September 5th, 2008 posted by Bender Rodríguez
The BBC4 tells the story of the LHC at CERN through the narration of one of its research scientist and particle physicist, Brian Cox
Why do I find physics and astronomy so fascinating? Part of it has to do with my love of science fiction and a deep passion for an intergalactic life not unlike the Star Wars stories, or Firefly, or BSG. More importantly, however, the world of theoretical physics appeals to me as a sort of spectator sport. I do not really understand much of what is going on, and certainly could not hope to participate, save for being the person who cleans the laboratories at night, but I am truly fascinated by this subculture and the folks who inhabit it. The BBC4 documentary about the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that will be fired up next week, breathes new life into an otherwise imaginary world of high energy physics, while at the same time lifting the veil at CERN for us to have a brief glimpse into their life and work.
Brian Cox introduces us to the cast of characters that make up the tiny world of particle physics, and I am not referring to only those that comprise the standard model and the basic building blocks of our universe, but to the men and women who work in this wonderful playground of science. From the lovely Tara Shears to the hoarding hermit John Ellis to the eloquent and skeptical Spaniard Alvaro de Rújula, we come to know the massive brains behind this massive experiment. They paint a human face on intangible concepts that elude the grasp of mere mortals such as myself. I find myself thinking about their personal lives. What do they do for fun, and what do they dream about? When their daily lives are filled with transcendent wonder and that defy the imagination, where do they find solace and refuge from the mind expanding universe to which they are exposed?
Like a god revealing herself in full glory to one who is not capable of receiving such a vision, the universe and its inner workings confound the vast majority of us, such that we take refuge in religion or drugs or sex or materialism. I wonder what they see when they look at our mundane world of orchids and platypus and Monica Bellucci? I imagine they see the world through the eyes of Neo, modern day bodhisattvas with the ability to perceive the matrix behind saṃsāra.
Download the show from eztv.it or use the torrent links below:
"Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt."
Clarence Darrow