kids

It's the kind of skill normally picked up only on the street, but Machine Project, a nonprofit community space in Los Angeles, held a workshop covering the basics of lock mechanics.

"The Good Kids' Guide to Being a Bit Bad: Cars Edition" taught a group of children, aged 7 and up, the ins and outs of breaking into and hot-wiring cars. Instructors and writers Tom Jennings and Jason Torchinsky introduced the pint-sized students to the tools of this illicit trade, such as putty knives and coat hangers, and explained how they can be used to trigger locks … Read more

Like many free applications, The Hat from Harmony Hollow Software uses software to do something usually done "the hard way." In this case, it's drawing names from a hat, the time-honored method for randomly selecting individual entries from a group. The app can randomize a list of names so no one can complain about who goes first and who goes last. It can also draw individual names or pairs of names for raffles, sweepstakes, and ongoing contests. It does this all without requiring you to actually write down names, cut up the list, and throw it all … Read more

With the launch of the Nook Color, Barnes & Noble has been making a big push into color children's books, and now the company has launched a separate Nook Kids app for the iPad. Ostensibly, the app, which is also available for the iPhone, is designed for children, but it's really targeted toward parents with kids.

Barnes & Noble says that it currently has 100 new digital picture books available for sale with more on the way. These same books are available for the Nook Color and can be synced between the two devices. We assume a Nook … Read more

Never before has cupcake accessibility been easier. The cult of the cupcake has taken on epic proportions: from dedicated bakeries to food trucks specializing in the sweet treats, cupcakes are readily available practically anytime, anywhere. It is easy to see why; they are small, portable, and sweet. However if your town hasn't yet jumped on the cupcake bandwagon, there is still hope.

Cupcakes have always been rather easy to bake, but that doesn't mean that it couldn't be made easier. The Sunbeam FPSBCML900 Cupcake Maker, which is available at Target, is a delightful little appliance that bakes … Read more

Here's a spectacular gift item for your favorite Wii user--especially if he or she is under the age of 10.

Buy.com has the Nickelodeon Fun N Fit board and videogame bundle for $69.99 shipped. That's about 30 bucks less than you'd pay at most places for the traditional Wii Fit bundle.

Nickelodeon's version includes not just the balance board (modeled in fairly hideous colors, I must admit), but also the Nickelodeon Fit game (which, FYI, sells for about $40 by itself). Needless to say, it's a children-oriented title aimed at whipping youngsters into … Read more

These days, IT knowledge isn't just good to have, but apparently a must-have even for pre-schoolers. So, instead of spending money on a laptop-like toy with a tiny LCD screen this holiday season, why not get a real child-proof Netbook that will last the kid through his destructive years?

The PeeWee Pivot 2.0--a follow-up to the PeeWee Pivot Laptop Tablet--is a convertible laptop running on the previous-generation Atom N450 1.66GHz processor and integrated graphics chip. While $599 is pretty expensive for these specifications (considering a similar Netbook retails for about $300 these days), what sets the PeeWee Pivot 2.0 apart are its ruggedized features, 10.1-inch resistive touch screen and prebundled education software.

It even comes with a spill-resistant keyboard and accelerometer for auto screen rotation. This minilaptop was tested to survive drops up to 1.6 feet, which should help keep it ticking in the hands of most children. … Read more

Last week, CNET broke the story that Barnes & Noble would be introducing a $249 Android-based color e-reader for the holiday buying season. That product, the Nook Color, has just become official, with Barnes & Noble showing off the new device at a press conference at its flagship Union Square store in New York City today.

After a picture of the Nook Color was leaked to CNET, the biggest mystery surrounding the product was what type of screen it would sport. As we anticipated, the screen is a 7-inch touch-screen LCD, and not something more exotic like a color e-ink or a Mirasol display, which won't be available until next year. Barnes & Noble told CNET that this is a next-generation LED-backlit display supplied by LG, which is bright yet energy efficient. The product's designers added a special layer of laminate to the glass that covers the display to help cut down on glare and improve off-axis viewing.

A lot of people wondered whether this would be classified as an Android tablet, and while the device does run on Android 2.1 (it will be upgradeable to Android 2.2 next year) and offers additional functionality such as Web browsing, audio and video playback, and some basic games, Barnes & Noble is spinning it as a "reader's tablet." The Nook Color has built-in Wi-Fi but no 3G, and comes with 8GB of internal memory, plus the capability to expand capacity via a microSD expansion slot tucked into the bottom of the device near its "corner slot."

Here are its key specs:… Read more

Jay, Josh, and Danny from BeenVerified are back in The 404 studio to show off their brand new sex offender locator app for the Android and iPhone! For some reason, it keeps going off during the show...

BeenVerified is an online service that makes it easy to do quick, thorough background checks on people, and it's a lot easier than simply Googling someone's name. The instant search not only gives public access to legal databases for criminal records and phone numbers; it's also an excellent source for monitoring sex offenders in your neighborhood.

Their latest Sex Offender Tracker App uses augmented reality to display graphical overlays on your phone that help you locate registered sex offenders in your area, and can you believe it? They got ANTOINE DODSON to be their spokesperson in the commercial!

Keep listening if you're unaware of Mr. Dodson, but with a successful single that has gotten 35,000 YouTube hits so far and his own Halloween costume, you should really know this guy already.

The Sex Offender Tracker app is available for the iPhone and Android for $1.99, and 5 percent of all proceeds will be donated to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (Rainn), an anti-sexual-assault organization.

The guys stick around after the break for the following batch of video voicemails:

DeeJay shows us how an 8-bit beat is made with a simple drum machine!

Mass from Phil the Mailguy hopes we have a wonderful day!

It is no longer worthwhile for the average 12-year-old to make 20 bucks for cleaning someone's car. It is certainly pointless for prepimpled youths to make a little pocket money for, say, cleaning the house or, perhaps, washing their armpits.

Not when there's Mozilla ready to give them $3,000 for a little overdue diligence.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Alex Miller is one 12-year-old who knows exactly which side of his bread he wishes buttered. The moment he saw that the benevolent bosses of Firefox were offering 3,000 big ones in order to eradicate … Read more