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Touch Press The Elements for Mac -- Entertaining for Everyone
When The Elements for iPad by Touch Press came out in 2010, I was absolutely captivated by the clarity, precision and beauty of the graphics and information. It took a potentially boring topic for most of us -- the periodic table -- and brought it to life in a wonderful presentation that is suitable for everyone. The Elements for Mac is based on the book The Elements, but it is far more than a simple electronic rendering of the book. The engaging text, written by Mathematica co-creator Theodore Gray, covers most of the basics you need to know about each element in a sometimes irreverent style. The Elements for Mac is not a product limited to current students; it is a wonderful resource that delivers an entertaining evening. I recommend it as a holiday gift for anyone that likes gadgets, photography or has a passing interest in scientific topics. When the program opens, you can listen to comedian Tom Lehrer sing his 1959 song also called "The Elements." Alas, it is no longer complete because we only had 102 known elements at that time and now there are 118. For fun, I've included a couple of other periodic table songs at the end of this article under Fun Resources. The Elements for Mac includes impressive photographs by Gray and Nick Mann. Gray's entertaining sense of humor is sprinkled throughout the program, as evidenced in the introduction where he says, "The periodic table is the universal catalog of everything you can drop on your foot." The Elements for Mac expands on the iOS product by adding more than 25 videos that show chemical reactions of a number of elements and uses new fonts. It includes 3D graphics of each element and associated objects that you can rotate, spin and view at any angle. The Elements for Mac also supports the Retina display on a MacBook Pro. You can resize the windows so that you can read everything easily, and a search bar on the main page lets you quickly find elements by name. Generally, the descriptions are easy to understand and the photos include the element and examples of things in which the element exists or is used. Most of the elements include a two-page spread -- sometimes three -- and include a link to additional data furnished by the Wolfram Alpha service. The information provided includes atomic radius and weight, melting and boiling points, density, spectral lines, crystal structure and other interesting facts. Each element includes a sound link for pronunciation too. While you may not need that for lead, it came in handy for dysprosium and mendelevium. For those of you that used the Mac back in the day, The Elements navigation may feel a bit like a HyperCard stack. I tested version 1.01 of The Elements on a MacBook and an iMac, both of which are running OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion), but the app should work just fine under OS X 10.7 also. The only problem I encountered was when I changed the screen resolution using the Displays system preference. The Elements stopped responding and required a force quit and relaunch to work again. The Elements for Mac is available in 18 Languages. This is a bargain-priced program at US$19.99 in the Mac App Store. I wanted to view all the fun explosions and other videos that are the hallmark of the Mac OS version, but I could not find a complete list inside the program. But, you can watch their minute-plus marketing video below to see a few seconds of each of them. My favorite is the aluminum video. If you want a list of all the elements with videos that I found, leave a comment after the article. Fun Resources Touch Press Blog: A brief History of The Elements, 7/4/2013 The NEW Periodic Table Song, AsapSCIENCE [via Youtube], 5/13. (This is a lot of fun and covers all the elements!) Daniel Radcliffe sings The Elements Song, The Graham Norton Show [via YouTube], 12/11/10. Origin of the Periodic Table, University of Colorado Boulder. "Meet 115, the Newest Element on the Periodic Table," National Geographic, 8/23/13. Why is the Periodic Table Important? Ask.com Related TUAW Stories Daily iPad App: Nova Elements walks you through the periodic table by Kelly Hodgkins (TUAW, 6/13/13) The making of The Elements for iPad by Megan Lavey-Heaton (TUAW, 4/6/10)
Daily iPad App: Nova Elements walks you through the periodic table
Nova Elements is one of those showcase apps for the iPad. It has a great UI and is filled with fantastic photos The showcase section of the app is an interactive periodic table that provides details on each of the elements. You can read about each element find out where it is found and how it is being used. There's also a build mode that lets you add electrons, neutrons and protons to build the atom that makes up the element. You can choose an auto-build that'll assemble the atom automatically. If enjoy a challenge, you can build it yourself. If you make a mistake, though, the atom will explode. Besides the periodic table, Nova Elements also includes a link to buy the Hunting The Elements television program from NOVA. Another section includes the David Pogue's Essential Element's game that challenges you to drag atoms into place in order to build the element. These side sections are fun, but it is the periodic table that's the centerpiece of the app. Nova Elements is a fantastic tool for students and science geeks alike. It is available for free from the iOS App Store and is compatible with the iPad.
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]
New periodic table elements finally get names, will probably want to trade them in
Flerovium and livermorium. Prime names for really ugly babies -- or, equivalently, new elements on the periodic table. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry opted for the latter last week, baptizing elements 114 and 116 just about six months after they were first ratified. Back in June, as you may recall, Russia's Joint Institute for Nuclear Research proposed flerovium and muscovium as names for the two ultraheavy elements, while deferring to the IUPAC for final say on the matter. At the time, the organization said it would likely accept any name, as long as "it's not something too weird." Flerovium (Fl), named after Soviet nuclear physicist Georgiy Flerov, apparently passed that litmus test. Muscovium, sadly, did not. Instead, slot 116 will belong to livermorium (Lv), named after California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which collaborated on the discovery of the element, back in 2000. Bill Goldstein, associate director of Lawrence Livermore National Labs' Physical and Life Sciences Directorate, heralded the decision as a celebration of his institute's collaborative contribution to chemistry: "Proposing these names for the elements honors not only the individual contributions of scientists from these laboratories to the fields of nuclear science, heavy-element research, and super-heavy-element research, but also the phenomenal cooperation and collaboration that has occurred between scientists at these two locations." The nomenclature isn't entirely set in stone, however, as the two names must first endure a five-month public comment period before appearing in chemistry textbooks.
