Little

The 404 157: Where we talk with a live goat

On today's show: Libe Goad from AOL's GameDaily.com--the life of a female gamer, sucky upcoming games, Wii Music, Resistance, Little Big Planet, and hating on the Madden series...ULTIMATE GAME DAY!

Now you might think that today's show would be a big snore-fest for me, but the fact that Libe Goad from AOL's GameDaily.com is table-poundingly hilarious totally makes up for it, and I'm almost tempted to say that today was one our funniest shows! Libe tells us what it's like to work with a bunch of nerdy dudes all day … Read more

Little Jackie, 'Crying For The Queen': Free MP3 of the Day

Imani Coppola's new project feels like a fire hydrant busted open on a hot day: It's refreshing, forceful, and pretty much illegal. The frontwoman mashes tart-tongued (but sweet) neo-soul with infectious Motown beats in a way that usually only Cee-Lo and Danger can manage.

Download free MP3 now!

 

E3 2008: Trend alert--cooperative gameplay

Each year, the selection of games on display at E3 reveals what the hottest current trend in the video game industry is at the time--usually manifesting itself as an overused gameplay mechanic that every developer suddenly feels the need to shoehorn into their games.

This year's big buzzword is cooperative gameplay--meaning gamers play together, but are collaborating, rather than competing, to complete the game's goals. This often happens online, where gamers connect via Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network from remote locations.

We've seen several examples this week of the cooperative gameplay mechanic added to games that … Read more

Sony E3 2008 press conference wrap-up

Sony on Tuesday afternoon concluded the trio of press conferences kicking off E3 2008. Here are some of the highlights:

We first got a glimpse of the highly anticipated sequel Resistance 2, set to ship in the fall. The gameplay looked gorgeous and featured a battle with a 300-foot monster. Next up was some time with LittleBigPlanet, shipping in October 2008, a game that will allow users to design, create, and share their own custom levels over the PlayStation Network. MotorStorm: Pacific Drift and SOCOM Confrontation were also briefly shown.

Other PlayStation 3 games were just teased as we saw … Read more

A microlaser for the gadget-freak dentist

We're not sure how comfortable we'd be with our dentist using equipment made by an outfit called Zap Lasers, but it's probably better than a pair of rusty pliars.

The "Styla" is a pen-like device that's billed as the first microlaser for making soft-tissue incisions. Measuring less than 7 inches long and weighing under 2 ounces, it can be used for such procedures as performing biopsies and removing tissue. It can sense whether the person using it is right-or left-handed and, for the novice, even has eight pre-programmed procedures, according to Gizmag. (Shudder.)

A … Read more

Record with your heroes

Correction: The original post implied that the Church is no longer active. In fact, the band has been touring and putting out albums continuously for almost 30 years, and Tim Powles is still their drummer. Apologies for the mistake.

Modern musical technology makes the world smaller.

Example: Seattle band Half Light are big fans of Australian art-rock band The Church. [Disclosure: I played bass with another incarnation of Half Light in 2004 and 2005 and am still friendly with the band.] Americans of a certain age probably remember The Church's 1987 hit "Under the Milky Way," but … Read more

Turn that cavity into a microphone

Talk about a bad case of cell phone addiction. Chinavasion describes this as the ultimate hands-free device, and for good reason: It's a tiny microphone designed to be embedded in the teeth.

If we weren't told otherwise, we'd swear this was an April Fool's prank. But the "Bluetooth Dentacom" is apparently for real, a "composite resin filling" that will "pick up sound and vibrations from your mouth to produce incredibly clear sound," according to GeekAlerts.

But take note of the distributor's advice: "All dental work should be performed … Read more

Little black box combines Core 2 Duo processing, PCI expansion

Stealth Computer let slip a new LittlePC today, one that combines a Core 2 Duo processor with a PCI expansion slot. The LPC-450PCI is basically a Core 2 Duo version of the single-core LPC-350PCI covered here last year. Both models use the same chassis, which is displayed by Thing (the hand) and features room via a riser card for a PCI expansion card.

With a Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of RAM, an optical drive, and a slew of connections--Ethernet, serial, USB 2.0, FireWire, video, audio--this LittlePC packs in many of the features you would find on … Read more

Britney ban at Enterprise-Record extended another month

On Thursday, I wrote about how David Little at the Chico Enterprise-Record issued a decree in his January 20 column declaring that Britney Spears would go unmentioned for at least an entire month in the newspaper's print publication. After salvaging my e-mail from quarantine (neither one of us have any idea why my e-mail ended up marked), David wrote back Thursday night to share the news that the Britney Blackout has been extended for another month. He attached a section of the e-mail he sent out to his staff announcing the decision. I doubt any of you had this written on your calendar, but the E-R's Britney Blackout ends today. Except it doesn't end. Nobody has canceled their newspaper. Not one person has even called or written to complain. And yet approximately 50 people have called, written or told me personally that they are glad we're doing this. ...

Anyway, we're going to do this for another month. Of course, we won't be able to announce that in the newspaper because that would violate our no-BS ban. So we'll quietly continue to keep any mention of Britney out of the newspaper. Not even any secondary references in unrelated stories. Nothing. Not even a mention if she storms the stage at the Oscars on Sunday and, in a drunken stupor, pulls a Janet Jackson. Nothing.

… Read more