Medical and Hospital News  
TECH SPACE
Osama bin Laden hideout a videogame battleground

by Staff Writers
San Francisco (AFP) May 9, 2011
Images of the Pakistani compound where Osama bin Laden made his final stand have been turned into a videogame battleground.

A software map named fy_abbottabad in reference to the city where a US military team killed the infamous Al-Qaeda leader in a May 2 raid was available Monday as a setting for play in online computer shooter game "Counter-Strike."

The map program described as a creation by "Fletch" had been downloaded more than 6,400 times from gamebanana.com website as of late Monday.

The setting is a virtual version of the compound where bin Laden was shot dead in the raid by US Navy SEALs, but does not feature interiors of buildings. Players battle it out on the grounds of the compound.

Fletch dismissed some online criticism that the bin Laden slaying was too fresh to be made light of in a videogame.

"What a lot of people don't seem to understand is that the only thing this map has in common with Osama is location," Fletch said in a blog post at gamebanana.com.

"I can see how people would think it is in bad taste, but honestly if that's your opinion you may as well protest the whole game (as well as many others)."

"Counter-Strike" games made by Washington State-based Valve Software let people play online as members of terrorist or counter-terrorist groups with "maps" for missions such as assassinations or the saving of hostages.

Fletch indicated the map made available was an interim creation and the "real update" was nearly completed.

"I find it a lot more enjoyable than this (fy_) version," Fletch wrote.

"The idea is that the T's (terrorists) have returned to destroy sensitive information before it can be located and taken away."



Share This Article With Planet Earth
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit
YahooMyWebYahooMyWeb GoogleGoogle FacebookFacebook



Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


TECH SPACE
Teenagers value 'virtual' belongings
Pittsburgh (UPI) May 9, 2011
Virtual possessions - digital imagery, Facebook updates, online music collections, e-mail threads - have a powerful hold on teenagers, U.S. researchers say. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University say the very fact that virtual possessions are without physical form may actually enhance their value, a university release reported Monday. "A digital photo is valuable because it ... read more







TECH SPACE
Japan nuclear evacuees make brief trip home

Japan's Kan declines PM's pay over nuclear crisis

China claims 'victory' in rebuilding quake zone

No country immune, UN chief warns as disaster risks grow

TECH SPACE
'Green' GPS saves fuel, energy

Apple update fixes iPhone tracking "bugs"

Russia, Sweden to boost space cooperation

GPS Operational Control Segment Enters Service With USAF

TECH SPACE
Indian brides told to put down their mobile phones

Super-healing researcher follows intuition

No nuts for 'Nutcracker Man'

Why the eye is better than a camera at capturing contrast and faint detail simultaneously

TECH SPACE
Variety is the spice of life for animal movement

Zombie ants have fungus on the brain

'Barcoding blitz' on Australian moths and butterflies

Birth control prescribed for Hong Kong monkeys

TECH SPACE
Vanderbilt biologists discover a new class of insect repellent

Worm discovery could help 1 billion people worldwide

Some monkeys born with gene that protects against AIDS

Tutu hails South Africa's turnaround on AIDS

TECH SPACE
China Mongol activist's family held: rights groups

China clampdown 'fool's errand': Clinton

US tells Beijing human rights in China's interest

Top Beijing official says US views on China 'simple'

TECH SPACE
Cargo ship, China crew rescued from pirates

Pirates seize Chinese-crewed cargo ship: Xinhua

Tension escalates as navies, pirates take off gloves

Firms plan private war against pirates

TECH SPACE
Merkel: No decision on Greek aid

Outside View: The risk of U.S. default

Walker's World: Digging holes for euros

Central banks urge budget corrections: Trichet


The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement