Geek culture

One ring to rule them all, and in the darkness build them! Yes, here's a sight for Sauron's eyes -- we've gone hands-on with the yet-to-be-released "Lord of the Rings" Lego sets ahead of their U.K. release. Hit play in the video below to see what manner of Uruk-hai-jinks Lego has in store for Tolkien fans. … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Jeff, unimpressed with last night's Macy's Fireworks display, left his own message in the sky.

- San Diego fireworks fail ends as quickly as it starts.

- Dear Interns: Think twice before tweet-talking your coworkers.

- Men are from Reddit, women are from Pinterest.

Bathroom break video: Anaheim from Daniel shows us how to output 404 shirts using an mPower garment printer!… Read more

Michigan State Police have deputized a new sort of law enforcement officer in the fight against drunk driving. Talking urinal cakes are now in residence in bars and restaurants around the state.

The cakes have a motion-activated audio track where a lady tells the restroom user, "Hey! Listen up. That's right. I'm talking to you. Had a few drinks? Maybe a few too many. Then do yourself and everyone else a favor. Call a sober friend or a cab. Oh, and don't forget. Wash your hands."

"Not only do we want to turn some heads and get people talking, we hope everyone takes the message to heart," said Michael L. Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, in a statement about the project.… Read more

High heel shoes terrify me. The few times I've worn them, I've either tipped over or broken the heels. U.K. fashion footwear designer Janina Alleyne has crafted some high heels that will haunt my nightmares for years to come...and I like it.

Alleyne designed a set of three very unusual shoes and had them printed by 3D modeler Inner Leaf.

The first shoe, called the Exoskeleton, looks like what would happen if H.R. Giger designed shoes. It features alien flowing lines, a spiky top, and a row of small and sinister teeth at the toes. This takes the concept of spike high heels very literally. Imagine balancing on that delicate point. Even Tina Turner would find it challenging.… Read more

Thank you, Etsy, for bringing us such gems as a Zelda fireplace insert, Wonder Woman running gear, and, now, Han Solo and Princess Leia matching rings.

When I first heard about these rings, my imagination thought they might have images of the two "Star Wars" lovebirds emblazoned on them somehow. When I actually saw the design, I smacked my forehead and exclaimed, "Of course!"

The adjustable aluminum his-and-hers rings each sport an inscription. One says, "I love you." The other says, "I know." … Read more

Bone conduction audio, retainers, and shiny hip-hop teeth grills aren't new inventions, but tech hacker Aisen Caro Chacin had the clever idea to put them all together.

The Play-A-Grill MP3 player prototype fits in your mouth like a retainer, shines on the outside like a precious metal rap grill, and plays music through bone conduction through your teeth.

Some of the hardware actually sits outside the mouth, so you have to deal with wires extending from your teeth. It's not all self-contained. To get the best sound, you have to plug your ears, but video of test subjects shows them bopping along to the beat only they can hear.… Read more

With Justin Yu still under the weather, The 404 Show once again experiments with Joe Kaminski filling in. We consider ourselves very lucky to have a guest with super-powers on our program. The first power is his knack for going on obscenely long tangents about the most meaningless of topics. The second is the ability to give spoiler-free movie reviews, more specifically of The Amazing Spiderman, which was just released.

Next it's off to a discussion on Android and the fact that only 10-percent of those devices have Ice Cream Sandwich running on them. What's even more confusing is that Jelly Bean (ICS' successor) was just released last week. It's arguably the most annoying Android reality, so we weigh its pros and cons.

Finally, we touch on EA's recent statement that the company will soon be distributing games 100-percent digitally. This shouldn't be much of a surprise, since EA already goes out of the way to combat used game sales (see EA Online Pass).

But perhaps the most exciting news of the day is the introduction of the official 404 trucker hat (pictured above). These bad boys will be available should you come and hang out with us at ComicCon 2012. All the info you need is here. We also highly recommend participating on CNET's ComicCon Twitter Contest for your chance to win a game console. … Read more

Recently, the European Commission was roundly criticized for launching an ill-conceived ad aimed at getting girls interested in science. Lego has also stirred up some commentary for coming out with girly toys featuring hair salons and cafes.

If these attempts are off the mark when it comes to interesting girls in science, architecture, and design, then what is it going to take to really reach them? How about a dollhouse? A DIY dollhouse with build-your-own-furniture and working circuits. … Read more

You'd think a ship designed after a baseball bat would go over like a foul ball when it comes to seaworthiness, but research ship FLIP has been a hit since its launch 50 years ago.

The bizarre research vessel can go from a horizontal to vertical position while staying afloat and stable in heavy seas, even in 80-foot waves. That allows it to perform oceanographic research measurements with great accuracy.

"A ship rolls with storm waves, but FLIP is so stable it is almost immobile," Scripps Institute of Oceanography engineer Eric Slater has said in recalling FLIP riding out a hurricane. "Waves hit it like a brick wall. We were literally thrown out of our chairs inside FLIP when the big waves hit."

Operated by Scripps and owned by the U.S. Navy, the 355-foot FLIP was designed by Phillip Rudnick, Fred H. Fisher, and Fred N. Spiess, and first tested in July 1962 as part of an anti-submarine rocket program. It was recently shown off in the Pacific for its birthday. … Read more