year

As we’re nearing the end of a year and the end of a decade, it’s time to look back and ahead. With at least three formative events in this young 21st century (9/11, the Tsunami, and the Great Recession) providing some sort of apocalyptic arch and instilling a profound sense of anxiety, it is no wonder that former visionaries are gathering at conferences asking “Where did the future go?” But, at the end of the day, the end of all days didn’t occur, and as the New York Magazine points out in its comprehensive review of … Read more

Top tech cars of the year remembered, a look at the state of the art in concept car design, and a ride in the all new 2010 Cadillac SRX.

• Vote for Tech Car of the Year

• CNET review of the 2010 Cadillac SRX

• Car tech will be big at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in January

• CNET's coverage of CES 2010

The economy took its toll on digital audio in 2009, with CD sales continuing to decline (even as vinyl makes a resurgence), digital start-ups going bankrupt or disappearing after takeovers, and labels expressing dissatisfaction with would-be digital saviors like MySpace Music. Even so, there was actually quite a lot to cheer this year. The following five products aren't necessarily the best, but to me, they did the most to move the state of digital audio forward in 2009.

Windows 7. Microsoft appears to have recovered from Vista with a new OS that runs efficiently, looks good, and satisfies users. … Read more

Another year, another laundry list of video games. This year saw thousands of titles released, but only an elite few are worthy enough to be labeled as "year's best." It was undoubtedly another year of sequels, though a few new franchises do appear on our list.

We already know what to look forward to in 2010, but as we conclude another year of gaming, let's look back at the best video games of 2009.

Don't see your favorite video game of the year on our list? Let us know in the comments section.

Say what you will about the gaming industry in 2009. Yeah, it was a little rough, with consumers tightening their belts and only a few megahits. However, we did see price drops for all the major consoles, a gazillion new iPhone games, and a smattering of amazing titles, some of which we're still playing.

But forget about the past, it's time to look ahead and search out the most anticipated games of next year. Our list nearly doubles 2009's, so there is a lot to get excited about.

While most of the titles on our list are … Read more

For the second year in a row, the Green Car of the Year award has been handed to a clean diesel vehicle. This time around, it's the 2010 Audi A3 TDI and its 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo-diesel engine that's beaten its way to the top of a field populated mostly with gas-electric hybrids from Toyota, Mercury, and Honda.

Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal, which sponsors the award, cites the A3's EPA-estimated 42 highway mpg, five-seater hatchback functionality, and fun driving experience seasoned with healthy portions of low-end torque as the reasons for … Read more

One good thing about when I get flamed on this blog is sometimes it gives me ideas for things to search for video to use within this forum. A couple days ago, a reader mentioned that I should go to the upcoming SEMA Show that will take place the first week of November in Las Vegas. Of course, I'd love to go but unfortunately my day job takes precedence and I won't be able to get away. Sigh. Anyway, I'd recently been writing about Camaros, and coincidentally I stumbled upon a Camaro vid taken from a SEMA … Read more

They said it couldn't be done, but we managed to fit an entire Family in our 12 foot by 12 foot studio; and besides, The 404 Podcast has never been that great at following orders. Today's episode welcomes Vanessa, Joe, Sebastian, James, Christina, and Brent from the band Family of the Year, who submit themselves to a chat about their new EP Where's the Sun, new music marketing 2.0, Bogie Ogretrons, which band member has the longest legs, and what it's like to share a shower with six other people in a tiny RV touring across the country.

The band also brought a couple guitars and a shaker for a good old-fashioned in-studio performance! They play two songs on today's show, including "No Good for Nothing" (download live recording) and a track called "Stupid Land" (download live recording) off their forthcoming LP. You can also preview all of their songs on their MySpace, but if you like what you hear you can support by the band by downloading the tracks (sliding scale donation) or by purchasing a physical album that features custom artwork. Being the mixed-media artists that they are, Family of the Year is also currently offering custom-made postcards that they'll send you from the road! From the band's description of their humble RV, it sounds like every little bit helps!

The band is also impressively tech-savvy and offers several ways for fans to interact with them; in addition to their mailing list on the Web site and MySpace page, you can also follow them on Twitter or fan them on Facebook. They're currently in town promoting the new EP and playing a series of shows for the CMJ Music Festival, so be sure to go and show your support!

Every year, for the past four years, Green Car Journal picks its Green Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show. Well, the LA Show will be here before you know it, so it's time to start thinking about this year's contestants, which have been narrowed down to five finalists.

The finalists include the Audi A3 TDI, the Honda Insight, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, the Toyota Prius, and the Volkswagen Golf TDI. That's two VW turbodiesels and a trio of hybrids; or four small hatchbacks and a small sedan. No matter how you look at it, … Read more