2012

[Andrei Rotariu]

Yes yes, i know what you are all thinking.

But hear me out.

if you have not already heard the stories about 2012 simply google it then get back to this thread.

So, firstly id like to say that im somewhat informed in this area not meaning that i have simply read across some crappy sites but i have actually studied this topic in depth and i personally believe it WILL NOT be the end of the world for my own reasons. What i think and feel are not relevant.

The questions i would like to put forward are;

If 2012 will be the year the earth forever changes how will this effect the internet and IM?

As we get closer do you see a larger market here, books, interviews, digital prods?

[Eric Lorence]

That's 3 years from now, in other words an eternity in IM.

Probably better to focus on your business today.

Otherwise I don't understand the purpose of this thread, unless you are a "futurist".

[Sean A McAlister]

I am with ya....not into all of it but the
research is staggering as far as search terms
keywords etc.

Touching on what you are talking about i went into
the niche and created

2012xFactor.com

Definitely a market worth considering...either from the doom and gloom side or the tech side. Non the less it presents a niche in which some quick profits can be made.

highest regards,
Sean

[Quentin]

Probably a scanner on your computer to read the bar code on your head.

I seem to remember something the same in 2000. LOts of stuff around but a bit of a fizzle.

Q

[Kevin Riley]

As long as we finally get our levitating cars and cloning devices, I'll be happy.

[Sean A McAlister]

Originally Posted by Kevin Riley

As long as we finally get our levitating cars and cloning devices, I'll be happy.

can't forget teleporting....Did someone say that George Jettson was coming out with a new product.....

[Dana_W]

::MOLLER::

There ya go - flying car!

[Kevin Riley]

Originally Posted by The IM Reporter

can't forget teleporting....Did someone say that George Jettson was coming out with a new product.....

Oh yeah, that too.

In Japan, we have Doraemon and he has a "doko demo doa" or "anywhere door". Just a black disk that he tosses on the floor, jumps through, and can go anywhere. I want one.

[Kevin Riley]

Originally Posted by Dana_W

::MOLLER::

There ya go - flying car!

That's pretty cool, but then I might as well get a Harrier so I can have some real fun.

[ExRat]

Hi,

I used to read a comic as a kid, called 2000ad.

Great read.

But they were wrong, very wrong.

Splundig vur thrigg

[Sean A McAlister]

Originally Posted by Kevin Riley

Oh yeah, that too.

In Japan, we have Doraemon and he has a "doko demo doa" or "anywhere door". Just a black disk that he tosses on the floor, jumps through, and can go anywhere. I want one.

Hey man....you think that once you get one you can Zap over to my place and deliver me one@! That would be cool!

[Kim Standerline]

Its not the end of the world (as such), but the end of the Mayan calendar

Hmm could be a useful niche tho lol

Kim

Originally Posted by GoinDeep

Yes yes, i know what you are all thinking.

But hear me out.

if you have not already heard the stories about 2012 simply google it then get back to this thread.

So, firstly id like to say that im somewhat informed in this area not meaning that i have simply read across some crappy sites but i have actually studied this topic in depth and i personally believe it WILL NOT be the end of the world for my own reasons. What i think and feel are not relevant.

The questions i would like to put forward are;

If 2012 will be the year the earth forever changes how will this effect the internet and IM?

As we get closer do you see a larger market here, books, interviews, digital prods?

[rondo]

I hope you're good swimmers
2012 - Official Movie Site

[Kim Standerline]

I just had a thought

We're hosting the Olympics here in the UK in 2012.

How pissed off are we gonna be if we spend billions of quid getting ready and it all just gets washed away

[Jason Zalesky]

Well I am now going to write my ebook on how to survive 2012! I did a google search and find it crazy on how many people are fearing this. Its worse than the Y2K frenzy. But I am sure there are many ways to monetize this from social sites were people can all be scared together to ebooks on survival for 2012.

Jason

[Juris]

Originally Posted by Kim Standerline

I just had a thought

We're hosting the Olympics here in the UK in 2012.

How pissed off are we gonna be if we spend billions of quid getting ready and it all just gets washed away

How pissed of we`ll gonna be if it all ends and we realize that our lives have been a total waste of time...
For me all these videos and all the "end of the world" thing made me think about a lot of stuff. And I`m not much of a believer of all these "end of the world" stories, but this one got me. And I now realize if it is so then we have like 3 years to live our lives as good as we can...
Just got me thinking a lot after watching some videos and reading some stuff...

[Don Schenk]

Originally Posted by Juris

And I know realize if it is so, then we have like 3 years to live our lives as good as we can...
Just got me thinking a lot after watching some videos and reading some stuff...

