really enjoyed this

I want to point out this article from Cabinet magazine which is really interesting, despite being perhaps annoying self-referential, or 'so meta.' It is a timeline about timelines, or a summary of how people have organized chronological information in visual formats, over time...

below are some examples I really liked

"1876

Charles Renouvier's counterfactual Uchronie includes a chart depicting the theoretical relationship between the actual course of history and possible alternative paths."


What might be happening and not be? What was almost happening? What will almost happen? 

"1760-7

Laurence Sterne's novel, Tristram Shandy, includes a set of sketches indicating the non-linear path of a well-told story; narrative digressions appear as deviations from a straight line." 

end of the world expected this November

After many false starts, the largest particle accelerator in world history is expected to begin looking for something called the Higgs Boson, also known as a massive scalar elementary particle, or 'the heart of all matter,' or 'the God Particle.' Soon after they begin, we will have final proof as to whether this device might actually create a black hole which will swallow up the Earth and everything in it. 

This might be a good time to recite the 'Scientist's prayer' by Walker Percy

“Lord, grant that my work increase knowledge and help other men.

“Failing that, Lord, grant that it will not lead to man’s destruction.

“Failing that, Lord, grant that my article in Brain be published before the destruction takes place.”