skating

VANCOUVER, B.C.--When it comes to the controversy over the figure skating gold, Canadian figure skater Patrick Chan sides with American Evan Lysacek.

The decision to award Lysacek the gold, even though Russian Evgeni Plushenko did a quad jump, drew some criticism from some corners, but not from Chan.

"He definitely deserved to have won with two great skates," Chan said, speaking that British Columbia International Media Centre here. "If I had done two great skates just like he did, I think I would be side by side with him."

Chan said that "anyone … Read more

CNET Audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg joins The 404 for an extra long and extra random episode that includes an exciting contest--listen to hear your chance to win a pair of Monster Turbine Pro In-Ear Speakers!

We're never entirely sure what will happen when CNET Audiophiliac Steven Guttenberg gets on the mic, but Lil Saint Steve always brings toys when he comes to town, and today he drops knowledge on vacuum-tube amplifiers and how a certain Panasonic Blu-ray player uses a Digital Tube Sound Simulator to enhance its audio qualities.

All this home theater talk gives us the perfect outlet for our rage against NBC's tape-delay of the 2010 Olympics. In our digital age of Twitter, Facebook, smartphones, and a million other gadgets that quench our thirst for instant gratification, everyone already knows the Olympic results before the network finally airs them on television! As a result, the sports tickers on ESPN continue to spoil ratings for browsers who just want to find out what time the events are on, which does not make Jeff a happy guy. Could Twitter, aka the world's collective unconscious, be the source to blame?

Steve is also on the show to give us a preview of a new contest in collaboration with The 404! It won't officially start until next week, but The Audiophillie Music Awards For Excellence In Recorded Sound will ask for high-quality demo recordings of you or your unsigned band, which Steve will judge and choose six winners based on what he thinks sounds the best from a technical standpoint.

Each winner will receive a pair of high-end Monster Turbine Pro In-Ear Speakers valued at $300-$400! Keep in mind that this won't be a judgment on the songwriting or composition, but rather an analysis of the recording itself. Check out more details after the break, and we'll officially announce the contest a week from today with all the information on how you can enter--so stay tuned!

If you didn't see Shaun White destroying the competition at the Men's Olympic Halfpipe Finals in Vancouver last night, check out the video and prepare for a face melt, and don't forget to watch our interview with the man himself! And there's even more good news: it's Thursday, which means Natali Del Conte is on today's show! We start off the show with a quick news recap from the Olympic games, then NDC tells us about last night's interview with Justin Timberlake.

The first story of the day is about PleaseRobMe.com, a new Web site that uses geolocation check-ins from Gowalla, Brightkite, or Foursquare to exploit folks broadcasting their unprotected abodes. The vulnerability assumes that you don't have a roommate, and, of course, it doesn't say where your houses actually is, but it certainly highlights the continued lack of privacy surrounding this latest batch of social networks.

The Barbie poll results are in. Over a half million votes were cast, and the public chose her next career: Computer Engineer! The new doll will hit shelves this fall and will feature a binary code patterned shirt, a pink laptop, a teched-out watch, and a Bluetooth headset. We all agree that Barbie isn't the best toy for young girls, but we can still appreciate the cultural relevance, even if everything she owns is blasted in bright pink. Besides, it could be worse: auto-tune Barbie with talk-box accessory, anyone?

If you can imagine "wearing" a bicycle on your feet, it might look something like Chariot Skates, the name of a novel form of roller skate that lets you go off-road and downhill with greater ease than inline skates.

Australian Michael Jenkins created his Wheelskates to bring skiing and cycling together in one product. The user's feet are suspended below the axles of knee-high wheels in hinged leg and foot support struts; smaller rear wheels add stability. The mechanism helps create the impression of skiing and skating when moving forward.

Jenkins says the low center of gravity … Read more

We're only a couple of weeks into the new year, but we've already run into what will likely be one of the top 10 weird swag boxes we'll see in all of 2009.

The fine folks at EA, in an effort to promote the upcoming skateboarding game Skate 2, sent journalists a Styrofoam freezer box with some frozen Omaha steaks in it, along with a press release and an asset CD (wisely sealed in a Ziploc bag).

The tie-in? Well, the words "skate" and "steak" contain the same letters, and the game apparently has a mode called the Hall of Meat in it, so it's not as random as it seems.

Enjoy these photos of frozen video game meat.… Read more

TouchGrind is good game for anyone who likes skateboarding or fingerboarding, but it could use a little work to make it a great game. Pick a board and either practice your moves in your backyard (Warmup); practice tricks and attempt your single-trick high score at the main park (Jam Session); or go for the high score in a timed format at the main park (Competition). TouchGrind lets you use two fingers on your touch screen to control your board for turning and performing tricks. An easy-to-understand How To section helps you get used the controls. The physics are very good, … Read more

The gadget world is filled with concepts and prototypes that never come close to going into production. So it's particularly encouraging to see one finally make it that far, especially one as whacky as the "iShoes."

These personal conveyances went through two versions before brother-partners Ilya and Borish Kaganovich were apparently satisfied. Now GizmoWatch says the powered footwear, which we still think are best described as a cross between the Segway and a motorized skateboard, are actually for sale.

That's the good news. The bad news is the price--$599 plus $20 shipping--which is significantly more … Read more

The high-tech industry needs to take some lessons from iShoes about rolling out new versions. Crave wrote about the originals on Friday, and over the weekend the inventors apparently decided it was time for an upgrade.

What they've come up with is no minor tweak either: iShoes 2.0 barely resemble the first version, looking more like three-wheeled roller skates than mini-shopping carts with 4-inch wagon wheels. Despite the design overhaul they're still powered by electric motors controlled by a wired remote, but Gizmodo says new specs are on the way.

The most disappointing news, however, is the … Read more

Something tells us that Ilya and Borish Kaganovich have more than a few scars on their knees. The two brothers are the inventors of the "iShoes," which are kind of a mashup of the Segway and motorized skateboards for your feet--and they look just as dorksome, if not worse.

Each pair has 4-inch wheels and weighs a total of 16 pounds but can still hit 15 miles per hour, according to Coolest-Gadgets. The shoes--which come in men's and women's sizes, if they get beyond the prototype phase--can reportedly go 5 to 7 miles without recharging the … Read more