kutcher

That was fast: Fab.com closes in on 2M members

Fab.com, a design focused e-commerce site that runs flash sales, is doing an impressive job racking up really big numbers.

The site, in its current iteration, is just eight months old and is already boasting that it's about to hit 2 million members, likely making it the fastest growing e-commerce site on the planet.

That's impressive, for sure, especially given that until Wednesday, Fab.com wasn't open to all; you had to request an invite and Fab would send you an e-mail within a day or two welcoming you to the party.

That in itself was … Read more

Britney Spears first to hit a million followers on Google+

Britney Spears today became the first person with a million followers on Google+, a milestone worth noting, even if hasn't generated the kind of buzz that accompanied Ashton Kutcher's and Charlie Sheen's rushes to a million Twitter followers.

According to The Next Web, the tireless--and now 30-year-old--Spears barely beat out other celebs to seven figures on Google+, including Google CEO Larry Page and rapper Snoop Dogg. However, it seems likely that Spears only made it to the million-follower mountaintop first because folks like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber aren't on Google's social network yet.

Still, … Read more

Fab.com raises $40M, led by Andreessen Horowitz

Fab.com, a design-focused e-commerce site that's growing like mad, today announced that it has raised $40 million in a round led by the big venture firm Andreessen Horowitz.

It's a spectacular rise for Fab.com, which just six months ago changed course from its original business to become to a retailer all sorts of goods--from jewelry to artwork and home furnishings--through flash sales that typically last 72 hours. Fab.com started as a social network for the gay community.

"It's humbling, it's exciting and it's pretty amazing," said Jason Goldberg, the founder … Read more

The 404 944: Where Skyrim? We hardly know him! (podcast)

We predicted that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 release would cause some trouble, but there's three stories in particular we report today that put a dent in Jeff's argument that video games don't cause violence in real life.

If you're looking for a way to distract your kids while you play said games, though, Toys 'R Us is offering an Android tablet made just for kids that can browse the Web, read e-books aloud, among other time-wasters. It can even play 1080p HD video using a dual-core processor and a build-in Wi-Fi antenna.

Other stories leaked from today's podcast episode include Ashton Kutcher finally taking a step back from Twitter, the strange celebrity photos from the SKYRIM launch party, and the start of super-inflated hard drive prices as a result of the floods in Thailand.… Read more

Ashton Kutcher freezes his tweets after Paterno pratfall

Tweeting, like acting, is harder than it looks.

It relies on split-second timing, an acute sense of the moment and sufficient information in order not to expose yourself publicly to ridicule. Sadly, actor and tech entrepreneur Ashton Kutcher managed only two of the three yesterday.

Following the firing of Penn State coach Joe Paterno for his involvement in an alleged cover-up of child molestation at the school, Kutcher tweeted: "How do you fire Jo Pa? #insult #noclass as a hawkeye fan I find it in poor taste."

As many swiftly pointed out, the poor taste was Kutcher's. … Read more

FTC doesn't think Ashton Kutcher is half a man

I don't know about this guest-editing thing. Do magazines get famous people to agree to guest-edit, then actually edit the issue themselves and simply invite the guest for lunch?

If that was the case, it would have made things a touch easier for Ashton Kutcher when he guest-edited the September edition of Details magazine.

This was an online-only edition, dubbed "the Social Issue." However, it soon became something of a business issue.

You see, the new star of "Two and a Half Men" was accused of featuring more than a dozen tech companies in this … Read more

LAPD asks Gaga, Kardashian, Kutcher to tweet traffic news

Stars can, sometimes, be vehicles for good. But can they be good for vehicles?

This question, which almost sounds like a lyric from a Sheryl Crow song, is resonating around Hollywood because the LAPD has decided that only the likes of Lady Gaga, Ashton Kutcher, and Kim Kardashian can save the city from crazed drivers.

The way the Los Angeles Times tells it, the local police are so worried that their forthcoming closure of the 405 Freeway will lead to a hysteria not seen since The Blues Brothers decided to go for an evening out that they have begged these … Read more

The 404 820: Where we stop using cliches for show titles (podcast)

It's Friday the 13th, but nothing is creepier than this morning's news about Ashton Kutcher replacing Charlie Sheen on 'Two and a Half Men.' On today's episode of The 404 Podcast, we're talking about the list of other potential castings for the slot, the Library of Congress launching a National Jukebox, a pricey out of court settlement from Lime Wire, and a user-submitted picture of Natali Morris that's too wrong not to show.

The 404 Digest for Episode 820

Ashton Kutcher will replace Sheen on "Two and a Half Men." Library of Congress quietly announces The National Jukebox. Lime Wire settles for $105 million. Lady Gaga presents her own version of Farmville on Facebook. Oh what the hell, here's Ahmad's picture of a beautiful woman... with a beard.

Episode 820 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Ashton Kutcher suffers Twitter hack attack?

This could be an example of being punk'd. Or even meta-punk'd.

But strange tweets have begun to appear on Ashton Kutcher's Twitter feed during the TED conference. And he seems to have done nothing about them.

The first tweet read: ""Ashton, you've been Punk'd. This account is not secure. Dude, where's my SSL?"

SSL--so my fallback engineering encyclopedia, Steve, tells me--stands for Secure Sockets Layer, something that many of those in the know believe Facebook and Twitter should use as a standard.

However, the phantom tweeter doesn't appeared to have … Read more

Does the 'new Digg' need an Ashton Kutcher?

It's still too early to tell whether the redesigned and revamped Digg, which went live on Wednesday following a limited private alpha test, will be enough to resuscitate the once-hot social news site. The usual suspects of the blogger punditocracy seem to agree: it's all dependent on how the community reacts, and Diggers are unpredictable.

The "new Digg," which puts a focus on a customized news lineup based on content chosen from social-network friends as well as celebrities and brands that the user opts to follow, is a big change from its predecessor, in which Digg … Read more