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Kenley Bradstreet joins the show to fill in Justin's shoes, after he has an unfortunate accident with a missing bike seat. On today's show, Jeff rants about Digg's new ads while he gets new Hoboken Twitter followers. Wilson doesn't feel too hot about James Cameron's new movie "Avatar." Violet Blue starts her own URL shortner. And Kenley brings us a story about a murderous Brazilian talk show host. Yes, it is yet another episode of The 404.

(Credit: Twentieth Century Fox)

(Credit: Kenley Bradstreet)

Before we get too ahead of ourselves, let's explain today's show title. Apparently, there is a blog called "Skanks in NYC," and someone called a Vogue cover model, Liskula Cohen, a skank. Using words like "psychotic," "lying" and "whoring" to describe Ms. Cohen, a judge ruled that the model has a right to know who was defaming her. Beyond the First Amendment questions that this ruling raises, Kenley wonders if this undermines the whole point of the Internet?

James Cameron has been on hiatus for the last couple of years after his massive success with "Titanic." Turns out, he's been working on "Avatar" for the last 10 years, inventing all sorts of new technology to bring his vision to the big screen. While the project has been hyped in Hollywood, The 404 gang remains unimpressed with the blue people with tails. Kind of looks like a cross between a PS3 game and Halo, doesn't it?

Before we leave, we mention the new URL shortening service from Violet Blue, sex educator and columnist. At first, we were a bit confused as to why one would need another URL shortening service, but after a few hints from the chat room, we figured out that it's a warning that the link you're about to click on might be a bit NSFW. Bravo! Finally, Kenley alerts us to Wallace Souza, a Brazilian television host. On his top rated show, he features crime busts. Turns out, he was calling hits on people to get the ratings in the first place. We think the police were tipped off when a Steadicam operator, crane and lapel mic were found on scene.

Everyone have a great weekend! Wilson will be out for most of the week next week, so expect more awesome guests to keep his seat warm. In the mean time, please, please, please call in and leave a message at 1-866-404-CNET (2638) or write to us at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com.

The iLuv iAD117 can charge 3 USB devices simultaneously.

(Credit: iLuv)

As owners of the iPhone are wont to (correctly) point out, their uber-handheld obviates the need to carry a separate phone, media player, and game device. But there are plenty of us who still need to tote an employer-issued BlackBerry, prefer a plain old iPod, or just can't bear a coast-to-coast flight without a DS or PSP. For that multidevice crowd, the new iLuv iAD117 USB wall charger is an inviting choice. It crowds three USB charging ports into one compact wall wart, and offers foldable power prongs for easy travel.

The triple-ported iAD117 beats similar offerings from Belkin and Griffin, both of which offer wall and car chargers with a mere two USB ports. But the iLuv is one shy of Kensington's 4-port model. In fact, I have an OEM version of the Kensington--the Lenmar ACUSB4 AC Travel Adapter--that costs less than $20 at Amazon. Unlike the Kensington, that one also includes snap-on plug sets for international travel. It's been faithfully sitting on my desk, simultaneously charging two iPods, a phone, and a Bluetooth headset during the workday for months.

Still, 3 ports will be enough for many, and the travel-friendly foldable prongs of the iLuv are a nice feature. The iLuv iAD117 is set to debut in September for $20; the single-port iLuv iAD116 will also be available for $15.

Related:
Transform a USB hub into the ultimate DIY gadget charger

Secretive company shoots secretive ad for secretive product that probably doesn't look like this.

(Credit: http://artilleryunit.com)

The Sierra Sun has an interesting tidbit of information that some blogs have picked up: Apple is apparently shooting an ad for a new, unreleased product in Truckee, Calif., which is near Lake Tahoe and good skiing during the winter.

Reportedly, the ad was being shot at a diner called "Jax at the Tracks." (We haven't been able to confirm whether Apple really was filming in the diner, but it does exist). The Sun reports that "because the product they were advertising hadn't been released, members of the group didn't release any information, or allow any photographs."

Bud Haley, owner of the dinner, told the newspaper that, "Apple found us, they're trying to show us as a hip and cool spot for the 20-something crowd."

So tantalizing, isn't it? "Hip," "cool," "20-something." I think I just inhaled an aphrodisiac.

Got a mock script you're willing to share?

