Bethesda to Include Cloth Map for Skyrim Pre-Orders
With a game as massive as the upcoming The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, you are probably going to want some kind of a physical map to make sense of where you are going in the game. Bethesda Softworks, makers of The Elder Scrolls series, has announced that anyone who pre-orders Skyrim will receive a cloth map of the game world bundled with the game. Bethesda says the map will be on a high-grade burlap-like material so it should be fairly strong, but that it will be limited to those who pre-order in North America and Europe. If you don't pre-order the game, you will still receive a map with the game, but it will just be a simple paper map. A cloth map sounds a lot better and should last a lot longer than the paper map, so if that appeals to you, then definitely head out and pre-order the game.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim launches on November 11th for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360.
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Star Wars: Galaxies Closing Down December 15th
It seems the universe just isn't big enough for two Star Wars MMORPGs, so when Star Wars: The Old Republic launches later this year, Star Wars: Galaxies will close its doors. LucasArts confirmed today that Star Wars: Galaxies, the current Star Wars MMO, will close its doors for good on December 15th, 2011. Star Wars: Galaxies launched in 2003 with some success and has a pretty dedicated fanbase, even speaking out about some of the less popular changes brought by the "New Game Enhancements" update in 2005. In 2009, the game shut down about half of its servers due to a drop in subscribers, so it seems that this day was a long time coming. LucasArts says it is making the decision to shut down SWG with heavy hearts, but ultimately it has to be done. The shut down includes both the online game and the trading card game, so everything tied to SWG will be gone after December 15th. The next Star Wars MMO, BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic, will launch later this year with EA's Origin service being the sole online retailer for the game.
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Skinny-Dipping Researcher Swims With Arctic Whales
Natalia Avseenko braved the freezing Arctic waters au naturel in an effort to prepare two Beluga whales for living in captivity. The 36 year-old expert free-diver endured sub-zero temperatures of 1.5 degrees Centigrade without any clothes on, as the whales are said to be averse to being touched by artificial fabrics such as diving suits. So off came the clothes, and judging by the underwater images we're seeing, the sea mammals didn't seem to mind Avseenko constantly touching them. To keep captive whales from escaping, they are herded into an enclosure in the Murmansk Oblast region of Russia near the Arctic Circle, although animal rights activists would no doubt consider these practices inhumane. The animals would then be tamed by instructors before being transported to oceanariums. Average humans cannot stay for long underwater though, as they would suffer from extreme hypothermia and possibly death if submerged in sub-zero waters for more than five minutes. Avseenko, however, swam naked with the whales for 10 minutes and 40 seconds underwater using advanced yoga meditation techniques. No mention of the extent as to the effectiveness of Avseenko's research was indicated, although the whales sure looked happy to see her.
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New Optical Circuit for Quantum Technologies Developed
Electronic computers use electrons to carry bits, the fundamental unit of information to the computer, which are either a 0 or a 1. In a quantum computer a single particle, such as a photon or an ion, may carry more than a single bit of information, using a phenomenon called superposition. Of course, being able to carry more information is not helpful if you cannot do anything with it. Researchers from the University of Bristol’s Center for Quantum Photonics and Japanese colleagues have successful demonstrated a logic gate capable of acting on four photons. The theory behind this technology was developed ten years ago, but could not be realized until recently, as only now is technology capable of the accuracy and precision needed. Now that a working controlled-NOT, or CNOT, gate has been developed many other leaps can be made in quantum technologies. The team is first focusing on quantum communication and measurement; afterward they will work on simulation tools for their lab. Eventually they hope to have a multi-photon optical circuit that can be used to simulate quantum mechanical processes, such as superconductivity and photosynthesis. The Center of Quantum Photonics wishes to increase the complexity of the experiment by using larger circuits and adding more photons. With each photon comes an exponential increase in the complexity of a problem the circuit can work on.
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A Saturn Moon Could Possibly Support Life
NASA received some interesting news this week from its Cassini spacecraft, currently exploring Saturn. The craft has collected data that suggests one of Saturn’s moons could support life. The moon in question is Enceladus, one of 53 named moons orbiting the gas giant. Cassini discovered jet sprays shooting out of fissures in the moon’s surface several years ago, and after taking measurements over three passes, the craft found sodium and potassium grains near the moon’s surface. Frank Postberg, a scientist on the Cassini project, said that the continuous outflow of the salt rich grains from the fissures, called tiger stripes, would only be possible with the presence of saltwater beneath the moon’s icy surface. The fact that the water is in contact with rock means that all the necessary conditions of life are present. Many scientists on the Cassini team are now advocating a mission to land a probe on Enceladus’ to confirm their findings.
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