hacks

Coolest Kinect hacks we've spotted so far

The Kinect is already bringing the good times to families and booze-fueled halls of residence, but we should spare a minute to thank the hard-working techie types of the world who've devoted themselves to cracking open Microsoft's motion-controlled accessory and feasting on the gadgety goodness within.

The Kinect has been out for a little more than a week, but enterprising hackers are already finding unusual ways to put the sensor bar's 3D imaging capabilities to good use.

Read more of "Coolest Kinect hacks: Our favorite motion-sensor experiments" at Crave UK.

'Sh*tMyDadSays' Twitter feed hacked

There is never enough time in the day for fun. And hackers do like to have their fair share.

However, I am concerned that perhaps they are sometimes being too hasty and too thoughtless in their frolics around the Web.

You see, the rather popular Sh*tMyDadSays Twitter feed, which offers the real sayings of a slightly jaded former nuclear medicine worker, has been hacked. I suppose that when you have almost 2 million followers you become prey to this sort of thing, so perhaps no one should really be all that surprised.

Security expert Sophos explained that a post … Read more

iOS 4.2 beta jailbroken for iPad

Jailbreaker iH8sn0w has released images of an iPad running the MobileTerminal jailbreak application, exposing the command line to users, suggesting that the iOS 4.2 firmware (still in beta) will be jailbroken upon its release this November.

This news is good for anyone who supports the jailbreak community and wants to have a jailbroken iPad running iOS 4.2 on day one.

Fifteen-year-old hacker iH8sn0w is a proven resource in the jailbreaking world, responsible for Sn0wbreeze, iReb, iDetector, and f0recast. iPhoneWorld has a nice interview with iH8sn0w if you'd like to learn more about him and his experiences in … Read more

Hackers show Gene Simmons where he can kiss it

If you've ever allowed yourself to be subjected to Kiss songs, you'll know that they are jolly, somewhat empty-headed, and entirely innocent.

If you've ever allowed yourself to be subjected to a reality show called "Gene Simmons' Family Jewels," you'll know that the Kiss frontman is a man with a lovely family, experience of plastic surgery, and opinions that suggest a slight smattering of oldy-worldy self-righteousness.

How entirely stunning, then, that this wealthy aging, platform-booted man seems to have encountered a little difficulty with those who are able to put the digital boot in … Read more

The 404 687: Where this is highly unorthodox (podcast)

Today on The 404, we use Justin's absence as a way to introduce a new friend of the show, "Stoopid" Andy. Ironically enough, Andy isn't as dumb as his name implies as we all learn the man is quite the nerd. Andy shares some geek secrets on hacking DVR boxes and spending weekends reprogramming drivers.

Also joining us today is longtime 404 friend and guest Kenley, aka "Flow." We'll chat about Apple's initiative to trademark "There's an app for that," and other commonly used phrases countless people utter every single day. Then it's off to a discussion about the iPad hitting other carriers, which leads to a heated conversation about the inevitable fallout resulting from the iPhone's migration to Verizon.

Finally, we all try to come up with ways we'd take advantage of Taskrabbit.com, the service that allows customers to outsource common tasks. Of course, we can't think of anything that wouldn't be illegal, so if you've got ideas, feel free to send them our way.

Episode 687 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Dev-Team shows jailbreak for 2nd-gen Apple TV

The iPhone Dev-Team has been using a tool called Shatter to jailbreak iPhones and iPod Touches running iOS 4.1. It's not in userland yet--meaning, no, it's not ready for you to download and try--but it's a very promising jailbreak. It uses an exploit at a very low level of iOS that they say Apple might not be able to patch easily.

Shatter isn't just for iPhones and iPod Touches, it seems. A video recently posted on the Dev-Team's blog shows the exploit being applied to the new Apple TV. Right now, it doesn't … Read more

Tubemote brings its remote controls to other sites

"We just released an API!" are usually words that make my brain glaze over like a Krispy Kreme doughnut. But in the case of Tubemote, which now has its own API, there's some very neat stuff going on behind the scenes that turns the Web-based remote control service into a full-fledged remote control platform for other sites.

Tubemote's primary function is letting people utilize a cell phone or spare computer as a way to control YouTube video playback on another machine. The service acts as an intermediary, letting the person who's in control do a … Read more

Google Docs coming to Android, iPad

  Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded: Napster debuts on iOS VLC player for iPad Beware of the Twitter Hack HP's tablet and printer device iPad editing in Google Docs

The 404 670: Where we mouse on over to OnMouseOver (podcast)

If you noticed strange black blocks covering text on the Twitter homepage, one of your friends likely fell victim to a new hack that exploits Twitter's Web interface. The exploit was discovered early this morning by security firm Sophos, which realized that if you put the JavaScript code "onmouseover" into a URL in a tweet, a user can make a pop-up window emerge just by hovering over the link.

"Mouseover" hacks aren't new, and CNET reporter Caroline McCarthy tells us they've been used within e-mails in the past, but the fire is out...for now. In the interim, we recommend you use third-party sources like TweetDeck--at least until Twitter beefs up its security.

We've been talking about "The Social Network" for a few weeks now, and although we're all still skeptical about a movie based on a Web site, we're willing to check it out, and we want you to join us! We're giving away 20 pairs of tickets for a sneak preview showing of "The Social Network" on Tuesday, September 28 at a theater in Manhattan, and all you have to do is 1. FOLLOW @THE404 and 2. TWEET OUT this message:

If you're near NYC, FOLLOW @the404 and RT this for a chance to win a pair of tix to see The Social Network on 9/28 the404.cnet.com

...and you're entered to win! Don't forget that the theater is in Manhattan, so be sure you can get to the showing on September 28 if you enter. Winners will be chosen at random on Friday, September 24, so start tweeting!

Speaking of get-togethers, we're in the midst of organizing a 404 meetup! Our target date is Thursday, October 7, and the tentative location is The Frying Pan bar off of Pier 66 here in NYC, so save the date and we'll send out an official Meetup RSVP soon!

Episode 670 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more