match

Have you lost hope?

Are you sick of slogging away on sites such as Match.com and eHarmony.com to find the partner of your dreams? Or at least the partner who will put up with your dead lizard collection, your back hair, and your difficult morning breath?

Then perhaps it is time to be honest with yourself. Perhaps it is time to look in the mirror and decide that you should be at the Ugly Bug Ball. Or, more accurately, on it.

The Ugly Bug Ball is a dating site for those who are aesthetically challenged. That is the … Read more

Microsoft sure is drumming up excitement for its forthcoming Windows Phone 7 smartphones. In addition to next Monday's big announcement in New York, a Microsoft team was here in San Francisco, showing off music apps as part of the Billboard Music Entertainment Live event preceding CTIA (see all CNET coverage).

We got a private hands-on tour of Slacker Radio, I Heart Radio, and MusixMatch apps prior to a showcase event.

Each of the apps for Windows Phone is similar to its counterpart on other mobile platforms with a few unique exceptions and additions--Slacker Radio won't launch with offline … Read more

Preschool Memory Match is a high-quality, Concentration-style card-matching game designed for preschoolers.

Like similar apps, the primary interface for Preschool Memory Match is a small grid of cards, which kids can touch to flip over momentarily as they search for matching pairs. What sets Preschool Memory Match apart is its overall quality and production values: the interface is quick and responsive (perfect for jabby little fingers, with a just-right pause between card flips), the cards are colorful and numerous (with more than 220 different cards, each with distinct, well-done illustrations), and the sound and voice-over are excellent (when kids find … Read more

Jack White (White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather) has a cool video demonstrating his "triple-decker," three-records-in-one 12-inch single, "Blue Blood Blues." You have to watch the video to see exactly how the technology works, but let's just say for now it's a 7 inch 45 rpm single glued to one side of a 12-inch single; but the 12-inch can be pried open to retrieve another 45! It's a limited to 300 edition so I'm sure it'll sell out quickly. The Triple-Decker Record is a Jack White invention; and it's assembled by … Read more

Flipn' Monsters is a clever, comical take on traditional card-matching games like Memory, and it's easy enough for kids but with an arcade mode that's addictive even for older gamers.

The object of the game's classic mode is simple: You flip cards over one at a time with a single tap, matching identical pairs on a three-by-six grid. A timer clocks your speed and records your best time. The cards feature nine different colorful monsters, which are distinct enough to be memorable but similar enough to provide a challenge. The game's arcade mode is much more … Read more

Excel can be a very useful tool for managing large quantities of information, but it's not always easy to combine data from different tables in a meaningful way. Merge Tables Wizard for Microsoft Excel is a handy add-on that automates the merging process, making it easy for even novice Excel users to merge tables like pros.

The program installs easily and appears as its own easy-to-find tab in the Excel menu. The program is designed to work as a wizard, guiding users through each step of the set-up process. Users simply select the relevant cells in the master table … Read more

Hey 404 listeners, we're having some trouble with the iTunes feed, so we're hoping this new blog will address the issue. Thanks for your patience!

Your friends, The 404

Check back soon for video, sorry for the delay!… Read more

Natali Del Conte is back from a quick trip to Europe and will be on the show every Thursday to get down with the nerdy dirty. We're hoping that she'll also help us raise $1,000,000 for a bid on Sex.com. The domain has a rich history of ownership and even spurned a book based on its popularity. The site originally belonged to Gary Kremen, founder of Match.com, then changed hands for 14 million dollars to a company called Escom, and is up for auction next month as part of a foreclosure deal. We each have our own ideas about what we would do with it, but we can all get into the idea of broadcasting the Official Sex.com Podcast. If nothing else, the SEO would work much better than The 404.

Rock Band 3 has already been confirmed for the 2010 holiday season, but fans of the franchise can get their Gaga on next week singing the pop star's hit singles "Bad Romance," "Just Dance," "Monster," and "Poker Face." Being the unabashed Lady Gaga fan that I am, I'm obviously ecstatic, but since I don't personally own a gaming console, the best solution would be for YOU to buy it, send me a Twitter message with your address, and I'll be there within the hour. See you soon!

While we're on my favorite topic of conversation, Sony deserves a mention for unveiling its new PS3 motion controller called Move at this year's Game Developers Conference. Phallic though it may appear, the light on top of the handheld device apparently serves a purpose, although you'll have to listen to Jeff's explanation to get the full story, because I'm still scratching my head. Sony hopes that the move will gain popularity among both casual and hardcore gamers, with games that let players simulate sword fights, bows and arrows, guns, and more. You can purchase a Move starter kit this fall that includes the controller, a PlayStation eye camera, and a game all for less than $100. More details to follow!

A very special thanks to 404 listener Bernard in Ottawa for sending us one of the best voice mails we've ever played on Calls From the Public. He calls in reference to Monday's discussion about "Legend of the Guardians," aka Owl Movie, and his delivery has Jeff in tears. It's so good, in fact, that we posted it online for you to hear, so check it out!

Coca-Cola on Thursday launched a facial-matching Facebook application called the Coke Zero Facial Profiler.

As long as users have at least three photos of themselves in their Facebook profile, the application searches across other pictures from Facebook users that have used the app to find someone whose face matches theirs most accurately. Those that don't have three images can either upload a picture into the app from their desktop or capture a picture from their Webcam.

I had a chance to use the app this afternoon. After it is added to your profile, you can immediately direct it to … Read more