(Source: MacDaily News via Sierra Sun)

We've already seen Palm and Apple clash when it comes to print advertisements, but now details of what could be the first Pre TV advertisement have leaked. Photographer and film maker Jaime Gonzalez had been tweeting (of which has mysteriously disappeared) about his part in filming the commercial in Los Angeles, and even uploaded a photo of the massive Facebook set involved.

Is this supposed to show how simple uploading photos to Facebook can be on the Pre, and how there will be shiny happy people laughing? Everyone around love them, love them...

(Credit: twitpic - Jamie Gonzalez)

The tweet came from Mr. Gonzalez yesterday evening while at the Warner Bros. film studio, saying the following:

Back at Warner Bros! Palm Pre in the house...It's the iPhone for chicks! LOL

Gonzalez also claims to have held and tried the phone--a big accomplishment for anyone who has tried to pry the Pre away from a rep's grip during a trade show--calling it a "good challenger" to the iPhone but still not a direct replacement.

The very large 3D reproduction of the Facebook homepage (they couldn't do it in CGI?) appears to have various protruding ledges that actors could sit on, but Gonzalez hasn't given any hints on the detail of the ad, just the photos. There are also some cutaways that could be used as an "online" friend space, uploaded video, or whatever.

If all of this is what it claims to be, then the timing further supports notions that Sprint could release the Pre on the rumored June 7th date, or, at the very least, a month from when the ad is likely to be finished. And, if you were chosen as a beta tester for the Palm Pre, don't rub it in.

So far we've seen a 3D cutout of Facebook, a soundstage...where do you guys see this supposed first Palm Pre commercial going?

On Thursday, Microsoft started running new anti-Mac ads that are designed to take a serious poke at the one spot where Apple has traditionally been vulnerable: pricing.

All you have to do is shop for a computer to know that Macs are more expensive than Windows machines on a spec-by-spec basis. But when you buy an Apple PC, you willfully know you're paying a little extra--or sometimes a lot extra--for an Apple-designed product.

Apple fans will tell you that Apple PCs are not only slicker-looking but that they're also built better, last longer, and run a better operating system. In other words, you're not just paying the Apple premium for looks, but also for brains and brawn.

If you're a Windows fan, it's nice to see that Microsoft is finally fighting back with an effective argument after getting shoved around badly in Apple ads in recent years. But there's some interesting subtext to the ad, which follows Lauren, a very Apple-looking gal (not to stereotype or anything, but she's got that whole artsy thing going on) as she tries to buy a 17-inch laptop for less than a grand and ends up with a Hewlett-Packard PC for $699 (good luck carrying that thing around).

The key point for me in the ad is when she says, "I'm just not cool enough to be a Mac person." Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but I get the feeling that Microsoft is trying to to tap into this wider notion that it's uncool to be ostentatious these days.

In other words, if you're buying a Mac, you have too much money on your hands (i.e., you got a bonus while everybody else didn't). In fact, you should feel a little guilty for overspending--and buying from Apple--in these tough times.

Translation: It's no longer cool to be cool for the sake of being cool. But it's cool to be cheap and utilitarian.

Comments?

Dr. Michael Breus, the Sleep Doctor, gets snowed out of New York today, and Justin Yu and Natali Del Conte are both suspiciously absent. We thought they were joking about the whole getting married thing. We didn't actually think they would hook up. Anyway, Heavy fills in today and does an admirable job of explaining why people get migraines. Essentially, Justin needs to take some Midol.

Facebook Ad

So what the hell is this Facebook ad suppose to mean? Jeff can't figure it out, but Heavy is heavy on the case. As usual, Jeff has a hater opinion on the new Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show. The best part by far is The Roots band. Anyway, we learn why smart people have a hard time dating. It's not the acne. It has mostly to do with the studying rather than dating.

Finally, big news of the day is that Apple updates its desktop line of computers. We know that the whole tech universe stops whenever Steve Jobs does...well... just about anything. Nothing spectacular here. It's just a refresh of its iMac, Mac Mini, and Mac Pro lines of computers. Wilson is just glad that the Mac Mini isn't dead.

