o'brien

Conan O'Brien ribs 'nerds' at Intel science fair

"How do I calculate the size of meatballs?" That was the title of one of the seminal Intel science projects that late-night comedian Conan O'Brien covered in a segment last night on NBC's "The Tonight Show."

O'Brien was at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, billed as the world's largest pre-college science fair. Intel is one of the sponsors of the "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien," which launched recently with the retirement (from that show) of Jay Leno.

"Even though Intel is one of the world'… Read more

Podcast: EFF on French rejection of piracy bill

By a vote of 21 to 15, the lower house of France's Parliament rejected a bill that would have required Internet service providers to suspend access to people who have received three warnings for illegally downloading copyrighted music.

While there are plenty of organizations and individuals who supported the bill, including French President Nicolas Sarkozy, the Electronic Frontier Foundation has opposed this bill and similar efforts elsewhere.

EFF's International Outreach Coordinator Danny O'Brien explains his organization's position on the issue.

The 404 284: Where Heavy & Flo thank Mr. Roboto for his pencil

Heavy & Flo return to the show. It's supposed to be a monthly thing, but our schedule is a little erratic. Just be thankful we're not pregnant. They're up to their usual high-jinks because Daddy Bakalar is out of town to keep us in check.

The Oscars were on last night, so Heavy & Flo think it's an appropriate time to make fun of Japanese men, who can barely speak English. OK, Mr. Yu and Mr. Tang seem to think that it's pretty damn funny, too, when he thanks his pencil. Flo recounts her story … Read more

The 404 243: Where we'll never get rid of Jay Leno

Even though Jeff and Wilson are having an "off day," the show is still as ridiculous and irrelevant as always, replete with stories about stuffing monkeys up your shirt, dirty Nintendo Scrabble words, and the worst Top 10 gadgets list of all time. Oh, and be sure to listen until to the end to hear Wilson completely destroy the 4th wall.

Wilson and Jeff are in some kind of slump, so it's up to me (Yu) to cheer them up, and I think a combination of funny stories and a heartfelt air hug sesh gets the job … Read more

Where Jimmy Fallon will never host
The 404...he's not talented enough

EPISODE 97

Today we talk about the infamous $30 a month Sprint SERO plan, the 3G iPhone, and the new BlackBerry Bold. Also, we gladly watch as Speed Racer crashes at the box office and cry as Jimmy Fallon gets the late night love he doesn't deserve. Plus, we pimp Legends, Myths and Hieroglyphs, a brand new play by one of our favorite guests, Demetrius Wren.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

Tim O'Brien, 'Chameleon': Free MP3 of the Day

O'Brien is known for his traditionalist outings (2005's "Fiddler's Green" is a stunning tour of classic folk varietals). But even then he's looked a lot like a modern solo bard, and it's that persona that appears in "Chameleon." The LP is nearly ideal: coffeehouse ruminations with a serious folk grounding.

Download free MP3 now!

Herding cats at Microsoft

Tim O'Brien must have one of the more difficult jobs at Microsoft. As senior director of Microsoft Platforms, he is tasked with getting different parts of Microsoft to dance to the same tune. "Part of my role in the company is to help groups understand what the paths are," O'Brien said during an interview at Mix '08 earlier this month. "If the groups are heading down random paths, at the risk of oversimplification, we try to get on a common trajectory."

It sounds like a herding cats job. Microsoft has multiple platforms and agendas, … Read more