marijuana

Doing drugs? Beware this fingerprinting device

A U.K. company is now unveiling what it calls the world's first prototype handheld device that doubles as a fingerprint scanner and drug testing device.

In a matter of minutes, the portable device can detect the presence of a wide range of drugs using dyed antibodies that, as we reported back in July, stick to metabolites in the sweat of the fingerprints and change color depending on the presence of drugs.

"The launch of this prototype is a significant milestone," Paul Yaltes of development firm Intelligent Fingerprinting said in a statement. "There has already been … Read more

The 404 859: Where we embrace our inner geek (podcast)

It's Embrace Your Inner Geek Day...which applies to everyone else who doesn't have a daily tech podcast. To me, Jeff, and Wilson, it's Wednesday and today we're wondering how a picture of Jeff got onto The Huffington Post.

We're also whining about the Netflix hype that ignited a social-media fire, discovering how the genesis of Internet and raving have a symbiotic relationship, and introducing another user-submitted Tang That Tune!

The 404 Digest for Episode 859

Netflix price hike ignites social-media fire. Jeff makes unwitting debut on HuffPo. How the Internet transformed the American rave scene. Hey it's Embrace Your Inner Geek Day! Wilson laughing for 10 hrs (thanks Kokesh!)

Episode 859 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 858: Where dreams really do come true (podcast)

News of the Black Eyed Peas' hiatus proves that if you wish for something long enough, dreams really do come true. On today's episode, Jeff tells us about the long-awaited intersection of tech geekdom and hockey, we analyze WebMD's involvement in the spread of "cyberchondria," and we dispute a Dutch study that claims smoking marijuana makes you a better gamer.

The 404 Digest for Episode 858

Geekdom and hockey collide: The campaign for NHL player Mike Commodore to wear No. 64. The Black Eyed Peas go on hiatus; Jeff celebrates. WebMD reports: Internet makes hypochondria worse. Does marijuana make you a better gamer? Jeff's Cute Animal Video of the Week, starring a street-crossing sloth. Mitch B's custom 404 iPhone case and BodyGuardz iPad case!

Episode 858 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Does marijuana make you a better gamer?

Do you happen to be one of those rare people who believes that a little marijuana can improve your shooting skills?

It's an important question as, on Friday, the government declared that pot has no medical benefits whatsoever. Indeed, its opinion is that it should remain in the same class of drug as heroin.

Others, however, argue that the drug isn't completely without merit. Simultaneously, you see, the gaming and marijuana communities have been debating whether pot makes video game players more at one with their controllers.

Culture magazine, for example, insists that using marijuana while gaming is … Read more

White House Twitter 'town hall' today: Join us live

President Obama will host a Webcast at the White House at 11 a.m. PT (2 p.m. ET) today to answer questions submitted via Twitter. We're covering it live.

The White House and Twitter are billing the event as a "town hall," but it's not exactly going to be an exercise in open-microphone democracy. Instead, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey will select a handful of questions submitted through the #AskObama hashtag.

Among the #AskObama questions: immigration, taxes, gigabit Internet speeds, and whether it's possible to win re-election if the unemployment rate is 9 percent or … Read more

Twitter: We're crowdsourcing questions for Obama

President Obama has an unusual problem when appearing at Internet "town halls": the distinct presence of marijuana. And by that we mean a committed cadre of legalize-pot activists, not the plant.

Obama's first event of the sort, which took place mere weeks after his inauguration, used a democratic-style voting mechanism soon flooded by marijuana legalization advocates, who propelled their questions to the top of the "green jobs," "financial stability," "jobs," and "budget" categories. During a YouTube Q&A earlier this year, 198 of the highest-rated 200 questions dealt with drug policy. … Read more

Obama 'town hall' will answer Twitter questions

President Obama will host a live Webcast at the White House next week to answer questions submitted via Twitter.

The White House and Twitter are billing the July 6 event as a "town hall," but it's not exactly going to be an exercise in open-microphone democracy. Instead, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey will select a handful of questions submitted through the #AskObama hashtag.

Among the #AskObama questions so far, topics include: immigration, taxes, gigabit Internet speeds, and whether it's possible to win reelection if the unemployment rate is 9 percent or above next fall.

Obama's appearance … Read more

The 404 763: Where we tagger easy (podcast)

Doug from Pennsylvania inadvertently started another 404 Podcast meme in yesterday's video voice mail with his sign-off salute, "Tagger easy!" We dedicate today's show title to him and WhiteWhine, a Tumblr for First World problems.

More than 200 protesters in Libya have been killed with Qaddafi's machine guns and large-caliber weapons, but some nerds in America are more concerned with the future of .ly domains like Bitly. How will we shorten our links to a Tweet-appropriate size if Libya shuts down the Internet again?!

Don't freak out yet, because Internet restrictions by the Libyan government will not affect those domains, since most of the servers that give access to .ly links are located outside of Libya, and most administrators like Bitly CEO John Borthwick are already using precautionary measures to ensure their stability.… Read more

Hey, man! Get your medical pot, Groupon-style

With its Super Bowl ads, Groupon attempted to show its heartfelt social consciousness.

Now there's a new site that tries to use Groupon-style principles to help you veer socially toward unconsciousness.

mmjDailyDeals.com tries to give you more bong for your buck. It promises discounts of between 50 percent to 80 percent. And there is one sweet deal a day on an array of products that the company describes as "medical marijuana, hydroponics, edibles, and apparel."

Some of you will, no doubt, already be slightly excited by this prospect. So when I tell you that, according to the Huffington Post, … Read more