We've got a new contest! We want to come up with a new motto. Our archnemesis podcast Buzz Out Loud is "The Podcast of Indeterminate Length." So far, our best entries are "The Podcast of the Future" or "The Podcast of Indeterminate Sense." Send in your entries to 1-866-404-CNET (2628) or via e-mail to the404 [at] cnet [dot] com, and you might just get a nondate with Heavy.

Titillating stuff from Canon.

(Credit: Canon)

Rumors of a successor to the Canon 5D have been circulating for a while and now the digital-imaging blogsphere is churning again--this time with a brooding ad Canon has posted on some of its Web sites featuring the murky outline of mysterious dSLR and the phrase "Destined Evolution." Everybody thinks its the Canon 5D Mark II because it appears to lack a pop-up mount and has some design features that harken to Canon's other high-end EOS dSLRs.

A next-gen 5D--the current model retails for about $2,300 (body only)--has been a long time coming, and advanced amateur shutterbugs (and some professionals) have been waiting not so patiently for the rumored 5D Mark II to arrive--so much so that they barely batted an eye at the just-announced $1,400 EOS 50D.

Anybody waiting to pull the trigger on buying a 50D until you see the 5D Mark II?

(Via Roger Galbraith Digital Imaging Insights via Canon)

Google is expanding its advertising business into a new domain: graphical ads that appear on mobile devices.

As with the company's text-based mobile ads, the Google image ads are displayed on the basis of keywords that appear on Web sites that people visit with their mobile phones, Google said Wednesday.

Google offers a variety of small display ad sizes.

(Credit: Google)

Mobile devices are a new frontier for the Internet in general and for the advertising business that Google and many others are building atop it. The mobile Web has been hobbled by tiny screens, slow and unreliable connections, and carriers' data-access fees, but a new era is arriving.

Apple's iPhone has shown what's possible. Increasingly widespread Wi-Fi makes it possible to bypass mobile-phone network operators. And initiatives such as Intel's Mobile Internet Device and Google's Android could lead to a new generation of devices.

During last week's conference call to discuss quarterly financial results, Google co-founder Sergey Brin was bullish about the opportunity to bring advertising to the mobile Web.

"The mobile ads work very well," Brin said. "There's nothing to dissuade me it would be any worse than traditional desktop search."

Google's mobile image ads are similar to those appearing on ordinary Web sites, Google said, but are smaller and are limited to one per page. Advertisers will pay only when users click on an ad, as with the company's text ads that appear next to search ads. Google requires only one ad per page, and the ads must link to mobile-specific Web pages.

This pay-per-click model is popular among advertisers who want to match expenses to active expressions of interest in their ads, though "click fraud" can mean some of that activity is bogus.

Google works to identify fraudulent or accidental clicks and doesn't charge for what it deems to be invalid clicks.

No, the little glasses are not for the leprechauns.

(Credit: CNET Networks)

Oh, St. Patrick's Day. To a self-respecting Irish-American like myself, it's such a catch-22: On one hand, it's a celebration of the fact that our culture knows how to have a damned good time; on the other hand, all the gross-tasting green beer and sequined leprechaun hats kind of make us cringe sometimes.

We also have to deal with all kinds of ridiculous St. Patrick's Day marketing tie-ins, like this new ad campaign for the Irish Spring soap brand (which I believe was created by the U.S.-based Colgate-Palmolive Company). It features a new Web site called GetIrishNow.com, and basically, it's a marketing stint that hopes to go viral by capitalizing on St. Patrick's Day fever.

I'll quote the press release: "Irish Spring Body Wash has created a tool which allows users to create customized Irishmen or leprechauns by uploading their image and creating a personalized message that will be read aloud in an Irish accent. Imagine how your favorite song sounds sung by a leprechaun, or a line from your favorite movie recited with an Irish lilt!"

Um, lame.

This won't get the same kind of fallout that the Salesgenie.com Super Bowl ads did. You might not be able to get away with a Spanish-accent generator for Cinco de Mayo or a Yiddish-accent generator for Purim, but it's still culturally acceptable to poke fun at the Irish, and for the most part, we don't care. We typically let all those hilarious gags about potato famines and alcohol abuse roll right off our backs, and if the jokes are funny enough, we might even buy you a beer.

That doesn't mean it isn't dumb and tacky. Come on. Leprechauns? Can't they be a little more creative? Although I guess it could be worse; the Swedish do have to deal with that chef guy. Even Google's gotten in on that one.