Crave

(Credit: Alison Rosen)

Alison Rosen is back on the program today, and no, she's not really shrinking. That said, she is mystified by Craigslist missed connections, so we debate about what sort of scenario would lend itself to the use of the site's bizarre feature.

Next stop, Cougarville--better known as San Fransisco--where we investigate a disturbing new expo: The National Single Cougars Convention. Should cougars be given their own convention or should they be hunted in public, the natural way?

Finally, it seems we're just never going to get rid of Autotune. Especially now that the new T-Pain Autotune iPhone app makes robot voice manipulation so easy--as if it wasn't to begin with.

We've got all this and more on today's 404. Enjoy the weekend! (No show on Monday).

Check out Alison's blog or The Daily Alison.

EPISODE 419

After months of anticipation, singing robot T-Pain has finally unleashed his secret weapon: an iPhone application that gives users the power to make their tone deaf voice sound...just as crappy. But digitized! The iPhone application is called I Am T-Pain, and it might be the end of music as we know it.

Even though T-Pain isn't the first artist to use the Auto-Tuner, this is the easiest and cheapest way to obtain the popular vocoder software that disguises and corrects improper pitch by distorting the human voice.

The $2.99 app is a portable version of the tool that includes an instrumental collection of T-Pain's greatest hits in addition to a "Freestyle" mode to cover your own songs. You can also record yourself singing and easily upload the tracks to various social networks.

I installed the app on my iPhone and it works pretty well, but instead of "Buy you a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" I went for Cher's timeless hit "I Believe" on today's episode of The 404 Podcast. Check it out and let me know if I have a future in the recording industry.

Check out more screenshots of the I Am T-Pain iPhone app after the jump.

We love having guests on the show, but it's always good to get back to our bread and butter: making fun of silly tech news! Today we cover several stories that've slipped through the cracks, including the new "Alice in Wonderland" movie, a new autotune iPhone application in the works, a new Queen of Text Messaging, and a huge Calls from the Public.

Johnny Depp as a ginger Mad Hatter.

(Credit: Disney)

I hadn't heard about this, but Jeff shells out some news about the upcoming "Alice in Wonderland" remake, directed by 404-favorite Tim Burton. Check out the video below to see the pictures and hear our comments, but so far we're pretty impressed with the CGI and makeup used on Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, and Matt Lucas. Wilson, film buff extraordinaire, has a healthy dose of skepticism based on Burton's recent disasters, but we'll have to wait until March 2010 like everyone else to see how it all pans out.

We also have more news to report about Autotune. Turns out T-Pain is in the process of developing his own Autotune application for the iPhone. Expect the usual dose of hatred from Beff Jakalar, but I'm personally a huge fan of autotuning no matter how much it's overdone. How can you listen to this and not want to get up and dance?

Thanks to everyone that's been leaving us voicemails. Rest assured that although we've had a long string of guests, we'll play all of them in the coming weeks. If you want to hear yourself on the radio, give us a call at 1-866-404-CNET and tell us how much you love/hate the show. You can also e-mail us at the404{at}cnet(dot)com. Check us out on Twitter and Facebook as well!

(Credit: Dr. Todd Sinett/Perigee Trade)

Dr. Todd Sinett is in today to talk about his revolutionary idea about chronic back pain and his book "The Truth About Back Pain: A Revolutionary, Individualized Approach to Diagnosing and Healing Back Pain." Meanwhile, Justin is still out with the swine flu, but Dr. Sinett more than fills the gap left by Justin's absence with his first appearance on The 404. We promise he'll be back again soon.

There are times when we get a call from a PR rep about a possible guest and we get skeptical. After all, The 404 is a show ostensibly about technology and culture. But then we get gems like Dr. Michael Breus, the Sleep Doctor, and now Dr. Todd Sinett, the Back Doctor.

According to the Back Doctor, there are three primary causes of back pain, and for the most part, we only treat the first, which is physical and structural. He says that, actually, digestive and mental health are incredibly important to the health of your back, and high stress plays a key role in back pain.

