The Amorphonet Blog

Evidently there is a new Star Wars video game in production from LucasArts called Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.  The idea is that this game follows the storyline between Episode III and IV.  If what I’ve read is correct though, I’m really conflicted.

What I’ve read is that the game follows the secret apprenctice of Darth Vader during the time between Episode III and IV.  If that’s the case, it goes against the rules outlined by Yoda in Episode I; “Always 2 there are, a master and an apprentice”.  If this game follows the apprentice of Darth Vader, who is the apprentice of the Emperor, then that would make 3.

Aside from that, the trailer makes the game look pretty cool.  But, then the trailers always do.  I’ve been sorely disappointed in some of the previous Star Wars games.  So, I hope LucasArts redeems themselves with this one.

It looks like it’s going to be out sometime in 2008 for most of the popular consoles like XBox 360, Nintendo DS, and PS3.

I’m sure I’ll have to grab a copy when it comes out.  I just hope it lives up to the reputation set by the movies, and is not a disappointment like some of the previous games.

According to an article over on techfreep.com there is a chance that the Large Hadron Collider “supercollider” being developed by CERN could destroy the world.

For those of use who don’t fully understand what a “supercollider” is or why we should be concerned about CERN building the largest one ever, this article may be a little alarming.

The gist is this: The supercollider sends protons shooting in opposite directions around a 16.7 mile racetrack at speeds reaching 99.999999% the speed of light.  The goal is to produce a mini “big bang” when the protons collide (thus the name supercollider).  One of the theoretical results of this collision is that a tiny black hole will form.  The hope is that the black hole would “evaporate” just leaving something called Hawking radiation.

However, some fear that the black hole will not just “evaporate”.  That could be catastrophic.  If the black hole were to grow, it could spell the end of the Earth.

I for one, plan to follow this a little more closely.  Get ready to hold on to your britches, because CERN is hoping to launch this sometime in 2007.

Just finished reading an article about a company called Metabolix that makes biodegradable plastic.  Pretty cool stuff, but not the biggest shocker.

The real shock to me was that traditional plastic is made from oil (yep the same stuff used to make gasoline!).  I had no idea, and evidently neither does 72% of the U.S. population.  The article also states that 10% of the oil we import is used to make plastic.  If we could use that 10% for making gasoline instead of plastic, that next trip to the gas pump might not be so painful to my wallet.

It seems that Target has picked up on this new technology and is using Metabolix to manufacture some of their gifts cards.  The new cards are available in about 128 of Target stores and are made from fermented sugar instead of traditional plastic.  They are also 100% biodegradable in all environments.

I really hope that other big companies pick up on this and start asking to have their products manufactured with this stuff.