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LEGO Batman Video Game Harmful To Children?

Every year, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) gives out the TOADY award for worst toy. The lucky winner is plucked from thousands considered to be Toys Oppressive And Destructive to Young Children. It's kind of like the Razzies for toys, only CCFC isn't laughing when it hands out its awards.

The top nominees for this years TOADY award are all pretty bad, but one in particular caught our attention. It's LEGO Batman, and here's what CCFC had to say about it:

"How do you turn the ultimate creative toy into a symbol of commercialized childhood? Begin by partnering with media companies to sell that toy in branded kits designed for recreating movies like Star Wars, rather than creative construction. Then, dispense with hands-on building altogether by turning your toy into a video game so that instead of deciding what to build next, children choose which cyber weapons to use to beat up their opponent. Finally, ignore the fact it was rated suitable for ages 10 & up and partner with McDonald's for a Happy Meal toy giveaway to simultaneously promote the video game, junk food, and the violent 'Dark Knight' movie series to preschoolers."

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Audio/Video, Celebrities, TV

Is 'The Dark Knight' Saving Blu-ray?

'The Dark Knight' Saving Blu-ray?
Well, good news for Sony, the Blu-ray Disc Association, and anyone who jumped on the Blu-ray bandwagon early on -- sales for the supposed next-gen video format and its players have finally taken off.

Holiday related price cuts, and the cost suppression related to the declining economy, have helped put Blu-ray within the budget of consumers, but most of the thanks can probably be laid at the feet of 'The Dark Knight.' The latest installment in the Batman series, which features the final performance by Heath Ledger, hit store shelves this month and sold remarkably well. The high sales figures don't shock anyone, but what is surprising is that 12.6 percent of the copies sold world-wide were on Blu-ray. That's 1.7 million Blu-ray copies of 'The Dark Knight' sold in one month. Many that may find themselves under someone's Christmas tree.

It's still a little early to tell, but Batman may do for Blu-ray what 'The Matrix' did for DVD. [From: BetaNews]

Car Tech

Stealthy Carbon Fiber Stiletto Boat Reaches 60 Knots


If you had any urge whatsoever to try to your hand at drug trafficking over water while these "weird" economic times sort themselves out, uh, you may want to reevaluate your options. The ever-so-stealthy Stiletto has come to life after tracking down a remarkably quick drug-running boat near Florida; the bad guys were cruising at 42 knots, but that comic book-esque thing you're undoubtedly peering at above can reach speeds of up to 60 knots. The double-M-shaped hull enables it to navigate in extraordinarily shallow waters without trouble, and a plethora of sensors and radars give it all the power it needs to track down goons. Oddly enough, it's having a somewhat difficult time finding a government agency to truly call home, but if it continues to keep the coke out of our seas, we'd say it'll win over some hearts soon enough. [From: Wired]

[Thanks, Laz]

Computers

Man Builds Dark-Knight-Style Batmobile -- in His Garage!


While we're guessing "working replica" might be a bit of a stretch, this full-size, drivable Tumbler built by Bob Dullam in his garage is still quite the impressive piece of work, and will no doubt crush any eBay records set by home-built K.I.T.T.s if it ever actually goes up on the auction block. Unfortunately, apart from the fact that it cost between $50,000 and $70,000 to build, there aren't many more details on the thing, but you can at least check out a few more pictures of it by hitting up the read link below. And, yes, Bob does plan to build a Bat Pod next. [From: Qj via Crunch Gear]

Video Games, Back to School Guide 2008

'The Dark Knight' Xbox 360 Spotted in the Wild



As you've surely heard (and hopefully confirmed for yourself) by now, The Dark Knight is a runaway hit. So much so, in fact, that a number of manufacturers have figured it prudent to crank our hardware with the iconic Batman logo front and center. Next in line for admission on the bandwagon seems to be Microsoft, which apparently showed off a "limited edition" (read: likely one of a kind) Dark Knight Xbox 360 over in Taiwan. We know, you want the details -- eventual release dates, a price, the works. Unfortunately for us all, we're stuck with just that image above and hope for the future. Hey, at least you can let your imagination run wild.

[From: Gamer via IGN]

Celebrities, iPod

Friends Mourn Heath Ledger With His iPod

Friends Mourn Heath Ledger With his iPodIn what strikes us as an oddly creepy way of honoring the fallen actor, Heath Ledger's friends and contemporaries are passing around his iPod and sharing the music on it. Apparently the star of the new 'Batman' film would leave his iPod laying around on the set of the film and others would pick it up and marvel at the collection of obscure musical artists.

Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal swung by the 'Today Show' and Eckart shared the tale of musical piracy as personal tribute with the host Matt Lauer.
"Whenever we went into the trailer we'd say "Whose iPod is this?" Because it would always be some wacked-out music nobody had ever heard of before. And it was Heath's. And that iPod has since become a symbol of Heath and his friends pass it around to each other, download the music and then pass it on."
Call us morbid, but we're wondering how "wacked-out" it was? Was he listening to music created entirely from the crying of babies? Or is Eckhart just so out of the loop he hasn't heard of Animal Collective yet? [Source: Valleywag]

Computers, Celebrities

Despite Heath Ledger's Death, 'Dark Knight' Marketing Campaign Continues

While the world mourns the untimely death of Hollywood star Heath Ledger, questions are already surfacing regarding the publicity campaign for the latest installment of the highly popular Batman films. For much of the past year, 'The Dark Knight' has been the subject of an elaborate online advertising campaign built around Ledger's character, the evil Joker. Now it is a matter of debate whether Warner Bros., the studio behind the film, will alter its marketing strategy following the actor's passing.

The viral campaign began early on by slowly revealing the new Joker's face on a site (now inactive) called IBelieveInHarveyDentToo.com. A scavenger hunt and a series of other fan-based games have fed the Batman hype, periodically delivering new images of Ledger's Joker to the public. Now the curious can read up on the imaginary Gotham City at www.gothamtimes.com, or peruse a nightmarish alternate daily paper at www.thehahahatimes.com.

Despite the Ledger tragedy, Warner Bros. recently released a statement saying that marketing for the film would not change. We think that it is an appropriate move to continue publicizing 'The Dark Knight' around the intriguing central villain. Nothing will honor Ledger's life and work more than ensuring that what will undoubtedly be a powerful performance receives public and critical acclamation. What do you think?

From The Wall Street Journal Via Valleywag

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Weirdest Techie Heists and Scams

    Elderly Amish Man Caught on Film With Prostitute, Blackmailed
    When a 75-year-old Amish widower slept with a prostitute, he -- we feel certain -- felt pretty bad about it the next morning. As if that guilt weren't enough for the old man, the prostitute and her boyfriend demanded $67,000 from him, claiming that they had filmed the scene with wall-mounted cameras and would upload the recording to the Internet. The pair was later arrested and, we can only imagine, the Amish man abhorred technology more than ever.

     

    Bank Robber Gets Away With the Help of Craiglist
    In October, a bank robber -- wearing a safety vest, blue shirt, face mask and goggles -- eluded police with the help of Craiglist. Just outside the bank, while the robbery was in progress, stood a group of men who were responding to a Craiglist day labor opportunity. As the advertisement required, they were all wearing safety vests, blue shirts, face masks and goggles.

     

    Nude New Zealander Arrested After Responding to Fake Sexy Text Message
    Late in 2007, a Wellington, New Zealand man received a racy text message from two anonymous "ladies," giving him only an address and a request that he show up naked. Well, he indeed showed up naked... at the home of one appalled, unsuspecting New Zealander. Both the nude Romeo and the sadistic texter were arrested, though neither were prosecuted.

     

    Fake Craiglist Ad Costs Man Most of What He Owns
    Last Spring, a post appeared on an Oregon Craigslist board stating that the owner of a specific house was leaving all of his worldly possessions (still in said house) to whoever wanted them. When homeowner Robert Salisbury rushed home -- on a tip from a woman suspicious about the offer of a free horse -- he found his house being ransacked by 30 strangers. We suggest he take that horse and collect some vengeance Clint Eastwood-style.

     

    17-Year-Old Jailed for Stealing Virtual 'Furniture'
    When a 17-year-old Dutch boy hacked into several accounts on the Second Life-style site 'Habbo' in 2007, the the law got involved. The boy was discovered to have stolen $5,800 worth of virtual furniture and knick-knacks. Apparently, crime -- whether actual or virtual -- does not pay.

     

    Phishers Going After Your Phones in New 'Vishing' Trend
    Over the past year, sneaky spammers have begun to forsake the worn-out territory of e-mail in favor of cell phones' fertile frontier. The result? "Vishing." Get it? Voice mail phishing. It might be more ominous if it didn't sound like a James Bond villain saying, "Wishing."

     

    Burglars Break Into Restaurant, Steal HDTV, Leave Money / Food Behind
    Around Halloween of last year, a truckload of thieves drove into -- that's right, into -- a Pennsylvania Mexican restaurant, where they -- apparently uninterested in the cash register -- stole a mid-grade 47-inch HDTV and fled the scene. We've all heard about how this generation is lacking in ambition, but this generation's thieves, too?

     

Latest Reviews from CNET.com

CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

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