Geek culture

Judge to wayward teen: Hand over your Xbox

Think back to when you were 13. What was the worst punishment you could imagine? Maybe it was being grounded or getting your allowance docked.

For me, it would have been having my "Star Trek"-rerun viewing privileges revoked. (I know, I've always been geeky.)

A 13-year-old in Belfast, Ireland, with a series of burglary charges under his belt is seeing his own nightmare punishment come true. A judge ordered the surrender of his Xbox console as a condition of bail.

According to a report from BBC News, Belfast High Court Justice McLaughlin wanted to teach the young man what it was like to have something of value taken away. The console will be returned once the charges have been settled.

The teen faces five counts of burglary and one of attempted burglary, according to BBC News. He allegedly stole two electric drills and a mobile phone during break-ins to a high school, shopping center, and house earlier this year.

This raises some interesting options when it comes to doling out repercussions for modern teens. The threat of not hanging out with buddies was once a top-of-the-line discipline move. These days, it's all about cell phones, computer time, and gaming consoles.

There is an old-style sanction to go along with the Xbox abdication. The alleged teen burglar is also barred from hanging out with his co-accused in the case.… Read more

The 404 851: Where some things even Justin Timberlake can't bring back (podcast)

We're taking a three-day weekend to celebrate Independence Day, which means that tomorrow we'll make our annual walk-of-shame to McDonald's for breakfast. So it's only appropriate that today we talk about a Consumer Reports survey that confirms McDonald's as the worst beef-on-a-bun you can buy.

Wilson insists on waiting until tomorrow for the return of Tang That Tune, so today's stories include Justin Timberlake investing in the return of MySpace, a TIL about the etymology of popular software company names, and the long-awaited review of the HP TouchPad tablet.

The 404 Digest for Episode 851

Justin Timberlake wants to bring Sexyback to Myspace. TIL how Apple, Google, Intel, Microsoft etc. got their names. "Science" confirms In-n-Out Burger is the best...guess which is the worst!

Episode 851 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 850: Where Jill will do anything for love (podcast)

Aunt Jill's been busy with her own podcast Jill On Money, but today she joins us on The 404 to answer your financial questions. Listen to this episode to find out what each of us did as teenagers to make money, how kids today can make the most of their time, and the best way to handle your monthly credit card debt. Plus, Jill helps us out with another Tang That Tune, now with a video and audio intro thanks to Patrick and Jamey!

The 404 Digest for Episode 850

Listen and subscribe to Aunt Jill's podcast, Jill on Money! Check out #AuntJill's Twitter, and send her your questions!

Episode 850 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Teen girl allegedly offers virginity for iPhone 4

Many of you may remember the teen who reportedly sold his kidney for an iPad 2. Well, the obsession with gadgets may have reached yet another all-time low, if a story out of China is to be believed.

A recent Korea Herald article describes a Chinese teen girl who publicly posted a shocking proposition on Weibo (China's version of Twitter): buy her an iPhone 4 in exchange for her virginity.

The unnamed teen from Guangdong posted that it is her "dream to own an iPhone 4," but her "father won't let her get one." So, she took to the social-networking site with a picture of herself and some personal information, asking anonymous users of the microblogging service to buy her Apple's most powerful smartphone in exchange for, well, her body. … Read more

E-book stores get massive Star Wars update

The expanded Star Wars universe, which spans thousands of years through books, video games, TV shows, and other media, sheds further light on many additional compelling sagas that occur around the original story. However, many of those writings have never been available in e-book format, testing the patience of Jedi everywhere.

As of yesterday, owners of Amazon Kindle, B&N Nook, Sony Reader and Apple iOS (via iBooks) devices can purchase a larger selection of books from the expanded Star Wars canon that were previously unavailable in their respective stores.

More than 100 books ranging from the Old Republic to a time well past the new Jedi Order can be purchased for $7.99 (or higher). Noted Star Wars publishers LucasBooks and Random House have unleashed a massive collection of titles from famous authors such as Timothy Zahn, Michael Reaves, Kevin Anderson, A.C. Crispin, Michael A. Stackpole, and many others. … Read more

Which superhero would you pick to save the world?

