twitter

Twitter developer claims the "the internet is built wrong"

In a recent article, Alex Payne, API Lead at Twitter, claims that the internet is broken. While some of his arguments may have merit, it's a shockingly bizarre PR tactic to come out against something (especially the internet) when your own stuff is broken. Especially the APIs!

The basis of his argument is that the internet is "in production" but there are scaling issues such as IPv4 and now we have to rethink how to fix them. True, but maybe he can give IM back to Twitter users in his spare time.

In true ironic reality show … Read more

CNET Car Tech is on Twitter

Have you ever wondered what's happening right now at CNET Car Tech? Perhaps you'd like to know what vehicles are currently in the CNET garage. Maybe you'd just like a heads-up on the next time Wayne and I will be appearing on CNET Editors' Office Hours, so you can tune in with your questions.

Well, now you can follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CNETCarTech, where Car Tech Editor Antuan Goodwin will be keeping you posted on all of the newest reviews, videos, special features, and car-related mischief going on here at Car Tech.

Visit CNET Car Tech's Twitter page.… Read more

The 404 214: Where everybody hurts...sometimes

Justin feels blue before the show, but a group hug and a little well-placed bromance sets him right. It's a touching prelude to what is perhaps the 404's raunchiest show ever! In other news, NASA combats space depression with virtual therapy, the Army reads terrorist tweets, and a shocking number of sex addicts are women. Also, please don't trust your GPS navigator too much. Check out The 404's exclusive scoop on Mac's newest OS--it's tight and supports multitouch functionality!

Dan the Mantern here. On today's show we discuss a timeless question that doe-eyed youths have asked their parents for ages: "What happens when you fart in space?" Apparently, letting one loose in an infinite vacuum can have much more dire consequences than one might believe. Farting inside of a space suit can be dangerous, if you try to let the stank out while doing a space walk. Unfortunately, the likelihood of a well-time fart inside the space station becoming a source of DIY zero-gravity propulsion is low, according to one Canadian astronaut. Finally, check out this dramatic interpretation of a space fart from Disney's 1997 classic Rocket Man.

EPISODE 214 Download today's podcast … Read more

U.S. Army warns of twittering terrorists

The U.S. intelligence community is concerned that terrorists might use micro-blogging tool Twitter to coordinate attacks, according to a purported draft Army intelligence report posted on the Web.

The report--present by the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion and posted to the Federation of American Scientists Web site--examines the possible ways terrorists could use mobile and Web technologies such as the Global Positioning System, digital maps, and Twitter mashups to plan and execute terrorist attacks.

The report (PDF), which appears to have been first presented earlier this month, was reported Friday by Wired magazine's Noah Shachtman. A chapter titled "… Read more

Six social secretaries for Twitter

Maintaining healthy Twitter relationships takes a bit of work. In polite Twitter society, it is important that you spend the time performing upkeep on your social register of those you are following, since there are many people who may take offense if they follow you, and you do not follow them back. And we would certainly not want that.

Of course, one doesn't necessarily want to follow all one's followers. One is not keen to appear needy.

Unfortunately, keeping up with who's following you so you can decide whether to follow them back isn't easy on … Read more

The 404 211: Where Wilson wears a BeenVerified condom all day

Our reservoir of embarrassing stories about Jeff is bottoming out, so we're happy to welcome his old chums from BeenVerified.com to refill the glass. Josh, Ross, and Jay are ushering in a new generation of background checks for employers and job seekers, but today they're not afraid to use their powers for evil to dish the dirt on our fellow co-host. They also help us weigh in on virtual larceny, the problem with young whippersnappers, how to answer a professional call of doodie, and Josh spouts praise for his favorite luxury gadget: the $5,000 toilet.

We spend the first half of the show talking to the guys about their brand-new company, BeenVerified. They're no strangers to starting innovative sites, and this one is no different. In an age where employers are starting to perform pseudo background checks through social networking sites like FaceBook and MySpace, BeenVerified takes it a step forward and offers a background checking service for employers and job seekers alike. After talking to Josh, Ross, and Jay, we're afraid to see how many skeletons in our respective closets, but here's the beauty of the site: users must approve the release of their information to the public before anyone can see it, so if don't want to be exposed, just say no! Of course, seekers will benefit from being an open book in general, so let that freak flag fly. Best of all, you can apply it to other transactions in your personal life, for example, screening Craigslist meetups, online daters, and nannies. Listen to today's knee-slappin' show and check out the animated short below for more about BeenVerified.

Episode 211 Download today's podcast … Read more

Tweet me, baby, one more time

When we heard that pop singer Britney Spears was reinventing herself, we didn't know it involved a Twitter account.

But it's true--go to the newly revamped BritneySpears.com, and check it out. You can "Friend Britney" not only on Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, and Britney's own "VIP" social network, but also Twitter. For obvious reasons, it's not actually Spears doing the Twittering. But you can still get updates like "OMG!! 7 hours until Womanizer premieres!!!!!!!" ("Womanizer" is Spears' latest hit single) and "Hey paparazzi...Rolling Stone cover rumors? … Read more

Qwitter plays on Twitterer's insecurities

A new service, called Qwitter, has debuted today, allowing users to find out when others stop following them on Twitter. From time to time, you are going to lose followers, whether it be because you have said something that your followers don't agree with, or because they no longer find your tweets relevant or interesting. Services like Facebook and Twitter intentionally don't expose the data for when someone de-friends or un-follows you because it can potentially be a sensitive issue. Qwitter is trying to tap into the "too curious for their own good" market.

After signing … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 833: Adobe, the mad wizards of Orthanc

Anything that nerdy had to come from Tom. And it did. Rafe Needleman joins the cast today to discuss waiting for Windows 7 (Steve Ballmer says it's OK), the fury over FireWire being omitted from the MacBooks reaches a fever pitch--so much so that Steve Jobs himself sends an e-mail in response. His response? A fairly typical, "Sorry, suckers. Upgrade."

Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 833

Ballmer: It’s OK to wait for Windows 7 http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10067641-92.html

Microsoft Considers “Instant On” Windows http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/10/16/1710207… Read more