the404

Years from now, when our children are grown, we'll tell them we were all online when a single Web site changed the way we use the Internet. Unfortunately, Chatroulette stumbled after racking up more than a million users thanks to a certain part of the male anatomy, but Napster co-founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning have teamed up again for a video-chat pivot called Airtime.

Though it's not ready for deployment yet, Airtime is already getting support from celebrities like Jim Carrey, Alicia Keys, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus who can't wait to start a random conversation with a Facebook user online. The service is different from Chatroulette in that it actually protects the eyeballs of its users from "vulgar behavior, sexually suggestive behavior, violence, and animal cruelty". In other words, nobody associated with The 404 will receive an beta invite.… Read more

Here's another reason not to blow your cash on those Beats by Dr. Dre headphones: the NYPD is reporting that the headphones have become the new top target for thieves based on their $500 resale value. With dozens of Beats heists occurring over the last four months alone, your best bet is to avoid the red "b" altogether and invest in a better pair of cans.… Read more

Our favorite Aussie Ty Pendlebury stops by The 404 today to chat about what's new in the world of TVs. It's only May, but Ty thinks he's already seen this year's best TV. Tune in to find out which set he's talking about.… Read more

Could you last a year without the Internet? It's not the first time we've heard of someone going off the grid, but a guy from The Verge has decided to spend the next year offline, so we'll challenge each other to do the same.

In other online news, Facebook has launched a new organ donor tool for Timeline that lets users add a life story to their profiles with a link to sign up for donation services in their area. Mark Zuckerberg went on ABC news and credited Steve Jobs as inspiration to use social networking to … Read more

Our guest today is documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who joins us today to talk about his new film "Comic Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope."

He'll tell us about what it was like to meet geek royalty like Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, Frank Miller, Kevin Smith, and more. We also ask him about his own history with comic books and how sci-fi movies pushed him to create his own movies.… Read more

Are you disappointed or psyched that so many new technologies draw inspiration directly from films and TV? First it was Samsung citing "2001: A Space Odyssey" as an influence for their Samsung Galaxy tablet and all the reports of "Minority Report" tech coming soon. And now Google looks like it watched too many Star Trek episodes while designing its augmented-reality glasses.… Read more

Why are gay men worth more to advertisers on Facebook? We'll begin today's show with a story on PC Pro that clarifies how social networks sell your information as part of a package demographic that advertisers can use to target specific markets.

We'll also highlight the similarities between Android phones and condoms, notably the criteria they share for nomenclature that includes seven characteristics -- "distinctive," "short," "appropriate," "easy to spell and pronounce," "likable," "extendable," and "protectable."

Other stories of the day include a high school senior getting expelled for dropping several F-words in a Twitter post supposedly crafted on campus, HBO Go hitting Xbox Live tomorrow, another chapter in the "Ninja Turtles" saga, and The Weinstein Company refusing the MPAA's R Rating for the movie "Bully."… Read more

Apple products are mostly used by younger generations, but the company should still recognize the dangers of "high-tech modern architecture." Such is the plea of 83-year-old Evelyn Paswall, a New Yorker taking Apple to court for $1 million after walking face first into the glass door entrance to the Long Island Apple store.

Does her case hold water, and should Apple continue to use ugly white tape to let people know glass is a real thing? We'll talk about this story and more on today's episode of The 404.… Read more

Welcome to another throwback episode from The 404 Podcast! We'll be publishing these podcasts, videos, and rerun episodes until regular live programming returns next Tuesday, March 6!

Stoopid Andy filled in for a show while I was away in October last year, and his second appearance is anything but stupid--he'll explain why there's no such thing as too much desktop RAM, and the guys will address a gaping security flaw infecting HTC Android devices, not to mention a longer discussion topic about the limited lifespan of the U.S. Postal Service.

Enjoy!… Read more