fox

Is Facebook really going down on Saturday?

There are some people who believe that being without Facebook means being without themselves.

These people are, therefore, shaking at their sinews this week, fearing Saturday's potential disaster.

Perhaps you are suffering too severely from NBA withdrawal to remember that back in August a member (or not) of hacker collective Anonymous threatened to take down Facebook on Guy Fawkes Day, which happens to be Saturday.

Back then, Anonymous may (or may not) have disavowed this plan of action.

However, I might add to your deep-seated jitters when I tell you that the Twitter account of the anti-Facebook operation, @Op_Facebook, … Read more

Anonymous threatens Fox News Web site over Occupy coverage

Anonymous plans to take down the Fox News Web site on November 5, according to a new video apparently released by the hacker group.

The group said it is targeting the network for what it called biased news coverage of the Occupy Wall Street protests occurring in cities across the country.

The network's "continued right-wing, conservative propaganda against the occupations" is the group's catalyst for its intention of "destroying the Fox News Web site," a digitally generated voice on the video explains. "Since they will not stop belittling the occupiers, we will simply … Read more

The 404 932: Where one size misfits all (podcast)

Whew! Today was an extralong episode, and we start things off speculating about the mysterious location of Grand Theft Auto V. The teaser Web site from Rockstar Games hints at a financial theme, so we're definitely thinking an American city known for its financial institutions...Washington, maybe? Or maybe it's Billings, Mont.? Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, perhaps? We'll know for sure on November 2.

Bringing up GTA inevitably devolves into a discussion on the negative effects of video game violence on children (Godwin's law, too), but luckily the ophthalmologists over at the Micro Surgical Eye Clinic in Kolkata, India, are using games for good.

This team has found that a modified version of the first-person shooting game Unreal Tournament can be used to strengthen the eyesight of teenagers suffering from amblyopia, or "lazy eye syndrome." Still no progress being made on the cure for "lazy everything else" syndrome.… Read more

The 404 927: Where a funny thing happened on the way to work today (podcast)

It's easy to get lost in all the new Android and Windows Phone handsets coming out soon, but CNET's Kent German, Bonnie Cha, and Nicole Lee have us covered. Today Verizon and Motorola announced their latest Droid Razr, a modern incarnation of the original Razr design with a non-bulletproof Kevlar backing and an ultraslim profile.

We also have a leaked shot of the Google Nexus Prime, a first take of the HTC Titan, and a Microsoft patent that encourages you to access touch screens through your pants. Too easy! This and more irreverent stories on today's episode of The 404 Podcast.… Read more

How Steve Jobs, Fox studio chief became friends

Steve Jobs undoubtedly made a strong impression in the tech and entertainment worlds, including on a Fox executive who started out as a potential business partner and eventually became a friend.

Writing about his personal history with Jobs in a recent article for The Hollywood Reporter, Fox Filmed Entertainment CEO Jim Gianopulos recounted both the difficulties and the pleasures of working with the icon.

Though Gianopulos had already known Jobs for several years, the two were put in the position of negotiating with each other in the spring and summer of 2006 when Apple was trying to expand iTunes to … Read more

Firefox 7 gives back your PC's brains--or at least, its memory

The bottom line: Firefox 7 is a worthy expression of Mozilla's ideals. The browser is competitively fast, sports a new minimalist look, and includes some excellently executed features. Unfortunately, that describes most of Firefox's competition, too.

Review: The third version of Firefox to come under the new rapid-release aegis, Firefox 7 follows in the footsteps of Google Chrome, which adopted the rapid-release cycle a while ago and is now up to version 14 (at the time this review was written) despite having its first release only in 2008.

Firefox 4 had a massive impact on Firefox 5 and … Read more

Firefox 7 gives back your PC's brains--or at least, its memory

Firefox 4 had a massive impact on Firefox 5 and … Read more

Firefox 7 gives back your PC's brains--or at least, its memory

Firefox 4 had a massive impact on Firefox 5 and … Read more

The 404 911: Where we put our ear to the cloud (podcast)

Welcome to the bigger and beefier 404 Podcast! With Buzz Out Loud going weekly, we're taking the reins and reporting all the daily tech news headlines in addition all the discussion topics, voice mails, and jokes at Wilson's expense you've come to expect from our show.

We're also superexcited to have SoundCloud CEO Alexander Ljung in the studio for the second part of today's episode. SoundCloud.com is a music-streaming service that allows anyone to upload and share music across multiple platforms--blogs, direct links, and even cross-platform properties like Outloud.fm and Headliner.fm.

Alexander tells us all about how the company started with just a few musicians playing songs for one another, then slowly grew into a service with over 5 million active users uploading, playing, and sharing music. We'll also talk to him about SoundCloud's partnership with Facebook announced last week at the company's F8 Developers Conference, and what you can expect from the Web service in the coming months.

Stay tuned after the break for more discussion topics about this weekend's Facebook paid-services hoax, more Facebook privacy flaws, and more!

The 404 Digest for Episode 911

Amazon is set to announce a tablet on Wednesday. Amazon Instant adds FOX movies and TV shows. Netflix gets DreamWorks movies. More Motorola Xoom 2 leaks: Two models? Apple slashes fourth-quarter iPad orders, report says. Yes, Google Drive is coming. For real this time. Hoax! Fake Facebook fees. "Read" in Facebook--it's not a button, so be careful what you click! SoundCloud opens its first U.S. office in San Francisco. Outloud.fm lets you share tracks from SoundCloud. Follow Alexander Ljung on Twitter. Bathroom-break videos of the day: Boston Terrier dog likes his belly tickled and a cat's first day of exercise.

Episode 911 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Amazon adds Fox content to instant video streaming

Thanks to a new licensing deal Amazon has made with 20th Century Fox, later this fall Amazon Prime members will be able to instantly stream such TV shows as "24," "The X-Files," and "Arrested Development" and such movies as "Office Space" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

The deal will bring the total number of "free" Prime instant videos to more than 11,000 movies and TV shows as Amazon continues its efforts to match up with Netflix in the digital streaming arena.

Amazon Prime currently costs $79 a year and allows members to get free two-day shipping on many products Amazon sells. Amazon is heavily pushing the program with enticements like video streaming because it stands to reason that Prime members are Amazon's most loyal shoppers. … Read more