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On today's 404 episode, we'll solve the mystery of phantom cell phone vibrations and why we're so often tricked into thinking our phones have a mind of their own. One psychologist from the University of Sydney thinks that it has to do with electrical currents running through parts of the body surrounding the phone, while another professor of psychology believes it's in ours heads, that our addiction to technology has made us paranoid about e-notifications.

Walking around New York in this heatwave is enough of a workout for anyone these days, but some gym-goers in Canada are so sick of skinny people making them look bad that they've issued a ban on anyone that can't be described as "plus size."

According to the NY Daily News, Body Exchange gym in Vancouver claims to be a "safe haven" for overweight people that feel scrutinized when they work out next to those without an addiction to food. Unfortunately, we'll have to defer to Richard to comment on this story, as neither Jeff nor I have ever been inside a gym.… Read more

The new Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display announced earlier this week just got an Editors' Choice review on CNET, but some die-hard tinkerers are upset about the lack of upgradeable components inside. According to iFixit.org, the latest MacBook Pro is the least reparable Apple laptop to date.

For starters, users are locked into the amount of RAM they choose at the purchase date, as the memory is actually soldered to the logic board. The proprietary solid-state hard drive is staying put as well, and watch out for a couple of booby traps concealed underneath the lithium-polymer battery! The laptop certainly remains incomparable in terms of display, I/O ports, and chassis, but keep in mind that your upgrade options down the line are severely limited if you go with this model.… Read more

Reddit is taking aim at some media heavyweights to reduce spam on the site.

The popular link-sharing site has banned a half-dozen prominent sites, including TheAtlantic.com and BusinessWeek.com, according to a recently created subreddit. Other banned sites include Phys.org, ScienceDaily.com, and GlobalPost.

Reddit users who try to submit links to these sites are greeted with a message that informs them that "this domain has been banned for spamming and/or cheating."

The site announced a crackdown on spammers last week but only specifically mentioned that it would now employ link shorteners:

You have marathoned all of the "Star Wars" movies (even the prequels) until your eyes fell out. Your dog is named Princess Leia and your cat is named Mr. Lucas. You own a double-telescoping Luke Skywalker action figure.

You have everything! Except an AT-AT Walker cat condo, that is. Reddit user BillyAppletini wins the "best friend in the galaxy" award for building his "Star Wars" fan buddy the CAT-AT, a massive Walker-shaped cat condo.… Read more

Sprint and HTC are gearing up for a big announcement. Linux and Android's not-so-secret affair goes public, and the Galaxy S II plus one equals Galaxy S III. We will check out the latest rumors surrounding what could be the next big phone on this week's episode of Android Atlas Weekly.

NEWS:

-Samsung Galaxy S III image could be the real thing

-Samsung-Galaxy-SIII-to-allow-for-wireless-charging-up-to-2-meters-away/

-Sprint and HTC hosting big event April 4

-Linux and Android together at last… Read more

Along with the news that Reddit was spinning out into an independent company last September, the community-curated site also said it was searching for a new CEO.

That new CEO started the job today. Yishan Wong comes to Reddit with an engineering and management background; his last position was Director of Engineering for Facebook.

In a blog post, Wong writes that he was shocked to learn he got the position because even though he had worked at startups and managed large teams of engineers, he didn't have previous CEO experience.

"At first, I didn't really quite believe … Read more

If you were dying, what would your friends do for you? What about those whom you admire, but have never met?

Nachu Bhatnagar has cancer. It is terminal. He may have only months to live. His friend, whose Reddit handle is Kivakid, wanted to find some way to please Bhatnagar beyond the norm.

It so happens that Bhatnagar adores The War That Came Early, Harry Turtledove's alternate history series.

So Kivakid decided that he'd try--with the help of Redditors--to contact Turtledove and ask if there was any way he would reveal his latest work (due to be published … Read more

In response a great deal of criticism and controversy, Reddit has decided to ban the posting of sexually suggestive or exploitive images of minors.

After years of dealing with child pornography on a case-by-case basis, the social news site announced today that it would ban all subreddits that focus on the sexualization of children. Beyond obviously illegal content, the large amount of content in a legal grey area eventually convinced the site's administrators that its previous policy had "become unsustainable."

"We have changed our policy because interpreting the vague and debated legal guidelines on a case … Read more

Actors tend to live in their own world, one in which they are at the center and the rest of us are at the movies.

Perhaps this slightly skewed world view might have contributed to a troubling encounter between Woody Harrelson and Redditors.

The "Cheers" and "White Men Can't Jump" actor agreed to a 15-minute session called "Ask Me Anything." The name is a little on the subtle side, but essentially, on agreeing to participate, one should be prepared for anything.

This isn't quite the fawning of "Inside the Actor's … Read more