vampires

The 404 234: Where we're bummed that Dad is home

Jeff is back to prove that father truly does not know best, but we're happy to welcome him back to the show. The OG crew is finally back together, so we get right back into the mix with stories about video game energy conservation, YouTube cheat tactics, Christian Guitar Hero, the weekend box office, and Jeff regales us with tales of the forgotten country of Canada.

Welcome back Jeff! Last week seemed to last forever without you buddy, and while guest hosts are always a good time, The 404 is almost too positive without your brand of bitter hatred for everything under the sun. So now that you're back and you've brought your gray cloud with you, we can get back to all things "normal" on the show. We're all about new and old movies, so I must recommend Let the Right One In, a new movie that takes an original look at vampirism. The story is about a young boy ostracized by his peers who finds friendship in a young neighbor...who also happens to be a blood-sucking vampire preying on other members of his community. It's an indie flick, so don't expect to see big budget explosions or crazy CGI, but the story is well-told and emotional. The movie is all in Swedish, so don't forget your reading glasses. I also just read that an American remake is in the works that will undoubtedly butcher the original. Just check out this one; I give it The 404 Seal of Approval, arf arf you won't be disappointed!

EPISODE 234 Download today's podcast … Read more

Logitech keyboard lights up the night

Night owls, boogey monsters, and vampires rejoice: the Logitech Illuminated Keyboard is here to help you work in darkness, away from the harsh light of the sun. The underside of each key houses a tiny microlight that emits a soft blue glow in low-light conditions, effectively letting you work in the dead of night.

Like the Logitech diNovo Edge, the Illuminated Keyboard incorporates Perfect Stroke to help you type faster and more accurately. The system allows for a wide 3.2mm stretch spanning each letter and an even amount of vertical depression across the the flat of the keys, so … Read more

'Buffy' and 'Gilmore Girls' to get video site play

As part of a comeback attempt by the WB Network, Warner Bros. Television Group has cut deals to distribute TV shows to TiVo, Veoh Networks, and other Web video sites.

The WB is the network made famous by such teen fare as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Gilmore Girls. The network shut down in 2006, when Warner Bros. partnered with CBS to launch the CW Television Network.

Warner Bros. said in April that it would relaunch the network as an online-only play. The company said in a statement on Thursday that in September, Dailymotion, Joost, Sling Media, TiVo, and Veoh … Read more

Garish gadgets going goth

Here's one prediction for 2008 that we dearly hope does not come true: goth as the big tech fashion trend. We wish the recent spate of dark products were only Halloween novelties, but the fact that we're only in the first month of the year does not bode well.

In the last week alone, Akihabara News has highlighted a full desktop complement consisting of a macabre keyboard, mouse, and mousepad. That followed a cobra-wrapped Webcam and a pair of skull speakers that made their disturbing debut only a few days earlier.

In retrospect, the most telling sign of … Read more

Designer Macworld Part 2: Belkin

Here's something blasphemous: My favorite booth at Macworld was not Apple's, but Belkin's. It knocked my socks off.

Think back a few years: Belkin was a ho-hum manufacturer of unsexy cables and nondescript PC accessories. Then came the iPod, and the company recognized a good thing when it saw one. Belkin jumped on the iPod shooting star and produced a nice line of interesting, well-conceived accessories. But essentially, the company outsourced its aesthetic to the iPod, piggybacking visually as well as functionally on that core device.

Now, Belkin is turning into a design and innovation powerhouse in … Read more

What is the cost of "vampire energy"?

I've been curious recently about how much electricity all our devices that stay plugged in all the time and in some sort of standby mode consume, even when we are not actually using them. And what does that translate into in terms of real money?

Coincidentally, GOOD Magazine has created this handy chart that graphically depicts the impact.

The real surprise on it is plasma TVs--who knew they were sucking so much energy when "off"? And that game console of yours? It's costing you $25 a year just sitting there, even when you're not using … Read more