Large Hadron Collider turned back on

Buttons glow in the control room of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) near Geneva on April 5, 2012. At 0:38 CEST this morning, the LHC shift crew declared "stable beams" as two 4 TeV proton beams were brought into collision at the LHC's four interaction points. The collision energy of 8 TeV is a new world record, and increases the machine's potential to solve perplexing scientific questions. Top of the list: confirming the existence of the Higgs boson, a hypothetical particle posited to explain why matter has mass. Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

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http://www.facebook.com/boshart Nicholas Boshart

Ah, I was wondering why for two minutes I was 52 years old.
- Preston Sturges
  
  Was your cat both alive and dead?
  - Cynical
    
    He didn’t check.
http://dougsamu.wordpress.com doug rogers

It needs an alert light in the upper right – with a smiley face – labelled “BOSON!”
- monopole
  
  Off frame, next to the “planetary self-destruct” button
Chris Nielsen

All things serve the Beam.
hacky

It tickles me that there’s an “on” and an “off” button in what must be a very complex control room. Also, I’d think the “on” switch should be guarded as well.
- Preston Sturges
  
  …..The beautiful shiny button. The jolly candy-like button….
- http://twitter.com/incarnedine_v Dan Hibiki
  
  I would have thought there would at least be a pair of keys…
bcsizemo

As I look at the picture I keep hearing a humming sound as if I just walked into an Aperture Science or Black Mesa facility…
- http://twitter.com/MrAaronSwainEsq Aaron Swain
  
  Funny, this is the sound I hear…. http://youtu.be/8WZW4groJro?t=13s
  - http://twitter.com/incarnedine_v Dan Hibiki
    
    kind of envisioned it would sound like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N85w1-GPgJI
Guest

“I think it is time we demonstrated the full power of this station. Set your course for Alderaan.”
Preston Sturges

The little red light needs to say “I’m sorry Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
awjt

what’s eis-b?
Tyler Puryear

I wonder if when they started it up somebody said “Commence primary ignition.”?
- awjt
  
  No, the lead scientist on deck said, simply, “Engage.”
stephenl123

The lack of protection on the “On” button makes some sense because it is generally continuously on while powered. I worry more about what looks like a fairly flimsy protector on the “Off” button because turning it off costs millions of dollars.
billstewart

XKCD http://xkcd.com/401/ http://xkcd.com/474/