Crave

OH NO SHE DIDN'T

(Credit: Flickr/Foofy)

"Oh man, I was hanging out with this girl and we walk into her bedroom and she has this BEAT UP old Compaq computer connected to a freakin' CRT monitor there! So I just made up a lie about not feeling well and just left." That's a deal breaker, ladies!

On today's episode of The 404 Podcast, we talk about some of the tech-related dating faux pas that would be ultimate deal breakers in a potential relationship. Wilson, of course, would never date a girl that wasn't fully committed to Apple and all its family of products, Jeff could never hang out with a non-gamer, and I'm pretty much open to anything that comes my way. Just kidding, I could never be in a relationship with someone completely obsessed with social networking. Who's trying to go on a dinner date with someone that keeps taking TwitPics of their food?

All of this leads into a conversation about the most commonly used Hotmail password, which just happens to be "123456." I suppose it makes perfect sense that someone who's still riding the Hotmail train would use such an obvious password (why not make it "God," or "money," or "power?"), but that's exactly what 64 out of the 10,000 people surveyed actually use. What do you guys use to keep track of all your passwords? OpenID? Keychain? Moleskin? We want to hear about it!

Next, we get into a conversation about why the Japanese haven't embraced the iPhone as much as we have, and the answer is pretty clear: the iPhone simply can't keep up with modern technology in Japan, where they already have 4G phones that can stream live television, pick kids up from school, and dice potatoes into shoestring fries.

A big thank you goes out to our pal Zen in Flagstaff, Ariz., for sending us this poster in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It's based on the book, "The Men Who Stare at Goats"; Jeff and I have both read this hilarious novel, and we suggest you read it, too, before the movie comes out.

Enjoy the show and have a great Wednesday!

All the 404 listeners out there will be very happy to see our own Natali Del Conte in the hot seat today. Our favorite guest just returned from a trip to the U.K. and, of course, Wilson is indulging himself in a bottle of Beck's Beer, so we foolishly decide to guess Ms. Del Conte's actual body weight. This sounds like a recipe for disaster, but I'm not one to let things spoil, so you'll have to watch the video below to witness me, Jeff, and Wilson making idiots of ourselves.

And of course, since Natali is here, we have to make things as uncomfortable for her as possible, so the first story of the day is about an LA sperm bank offering celebrity lookalike donors to their exclusive clientele. Each donor goes through an extensive scanning process to determine the celebrity they resemble the most, and the clients certainly love it: the service has been available for only a week and their Web traffic is already up 50 percent! We grill Natali for a second about which celebrity she would choose, but now that she's gone big time, she manages to weasel her way out of it.

After a few more stories that let Natali shake off her BOL-shackles, Jeff poses an interesting question to the group, by way of Reddit.com: When we get to be the age of our parents, will our generation be just as technologically inept, or will we retain our tech-savvy? This conversation actually stemmed from a rather painful iTunes tutorial that I overheard Jeff giving to Big Lou, and it's the perfect diving board for our show. All of us have varying opinions, but the general consensus is that because we've actually grown up with technology and computers (unlike our parents who were forced to adopt it later in life), we'll always have those building blocks to help us navigate through newer technologies, whatever they may be. Or we might just be bitter old luddites pecking away on our Jitterbugs, bemoaning a time when 140 characters ruled the world.

(Credit: CopyRanter)

We're very proud and excited to welcome Beck's Beer back as our official show sponsor for the month of October, as you can see by the advertisement over yonder. You know what that means, right? All month long we'll be bringing back the Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Pick, sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.fm. That's a lot to say, so if you can think of a better title for the segment (maybe even a funny acronym involving beer), shoot us a line at the404(at)cnet[dot]com. Just like in July, we'll be introducing you to some of our favorite musicians and playing their music on the show every Tuesday and Friday for the next month, so be excited, and if you have any suggestions, well, tweet us.

OMGWTFBBQ! The Robsham Theater Arts Center from Boston College is putting on a musical comedy inspired by songs by our buddy Jonathan Coulton! If you didn't hear his live performance the last time he was on The 404, go check it out and get ready for some musical theater. Luke Jorgenson, the associate theater professor at BC, was "taken by Coulton's satire of office life and technology," which inspired him to produce the script. We're very psyched for Jonathan. Congrats, buddy!

Next up in the news, we've got a few iffy Sony PS3 ads to show you guys. The first one is a picture of a stereotypical gamer giving a blood transfusion to someone that looks a lot like Erwin Rommel, aka "The Desert Fox" and a German General in World War II. The other one features the same gamer, but this time he's giving his heart to Joan of Arc. Like, literally giving his heart in a celebratory transplant. Yikes, Sony--what message are you guys trying to convey here?

