What would you do if you had 1,701 days left to live?

What would you do if you had 1,701 days left to live?

Some theories, citing the Mayan calendar, state that the world will end Dec. 21, 2012.

Of course, nothing particularly apocalyptic happened on Jan. 1, 2000 - one much-mentioned candidate for the day they turn the light off - nor did the actual first day of the new century, in 2001, usher in the end of days. June 6 of 2006 saw only the usual quantities of fire and brimstone.

But predicting the end - whether it will kill us, transform us, enslave us, save us or vaporize us - is a beloved and bizarre hobby of many. And the upcoming date is a doozy.

A European particle accelerator - the world's largest ever - may start its first experiment in 2012, despite the extremely remote possibility that an enormous atom-smasher could create a black hole.

Meanwhile, the complex "long count" calendar developed by the Maya is running out of days.

Scholars say there is little evidence that the 5,000-year-plus calendar's conclusion means the end of the world as we know it. But considering the imposing breadth of time encompassed by the calendar, its abrupt stopping point can be disquieting.

What do you think? What will the "End of the World" look like? When will it come, and why?