Grand Theft Auto Sex Scenes Fail to Excite

Obama administration nearing deal for mortgage relief

(NEWSER) - California and New York are close to signing on to the Obama administration's multibillion dollar mortgage robo-signing settlement, significantly expanding the deal, the New York Times reports. If California signs on, the settlement total will jump from $19 billion to $25 billion. In exchange, the states want measures to help individual homeowners, and the ability to investigate the banks' other past mortgage misdeeds. California also wants to ensure that big pension funds can still sue the banks for false claims about mortgage-backed securities. More»

Class-action suit says company issued 'misleading statements'

(NEWSER) - Netflix's shareholders are none too happy with the streaming video giant's plummeting share price, and now they're biting back with a class action lawsuit. The suit, filed recently in California, alleges that Netflix "issued materially false and misleading statements," and failing to disclose crucial info. The latter includes the duration of its contracts with content providers, many of which were short and would soon have to be renegotiated at higher rates, Paid Content reports. More»

There was more to electronics show than TVs

(NEWSER) - This year's Consumer Electronics Show had the predictable high-tech TVs and other conventional items—but the 3,100 exhibitors also showed off some rather bizarre devices. A few highlights:

• Solowheel. An electric unicycle with no seat and footboards that allow riders to stand and lean in the direction they want to go. The 26-pound, $1,800 machine goes 10mph on its battery-powered motor, and has a 15- to 20-mile range.

Agency agrees to deadline as part of lawsuit settlement

(NEWSER) - The FDA will finally make a firm decision about whether to ban BPA by March 31, thanks to a lawsuit settlement. The Natural Resources Defense Council called on the agency to ban the controversial chemical in 2008, but the FDA didn't take action within the time required by law; that prompted the NRDC's suit, the Washington Post reports. The US is spending $30 million to investigate the reported harmful effects of the chemical. More»

When you're done, don't forget to tweet your score!

(NEWSER) - It’s such a drag when you have to press pause on your fun night out in order to go to the bathroom—but one London bar has solved that problem by installing the world’s first urine-controlled video games in its bathroom. Only male patrons can play so far, as the games are over the urinals in the Exhibit Bar. After you play, you can—of course!—tweet your score, the Telegraph notes. More»