Internet Pranksters Send Crowbar to Large Hadron Collider

Kris Erickson • Nov 21, 2008 • Comments (0)

The Internet was aflutter earlier in the summer with debate about the newly-built Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland. Topics ranged from how awesome the giant particle accelerator is, to how much money it cost to build, to how the experiment will inevitably collapse the interdimensional time-cube and bring about the end of the universe as we know it. While most of the people making the latter argument were dismissed as complete whack-jobs, some gamers nodded their head sagely, with the knowledge that they had seen all of this before.

In the first-person shooter game Half Life, players take on the role of scientist Gordon Freeman, who must save the world (or at least himself) from being devoured by hellish creatures released after -- you guessed it -- a particle accelerator experiment goes horribly wrong. The game designers, feeling particularly cheeky, decided to err on the side of realism and keep ammo supplies seriously limited (what self-respecting science laboratory doesn't have .44 magnum ammo strewn all over the place?). As a result, the most trusty weapon in Gordon's arsenal for the majority of the game ended up being a crowbar, which did not require ammo and could deal with most foes relatively efficiently.

Upon hearing that the LHC was about to go online for the first time this fall, a bunch of concerned gamers and Internet nerds sprang into action. They boxed up the meanest looking crowbar they could find, and mailed it off to Switzerland, accompanied by a plushie headcrab and a guide book. A note attached to the package read: "Get this to Gordon Freeman. He'll know what to do."

Evidently the scientists at LCH are taking the threat of interdimensional collapse more seriously than we thought. Here is a photo they sent back today, showing an emergency training session underway outside of the complex. I don't know about y'all, but I feel a LOT safer knowing that Gordon is out there, crowbar in hand: