willful

Raspberry Pi smart glasses subtitle foreigners in real time

Wouldn't it be handy if when someone was speaking a foreign language, subtitles appeared just below their face? CNET reader Will Powell thought so, so he built some glasses that make you feel like you're in an arthouse movie.

Using some 3D specs, a couple of mics, a smartphone, a few cables, and two Raspberry Pi mini-computers, Powell hacked together a working automatic translation system -- and he's made a video showing it working.

Powell, a programmer with a background is in Adobe Flex and AS3, was inspired by Google's high-concept Glass project. … Read more

The 404 1,034: Where Jeff takes an ice nap (podcast)

Jeff took a spill on the ice during a hockey game yesterday, but he manages to limp his way into the studio to help us out with today's rundown. We wouldn't be The 404 if we didn't cover the 2Pac holographic concert at Coachella last weekend, and even though it's technically just a clever optical illusion, we're excited about the upcoming 2.0Pac tour and the potential of resurrecting our own favorite performers from history.

Meanwhile, Ikea furniture designers in Sweden have come up with a new way to vertically integrate their furniture with another … Read more

Will Will Arnett eat Alec Baldwin in Hulu Super Bowl spot?

You might remember that, three years ago, Alec Baldwin rather graced the Super Bowl in an ad for Hulu.

In those heady times before he became subsumed into the alien world of Words With Friends, Baldwin offered that everyone in TV was, in fact, an alien. (I have embedded the evidence below.)

For this year's Super Bowl, it seems that concept is making a comeback, except this time with Will Arnett. Here we see him in front of the same large white doors that separate us from TV world.

Finally, he enters. But what is this all about? Should … Read more

FliteHub at crux of programmable cloud, advertising

This week, cloud-based advertising company Flite will be launching FliteHub, an ad component marketplace allowing brands and agencies to include applications directly in advertisements.

According to Flite CEO Will Price, advertisers can use FliteHub to "program" their ads via application programming interfaces (APIs) that enable deeper integration and dynamic updates based on metrics, location, or other criteria. For example, if a movie studio wants to push an ad that includes showtimes, theater information, and ticket purchasing, it can easily adjust it to better target customers in real time.

Display advertising remains one of most profitable Internet businesses, with … 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

Your dad wants to fight for the right to paaaarty!

Forget the tools and ties for dear old Dad this Father's Day. What he really wants is the Beastie Boys' new tunes on vinyl--or so the message goes from a new video uploaded to YouTube by the band on June 15.

Because of an Internet leak of the Beastie Boys' "Hot Sauce Committee Part Two" album, the band was forced to stream the entire thing (the explicit version), on its Web site before the actual June release date. By the end of April, the CDs and digital downloads of the album were (and are) made available on iTunes, Amazon, and Best Buy.

The focus for this new video, however, is on the sale of the vinyl format, which Mike D. says "...will be slightly different than the other formats. But please know that our corps of engineers and experts have been on this, making sure the wait is worth it and that I can personally tell you that in my humble opinion, the test pressing of the vinyl sounded banging on my home hi fi." … Read more

Will.i.am forgets lyrics, reads them from cell phone?

Cell phones were created so that we, the human race, could do many things at once. Thinking, writing, and eating, for example.

Your challenge today is to decide precisely what Will.i.am was using his cell phone for in this video.

What is clear is that he was singing on stage with the Belgian hip-hopperish singer Stromae. What is also clear is that the Black Eyed Peas singer looks at his cell phone while he is singing his own portion of their little mashup, a sweet lullaby called "Don't Stop the Party."

However, can we be … Read more

The 404 837: Where what have trees ever done for me? (podcast)

We're thinking about replacing Jeff with Joey Kaminski on a permanent basis. This is the third and final show with our guest host, and we're wrapping up the week with the final word on Weinergate, Facebook's new facial recognition and Happening Now tools, a drug that erases bad memories, and Will.I.Am.Forgetting.Lyrics.

The 404 Digest for Episode 837

Facebook quietly rolls out new facial recognition tool. Facebook testing real-time "happening now" feed. New drug can erase bad memories. Tennessee bans posting "offensive" images online. Will.I.Am forgets his lyrics, reads them off cell phone.

Episode 837 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

So Will Wright walks into a Bar Karma, see

It may sound like one of those jokes that makes everyone groan, but here's a question anyway: what would happen if The Sims and Spore creator Will Wright walked into a bar?

If it was the watering hole at the end of the universe featured in "Bar Karma," Wright's new interactive TV series, it might well be a reflection on his illustrious career.

"Bar Karma," which premieres Friday night on Current TV--which also just scored former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann--centers around a timeless bar where figures from throughout history come and face the question &… Read more