thor

Comic book heroes then and now

It's amazing to think how many comic book characters--some from decades ago--are still relevant to pop and geek culture today.

Lately, it feels like there's no end in sight to the surge in superhero-movie releases. In our gallery below, we look at the original comic depiction of several larger-than-life beings compared with their most recent movie equivalents. The differences are astounding, and truly indicate how far animation and artistic quality has evolved over the years.

While we didn't feature every comic book character who's had a makeover recently, we think you'll still enjoy our selections consisting of mostly Marvel (Stan Lee) and DC comic stars. The gallery includes Captain America, Thor, Superman, Green Lantern, Iron Man, Tin-Tin, Spider-Man, X-Men, and Batman. Think there's someone we missed that should be on the list? Leave a comment with your suggestions and we may revise the gallery down the line.

On a related note, it's worth sharing that DC Comics plans to reboot all of its franchises beginning this September.

The 404 867: Where we may not have time (podcast)

Today we're talking about a study from address book site Plaxo that claims 19 percent of people have accidentally let their phones slip into the toilet. We also chat about Captain America: The First Avenger, Super 8, Amy Winehouse, and the role of Modern Warfare 2 and World of Warcraft in this weekend's violence in Oslo.

The 404 Digest for Episode 867

Oslo terrorist used Modern Warfare 2 for training, WoW as cover. Study: 19 percent of people drop phones in toilet. Facebook's iPad app is hidden inside of their iPhone app.

Episode 867 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 821: Where the water's polluted with germs (podcast)

After a 26-day service outage, Sony finally kickstarted its PlayStation Network, allowing users to resume online gameplay. It turns out the original server hack was hosted on Amazon's EC2 Cloud Computing network, but the outages aren't over yet--the servers crashed again after being flooded for password resets.

In other news, the Internet organized a mean prank victimizing online daters in New York on Friday, so to make all you single dudes out there fell better, we go around the room telling our favorite pranking stories. Let us know if you have a good one!

The 404 Digest for Episode 821

Hiccups dog PlayStation Network restoration. Internet organizes cruel, but kind of funny, online dating prank.

Episode 821 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

A ride straight out of Valhalla: The 2012 Acura TL cross-promotes with 'Thor'

Pairing sexy cars a with summer movie blockbusters has been a long-standing tradition--like last year's "Iron Man 2," which featured the 2011 R8 Spyder 5.2 Quattro supercar. This summer, "Thor", will team up with Acura for a major cross-promotion featuring the 2012 Acura TL.

In the movie "Thor," S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, worldwide peace-keeping organization of the Marvel Comics universe, drive various Acura vehicles, including the MDX, ZDX, RL and TL models. The TL will be the only model featured in ad spots, which include a 30-second TV on … Read more

The 404 631: Where we touch our magic trackpad (podcast)

Apple refreshed its lineup of iMac desktop computers this morning to include faster CPUs and an improved graphics chip for games and video editing. The new computers also support larger hard drives (and even solid-state drives) with a higher capacity SDXC card slot for your media and start at $1,199.

Apple also announced a new line of Mac pro machines that offer up to 12 cores and Turbo Boost, a technology that can deliver even higher processor speeds. And the company unveiled a gorgeous 27-inch LED display to complement the new system.

Finally, Apple showed off the Magic Trackpad, … Read more

Teenage bot herder pleads guilty in New Zealand

Owen Thor Walker, an 18-year-old bot herder from Whitianga, New Zealand, plead guilty on Monday to six charges resulting from a botched botnet upgrade that led to a 2007 denial-of-service attack on the University of Pennsylvania.

Walker plead guilty to two charges of accessing a computer for dishonest purposes; two charges of accessing computer systems without authorization; one of damaging or interfering with computer systems; and one of possessing software for committing a crime. He could face five years in jail. However, according to reports from The New Zealand Herald, Judge Arthur Tompkins is considering Walker's age and cooperation … Read more