Does anyone believe the world is coming to an end on Dec 21, 2012?
Now that it's 2012, you can't help but here all those dooms day discussions about the Mayan Calendar and the end of the world on December 21, 2012. For the record I don't believe the world is going to end just because the Mayan's said so.
I mean really? There isn't too many Mayan's left nowadays... why couldn't they figure out their own demise? Ironic, isn't it?
What do all of you think?
BTW: The best argument "For or Against" will get best answer credit. :D
I mean really? There isn't too many Mayan's left nowadays... why couldn't they figure out their own demise? Ironic, isn't it?
What do all of you think?
BTW: The best argument "For or Against" will get best answer credit. :D
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Those who believe otherwise aren't very good at research, and just believe what they're told by others.
I never bought into "the world is coming to an end" garbage, but now that its 2012, it seems everyone (including the news) is talking about it.
There is a very nice summary of the long-count calendar (the one everyone is so het up about) on Wikipedia. You'll find plenty of useful scholarly references there, and also a discussion of the fact that it's not just "the Mayan Tablet," but a wide range of dated enscriptions which can be cross-correlated to both one another and to known external (astronomical) events.
Thanks for sharing the info!
There are historical dates recorded by indigenous observers using the Long Count which can be directly correlated with Western (Spanish) recordings. There are dates recorded about astronomical occurrences which can be correlated the same way we correlate dates with Greek, Egyptian, Indian, and Chinese records. Finally, for dates recorded on certain items (such as wooden lintels), radiocarbon dating can be used to bracket the Long Count values.
Given the extremely large number of Mesoamerican writings with dates, it is straightforward to reconcile of all those individual matches to work out a global scheme (referred to as "GMT" in the text, after the three authors who did the major work).
The GMT correlation constant says that the Mayan's "date of creation" ("13.0.0.0.0 4 Ajaw, 8 Kumk'u") occurred on Julian date 584283, or 6 Sep 3114 BC (Julian).
Once you know that, then you can work out any other specified date, since the Long Count calendar is directly indexed from that "date of creation".
In other words, the Long Count is nothing more than a Julian-day-number calendar, but starting at a different epoch.
For those who still buy into the idea, you'll pay for it (most likely, financially).
Feel free to still comment, but I'm awarding the best argument.
I will say, though, that because Julian dates are used universally in astronomy, the chance that someone made a "simple mistake" like that is almost nil: after all, if one author had done so, then other researchers in the field would have jumped all over it!
As with any good set of slides, they're more or less useless without the Professor's narrative, but I thought I'd put up the links for general interest.
I'm sure this topic will gain interest as the year rolls along.
Well doesn't hurt even if I am wrong does it?
Please contact when you get closer.
...oh and i don't think 2012 is the end
If you're not sure you did it right, just preview your comment before posting.
It's that easy. :D
...like who would EVER need from than 640K of memory in their computer.
Steve
Think about your car's odometer rolling over from 99,999 to 100,000. It's a big deal (to some people), but the fact that those lowest five digits all turn back to zero doesn't mean your car self destructs (unless it's a GM :-).
In addition, the same reference points out the use of "13" in the uppermost place for the date of creation does not imply that the date 12.19.19.19.19 is an "end point." The next day is simply 13.0.0.0.0, followed centuries later by 14.0.0.0.0, 15.0.0.0.0 and so on.
http://www.instructables.com/tag/?sort=none&limit%3Atype%3AforumTopic=on&q=2012
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Maybe they were just trolling...
I had to ask what people here thought about it.
Yeah, it can be interesting to get other people's opinions on these sorts of things. But to be honest, they said the world would end last year with all of that rapture stuff, and people have been predicting the end of the world since the world began, so... I never really believe people on things like these unless they have scientific proof.
And people think it will and by some other planet colliding with earth, NASA says that's ridicules.
Maybe it will and on the 22nd, THAT would be ironic.
I use an academic diary - does that mean the world will end in August.
The Mayan "prophecy" has as much credibility as the claim that the Nazca lines are "runways" for alien spaceships.
As with everything it seems, there is a motive. In this case its probably to sell some shelter or end of days survival kit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hzF3vkmY28
You're welcome.
My only concern with his analogy is the fact his "Justin Bieber" calendar ends on December 30th versus the 31st... ha, ha, ha... just finished watching the video, and he finally clued in that the date was wrong.
Thanks for sharing... totally made my day.
The "calendar" itself is a 1,300 year old stone tablet in "pictorial" form. I think the mere confusion lies with interpreting whats been carved into it.
For some people it will be the end, but it will be their time anyway. For the rest, the world will go on. The only way for the world to "end" is for the vast majority to do something so stupid as to cause all life on Earth to cease to exist. If "we" haven't done this already, it is highly unlikely to happen this year, especially in this economic climate.
Take a cue from Alfred E. Neuman - "What, me worry?" and don't worry about the Mayan calendar.
Qa
Long ago I learned: - IF your worried:
a) if you can do something then do it.
b) if you can't do anything then stop worrying
c) 90% of the things we worry about don't happen.
d) of the 10% that do they aren't as bad as we thought they would be.
When I figured this out life became MUCH better.