I think the inspiration was that an atom is a foundational building block of matter and a lot of things could be built with a well-specified universal feed form

I think the inspiration was that an atom is a foundational building block of matter and a lot of things could be built with a well-specified universal feed format and publishing format. The time spent debating names, disqualifying names, requalifying names and voting on names was like the battle of the newscasters on Anchorman. Pure carnage.