geek

Warning: If you don't like strangers touching you, you may not want to wear this jacket covered in keyboard keys. Because you just know everyone who sees you in this keyboard on a hanger will want to get up in your business and pretend to type all over your nerdy self. Ctrl+Alt+Del, people!

We don't have much more information on this coat of many keys, which was originally spotted on photo-sharing site Piccsy. And that's a shame, because we can think of a few geeks who would look darn dashing pairing it with, say, a Twitter T-shirt or Nintendo sweater. … Read more

For some at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival (SXSW), the goal is funding. For others, it is networking. But some seek some other lasting and uplifting joys.

While there will, no doubt, be many fine presentations that will stimulate tech minds to reach for higher goals, one of the first wanted to stimulate tech minds about something important for many attendees--stimulating tech bodies.

Violet Blue, who seems to be something of an expert on all things sexual, yesterday offered a practical guide to geek sex.

I wasn't aware there was anything different about technologically obsessed carnality. However, Blue … Read more

This year's Toy Fair in New York City was a little lacking in big-ticket excitement, but there were a few surprises for office geeks such as myself. Nanodots are high-powered mini magnetic balls, perfect for whiling away fidgety minutes at a desk. They come in packs of 216, cost around $30-$40 a set, and are tremendously addictive (just keep them away from small children--they're quite dangerous if swallowed). The problem with them generally tends to be finding a place to put them. They roll, they damage sensitive electronics, and they're easy to misplace.

The $20 Nanopad is a mat woven with iron, heavy and dense like one of those aprons you wear for dental X-rays. Nanodots stick to it like glue, and won't slide around and glom on to each other. On one side is a printed chessboard, perfect for building your own chess/checker/made-up board game set, if your inner geek dares. … Read more

LAS VEGAS--Earlier today we heard about Fling, Ten One Design's latest attempt at giving the iPad a legitimate input device for gaming. Its tiny suction cups stick on to the surface of the iPad, giving you the closest thing to an actual button we've seen yet on an iPad.

A few hours later we're hearing about a much more traditional take on the situation, ThinkGeek's JoyStick-IT. The Joystick-IT accessory appears to work the same way as Fling, allowing users to center an actual chrome joystick wherever they see fit.

These two items are the first of … Read more

While holiday shopping, we ran across these hilarious fake gift boxes, purporting to contain an outrageous assortment of high-tech gadgets (and we promptly ordered a two-pack from ThinkGeek for our own holiday pranking).

These are simple rectangular cardboard boxes, each printed with art and copy purporting to tout a fantastic gift-ready gadget. Of course, none of these devices actually exists; these are just dummy boxes for you to use to disguise your own gifts. After getting the iArm tablet forearm mount and the automated PetPetter, we checked out the manufacturer's Web site at prankpack.com and found several other winners, which we present here in handy slideshow format. … Read more

It may not be breaking news, but ThinkGeek's nifty Personal Soundtrack Shirt might be the perfect gift for the audiophile in your life. The T-shirt features a working speaker, and when you push the appropriate button on the wired remote you get music or sound effects. If you don't like the built-in sounds, pop in your own SD memory card loaded with MP3 files. Or play sound from your portable audio player through the speaker on the front of the shirt. Simply connect the player to the "input" jack on the battery box of the shirt. … Read more

The convergence of TVs and computers has been promised for decades, but remains largely unknown for most people outside of the tech world. Fortunately, Google aims to change all that with its Internet-connected Google TV Platform.

Google TV promises to let viewers watch video from a variety of sources--so far YouTube, Vevo, HBO, TBS and even our own CNET TV will have apps available. The big broadcast networks like ABC, CBS and NBC are taking a wait-and-see approach. But Google TV promises you even more, with the ability to search and browse the Web, record your favorite TV programs, and even control the whole experience from your cell phone.

Logitech is holding a news conference today for its own Google TV product, the Logitech Revue, and CNET is at there covering all the news as it happens. Check back again next week when Sony launches its own Google-TV powered box on October 12.

Next up on today's show we're calling BS on an image of a public Twitter booth that recently popped up on Russian Livejournal, aka the premiere site for tech news coverage.

America has its own share of Internet kiosks, but we have a hard time imagining the kind of tweet that would require you to drop everything and pay money to send it out...from a park. We could be wrong, though, so send us a photo if you spot a Twitter kiosk in the wild.

This is the second-to-the-last reminder you're going to get about our official Fall 404 Meetup tomorrow, October 7 at the Frying Pan Bar in New York City.

Join us tomorrow from 7:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., and an early thanks to the Pan for hooking it up with $15 wristbands good for open beer, well drinks, and wine for the duration of the Meetup!

We'd like to give them an idea of who's coming, so head over to The 404 Meetup page and RSVP for the event (Meetup.com registration required). We'll see you there!

"Bringing a date to a wedding is like taking a deer carcass on a hunting trip." Des Moines from Shane left us one of the best voice mails we've listened to in a while, so thanks for the advice, dude! On today's episode of The 404 Podcast, we're looking at some of the most inappropriate Halloween costumes of all time. Plus, a preview of the upcoming Sonic 4, and a list of catchphrases every 404 fan should use at least once a day!

Sonic the Hedgehog is one of the most recognizable titles of all time, right up there with Mario and Tetris. Even an anti-gaming Luddite like myself can appreciate its simple objective: to run as fast as possible while decimating anything that gets in your way. Also, coins.

The next evolution, Sonic 4, is a throwback to the original games but this time with HD gameplay, so look for it in stores for the Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, and the Xbox 360, and it'll be featured on a future episode of CNET's PreGame as well!

The next story in the daily rundown is a public Twitter booth spotted in Russia, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow because we'd rather talk about the most inappropriate Halloween costumes of all time. Watch Wilson's head explode and follow along as we show off a couple controversial costumes, including the sexy Finding Nemo, the Suicide Bomber children's outfit, the "Shocker," and one other play on word costume that brings Wilson to tears- don't miss this segment!

We spent the first half of yesterday's show talking about the disturbing world of Renaissance faires, and I told a story about a young fan of The 404 who spotted me in attendance but couldn't stay long to talk with his mother in tow.

Well, he actually called us up with a voice mail that illustrates exactly how bad my sense of observation is--sorry dude! Come to our Meetup at The Frying Pan this Thursday, October 7, and I'll buy you a drink! If you're not a member of our Meetup Group, sign up for more details and RSVP if you can make it!

Here are the meetup details.

I was stoked to answer my door yesterday to see a package from ThinkGeek. Last week, I wrote about the awesome U.S.S. Enterprise Star Trek pizza cutter it's selling and strongly hinted that I wanted one. Someone very nice listened. I'm going to make pizza tonight.

I eagerly opened the box and was struck by the minimalist, almost Apple-esque design of the packaging.

Behold the very simple foam on the top: It's a rectangle, and that is all. But what is beneath?

It's a tease. A peek at the Enterprise's nacelles, the domain of Scotty. To the front, over the saucer, is a saucer itself of more foam. A perfect, simple circle. No extra papers, no coupons, no extras.

… Read more