How will Cern and the LHC Worldwide Computing Grid benefit wider society?
As well as the work we do with business on Cern openlab, there are a large number of different applications that [the grid is] being used for already today. Of the different computing centers in the grid, several of them support multiple sciences such as biomedical applications, earth sciences and astrophysics. They are not just supporting particle physics. It’s more a case of the communities using grid computing as they have a need for it. As particle accelerators got more and more complicated our community was forced to work together on the same project rather than build separate accelerators. What’s the most ridiculous thing you’ve heard about Cern? There was this hype about the grid replacing the entire internet. It was nonsense; it was just not true. We use standard products. We are not revolutionizing technology. This was completely untrue. Take the stories about black holes – also, rubbish. Take the stories about the hacking incident – what was reported was complete nonsense. I
