CoD: MW2 Lets Player Kill Civilians

So here is the story...there is a part in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 where the player takes part in shooting innocent civilians. Obviously this has caused a bit of controversy around the internet, prompting the developers to issue a statement:

The scene establishes the depth of evil and the cold bloodedness of a rogue Russian villain and his unit. By establishing that evil, it adds to the urgency of the player's mission to stop them. Players have the option of skipping over the scene. At the beginning of the game, there are two 'checkpoints' where the player is advised that some people may find an upcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can't be disabled.

The developers also said that part of the game can be skipped "without losing any of the story." If that is so, why even include it in the game?

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Ubuntu 9.10 "Karmic Koala" Is Out

For all you alternative OS folks out there, Ubuntu 9.10 is now out. Grab it if you want it, try it if you haven’t. If you are unfamiliar with Ubuntu, I highly recommend you give our 30 days with Linux article a look.

Canonical announced today the upcoming release of Ubuntu 9.10 Desktop Edition, the latest version of the popular Linux desktop distribution. Ubuntu 9.10 will be available for free download on Thursday 29 October. Ubuntu 9.10 brings changes small and large that all have a common purpose - to make Ubuntu the most user-friendly operating system available. Ubuntu 9.10 features a redesigned, faster boot and login experience, a revamped audio framework, and improved 3G broadband connectivity, all of which contribute to a first-class user experience.

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Internet Turns 40

The internet turned 40? Where does the time go? I guess it’s time to do the whole mid-life crisis thing and buy a sports car, get a younger girlfriend and all the other things you do at 40.

"It's the 40th year since the infant Internet first spoke," said University of California, Los Angeles, professor Leonard Kleinrock, who headed the team that first linked computers online in 1969. Kleinrock led an anniversary event that blended reminiscence of the Internet's past with debate about its future.

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Man Blames Silent Hill For Crimes

So some guy causes a 45-minute black out after he cut the power to a hospital (yes, I said hospital) and he got off by playing the "crazy card" and blaming the video game Silent Hill. The jury should have locked his ass up and blamed Pyramid Head.

Though no one was severely harmed during the 45-minute blackout, elevators were stuck and workers at the hospital had to manually respirate patients in the intensive care unit.

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Gaming [H]eadlines

BioShock 2 Hands-On Impressions @ Joystiq

Left 4 Dead 2 Viral Video @ Kotaku

Rockstar Teasing Location of Next GTA? @ GTA4.net

'Uncharted' Film In Development @ Shacknews

Two High-Tech Halloween Surveillance Pumpkin Mods

When you put a bowl of candy out with a sign saying "take one," how do you know that trick-or-treaters are actually complying? Did someone toilet paper your house this Halloween because your lame-ass put a bowl of candy out with a "take one" sign? Well, if you had a surveillance pumpkin you wouldn’t be asking either of these questions. Hit the link for a step-by-step tutorial.

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Amazon to Let Shoppers Pay with a Phrase

Amazon has announced a new system that lets you "pay with a phrase." I don't know about you but my phrase is going to be "free!"

The online retailer has debuted a new feature called Amazon PayPhrase, designed to let busy shoppers store their name, address, and payment information in a single phrase and pin code. Instead of entering all that data at the online checkout counter, you type your phrase and pin number when it's time to cough up the cash.

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[H]ardware Round-Up

Cases & Modding

NZXT Lexa S Case @ Overclockers Club

Silverstone RV02 Raven 2 Case @ Ninjalane

Cooling

Cooler Master Hyper TX3 CPU Cooler @ Hardware Secrets

ZEROtherm Nirvana CPU Cooler @ SPCR

Video

Sapphire Radeon HD 5770 @ Ultimate Hardware

Nintendo Profit Dives, Others in Red Amid Slump

Nintendo says it expects its annual earnings to fall thanks in large part to slumping sales of the Wii. Nintendo isn’t the only one with problems right now, other Japanese electronics makers aren't doing so well right now either.

Nintendo's first-half profit plunged as sales of its blockbuster Wii home console lost momentum in a saturated market. The maker of Super Mario and Pokemon games now expects annual earnings to fall for the first time in six years.

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Facebook Challenges Financial Regulators

The chief executive of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority says social networking sites like Facebook raise serious new challenges for financial regulators.

"We continue to witness the advent of technologies that will challenge your ability to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements," Ketchum told the bankers and dealers. "Social networking is one such innovation."

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Google Launches Music Search

Google has officially launched its built-in music playback results on regular Google searches. Here is a brief video explanation:

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License Plate of the Day

The crew over at the Silicon Alley Insider spotted this license plate near Apple's headquarters in Cupertino. Wow. That is scary on many levels.

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