I'll be sure to file a complaint if I don't receive my end-of-the-world by the end of 2012

Is that a threat?

I find your post misleading... 2012 does not come shortly before 2013, i have researched this and it is in fact a full year before 2013. Despite this i must add i find your post very informative.

No, my point was that in those cases I referred to the original information was made public right away, while it still looked like there could be a possibility that the objects could hit. Later (after getting more data) the public information was updated.

In addition to that, my first point (that something big will be discovered by many people) still stands, which say that yes, this isn't something that someone will be able to just sit quiet on.

I was just reading up on this subject recently. NASA doesn't currently have the capability of accurately tracking every threatening object. I doubt other space agencies do either. Apparently we will have less than a half hour's notice for many objects that could do extreme damage... especially once we get into the thick of the Taurids in a few decades.

Ouch.

My understanding is that the Mayan's predicted the end of the era in 2012. The era began roughly 12,000 years ago (interestingly when the last ice age ended), and encompasses the whole of human 'civilisation'.

In order to accept this belief, you also have to take on board the belief that there were a number of previous eras, containing various levels of human civilisation. (Score one for the Atlantis theories - the Mayan calendar describes the end of the last era in flood, at just about the time that Plato put the flooding of Atlantis. There is some faint evidence for flooded civilisations from this period off the coast of India)

My personal approach is that if 2012 marks the end of human civilisation, it will be a huge bonus for the UK who will be spared paying for the olympics (and all that national debt). I plan on buying my Christmas prezzies very late. Other than that there's not much point in getting worked up: if it's going to happen (which I rather doubt!) there's nothing will stop it.

I have seen a theory that put 21st December 2012 as the date we finally get the LHC functioning...

Thanks, very interesting. Well, that answers it: full disclosure. I guess I'm just one of those that has been brainwashed to expect full disclosure on phantom threats, and no disclosure on real threats. I'm not sure how much good it'll do, but maybe I should look at that.

But if texrat is correct, it seems possible that one or few could discover something significantly earlier than others. But it seems that you're saying, even so, it's very likely there would be full disclosure. I'm coming around, but again, tough for a conspiracy theorist to wrap his head around.

@texrat

That's just gnarly.

There won't be time for full disclosure in most cases.

Does the n900 exist...

So it's official: God doesn't care about us, we're on our own, and... well... someone or something forbid God ever get bored...