The week drags on, and hits Late Night Computing for November 15, 2012 square in the kisser.

Sorry Ezio, it looks like the zombie apocalypse is going to take precedence for me next week. Telltale revealed the season finale of The Walking Dead will land next Wednesday and Thursday, which I'm greatly anticipating. The last episode left on something of an expected, but surprising note, and I can't wait to see how it concludes.

News bits.

• Your Google-fu is weak, young padawan. Here are some tips and tricks on how to refine your search skills and get the results you're looking for. [via The Atlantic]

• Is the 'era of Japanese consumer electronics giants' coming to an end after renewed competition from South Korea, China, and the United States? [via CNet]

• A closer look at how one data center survived the assault on New York City by Hurricane Sandy, along with the lessons the staff learned from the ordeal. [via ArsTechnica]

• Steve Balmer discusses Microsoft's plans for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, and how it plans to fill the niche between Google and Apple. [via MIT Technology Review]

Chatty posts of the moment.

Make sure you log-in and check your filters if you can't see the following:

• "Next Generation starts in 3 days. I'm stoked. With Tim Sweeney recently saying that dev costs are going to, at the very least, double for games with Samaritan-level graphics, I think Nintendo is taking the right approach not focusing on graphics capabilities. Godspeed, ma'am." [by Cihte]

• "Was anyone else not aware that the next JJ Abrams Star Trek movie is now titled Star Trek Into Darkness? When did that happen? That's an... unusual title. I bet Joseph Conrad is cool with it though. Also, there will be a 9 minute preview of the movie showing at The Hobbit IMAX screenings." [by silent prophet]

Nightly file.

• Left 4 Theft 3.0 mod for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. "Left 4 Theft is a major/total modification for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The mod is slightly based on Left 4 Dead and will bring you the zombie apocalypse in San Andreas. Fight off zombies, explore the infected world, join factions and a lot more!" Download the free mod for Windows.

Media.

Halo 4 Spartan Ops Episode 2 cinematic trailer:

Watch the full second cinematic for Halo 4's Spartan Ops.

We also have a ton of new screenshots for Mars: War Logs, Tropico 4, Wargame: European Escalation, Assassin's Creed III, Rayman Legends, and ZombiU.