summer

We had a longer show title in mind when we asked Michael to help us think of ideas this morning, but who are we to argue with greatness? The comedian behind "The State," "Wet Hot American Summer," Stella, "The Baxter," and more joins us in the studio to chat about his new "Making of..." Web series on Babelgum. He also reveals news about the forthcoming musical based on "Wet Hot American Summer" and tells us about the next evolution of "The Michael Showalter Showalter." Strangely enough, we also … Read more

Plenty of news to talk about, but first we recap our weekends. We all used the holiday weekend differently: Jeff sailed a boat (in the sun!) on the Potomac river; Wilson became the only Asian Agent Double Oh Nothing for Her Majesty's Secret Service, and I had the unfortunate experience of actually laboring at work on Labor Day. Hear all the juicy details on the first half of the show.

Next up, we talk about Google's latest product, a version of the popular Monopoly real estate game that uses Google Maps as a giant playing board! Turns out that this isn't the first role-playing game to incorporate the popular online mapping Web site: users found a way to play RISK using Google Maps when it first debuted in 2005!

Speaking of things to come, we always like taking a look into the future, so this week in time travel, we bring you Boondock Saints 2! Every male born after the year 1970 should be well aware of the original Boondock Saints, which featured two brothers on a mission to cleanse their city of scumbags--classic story, but something about the theatrical gunfights and archetypal characters made it into a cult classic. We're excited about the new one, even though it doesn't feature Willem Dafoe.

Finally, in typical Monday show fashion, we delve off into a trip down memory lane and rediscover our love for Beavis and Butthead, who recently made a short comeback to promote Mike Judge's latest film "Extract." Surprise! Wilson hates it. All that and more on today's episode of The 404!

Summer Sports screensaver is a basic screensaver featuring photos of athletes competing in the Summer Olympics. Although the program doesn't have a lot of features, it is an enjoyable screensaver.

The program consists of numerous high-quality photos of athletes from a wide variety of sports. The photographs are professional and artistic, and the screensaver utilizes them at an appropriate resolution, something that many free screensavers seem to get wrong. In the upper left corner, a live news feed from the International Olympic Committee updates users of Olympics news in French. There are no language options on this program, so … Read more

Xbox 360 owners who fire up their console today will be prompted to download the new Summer 2009 dashboard update. Among the highlights of the new software is updated Netflix functionality ("Party Watch" mode and the capability to automatically add new and popular movies and TV shows to your queue directly through the onscreen interface), more avatar customization options, and larger selection of games on-demand (digital download of full Xbox 360 titles formerly available only on disc). A full list of features can be found at the Xbox Web site.

On the Netflix front: Microsoft is now touting … Read more

Nothing beats a cool drink on a hot day. As summer heats up, we all consume a ton of drinks. As we spend more time outside enjoying the sun, it might be nice to mix it up once in a while with a nice blended drink. While most blenders aren't very portable, there is at least one that is designed to let you take the fun with you.

The Hamilton Beach Thermal Cooler Blender combines a blender and a thermos into one convenient unit. Featuring the capability to blend drinks right in the cooler, the appliance makes it easy … Read more

Summer is officially here and that brings with it one thing for sure: heat. From time to time we cover outdoor grills and other alfresco food-related entertaining. A dining table for the backyard is still a dining table after all. Considering the heat is just getting started, I am drawn to this Swimming Pool Bistro Set from Hammacher Schlemmer.

Designed to be submerged in the shallow end of your pool, the patio furniture set seems to me long overdue. Tiny perforations are docked in the table and chairs, allowing water to get in and submerge the set. If used properly … Read more

Adam Hirsch, COO of Mashable, joins the show today to talk about something that we thought would never happen: social networking for doing actual good in the world.

Yeah, instead of flash mobs or sending NSFW pictures to your buddy, Adam has started the Summer of Social Good, which harnesses the power of social media to actually do some charity work in the world. You can donate a minimum of $10 to the organization, and it will split the donation evenly between The Humane Society, LIVESTRONG, Oxfam America, and WWF--not the World Wrestling Federation. We also chat a bit about the future of social networks, especially given the election of Barack Obama and the on-going Iranian election controversy. There is even a city in America that now asks for your Facebook log-in when you apply for a job in its government!

Also today, the iPhone 3G S launched this morning. It wasn't nearly as mad crazy as it was last year or for the original iPhone launch. Mostly, we think it's because there aren't that many new great features aside from faster speed, bigger capacity, and a faster processor. Also, we think that AT&T might have been a little too harsh with its upgrade policy. But if you really, really want the new iPhone 3G S and you have an older iPhone, check out YouRenew.com. For this week, it will buy your old cell phone and give you back some hard cash. Owners of the iPhone 3G 8GB can get $200!

Ah, summer. Long, hot days on the beach or by the pool spent with family and friends. Or perhaps a quality afternoon in the park sounds more appealing. Imagine it: the grill going, the kids playing, a cool breeze blowing. No matter if you imagine the beach, the pool, or the park, it's a great scene that just doesn't get any better... unless, of course you had a margarita in hand. While beer and soda pop may travel extremely well in the cooler, margaritas aren't necessarily very portable. Until now.

The Margaritaville Battery-Powered Portable Frozen Concoction Maker … Read more