Lifestyle

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Amazon's Kindle Worlds will pay writers to write fan fiction.

- Hire your favorite musician to write you a song .

- And now a reading from the worst fan fiction I've ever read.

- Follow Russ Frushtick on Twitter.… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- All of CNET's coverage of yesterday's Xbox One event.

- Here's what we know about Xbox One games.

- Microsoft talks Xbox One naming, privacy and more (Q&A).

- Sharon Vaknin and CNET Reviews' John Falcone at last night's Webby Awards.

- Courts turning to UrbanDictionary as an authoritative source on slang. And here's The 404's contribution to UrbanDictionary.… Read more

For many of us, the video below of Matthew Gough falling 1,000 feet after his parachute malfunctioned during a BASE jump is like watching a common nightmare brought to life.

Remarkably, the video bears even more similarities to that horrible falling dream than first meets the eye, in that in the end, everything -- including 25-year-old Gough himself -- is just fine.

The entire thing was captured on film, including from the vantage point of Gough's own helmet cam, which looks to be a GoPro Hero3.… Read more

We like to give advice to the less perfect here, principally because the perfect tend not to feel they need advice.

When it comes to those who rob, pilfer, or otherwise break the law, we tend to suggest that they don't taunt the police. Another suggestion is to turn off your phone.

This latter suggestion might have been useful for two men who stand accused of taking things that weren't theirs from a car.

Police in Fresno, Calif., say that a 911 operator received a call. No one was on the other end.

However, the dispatcher decided to keep listening and then, as KJRH-TV reports, voices were heard.… Read more

After researching a device that draws energy from knee movement, some mechanical engineering students at Rice University decided to see if they could get the same result from another, less intrusive wearable item: a shoe.

With help from the Movement Analysis Laboratory at Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston, the resulting PediPower shoes harness energy from the force of the heel hitting the ground. The prototype -- while admittedly big, unattractive, and impractical to wear 100 percent of the time (think sleeping, showering, etc.) -- demonstrates that the simple act of walking may one day power a wide range of … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Yahoo confirms $1.1B Tumblr buy, promises "not to screw it up."

- WordPress: 72K blog posts exited Tumblr in one hour over Yahoo deal.

- Tumblr CEO David Karp was on the 404 almost five years ago to the date.

- Australian politician sorry for "liking" Facebook photo of teenager's genitals.

- Nintendo claims ownership over gamer fanvids on YouTube.

Bathroom break video: Smooth McGroove sings an a capella cover of the Chemical Plant Zone music from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Wrapping up CNET's coverage of Google I/O 2013.

- Nerd fight!

- Follow Bridget on the Twitter.

- Watch CNET Update every single day of your life.

- Make sure you tune in to find out how you can win one of six MLB/NBA 2K Sports prize packs!… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- CNET's full coverage of today's Google I/O 2013 event.

- Get out of the sun!

- Follow Jill on Twitter.

- Check out Jill's new site.… Read more

Google says it has rebuilt Google Maps for the Web with a new version that's more immersive and social.

The new version takes a page from Google's mobile efforts by putting the search box inside the map and making use of cards -- Google's take on interactive information widgets.

"It's simple and powerful. The map is the user interface," Google's Bernhard Seefeld told attendees at the company's annual developers conference, where the new Web service was unveiled.

When users click on locations, information about those areas appears on cards. Information can include … Read more