Geek culture

Scan my bosom with ScanMe's QR code T-shirts

QR codes aren't just for boring business marketing. We recently checked out Barcode Gallery, a company that sells QR codes (two-dimensional bar codes that link to messages or Web sites) as wall art. Now you can emblazon those codes on a custom T-shirt for a high-tech fashion statement with ScanMe's shirt-printing service.

ScanMe creates a custom QR code just for you. It links to your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter profiles and can include your latest status message, a way to e-mail you, or even your phone number.

Anyone who wants a modicum of privacy can control how much information the scan pulls up. That's smart, because the people you want checking out your LinkedIn account usually aren't the same as the people you want to be friends with on Facebook.

These T-shirts offer more of a fashion statement than a mere black and white collection of boxes within a square. Some of the designs veer off into Threadless territory with the bar code buried within a Space Invaders-style illustration or coming from the mouth of a blue Twitter bird.

ScanMe is a United Kingdom company, but it offers free worldwide postage on the shirts. Prices start around $22 and range up to around $35 per shirt.… Read more

Squirm-worthy Tinychat is Chatroulette plus

If Chatroulette made you squirm, then you'll definitely have trouble with Tinychat and its new location-sharing feature.

Chatroulette, you'll recall, is the site that lets you randomly connect to Webcams around the world. There's always a chance you'll find an interesting person and engage in a fascinating conversation. But you're more likely to connect to someone showing off body parts that would normally be covered by clothing.

Chatroulette focuses on one-to-one contact, but you can move on from one video chat to another by hitting "next." The site rolled out with local features called Localroulette that snatched users' IP addresses, but the idea didn't take off--the Web page for the local service doesn't exist anymore.

Now, for better or worse, Tinychat has revived the location-sharing idea (as an optional feature), and it goes a step farther than Chatroulette in another area as well. It displays several Webcam streams on a single page ("Brady Bunch" style), thus creating the equivalent of a chat room.

If you think the prospect of even more exposed body parts--attached to people who know where you live--would appeal only to the very brave or the very bizarre, you might want to think again: Tinychat says it's growing at a rate of 50,000 new users every day and that there are about 30,000 active chat rooms (public and private) receiving a million visits a day. The company also boasts of having some celebrity backers, including Ashton Kutcher, Diddy, Madonna manager Guy Oseary, and Ron Burkle.

The new location feature is optional and reveals only a 10-mile radius if you decide to share where you are. … 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

'Tron: Legacy' pinball looks like a quarter quencher

In "Tron: Legacy," we were once again exposed to the madness of a virtual world created by an eccentric programmer. And now the grid has inspired a new game.

Get ready to load your fanny pack full of quarters. Stern Pinball and Disney recently unveiled a full featured "Tron: Legacy" pinball machine perhaps worthy enough for Flynn's Arcade. The playfield features light cycles, deadly discs, and other notable imagery from the film. The audio doesn't slouch either, as the original Daft Punk soundtrack and character sound clips emit during gameplay.

Well-known names in the pinball industry collaborated on the project: John Borg is the playfield architect, artist John Youssi designed the art, and David Thiel engineered the sound.

After pulling back on the plunger, players take on the role of Sam Flynn, who is attempting to fight off villians Clu and Rinsler. According to Stern Pinball, gameplay features are numerous, including the option to "ride the two ramps for Light Cycle battles on different levels of the Grid; defeat the motorized Recognizer target bank to expose Rinsler's spinning Identity Disc; or fire the ball from Rinsler's Disc to simulate a Disc War."

There's even a limited edition "Tron: Legacy" pinball machine (about 400 will be made) that Pinball News has described in greater detail. The LE model features EL wire lighting, chrome trim, enhanced playfield artwork, an extra playfield toy, and other enhancements.

I'm hoping I can play soon. Anything to get closer to Olivia Wilde (Quorra).… Read more

The 404 819: Where everybody knows your name (podcast)

We had a quick olfactory disaster this morning, but we cleared the air and can get on with our regularly scheduled programming. There's more Google news following yesterday's I/O developers conference, and this time the search giant introduces Chromebooks and several new apps to its Chrome Web store.

In other Google news, the company is suffering from a smear campaign in the tech media that sources have traced back to Facebook, of all companies. Spurned from competitive tension in the social-networking space, the two companies are going head to head over growing privacy concerns.

You might've noticed a lack of audio and video voicemails lately, and that's because we haven't received any! If you want to make it on the show, let us know your comments/feedback/criticisms by calling into 1-866-404-CNET (2638) or record a video on YouTube and send the link to the404(at)cnet(dot)com.

The 404 Digest for Episode 819

Google debuts Chromebooks. Angry Birds for Chrome already hacked, unlocking all levels. Glympse.com lets people follow your every move for a given amount of time. Facebook hired a PR Firm to plant anti-Google stories in the media. Let's get a 404 ad on TV! Loser of the week: Mom gives Botox to 8-year-old daughter.

Episode 819 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Man dressed as Batman fails to convince police

Obviously, credibility is the first problem you face when people find you hanging from the wall of a local business dressed as Batman.

In Petoskey, Mich., a 31-year-old man found this out the hard way. The police had to pull him back onto the roof of the building; they later allegedly took a baton-like weapon (more of Daredevil's kind of weapon, but I'll let that slide), a can of "chemical irritant spray" (I would love to believe this was Bat-shark repellent), and lead-lined gloves, presumably to conceal the iPod Shuffle he got Superman for his birthday. … Read more

Barcode Gallery: QR codes become wall art

Modern art is often designed to challenge our sensibilities and push the envelope on the definition of art. Some people may look at a QR code--a boxy type of bar code that often leads back to a URL or message when scanned--and see a jumble of squares. Barcode Gallery looks at a QR code and sees art in action.

Barcode Gallery's custom pieces link to up to 300 characters of text when scanned. That's like having two tweets together. Write your own custom message or choose from ready-to-go college-themed works done in school colors.

I looked up my alma mater, University of Arkansas (Woo Pig Sooie!), and found a bar code that pulls up the words to the school's anthem, a slightly hokey number that mentions the mountains of God and a beacon of hope. No worries, the message can be customized if you wish to make some edits.… Read more

preGame 51: Interview with Ed Boon; Outland demo

On today's preGame we'll interview Mr. Mortal Kombat himself, the co-creator of the entire franchise, Ed Boon. It's been a few weeks since the latest iteration of Mortal Kombat hit store shelves, and we'll ask Mr. Boon all about the game as well as the series' history.

But first we'll run down the hottest gaming news of the week including word that a new Alan Wake game will be hitting the Xbox 360, hopefully this year.

We'll also discuss what Microsoft buying Skype means for Xbox 360 owners and then run through a new … Read more

The 404 818: Where we get more competition through lotion signal (podcast)

Yesterday's Google I/O event announcements give us plenty of Android-related topics to discuss today. As if you needed another reason to fear Google, the company is asking you to invite them into your home with Project Tungsten, which could potentially control any electronic device from irrigation systems to game controllers and even lightbulbs.

Google also teased its new cloud-based music system and a 3.1 update to its Android operating system, but it's not all tech talk, though! Tune in for listener photo submissions for Jeff's Honeybadgers hockey team logo and a review of Fast Five!

The 404 Digest for Episode 818

Google I/O day one: Android is on top. Android.next: Honeycomb 3.1 now, Ice Cream Sandwich later. Google's unlicensed cloud-based music service arrives in beta. Brooklynbri and Kodzo's Honey Badger hockey team logos!

Episode 818 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more