alone

The heavy-metal-speaker man

I interviewed Magico's Alon Wolf a few months ago when he visited his NYC dealer, EarsNova.

Like so many audio entrepreneurs I've talked with over the years, Wolf had started building speakers for himself years before he officially got into the business in 2005. Mastering engineer Paul Stubblebine was one of Wolf's first customers; he heard something in a Wolf speaker he couldn't get anywhere else.

Wolf was only interested in building the very best speakers he could without cost constraints, and that's his market niche. Thing is, it's also the most demanding market, … Read more

The 404 815: Where we don't owe you any cheese (podcast)

It's Wilson's last day Skyping in from the CNET office in San Francisco and he'll be in the office on Monday. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do about that, so we just get into the stories of the day, like Jon Stewart's quote about the Osama Bin Laden photos, which rappers are suing our parent company, and how much it would cost to buy the house from "Home Alone."

The 404 Digest for Episode 815

Jon Stewart voices opinions about the Osama photos. Rappers are suing CNET. "Home Alone" house in Winnetka, Ill., on sale for $2.4M. 23-year-old makes $120,000 off Osama's death in 48 hours. Google Maps will soon give you the powers of Superman. Third attack planned on Sony.

Episode 815 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 659: Where we check out the bubbles on that one (podcast)

Facebook is about to get a whole lot creepier. A small group of users are beta-testing a new "subscribe" button located under users' profile pictures that could make Facebook stalking as simple as a single click.

The button is a lot like "following" someone on Twitter and here's how it works: If you click the "subscribe" button, all of that user's activities, from new pictures to status updates to videos and links, will show up in your notifications. Few details have been released so far, but we're interested in knowing if the service will show you who's stalking your profile or if you can subscribe to non-friends, which would take the creep factor up to a solid 10.

Moving on to another creepy story, a school zone in West Vancouver is testing a rather extreme measure to force drivers to slow down in their vehicles.

The experiment places a 3D hologram of a young girl chasing a ball in the middle of the street that drivers will see about 100 feet away, giving them plenty of time to slow down...or have a heart attack and veer off the road. We can see the utility in a 3D cop on the side of the road or a flashing light to alert drivers entering school zones, but this is a little nuts.

To Jeff's delight and Wilson's girlfriend's dislike, Angry Birds is now available on the Android operating system. Granted, it's a "Lite" version in beta and many users (including Jeff) are experiencing random restarts and freezes, but it should tie over your addiction until the official version finally drops. For all the iPhone players out there, don't forget that the Angry Birds Expansion Pack is also available.

Finally, we have a handful of voicemail messages that we haven't gotten to play all week, and today's batch inquires about the infamous "Cheese Stands Alone" episode, voicemail phone numbers, and a rare appearance from everyone's favorite Verbose Asian Guy! Set it on repeat, guys--it ain't happening again! :)

Episode 659 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 447: Where the cheese stands alone

Even though I definitely messed up the title format and everything else for that matter, today's show is still "Where the cheese stands alone," because you get to witness the pain as I try to record a solo podcast. That's right, Jeff is out and Wilson called in sick, so I'm left to fend for myself with the generous help of a few friends along the way.

Disclaimer: Today's show is atypical. If this is your first time listening to The 404, note that this is definitely not the norm. The show is usually very random and tangential, but today's episode is a ONE MAN SHOW. That man is me, and for that I beg your forgiveness in advance. If you're able to get through the entire show, well then I tip my hat to you.

It's the first time I've operated the engineering board and camera switching by myself, so the production value ain't up to par with Jeff's expert skills...just keep that in mind as you struggle through this episode of random musings, behind the scenes scoops, upcoming guests, meet-up ideas, Halloween costumes, and the future of The 404!

As hard as it is to listen to me wing my way through 45 minutes of streaming video, it would have been far worse if not for my dear friends Dan Ackerman, Scott Stein, and Julie Rivera who all came in to put me out of my lonely misery. They're all part of CNET's own Digital City Podcast, so be sure to check them out.

Here's some exciting news to look forward to: our guest on Monday will be the band Family of the Year. After hearing that we chose them for our Beck's Beer Draft Pick, they agreed to come in for a live in-studio acoustic performance!

