gaming |  | 
Tech thriller 'Daemon' rises from the underground
The author: Daniel Suarez, a computer programmer, self-published Daemon in 2006.
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By Frank Buddenbrock

By Carol Memmott, USA TODAY

You may never have heard of Daemon author Leinad Zeraus, but get ready to hear a lot about Daemon...more

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Emperors Mahjong
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Indulge in a little ?fowl play? before the day is done!
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Sherlock Holmes: The Mystery of the Persian Carpet
Investigate the murder of an artist.

Top news

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Apple's Jobs has hormone imbalance, will stay CEO
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Space
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AP
Milky Way is bigger than thought, study says
Take that, Andromeda! For decades, astronomers thought when it came to the major galaxies in Earth's cosmic neighborhood, our Milky Way was...
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NASA
Dead stars shed light on birth of planets
By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY
Asteroid dust around nearby dead stars suggests the stuff of Earth-like planets swirls around most Sun-like stars, suggests NASA...
space |  | 
File photo, NASA/AP
Mars rover mission reaches 5th anniversary
Five years after the NASA rover Spirit landed on Mars, the six-wheel robotic geologist and its twin Opportunity are still on the job.
Gaming
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Electronic Arts
Classics games find new life on iPhone
Dozens of once-popular console, computer and arcade games are now playable on Apple's trendy smart phone, and take advantage of the...
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ItzaBitza, a new computer game for the PC, offers an exciting new way for kids to play on the computer while learning to read and exploring...
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Sony/AP
Nielsens: Game players still love their PlayStation 2
By Brett Molina, USA TODAY
According to a Nielsen year-end entertainment scan, Sony's PlayStation 2 was the most played video game console of 2008.
gaming |  | 
'GoodQuests' tie online mazes to charity
By Greg Bluestein, Associated Press Writer
If kids are playing video games, why not do some good while they're at it? Elf Island, a virtual world created by Atlanta-based Good Egg...
Science
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By Tim Boyle, Getty Images
Study links mammoth extinction, comets
By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY
A swarm of comets that smacked North America 12,900 years ago wiped out the wooly mammoth and early Native American cultures, according to...
tech | 
File photo, AP
Fingers do the prehistoric talking
By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY
Study suggests "gesture and then pantomime offered a path" to speech in our pre-human ancestors.
science |  | 
Exploiting nature to cut mosquitoes' life short
By Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer
Old mosquitoes usually spread disease, so Australian researchers figured out a way to make the pests die younger naturally, not poisoned.
environment |  | 
Scientists eye unusual swarm of Yellowstone quakes
By Mead Gruver, Associated Press
Yellowstone National Park was jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see...
News
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Of all the threats to scientific research Wesley Sizemore has stymied over the years, satellites and cellphone towers don't stick in his...
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FCC head drops filtering from free broadband plan
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Before he steps down as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Kevin Martin still hopes to win approval for his plan to auction...
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USA's trashed TVs, computer monitors can make toxic mess
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Hong Kong intercepted and returned 41 ship containers to U.S. ports this year because they carried tons of illegal electronics waste from...
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Facebook's breast-feeding controversy
By Jon Swartz, USA TODAY
Social-networking site's decision to ban some breast-feeding photos has sparked a massive online debate -- and protests.
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Big boost in holiday Web traffic for HP, Apple
By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
Online sales, as noted several times this week, took a small hit this holiday season -- falling 3% to $25.5 billion, according to a study...