Gizmodo: the end

Circuit City: And Now It's Dead

matt buchanan — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 13:20:00 EDT

It goes out with a pained mumble—not quite a whisper, definitely not a bang. Today, after 50 years, Circuit City no longer exists. A moment of silence is in order.

We (and others) have already said goodbye quite a bit:

• Best Buy Says Goodbye
• Circuit City Employees' Final Words as Circuit City Employees
• Their Dignity Is Not for Sale... Well, Nevermind
• Why Circuit City Closed (According to Circuit City Employees)
• The Circle of Life: Circuit City Buildings to Become High Schools?
• A Violent Goodbye
• Best Buy Rubs Salt in Circuit City's Gaping Wound
• Why I Shopped at Circuit City (By Choice)
• Even in Death, It Managed to Screw People Over
• The Beginning of the End

Rob at BoingBoing Gadgets has this pretty sad clip of the last straggling item at his local Circuit City:

But what's one more good-bye? Leave your fondest (or most wretched) memories below. [Image: F33/Flickr]

F-117 Stealth Fighter + Caterpillar Crusher = Pile of Sadness

John Mahoney — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 11:15:00 EDT

The last F-117 stealth fighter was retired a few months ago. Most of the fleet is now stationed in a special retirement village all its own at the Tonopah Test Range in Nevada, where they await their fate. This fate. Hopefully, for humanitarian reasons, the first Nighthawk to the slaughter seen here was done privately, quietly, out back—to avoid upsetting the others. It looks like it was...

Yes, this is a Caterpillar quickly reducing one of the most groundbreaking fighter aircraft the world has seen to a smoking heap of scrap. Because while they will always look like they're from the future, the Nighthawk's facet-based stealth tech has its origins in the 1970s, and will be replaced by the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning's more advanced systems, which are also cheaper to maintain. What is it about seeing stealth aircraft in a less-than-together state? Reassuring to know such scary-good tech is human, after all? [Ares]

Best Fireworks Ever Not Happening Today but in Three Days

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EDT

If you think you are going to see some cool fireworks today, just wait three more days. Because we just checked the countdown and that's when the Large Hadron Collider will be activated in Geneva, Switzerland. Then we all will enjoy the mother of all fireworks. Well, not us, but the aliens, Tom Cruise, Elvis and the rest of what's left of the Universe. So enjoy your weekend, my friends (you conspiracy morons of the world included) because life is too short, even if the LHC doesn't destroy the galaxy. [LHC Countdown]

Report Confirms Large Hadron Collider Will Not Spawn Doomsday Scenario, End World As We Know It

Jack Loftus — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT

A new report from CERN allegedly puts the final nail in the coffin of doomsday theorists claiming the Large Hadron Collider will result in a reality-ending black hole on Earth. In a word, the report calls the project "safe," and reiterates CERN's original argument that even the most powerful collisions planned for the LHC are nothing compared to what nature has done already for billions of years. "The universe as a whole conducts more than 10 million million LHC-like experiments per second. The possibility of any dangerous consequences contradicts what astronomers see - stars and galaxies still exist," said a layperson's summary of the report. Conspiracy theorists will no doubt keep on keeping on about the LHC, regardless of the report, but for the more level-headed amongst us, there's a certain finality to CERN's findings. Not end-of-the-world finality, mind you, just peace of mind. The countdown timer says 16 days until activation. [Cosmic Log]

Final Countdown for Large Hadron Collider Activation, Prepare Your Escape Pods

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EDT

Worried about the Large Hadron Collider destroying the Solar System in a big ball of fire and Z particles? Then stop fracking whining about it and go to the LHC Countdown page. Just 26 days to the end of the world, folks. Time to start looting. [LHC Countdown]