Somehow we make it past the wild Tesla coil in the room to bring you an awesome (if not kind of late) show! Today we show you how to self-destruct your private data, discuss how 3D is totally lame, and why we think Jon Stewart should run for president.
(Credit:
The Sisyphus Files)
Sorry for starting late today, live listeners! I think today's show made up for the tardiness, and it all starts with Little Big Planet celebrating one million user-created levels. Since the game's popular release, a level is created every 21 seconds or so, on average, which means that if you were to play all of the levels it would take 5 years to finish them all, and that's only if you're playing 24 hours a day. Wild!
I'm also very excited (big surprise!) about the rerelease of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game, dubbed TMNT: Turtles in Time Re-Shelled. Who can forget that classic side-scrolling beat-em-up? I logged so many hours at the local nickel arcade next to my house just sitting there with my friends feeding nickels into that machine. Those were always my favorites kinds of games, and there used to be so many titles, too, including Streets of Rage, Final Fight, Simpsons, and Sunset Riders! Ahh, the old days when you actually had to go to an arcade to play a video game...
We also complain about the recent upsurge of all things 3D and how even YouTube is jumping on the bandwagon, offering users the capability to display their 3D videos in multiple formats. Later on in the second half, we analyze Jon Stewart's role as America's Most Trusted Newscaster, according to an online poll by Time Magazine. Should we be scared that America is relying on a comedian to report the daily news? We're not questioning Stewart's credibility here--he's clearly a smart man--but we're wondering how Comedy Central will leverage such a powerful figure.
OK, I have to bring up the Wikipedia page one more time and then I'll shut up: after a brief recess following yesterday's announcement, the page is now in Wiki-limbo. We need users and 404-supportive Wikipedians to populate the page with more details about the show, the hosts, references, guests, etc...since we can't do it ourselves (no, really, we can't), feel free to insert our appearance on "Fox Strategy Room" as well as other blogs on the Internet that mention The 404, even if it's your own! Anything helps, but please remember not to edit the redirection page; only edit the content at the existing address. Thanks, everyone!
EPISODE 388
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Erica Boeke is on the show today to talk about her new book "GameFace: The Kick-Ass Guide for Women Who Seriously Love Pro Sports." On the show, we talk about women and their fascination with watching hockey players kick each others' ass. And Justin reveals that he has never played baseball, basketball, football, or hell, even played catch in his life.
Ericka Boeke in a 404 sandwich.
(Credit: Matt Fitzgerald/CNET)We don't talk too much technology today, but we promise: we have a good time with sports and our general ability to turn any seemingly benign topic into a sexual innuendo. After Justin talks about men playing hockey, you'll never think about it in an unerotic way again.
Briefly on the show, we mention the war going on between Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," and Jim Cramer, host of CNBC's "Mad Money." Jon Stewart pretty much destroys Jim Cramer and the entire financial news media. We've never almost seen a grown man crying on cable television.
As usual, keep the voice mails coming: 1-866-404-CNET (2638). We still haven't found the right motto yet, but boy do we have a good time sorting through them. Or if you just want to leave a message about how Erica Boeke looks like Helen Hunt, that's fine too. Everyone have a great weekend, and you'll hear us next week when Jeff asks the Sleep Doctor Michael Breus how to stop farting in his sleep.
Episode 298
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Let's see how funny Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are on the witness stand.
The two comedians are apparently being dragged into the copyright fight between their employer and Google. Entertainment conglomerate Viacom, the company behind Stewart's The Daily Show and The Colbert Report filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google earlier in the year, alleging that Google and YouTube encourage users to pirate copyright material.
The two companies entered the names of people they each wish to depose in court, according to documents filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York last week. Google, which acquired YouTube last October, wants to depose at least 30 people in addition to Colbert and Stewart. Among them are Viacom Chairman Sumner Redstone and CEO Philippe Dauman.
Viacom wants to question YouTube founders Steve Chen and Chad Hurley in addition to Google CEO Eric Schmidt and founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Viacom could argue that interviewing Stewart and Colbert is irrelevant to the case and will try to convince the judge that deposing them is unnecessary. It's customary for corporations to jockey over the depositions of high-level executives or representatives, as Microsoft did with Bill Gates' deposition during its government antitrust trial in Washington, D.C. a decade ago.
"The rules for discovery are very broad," said Mark Litvack, an intellectual property attorney for Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. "But courts don't let you go on fishing expeditions. If people are added for tactical reasons rather than for legal reasons it's almost always scorned."
Google attorneys could argue that the comedians and the producers of their shows have made public statements that are very relevant.
For example, a year ago Colbert urged fans to make him a viral-video star. The comedian stood before a green screen on his show and played with a light saber. He encouraged fans to fill in the background in their own videos and submit them to his show.
"This could go to determining non-infringing uses," Litvack said. "If Viacom used the clips for marketing or promotional purposes Google could argue that Colbert needs to be deposed."
One question Google could ask is whether anyone at Viacom uploaded clips of Colbert or Stewart's shows to YouTube.
Before Viacom began demanding that YouTube remove them, snippets from The Colbert Report and The Daily Show were among YouTube's most popular.
According to court documents, lawyers expect the pre-trial to conclude in December 2008. This would mean that the case may not get to a jury until sometime in the spring of 2009, Litvack said.
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