Among other response activities are on-water skimming, subsurface wellhead operations, continued efforts to see if they can get that shut-off valve to close, and significant booming efforts underway to protect vital shoreline.

WHITEHOUSE: Press Briefing on Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico

The open approach that Valve decided on years ago is paying off big when it comes to the living room -- if only five percent of that installed base jump in on Steambox in 2013 (what we'd call a highly conservative guess), that's 2.5 million users.

ENGADGET: 2013: The year that Valve attacks HD