Crave

Y'aint right, Yeezy.

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Fresh from San Francisco where she was covering last week's Apple announcements, Natali Del Conte joins us on the today's pop-culture-y episode.

Of course, the big Twitter and Facebook news of the day is Kanye West's unwelcome outburst at last night's MTV Video Music Awards (VMA) show. The producer slash performer just can't seem to keep his head above water. In case you haven't heard, Kanye rudely interrupted Taylor Swift's award acceptance speech to announce that Beyonce should have won for her "Single Ladies" video. Whether that's true or not (some of us think it is), the millions of Tweets and status updates indicate that the public isn't on his side, despite his half-hearted apology that someone should probably post on this Web site.

Speaking of celebrity freak-outs, Serena Williams has her own apologizing to do, but this time it's to a line woman who became the object of her public outburst after a call was made in Serena's error. The charitable Williams, albeit unsatisfied with the result of the match, managed to keep her composure and must have thought the woman looked a little hungry, because she offered to feed her a tennis ball down the esophagus. She politely declined the meal. Watch the disaster unfold.

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Finally, we do actually have some good news to report today: Captain EO is making its triumphant return to Disneyland! Even though the classic 80s movie has already made its way to YouTube, watching it on a computer doesn't even compare to wearing those cheesy pink 3D glasses and watching it in a giant theater with all the physical effects. We're not sure what changes are in store for the film, but rest assured that you'll be the first to know once we get more info.

Unfortunately, no Calls from the Public segment today because, well, we didn't get any! None that were good, anyway. So give us a call and tell us how much you like/love/hate/despise the show. You know how it works- call 1-866-404-CNET and you might get played on the air. We also accept e-mail submissions (preferably of you holding a 404 sign or something) like the one we received from our buddies Ammi and Samri in Sweden over the weekend. Send 'em our way at the404(at)CNET[dot]com.

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by the lovely Beyonce turns out to be Justin's ringtone. Find out how we found out on The 404 today. It's in the same vein of how we discovered about his obsession with Disney music and Alvin and the Chipmunks.

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On today's show we talk about video games, and no, Justin doesn't tune out. EA is pushing the iPhone/iPod touch platform pretty hard with releases of Madden NFL and the venerable Wolfenstein. We hopes it's the updated version and not the sprite-based classic Wolfenstein 3D, though killing Nazis on the subway train does sound like a lot of fun. Also in gaming news, a company called OnLive has announced a new "streaming video game service." Cool, except we don't want to wait two seconds for Chun-li to land a punch on Baraka.

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Jeff flips out when the NHL announced it will stream hockey games live with multiple camera angles. Only catch is that it will cost you 20 BUCKS A DAY. In reference to our phone book story yesterday, "boxed water" is now in. Anyone ever hear about tap water? And FOX News has announced it will launch a new social network dedicated to "fair play and fair speech".

Win a chance to win a copy of Wheelman for the Xbox 360, starring Vin Diesel, if you enter our caption contest for this photo of our beloved Justin Yu. Feel free to make fun of his glasses, face, the Lexmark printer behind him, or that lumberjack flannel shirt. Funniest caption will get a copy of the video game and major props on the show.

They were a childlike, bass-obsessed duo called L'Trimm and were responsible for the kitchy Miami bass track still loved today, called "Bass That Goes Boom"--a tribute to subwoofers. If you're thinking, "Girls after my own heart!" then you're in for a treat, because the defunct duo is at least slightly reborn in rapper Lady Tigra coming back on the scene. Her new track with MC Lyte--"Stole My Radio"--is a chilly smooth comeback track, while "Bass On Thee Bottom" will no doubt be bangin' in clubland and backyard barbecues this summer.

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Unlike some comedians who sing (and singers who act funny), this New Zealand duo's humor is just as entertaining as their infectious music. With just two guitars and a microphone they've reached rockstar status on YouTube, MySpace, Download Music, and HBO.

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RFID tags have a reputation for being a little creepy.

The idea of inserting radio frequency identification tags in national identification cards has raised the ire of American privacy advocates, for instance. But RFID has a plethora of helpful purposes: it can also aid in efficiency, and prevent theft, as in when RFID devices are fastened to clothing and accessories in stores.

A drawing of the RFID-enhanced handbag prototype.

(Credit: Project LadyBag)

But some Canadian universities students have come up with a fun and even fashionable spin on RFID technology: a bag that tells you when all of your necessary accoutrements--keys, cell phone, wallet--are accounted for. It's part of their project called LadyBag.

