return

Epsilon partner warned of phishing attacks months ago

The recent data breach reported by e-mail marketing service provider Epsilon that exposed names and e-mail addresses for customers at dozens of companies comes four months after an Epsilon technology partner warned about targeted phishing attacks on e-mail service providers and on its own network.

Return Path said in late November that thousands of e-mail addresses had been stolen from its system after one of its employees clicked on a link in a phishing e-mail message. Epsilon uses Return Path's e-mail monitoring technology in the e-mail marketing services it provides to other companies.

"The employee's system was … Read more

The 404 791: Where we're rolling with the homies (podcast)

Happy 404 Day! To celebrate the second most popular day in April, we've kicked Wilson off the show and replaced him with Mark Licea. Happy Monday! Today we're chatting about an immersive new take on Shakespeare's "Macbeth" story, nude therapists working in New York, an Android bootleg that publicly embarrasses pirates, and Web vigilantes Anonymous joining hackers GeoHot and Graf_Chokolo in their fight against Sony.

The 404 Digest for Episode 791

"Sleep No More" offers a modern take on classic theater. Pirates beware: a bootleg Android app punishes with public shaming. A therapist in NYC meets with clients with clothes on, then slowly takes them off. Speaking of nudes, a Web developer site is looking to recruit nude female Web coders. .01% of Wikipedia is equivalent to 952 volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica...and it's for sale.

Episode 791 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

preGame 43: PS3 SharpShooter

Tune in to this week's episode of preGame for a First Look at the high-end PlayStation Move accessory gun, the SharpShooter! But first, we're debuting four brand-new trailers for a variety of games hitting consoles soon. Be sure to check out the latest videos for Battlefield 3, Alice: Madness Returns, Rochard, and Shadows of the Damned.

Speculation that Microsoft is working on a successor to the Xbox 360 gained momentum today as a job listing on the company's site may point to future hardware. Is the Xbox 720 (or whatever it'll be called) imminent?

Next we'… Read more

Donkey Kong Country Returns with your childhood left intact

Continuing the onslaught of rebooted gems from the past, Nintendo's one-two holiday season punch began with Kirby's Epic Yarn and finishes with Donkey Kong Country Returns for the Wii.

Even though we found Epic Yarn to be a bit simplistic, it was still engaging enough to justify a playthrough. Does Donkey Kong Country offer the same amount of appeal? Or is this one franchise that should have stayed dormant?

Jeff: Lately it seems Nintendo has released more of a time machine than a game console, with its recent titles taking us back 15 years or so, reliving our childhoods spent playing Super Nintendo and the like. The latest of this bunch is Donkey Kong Country Returns, the re-imagined follow-up to one of the Super Nintendo's most successful and iconic franchises.

If you didn't feel challenged in Kirby's Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns will immediately fill that void. While we praised Epic Yarn for its success in conventional 2D platforming, DKC Returns innovates within the genre, giving us new ways to play. We really can't stress the difficulty enough here; the game is definitely not for the easily frustrated.

There are plenty of familiar details fans of the series will identify with: collecting K-O-N-G letters, hidden areas, bonus levels, and more. Also, Diddy Kong is around again for the adventure, and he'll take a vital role in your banana-recovery quest.… Read more

Kin's quiet return a rarity among failed gadgets

Like any other business venture, gadgets fail--some quietly and others spectacularly.

For Microsoft's Kin though, its return this week marks a rarity in the tech world: a product that, despite a strong push from its maker, simply didn't get off the ground, but is then brought back from the dead. No, it's not being touted as the hottest, newest phone by carrier Verizon, which a Microsoft exec once told The New York Times played a part in the device's sales woes the first time around. Rather, it's being offered up for sale alongside phones that … Read more

The 404 645: Where no one will buy this (podcast)

During this year's Celebration V fan convention, director George Lucas announced that all six of the original "Star Wars" films will be released on Blu-ray in 2011 as a box set. The films and the much-criticized prequels were previously released as DVD box sets, but this is the first time fans of the series can see them in HD.

The Blu-rays will also include new documentaries, special features, and behind-the-scenes moments that both Jedis and Imperialists can appreciate. Lucas also announced the inclusion of a lost scene from "Return of the Jedi" that shows Darth Vader calling out to Luke as he builds the green lightsaber you see in the film. Good news, though: if you can't wait a year for the box set to come out, the clip is also available on YouTube--with George's approval, of course!

Good news for Android users: Last week Google re-released the app formerly known as Voice Search for its mobile operating system. The app is called Voice Search, and it lets you dictate text message, write e-mails, map directions, play music, and make phone calls--all without ever touching the phone. It's free, so we can't pick it apart too much, but once the initial "cool factor" wears off, we're not sure we'd ever use voice commands outside of a car. More importantly, when the heck is Angry Birds finally coming out for Android?

