2012

[aart lover]

ok, i think we can all agree that the world ending on Dec. 21st is a load of crap, but consider this. How much mass hysteria do you think is going to build up on that day? How many murders and rapes and lootings and riots and mobs will be committed by people who believe that this day is their last? I'm more afraid of massive hysterical mobs forming on the streets than of the world ending, especially since i happen to live in a rather populated area. Thoughts?

[Scorpina]

I wouldn't think there'd be a great deal; I've yet to speak to anyone who actually seems to be treating the whole 'end of the world' thing as anything other than a huge joke.

Of course, my faith in humanity has been proven to be misplaced before.

[Malak'ai]

I'd say there would be a lot less than there was with the "Y2K Bug" threat.
I know lots of people who withdrew all their money from banks, switched off the mains power switch, unplugged all the appliances in the house, stocked up with crap loads of canned food and bottles water, got months worth of medications and taped up their doors and windows...

[noparlpf]

ok, i think we can all agree that the world ending on Dec. 21st is a load of crap, but consider this. How much mass hysteria do you think is going to build up on that day? How many murders and rapes and lootings and riots and mobs will be committed by people who believe that this day is their last? I'm more afraid of massive hysterical mobs forming on the streets than of the world ending, especially since i happen to live in a rather populated area. Thoughts?

This is excellent (http://clientsfromhell.net/post/13271051641/me-yup-your-computer-is-broken-do-you-have).

[Heliomance]

Virtually none. Some prophecy or other has claimed the world's going to end at least once a year for the last ever. No big deal.

[Scorpina]

This is excellent (http://clientsfromhell.net/post/13271051641/me-yup-your-computer-is-broken-do-you-have).

That is by far the best thing I've seen all day.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

I'd say there would be a lot less than there was with the "Y2K Bug" threat.
I know lots of people who withdrew all their money from banks, switched off the mains power switch, unplugged all the appliances in the house, stocked up with crap loads of canned food and bottles water, got months worth of medications and taped up their doors and windows...
I was gonna say: this.

Also, I'm mildly weirded out by the fact that whilst I'm old enough to remember Y2K, there's a lot of posters around here who aren't. But yeah. Y2K didn't collapse civilization, and that was an (at the time) possibly legitimate worry.

This?

Nah.

Also, the world had better not end before I get to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special.

[THAC0]

That's why I have guns.

Just saying'.

[Fri]

You got it all wrong man.

Twinkies isn't for the apocalypse.

The apocalypse is for the twinkies!

[Traab]

No more than the last half dozen end of the world predictions that have come and gone since 2000. And less than most. I dont know why people have this obsession with predicting the end of the world. Its no longer the 700's, most people wont buy into anyone claiming that because there is an interesting number pattern on the calendar, that means we are all gonna die. Y2k was never even on my radar, as I really doubted computers thinking it was year 00 would destroy civilization. Computers dont care what year it is, they just care what year their programming says it is, and their programming says its 00. If all computers everywhere suddenly thought is was year purple, smiley face, tuna bird, THEN I might get nervous.

So, does that make me an optimist? That I think everything is going to be ok? Or a pessimist since I refuse to believe any of this babble is true?

[Kelb_Panthera]

Fun fact: not even the Mayans who made the calander this claptrap is based on thought the world would end in 2012.

12/21/2012 marks the end of the mayan long-cycle. The mayans predicted that there would be change on a very noticeable scale, but their calender continues on right past that date.

As for social fallout in the forms of rioting, looting, and other usavory "we're all going to die!" mentality acts, Y2k already proved that people handle this sort of thing better than many people would've guessed.

I strongly suspect that the 21st will be nearly indistinguishable from the 20th and the 22nd.

[noparlpf]

Also, I'm mildly weirded out by the fact that whilst I'm old enough to remember Y2K, there's a lot of posters around here who aren't. But yeah. Y2K didn't collapse civilization, and that was an (at the time) possibly legitimate worry.