Jeff will certainly be back for that, but no guarantees for Wilson G. Tang, who may or may not have contracted the Avian Swine Flu, a rare form of H1N1 that only occurs when pigs fly.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Episode 447 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 443: Where what's done is done, the future is now

Wilson and I both saw that new movie "Paranormal Activity" over the weekend, and although it's being touted as the new Exorcist, we both think it's more like an uncreative, boring version of The Blair Witch Project. Lots of build-up and suspense for a pretty vanilla ending, but I'm not sure what we expected out of a $10K movie. Maybe we've all just been completely spoiled by blockbusters like Roland Emmerch's upcoming disaster movie, 2012. Jeff's not a huge fan, per usual, but watch this insane clip and TRY NOT TO PANIC.

We've seen and played with our fair share of ridiculous iPhone apps before, but the new Puff! app is the latest Japanese game that might raise some flags...amongst other things. Dancing the line between SFW and not, the program allows you to literally blow up the skirts of women, a la Marilyn Monroe. The app uses the iPhone's microphone to sense the virtual gust of wind that "gives the onscreen character a brief moment of embarrassment."

Speaking of inappropriate things, Marge Simpson just scored the cover of Playboy Magazine. In what seems like the worst business plan ever, the November version of the popular men's magazine will feature a 3-page pictorial with "implied nudity..." we're not even sure what that means, but we can't imagine hordes of teenagers flocking to the nearest liquor store to pick up this issue. Besides, we would rather see Lois Griffin on the cover...no offense, Margie.

EPISODE 43 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video

Video coming soon, check back later today!… Read more

The 404 399: Where life moves pretty fast; if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it

As the undisputed heavyweight champion director of such classic '80s flicks as "Sixteen Candles," "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," "Weird Science," "The Breakfast Club," and more, John Hughes made a tremendous impact on the industry. We're all still shocked by his passing, so we take a moment to discuss how his movies have affected our lives. You'll be dearly missed, John!

Speaking of movies, Wilson checked out "Thirst," and believe it or not, he actually enjoyed it! If you're a fan of vampire movies or the unique directorial style of Park Chan-Wook, whose previous films include "Sympathy for Mr./Lady Vengeance" and "OldBoy," you'll definitely like this new thriller. Vampires: so hot right now.

The next segment is all about Netflix coming to the iPhone and movie rental kiosks in general. Somehow, Wilson had it in his head that the Netflix delivery service was on its way out two years ago, but he has the right idea predicting that soon, all movies will be delivered online instead of in person.

We also get to a few Calls from the Public, as well as the winner of our most recent "Choose Justin's next pair of glasses" competition!" We think you'll be happy with the winner, so be sure to watch the video for all the commentary--surprisingly, Jeff and Wilson actually agree with the decision!

Finally, don't forget to check us out today on Gadgets and Games, LIVE at 2 p.m EDT. We'll be chatting with our good buddy Clayton Morris, host of "Fox and Friends," about tech, gaming, unboxings, etc. We'll also post the show online next week, so don't worry if you can't watch it live. Have a great weekend everybody!

EPISODE 399 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The Web's "Message in a Bottle"

Back in 1997 I read Robert Putnam's classic "Bowling Alone" for the first time. In his original thesis, Putnam argues that society has frayed, with people going through the motions of sociability...without actually socializing:

Putnam warns that our stock of social capital - the very fabric of our connections with each other, has plummeted, impoverishing our lives and communities. [He] draws on evidence including nearly 500,000 interviews over the last quarter century to show that we sign fewer petitions, belong to fewer organizations that meet, know our neighbors less, meet with friends less frequently, and … Read more

The 404 128: Where Jeff's not late

Apologies for the late start, but Jeff was with some good ole folks from Sony. Today, Russ Frushtick from UGO.com joins us today to talk about video games and the such. Justin has to leave early because of an unexpected meeting, but MTI dawns his superhero shorts to save the day. Along the way, we talk a lot about boobs. I mean a lot. And how not to make chocolate at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. EPISODE 128 Download today's podcast

Buzz Out Loud 751: No big black hole deal

Black holes from the Large Hadron Collider? No worries. Mac OS X Trojan in the wild? Minor worries. Total top-level domain overhaul? Worries deferred until we see it in action. EFF attacks the entire foundation for the RIAA's lawsuits against alleged pirates and specifically their troublesome "making available" claim? RIAA shouldn't worry, even though we wish they would. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 751

Why the LHC Won’t Destroy the World http://news.slashdot.org/news/08/06/23/134251.shtml

Mac OS X Trojan reported in the wild http://news.cnet.com/8301-10789_3-9973703-57.html … Read more