New periodic table element names confirmed, textbook makers sigh in relief
What's in a name? If you're the general assembly of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics, then quite a lot. It's that bunch who have finally rubber-stamped the names of elements Darmstadtium (110), Roentgenium (111) and Copernicum (112) on the Periodic table. The trio are so named in honor of Darmstadt (where it was first created), Wilhelm Röntgen (discoverer of X-Rays) and Nicolaus Copernicus (explaining the universe since 1533). All three elements are "super-heavy", lab-created substances that rapidly degrade down into less interesting materials -- Copernicium-285 has a relatively long half-life of 29 seconds. The ratification went without a hitch, causing a sigh of relief amongst the textbook makers who have included the elements in the table for quite some time. Although we were hoping that element 111 would have to change its name back to the original, nearly unpronounceable unununium. [Image courtesy of the BBC / Talkback Thames]
Periodic Table welcomes two new, ultraheavy elements, jury still out on the names
If you bump in to the Periodic Table of Elements today, be sure to give it a hearty Mazel Tov, because it's just welcomed two new members to the family. Yesterday, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) officially recognized elements 114 and 116, crediting the discovery to scientists from Russia's Joint Institute for Nuclear Research and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, in California. Boasting atomic masses of 289 and 292, respectively, the new man-made additions are now the heaviest elements on record, seizing the belt from copernicium (285) and roentgenium (272). As with most heavyweights, however, both decay within less than a second, making it difficult for researchers to get a grasp of their chemical properties. Nevertheless, both apparently had enough credibility to survive IUPAC's three-year review process, paving the way for the real fun to begin. At the moment, 114 and 116 are known, rather coldly, as ununquadium and ununhexium, respectively, though their names will eventually be jazzed up -- sort of. The Russian team has already proposed flerovium for 114 (after Soviet nuclear physicist Georgy Flyorov), and, for 116, the Moscow-inspired moscovium, which sounds more like an after shave for particularly macho chemists. IUPAC will have the final say on the matter, though one committee member said any proposed names are likely to be approved, as long as "it's not something too weird." Head past the break for a full, and somewhat obtuse PR.
Visualized: Google's periodic table of APIs
The world of Google APIs and developer tools can be a confusing one, but the company has now at least brought a bit of order to the chaos with its own take on the periodic table of the elements. As you can see above, Android occupies the top spot normally reserved for hydrogen in the actual periodic table, and the remaining APIs and developer products are all grouped into their appropriate categories -- and, of course, linked to their respective websites. Hit up the link below to check out the table in its interactive form.
Four widgets for learning
While the app store ecosystem for the iPhone, and now iPad, are filled with a host of useful apps to help students convert, translate and calculate figures and words, there may be times where an iPhone or iPad app just don't fit into your workflow. Back when Mac OS X Tiger was launched, which happened to be back when we all had to walk through 10 miles of snow to get to school, came the advent of Dashboard. In addition to the bundled widgets provided by Apple, one can access a robust library of widgets provided by third parties. Here are four useful Dashboard widgets for learning.
iPad apps: for your reference
Sure, you've got an iPad, fancypants -- but do you know the boiling point of cobalt? No? Then what good are you, really? Fortunately, we're here to offer you an exciting opportunity to combine your love of 9.7-inch tablets with your thirst for knowledge by hooking you up with a list of some the best, brightest, and coolest reference apps available for the iPad today. You'll spend a few bucks to file most of these away in your 64GB (or 32GB, or 16GB) of memory, but you never know when you're going to be unexpectedly called upon to recite eight widely-spoken languages in South Africa, now, do you? Follow the break for the rundown!
iPad apps: defining experiences from the first wave
There are now over 1,348 approved apps for the iPad. That's on top of the 150,000 iPad-compatible iPhone programs already available in the App Store. When Apple's tablet PC launches, just hours from now, it will have a software library greater than that of any handheld in history -- not counting the occasional UMPC. That said, the vast majority of even those 1,348 iPad apps are not original. They were designed for the iPhone, a device with a comparatively pokey processor and a tiny screen, and most have just been tweaked slightly, upped in price and given an "HD" suffix -- as if that somehow justified the increased cost. Besides, we've seen the amazing potential programs have on iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile and webOS when given access to a touchscreen, always-on data connection, GPS, cloud storage and WiFi -- but where are the apps that truly define iPad? What will take advantage of its extra headroom, new UI paradigms and multitouch real estate? Caught between netbook and smartphone, what does the iPad do that the iPhone cannot? After spending hours digging through the web and new iPad section of the App Store, we believe we have a number of reasonably compelling answers. Update: Now includes Wormhole Remote, TweetDeck, SkyGrid, Touchgrind HD, GoToMeeting, SplitBrowser, iDisplay, Geometry Wars and Drawing Pad.
Cheat on your chemistry test with your PSP [Update 1]
You may think the PSP is only for really cool people like Samuel L. Jackson and the Marlboro Man, but don't worry--this homebrew is made for people like you and me ... y'know, losers. When we're not busy adjusting our pocket protectors and tightening our suspenders, we bust out the PSP for some good ol' fashioned periodic table-ing. Yes, a programmer named access_denied has made a libtiff version of the periodic table. You know what to do: put the image file in the PSP's PHOTO folder, and run it on your PSP.[Via DCemu][Update 1: Fixed link.]