I was just shy of six. I don't even remember it. Most of what I remember from that year was being angry I had to retake second grade because some stupid public school I transferred to wouldn't accept my standardised tests showing I'd finished second grade just because I was "too young".


Also, the world had better not end before I get to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special.

Meh, I'm not a huge fan of Smith. Tennant and Baker are great and a few others are still above Smith on my list. Just re-watch older specials ahead of time, just in case.


That's why I have guns.

Just saying'.

I'm moving into a basement room tomorrow night. In a quiet neighbourhood. I hope the landlord doesn't notice me digging a bunker below the foundations...

[DJ Yung Crunk]

Virtually none. Some prophecy or other has claimed the world's going to end at least once a year for the last ever. No big deal.

This one has had a better marketing team than those other ones, though

[valadil]

My inlaws are taking it seriously. It's kind of embarrassing.

They have livestock, a stockpile of ammunition, gas, generators, etc and they've also begun collecting medicine. There are perfectly legit reasons for them to do thses things, but when I asked they told me it was for the end of the world.

Needless to say I'm dreading this year's Christmas visit.

[Dr.Epic]

ok, i think we can all agree that the world ending on Dec. 21st is a load of crap, but consider this. How much mass hysteria do you think is going to build up on that day? How many murders and rapes and lootings and riots and mobs will be committed by people who believe that this day is their last? I'm more afraid of massive hysterical mobs forming on the streets than of the world ending, especially since i happen to live in a rather populated area. Thoughts?

Yeah, that does seem very possible actually. Remember all those mobs that formed New Years Eve 1999 in response to Y2K?

:smallwink:
:smalltongue:

[Ravens_cry]

Given that a local bar is holding a 2012 night, not very much I would think.

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

Yeah, I noticed that once 2012 actually came around, people started shutting up about the stupid "prophecy".

[Talanic]

My inlaws are taking it seriously. It's kind of embarrassing.

They have livestock, a stockpile of ammunition, gas, generators, etc and they've also begun collecting medicine. There are perfectly legit reasons for them to do thses things, but when I asked they told me it was for the end of the world.

Needless to say I'm dreading this year's Christmas visit.

Apparently a friend of my family / distant relative did the same for y2k. I distinctly recall Dad reading a letter that mentioned the stockpiled canned food and generator fuel.

[Kneenibble]

Hostess's recent going out of business is part of the conspiracy to deprive the public of a reliably imperishable food source in the post-2012 aftermath.

[factotum]

Usually the people who believe this sort of stuff are the sort who will go onto a hilltop and wait for the end in the moonlight. There's not going to be any significant increase in crime that day, IMHO.

[Socratov]

Y2K was mostly about the milleniumbug. 2012 has had better marketing and would affect a bigger portion of people's lives...

[turkishproverb]

Thoughts?

It's beginning to look a lot like fishmen...:smallsmile:

[Thajocoth]

While there are certainly exception, in the average case, these things hold true.

People who believe such nonsense are not going to be smart enough to make plans that are well thought out. While there will be more attempts, a percentage of those attempts will fail.

Being in a more populated region is a double edged sword. On the one hand, people who're around more people get a higher quantity of exchange of ideas and thusly are more likely to get convinced that such ridiculousness is false. On the other hand, the larger a group is, the stupider it acts as a whole. Since this is not an organized thing, I suspect that being a collection of individuals will help steer things more towards the former point than the latter, but I'm usually an optimist.

[Heliomance]

Y2K was mostly about the milleniumbug. 2012 has had better marketing and would affect a bigger portion of people's lives...