On the show, he demonstrates some health exercises to strengthen your back. Additionally, he teaches us how to sit properly at work and eat properly at home. He doesn't believe that people "don't have time" to eat well. Apparently, salads and oatmeal every single day of your life isn't healthy for you. He even says that food from McDonald's occasionally is OK, as long as you eat a balanced diet every day.

Check out today's show and call us out if we're talking crap about your health. Leave us a voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). It's all toll free. Finally, we love your e-mails to the show: the404 [at] cnet [com].

EPISODE 342

(Credit: Mindwire)

The business of sado-masochism continues to boom in gaming. We're not talking about laser tag tanks or board games that punish you for wrong answers (though the "Shocking Duel Novelty Game" of pain endurance comes close).

The real demand is for vibration and shocks that correspond with the onscreen action, as exemplified by such wearable electrode conductors as the recently cited "FPS Vest." The latest example is the "Mindwire V5," a devious apparatus whose slogan is "feel the pain, enjoy the game." It supposedly uses technology that was originally developed for muscle therapy. (That's what they all say.)

This "electrical muscle stimulation kit" plugs into a game console's controller port and connects as many as five adhesive pads that can be applied to whatever part of your body is most in need of abuse, according to Slippery Brick, "allowing localized sensory feedback." That's one way of putting it. We hope, for colleague Michael Kanellos' sake, that they don't hook up with Compex Sport.

The Edge 705

(Credit: Garmin)

Given our position on physical activity, our appreciation for such gadgets as bicycle GPS devices is predictably limited (as in nonexistent). From what we understand, however, some hard-core cyclists have been anxiously awaiting the release of Garmin's latest "Edge" models, the 605 and 705, top-of-the-line devices that include new mapping features, training systems and the ability to share information wirelessly with other bikers on their 2.2-inch color LCDs.

But they'll have to wait. GPSLodge says Garmin has encountered some bumps in the road (sorry) and is postponing its release from the scheduled December launch date to the first quarter of 2008. On the bright side, you'll have another $400 or $500 to spend on holidays gifts this year.

(Credit: Designboom)

What do you do when you have way too many CD coasters lying around in the house? The idea must have plagued designer Belen Hermosa as well, with the result being the "Panda Chair."

While we're all for the recycle and reuse movement, we're guessing this one would just replace those neck and back aches with new pains in your butt and thighs. Still, it's an interesting intepretation of a computer chair--just one that might be better appreciated from afar.

(Source: Crave Asia)

(Credit: Sena)

Until the "iGems" line becomes reality, new iPhone owners will need something to distinguish themselves from the pack of 500,000 others who rushed to pick one up in the first weekend alone. Lucky for these rugged individualists, the case-making cottage industry has been working diligently for months.

Luxury accessories are to be expected for a phone that costs upwards of $600, as we've seen in cases made from designer fabrics and even mahogany. In fact, we're surprised there aren't more made of high-end leather, as are the latest from Sena Cases, which MobileWhack says come in five styles.

We're sorry to say, however, that we haven't come across any to satisify the germaphobe community.

The 'Longneck'

(Credit: Philips)

As fond as we are of Philips designs, we're a bit curious about the origins of its new "Longneck" laptop. The photos we've seen look awfully similar to images of the "FlyBook VM" from Japan's Dialogue that were widely circulated last December.

But no matter. Philips has done what Dialogue didn't, which is offer the computer at a bearable price. With what seem to be comparable specs--an extendable 12.1-inch widescreen LCD, Intel Core Duo chip, 1GB of memory and a 100GB hard drive--for just under $1,700, according to Tech Digest. That nearly half the price we last saw for the FlyBook, which was going for almost $3,000.

The 'Flybook'

(Credit: Dialogue)

We're still not entirely sure why one would go to great lengths to get an ostrich-like laptop, other than to make an impression at the local Wi-Fi cafe. As we noted with the FlyBook, there are much cheaper ways to elevate a screen to eye level, if that's the goal. Since then, in fact, we've found even more gadgets to keep you out of the chiropractor's office.

Always remember: Your neck is more important than your laptop's.