The Grey Lady, at CERN

Just a quick post from the Buffalo airport, on the way back from Toronto (family visit - lots to plan, lots to plan...). It seems the NY Times Science Times has the LHC story to end all LHC stories, a huge Dennis Overbye piece about his visit to CERN, chatting with many of the usual suspects from CMS and ATLAS, several satellite stories (the magnet diaster, the string theory connection), an interactive graphic about the machine and detectors (snazzy), and a video. A video. That's a wrinkle that I haven't seen yet from the other news and newsy outlets.

But I have to say, I'm a little frustrated by CMS stealing all the photo spotlight. Then again, I was told by colleagues recently that CERN orchestrated a major media event recently while they were lowering a section of the detector into the pit, so maybe it's just all about access. That said, there's quite a few images of ATLAS in the video. Even better, there's also a brief flash of a simulation of a heavy ion collision (the usual colorful billiard balls).

But look (reading and writing in real-time -- jetBlue calls!): there's the espresso drinking thing again (as seen in the New Yorker piece) although drunk this time in print by Michelangelo Mangano. Of course Nima Arkani-Hamed makes his appearance just before, talking about the sleeplessness induced by the prospect of new data. Considering his several-shot-an-hour habit he revealed Kolbert, maybe it's not just the science.