No it hasn't. I don't know whether you remember Y2K yourself, but there was far more worry and panic over that than there has been over this one. Yes, no-one thought the entire world would end, but a lot of people were convinced that the millennium bug would make every computer on the planet stop working, ending civilisation as we know it. It had massive, massive publicity (http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_98/y2k021398.html), and a lot of people were seriously concerned about it.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F-Fgov_AWjY/SyqqyLgyYBI/AAAAAAAAAfE/hHrm2e4Mmf4/s200/millenium+bug.gif
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sGYULzoQCgA/SSDsn3_r2iI/AAAAAAAABuk/4ENpasc87U4/s400/1998+millennium+bug+cover+paleofuture.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4103/5048849036_3742b55fa7.jpg
^This one was distributed by the government.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kvjo8ne7Pl1qz4u07o1_500.png
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71Z1JM32MXL._SL500_SS500_.gif

Do I need to go on?

[noparlpf]

It's beginning to look a lot like fishmen...:smallsmile:

Excellent parody song, by the way.

[Socratov]

No it hasn't. I don't know whether you remember Y2K yourself, but there was far more worry and panic over that than there has been over this one. Yes, no-one thought the entire world would end, but a lot of people were convinced that the millennium bug would make every computer on the planet stop working, ending civilisation as we know it. It had massive, massive publicity (http://www.gold-eagle.com/editorials_98/y2k021398.html), and a lot of people were seriously concerned about it.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_F-Fgov_AWjY/SyqqyLgyYBI/AAAAAAAAAfE/hHrm2e4Mmf4/s200/millenium+bug.gif
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_sGYULzoQCgA/SSDsn3_r2iI/AAAAAAAABuk/4ENpasc87U4/s400/1998+millennium+bug+cover+paleofuture.jpg
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4103/5048849036_3742b55fa7.jpg
^This one was distributed by the government.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kvjo8ne7Pl1qz4u07o1_500.png
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71Z1JM32MXL._SL500_SS500_.gif

Do I need to go on?

Well, i remember it vaguely, but the importance escaped me since I thought of computers as playthings :smallamused:

[willpell]

No it hasn't.

Well he's right in a way; 2012 had a big-budget movie devoted to it, which does count as "publicity" for the idea; it just happened to be fiction in this case. But if you don't believe fiction counts, read about how many people in the United Kingdom officially list "Jedi" as their religion. A movie counts as support for the idea being taken seriously, IMO.

[Fragenstein]

Well, i remember it vaguely, but the importance escaped me a bit since I was still in kindergarten :smallamused:

Early computer systems were very shy on memory space, so coders tended to shave bytes every place they could. One was in only storing the last two positions of any year and assuming '19' for the rest. This caused a problem with date comparisons as any 20?? value would be seen as less than 19?? years.

It was a bug, and a pretty major one. We had a lot of systems that would either give incorrect results or just crash when trying to deal with it unaided. So we, along with just about every other professional coder, spent a lot of time correcting this bug.

If we hadn't, then a lot of systems actually would have crashed and impeded business. Some people introduced six figure consulting salaries into places that previous wasn't even close to those kinds of numbers by being experts on Y2K conversions. Needles to say, those people didn't last very long once economic layoffs began.

There were federally organized Y2K compliance standards implemented and over a period of about five or so years in total we had everything straightened out. Either by expanding year fields to a full four positions or assuming an epoch solution.

Unfortunately the media got a wind of it and decided that the world was ending. In programming terms, it actually was a big deal that we spent a lot of effort in rectifying. In terms of global disastor, it wasn't much more than a hiccup as this was one we could actually fix with some effort.

I can't blame people for scoffing at the Y2K bug. A little overtime on our parts and what could have been a major inconvenience was instead resolved.

But they weren't here. On the front lines. Coding... testing... documenting and complying. They don't know. They'll never know. I'll never get a medal. Just carpal tunnel.

[Yora]

This one has had a better marketing team than those other ones, though

The craze started too early. I think there was lots of silly talk in may or so, but now everyone has already forgotten about it.

[Morbis Meh]

Meh I am going to a Pathfinder Society game with my fiancee and I shall celebrate it heartily with my fellow companions!

[shawnhcorey]

Not happening? And here I was planning to get drunk on that day. :smallfrown: Now what am I to do with all that beer I bought? :smallbiggrin:

Of course, some people are really, really looking forward (http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=4475) to it.

[Yora]

Probably most people will think it's on New Years and a few days before that find out the actual date was already a week ago with nothing happening.
And a lot of other people will just ignore that and keep fussing about it on the 31st despite the fact that their entire justification is gone.

[nedz]

But if you don't believe fiction counts, read about how many people in the United Kingdom officially list "Jedi" as their religion. A movie counts as support for the idea being taken seriously, IMO.

This was a census prank — propagated by email/word of mouth. :smallcool:

[Silverraptor]

Fun fact: not even the Mayans who made the calander this claptrap is based on thought the world would end in 2012.

12/21/2012 marks the end of the mayan long-cycle. The mayans predicted that there would be change on a very noticeable scale, but their calender continues on right past that date.

As for social fallout in the forms of rioting, looting, and other usavory "we're all going to die!" mentality acts, Y2k already proved that people handle this sort of thing better than many people would've guessed.

I strongly suspect that the 21st will be nearly indistinguishable from the 20th and the 22nd.

Yeah, my mythology teacher 2 years ago had to spend an entire class period on why the world was not going to end on 2012. Apparently, the mayans would create their calender to be 5000 years, similar to how our calender is 12 months. Now, what happens when it becomes december on our calender? We go out and buy a new calender, right? Same for the mayans, but they don't start creating the next calender until about 200 years before the end of their current calenders.

However, who arrived that ultimately destroyed mayans society, and basically prevented them from writing out the new calender? Thats right, the Spanish did. So there you have it folks, the world will end because its the Spanish's fault.:smalltongue:

(Although, my current history teacher is considering on holding off grading all our finals tests until after december 21 just in case it does end.:smallbiggrin:)

[Heliomance]

Well he's right in a way; 2012 had a big-budget movie devoted to it, which does count as "publicity" for the idea; it just happened to be fiction in this case. But if you don't believe fiction counts, read about how many people in the United Kingdom officially list "Jedi" as their religion. A movie counts as support for the idea being taken seriously, IMO.

That was a giant troll campaign. Few to none of them actually consider themselves Jedi, it's just that the Internet got hold of the fact that if enough people put it down, it would have to be officially recognised. The rest, as they say, is history.

[Othesemo]

Personally, I'm hoping for waves of men and women turning to hedonism in their 'final' hours. Probably won't happen, but I can dream.

[JoshL]

Well he's right in a way; 2012 had a big-budget movie devoted to it, which does count as "publicity" for the idea; it just happened to be fiction in this case. But if you don't believe fiction counts, read about how many people in the United Kingdom officially list "Jedi" as their religion. A movie counts as support for the idea being taken seriously, IMO.

Playing devil's advocate here (go devil! yay!), Strange Days covered a lot of pre-millennium tension too. And the Y2K thing was based on legitimate technology concerns and was in the mainstream media on a near daily basis for about a year. Y2K compliance jobs were created.

The end of a calendar year doesn't seem quite so significant by comparison, disaster film notwithstanding.

That said, I know at least one person flying to Mexico for a vacation/party.

[Malak'ai]

Well he's right in a way; 2012 had a big-budget movie devoted to it, which does count as "publicity" for the idea; it just happened to be fiction in this case. But if you don't believe fiction counts, read about how many people in the United Kingdom officially list "Jedi" as their religion. A movie counts as support for the idea being taken seriously, IMO.

This was done here in NZ as well. I can't remember if it got enough numbers or not though. I'll have to check the next census (the last one having been cancelled due to the the Christchurch earthquakes).

