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October 2, 2009 9:59 AM PDT

The 404 437: Where we vote ourselves Podcast of the Year

by Justin Yu
  • 3 comments

Today's featured band is Family of the Year.

(Credit: Family of the Year)

TGIF!TGIF!TGIF!TGIF!TGIF! Before you take off for the weekend, be sure to check out today's episode of The 404 Webcast, where we're reintroducing the Semi-weekly Beck's Beer Audio Draft! Today's featured artist is Family of the Year, an up-and-rocking folk(ish) band from Los Angeles. The sextet mix together Fleetwood Mac-style rock guitars with a tinge of country that make for a perfect end of summer soundtrack, and we're very psyched to help them promote their new EP release called "Where's the Sun."

The two tracks on today's show are titled "Let's Go Down" and "Psyche or Like Scope," both available as a streaming preview on their MySpace page.You can buy it on their Web site at a sliding scale, meaning you can throw down however much you want. Give $1, $5, whatever you can afford, but keep in mind that all the earnings will be put toward the expenses of their upcoming CMJ tour. You can also buy a signed postcard from the road with a personalized inscription from the members themselves! Give them a listen, buy the album, and check them out in a city near you. Who knows, they might even stop by The 404 studio the next time they're in town...*hint* *hint* *nudge* *nudge*

Plenty of stories to get to today as well, including a story about some fool trying to extort money from David Letterman for a little fling he had several years ago with his assistant. In our eyes, the king of late night can do no wrong. It's not like he's, oh I don't know, THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES; can we all just let the guy live? Keep doing what you're doing, Dave, and if you want to come on The 404 for an exclusive interview, we'll be more than happy to oblige.

We also have a quick story about 3.4 million or so phallic pictures crashing AT&T's servers last week, but there are also a ton of movie-related news stories to get to, including a list of 8 movie franchises that must die, a "Kill Bill 3" in the works, a Spore adaptation, and ugh- a new "A-Team" movie. Can we run through all these stories in time and still not bust over the 45-minute mark? Check it out and find out!

Have a great weekend everyone!


EPISODE 437

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Originally posted at The 404 Podcast
September 24, 2009 10:04 AM PDT

The 404 431: Where we can eat a peach for days

by Justin Yu
  • 2 comments

(Credit: Branz.org)

Like most social-networking sites, Twitter isn't immune to lurkers, fakes, and creeps. The 404 Twitter account received over 600 followers in the last 24 hours, which leads us to believe that we're either becoming wildly popular or more likely, the new adds are demonized accounts; in other words, people that had their accounts taken over by a spam bot. This has to stop, Biz--stop teasing our egos!

In other ridiculous news, the CBS video print ad we picked apart in Episode 411 is fetching up to $400 on eBay--what the what? If we'd known that prices would skyrocket on the black market, we would have ganked a few more copies from our parent company, CBS! This is a great example of how you can buy practically anything online, including an 800 thread count Egyptian Cotton duvet cover or a set of custom-made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle drapes from your humble host's childhood...don't ask, just watch the show.

After the break, we get to a few Calls From the Public, including one from a caller all the way in the Caribbean! We also run down the 20 best cartoons from the 1990s, but they forgot about the X-Men cartoon! And where is "Teenage Mutant Ninja Frickin Turtles?!" Take a look at the list and let us know your favorites!



EPISODE 431

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Originally posted at The 404 Podcast
September 1, 2009 10:58 AM PDT

The 404 416: Where our stocks are on fire and Jill hoses us down

by Wilson Tang
  • 6 comments

Jill Schlesinger of CBS' MoneyWatch joins the show to talk about the economy. So it turns out that things aren't going to collapse, and we're not going to have to sell our bodies in a barter system. That doesn't mean, however, that we're out of the woods, and Jill is here to show us the way out. Throw in a little bit of health care, a little bit of Social Security, and a garlic smell? Only on The 404!

(Credit: Jill Schlesinger/CBS)

For the last couple of months, stocks have been soaring more than 50 percent since their March low. Jill says all that means is that the market doesn't think we're headed for Great Depression 2.0, but that doesn't mean we're out of trouble. In the dark, we imagine what V-, U-, and W- recoveries would look like. Strange... Justin, is that your hand on my leg?

Further down the line, we jump into the health care debate. Jill tells us her generation is screwing our generation and not in a good way. Essentially, they took all the good health care, and we (the 20-somethings) will just not be able to afford the premium "best health care" in the world, when we really need it. And somehow, Wilson reveals some of his Republican leanings? Say what?

Finally, we get into personal savings for the future, and we pick up the ashes of our 401(k)s. So while your parents may have lost a bundle on their retirement funds, we 20-somethings still have another 40 years before we really have to worry about our returns. Meanwhile, Social Security is a toss-up. Jill wants to advise President "Barry" Obama that the easy solution to fixing the "Third Rail" of American politics is just tying benefits to an age index. People are just living too long...death panels, any one?