We can live good lives whether or not the world is going to end in 2012. I shouldn't matter.

Now, for findiong a way to monitize this... hmmmmmmm.


:-Don

[Kevin Riley]

Originally Posted by Juris

And I know realize if it is so then we have like 3 years to live our lives as good as we can...

Why only if it is so? I live all my life as though it could end tomorrow. I'm not miserly saving my good days for some time in the future. Enjoy life now!


As for the big waves drowning the world? C'mon. Where's the scientific proof behind that. Slight sea level rises I can understand, as there is a basis for that. But a wave washing over the whole earth? Let's get real.

Of course, would be one hell of a surf.

[Kim Standerline]

Yeah Jmo and his mates would be ok

Originally Posted by Kevin Riley

Of course, would be one hell of a surf.

[Kevin Riley]

Originally Posted by Don Schenk

We can live good lives whether or not the world is going to end in 2012. I shouldn't matter.

Now, for findiong a way to monitize this... hmmmmmmm.


:-Don

Hey Don! Did you see that you're in my latest vid? You're a star!

[Kelly Verge]

Your hamsters aren't "cloning" fast enough for you, Riley?

Originally Posted by Kevin Riley

As long as we finally get our levitating cars and cloning devices, I'll be happy.

[EndGame]

Interesting angle to be taking this from.

I personally feel that 2012 won't be much different from any other year. Its like others have said, theres been a few dates and years now when it was all meant to come crashing down around us, and whilst I am sure that will happen one day, I am fairly sure it won't be 2012 specifically. I think we'll just be climbing out of the recession at this rate anyway by 2012.

[talfighel]

That's why it is a good idea to live in the NOW and enjoy life. Take massive action so that you can enjoy your life to the fullest.

[Alex Sol]

Déjà vu! Seems like people need to make something up every 10 years or so to keep themselves entertained...

TV Producers - here is an idea for your next "reality show"

[flnz400]

It's just another negative instance to look forward too... it's easier to find something to bitch about than to face your own needs for improvement and accept failure. (or living underneath your potential)

If it's the end of the world, what is there to be worried about? lol

[Paul Myers]

While I'm not anything like an expert on the topic, I did look into this a while back. Mostly due to a fascination with the stories of American Indians, and a theorized connection between the Mayans and the Hopi.

The best stuff I saw on it at the time suggests that the "end of the world" meant the end of this era of the world. A major change that would alter civilization in ways that would make it fundamentally different.

Basically, the beginning of a new era.

The Hopi had legends of the coming of their white brothers, long before Europeans set foot in North America. Of course, they weren't quite as precise as the Mayans about when this would happen, and they got the results all wrong.

The tribes of the Sioux believed the Spirit Dance would roll back the world, and give them back their hunting grounds and their traditional way of life. All it did was trigger the xenophobic and paranoid white military to turn wagon mounted guns on women, children and old men at Wounded Knee, and got more of them put onto reservations like Rose Bud and Standing Rock.

The prophecies of native North American tribes have not generally worked out well for them, since we arrived.

Just as an interesting point for speculation, and to keep it on topic... A great wave of water, washing over the world and ending an era. Global warming and rising sea levels changing the way people live. Floods in some areas, drought in others, mass starvation and migrations, and wars over basic resources like water and food.

There's a hook for your 2012 niche sites, if you want one. Replete with massive amounts of credible scientific data you can work into your storyline.


Paul

[Ruth Hendrickson]

A couple of weeks ago, the television History Channel aired a number of programs about 2012 and all the prophecies surrounding that year. They were all very interesting and pretty scary. I expect we'll see more of those. But I remember watching the same kind of programs about Y2K.

[Thomas]

Originally Posted by Don Schenk

I shouldn't matter.

Oh but you do matter, Don... you do matter.

As for 2012, I'm not worried; I'll be back on my home planet long before you puny humans meet your doom.

[AuctionExecutive]

I've never taken the y2k and other 'end of the world' stuff seriously but what I find interesting about 2012 is that there are all types of people that believe something is going to happen (whether its good or bad) in 2012:

-astronomers
-scientists
-astrologists
-archaeologists
-all types of religions have predicted it
-one of the oldest books in the world, the "I Ching" (I think its about 5000 years old), which supposedly has predicted many events, also points to 2012
-UFOlogists
-Hopi Indians
-Mayans
-and probably more (this is all I can think of off the top of my head)


Personally, I'm not worried. I've also heard that there may be some type of spiritual awakening or positive change in our civilization in 2012.

