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Bad Astronomy
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Comedy, bosons, and art

Three great things that go great together, I’ve always said.

Chris Morris, a brilliantly funny man, was at CERN and the Large Hadron Collider with me when I visited in April. He was very earnest while we were there, but then at dinner we were dying with laughter. He wrote up his exploits for The Guardian, and it’s great. If you’re curious, I’m the one he calls Astroblogger.

Interestingly, writer Mike Sizemore has a thoughtful reply up on Creative Choices. Gia, who was at CERN (and who’s married to Brian Cox and is totally cool), wrote a lengthy reply to Sizemore’s reply.

I suppose my own blog post here is a reply3. I think I’ll end the lovefest here though, and just tell you to read all of it. Everyone talks about why science is important, and big science is cool.

But I will add you can see Gia’s pictures of all us at CERN on her Flickr account.

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July 2nd, 2008 8:20 AM by Phil Plait in Humor, Science | 19 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

19 Responses to “Comedy, bosons, and art”

  1. 1.   Andy Beaton Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 10:35 am

    “Weaponised to boggle” is a great phrase. I don’t know if I should use it as a blog title , or a band name, but I will be using it somehow, and as frequently as possible.

  2. 2.   madge Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 10:47 am

    Calling fellow Brits! July 13th is Big Bang Night on BBC4. The cool (and drop dead gorgeous) Brian Cox is fronting a documentary on the LHC and there are other programmes to mark the start (first power up…I think it will take till October to be at full power) of the biggest experiment in the world EVER!

  3. 3.   melior Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 11:04 am

    OK, who’s underpants guy?

  4. 4.   Quiet Desperation Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 11:05 am

    ERROR! Your facts are uncoordinated!

    The comedy particle is known as the “bozon”

    (rimshot)

    Thank you!

  5. 5.   Phil Plait Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 11:18 am

    melior- Underpants Guy is the founder of Joe Boxer. It was quite a trip to CERN: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2008/04/22/europe-day-3-cern-the-lhc/. :-)

  6. 6.   Scientists aim for public office - Page 2 - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 am

    [...] by the BA (Comedy, bosons, and art — in the Bad Astronomy Blog in its luxurious new home, Discover Magazine), Gia’s Blog: Science, [...]

  7. 7.   Alan K Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 11:36 am

    Thanks Madge, I must remember to programme it into my Sky + box.

  8. 8.   BoboBear Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    BA, I’ve been reading you for years – this is my first reply. So I guessing that this is why new blog emails have been delayed and/or missing the last couple of weeks or so.

    I just had to send you this youtube link (warning, your head WILL explode) – but it is comforting to know that the LHC (and I got this link from the LHC @ home blog) will not produce mini-black holes or other strange particles to destroy the Earth, but Satan and the Freemasons on the other hand – (and remember to wrap your head tightly before viewing) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lt1Yo610lG0

  9. 9.   Chris H Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 12:20 pm

    Hi BA :) Thought you might like to know, if you’re not already aware, that the Chris Morris article was also included in a special CERN supplement in every Guardian newspaper as well, on Monday. I hadn’t realised this was going to be happening — I managed to get away with phoning them up and saying that my supplement was missing (I didn’t get the paper that day, so it’s sort of true; my supplement AND the paper were missing…) and they happily sent it to me :D

    Liking the move — bringing BA to a bigger audience is a good, and worthy, goal :)

    Chris, UK,
    Very-Rural-And-Superstitious-Part-of-Devon, Skeptic

  10. 10.   Torbjörn Larsson, OM Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 12:48 pm

    Three great things that go great together, I’ve always said.

    Sure you’ve said. [Backs slowly away.]

  11. 11.   Trebuchet Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 11:31 am

    Am I the only one who read the post title as “Comedy, bosoms, and art”?

  12. 12.   The Centipede Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 11:33 am

    “Scientists, Freemasons, same thing.”

    Heh heh heh heh. SATAN’S STARGATE!

  13. 13.   spacebeast Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 12:59 pm

    LHC: Comedic Collider

    Funny guy Chris Morris writes about his visit to the Large Hadron Collider and hilarity ensues. He includes the obvious joke about misspelling “hadron”, but in a nice subtle way.
    [Via]
    …

  14. 14.   John Paradox Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    Trebuchet Says:
    Am I the only one who read the post title as “Comedy, bosoms, and art”?

    No, but the question is how many people will admit that?

    J/P=?

  15. 15.   Large Hadron Colliders a DANGER?? - Page 17 - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 3:26 pm

    [...] back to hadrons and the large gizmos that bang them together, BA Blog: Comedy, bosons, and art aims us at a funny piece by Chris Morris: Massive bosons blew my unit. [...]

  16. 16.   Bart Mitchell Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 5:52 pm

    Astrobloger, thats cute. I wonder what he would call someone who blogged about digestional issues. Gastrobloger?

  17. 17.   newton.net Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 7:53 pm

    [...] the grapevine, I came across this fantastic article in the Guardian, regarding the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. [...]

  18. 18.   John Morales Says:
    July 2nd, 2008 at 9:06 pm

    Trebuchet, me too.
    “Comedy, bosoms, and art” indeed.

  19. 19.   art galleries in california Says:
    July 7th, 2008 at 10:51 am

    art galleries in california

    [...] Podcasts Feature Podcasts Monthly Mix Podcasts Live This Month Podcasts Videos – NEW! Show Coverage Concert Calendar Art Links #subnavright { font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Verdana; float:right; padding: 7px 10px 5px 5px; font-size: 11px; [...]

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