Late Night Computing is here for December 14, 2012.

It's probably not the best time to make my usual smarmy evening remarks, so I'll just leave you with a simple request. As the holidays approach, turn off the media circus, put down your cell phones, and spend some quality time with your loved ones. You never know when the life of a loved one is going to be taken away.

News bits:

• President Obama gives an emotional message concerning the school shooting in Connecticut. [via NPR]

• The same statement from President Obama in video form if you'd rather watch it instead of read it. [via CNN]

• AMC will re-air the first two seasons of The Walking Dead in a black and white homage to the comic series. [via io9]

• Do you still love board games? I do! Settlers of Catan is still my go-to game in a pinch. Find out why. [via TimHartford]

• The United Nations concludes its conference on telecommunications, and nobody really knows who won in the end. [via ArsTechnica]

Chatty posts of the moment.

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

• "Hey PLANETSIDE dudes. Prepare your wallets." [by Clasifyd]

• "At the Hobbit. There are about 7 people here. Guessing this movie isn't as hyped with the general public?" [by rodneystubbs]

Nightly file.

• Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams Christmas demo 1.0. "Giana runs, jumps and ice-skates through a captivating snow-covered winter wonderland, which morphs into a nightmarish barren wasteland at the press of a button. To get into the spirit, the designers created a ton of morphing holiday objects to be discovered by the players, and it requires all the skills that players can muster to make it through and to bash the vicious Santa-Owls." Download the patch here.

Media.

Dust 514 weapon developer diary:

CCP gives a vast overview of the weaponry wrecking destruction across the universe in Dust 514.

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate releases three new gameplay trailer featuring different characters, and we have new screenshots for Total War: Rome II, The Last of Us, and Defiance.