I don't know what to believe in but these are exciting times we live in right now...

[digabot]

Pull your heads out.

[Hanuka]

Yah, but what if something drastic happens in the world(in general) like
a Nuke War or a big Volcano.. will it be the end of search engines and the
internet as whole?

[MuayThaiGuy]

Play around and analyze some words in the google keyword tool and you'll see that this is a HUGE topic of interest. The amount of people that are going to panic is going to be insane...

As I was searching, I ended up buying PredictionsOfNostradamus.com which was surprisingly still available - almost 10,000 google searches last month alone for those keywords ..

Now, where can I sell it? ...

[Hanuka]

lol, hold on to it for 2 years.. then sell it when the topic is hot.
tho if something bad does happen than you're humped xP

[rlnorthcutt]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Wave_(book)

This is the Information age, and thats not likely to change anytime soon. As long as you are positioned as an expert in your field, then you will be fine.

Its been interesting to watch some of the "big dogs" over the past ten years as they have evolved and grown their IM business. The good ones have continued to learn and grow, and so they get more and more "valuable".

I think there may be something to the 2012 thing, but I doubt it will be observable... you can usually not tell when something has tipped or peaked until later.

Ron

I was wondering when someone would get around to posting this.. I do not think the internet or marketing will much matter if in-fact the year 2012 will be the end as we know it.

This has been predicted 5 or 6 years ago, there are articles, news reports, websites and etc that have been built since 2002 talking about this. It is really nothing new.

James

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

While I'm not anything like an expert on the topic, I did look into this a while back. Mostly due to a fascination with the stories of American Indians, and a theorized connection between the Mayans and the Hopi.

The best stuff I saw on it at the time suggests that the "end of the world" meant the end of this era of the world. A major change that would alter civilization in ways that would make it fundamentally different.

Basically, the beginning of a new era.

The Hopi had legends of the coming of their white brothers, long before Europeans set foot in North America. Of course, they weren't quite as precise as the Mayans about when this would happen, and they got the results all wrong.

The tribes of the Sioux believed the Spirit Dance would roll back the world, and give them back their hunting grounds and their traditional way of life. All it did was trigger the xenophobic and paranoid white military to turn wagon mounted guns on women, children and old men at Wounded Knee, and got more of them put onto reservations like Rose Bud and Standing Rock.

The prophecies of native North American tribes have not generally worked out well for them, since we arrived.

Just as an interesting point for speculation, and to keep it on topic... A great wave of water, washing over the world and ending an era. Global warming and rising sea levels changing the way people live. Floods in some areas, drought in others, mass starvation and migrations, and wars over basic resources like water and food.

There's a hook for your 2012 niche sites, if you want one. Replete with massive amounts of credible scientific data you can work into your storyline.


Paul

Paul,

How about if we add Einstein to the list?

The thing about 2012 is that there is some science as well. On 12-21-2012 (The Winter solstice), the Sun, Earth and a black hole in the center of our galaxy will all be in a straight line.

Einstein said it is POSSIBLE that this could cause our magnetic poles to shift. Since the crust of the earth basically "floats" on liquid magma, Einstein said the N. Pole could shift south and the south go north.

This would cause earth quakes, volcanic eruptions and tidal waves like we've never seen and it would be pretty tough for anything to survive.

Now toss in an ancient Chinese quatrain that also predicts the end of the World on the exact same day as this aligning of the planets, as well as the Mayan calendar, and what we have is a very big coincidence. We have the Mayans, a Chinese quatrain older than the pyramids and Einstein all pointing at the same exact day.

I'm not a believer in Doomsday, but there are some very big coincidences that by themselves are very interesting. What are the odds of all three picking the exact same day?

[pavondunbar]

I personally don't believe that the world will end in 2012...

But then again...

I'm not God either...

Whatever the case...if it happens, it happens...

Nothing we can do about it no matter how technologically advanced we are...

Pavon

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by AuctionExecutive

I've never taken the y2k and other 'end of the world' stuff seriously but what I find interesting about 2012 is that there are all types of people that believe something is going to happen (whether its good or bad) in 2012:

-astronomers
-scientists
-astrologists
-archaeologists
-all types of religions have predicted it
-one of the oldest books in the world, the "I Ching" (I think its about 5000 years old), which supposedly has predicted many events, also points to 2012
-UFOlogists
-Hopi Indians
-Mayans
-and probably more (this is all I can think of off the top of my head)

This is the Chinese quatrain I refered to in my first post above. It not only points to 2012, but to the exact day the Mayan calender and the alignment of our solar system.

