We’re back with a new episode, and while the tech industry is at a standstill, the Internet gets a red-light district, and the Zune bids adieu. Meanwhile, the week has been dominated by security flaw after security flaw, and Rebecca Black infects our Chris’ mind with the weekend.
As the latest Mortal Kombat is to be released next month, the publisher Warner Bros. Interactive have announced that the ban for Mortal Kombat for Australia still stands, and will not be released due to their unsuccessful appeal.
The little Wii gets a bit more intimate with a brand new game, Mortal Kombat banned in Australia and the MacBook Pro gets a little hardware revamp – and we make a big deal about it and the new Thunderbolt. Wait, what? That’s all this week on the TECHGEEK Weekly podcast with the return of James Wilson plus one guest – Matt Rossi.
On the 24th of February, The Australian Classification Board made their final decision about the upcoming game Mortal Kombat 9 after receiving the game on the 15th. It has been concluded that “the game contains violence that exceeds strong in impact and is unsuitable for a minor to see or play” and therefore will not be released in Australia.
2010. What a year to end a decade. From political uncertainty in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, the leaking of important US documents – from Afghanistan to diplomatic cables – and even a possible upheaval of our classification system to finally allow a R18+ rating in Australia, bringing it in line with other western nations.
Google has acted on its threat of shutting down Google.cn by redirecting all traffic from that domain to its Hong Kong localised version, which effectively means that all Chinese results will be uncensored – unlike the mainland version because of strict laws regarding censorship.
NEWS IN BRIEF: Any game with a classification rating of 16 or above in the PEGI system (Europe’s version of the OFLC for gaming, though they have an adult rating) will be banned from sale in Switzerland after a new law passed by the Swiss National Council.
The year 2009 has been an interesting year for Australians. Not only we remember the political scandals like Utegate and the Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O’s controversial lie detector stunt on radio; but we also remember how Australians got together and showed solidarity amongst one another via charity work after the Bushfires caused havoc to many Australians living in the countryside in Victoria.
It seems as if the Australian Classification Office of Film and Literature are just trying to fry everyone’s bacon. Just recently after CrimeCraft’s overall ban in Australia and Left 4 Dead 2’s modified version, Aliens vs. Predator has been banned from store shelves. Explaining why it was banned, the board said the gameplay included explicit decapitation, dismemberment as well as stabbing through the chest, throat, eyes and mouth. To stay true to the movies, the Predator explicitly rips off human spinal cords and uses the rest as a trophy.
The Criminal Court in Thailand has ordered that 72 websites relating to online gambling or sites offering any form of games be blocked, after the death of a 12-year-old boy who jumped off from a balcony, six floors above the ground, in his school after being banned from playing computer games by his father.
The Australian Office of Film and Literature Classification has given an RC rating to Fallout 3. RC typically means “refused classification” and means that the game is banned from sale unless a modified version is made.
A group in New Mexico wants the state authorities to remove all Wi-Fi hotspots from all public buildings, according to VNUNet. They claim that the technology causes allergic reactions.
The want the Wi-Fi to be removed from libraries and then from all other buildings.