[The Succubus]

Bah, all you punk kids with your iPads and Blackberrys and reality TV. You're lathering yourselves into a frenzy over nothing with your fancy talk of Mayan Doomsday prophecies. :smallannoyed:

Back in my day we had *proper* apoca- oh wait, no we didn't.

:smallembarassed:

[Fragenstein]

Personally, I'm hoping for waves of men and women turning to hedonism in their 'final' hours. Probably won't happen, but I can dream.

"If this is our last night on earth, baby, I say we go out with a bang."

[Morph Bark]

The best way to survive any apocalypse or crisis:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_N0TSGcQUzgU/SZMFf4gwoAI/AAAAAAAAArI/5bLq1eTZrzM/s640/4c225ec4fbab7f4cbb8409616565dc3b-orig.jpg

[Giegue]

Silly. There will be no violence from the common people on 2012. No, December 21st is the age in which all the truths of the world's greatest prophet will come true. The true nature of all our political and economic leaders will be revealed and their evil plan will come to fruition. December 21st is when the final war for mankind will start and when the all of our political and economic leaders who have made us suffer for so long will be exposed for what they really are...

http://www.davidicke.com/images/stories/June20122/527663_289579371138679_210062214_n.jpg

LIZARD PEOPLE!!!!!

ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS PROPHET DAVID ICKE, THIRD MOST ECCENTRIC CELEBRITY IN ENGLAND AND FATHER OF THE RESISTANCE!!!

In all seriousness, though , nothing at all will happen on December 21st 2012. I also remember hearing somewhere that since the Mayans didn't have leap year that the date for the end of the calendar actually already passed if you factor in their lack of a leap year. Not sure how accurate this is, though. Also, there have been found prophecies that go on past the December 21st date, all the way to the 9,000s, though again I am not sure how accurate this is. Either way though, I'm not going to get nervous over it because there is really nothing to worry about.

[Krade]

About the leap year thing and "how the Mayans didn't account for it and therefore we already passed the end of their calender," While they didn't account for leap years, they also didn't have a stupid calendar (like ours) that required it. I'm pretty sure they got thier calculations out of the positions of stars, so the necesity of adding a leap day every four years was non-existant.*

*Disclaimer: The preceding paragraph is composed of statements pulled out of my possibly defective memory. It sounds right to me.

[Traab]

What I want to know is, why do we believe the mayans are more capable of figuring out when the end of the world will happen than anyone else? Feh, the way I look at it is, why worry? If its false, then nothing will change. If its real then its all over and I dont have to worry anymore. Either way, there is no point in worrying over it.

[Krade]

Forgot to mention in my previous post:

There are a couple of (possibly) significant astrological events occurring on the 21st.

The first is that our sun will be crossing the galactic central plane in it's orbit. This means about nothing.

The second is that the sun will be entering a new sunspot cycle. This theoretically could fry all electronics on the planet. We're not sure because the last time this happend we didn't have any electronics.

So worst case scenario: We get set back a couple hundred years, technologically. This would be bad, of course, but hardly the end of the world and even then, it would only be temporary.

Most likely scenario: Absolutely nothing will happen. Big surprise.

Of course, it's been a couple years since I actually looked into these things, so I wouldn't be surprised if I got all this completely wrong.

[shawnhcorey]

What happens on the 21st? Winter solstice. That's why the Mayan calender runs out. Duh.

[noparlpf]

Forgot to mention in my previous post:

There are a couple of (possibly) significant astrological events occurring on the 21st.

The first is that our sun will be crossing the galactic central plane in it's orbit. This means about nothing.

The second is that the sun will be entering a new sunspot cycle. This theoretically could fry all electronics on the planet. We're not sure because the last time this happend we didn't have any electronics.

So worst case scenario: We get set back a couple hundred years, technologically. This would be bad, of course, but hardly the end of the world and even then, it would only be temporary.

Most likely scenario: Absolutely nothing will happen. Big surprise.

Of course, it's been a couple years since I actually looked into these things, so I wouldn't be surprised if I got all this completely wrong.

