palladium
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Stronger-than-steel palladium glass paves way for dental implants of the future
A team of researchers at Caltech and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have created a new type of glass that's stronger than steel, but it might not make it out of your oral surgeon's office. The material is a combination of glass' simplest form, called marginal glass, the metal palladium, and small fractions of phosphorus, silicon, germanium, and silver, making it resistant to massive amounts of pressure and strain. A glass this strong has endless potential in the way of structural application -- think cars, planes, and bridges. Thing is, though, palladium is super expensive, and researchers involved in the project say the best applications are in products like dental implants, which are currently made of soft, stiff noble metals, more likely to cause complications like bone atrophy. Chances are we won't see super strong glass bridges anytime soon, but the new glass dental implants could be in your mouth as early as 2016.
Japanese researchers create palladium-like alloy using nanotechnology, 'present-day alchemy'
As you're no doubt aware, some of the precious metals used in consumer electronics -- like palladium -- can be both pricey and hard to come by, which has prompted some to harvest the materials from old electronics and reuse them, while others have been busily working on more readily available alternatives. Among that latter group are a team of researchers from Japan's Kyoto University, who have just announced that they've managed to create a palladium-like alloy using what's being described as "present-day alchemy." More specifically, they used nanotechnology to combine (and "nebulise") rhodium and silver, which don't ordinarily mix, into the new composite, which they say could eventually replace the real thing in a whole range of electronics and other products. Unfortunately, it's not clear when that might happen, but the researchers aren't just stopping at palladium -- they're apparently already looking at using a similar process to create other alloys. [Image credit: Jurii / Wikimedia Commons]
Trion Worlds v. Palladium lawsuit draws to a close
The long-running legal skirmish between MMORPG maker Trion Worlds and pen-and-paper RPG publisher Palladium Books is apparently drawing to a close. Trask over at LivingDice.com brings us word that the two parties have submitted a "Joint Stipulation of Dismissal," which in a nutshell, closes all claims and counterclaims and stipulates that both parties will cover their own legal costs. Trask goes on to speculate that the final settlement may never be known, as the joint filing effectively ends the lawsuit behind closed doors and casts doubt on whether either party would gain much by making the details public. The lawsuit was originally filed last May and centered on trademark infringement regarding the Rifts name as used by Trion in their forthcoming Rift: Planes of Telara MMORPG.
Scientists using metallic wastes to generate clean energy
Solar farms are swell and all, but they aren't exactly fit for laboratories or studio apartments. Thanks to new discoveries by gurus at the University of Birmingham, though, we could be on our way to a far more diminutive method of creating clean energy. As the story goes, we could soon be using microbes to transform wastes in metals into energy. The team managed to pinpoint Hydrogenase enzymes and BioPd in their research, which they believe can be used as catalysts for the treatment of persistent pollutants. The overriding goal, however, is to "develop a one-step technology that allows for the conversion of metallic wastes into high value catalysts for green chemistry and clean energy generation," but it's difficult to say at this point how close they are to realizing it. The best news? This is bound to start a new rash of Cash 4 Gold commercials.
Breaking: Palladium Books sues Trion Worlds over "Rifts" title
Back at the end of April, we heard a fair amount of news from Trion Worlds, including the name change of Heroes of Telara. The name change came about during testing and development as the game's portals or "rifts" emerged as a central feature of the game, inspiring the new name Rift: Planes of Telara. Evidently MMO fans weren't the only ones that heard this news. Palladium Books has filed a lawsuit citing trademark infringement of the name of Palladium's popular long-standing RPG, similarly titled "Rifts." If you're unfamiliar with the title, Palladium's version of Rifts is a PnP game centered around rifts that open on earth, exposing the players to monsters and elements from many other lands -- a very familiar concept. Rifts is Palladium's primary and most familiar IP, so they are understandably anxious to protect it. Not much is known about the lawsuit at this point other than "it was filed." Basic details such as the parties involved and Palladium's sources are available, and we'll keep our eye out for more information over the next few weeks.
Klipsch adds six models to its Palladium speaker lineup
As much as you may love the looks (and sound) of Klipsch's flagship Palladium P-39F speakers, the $20,000 price tag on a pair of these beauties puts them safely out of reach for most people. But Klipsch is hoping to give a few more people a taste of the high life with the introduction of six new models in the Palladium line. For your main channels, you can pick between the P-38F and P-37F floorstanding or the P-17B bookshelf speakers. Round out your system with the P-27S surrounds, P-27C center channel and a P-312W subwoofer and you'll find yourself surrounded by good-looking, sculpted "Linia" zebra-grain forms. These new models aren't $20,000 expensive, but they're not cheap either: $12,000 and $8,000 for the P-38F and P-37F, respectively; the P-17B bookshelf will lighten your wallet to the tune of $4,000. For a whole system, factor in $3,500 for a P-27C, $4,000 for the P-27S, and another $4,000 for the P-312W. More pics after the jump.
