ALAN BOYLE: 2012 Watch: The Countdown Begins. “What is it about doomsday that draws a crowd? Time after time, doomsayers have predicted the breakdown of society on a date certain, stirring up a buzz that builds to a crescendo and ends in a crash when doomsday doesn’t come. 1844 brought the Great Disappointment, 1999 brought the Y2K alarm, 2011 brought the Rapture ruckus, and exactly a year from today, we’re due for the Maya apocalypse. If the past is any indicator, we’ll be intently blogging, tweeting and indulging in black humor as the clock ticks down to Dec. 21, 2012. Then, on Dec. 22, we’ll look around for the next doomsday.” Actually, I think the world ended as predicted back in May, and everything since has been an illusion perpetrated by Satan.

Hey, admit it: It would make a lot of sense. . . .