Geek culture

20th Anniversary Mac on eBay is new-in-the-box

In 1997, I was watching "The X-Files," going to college, and using floppy disks in computer class. In 1997, Apple was showing off with the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh (also known as TAM), a sleek and imaginative take on the personal computer.

The TAM was ahead of its time. It was slim, had an integrated screen, and shimmered with metal-flake paint. You can now relive all the excitement of ordering and unboxing your very own TAM by buying one new-in-the-box on eBay.

The eBay TAM's accessory box has been opened to check for damage, but the rest of it is pristine. The substantial user manual is still shrink-wrapped. Not surprisingly, the system is being sold as-is.

The TAM has a 250MHz PowerPC processor, a CD-ROM drive, 32MB of RAM, a Bose speaker system, a 12.1-inch LCD display, and a keyboard with a luxurious Italian leather palm rest. Yes, it has a floppy disk drive.

Those specs won't get you very far with today's software demands, but it's not really about what you can do with it. It's about having one in your personal Apple museum. It's the sort of item you would place on your fireplace mantel and stare at while sipping a cocktail.… Read more

V-Moda Revamp headphone review: Because vampires like music, too

The V-Moda Revamp earbuds are a collaboration between V-Moda and HBO for the bloodsucking show "True Blood," but you don't have to be a fan to enjoy them. Aside from a couple small logos on the earbud pieces and the syringe-shaped remote control on the wire, nothing about them looks particularly vampiric.… Read more

The 404 897: Where you both owe me 14 bucks (podcast)

Remember the story we told you last week about the woman who spent $180 on what turned out to be a wooden Apple iPad? It happened again! In the same city! There's a lesson to be learned in all of this, and that lesson is to never trust anyone with more than four gold teeth.

Same rule goes for mustaches, and Google's celebrating Freddie Mercury's 65th birthday with a Web app that lets you add a mustache to every face on the Internet! We'll demo it today using someone else's face, however, since none of us are creepy enough to grow our own mustache.

We'll also talk about Amazon.com-branded delivery lockers popping up in select 7-Eleven stores, adding fuel to the fires already burning through the United States Postal Service, and introduce a new photo caption segment that Wilson cooked up over the weekend.

The 404 Digest for Episode 897

This is why Jeff and Wilson owe me 14 bones. After the $180 wooden iPad comes the $250 paper laptop (same city). Google honors Freddie Mercury with Mustachify.me. Google doodles a complex piece for Freddie Mercury. Amazon starts putting the USPS out of work, one 7-Eleven at a time. The U.S. Post Office says a winter shutdown is possible. Did somebody ask for pizza on a bullet-capsule to the moon? Check out this 404 photoshop, courtesy of Captain Carlos! Join The 404 Facebook Group! Add The 404 on Twitter, and while you're logged in, follow Jeff, Wilson, and Justin too!

Episode 897 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Inaugural Call of Duty XP convention deploys in LA

LOS ANGELES--Thousands of devoted Call of Duty fans gathered here this weekend for the first Call of Duty XP, a convention devoted to the game's past, present, and future.

Activision secured the huge airplane hangars of Playa Del Rey in the shadow of Loyola Marymount University and a sniper's shot from Electronic Arts' Los Angeles headquarters. Howard Hughes used those hangars to build his concept aircraft, but they became multiplayer gaming centers and conference halls for Call of Duty XP 2011.

Activision used the event to unveil the upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 to a hangar absolutely packed with fans eager for the game's November 8 launch.

Players could enjoy the multiplayer levels in preview play while David Vonderhaar, design director; Phil Tasker, senior level designer; Alex Conserva, lead programmer; and Dan Bunting, online director filled in on Q&A before unveiling special rollout trailers to foreshadow the missions to come.

The centerpiece of the event was the international Call of Duty 3: Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer tournament. The four-man team Optic Gaming (William "BigTymer" Johnson, Blake "Vengeance2T" Campbell, Joseph "Merc SD" DeLuca and Matthew "NaDeSHoT" Haag) will split the $400,000 grand prize. … Read more

The 404 896: Where 'tis a far far better thing doing stuff for other people (podcast)

We have big announcement to make today! At the end of this month, CNET will begin a daily block of live podcasts, starting with The 404! You asked for longer episodes, so we're extending the show to fit in all the news headlines of the day, plus Calls From The Public, more weekly segments, including the return of Tang that Tune, and more!

On today's extracasual episode, we jump into a few stories we weren't able to discuss yesterday, like Apple losing yet another unreleased iPhone prototype, Germany lifting a 17-year ban on Doom 1 and 2, and a Tang That Tune with a surprise ending!

The 404 Digest for Episode 896

Apple loses another unreleased iPhone (exclusive). Doom finally unbanned in Germany. Apple customer accidentally given store hard drive.

Episode 896 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

HP 12c calculator: Still up-to-date after 30 years

You probably change your computer every couple of years and update your phone based on Apple's release cycles. But chances are that inside your briefcase or in your desk drawer, there's a gadget that hasn't been changed for decades. It still works well, and you like it just the way it is.

The device in question is the HP 12c calculator, first launched exactly 30 years ago today, on September 1, 1981. Ever since, without much fanfare, it's been a quietly vital tool in finance, business, and academia. According to HP, the 12c is still one of only two standard calculators permitted for use during financial professional certification exams. This is because when it was released, the calculator offered more-accurate computations than the federal standard. It also features an unmatched keypad layout that provided unprecedented ease of use. The device itself is compact enough to fit in a pants pocket.… Read more

The 404 895: Where we meet a schmuck in a suit (podcast)

Sir Jon of Strick-land is a longtime listener of the podcast, but we never knew he was fluent in Elizabethan English until today's episode--by my troth, this should be good.

Jon tells us about his adventures in cosplay at local Renaissance Faires back home in Georgia, and also gives us a preview of his costume at this year's DragonCon--a Renaissance-themed Lex Luthor!

We'll also hear a voice mail from a listener in Berkeley spearheading a movement to proliferate a sarcasm font called Sartalics--along the same lines as the SarcMark, but way cooler.

The 404 Digest for Episode 895

Follow Jon Strickland on Twitter. Woman gets duped by thieves, buys wooden "iPad." Listener "California from Maya" Photoshops the first Domino's Pizza on the moon. Convey sarcasm online using Sartalics. Survival tips for DragonCon, a gathering of sci-fi and fantasy fans.

Episode 895 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Clamor for HP TouchPads turns nasty

Social-media manager is not a job to covet after your company has spent the past week often mishandling the announcement of a huge transition. Especially if that transition involves getting out of your core business, canceling some much-hyped products that you just launched, liquidating those products at fire sale prices, canceling numerous liquidation orders after over-selling the inventory, and then announcing that you're going to make one last batch to meet the demand, except that... you still might not meet the demand.

In case you missed it, Hewlett-Packard announced earlier in the month that it is looking to get … Read more

Lucasfilm changes original Star Wars trilogy again

Obi-Wan Kenobi may have been jolted out of his bed this morning by the millions of voices complaining about rumored changes to the original trilogy in the Star Wars Blu-ray collection, which will be available on September 16.

Entertainment blogger Devin Faraci was first to confirm with several sources that there will be several adjustments to the classic sci-fi movies: one for the original "Star Wars" (Episode IV), and two in "Return of the Jedi" (Episode VI). The New York Times has confirmed with Lucasfilm that changes are happening. To add even more fuel to the fire, there is video. … Read more