For the past 18 months, I’ve been working on a browser game, called Imperial Ages. It’s finally finished, and can be played by anyone with an Internet connection. All you need is a browser.

Just launched today, Imperial Ages is a browser based strategy game, that allows you to build empires and wage wars, everything from the comfort of your own browser, without downloading anything.

Imperial Ages is a free browser based strategy game, set in the Medieval Ages. You only need a browser and an Internet connection to play it, and you can train or fight against 120 types of military units, from 4 different civilizations. Build up your empire peacefully or through wars, it’s your choice.

Read the story, or Play the game.

I found quite a few articles dealing with our Solar System this week, so I thought I’d share them all in one post.

A Telescope Farm on the Moon? Maybe

Astronomers looking for a clear and quiet place from which to map the faintest echoes from the universe’s infancy may have found a welcome mat on the far side of the moon.

A farm of lunar radio telescopes is among 19 next-generation observatories that intrigued NASA enough to garner a combined $12 million for a year-long study.

Earth, Mars, Moon, have different origin, study says

A new study is challenging the long-standing notion that the whole solar system formed from the same raw materials.

Until now most scientists had believed that the inner solar system bodies—Mercury, Venus, Earth, its moon, and Mars—had the same composition as primitive meteorites called chondrites.

Salt deposits found on Mars, may point to former life on Mars

Scientists using a Mars-orbiting camera designed and operated at Arizona State University’s Mars Space Flight Facility have discovered the first evidence for deposits of chloride minerals – salts – in numerous places on Mars. These deposits, say the scientists, show where water was once abundant and may also provide evidence for the existence of former Martian life.

Evidence for Ocean Found at Saturn’s Moon Titan

An ocean seasoned with the chemical ingredients of life may lie hidden beneath the icy surface of Saturn’s moon Titan.

The evidence? The entire surface of Titan appears to be sliding around, scientists say, like cheese over tomato sauce on a slice of pizza.

The European Union has recently allocated €2 million ($3million) to a project that aims to research and explain religion. I think it’s something that people need in order cope with the inevitable death that comes at some point and the fact that they can’t accept not existing anymore. But then again, I’m guessing they’re looking for something a bit more complicated than my answer.

“Explaining Religion”, as the project is known, is the largest-ever scientific study of the subject. It began last September, will run for three years, and involves scholars from 14 universities and a range of disciplines from psychology to economics. And it is merely the latest manifestation of a growing tendency for science to poke its nose into the God business.

Economist.com has the full story.

Luxim, a Silicon Valley company, has developed a plasma lightbulb, which is the size of a Tic Tac, but gives as much light as a streetlight. They got $40 million in funding to keep working on this, so I’m guessing this technology isn’t going to dissapear anytime soon. I’d be curious what the price would be for something like this, but until then, check out the video below for more details.

In the 1950′s people were still quivering with anticipation to see what new possibilities will nuclear power open for them. Nuclear powered houses, trains, airplanes and cars, all dreams of a petrol free future, without much thought on the dangers of nuclear power.

Ford Nucleon was one of those dreams, a nuclear powered car that was supposed to travel for 5,000 miles without a recharge. The nuclear car project was announced in 1957 by Ford, and it was a futuristic looking vehicle with an incredibly efficient fuel mileage, thanks to the small atomic fission reactor fitted in the trunk.

The setup of it’s nuclear reactor was similar to that of a nuclear submarine, but miniaturized to fit into an automobile. The idea was to use uranium fission to heat the steam generator, which turned water into steam, which could be used to drive a set of turbines. One of the turbines would propel the car, while the other would power an electrical generator. Steam would be turned back into water through condensation, and reused by the steam generator after that. As long as fissile material remained, the reactor would’ve produced power through this closed system.

And, because the powerplant was interchangeable, the owner could choose between a high mileage with low torque version or a more powerful version if that’s what they needed.

Can you imagine driving with no worries only to have another car smash into the mini nuclear reactor strapped to your back? Did they really think this through?

Luckily, there were no operational models built, but they gave it quite some thought apparently. Why they didn’t make one? Increased public awareness of the dangers of nuclear power, the absence of the light materials that could be used for shielding and the lack of advances in the mini nuclear reactors area. Lucky us!

You can find here a description of the Ford Nucleon from the company. (third model)