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Livermorium and Flerovium take a seat at the Periodic Table
Just when we thought those pesky scientists had stopped messing with the Periodic Table, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry goes and ratifies another two. The pair of elements were discovered in partnership between the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the States. Element 114 has taken on the spell-check-worrying nomenclature Flerovium (Fl), while 116 becomes Livermorium (Lv). Eagle-eyed readers will notice that both take a name from the labs where they were discovered, the former named after Georgiy N. Flerov and the latter after Ernest O. Lawrence -- both atomic pioneers in their respective countries. The official names will get their first official publication in July's edition of Pure and Applied Chemistry. We guess those textbook makers will be rubbing their hands in glee at all those revised editions it'll sell next term. [Image courtesy of the BBC / Talkback Thames]
Leica to open a store in a store in the Photographic Centre in West Palm Beach
The gadget boutique trend continues, and Leica is latest to jump in for the retail romp, opening a store within a store in West Palm Beach, Florida. That outlet will be inside the Pro Shop for Photographers, which is itself inside the new Palm Beach Photographic Centre, a 26,000 square foot facility for teaching photography, hosting exhibits, and surely cooing over some of the company's sexier special editions. It's a non-profit facility, but we're guessing Leica is hoping its little corner of it will generate a little revenue when it opens in mid-October. Fun fact: despite having all that space, the Photographic Centre doesn't have a single dark room, leaving old-school film photographers with no place to go but the closet. [Via ubergizmo]
Under The Hood: Pseudo-MMOs, Part One
The world of MMO-making is more and more competitive by the hour, with many big-name developers throwing their hats into the MMO development ring as time goes on. But where does this leave us? Are all of these games requiring subscription fees? Will I be left out in the street playing Star Trek Online because I'm paying hundreds a month in fees? Not if the "pseudo-MMO" has anything to do with it.The pseudo-MMO is a game which is similar to an MMO, but lacks things that an MMO often has, such as subscription fees, a truly massive environment (as opposed to a very large environment), a centralized server, or non-instanced zones. They aren't "real" MMOs, but they come very, very close. By offering persistent worlds, large amounts of players on a server at any one time, and sometimes even single-player, these doppelgangers can capture the "feel" of an MMO without (or with, in some cases!) a subscription fee. So let's walk down the list.
