Vertcoin has completed the throwback phase of the wychoff spring pattern.
I initially posted about this 48 hours ago expecting it to happen.
There is a new interview with VTC Lead Developer that explains the motivations behind the project.
http://news.8btc.com/an-interview-with-lead-developer-of-vertcoin-james-on-the-roadmap-and-outlook-for-its-future-development
Here is a link to the reddit post: