Geek culture

The coming of CES next week marks 30 years since one of the most beloved computer systems of all time was introduced to the world: the Commodore 64.

The Commodore 64, or C64, was an 8-bit computer that was a competitor to the more expensive Apple II. It would go on to dominate the PC world for almost 10 years.

The C64 featured 64k of memory, a MOS Technology 6510 processor running at 1MHz, a 16-color graphics chip, and a composite video output.

As a kid, I remember frittering away countless hours loading tapes into the Datasette peripheral to play the newest games such as Impossible Mission and Super Pipeline.

While the machine has enjoyed a resurgence in the last year with the release of the Commodore 64x PC, it's been a long and bumpy road. Here is a brief history of the little 64k marvel:… Read more

A scrappy rebel alliance launches jury-rigged space weapons in the hope of defeating a monolithic empire that's put the choke hold on freedom.

Sound like a space opera you might've seen a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away?

Actually, it's the latest imagined scenario to arise from one of Europe's major hacking conferences, which just wrapped up its 2011 edition in Berlin.

As the BBC's David Meyer reports, SOPA-hating hackers at the 28th Chaos Communication Congress (or 28C3) are hatching a plan to develop a DIY satellite-communications network that could keep the Internet alive and unfettered in the face of any government effort to pull the plug.

"The first goal is an uncensorable Internet in space," Meyer quotes hacktivist Nick Farr as saying. "Let's take the Internet out of the control of terrestrial entities."

Farr and others dream of a Hackerspace Global Grid made up of homemade satellites, along with ground stations for tracking and communicating with the self-made Sputniks.… Read more

Did your spouse or significant other bestow an iPad upon you this Christmas? If so, it won't be long until your spouse or significant other asks you to put down your new toy for a little while and pay attention to the rest of the family. There is, of course, a way to spend time with your family and your new iPad simultaneously: iPad board games!

Four classic games--Monopoly, Scrabble, Life, and Risk--are available for the iPad, and if you catch EA's DailyDeals holiday sale on the right day, you can get them for as low as 99 cents. The fifth game here, Ticket to Ride, is a personal favorite, and its iPad version is beautifully done. With Monopoly and Ticket to Ride, the iPad acts as the board, with players sitting around it and taking turns as they would with the actual board game. With Scrabble, Life, and Risk, the games feature Pass N' Play, where the board is oriented in one direction and the iPad is passed to each player when it is his or her turn.

Granted, playing a board game on the iPad isn't the same as gathering the family around the real thing, but for these five games, the iPad offers a reasonable facsimile. The iPad forces you to downscale, but what you sacrifice in size you make up for in faster gameplay, as the iPad tallies scores, moneys, armies, and so on.… Read more

2012 is coming fast. It's time to quit smoking, cut out the cola calories, and start backing up your data on a regular basis--for real this time.

I know CNET readers will have some technology-related resolutions on their lists. Maybe you're planning to cut back on the 12 hours per day you spend on Skyrim. Maybe you're going to pick up one of the bajillion fitness gadgets that have hit the market recently.

Clink champagne glasses, watch the LED ball drop in Times Square, and enjoy your last few care-free minutes before your New Year's resolutions set in.… Read more

Welcome to another Yuletide episode from The 404 Podcast! We'll be publishing these podcasts, videos, and rerun episodes all the way up until we return on January 10 for a block of live shows from CES in Las Vegas!

Inspired by Reddit's AMA section, we've asked our listeners to submit their questions to be answered on today's episode. No question is too personal, so tune in for a closer look at the hosts of The 404!… Read more

"I must say that your face sounds familiar."

It may not be the warmest response to a pickup line, but in robot terms it's almost a home run. Daniel123 looks like he scored a date with Jane234.

Earlier this month, we saw how a charming little open-source robot called Qbo recognized itself in a mirror.

After a bit of preening, this particular Qbo (aka Daniel123) was ready for action. In the latest video from Francisco Paz and TheCorpora, who are developing Qbo as an artificial intelligence project, Daniel meets a female Qbo named Jane234 and seems to take a shine to her.

"You're very good looking," Daniel tells Jane. … Read more

What's cuter, a laughing baby or a talking dog?

Well, thanks to a joint effort by the folks at YouTube and Google Research, this vexing brainteaser can now be answered with absolute sort of certainty.… Read more

Welcome to another Yuletide episode from The 404 Podcast! We'll be publishing these podcasts, videos, and rerun episodes all the way up until we return on January 10 for a block of live shows from CES in Las Vegas!

It's that time of the year again: a time to look back at 2011 for its gaming prowess, to pay tribute to those elite pieces of electronic interactive entertainment that reside in a league all by themselves. Join Jeff Bakalar and guest Russ Frushtick for a rundown of the best games of the year.… Read more

Princess Leia's famous head buns are joining forces with your favorite headphones through the power of Etsy.

Since George Lucas has an Imperial Army of lawyers at his disposal, however, the official name of these headphone covers on JacquieLongLegs' Etsy page is "Galactic Princess Headphone Covers."

The $24 covers are made from synthetic hair. That's not surprising. Headphone covers made from real Carrie Fisher hair would probably fetch about $500,000 on eBay.… Read more