Scientists also think there were be a ton of solar activety in 2012, plus Yellowstone is about 50,000 years overdue from exploding, which would likely end civilization as we know it.

Truth is, someday something will happen...Yellowstone, a meteor/comet, virus, etc. Nothing is forever.

[Dan C. Rinnert]

Originally Posted by AuctionExecutive

I've never taken the y2k and other 'end of the world' stuff seriously but what I find interesting about 2012 is that there are all types of people that believe something is going to happen (whether its good or bad) in 2012:

-astronomers
-scientists
-astrologists
-archaeologists
-all types of religions have predicted it
-one of the oldest books in the world, the "I Ching" (I think its about 5000 years old), which supposedly has predicted many events, also points to 2012
-UFOlogists
-Hopi Indians
-Mayans
-and probably more (this is all I can think of off the top of my head)


Personally, I'm not worried. I've also heard that there may be some type of spiritual awakening or positive change in our civilization in 2012.

Nostradamus has predictions through 3797. So clearly some of us survive.

Originally Posted by Kurt

Einstein said it is POSSIBLE that this could cause our magnetic poles to shift. Since the crust of the earth basically "floats" on liquid magma, Einstein said the N. Pole could shift south and the south go north.

This would cause earth quakes, volcanic eruptions and tidal waves like we've never seen and it would be pretty tough for anything to survive.

Crustal displacement theory. If it's happened before, we've survived. It was the possible origin of a lot of the flood myths around the world.

Originally Posted by Kurt

Nothing is forever.

Taxes seem to be.

[Dan C. Rinnert]

As an alternative to doomsday, there is also a prediction that December 2012 will be the year we discover/invent time travel. At that point, calendars may become a bit of a moot point.

[Andrei Rotariu]

Domo Arigato Mr Roboto!!

Ahahahaha

YouTube - Domo Arigato Mr Roboto

[Star69]

The world (as a planet) won't end. No matter what happens in 2012, it'll probably still be here, though it might be in flames...

As Kurt said: "Einstein said it is POSSIBLE that this could cause our magnetic poles to shift. Since the crust of the earth basically "floats" on liquid magma, Einstein said the N. Pole could shift south and the south go north."

It's also possible that the Earth, if it experiences a pole shift, will not turn that far. If it turns only 90 degrees, what is today much of the equatorial zone would instantly freeze, while what is now the North and South poles would warm at an incredible rate, becoming tropical. Would the melting of the ice cause massive flooding in many areas? Possibly, but remember the water in the formerly equatorial zones would freeze, so it may be counter-acted, but I think there might still be short-term flooding until everything smooths out. But I've heard, for those of you in the U.S., that the waters of the Great Lakes will rush down the Missisippi River to the Gulf of Mexico, and there would be massive flooding for many miles both East and West of the river. Not a great place to be.

And if the Earth were to shift, would it do so slowly, over the course of many months or years or would it do so in a matter of minutes? If it happens quickly, the winds created could be like none you've ever known, devastating metro areas and virtually wiping every building off the map, not to mention killing a large percentage of the population (how many millions live in NYC, LA, Mexico City, Tokyo, Paris, Riyadh, etc?). The stench of rotting corpses would be tremendous and disease wouldn't be far behind, killing even more.

What about the possibility of nuclear power plants being damaged and the release of massive amounts of radiation? It could create no-man zones that last for thousands of years.

There have been quite a few instances of prehistoric mammals being found buried in ice in places like Siberia. Funny thing, those animals were tropical...that is evidence of prior pole shifts, so yes, they do happen. Upon closer examination of these mammals after extraction from the ice, undigested tropical plants bitten off just moments before the pole shift occurred were found in their stomachs. The animals themselves were in remarkable condition for being as old as they are. They were virtually flash-frozen and didn't decay.

But even if nothing as life-changing as a pole shift occurs, all it really takes to destroy civilization as we know it is for some kind of gamma ray or something to demolish the electric grid worldwide. Whoops! There went the ISPs and along with it the Internet, all of our products we have stored online, everything. No e-commerce.

We'd have trouble just getting gasoline and drinking water because everything is pumped with electricity.

And don't even think about waiting for FEMA to come to the rescue. They wouldn't have enough gas, either.

But you could make your own electricity with a generator, right? Sure, if you can get gas to run it. You'd be able to power up your laptops but there wouldn't be an internet to surf. Without gasoline, even those huge backup generators many businesses have will be useless.

