09.24.2008 10:33 am
Supercollider haiku
Just two weeks ago, the European Center for Nuclear Research unveiled its new Large Hadron Collider — the world’s largest particle accelerator — with great fanfare. We’re betting they wish they bought the extended service plan.
On Tuesday, officials announced that they were shutting down the collider until at least next April. The most recent malfunction occurred last Friday, when an electrical connection between two electromagnets failed, causing liquid helium to leak into the collider tunnel.
That unexpected tragedy inspired the following (almost) haiku:
“Machine of atoms,
designed to smash atoms.
What could go wrong?”
John G. Carlton is an editorial writer who covers health care, science, the environment and public utilities. Before joining the editorial page, "Doc" was the newspaper's medical writer for four years. He has also worked at newspapers in Connecticut and New York. He's fond of heavy sarcasm and light anti-tank weapons. He lives in west St. Louis County with his wife, Martha Madigan, their daughter Ana and an overly enthusiastic Australian Shepherd dog, Savannah. 
They almost had it right. Instead of blowing up the earth, they blew up the financial markets.