Next, we play a brief PSA video to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a subject that is very dear to our hearts. The video is played in jest, and of course we have to make a few jokes about the steamy subject matter, but Breast Cancer itself is very real, so all month we'll be supporting the cause.

Have an awesome Thursday, everyone!

Dr. Hossam Haick developed a breath test that can identify lung cancer.

(Credit: The Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute)

Breath might be tested to measure more than sobriety if researchers at the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute in Haifa, Israel, have anything to say. They've developed a sensor made from gold nanoparticles that is able to distinguish between the breath of those with lung cancer from those without.

The sensing technology, according to lead author Hossam Haick, does not require the exhalation to be pre-treated in any way; the resulting breath test is simple, affordable, and portable. (In existing tests, preconcentration of the biomarkers is required to improve detection.)

"We demonstrated that our device has a potential not only to distinguish lung cancer patients from healthy controls but also to identify different types of primary lung cancer," Haick told Medscape Oncology.

The findings, reported in Nature Nanotechnology, could help screen for and diagnose lung cancer so quickly and affordably that the sensor has the potential to save millions of lives a year, Haick estimates.

In patients with lung cancer, studies show that levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can range from 10 to 100 parts per billion, compared to the range of 1 to 20 parts per billion in healthy human breath. Researchers noted that there was "no overlap of the lung cancer and healthy patterns," even though there is small overlap in the range of VOCs.

Diagnosing lung cancer might be the first of many applications. "The potential exists for using the proposed technology to diagnose other conditions and diseases, which could mean additional cost reductions and enhanced possibilities to save lives," Haick says.

It's Wilson's turn again to choose The 404 semi-weekly audio draft sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.FM, a subsidiary of CBS Interactive and CNET News and Reviews 5000, so naturally we're a little skeptical (but not nearly as skeptical as we are about the moon landing), but Mr. Tang comes through again with the beautiful music of Priscilla Ahn, a young singer-songwriter with a light, ethereal voice that drifts through the layered atmosphere of her acoustic folk melodies.

(Credit: Priscilla Ahn/Last.FM)

Like many of the artists featured on our Draft Pick, Ms. Ahn also brings several instrumental talents to her songs, incorporating her harmonica and even a kazoo on top of the gentle plucks of an acoustic guitar.

Today's featured song, "Dream," was recently featured in an episode of "Grey's Anatomy," and with good reason: the layered harmonies make the perfect soundtrack to quiet, rolling landscapes...also, I think it's pretty cool that's she's on Blue Note Records, the jazz label responsible for putting out albums by John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, and Miles Davis.

She put out her first record last year called "A Good Day," and is currently touring Japan and Korea before heading back to Los Angeles on August 1 to play at the Troubadour. Give her a listen and let us know if you're in love with her as much as I am!

As usual, this episode is also jam-packed with current newz, including MCA's YouTube announcement (get better soon!), Facebook self-love (not like that, dummy), and another Facebook story about the most EPIC PARTY EVER!

One final note: does anyone have the original text/code for our Wikipedia page? I know it's been awhile, but somebody must have it, right? Our intentions are secret for now, but we definitely have a stew a-brewin', so hit us up at the404(at)cnet(dot)com if you have a copy of it!

(Credit: Lucasfilm)

OK, the whole Star Wars thing? A little misleading.

Basically, the Herald Sun is reporting on a technology that involves firing a laser beam accurate enough to puncture a hole in an individual cell. Sounds more like The Authority--or any other Mark Millar-written comic--than Star Wars to me.

Anyway, Professor Kishan Dholakia and Dr. Frank Gunn-Moore--both of the University of St. Andrews in Scotland--say the "light saber" could be used routinely on cancer patients within the next five years.

The method would allow chemotherapy drugs to be pumped directly into cancer cells. The researchers believe hard-to-reach cancers such as that of the pancreas would especially benefit.

The researchers have managed to mount the light syringe on an optical fiber the width of a human hair. The next step is to develop it for use on endoscopes, the tubes used by surgeons to pass miniature cameras through the body.

"You could think of these as tiny light sabers like they had in Star Wars inside your body," Gunn-Moore said.

"We can use lasers to punch tiny holes exactly where we want them," he continued. "We can produce a rod of light--sometimes described as a sword--that can even go around objects. It really does sound like science fiction."

So not really "Star Warsian," exactly, but mentioning Star Wars has surely led to better coverage of the team's research. But hey, if more coverage leads to more funding, then more power to them.