In line with today's Star Wars theme, check out these custom 404 Podcast squadron helmets made exclusively for our show by Props Guy Jim! Dedicated fans of the show will remember Jim's work with the Yu-Be-Gone Bug Spray, The 404 temporary tattoos, and, of course, The 404/Mattel hoverboard from "Back to the Future"!

Click through for more pics of the X-Wing helmet after the jump! Thanks Jim!

With kids, the future of 'Star Wars' is rosy

ORLANDO, Fla.--You might think that 33 years after the original "Star Wars" film was released, George Lucas' science-fiction universe might be getting a little long in the tooth.

But if the countless beaming kids at Celebration V, the huge "Star Wars" fan fest being held here, are any indication, the future is very bright for the multibillion-dollar franchise. And it's not just because of the many "Star Wars" video games, books, comics, and toys that have come out in recent years, most of them clearly targeting a young audience.

In fact, when … Read more

The 404 559: Where we rub Jill's nose for good luck (podcast)

It's April 14, the day before Tax Day, if you live in the U.S. Appropriately, we have Jill Schlesinger of CBS MoneyWatch.com on the show to dig through all your tax preparation software questions and the smart financial planning you should be doing now--not later--if you want to live a comfortable life.

For those of you who have never filed U.S. tax returns, tomorrow at the stroke of midnight is the last moment you have to send your returns in to the IRS. The United States is a bit strange in that we have to self-file our returns, but that means there is a lot of responsibility on our part to get it right. Conversely, there are a lot of chances for us to screw it up. Well, Aunt Jill says her No. 1 tax tip is to "not freak out."

Whether you should use a CPA or something like TurboTax online is entirely dependent on your situation. So if you're like Jeff who gets his cash flow from a single W-2 and has no assets to his name, self-filing is pretty straightforward.

However, if you're more like Justin, who owes a couple of loan sharks money from a couple of bad bets and has to work the late shift at the Hustler Club, you should probably see a CPA. And if you're like Wilson, who was a little too goody-two-shoes and filed his tax two months ago, you probably shouldn't be taking financial advice from The 404.

We do answer some questions about when you should start saving for your newborn's college fund and what the difference is between stocks, mutual funds, indices, and giant pools of money. If we didn't get to your question on today's show, please be sure to follow Jill on Twitter, where she will do her best to answer your life's toughest financial questions in 140 characters or less.

Finally, as a treat for our loyal listeners, we have a Web exclusive, where we talk to Jill for an extra 15 minutes about the economy, health care, and what you should do with your retirement funds and investments.

If you're new to the show, yes, it's very strange that we're offering actual sound, thoughtful advice, but hey we like throwing you for a loop every now and then. Check back later today for the video of the Web exclusive!

EPISODE 559 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Save 25 percent on TurboTax Online

Know what bugs me the most about the new year? The need to prepare and file yet another tax return.

I've been a TurboTax user for enough years that now I just stick with it out of habit--and hence my chief goal each January (OK, each early April) is to find the cheapest possible price.

For the moment, the best deal going comes from Fidelity Investments, which is offering 25 percent off all versions of TurboTax Online. Thankfully, you don't have to be a Fidelity customer to take advantage of it; just click Visitor Entry and you'll … Read more

7 things electronics salespeople won't tell you

Going to a retail store for consumer electronics purchases can be both exciting and frustrating. After working at Best Buy for two years, I have a few opinions to share that you might want to consider before your next shopping trip.

1. We have no formal training in the field of consumer electronics. Upon transferring to the computer department from home theater, I expressed concern to the manager: "Will there be time for someone to train me on laptops/desktops? What do these specifications mean?" His reply was simple: "Just do your best. A good salesperson can just read the labels and compare specs." Ouch.

Salespeople are not necessarily experts in the products sold in their departments, even if they are expert salespeople. Though many express a strong interest in the products they sell, your time spent at a retail store fishing for information about a future TV purchase could be better spent online researching the products yourself (I heard CNET has pretty great reviews).

2. We make little off the big-ticket items, so we smother you with accessories. Remember the story "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie"? Well, if you tell a salesman you're going to buy a TV, he's going to want to sell you a DVD player to go with it. Once he sells you the DVD player, he's going to want to get you to buy an HDMI cable, too.

Managers at Best Buy (and possibly all retailers) tell employees that the store profits surprisingly little from video game consoles and computers. Cables, accessories, mice, and other components, however, have a huge profit margin-- stores can make about $120 from a $150 Monster HDMI cable. Angry yet? The point is, we're going to work really hard to convince you to purchase that big item, but once you've said "OK" you've opened Pandora's Box.

Here's my advice: Grab the big item, and run. Purchase all accessories online, including memory cards, cables, traveling cases, and so on. Amazon, Monoprice, and Newegg are all reputable discount Web sites. You'll find what you need at a much lower price.… Read more