packing

The 404 905: Where we go twice as high with Bridget Carey (podcast)

Bridget Carey makes her first appearance on CNET TV today. She's the host of an upcoming daily tech news show on CNET called Checked In, so be sure to follow her on Twitter so you don't miss the first episode.

She'll help us out with our story rundown today and gives her take on LeVar Burton bringing back "Reading Rainbow" as an iPad app, an LA film studio constructing an underground "post-apocalyptic" fortress, and the resurgence of AOL e-mail addresses as a pre-Internet status symbol.

The 404 Digest for Episode 905

"Reading Rainbow" to be rebooted for iPad. LA porn studio begins construction on "post-apocalyptic" underground bunker. AOL e-mail as status symbol? Follow Bridget Carey on Twitter. The 404's daily bathroom break: Justin and Jeff's "Reading Rainbow"/Husky Dance Mash-up.

Episode 905 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

See you in the funny papers

Fun fonts can liven up presentations, newsletters, art projects, and all kinds of other documents. Cartoon Font Pack is a set of 22 fonts inspired by cartoons and comic strips. If you like the look of fonts that resemble text written by hand, Cartoon Font Pack is a fun option that's suitable for a variety of applications.

Since Cartoon Font Pack is really just a folder containing the various fonts, it helps to have some knowledge of how to install new fonts in Windows. This isn't a difficult process, however, and we installed the fonts in Cartoon Font … Read more

Quantity over quality with Logyx Pack

Logic games often have a simple premise but an extremely challenging goal. If you love to test your brain with such puzzles, Logyx Pack might be just what you need. It's not fancy, but it packs more than 70 logic games into one program, guaranteeing that you have hours of mind-bending fun at your fingertips.

The program's interface is plain, and Logyx Pack certainly won't be winning any design awards; its graphics are pretty bare-bones. The only sound effects come at the end of the game when you win or lose. There are a lot of classic … Read more

Pop bubble wrap bubbles...on your iPhone!

Bubble TapTap Free is one of numerous free, ad-supported apps in which you pop virtual bubble wrap, in a game that tries to simulate the visceral thrill of mashing that time-honored packing material.

The interface is simple: 40 bubbles, arrayed realistically in staggered rows, which you tap to audibly pop. The bubbles regenerate after a few seconds, letting you go back and pop as many as you can while a one-minute timer ticks off the seconds. The game also gives you a bonus for popping bubbles in quick succession, briefly showing you the number of bubbles chained together as you … Read more

Jet pack fails Fox news broadcast

Perhaps nothing even remotely associated with Rupert Murdoch could possibly be funny this weekend. Perhaps nothing even remotely associated with Rupert Murdoch could go right either.

But sometimes, when things go wrong, they can actually be amusing. So here (thank you so much, Gizmodo) is a Fox 5 News morning broadcast from the water in San Diego.

The producers clearly had a great idea. They had their presenter at the San Diego Yacht and Boat Show standing next to a man with a revolutionary aqua jet pack.

They were going to start the show by having Aqua Jet Pack Man take off. So very cute. And then.

Well, and then the JetLev R200 jet pack proved to need a little more rehearsal.

Or, more likely, it was the operator who wasn't quite ready to push the right button when the producer told him he was live.

Whatever the reason, there is something so very charming about the way that John, the man with pack, plummets straight into the water, almost taking the very fine and brave Fox 5 presenter with him.

I defy anyone who can still see and feel their feet not to lose a little equilibrium at the beginning of this video. Clearly, the JetLev R200 is a fine, fun machine that many will enjoy on future summer vacations. Indeed, the San Antonio Spurs' Tony Parker enjoyed one a few days ago in Saint-Tropez.

But he's merely a point guard, not someone who has to open what is, no doubt, San Diego's finest morning news show.

And no, I don't believe you can remotely hack an aqua jet pack.… Read more

GoCharge Power Pack is three devices in one (hands-on)

My time with the Accessory Power GoCharge Power Pack has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. When the device landed on my desk, I dismissed it as a basic 12-volt to USB adapter. However, closer inspection revealed some very interesting secondary features that are worth highlighting. Unfortunately, once I started looking closely, I discovered a few build quality issues that quickly quenched my excitement.

In the box, you'll find the GoCharge unit itself, an AC to USB power adapter, a Mini-USB cable, and a Micro-USB cable.

The GoCharge has about the same footprint as a business card (… Read more

Avira service pack brings new toolbar

Branded search toolbars are nothing new in the software world, a significant source of revenue for many software publishers, but the Ask.com-branded toolbar that German free antivirus maker Avira launched last week is definitely new to that product. Available in Avira Antivir Personal, AntiVir Premium, and AntiVir Premium Security Suite, Avira's AntiVir Service Pack 2 includes the toolbar and numerous security improvements.

AntiVir SP2 comes as part of the program for new users, while existing users in the United States and Germany should have already received SP2 from the program's update mechanism. People in other countries will … Read more

Energy Take Classic 5 pack

The Energy Take Classic 5 pack is exactly the same as the Energy Take Classic 5.1 speaker system, except that it's sold without the subwoofer. Since the 5.1 (with subwoofer) version is available for just $399, we strongly recommend prospective buyers purchase that one instead.

Breathe in Blu's social-networking cigarette pack

Smoking these days can be lonely business, what with smoking now banned in many bars and other traditional smokers' hangouts. But a new handheld device is designed to help smokers find each other--and it might even help them kick the habit.

Meet the "blu Smart Pack," the world's first social-networking cigarette package.

The rechargeable package--scheduled to go on sale in June for $80--connects wirelessly to social-networking sites and even flashes a blue light and vibrates if it detects other packages within 50 feet.

"You'll meet more people than ever, just because of the wow factor," Jason Healy, the company's founder, told The New York Times.

Not everyone's as convinced it's such a great idea. … Read more