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The 404 950: Where we hang it on our dongle (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 Podcast Episode

Wolfram Alpha Travel Assistant app answers the question, " Where's that plane going?" Who knew Rotten Tomatoes is owned by Warner Brothers? Canada unveils new plastic $100 bills with high-tech security features: changing colors, hidden text, and backward numbers. Tomorrow the world will join Singapore to celebrate the 10th annual World Toilet Day, as decreed by the World Toilet Organization (WTO), the World Toilet Summit, and the World Toilet College.… Read more

The 404 934: Where portable gaming is undead (podcast)

Nothing lasts forever in the tech industry, and Nintendo's upcoming Wii U, the Sony PlayStation Vita, and all other one-trick portable gaming consoles are next in line to get the axe! At least that's what Jeff hypothesizes, although the trolls in his CNET editorial have opposing opinions.

After we sort through all the hate mail, we turn to a story about Internet domain squatters taking advantage of the #OccupyWallStreet trend to make money off the protesters.

And in the same way that Bacolicio.us set the veganism movement back several years, a new site called OccupyTheURL is turning the 99 percent into an online gimmick. Type in any Web site--the 404 homepage works--and your page will soon be flooded with graphic pop-ups of protesters blocking your access. We'd rather have bacon.… Read more

Shouty app helps Occupy protesters be heard

More apps and coded solutions are coming to the aid of the 99 percent "occupying" the streets from Manhattan to Oakland and worldwide.

A few weeks ago we told you about a nifty app designed with the Occupy Wall Street and elsewhere protests in mind that notifies your comrades in the event you get cuffed by the cops.

It turns out that mobile apps are helping protesters surmount other hurdles to their freedom of expression. An example: Shouty, which circumvents the ban on megaphones and other forms of amplification around New York's Zuccotti Park.

Shouty is basically a live-streaming app along the lines of UStream and others that broadcasts whatever is being picked up by the microphone as an MP3 stream available to whoever wants to connect. It's the work of coder Nathan Hamblen and others at the "social coding" site Github, where the app is available for download for Android--it's not to be confused with the iOS app by the same name, which is basically a Twitter client.… Read more

Ow My Balls for iPhone: Make Joe hurt

If you're a fan of dystopian humor, like in the movie "Idiocracy," this may be the game for you.

Introduced Monday by Jetson Creative, Ow My Balls! is a funny game that brings some unusual humor to the iPhone (and iPod Touch).

The game incorporates gravity simulation, funny sound effects, and a very peculiar method of directional acceleration.

I was a little dispirited by the name and the nature of the joke but I tried it anyway. After all, the game made it through the parental vetting process for Apple's App Store.

In the game, you'… Read more

What to expect from the PS3's new firmware upgrade

Sony will be releasing a software upgrade (1.60) to its PlayStation 3 console on Thursday, and it essentially consists of some convenience tweaks as well as a cool tie-in with a medical research project at Stanford University. Basically, Sony's taking a few more steps toward its vision of the PS3 as a living room media center rather than a gaming console. Unfortunately, it still has to deal with the Wii.

With regard to the convenience upgrades, you'll be able to connect Bluetooth peripherals, like keyboards and mice, to your PS3. You'll also be able to queue … Read more