Our lives are chockablock with choices. Mac or PC? Red wine or white? Ginger or Mary Ann?

Urgent stuff like that.

But what if you found yourself staring into the face of a force so powerful and so malign that the very civilization humanity holds dear was at risk? For generations of comic book readers, this was the stuff that had their favorite superheros flying--or running very fast--to the rescue. And with The Green Lantern and Thor finally making their big-screen debuts this summer, superheros are again a hot topic of conversation.

But not all superheros are created equal, and besides, there are lots to choose from.

Let's make it more interesting: Let's say you had one call to make to summon a superhero to save the Earth from the clutches of a giant, gamma ray-shooting alien. Time to send out that SOS now. So who would it be?

We've assembled our fave picks in the accompanying gallery. Agree? Disagree? Let us know in the comments section below.

Superhero smackdown: The top 10 (photos)

This story originally appeared on CBSNews.com. … Read more

Happy Tau Day, everybody!

There's a celebration for everything these days--National Yo-Yo Day, Ice Cream Day, even Corduroy Day. March 14 was Pi Day--3.14... get it? On Pi Day, which celebrates the number that represents the ratio of circumference to diameter of a circle, enthusiasts had pie-eating contests and played educational games.

Guess what today is! It's Tau Day. Tau represents the circumference of a circle divided by the radius, which is approximately 6.28. Today is June 28... get it?

Apparently, people have been celebrating this day for 10 years. On Tau Day last year, theoretical physicist Michael Hartl launched the Tau Manifesto, which explained why pi is confusing and instead should be replaced with tau.

One of his reasons: Since tau is the ratio of circumference to radius of a circle, circles are more naturally defined by their radius than diameter. (Are you still following this?)… Read more

The 404 849: Where we're taking a mulligan (podcast)

Did Shakespeare smoke the devil's lettuce? Joey Kaminski fills in for Wilson today to help us discuss this question and more, like should Jeff go to the world's first tickle spa? How would you evaluate Subway's $5 foot-long sandwich policy? And how do I get free Uncharted 3 and Call of Duty Black Ops (Annihilation)? We'll try our best to answer them all!

The 404 Digest for Episode 849

Capcom tries to kill used video game sales with the one-save game. Instead of pejazzling, Jeff should go to the world's first tickle spa. Twenty craziest job interview questions and the right answers. Crazies exhume Shakespeare's body to see if he smoked marijuana. Did you know that every episode of "Seinfeld" has a Superman reference? Whoa...dude!

Episode 849 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

AutoWed: Romantic robo-weddings for geek love

The cost of the recent royal nuptials over in England has been estimated at more than $20 million. The happy couple could have saved a lot of cash and hassle by getting hitched by the AutoWed instead.

The AutoWed is a one-off device built by Concept Shed for Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum in Detroit. The creators describe it as part parking meter, part Cadillac, part cathedral, and a little bit steampunk. It stands an impressive 8 feet tall.

The Pepto Bismol-pink device lets users choose from straight, gay, lesbian, and Best Friends Forever unions. For $1, the machine dispenses a pair of plastic rings and a customized receipt for commemorating your special day.

The ceremony is accompanied with mechanized music and a stiffly robotic voice. It's like having Robby the Robot officiate at your wedding.

If you think programming in C++ is romantic or you have a gift registry at RadioShack, then this is the marriage ceremony for you and your sweetie.… Read more

'Brave' trailer teases lush, epic animated adventure

A trailer for Pixar's next animated film, "Brave," was finally released online today after being imprisoned in theaters as a preview that displayed before "Cars 2."

The trailer reveals a hero, many generations ago, surviving larger-than-life challenges in the beautifully portrayed highlands of Scotland. Scenery and tone feel like a fairy tale, and as always, the main protagonist is an unexpected one: a girl named Merida, who has long curly red hair and a side serving of extra panache as she shoots arrows around Scotland.

Environments shown in the trailer look amazingly lush, reminiscent of realms one would see in MMORPGs. The official Web site reveals more about the story: … Read more