2012 information is… beautiful?
The cool website Information is Beautiful presents, um, well, information in a beautiful way. They recently posted a good guide to the sense and nonsense of the 2012 phenom, pretty much showing that the major claims of the doomcriers are baloney.
I haven’t checked every factoid of the graphic, but the part pictured above is cool: I independently came to this same conclusion a few months ago using some planetarium software to plot the position of the Sun and the Galactic center (and presented this at TAM 7, in fact). There are people out there trying to spin, fold, and mutilate astronomy to fit their pre-manufactured conclusions about 2012, but — as usual when it comes to doomsday scenarios — the actual facts show that these scaremongers’ claims are as vacuous as space itself.
[Originally posted at the Bad Astronomy Blog.]
Sweet! So, I guess the doomsayers have some explaining to do!
The world came to an end in 1998? Why didn’t anybody tell me?
Because then you would have had a plausible reason to cease paying taxes, and Nanny Gubament won’t have any of that nonsense.
Obviously, if the world has ended, so has citizen responsibility.
The second to last point. What do they mean by “Quetzalcoatl is Mexican Aztec, not pre-Columbian Mayan”? Quetzalcoatl was also pre-Columbian, that’s a chronological and not geographical designation. And to call it Mexican is also misleading. Mexico as a county exists only since 1821, long after the Aztecs or Mayans were conquered. Even today some Maya ruins –including Tortuguero!— are inside modern Mexican borders, so what’s the point in calling Aztecs Mexican but not Mayas too?
But I like the rest! :D Greetings from a Mexican skeptic!
Actually, if the position of the solar system in the galaxy has shifted just 2 earth radii in 36 years, that means the earth dipped above and below the galactic equator for quite some time because the ecliptic and the galactic equator don’t coïncide. Therefore the picture must be wrong and I’m surprised you didn’t catch that Phil.
Honestly, what’s the point. The proponents of the 2012 scam are the same assholes that have pushed virtually every recent doomsday prediction. People will believe regardless. I had someone mention 2012 was based on actual events whilst at the gym. The conversation ended with me saying “Dude, no, seriously, stop or this conversation won’t end well.” These idiots will push something new in 2013 and as per usual, the same insipid monkeys who bought into 2012 will buy into the new scam.
I’m eagerly awaiting 2013 so I can point the finger, again, and say I told you so. The frustrating part is people will simply manufacture an excuse to believe in the latest and greatest doomsday prediction even though they’ve been proven wrong over and over again.
I’m also getting to the point where being subtle about this subject is proving difficult. The thought of baseball bats and pepper spray is becoming quite appealing. Some may disagree but a beating builds character and these assholes need some decent character building.
No, actually, I would tend to agree with your determinations.
Once the Mayans, Nostradamus, the Illuminati, the Knights Templar, the Scottish Rites of the Freemasons have been put to rest; sadly, invariably, some new “prophet” or “secret society” will arise from the ashes of history to haunt us for another century.
Meanwhile, our inevitable end from our own “global society” behaviors will remain little more than media buzz words and furtherance of agendas borne of unfounded ignorance and blindness.
But, on the positive side, there is always the possibility that an unnoticed NEO will veer into our path, and we can go out in style.
2012 can’t come soon enough so I can laugh at all the doom sayers(more so then now). Of course being wrong won’t stop the thieves from lining their pockets in the future.
On Sale Now! For only $29.99 The 2012 End of Times Herbal Suppliments. But wait, there’s more! Order in the next 10 minutes and receive Kevin Trudeau’s book “2012 Doomsday Cures They don’t want you to know about!”…………..
The day is 20th December 2012 and Jose the Paranormal Skeptic walks into the car dealership.
Jose: Hello my kind sir, I’d like to purchase the new Maserati you have in the window
Salesman: Are you sure you can afford it?
Jose: Pfffffffffftttshyeah! It says drive away with a $500 deposit.
Salesman: That’s right, but are you sure you…
Jose: Wrap it up monkey boy!
Salesman: Alrighty then. Was that 5 year finance or cash in 30 days?
Jose: Hwar hwar hwar! I know something you don’t know
Salesman: Pardon?
Jose: Nevermind. I’ll be paying in full on the 22nd of December *chuckle*
Actually I take issue with the solar storm part of it….mentions that NASA is expecting a strong cycle – which really isn’t true. A) The agency responsible for tracking space weather is primarily NOAA not NASA (minor quibble) and B) NOAA is predicting a weak solar maximum that won’t occur until 2013 or 2014.
“Actually, if the position of the solar system in the galaxy has shifted just 2 earth radii in 36 years, that means the earth dipped above and below the galactic equator for quite some time because the ecliptic and the galactic equator don’t coïncide.”
Hannah – I’m not following you there – the picture looks OK to me! Note the ecliptic *always* coincides with the ecliptic at some point.
we’re pulling the plug on this piece of blasphemy called PHARYNGULA…
http://www.conspiracycafe.net/forum/index.php?/topic/25104-atheist-apocalypse/page__pid__117856__st__0&
Darn it, Phil, quit being so reasonable! You’re ruining my chances of selling more Apocalypse insurance to my gullible friends and relatives!
:(
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyaBbGJNNwk
There’s only one Supreme Lord. According to His will and wish, this world is destined to be destructed at the end, but the million dollar question is when is this End suppose to take place.