An apocalypse is unlikely, but just in case...

[polak]

Originally Posted by vektor

My finals will be just ending by then so I'm going to smoke a lot of weed and go snowboarding, if aliens come hopefully they atleast let me finish out the day.

That would be a trip and a half.

I'm going to the Tiesto show that night... At least I'll be partying during the end of the world!

[wookster]

I think a better poll would have been...how do you think the world will end on the 21st....with options like zombies, giant meteor, alien invasion, massive earthquake, machines taking over the world terminator style etc....

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by wookster

I think a better poll would have been...how do you think the world will end on the 21st....with options like zombies, giant meteor, alien invasion, massive earthquake, machines taking over the world terminator style etc....

Yeah I'm going to vote yes and go with zombies. Seemed like the most fun-filled. We can go all AMC on them.

[gargamel]

Did the Mayans predict how the world will end? I'll be on a 12 hour flight that day, so hopefully whatever kills everyone blows over by the time my plane lands.

[polak]

Originally Posted by gargamel

Did the Mayans predict how the world will end? I'll be on a 12 hour flight that day, so hopefully whatever kills everyone blows over by the time my plane lands.

I think they said it would be death by falling planes.

[wookster]

Zombies would be my choice as well...a lot more exciting than just watching a giant rock coming at you from space.

[Burninator]

Originally Posted by gargamel

Did the Mayans predict how the world will end? I'll be on a 12 hour flight that day, so hopefully whatever kills everyone blows over by the time my plane lands.

They didn't predict anything. Their calendar is coming to an end of it's cycle. Our calendar comes to an end every 365 days.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Burninator

They didn't predict anything. Their calendar is coming to an end of it's cycle. Our calendar comes to an end every 365 days.

I think most people are being facetious so they can have fun with the big questions. IE, do you want your face ripped off by a decaying human being, or do you want to burn alive in a nuclear apocalypse. Would you rather live underground after machines take over the surface, or will we have to build sky cites after contaminating all the surface?

As for the cycle ending, you are correct, but even with that, I believe it isn't even their largest cycle. It's an (approx.) 4500 year cycle of their calendar that's ending. But they have cycles that count off millions of years too. The same way we have many cycles. Days, months, years, etc.

[polak]

I'm curious as to what the Mayan long count is actually based on. Does anyone know?

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by polak

I'm curious as to what the Mayan long count is actually based on. Does anyone know?

I think this one is the position of the earth relative to the plane of the center of the galaxy.

How true or accurate that is, or they were, I have no idea. But I do think that's what they 'measured' this cycle on.

[polak]

Thats what I heard too but don't we still have very little knowledge about the actual shape of our galaxy in terms of thickness and what not?

I guess the aliens might have told them

[_Q_]

I think the Mayans just picked an arbitrary period for their long count. To think that a civilization, that's thousands of years old, know something that we don't is absurd.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by polak

Thats what I heard too but don't we still have very little knowledge about the actual shape of our galaxy in terms of thickness and what not?

I guess the aliens might have told them

Well they might not have known what we know about the galaxy and such like that, they could just be noticing the pattern of the stars changing over years and years and noticing a cycle. We already know that's where stuff like the zodiac comes from and other ways ancient cultures measured time fairly accurately.

Though I'm not sure how they'd know about a 4500 year old cycle (if it's even true) I don't think their civilization lasted that long. Even if it was long term knowledge passed down from generation to generation, that's a heck of a long time to figure out one cycle.

[polak]

Yeah thats the thing.

The full zodiac cycle is a yearly thing (and it doesn't account for earths wobble. Today, there is technically 13 zodiac signs). This long count would be insane if it was correct.

[Bagor]

So, these fellas predicted the end of the world but didn't see the Spanish coming?

[ResAlien]

Originally Posted by Bagor

So, these fellas predicted the end of the world but didn't see the Spanish coming?

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition.

[Violator]

Originally Posted by Bagor

So, these fellas predicted the end of the world but didn't see the Spanish coming?

That's been my argument for years

[Rathji]

You have had contact with enough people, that took this whole end of the world thing so literally, that you have had to argue with these people, and had to develop a more complex argument other than...

"Seriously?"

[vektor]

Well a lot of people think the Mayans gained their knowledge (much like Enoch, the Aztecs and the Babylonians) from extraterrestrial influences. A lot of people also like to sniff glue so who knows.

[polak]

Wasn't it the Aztecs and not the Mayans that were exterminated by the spanish?