And you thought using the HIPerSpace wall for GTA IV was overkill. Marksman Training Systems' ST-2 shooting simulator is touted as the "first simulator for shotgun and rifle shooting designed specifically for demanding users such as shooting instructors," and considering that the Russian and Slovakian national clay shooting teams have practiced on this very system in preparation for the Beijing Olympics, we'll be seeing just how effective it is here soon. Furthermore, this system allows hunters / huntresses to use their preferred weapon (via an attachable sensor) rather than some proprietary pistol, and the advanced diagnostics screen ensures that you know exactly why you missed that digital fowl. Looks like you'll have to inquire directly about pricing, but seriously, you don't want this taking the place of your home cinema... or do you?

[Via CrunchGear]

The opening shot of the robot rebellion this isn't, but it's still a reminder of how robots are slowly creeping into situations where humans and their fleshy bodies can't go. A five hour stand-off that began with a man pointing his gun at a neighbor in a mobile home park in North Fort Myers, Florida was ended when the suspect shot a bomb disposal robot sent in by police to video the man. After the encounter -- the man shot out the video camera's lens -- police moved in to "subdue" the man, although it's not clear whether they shot back. The suspect is now in hospital and is being evaluated for mental health problems: apparently he hadn't been taking his medication, and residents say his wife had just left him. The state of the robot is probably something along the lines of "broken."

[Via The Raw Feed]

Sure, mechanical sentries and AirSoft turrets are novel, but there's nothing like whipping out an electromagnetic pistol to show folks you mean business. The Gauss GP-219 looks like it came straight from level 5 of Duke Nukem 3D, and rocks a PIC microcontroller, dual coils with "precision pulsing" to fire steel projectiles, twin infrared sensors to assist in positioning, and even a laser sight to keep your enemies pegged. Powered by an NiCd battery pack, this bad boy also features a bar display to track "capacitor bank charge progress," battery and fault LED indicators, and is "completely silent" when fired. The wildest part about this science-fiction dream come true is how effective it actually is, so be sure to click on for a few more pictures, and hit the read links for all the nitty gritty and even a few live action videos.

Read - Gauss Pistol GP-219
Read - Pistol whipping in action, Nukem-style

If you thought shacking up outside of a Best Buy in near-freezing temperatures (say, Ann Arbor, Michigan) for nearly two weeks is hardcore, imagine how folks waiting in Lexington, Kentucky felt when a drive-by shooter let the pellets fly into a group of PS3 hopefuls. Apparently bitter and distraught from not getting their name on a (shaky) pre-order list, enraged suspects drove by a Best Buy on Nicholasville Road and "injured four people with BB pellets," including a news reporter who was conducting an interview with one of the campers. Although none of the folks were seriously injured, we can't help but wonder who pulls off a drive-by shooting with cameras rolling, and moreover, did the "mildly wounded" individuals waiting in line forfeit their position to visit a hospital? The soldier in us says negative.

[Via digg]