The project has been underway for a couple years, but the wearable-electronics blog Talk2MyShirt unearthed it this morning. The project, run by six women, has several prototypes in progress. RFID tags can be placed in items that simply can't be left out of the bag (umbrella, keys, makeup bag, iPhone, or whatever). The LadyBag's RFID tracking system detects when something isn't in the bag that you've told it should be.

But the project isn't just an exercise in technology, it's also part art project. As a bonus, the bag uses a sensor system and 96 LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to display seven different emoticons when users interact with it. For example, hugging the bag results in a happy face lighting up on the outside of the bag.

There's no reason this technology has to be in a handbag. Put it in a backpack or a messenger bag...I know plenty of men who can never remember where they last put their wallet.

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The "Fatman" has competition, at least in name and girth. Loudspeaker maker Morel is releasing a new model affectionately dubbed the "Fat Lady."

Luxist says the speakers owe their name to a "zaftig shape" produced by more than two years at the drawing board, something of a pear-shaped design that supposedly offers evenly dispersed sound without deflection or distortion. Finished with a carbon-fiber composite over a fiberglass layer, the speakers house two 9-inch woofers, a 6-inch midrange, and a 1.1-inch "hand-coated, soft dome tweeter." But at $20,000 a pair, the Fat Lady should come with a personal trainer too.

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From the bathtub to the bed, it's usually not hard to make sport of pointless mood-lighting products. Much to our surprise, however, we've encountered one that we might actually like.

Moonlight's "360-Degree Sound System" does more than just add a Barry White atmosphere; it also has speakers that can handle up to 200 watts of amplification in all directions, according to Technabob. If you combine these with Grundig's "Audiorama" speakers, you'll have sound in every molecule of your abode. As if that weren't enough, the audio orbs can also be equipped with LED bulbs--qualifying them for Caroline McCarthy's color-changey status.

For readers who remember the classic Father of the Bride scene where the wedding is almost called off because the groom bought a blender for the bride-to-be, there's a new service called Gift Girl, which might put an end to such mistakes. The site is designed to help men buy gifts for their female significant others by offering up a small, targeted selection of items for womenfolk, hand picked by the site's creators, one of whom, incidentally, has that newfangled XX chromosome.

Gifts are broken down into basic categories like jewelry, clothing, and "accessories." You can also browse according to the type of woman you're shopping for, a feature the Gift Girl calls "collections." There are 17 collections to choose from including "work and play" and "party and sports attire." My personal favorite is "morning drop-off girl" where the site pulls the cliche/sexist card, saying: "After making breakfasts, packing lunches, and doing drop-offs, it's directly to the gym for this busy girl." Yikes. Other collections offer a hodge-podge of items from the rest of the site's categories, letting the buyer bundle together related items.

Avoid gifting faux pas by searching by price, occasion, or how well you know someone.

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My favorite parts of the site are how it not only breaks down which holidays suit a certain gift, but it also recommends relationship levels where said gift would be appropriate. For example, a pair of standard silver earrings are good for all holidays and relationships, but the diamond and platinum drop earrings are recommended only for long-term girlfriends or wives. This is a very specialized version of tagging, and the site's built-in search even lets you filter items by these specifications. There's also a tag for gifts best given when you've screwed up, and a higher tier for "screwed up (royally)."

The site makes its money by charging members $20 a year. For that price, members get access to the full catalog of listings, which is maintained and updated as site URLs and fashions change. Members also get access to a reminder system that enables users to add important events like birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions, and have the site send you a heads-up. Michael Pratt, one of the site's creators, also tells us they're working on getting together a wish-list service and profiles for gift recipients to help buyers figure out what to buy.

Pratt insists his wife is the brains of the operation, who with input from her friends, helps create the directory of items for sale. The two were fed up with other gift-giving services that used affiliate systems or sponsored merchant members and wanted to have full editorial control over what was offered, instead of pushing out things they might not like.

The service reminds me a little bit of MyShape, which Webware reviewed a few months back. That site compiled lists of clothing that would look good on you based on your exact measurements. There's also Gifts.com, which also offers gift collections by using a series of either/or questions based on occasion or personality.

Related: Intellifit and Zafu.

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Crave's in-house dating expert Carolyn McCarthy dispensed some invaluable advice last week regarding the shortcomings of under-bed lighting. Following that logic, we assume the same applies to the water as well--specifically, combination pool float-lamps.

The "Aqualibrium Pool Float" would seem to labor under the same misguided principles as the sub-bed lighting apparatus and, worse still, is considerably more expensive. BornRich says it originally listed for $1,000, though it's on apparently on sale now for $400 or $500 depending the color. Which just goes to show that money can't always buy you love.