where physics and life collide
Posts tagged conversation
CERN conversations: on rollercoasters
02 years ago
by biglove
in CERN conversations
On a warm day in the late Summer, two physicists sat on the R1 veranda and engaged in a conversation about rollercoasters. We present an excerpt below.
(hearty laughter)
That’s really cool except I imagine the lines for that are long, because they can’t run… two
Two of them! Yeeah, that’s true, the lines are a little bit longer I think, but they go really fast.
Unfortunately I guess that means you know the ride…
ride is fast
ride is fast, yeeah.
But it’s definitely worth doing once or twice.
There’s … There’s Runaway Mountain, which I assume is… everywhere; like that’s the rollercoaster in the dark.
OK.
That’s a lot of fun
Um … there’s….. ahh, there’s Flashback, which is the first one I ever went on that… that goes upside down
OK.
The Shockwave is a bigger one that goes upside down.
Oh and the… the Titan! That is… so that’s supposedly the world’s biggest rollercoaster, yup.
And I assume that; I assume it’s the same one that you went on, like just a diferent edition of it
Yeah.
the same, the same struct… That was spec-tac-u-lar. There’s, There’s one part in it, I’ve ridden in it a few times.There’s one part where you go like, under this thing. On like, So it, it takes you like around on the side a couple times…?
OK. yeah, I don’t, I don’t remember enough details but I…
Oh OK. And it sort of goes and plunges down, and … and there’s like a, you go under an awn… like a little awning. And … you know, I’ve got my hands up, I always kinda shah-ha-hake bah-hack (laughter while speaking) down, cause I’m like, that really looks like I’m about to hit tha-ha-ha-ha-hah! (laughter)
Well they’ve designed it, You know. They’ve designed it to do this…
There’s like, I mean… I don’t think, I don’t think Dikembe Mutombo could touch that thing if he tri-ha-ha-ha-hied
Yeah.
(hearty laughter)
John Bradley of course would lose his hands
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA (very enthusiastic laughter), ri-ha-ha-ha-hight
Yeah.
Like in the West Wing?
Yes.
When the president always ducks every time he gets into a helicopter?
Yup.
He’s like: You don’t think those blades could chop off your head? I don’t think those blades could chop off Dikembe Mutombo’s head!
heheheheheheh
Yeah.
…some moments of silence…
Well thanks for coming out
OK.
CERN Conversations: On units
02 years ago
From time to time, we here at CERN Love are priveleged enough to overhear some truly amazing discussions. Whether we are wandering through one of CERN’s overcrowded restaurants at the peek of lunch hour, spending 8 grueling hours on a shift, or just casually drinking a coffee in the newly-furnished atrium of lovely Building 40, we are privy to some interesting shit coming out of people’s mouths.
Today, I want to bestow upon you a gem of a dialogue I overheard last week between two not-so-intelligent physicists (with a special appearance by an intelligent physicist!):
Dumbass A : So, if you look here, you can see the output rates…
Dumbass B : …yes, I can follow that. My only question is abou–
Dumbass A : –and don’t forget the units are in [read as 'megahertz'] mHz.
Intelligent Physicist : Actually, the units printed there are millihertz.
[...the two dumbasses stare at the laptop screen, and then confusingly at one another...]
Dumbass B : Well, the ‘k’ in ‘kilohertz’ is lowercase, so…
Dumbass A : …yeah, I think it’s ‘mega.’
[Intelligent Physicist walks away, dumbfounded.]
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that CERN is a wonderfully stimulating place, with many of the world’s greatest minds, but this left me awe-struck. If there’s any confusion:
Answer key.
Even Wikipedia says so! The only other question is: what the hell were they discussing that could be measured in millihertz?
International travels: interrogations
02 years ago
by lots-o-love
in Around town
Border crossing in front of CERN
Just beyond the main entrance, the road in front of CERN crosses from Switzerland to France at an important border station. CERN is not just international in its political status and spirit, it is physically international: the main site straddles the two countries. In its early years CERN was entirely within Switzerland, but only just barely. Later expansion now puts most of its area in France. Still, outside of limited weekday hours the only entrance is from Switzerland, and many employees and users from other countries choose to live in France. The international border has kept the “French suburbs” of Geneva, which surround the city on three sides, distinctly less developed. Because of this, housing can be cheaper and distinctly easier to find on the French side of the border (though prices have been equalizing over time and apartment searches are still not without their frustrations). So for many the everyday the commute requires a border crossing. This was the situation I was in a few years back.
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