Blywulf, your work rocks and I agree with you completely that research results, including images, shouldn't be unveiled until the research has been completed. I like the idea of a general research proposal image, a little more involved than a question mark. Like some researchers busy at work -- the early laser research comes to mind, though a bit more generic. Some guys hunched over an experiment. Someone with your skills could even produce a template with the lab in layers and place a more appropriate item on the bench for different types of research, and finally specific research proposal images could be developed for key plot points and such... time permitting of course. Thanks for setting the bar so high on this artwork.
Winter and Zen, I caught your dialog on the chat. I know you guys will sleep it off and find some common ground again tomorrow. I can tell you are both really invested in this effort and have been able to collaborate effectively for a long time. Design direction changes, work gets abandoned, things are overlooked... I'm sure it's not personal. I'm not sure if there is a a spec channel I'm missing, but from what I can tell looking through my keyhole is that this is more feature "addition" than "redefinition" anyway. If a new resource like a kick ass artist appears out of the clear blue, there may be some resultant ripples in the water to take advantage.
Now, back to work.