Wow! So we hope you finally learned something on The 404. We sure did! Send in your feedback to the usual at the404 [at] cnet [dot] com. Follow Jill on Twitter. Or leave us a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET, and you can debate us on the finer points of the liquidity of the money supply and U6 unemployment figures.


Episode 416

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Originally posted at The 404 Podcast
July 9, 2009 11:09 AM PDT

The 404 378: Where Jill Schlesinger eats Wilson's Asian pear

by Wilson Tang
  • 3 comments


Asian pears are delicious, which is why Jill Schlesinger--The 404's very own financial expert from CBS MoneyWatch--likes them so much! After getting through some munching and slurping noises in the first minute by Wilson, Jill explains to us what is going on with the economy and why we need to fear the End of Days. Just kidding...mostly.

Not being financial experts by any means, Jill explains some basic terms to us so we know what the heck is going on. Like what is the difference between the unemployment rate and weekly jobless claims? Plus, she goes on to say that she thinks that everybody should have at least six months of living expenses saved up, given that the average person is jobless for 22 weeks now. And maybe we should start spending money again if we know that we're not about to lose our job. It would help the economy out. We know it sounds very different than most of our inane topics to most of our audience, but money is something we all need to know and understand. Plus, we love how Jill lays it on us with financial straight talk.

On the second half of the show, Jill tells us about her CBS Evening News appearance and her lady crush on our very own Katie Couric. Jill comments about the growing political discourse about a possible second stimulus package. Check out the segment. We've embedded it into this blog post.

Come back tomorrow, where we've got Steve Guttenberg. Of course, we're got the doors barricaded, just in case HR comes running in. And! We've got Wilson's Audio Draft. (Editor's note: I promise I listen to music. Whale sounds anybody?)

UPDATED: Before we forget, download the new 404 artwork for your desktop background.
Desktop Backgrounds: 4 x 3, 16 x 9 and 16 x10, iPhone.

Full Disclosure: CNET, The 404, MoneyWatch and the CBS Evening News all are properties of CBS.


EPISODE 378



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Originally posted at The 404
May 28, 2009 10:31 AM PDT

The 404 351: Where we decode our paychecks with the Jill of all trades

by Justin Yu
and
Wilson Tang
  • 2 comments

It's no surprise that Jeff, Wilson, and Justin don't know jack about the economic financial crisis, so we invite CBS MoneyWatch.com's Editor-at-Large Jill Schlesinger on the show to break it all down. She preps us with tips on what young people can do to secure a stable future and she gives us three very important ways to keep the money we earn.

(Credit: CBS MoneyWatch.com)

First of all, be sure to have six months of living expenses in the bank. If you don't have a steady, stable job like a tenured teaching position, a three-month rainy day fund in the bank will do you some good, if, God-forbid, something happened. Second, pay off your debt. Sounds obvious, but most Americans haven't saved a dime since the '90s.

Last thing she says is to take advantage of your company's 401k. Yes, your parents retirement and pension funds might be gone, but if you're like us, in our 20s and barely employed, you should throw money into your 401k. If you want, Wilson will manage your 404k--if you want a negative return on your investment.

Unfortunately, we didn't have time to show off all of your submissions for our logo contest, but let's face it: some things are more important than logos. But rest assured that we're going to go over ALL of them on tomorrow's show, not to mention a huge "Calls from the Public" to make up for today. Keep sending in your submissions to the404 [at] cnet [dot] com--they've all been amazing. We've gotten so many that we're EXTENDING the contest to next week! Don't forget: all submissions should include a JPG/PNG as well as a high-res file. Thanks all!


EPISODE 351



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Originally posted at The 404
March 10, 2009 12:39 PM PDT

The 404 295: Where we hide our junk in the cloud

by Wilson Tang
  • 10 comments

Facebook loses your uploaded photos temporarily. Wilson knows this due to his vigilant Facebook stalking. We're still running our motto contest, and right now it's split between "The nerdy dirty" and "Full frontal nerdity." If you can come up with something better, please send a voice mail to 1-866-404-CNET (2638). Please! We're an audio show, e-mails only go so far.

Poppa corporation streams March Madness.

More on today's show, we've got some news about the rise of pay-per-view porn on cable. We can't figure out why you don't just download it, but hey there's still a whole population out there that still watches movies from VHS. Speaking of watching stuff, our parent company CBS is going to be streaming March Madness online this year. Expect productivity to drop to nothing--as if the economy isn't bad enough.

