Day in day out, I'm back again, dominating this blog ferociously, until Ina has had little or nothing to say.. Ideally, it is supposed to be a shared blog, about us.. Evidently, I'm currently in the driving seat and pressing on the gas! It is not that Ina has lost interest in blogging, but much to my delight, she has been busy baking! Yes, people - BAKING! Some cookie-preparation for the upcoming Hari Raya.. Why am I not in the kitchen? Well, baking has never been my strong point, so I guess rather than messing the biscuits and cakes, why not stay away from the oven and do some other chores..
This entry would probably be a fairly brief one.. I have nothing new or major to discuss, by the way.. So, I will probably update a little bit about my most recent entry - The Large Hadron Collider (LHC)..
Setback After Setback
As we all know by now, the supercollider was launched last week.. Much has been said and the media coverage has been enormous.. In fact, the people involved with the mega project have started a blog about the events too..
Unfortunately, there have been two big, if not major, setbacks during the past week.. I shall pen this down and, maybe, we could learn something from the recent dramas..
Greek Hadron Hackers
On Monday the 15th September, news broke to the world that the LHC computers were hacked.. Fortunately for the 10,000 scientists who depend their work (and maybe their lifetime ambition and aspiration) on this machine, the damage was only to one network of the computers which their main function is to process data on the Compact Muon Selenoid Experiment (CMS).. And, fortunately again, they are not directly connected or linked to the collider system itself..
Nothing is known up to now on what actually hit them.. The message was "We are 2600 - Don't mess with us".. It was sent by a group of hackers calling themselves the Greek Security Team.. Yes, the message was sent in Greek..
"It was not a malicious hack and it was quickly detected.. But this sort of things keep you on your toes.."
(James Gillies, CERN spokesperson)
Ouch! Hot Magnet!
On Friday 19th September, CERN's LHC hit another low point.. About 100 magnets which are designed to work at a temperature near to absolute zero were struck by a system failure termed a quench, which resulted these magnets to heat up up to 100 degrees Celsius.. Also, it was thought that a total volume of one tonne of helium had leaked into the underground tunnel.. The fire brigade was called to assess the safety of the tunnel, then.. It was thought a faulty electrical connection between two magnets caused the magnets to melt, further leading to mechanical failure..
As a result of this damage, that part of the dinosaur machine has to be switched off, warmed up to a temperature well above zero, only then it could be repaired, and then re-cooled down to experiment environment condition before it can play home for the re-enactment of the Big Bang.. Initial report indicated that the whole process may take up to two months.. Yes, the project will be on hold for two months! That is only the time part down.. No official statement has been issued about the estimated cost of the repair as yet..
What Can We Learn?
A mega project consisting a huge number of manpower and state-of-the-art technological equipment is bound to have a glitch in the system, be it human error, computer breakdown or system failure.. However, despite these seemingly major setbacks very close together, so close at the kick-off of the project, there are many that can be learned.. Maybe at this early stage, we can learn a few things..
"I have not failed.. I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work.."
"I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.."
"Many of life's failures are men who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.."
Till next time, salam..
(James Gillies, CERN spokesperson)
Ouch! Hot Magnet!
On Friday 19th September, CERN's LHC hit another low point.. About 100 magnets which are designed to work at a temperature near to absolute zero were struck by a system failure termed a quench, which resulted these magnets to heat up up to 100 degrees Celsius.. Also, it was thought that a total volume of one tonne of helium had leaked into the underground tunnel.. The fire brigade was called to assess the safety of the tunnel, then.. It was thought a faulty electrical connection between two magnets caused the magnets to melt, further leading to mechanical failure..
As a result of this damage, that part of the dinosaur machine has to be switched off, warmed up to a temperature well above zero, only then it could be repaired, and then re-cooled down to experiment environment condition before it can play home for the re-enactment of the Big Bang.. Initial report indicated that the whole process may take up to two months.. Yes, the project will be on hold for two months! That is only the time part down.. No official statement has been issued about the estimated cost of the repair as yet..
What Can We Learn?
A mega project consisting a huge number of manpower and state-of-the-art technological equipment is bound to have a glitch in the system, be it human error, computer breakdown or system failure.. However, despite these seemingly major setbacks very close together, so close at the kick-off of the project, there are many that can be learned.. Maybe at this early stage, we can learn a few things..
- The need to have a computer security system as state-as-the-art as the machine.. If the computer-system part was overlooked by the authority, then this event should open CERN's eyes..
- A mega system requires a mega-meticulous check-up before any switch on button is clicked.. Could it be that because of the high-tech equipment on board, there was a slight perception that it was a zero-defect failure-free system? Even in our daily lives, being complacent is common yet self-destructive..
- Was media-attention-induced popularity somehow backfired to the project resulting the project a target of hackers, rather than inducing the minds of the world population towards the greatness of science?
"I have not failed.. I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work..""I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.."
"Many of life's failures are men who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.."
Till next time, salam..
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