Scientists at the University of St Andrews in Scotland have developed a novel form of syringe, formed solely from light, that they hope will deliver highly targeted chemotherapy drugs.

(Credit: University of St Andrews)

This molecular-beam epitaxy system is used to make small laser materials for use in compact and low-cost breath meters for early cancer detection.

(Credit: University of Oklahoma)

University of Oklahoma researchers are working on a high-tech breath test that could one day help detect cancer.

The team is using mid-infrared laser technology to measure suspected cancer biomarkers in the breath, such as ethane, formaldehyde, and acetaldehyde, and to establish the relationship between those gas molecules and the disease. Ultimately, they hope their work will lead to easy-to-use detection devices that don't emit radiation.

But it may take a while before doctors have such devices in hand. Patrick McCann, an OU professor of electrical and computer engineering who's leading the team, predicts that it will take 5 to 10 years for the gadgets to find their way into clinics.

Arnaud Sow, an OU graduate student from France, processes a sample for laser fabrication.

(Credit: University of Oklahoma)

Nonetheless, he sees them as a potentially profound advancement. "A device that measures cancer-specific gases in exhaled breath would change medical research as we know it," he said.

McCann expects to rely on nanotechnology to improve laser performance and shrink laser systems, which would allow battery-powered operation of a low-cost handheld device. The sensor, he says, would be particularly useful for cancers that are difficult to detect, such as lung cancer.

The researchers' work stems from studies showing that dogs can detect cancer by sniffing the exhaled breath of cancer patients. A March 2006 issue of the journal Integrative Cancer Therapies reported that by smelling breath samples, dogs identified breast and lung cancer patients with accuracies of 88 and 97 percent, respectively.

But even though data shows that dogs can detect cancer by smell, medical researchers still have to figure out exactly what the gases are that they're sniffing. And that's keeping McCann's group busy.

The team has been active in related research since 1991. One outcome of their work includes the spin-out of EkipsTechnologies, a start-up based in Norman, Okla., that's applying mid-infrared laser technology to develop breath analysis instruments to diagnose and monitor diseases such as asthma.

Other links between cancer and scent have emerged recently, as well. Scientists from Philadelphia's Monell Center reported at the American Chemical Society's annual conference last week that a common form of skin cancer could be diagnosed by its distinctive smell.

Starting Thursday, 'Albatross 18' characters will be able to don pink-ribbon face paint for breast cancer awareness.

(Credit: OGPlanet)

Pink face paint isn't exactly par adornment for the golf course, but it's about to show up on at least one green--that of fantasy golf game Albatross 18.

Starting Thursday, players of OGPlanet's golf sim will be able to add pink-ribbon face paint to their characters' getups. The in-game item will cost $2.50, with $2 of each purchase going to support Boarding for Breast Cancer, a nonprofit dedicated to raising health awareness and supporting cancer research.

Albatross 18 mixes classic golf play with the role-playing genre for a game that lands far from the teeing ground of the local country club. The little pink ribbon will be available in the Albatross 18 in-game store through April 30. To further mark breast cancer awareness, the store will discount other pink products not oft seen on the course, like high heels and flip-flops, and a funky little floral head scarf that would really make one's avatar stand out from the Izod crowd.

Kids who want to play CSI can use a kit that shows how to dust for fingerprints, blowing away excess powder in the process. The play dust, however, contains enough asbestos to trigger cancer later in life, according to the nonprofit Environmental Working Group, which tracks toxic ingredients in consumer products.

Watchdog groups call hidden asbestos the crime in this scene.

(Credit: Planet Toys)

The powder was found to contain as much as 7 percent of tremolite, one the most fatal forms of asbestos. One-time exposure has been linked with developing lung disease and mesothelioma years or decades later. The toxicant was found in six of eight samples tested by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization during a five-month examination that also found asbestos in toy clay.

The maker of the CSI kit, which is produced in China, said it performed its own tests and found no asbestos. The package continues to be sold for between $10 and $30 at eToys, Toys R Us, and other merchants.

Tests released by other nonprofit environmental groups Wednesday found lead, arsenic, and other toxic chemicals in more than one-third of 1,200 popular toys, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Some consumer advocacy groups believe that lead appearing in jewelry and children's toys made in China may originate from circuit boards and other parts of discarded electronics.

Such news may lead parents to worry about a world more dangerous than the one in which they grew up, as today's playthings can harm children's health or just addle their attention. Toys of the past, like the Zulu toy gun, may have been more obviously hazardous, but hidden toxic ingredients are harder to measure.