Also, the economy has hit Google as well. They're announcing that they'll have to close two cafés. They still get to keep their free laundry, massages, lunches, dinners, snacks, stock options, etc. I know it's rough being a Googler. We're worried they're going to take away our Flavia machine. Finally, did you know that you pay an average of $3 per minute with your cell phone plan? Yeah, shocker right there. Wilson had to give AT&T his first-born child when he went over.


Episode 295



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Originally posted at The 404
November 24, 2008 2:35 PM PST

Neuros Link: Supports video on demand

by Joseph Kaminski
  • Post a comment

If you just purchased a Neuros Link and you can't find the video you're looking for on Hulu or any other free streaming video Web site, don't fret: there is one more place you can access videos, but it will cost you. The Neuros Link supports Amazon.com video rentals, allowing you to select from thousands of titles ranging from 99 cents to $5.99 per rental.

According to a Neuros representative, there is no update necessary or installation of any kind. You simply go to the site create an account, if you don't already have one, and select your movie.

What makes this service so great is that is doesn't require a contract or monthly service fees.

Keep coming back to Crave as more features are announced we will post them.

November 20, 2008 2:38 PM PST

Neuros Link: Watch what's on your PC on your TV

by Joseph Kaminski
  • Post a comment

With so many broadcast networks making their content available via the Internet, you may find yourself catching up with shows on your PC more often than on your television. But now there's a product that lets you stream that same PC content directly to your TV.

The Neuros Link gives your TV access to sites such as CBS (Disclaimer: CBS is CNET's parent company), Hulu, CNN.com, FanCast, NBC.com, and YouTube. All those channels can be accessed by The Neuros Link via Neuros TV, a free service that lets you organize and watch Internet video on your TV. The Neuros Link connects to the television via HDMI, with a maximum 1,920x1,200-pixel resolution at 1080p. Under the hood, you will find:

  • AMD Athlon 1640 processor 2.6 GHz
  • ATI Radeon 3200 graphics card
  • 1GB of RAM
  • 4GB of flash (for booting)
  • Gigabit Ethernet
  • 802.11g/b Wi-Fi up to 54Mbps
  • 6 USB 2.0 ports

Maintaining its tradition of open-source customization, like in the Neuros OSD, the Neuros Link runs on a popular version of Linux, Ubuntu 8.10. Its controlled with the Neuros Keymote, a 2.4GHz keyboard with a trackball mouse built in lets the user wirelessly control the system.

(Credit: Neuros)

The multiple USB ports allow users to hook up external storage to expand the media library beyond just watching streaming video from the Internet.

This product is in its Gamma phase of launch. That being said, there may be a few bugs that need to be worked out.

But for about $299, you get something at a Netbook price that performs more like a desktop.

August 19, 2008 1:09 PM PDT

Stream Hulu, YouTube, and more to 360 or PS3 with PlayOn

by Jeff Bakalar
  • 2 comments

(Credit: MediaMall Technologies)

Continuing the trend of media servers that play nice with home video game consoles, PlayOn! has apparently raised the bar. With the new beta software released to the public yesterday, Windows XP and Vista users can now stream video from sites like Hulu and YouTube directly to their Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and HP MediaSmart TVs.

The technology is fairly simple; the software grabs RSS feeds from video content providers and pushes them through over your home network. With support already encompassing ESPN and CBS, it would appear that PlayOn! brings us a few steps closer to officially ditching our cable or satellite boxes. Netflix support has also been promised to be included in a new version of the software as well as Nintendo Wii compatibility by year's end. There does seem to be a catch however--after the 60-day trial period, you'll need to pay $30 if you want to keep the software.

We had a chance to quickly set up PlayOn! with our Xbox 360 last night and were surprised as to how easy it was to get going. We were able to watch plenty of Hulu content but couldn't access any of the movies the site has to offer--only TV programs were available. Image quality was acceptable for streaming, but we did notice an occasional lag in playback. Look for more impressions and how-tos using PlayOn! in the coming weeks.

May 21, 2008 10:08 AM PDT

Apple, CBS sued over 'Mighty Mouse' device

by Erica Ogg
  • 20 comments

A computer peripheral maker filed suit against Apple and CBS on Tuesday, claiming the companies are infringing on its trademark for the "Mighty Mouse" device.

Apple Mighty Mouse (Credit: Apple)

Maryland-based Man & Machine says it was selling its chemical-resistant and waterproof mouse to hospitals a year before Apple sold its single-button mouse of the same name.

CBS owns the rights to the Mighty Mouse cartoon and licensed the use of the name to Apple. The network was named in the lawsuit because Man & Machine says it doesn't have the right to license the name. Both Man & Machine and CBS have trademark applications for the name and are currently dueling for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's approval.

Man & Machine is asking for monetary damages and for a court to issue an injunction to prevent Apple from selling any more of its Mighty Mouse devices.

Note: CBS has agreed to acquire CNET Networks, publisher of News.com. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

Originally posted at News Blog
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