Geek

Far out technology for the geek in all of us

Like many of you, I'm a geek, and it extends well beyond my interest in technology. I still read an occasional science fiction novel and look forward to the release of superhero and James Bond movies.

Lately, I've been wondering how close we are to achieving some of the scientific "miracles" that had previously belonged solely to the realm of science fiction. Advances in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and other fields are certainly making lots of exciting things possible in the laboratory, but that's just the beginning.

What I'm interested in is early academic, defense, medical, or even hobbyist applications. Remember, that's where computing and communications started, and look where we are now.

Here are six off the top of my head. And yes, some of them are out there, but my goal was to leapfrog all the usual stuff, like virtual reality, robotics, and the like, which I've written about previously. Some of it may surprise you.… Read more

Wear your A/V jacks

Proud to be an A/V technophile? If so, here's one way to flaunt your passion in public. Wear the A/V tee from Threadless.com. Available from extra-small to extra-large sizes for both men and women, the T-shirt features just about every imaginable socket found on your beloved TVs and amplifiers.

Given that Threadless is an American company, it's also comforting that its European counterparts are not forgotten. The shirt shows a pair of Euro Scarts in its array of HDMIs, component videos, digital optical audios, and so on.

There's no excuse not to grab a … Read more

Timeline tracks history of Internet fads and trends

Timeline creator Dipity has finally been put to a completely awesome use: a user called "tatercakes" has created a timeline of fads and memes that have surfaced on the Internet since its earliest days. And, as far as I can see, almost nothing has been left out--if you're a Dipity member, you can add to the list.

Among the chronological listings are some memes that pre-date my knowledge of the Internet ("Trojan Room coffee pot"); a few classics like All Your Base, Hampsterdance, and Peanut Butter Jelly Time; and more recent ones like lolcats and … Read more

CNET Live - Episode 63

Cali Lewis and Neal Campbell from GeekBrief TV talk about how they got their start in podcasting and their plans for The Big Trip.

Watch the show soon on CNET TV.

Things we Crave

Robot crabs

UltraDock V4.

First Look

Brian Tong reports from E3.

Download of the Week

Truephone.

Quick Tip

30-second skip on TiVo

Best of the Web Bubble Comment Your calls

Nokia N81 reportedly will not work on T-Mobile's 3G network.

Crack open the iPod Nano.

CNET's list of the best network-attached storage.

How to downgrade from 2.0 to 1.1.4 firmware.

Vista … Read more

Wal-Mart taps Dell for its own 'geek squad'

Already the biggest seller by volume of electronics in the U.S., some Wal-Mart stores are now trying their hand at tech support.

Starting this month in 15 stores around Dallas only, employees manning a new kiosk concept called Solutions Station by Dell will be available to do TV and home theater installations, PC repair, wireless network setup, and probably some other tech-related stuff too.

Dell and Wal-Mart have a pretty cozy relationship--Dell picked Wal-Mart as the first place to sell its PCs when the company started selling retail again last year--so the pairing isn't so surprising.

And this … Read more

Geeks get a word in with Merriam-Webster

Geek culture is once again showing its influence over the mainstream lexicon in the latest version of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, which includes word additions such as webinar, malware, netroots, pretexting (thank you Hewlett-Packard), and fanboy (thank you Apple).

Webinar is "one more example of the significant ongoing trend for electronic technologies to add words to the language," Merriam-Webster publisher John Morse said in a Monday press release about the 100 or so new words in the 2008 edition of the influential reference guide.

That's in line with Merriam-Webster's choice of the term "wOOt"… Read more

Computer sprawl at Geek Squad City

BROOKS, Ky.--At Geek Squad City, it's no accident that everywhere you look are well-groomed young people in dark pants, white shirts, and narrow black ties.

Since its founding by Robert Stephens in Minnesota in 1994, Geek Squad has always been run on a very stylized kind-of-Mormon-missionary, kind-of-G-Men motif. That's why my host for a tour of the Geek Squad City facilities was Anthony Hadfield, who bears the job title "deputy director for counterintelligence."

I've come to the well-known computer repair company's giant facility just south of Louisville as part of Road Trip 2008.… Read more

'Geek Cushion' keeps you from going belly-up

We thought we'd found the ideal laptop angle years ago with the "Easy Desk Aluminum," but that position can get a little old especially when used at play as well as at work. That's where the aptly named "Lazy Geek's Cushion" comes in.

Unlike many of its other products, Japan's Thanko may actually have come up with something useful with this, er, workstation, at least for those of us afflicted with terminal laziness. It supposedly claims to alleviate back and neck pain, though we have no idea if there's any actual … Read more

The 404 117: Where Molly Wood won't extract properly

With Jeff back in the studio, we sit down for a lengthy chat about New Orleans, our trip to the sun, why Disney stomps all over Sublime, Walmart's own Geek Squad, iPhone gaming, and other sleazeball topics you've come to expect from the 404. EPISODE 117 Download today's podcast