collider

Hackers break into Large Hadron Collider computer

Hackers broke into a computer system at CERN's Large Hadron Collider, targeting a system that was "one step away" from a control computer, but otherwise appear to have done no major damage, according to a report on Friday in the British newspaper The Telegraph.

The system that was breached monitors the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment, which will be analyzing data during subatomic particle collisions in the particle accelerator located along the French-Swiss border. Experiments, which began on Wednesday, are designed to help scientists explore particle physics theories.

During the attack on Tuesday and Wednesday, hackers left behind … Read more

Why the Large Hadron Collider must be stopped

I am not an intelligent designer. Nor am I a resident of France or Switzerland.

But this Large Hadron Collider experiment, in which particles are breaking the speed limit somewhere beneath the French/Swiss border and then crashing into each other like teenage drunks in fairground bumper cars scares the semi-comatose bejaysus out of me.

These scientists claim to know what they are doing. But scientists always claim to know what they are doing. Then they discover, while doing the thing that they claim to know they are doing, that they are doing something entirely different.

Is any government monitoring … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 806: Battlestar Monk

On today's show, we reveal a huge spoiler: Monk is the 12th Cylon. (Apologies to any of you who don't watch that show.) This is vaguely related to the news that NBC's return to iTunes comes shackled with variable pricing. In other news, RIM releases its first ever flip phone, and amazing space-based solar power arrives (bad news for birds). Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 806

CERN’s big collider now in action http://news.cnet.com/8301-11386_3-10037565-76.html

Flipping out: RIM BlackBerry Pearl Flip 8220 debuts http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-10036487-7.html

Congress questions … Read more

CERN's big collider now in action

On Wednesday morning, the first particle beam was successfully sent around the full circuit of the Large Hadron Collider at the European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN.

The new science resulting from this grand experiment will turn up in the coming weeks and months, but what Wednesday's event did prove was that the world's largest machine works. Part of that machine is the cathedral-size Atlas detector, one of two general-purpose detectors (the other is the Compact Muon Solenoid, or CMS) in the LHC.

Atlas' development and construction benefited from a great amount of U.K. involvement, particularly that of the Science & Technology Facilities Council, which held an event in Westminster, England to see, via video link, the LHC being initiated. There, event attendees watched the first successful beam circulation in the LHC, which took just less than an hour to complete.

"This is the biggest high of my career so far," said Professor Jon Butterworth of University College London, who heads up the United Kingdom's involvement in the Atlas detector. "I didn't think they'd do it so quickly and smoothly." … Read more

Don't panic: Large Hadron Collider won't spawn voracious black holes

Correction, 11:00 a.m. PDT: This story incorrectly reported the size of the particle accelerator. It has a circumference of 17 miles.

Remember the fear that the Trinity test of the first atomic bomb in 1945 might ignite the atmosphere? The Large Hadron Collider, a massive particle accelerator 17 miles in circumference that will begin operation Wednesday, comes with its own apocalyptic possibility: teensy black holes with gravitational appetites voracious enough to swallow the Earth.

But you can breathe easy, because some scientists believe that worry is just as baseless as the A-bomb's flaming atmosphere.

On Tuesday, the … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 803: Limp-wristed robot handshakes

If a robot has a firm handshake, does that mean its creator is a stand-up guy, or just that he programmed his robot to have a firm handshake? That and other serious technology topics are examined today, and we also give our official Buzz Out Loud reviews of the new Microsoft commercial with Jerry Seinfeld. Brian Cooley joins us for Friday goodness.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 803

LHC will not destroy the universe in 5 days http://www.boingboing.net/2008/09/04/lhc-will-not-destroy.html

Microsoft begins big ad push http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10033375-56.html http://www.alleyinsider.com/2008/9/seinfeld-s-first-microsoft-commercial-awkward-not-funny… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 784: Border collies are the real cowboys

In the fine tradition of subject lines that tell you nothing about the show or clue you in to the fact that this is, in fact, a tech show. But sometimes, we also like to talk about cowboys. And dogs. And extra-malicious hackers at Black Hat, Vista security "rendered useless" by same, and the low, low interest in Blu-Ray.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 784

Times Online: 'Fakeproof' e-passport is cloned in minutes http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4467106.ece

How I got hacked at Black Hat http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/How-I-Got-Hacked-at-Black-Hat/ … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 751: No big black hole deal

Black holes from the Large Hadron Collider? No worries. Mac OS X Trojan in the wild? Minor worries. Total top-level domain overhaul? Worries deferred until we see it in action. EFF attacks the entire foundation for the RIAA's lawsuits against alleged pirates and specifically their troublesome "making available" claim? RIAA shouldn't worry, even though we wish they would. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 751

Why the LHC Won’t Destroy the World http://news.slashdot.org/news/08/06/23/134251.shtml

Mac OS X Trojan reported in the wild http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9973703-57.html … Read more