m and the London Olympics (current budget - £5.3bn).
The dome was easier to criticise since it was no more than a very large circular canopy designed to keep the rain off a not very exciting exhibition.
The Large Hadron Collider, on the other hand, is more difficult to criticise because most politicians and journalists - the people who make their livings from kicking visionaries - have not the foggiest idea about what it is trying to do, hence the expression "blinded by science."
Moreover funding for the collider has been shared among 60 nations whereas funding for London 2012 will come from British taxpayers, London ratepayers and television and advertising revenues.
Another thing: while Beijing gave us a £20bn two-week long sporting extravaganza, CERN, at a quarter of the cost, is hoping to provide an answer to one of the great mysteries of our time - what is dark matter?
I'm afraid I must line up with the ignorant politicians and journalists but I do share some of the excitement and admire the balls and tenacity of those scientists who made this happen. Extracting £5bn from 60 countries to build a giant tube shooting around things that we can't see - that's impressive.
If you haven't seen it, one of the clearest outlines of the whole project has been produced here in the Large Hadron Rap.
What all this really means is that if we feel need the need to hold our own in pub conversations from now on we shall have to learn a whole new set of words and concepts. Either that or we can continue to debate the health of Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Pete Docherty. Five billion pounds to get that lot out of the news for one day? It was worth every penny.
The whole project has cost about £5bn so far with numerous cost overruns and delays. But in the media and among the public we have seen hardly a breath of criticism. Contrast this with the hullabaloo surrounding the Millennium Dome that cost £789m and the London Olympics (current budget - £5.3bn).
The dome was easier to criticise since it was no more than a very large circular canopy designed to keep the rain off a not very exciting exhibition.
The Large Hadron Collider, on the other hand, is more difficult to criticise because most politicians and journalists - the people who make their livings from kicking visionaries - have not the foggiest idea about what it is trying to do, hence the expression "blinded by science."
Moreover funding for the collider has been shared among 60 nations whereas funding for London 2012 will come from British taxpayers, London ratepayers and television and advertising revenues.
Another thing: while Beijing gave us a £20bn two-week long sporting extravaganza, CERN, at a quarter of the cost, is hoping to provide an answer to one of the great mysteries of our time - what is dark matter?
I'm afraid I must line up with the ignorant politicians and journalists but I do share some of the excitement and admire the balls and tenacity of those scientists who made this happen. Extracting £5bn from 60 countries to build a giant tube shooting around things that we can't see - that's impressive.
If you haven't seen it, one of the clearest outlines of the whole project has been produced here in the Large Hadron Rap.
What all this really means is that if we feel need the need to hold our own in pub conversations from now on we shall have to learn a whole new set of words and concepts. Either that or we can continue to debate the health of Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and Pete Docherty. Five billion pounds to get that lot out of the news for one day? It was worth every penny.
Labels: Amy Winehouse, Beijing Olympics, Britney Spears, Cerne Abbas Giant, dark matter, Large Hadron Collider, London 2012, Millennium Dome, Pete Docherty
posted by Richard Donkin at
9:34 AM
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