Not even a couple hundred. Most development of electronics has been in the last hundred years. And we have all the knowledge now to rebuild them fairly quickly. Unless you mean the new sunspot activity would last a couple hundred years? Also, the chaos that would break out when people couldn't tweet about their phones frying might cause a lot of damage...

[Heliomance]

About the leap year thing and "how the Mayans didn't account for it and therefore we already passed the end of their calender," While they didn't account for leap years, they also didn't have a stupid calendar (like ours) that required it. I'm pretty sure they got thier calculations out of the positions of stars, so the necesity of adding a leap day every four years was non-existant.*

*Disclaimer: The preceding paragraph is composed of statements pulled out of my possibly defective memory. It sounds right to me.

Leap years are a necessity no matter how you manage your calendar. The time it takes for the earth to rotate on its axis dos not divide perfectly into the time it takes for the earth to orbit the sun. One year (orbit time) is equal to about 365.2425 days (rotation time), ±0.0001 days.

[Thajocoth]

Leap years are a necessity no matter how you manage your calendar. The time it takes for the earth to rotate on its axis dos not divide perfectly into the time it takes for the earth to orbit the sun. One year (orbit time) is equal to about 365.2425 days (rotation time), ±0.0001 days.

The sidereal year is 365.256363004 days as of Jan 1st 2000. That's literally the Earth's orbit around the Sun, which is not what our calendars are adjusting for.

The tropical (solar) year is 365.2421897 as of Jan 1st, 2000.
(365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45.19 seconds)

That's the sun's seasonal position (relation to our equator). It's about a 20 minute difference between the two.

I do not expect either to be constant. When the Earth was formed, a day was about 4 hours. The tides slowly slow us down. Days in a year is effected by this. (Though, with no axis tilt yet, our solar year would've been an even 0 days.)

Our complex leap year rules do not account for this perfectly, so there will still be a slight shift eventually unless the leap year rules are complicated further.

[nedz]

Leap years are a necessity no matter how you manage your calendar. The time it takes for the earth to rotate on its axis dos not divide perfectly into the time it takes for the earth to orbit the sun. One year (orbit time) is equal to about 365.2425 days (rotation time), ±0.0001 days.
Unless you don't care about the error — like astrology.

The sidereal year is 365.256363004 days as of Jan 1st 2000. That's literally the Earth's orbit around the Sun, which is not what our calendars are adjusting for.

The tropical (solar) year is 365.2421897 as of Jan 1st, 2000.
(365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45.19 seconds)

That's the sun's seasonal position (relation to our equator). It's about a 20 minute difference between the two.

I do not expect either to be constant. When the Earth was formed, a day was about 4 hours. The tides slowly slow us down. Days in a year is effected by this. (Though, with no axis tilt yet, our solar year would've been an even 0 days.)

Our complex leap year rules do not account for this perfectly, so there will still be a slight shift eventually unless the leap year rules are complicated further.

Also Leap seconds — though IIRC they've stopped adding those now ?

[Heliomance]

The sidereal year is 365.256363004 days as of Jan 1st 2000. That's literally the Earth's orbit around the Sun, which is not what our calendars are adjusting for.

The tropical (solar) year is 365.2421897 as of Jan 1st, 2000.
(365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45.19 seconds)

That's the sun's seasonal position (relation to our equator). It's about a 20 minute difference between the two.

I do not expect either to be constant. When the Earth was formed, a day was about 4 hours. The tides slowly slow us down. Days in a year is effected by this. (Though, with no axis tilt yet, our solar year would've been an even 0 days.)

Our complex leap year rules do not account for this perfectly, so there will still be a slight shift eventually unless the leap year rules are complicated further.

Huh, that's not a figure I've ever heard before. The three I've come across are 365.2424, 365.2425, and 365.2426. You seem to know what you're talking about though.

I don't entirely get the difference between a tropical year and a sidereal year - what's that mean?

