You might want to keep on eye on Shroud of the Avatar https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/, currently under development by Richard Garriott. It is not a continuation of the Ultima franchise (he doesn't own that intellectual property any more), but he calls it a "spiritual successor" to Ultima.
They describe the world this way: "Players will adventure in an interactive world where their choices have consequences, ethical paradoxes give them pause, and they play a vital part in weaving their own story into the immersive world and lore surrounding them." The story is being developed by Richard Garriott and Tracy Hickman (of the Dragonlance series). Hickman will be releasing a novel of the world's backstory episodically.
It's not a true MMO. They are calling it "selective multiplayer", meaning you can choose to see just your friends in the world, friends-of-friends, etc, or you can play open multiplayer (more like a traditional MMO), or even as a single-player game.
They are trying some new stuff, including a novel combat system designed to eliminate the "press this sequence of keys in every combat until your foe is defeated" syndrome that most MMOs have. It is somewhat controversial among supporters, but they have budgeted time to change it to a more traditional combat system if it fails in beta testing.
They are about 7 months into development, with another 11 months to go until release. They raised money through a kickstarter campaign (now over), but you can still pledge on their website. A $45 or higher pledge gets you access to the alpha tests (starting next month), the beta test, and a copy of the first installment of the game (there are going to be 5 installments over the next several years). Higher pledges get you other digital or physical goodies.
If you are interested in pledging, you are welcome to use my referral code (7835), which will get your character an exclusive emote! Woohoo! Actually kinda lame since they haven't decided what it will be (probably a high-five), but it is something only people who were referred will have.
If anyone is interested in reading the report 'The Quarantine and Certification of Martian Samples', put together by the National Research Council, it is available online in full.
Noise was my first concern too. If an object like a table is vibrating strongly enough move a plate around, surely the vibrations must be making sound waves too. At least a low hum. That would get awfully annoying.
There's another bioethical debate on selecting baby traits going on in Scotland. A couple (with 4 sons) who lost their only daughter are using the courts to get permission to pre-select the sex of their child to ensure they have another daughter. Details here at the BBC.
Personally, I say if they're that desperate for a daughter, let them adopt one.
The newborn baby won't have the same disease as his sister. His cells were specifically screened against that. This article explains briefly the steps the doctors took in selecting his particular group of fetal cells.
I tried to find more info about his work online, but there doesn't seem to be much. The best I came up with was a short press release about his work and its appearance in a journal article.
Mindpixel - help the Digital Mind Modeling Project.
What's curious about it? I should think it would make sense that I participate in the one I think it currently the best project. Actually, I have participated in all the ones listed, and I've put more processing time into dnet than any other. When/if they get their OGR project officially started again I'll probably devote most of my processing power to that one. For now, I think seti is the most worthwhile one. Just my opinion.
Check out bottomquark to discuss the latest science news. GrnArrow
Well if someone builds a gecko cyborg that has feet using van der Waals forces, and wires in a sea lamprey brain like the researchers in this story did, then I'll start to get nervous.
Even if these storms don't produce any dire consequences for power systems, etc., the fact that they've been happening for a couple days now means there should be some extended opportunities for people at higher lattitudes to see some nice auroral displays.
If you'd like to read more science-related stories stop by bottomquark, my science slash site.
I'm not sure about geek flavor, but it was on bottomquark yesterday. Since I don't have 1/10th of 1% of the submissions Slashdot gets, it doesn't take so long to sift through the stories and decide what to post.:-)
Slashdot readers who are interested in general science stories are invited to visit bottomquark. Based on the slash code, it's a new web site devoted to the general science enthusiast. Please stop by and share your insights and opinions on the latest developments in the science world, and if you know of any interesting stories, let us know!
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You might want to keep on eye on Shroud of the Avatar https://www.shroudoftheavatar.com/, currently under development by Richard Garriott. It is not a continuation of the Ultima franchise (he doesn't own that intellectual property any more), but he calls it a "spiritual successor" to Ultima.
They describe the world this way: "Players will adventure in an interactive world where their choices have consequences, ethical paradoxes give them pause, and they play a vital part in weaving their own story into the immersive world and lore surrounding them." The story is being developed by Richard Garriott and Tracy Hickman (of the Dragonlance series). Hickman will be releasing a novel of the world's backstory episodically.
It's not a true MMO. They are calling it "selective multiplayer", meaning you can choose to see just your friends in the world, friends-of-friends, etc, or you can play open multiplayer (more like a traditional MMO), or even as a single-player game.
They are trying some new stuff, including a novel combat system designed to eliminate the "press this sequence of keys in every combat until your foe is defeated" syndrome that most MMOs have. It is somewhat controversial among supporters, but they have budgeted time to change it to a more traditional combat system if it fails in beta testing.
They are about 7 months into development, with another 11 months to go until release. They raised money through a kickstarter campaign (now over), but you can still pledge on their website. A $45 or higher pledge gets you access to the alpha tests (starting next month), the beta test, and a copy of the first installment of the game (there are going to be 5 installments over the next several years). Higher pledges get you other digital or physical goodies.
If you are interested in pledging, you are welcome to use my referral code (7835), which will get your character an exclusive emote! Woohoo! Actually kinda lame since they haven't decided what it will be (probably a high-five), but it is something only people who were referred will have.
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Noise was my first concern too. If an object like a table is vibrating strongly enough move a plate around, surely the vibrations must be making sound waves too. At least a low hum. That would get awfully annoying.
Personally, I say if they're that desperate for a daughter, let them adopt one.
The newborn baby won't have the same disease as his sister. His cells were specifically screened against that. This article explains briefly the steps the doctors took in selecting his particular group of fetal cells.
Mindpixel - help the Digital Mind Modeling Project.
Check out bottomquark to discuss the latest science news.
GrnArrow
Check out bottomquark to discuss the latest science news.
GrnArrow
Check out bottomquark to discuss the latest science news.
GrnArrow
Check out bottomquark to discuss the latest science news.
GrnArrow
GrnArrow
www.bottomquark.com
If you'd like to read more science-related stories stop by bottomquark, my science slash site.
GrnArrow
http://www.bottomquark.com
GrnArrow
grnarrow@removethis.bottomquark.com
GrnArrow
grnarrow@removethis.bottomquark.com
It certainly sounds like an interesting frontier, but I wonder if it will ever really be practical.
grnarrow
www.bottomquark.com