Life would really suck without electricity. No refrigeration, no meat or ice cream to buy at the grocery, no lights so we can stay up all hours of the night. Everyone would be burning wood for heat. (No propane or natural gas. That's pumped electrically.) It would be like suddenly waking up and finding yourself stuck in the mid 1800's. Suddenly the price of horses would go through the roof. Cars would be worthless except for shelter.

Without electricity, we also lose all means of communications, not just across a state or province but around the world. We would not be able to keep in touch with loved ones and know if they were alive or dead. Satellites would be meaningless. Everything runs on electricity. Bring back the Pony Express?

The supply chain would break down. Many manufacturing plants need electricity to make their products (machines, etc.) and even if they could make the product, how would they get it to market without gasoline/diesel fuel for tractor-trailers/trains/airplanes?

It could get interesting. The weak would not survive the aftermath. Desperation leads to crime.

I'm hoping nothing this drastic happens, and we will just have to wait and see.

But meanwhile, isn't this a prime opportunity for ebooks about how to prepare for the coming catastrophe? Make people afraid and they will want to know as much as they can to help ensure their survival.

And I believe Nostradamus's stuff is in the public domain, eh?

[Josh Anderson]

Just make sure you have migrated to the cloud and you'll be fine as long as you have not been implanted.

[xy7luke]

Originally Posted by Ernest11347

Pack your bags lol

World will not end in 2012 we will never know when its going to end.

Who says it will actually end? Honestly I think it's a load of crap.

[Jason Zalesky]

I am more afraid of damn Yellow Stone National Park going off than anything else. Most likely the asteroid that is going to kill us all we will never even know about it. We only know of about 20 percent of them out there that could hit earth so the odds of dying by and asteroid are far greater than anything else.

And if Yellow Stone National Park goes up in smoke then I will be saying to myself "Damn, I knew I should have moved to Australia a long time ago"

The thing we should be worried about now is fixing this damn economy. Half my street has been given there pink slips. We maybe looking for food and health care in the next coming year if it doesnt get better any time soon

[Paul Myers]

Kurt,

The interesting challenge with Einstein's comment is that this happens roughly every 25,000 years. Humans have survived this exact same alignment before.

As far as the odds of all those people picking the same date as significant, they're extremely good. Once you figure out where the really rare occurrences are among the stars, any society with the capability to predict them will attach significance to them.

Still, it does make for some further interesting elemnts to weave into the story.


Paul

[gharold]

The 2012 thing reminds me of the Y2K stuff.
The mass media is aware that such a prediction will have the masses enthralled. It is a great marketing tool. Tons of books, movies, and how to avoid it products will be developed. The time will come and go and just like Y2K no one will remember.

There may be some significance to the date, however, the destruction of the earth and its people is a rather cataclysmic event. For all of this to happen on one day would be rather disruptive to the solar system. Even if events began today and spaced themselves out evenly until that date...that still would be rather catastrophic.

Y2K did usher in the dilution of a lot of U.S. citizen rights followed by world wide financial collapse (which they still call a recession). Maybe the devastation, end, collapse, change that is foreseen will be of some similar type...

Who knows for sure...

[Bill Farnham]

"It's also possible that the Earth, if it experiences a pole shift, will not turn that far. If it turns only 90 degrees..."

Well, technically, the Earth has experienced magnetic pole switches on a regular basis over eons, so this will just be part of that cycle. The physical sphere doesn't flip, just the magnetosphere.

Ask any sailor and they will tell you magnetic north is always moving.

As far as 2012 being the end of the world as we know it, it could be that it will just signify the year we all recognize that Elvis really did leave the building and it took up to that point to finally admit it.

KJ

[Matt Maiden]

I get a big kick out of people that really get into this and start freaking out.
"What if a big comet hits the Earth and we all die"?

Hey folks, we are all going to die. There is no guarantee that any of us will see the end of the day let alone 3 years from now.

I'm a Cancer survivor. I already faced my fears and life is a lot better once you get over your fear of death and start appreciating everything you have right now.

Once you get over your fear of death you get over your fear of living.

Get out there and enjoy it.

Matt

[HeySal]

Well while 2012ers are getting ready for the end of the world, in many Christian churches the ministry is now teaching end times classes. The Christian end time isn't near the same timeframe as the Mayan(or what has been publicized as Mayan), but there is an end time feel in both sectors. I can't speak for the other religions, etc, because I don't know enough about them. In the Mayan and Christain sectors, however, there are vastly growing marketing possibilities as more of these faithful search for knowledge and answers.

Please note - if the Christians are right, you have at the very least one thousand more years to market, however, there may be a quick loss of firm faithful at one point of time before that thousand years. You will then need to switch marketing techniques to target those still here effectively