Having been born in the '60's I, like many of you, have seen numerous dates on which the world was to end, come and go without drama or incident. So what is it that makes December 21, 2012 different?

Many say it is no different than any other predicted end of times, but this date seems to be getting some attention from scientists around the globe. Nobody with credibility is saying the world will end on this day, but there is growing evidence that something may happen.

Many people, myself included, give little creedence to the predictions of the Mayan calendar. But there are a few things to consider before completely dismissing this ancient tool.

The Mayans were able to accurately map the paths and orbits of stars, constellations and planets long before astronomers began to understand how the universe works. They were able to calculate the duration of a solar year, down to a fraction of a second. This is far more accurate than any civilization predating modern astronomy. They also were the first to speak of black holes, one of which has since been found at the center of our galaxy.

With their calendar, they predicted earthquakes, their own downfall at the hands of Cortez, and every eclipse from their time to our own. Numerous other predictions are known to have come to pass, but that is a hub in and of itself.

This calendar runs out in 2012. Some say this indicates the end of time, while others believe it is merely the end of a cycle, at which time a new age of consciousness will arise.

A far more comprehensive explanation of the calendar, can be found here.

Prophets and prognosticators throughout history have placed the end of the world in 2012. Some are of dubious reputation, such as Edgar Cayce and Mother Shipton, but many were renowned for their accuracy, and sought out by peasants and royalty, alike.

Not the least of these was Nostradamus. Unfortunately, most of his writings were so cryptic, that you often have no idea what he was saying unless you pick an event, and compare it to his predictions. Some are fairly obvious if you know what you are looking for, but often you have to sort through symbolism and ambiguities to find similarities to current events.

Many people swear by his prophecies, but the the fact is, many false prophets have made a handsome living by knowing how to use ambiguity and generic statements that could apply to many situations.

Sybil is from the Greek, meaning female prophet. Throughout Roman times, there were many scattered about the Mediterranean countries. One of the most sought was the Cumaean Sybil. Living in a cave in Cumae, a small village near modern day Naples, Italy, she accurately foretold wars and their outcomes, the deaths of generals and emperors, and many other events. Possibly her most significant and accurate prediction was the birth of Christ, decades before it happened. She also pinpionted armageddon to the year 2012.

Another female prophet that has predicted our generation to be the last, was the Oracle at Delphi. There is much conjecture surrounding the source of her visions. Scientists believe they have located the cave in which she lived, and have shown it to contain high levels of a naturally occurring gas. This gas has been shown to induce euphoria, altered mental states and hallucinations. Whether or not this gas was the source of her visions, a staggering number of her predictions have been borne out over the centuries.

Not the one of Arthurian legend, but the real Merlin on whom the ficticious wizard was allegedly based. His real name, Welsh in origin, was Myrddin Wyllt.

It has been said that he went mad after the death of his brothers in 573 AD, at which time he fled into the forest of Caledonia. There he found his vision into the future. He was said to have predicted the bizarre manner of his own death, which consisted of falling, being stabbed and drowning. As it turned out, he was eventually driven off a cliff by an angry group of shepherds, where he was impaled on sharp rocks. He supposedly lingered there, until the tide came in, at which time he died with his head beneath the water.

Prior to this horrific death, he often emerged from the forest, to pass on his astounding predictions. Aside from his doomsday 2012 prophecy, the most impressive was his prediction of the first colony to be settled in the new world. Centuries before it was to happen, he foretold, by name, the settlement at Virginia!

In the 1990's, a new bit of software came on the scene. It was designed to help predict the fluctuations in the stock market. Called the Web-Bot project, it worked by sending out "spiders" to basically read the entire internet. It read websites, blogs, the whole works. It then weeded out key words and phrases that might indicate changes, both large and small, as well as wich stocks to buy, and when to buy them.

While doing the tedious chore of sorting through the information, its creators noticed a disturbing trend. Web-Bot was throwing up flags prior to some much publicized disasters. They claim it predicted several earthquakes around the world. It also allegedly foresaw the 9/11 terrorist attacks, as well as hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Unfortunately, the predictions I have seen read much like a Nostradamus quattrain. Very cryptic, and difficult to decipher. However, the idea that it is technology based, rather than steeped in mysticism is intriguing.

Scientists are adding their two cents to the issue. Their research has indicated that the Mayans were correct on at least one point. On December 21, 2012, there will be a planetary alignment with the Milky Way's own black hole. The frequency with which this occurs is believed to be between 5000, and 25000 years. Coincidentally, the span of the Mayan calendar falls into the low end of this range, at 5125 solar years.

Nobody is certain of the outcome of this planetary alignment (except, possibly for the Mayans), but many theories have been posed. Everyone seems to agree that it may cause the Earth to experience a polar shift, but the degree of shift, and the consequences are still in question.

These shifts have happened before. I have read that Alaska was once located at the equator. I have encountered theories that this impending shift will be relatively small, and will occur over the course of years, or even centuries. The reported result would most likely be a global climate shift, and possibly a change in the measured duration of a year.

Other theories have included a 180 degree polar shift with global destruction, and the end of all living things. Another theory put forth is the possibility that the alignment will alter the orbits of the planets, and send us all spiralling into the sun. The ultimate global warming theory!

There are a vast number of blogs out there that subscribe to the whole doomsday idea. Personally, I think most of them are alarmists, trying to carve out their own internet following. If you look at the ancient prophets, they do have an impressive record. But the fact is, as with most modern psychics, their hit to miss ratio tends to be only slightly higher than random chance. Also, many of their predictions can be made to fit any number of completely different scenarios. I think the jury is still out on the Web-Bot project, but I suspect it, too, will yield impressive, but easily adaptable results.The best science has been able to come up with seems to be a resounding "We just don't know".

As for me, I maintain a healthy dose of skepticism. At this point, I have no plans to curtail my Christmas shopping for 2012, but the scientists and mystics still have over plenty of time to present a compelling argument. I anxiously await the news.