rat

It's both a fun game and a sad commentary on the state of our existence! On today's show, the average user is caught in the crossfire of the hacker wars, but dammit, even LulzSec agrees that Sega is off limits. Speaking of which, Donald might have been right about Bitcorn, rather than Bitcoin. Ouch. And how to restore the memories of really, really stoned rats. Poor little rats. --Molly

Looking for a little adventure without getting arrested, getting lost, or upsetting the locals? Try the Cannonball Run Rat Race.

Based on the 1981 movie Cannonball Run, drivers and their co-pilots search for six sequential clues that will lead the winner to a locker full of cash.

According to Cannonball World Event's managing director, Tim Porter, the race is like: "'The Cannonball Run' meets 'Raiders of the Lost Ark."' A 21st century spin might be "Cannonball Run" meets "The Amazing Race." In the "Cannonball Run" movie, Burt Reynolds, Roger Moore, and … Read more

The cyborg armies of the future just got one step closer to total domination. Probably by taking a break from building giant fighting robots, scientists at the University of Tokyo have created the RatCar, a wheeled contraption controlled by a rat's brain.

The researchers wanted to prove a simple idea right: that animals could use the parts of their brains that control limbs to control a vehicle. It looks like they can.

The goal of the research was to see if it might eventually be feasible for paralyzed people to control wheelchairs using brain implants. Other work has been done on brain-machine interfaces, or BMIs, in the past, usually using non-invasive methods to connect the brain and the target machines. The RatCar uses sensors embedded directly into the rat's motor cortex to help a computer control the vehicle. … Read more

RatMaster is a fun and challenging puzzle game in which users reconfigure mazes to allow their rat to reach the cheese at the end, all while avoiding snakes and other potential dangers. The simple premise and sometimes difficult puzzles make this game easy to get hooked on.

The program's graphics and interface didn't totally blow us away, but they are definitely above average. The music and sound effects were appropriate and added to the game's experience, but they can be turned off if desired. Game play is intuitive, and a Help file explains the basic rules of … Read more

Man, we're never going to have a complete show again. With Wilson in Boston visiting his newborn son, we invite Natali Del Conte back on the show, where we disgust and delight her with stories about gravity-defying bras, sleeping with rodents, and a $4k pair of Xbox/Nike sneakers.

After begging Natali to take me back, we move onto a story about a pair of Nike sneakers that fetched $4k on eBay this weekend. They're custom made and feature fiber optic wiring that makes the shoes light up and glow on the wearer. You can guess how wide Jeff opened up the hating floodgates on these guys.

We've also got a really disgusting story about a new strain of SUPER RAT found in Europe that's resistant to pesticides and modern poison. I've got my own story to tell about my ongoing battle with mice in my home, and I won't give away any secrets, but be sure to listen to the last 15 minutes of the show to hear the rest...R.O.U.S. is a staggering understatement. Enjoy your lunch everyone!

Justin calls Wilson out for being happy with his life, so they decide to name the show after the popular '80s song Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves. Meanwhile, Justin hates his life because New York City ruined his evening. Stay tuned for that story on today's The 404.

Jeff talks about a dangerous e-mail chain letter about entering your PIN number in reverse to call the police during a robbery. Too bad, it ain't true. You might just get stabbed in the stomach if you try this one. Speaking of your health, you can help stop the spread of the flu this year with Twitter. We also suggest not licking the subway poles, but hey--to each his own.

Also, Apple quietly introduces data tethering to the iPhone OS 3.0. Apparently, it takes a little minor hacking, but you'll be able to tether your iPhone 3G to your computer over USB. Bluetooth support is a few more hacks away. Hopefully, you don't take down the entire AT&T network when you BitTorrent the latest "Battlestar Galactica" over your iPhone 3G connection.

Microsoft releases the latest version of Internet Explorer 8 for download. The tech community gives a collective yawn (except for IT managers), while we get creeped out by a Japanese robot model.

Finally, our tagline contest is coming to an end, and before we decide on an official winner, we'd like you to chime in by taking our poll. Click here or look up and to your left. Jonathan Coulton had to reschedule but will make his appearance in the coming weeks, so hold onto your horses. Be sure to support our very own Natali Del Conte's Smackdown for Charity!

Today marks a very strange day for The 404. If this is your first time listening to The 404, you picked a good one because this is something of a milestone. Recently it's come to our attention that the show is becoming more tabloidy and less anecdotal...which is bad. So check out this show baby- tons of personal stories about statewide bagging competitions, DTV delays, voluntary amputation, wikipedia editing, and the best place to spend spring break. If you're a veteran listener, prepare yourself for total domination...wait, was that a video game reference or a quote … Read more

Back in 2007, we put out two April Fools' Day posts chronicling fake and absurd start-ups. One was a Google Maps mashup for rodent sightings in New York restaurants. The other was a prenatal version of Twitter where unborn children could post status updates. A few readers took the bait in the comment sections, but it appears our ideas weren't so far off, as both have come to fruition just a year and a half later.

The first is, true-to-form, a maps mashup where New York City residents can see where local eateries have had rat-related health code violations. … Read more

This week, we talk about Fallout 3, an online tool for sending anonymous STD warnings, The new anti-rat Web site from the NYC government, and more.

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