Higgs Boson: Twitter compares to tech launch, slags Comic Sans slides

Tech events these days are big, glamorous, and full of spectacle. Just look at the Glass demo Google pulled at its recent I/O event. It had everything: skydivers, BMX riders, and abseilers.

Small wonder then that the geek world was looking to inject a little bit of tech drama into today’s Boson particle announcement at CERN.

Parody account Hal9000 probably took the most techie stance on the announcement:

The size of the applause Fabiola Gianotti just got at the #Higgs presentation you’d think she had just unveiled a thinner iPhone

— HAL 9000 (@HAL9000_) July 4, 2012

So the rumors were correct – #Higgs has 126GeV – Higgs2 had better have 256GeV or at least come with cloud storage.

— HAL 9000 (@HAL9000_) July 4, 2012

Another thought the CERN scientists doing the announcement might pull a Steve Jobs:

At the end of the #higgs announcement, one of the CERN team will pause, nonchalantly say “oh, one more thing”, then calmly teleport away.

— Tom Scott (@tomscott) July 4, 2012

Others took the chance to have a go at Apple for its habit of suing people:

Waiting for the Apple patent suit to claim they had discovered it first#CERN #iHiggs

— Lewis Benge (@LewisBenge) July 4, 2012

CERN is going to announce the Higgs Boson on Wednesday. I expect Apple to sue, iPhones have had mass since 2007

— HAL 9000 (@HAL9000_) July 2, 2012

There was also the now typical Instagram joke:

Later today, CERN will publish a bunch of faux vintage photos of the Higgs boson on their Instagram.

— Mike Lee (@bmf) July 4, 2012

At least one user hoped there might be a major gaming announcement hidden in the event:

Can one hope there is an announcement of Half-Life 3 buried in the #higgs announcement?

— Michael Keating (@D_Keating) July 4, 2012

Others were however more concerned with the fact that the slide showing the big reveal was typed in Comic Sans:

Possibly the biggest scientific discovery of our time, the #Higgs Boson, announced in glorious MS Comic Sans Font twitpic.com/a3pl0s

— Colin Eberhardt (@ColinEberhardt) July 4, 2012

Just confirmed that CERN used Comic Sans for their epic announcement. #physicsftw #comicsansftl

— Joi Ito (@Joi) July 4, 2012

They used Comic Sans on the Higgs Boson powerpoint presentation… Nope there is no hope for mankind.

— Cosmin TRG (@CosminTRG) July 4, 2012

Dear @CERN: Every time you use Comic Sans on a powerpoint, God kills the Schrödinger’s cat;Please think of the cat

— fred_SSC (@fred_SSC) July 4, 2012

What if our very DNA is written in comic sans…. What then font snobs….

— 6R36.V1073T (@leducviolet) July 4, 2012

It’s entirely appropriate to present in Comic Sans @VincentConnare !

— Brian Cox (@ProfBrianCox) July 4, 2012

CERN’s Higgs presentation just added weight to the theory that Comic Sans is a terrible font.

— HAL 9000 (@HAL9000_) July 4, 2012