[Thajocoth]

Huh, that's not a figure I've ever heard before. The three I've come across are 365.2424, 365.2425, and 365.2426. You seem to know what you're talking about though.

I don't entirely get the difference between a tropical year and a sidereal year - what's that mean?

It's from Wikipedia.

The sidereal year is the Earth making one full ellipse around the sun.

The tropical year is the the Earth's angle in relation to the sun (due to having a tilted axis) causing one full iteration of the seasons.

[CarpeGuitarrem]

However, who arrived that ultimately destroyed mayans society, and basically prevented them from writing out the new calender? Thats right, the Spanish did. So there you have it folks, the world will end because its the Spanish's fault.:smalltongue:

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

[Proud Tortoise]

Wouldn't it just be hilarious (in a really terrible way) if there were huge riots and great property damage because of people rioting due to apocaly-phobia?
Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

People will take anything seriously. I would make a political comment here if not for the forum rules.

I think it's interesting that people think the world is going to end when the Mayan calendar does. I've never heard anyone say, "OH MY GOD, MY CALENDAR ENDS AT JANUARY! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIEEEE!"

[t209]

Well, back in Burma, most of aren't worried about Y2k because internet didn't exist in my country (only know it in singapore for flash games in nick, lego, and disney). After (non existent) Y2k, we had pay-by-hour internet access, then paid internet modem, and finally in 2007, much cheaper and no-monthly payment DSL line was introduced, which I got introduced to Email, webcomics, and youtube.

[INoKnowNames]

I've probably been Ninja'd, but Nasa says not to worry (http://irmo.patch.com/articles/nasa-world-wont-end-on-dec-21-b720bb62), and we believe them about all that space stuff. The End of the World seems like it qualifies as a "space stuff", and that's kinda their expertise.

[Bulldog Psion]

Unfortunately, being of the "wet blanket" persuasion, I'm going to have to go with the theory that human behavior will not differ significantly on the 20th as compared to any other day of the year. Other than a few folks saying "huh, well, we're still here. Guess I'll set the coffee maker for 7 tomorrow morning".

No murders, no mayhem, no orgies. Just business as usual.

[Silverraptor]

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

Win! Take an internet.:smallbiggrin:

[Aran nu tasar]

Please. Isaac Newton says the world isn't going to end until at least 2060. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Newton%27s_religious_views#The_End_of_the_Wo rld)

But in all seriousness, humanity has had a huge amount (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dates_predicted_for_apocalyptic_events) of apocalypse predictions. I'm not too worried. And I live in the middle of nowhere, so even if there are riots, I'll be fine.

[Mewtarthio]

Wouldn't it just be hilarious (in a really terrible way) if there were huge riots and great property damage because of people rioting due to apocaly-phobia?
Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Why does everyone automatically assume that apocalypse = riots? Do you think that everyone wakes up in the morning and thinks, "Man, today would be a great day for a riot! Too bad my quality of life would significantly drop afterwards. Now, if only there was some way that I could be completely sure that it wouldn't make any difference..." I mean, really, how many people have you heard about who've gotten a terminal diagnosis and immediately shouted, "Excellent; now I can get around to making that childskin suit I've always wanted! YOU CANNOT KILL MEEEE!!! I'M ALREADY DEAD!!!!"

I think you can have a little more faith in humanity, here.

[The Succubus]

Why does everyone automatically assume that apocalypse = riots? Do you think that everyone wakes up in the morning and thinks, "Man, today would be a great day for a riot! Too bad my quality of life would significantly drop afterwards. Now, if only there was some way that I could be completely sure that it wouldn't make any difference..." I mean, really, how many people have you heard about who've gotten a terminal diagnosis and immediately shouted, "Excellent; now I can get around to making that childskin suit I've always wanted! YOU CANNOT KILL MEEEE!!! I'M ALREADY DEAD!!!!"

