Monday, November 2, 2009

2012? No Big Deal. We've Got Bigger Problems!

In anticipation of Roland Emmerich's upcoming latest mega-disaster flick, 2012, I give you the most depressing website ever.

Okay, depressing might not be the right word for it, but Exit Mundi is a fairly expansive catalogue of the diabolical ways the world/the Universe might come to an end. Here are some of my favorite theories from the web site:

-The Universe is just a computer program, which at any time, and for whatever reason, could simply be switched off by the programmer.

-We are going to turn into the Borg. (I kid you not! Check this page out.)

-The Earth's magnetic field is flipping over and will someday disappear entirely.

-The fundamental constants will reach their critical values, and everything will just get all screwy.

What say you? How do you all think this will end?

13 comments:

Rita Vetere said...

Hey Brian,

We are certainly living in interesting times, as the Chinese curse goes. I confess I've wondered on more than one occasion just how interesting December 21, 2012 at 11:11 will turn out to be.

Personally, of all the disaster scenarios laid out for that date, I like the idea of being flushed down a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way (perhaps to be regurgitated into an alternate universe--wouldn't that be fun?).

Also, the sun flare disaster scenario appeals. (I know, I know, but what can I say, I live for this stuff.)

I adore a good disaster flick, so am looking forward to Emmerich's 2012.

As for the reality, guess we'll have to exercise a little patience and wait until 2012 to find out what, if anything, transpires. Who knows, maybe the New Age theorists are correct and that's when humankind will enter a new era of enlightenment... yeah, right.

seana graham said...

The great thing about that site is that even a cursory glance makes you realize how absurd and unlikely it is that we are here at all. So let the good times roll, I say!

Here in Santa Cruz, as may be obvious, we're all down with that positive shift 2012 scenario. What can I say--we're utopians.

Brian O'Rourke said...

Hey Rita -

I'll admit I enjoy a good disaster flick too, but I'm not yet sold on 2012. I didn't care much for The Day After Tomorrow, and Independence Day, which was a lot of fun when it came out, has aged pretty poorly.

Then again, 2012 doesn't fall into the typical end-of-days trappings: vampires, zombies, comet/asteroid, plague, etc.

Brian O'Rourke said...

And yes - an alternate universe would be a lot of fun!

Brian O'Rourke said...

Seana,

Excellent point. We live, as they say, on the knife's edge, so we should have as much fun as possible while we're here.

Oliver Reed was on to something, in other words.

seana graham said...

I wouldn't have thought that Oliver Reed and I had a lot in common, but there you go...separated at birth in all likelihood.

adrian mckinty said...

Brian

We better hope that global warming has really somehow affected the ice age cycle we've been living through for the last million years or so (I personally doubt that it has) because the next ice age is overdue and its not going to be pretty.

seana graham said...

Well, it might be pretty, Winter Wonderland and all, but we probably won't have much time to appreciate it aesthetically.

adrian mckinty said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
adrian mckinty said...

Seana

I agree Manhattan under a one mile sheet of ice will look interesting, but I cant see the ice age being that good for the few humans that'll be left murdering each other for resources.

I just hope the global warming alarmists are right.

Brian O'Rourke said...

Adrian,

You see, this has been my point all along: global warming ain't so bad.

Brian O'Rourke said...

Seana,

If I were smart, I'd get ahead of this ice age by buying lots of property along the equator. If Lex Luthor taught me anything about real estate, it was: location, location, location.

seana graham said...

Lex Luthor? Oliver Reed? I'm afraid you are going to have to start thinking of more positive role models for Baby Girl O'Rourke.