I think you can have a little more faith in humanity, here.

You know, I thought I had fairly high ranks in Craft (Disturbing Mental Image) and then I met Mewtarthio. :smalleek:

You do humanity a little too much credit. Back in London last year we had rioting. Oh, there was talk about it all being linked to some chap getting shot but what it actually was was a bunch of highly bored and cash strapped teenagers deciding to take a shortcut towards owning new TVs and consoles. :smallyuk:

People are fundamentally savages and society is the mask we wear. For some of us, if there's an opportunity to drop the heavy mask and let our animal side out without risk of repercussion, it'll be seized on.

Will I be stockpiling for global riots? No. Do I except London to be razed to the ground? No (but if there was ever a city that deserved it...). Do I expect some small scale looting and apocalypse groups across the globe? Definitely.

[North_Ranger]

I was hoping there would be more 2012 panic going on, because then I could have gone to bars and tried the most terrifying pick-up line ever. "The world's going to end anyway, so how about it?" :smalltongue:

Of course, being diagnosed with a serious illness kinda put a stop to that plan, but still. I think that would have been a fun experiment, just to see if anyone fell for it.

Now, I'll probably give my personal "Screw You" to prophecy by enjoying life as usual: with a good meal, a good movie and hopefully good company.

[The Succubus]

Well, maybe people could host "Apocalypse Parties" - come dressed as a Vault Dweller or something from Mad Max. Apocalypse survival games, trashy disaster films - it'd be really fun.

[GnomeFighter]

Well, my employer has closed the offices on the 21st on December.

I'm not going to identify who it is, but sufficed to say if they gave a statement saying the world was going to end you would take it seriously... It all seems very suspicious to me...

They must know something and have done for a long time given how long they have been closing the offices the Thursday before Christmas just to cover up what they know. They are even throwing a small party on the afternoon of the 20th, under the guise of end of year drinks... I don't trust them at all...

[dehro]

My inlaws are taking it seriously. It's kind of embarrassing.

They have livestock, a stockpile of ammunition, gas, generators, etc and they've also begun collecting medicine. There are perfectly legit reasons for them to do thses things, but when I asked they told me it was for the end of the world.

Needless to say I'm dreading this year's Christmas visit.

that's because you're thinking about this the wrong way around. all this means is you get to save money on Christmas presents.. on account of either "hey, you thought you were going to die.. living through it should be enough of a present in an ond itself" or "hey, the world was supposed to end, right? so I didn't bother with Christmas presents on account of the party being cancelled."


no orgies. Just business as usual.
shame..


12/21/2012 marks the end of the mayan long-cycle. The mayans predicted that there would be change on a very noticeable scale, but their calender continues on right past that date.
really? I thought they'd run out of carving space on the slab of rock they used for paper..

considering that plenty of people follow a different calendar and that we've had a number of other failed predictions this year alone, that there weren't any riots for Y2k and that this prediction is much less substantiated than that one..

I predict that there will be a few who will spend the day in prayer, crapping their pants at every unusual noise from outside their makeshift doom-shelters.. that the world will see the usual numbers of survivalist/doomsday/zombie-invasion/conspiracy nuts who were stocking up on canned food and ammo long before this particular date was even mentioned on the media, and that there will be a statistically insignificant number of weirdos who will off themselves or otherwise make a spectacle of themselves induced by this media-event.
a number of TVpreachers will be shamed into shutting up for..maybe a day or two, and will see a few of their contributors stop contributing.
Someone somewhere will post a "scientific proof" to the fact that the men in black/powers that be/minority of choice have conspired throughout history to change the calendar and hide what the true date is.. and will tell us that the real date is sometimes in the near future.. and will then try to sell the rights to a book he happens to have written on the subject.

as for riots on the day? no more than usual.. there's always riotting going on, somewhere on the planet. my best guess is Egypt, unless it has by then fizzled out or exploded into full blown civil war.