parties

It seemed obvious when the Nintendo DSi first debuted: offering classic Game Boy titles from Nintendo's decades-long back library would be a perfect fit and a no-brainer parallel to the Virtual Console on the Wii.

But it never happened. Now the upcoming Nintendo 3DS, which won't be released in the U.S. until 2011, will rectify this with a Virtual Console of its own, according to a Nintendo announcement released early this morning. That's great news, but there are a few more surprises that the 3DS unveiled--some of which we had been expecting in the Nintendo DSi, … Read more

Many times in running their Macs people will install various drivers and system enhancements to customize their Mac experience. These can be anything from a device driver to a haxie for enabling hidden OS X features. While these may work when running your system, there are times when updates to system software can break their function or cause other unexpected behavior. Usually these issues are not bad, but periodically people may update and wonder why they are suddenly getting errors or hangs.

One possibility for this is if your third-party drivers are not being properly updated along with OS updates. … Read more

So great is the excitement about a Facebook-branded phone that any privacy issues such a phone might inspire seem to have blown away in the wind.

Let me, therefore, offer a sweet and cautionary tale about a 14-year-old girl in the U.K., who thought she'd throw a little party and now seems to be about to throw a very big one.

The Telegraph has been friendly enough to reveal the Facebook faux-pas performed by the teen. She decided to hold a birthday party at her mom's house and mom kindly said she could invite 15 of her … Read more

Let's get intellectual.

Every object, thought, movement, and person is, at heart, political. They might try to hide it. They might couch their purpose in some pretense of rationality. But in the end, everything that lives, breathes, or takes up space is trying to persuade you of something.

So, being deeply political myself, my head stubble stood on end when those who operate my dog collar at CNET told me about the new Great American Novel, "Freedom." This is the latest work by Jonathan Franzen, the man who experienced conniptive tendencies on learning that Oprah had given his book "The Corrections" her seal of approval.

Everyone who is anyone (and even some who are no one) has declared "Freedom" a vastly important work. But what might move you to read it is the part in which one of the main characters, middle-aged rock star Richard Katz, declares that Apple is rotten and the iPod is Republican.

Naturally, I have speed-read to this most important part. However, some might find that many of Katz's statements, all offered with dulled power of hindsight to a 19-year-old Mac-loving blogger, move them to tears, joy, violent twitching, or enlightenment.

In answer to the question "What do you think of the MP3 revolution?" Katz offers: "Ah, revolution, wow. It's great to hear the word 'revolution' again. It's great that a song now costs exactly the same as a pack of gum and lasts exactly the same amount of time before it loses its flavor and you have spend another buck."

But Katz is merely stretching his mandible for a more targeted assault. Because he has Apple in his sights:

"Apple Computer must be way more committed to making the world a better place, because iPods are so much cooler-looking than other MP3 players, which is why they're so much more expensive and incompatible with other companies' software, because--well, actually, it's a little unclear why, in a better world, the very coolest products have to bring the very most obscene profits to a tiny number of residents of the better world."… Read more

Honestly, we didn't expect Jeff to show up for work this morning after his weekend excursion to Montreal for his bachelor's party, but he's back and divulging zero details about what happened abroad, because that conversation is better suited to giggling whispers in private cubicles.

For now, let's just assume that Jeff had a delightful time skipping across the city and supporting local hole-in-the-wall establishments with a handful of his closest friends.

Without our listeners (yes, you!), The 404 would be nothing but three semi-educated post-adolescents shouting into a box, so to show our appreciation we're throwing a contest with JetBlue Airlines to fly you anywhere in the U.S. and Caribbean for a week! Yep, the grand prize is a seven-day unlimited All You Can Jet pass to feed your wanderlust anywhere on JetBlue's map, and another lucky winner will receive a complimentary five-day pass for the same deal!

Two winners will be chosen at random and here's how to enter: simply  follow The 404 Podcast on Twitter, retweet the phrase "Follow @the404 and RT this for a chance to win 1 of 2 #AllYouCanJet @JetBlue passes. Rules: http://bit.ly/dodRKs #AYCJ" and you're done!

The contest is over on Tuesday, August 31, at 3 p.m. ET and winners will be announced by 5 p.m. ET, so hurry for your chance to win one of these two amazing prices, courtesy of our friends at JetBlue!

After some serious contest pimping, we're dropping two big announcements about our favorite movie "Back To the Future." As if the idea of a modern remake of the film wasn't bad enough, it turns out that no one's favorite tween pop star Justin Bieber is rumored to play Marty Mcfly. *Pause for "Noooooos"* The child star has yet to comment on the horrific gossip, so keep your fingers crossed.

Now for some good news: the wait is finally over, and BTTF fans might finally get the chance to don Marty's famous Nike "powerlaces" sneakers, thanks to a patent from Tinker Hatfield and the dudes at the Nike Innovative Kitchen.

The initial blueprint of the shoes look nearly identical to the '80s-style super high-top in the film, replete with the parallel lacing and a separate charging system below. While you're there, be sure to check out NiceKicks' brief history of Nike's BTTF-inspired shoes!

Good luck to everyone entering the Jet Blue All You Can Jet Giveaway!

Wilson is out sick today (read: too scared of the rain to leave his house), so we're upgrading to someone better: Scott Stein of CNET's own Digital City podcast! He joins us on today's episode of The 404 to give us his personal review of the Apple iPad and five ways it's still better than the iPhone 4. We also discuss the next generation of portable adult entertainment, six tech species in danger of extinction, and the RIAA requiring FM radios in all cell phones.

Scott is CNET's resident laptop expert, but he also happens … Read more

Entertaining always requires a certain amount of planning. Hosts have to ask themselves what to serve, how to serve it, and who to serve it to. When it comes to wine, choosing the right varietals is only the start of the discussion. Whether it be white, red, or something in between, serving temperature is always an important facet to consider. A bucket of ice doesn't always cut it.

The Cavanova Open-Top Four-Bottle Wine Chiller is a convenient solution for wine-serving needs. Featuring an adjustable temperature range from 44 degrees to 64 degrees, the thermoelectric wine chiller keeps four standard-size … Read more

IncrediBooth lets you relive those moments at the amusement park or carnival, when you and your friends would cram yourselves into a little photo booth to create a strip of funny shots to save your fun memories. This app will work on the iPhone 4 only, so users of older iPhones should NOT download this app. The app uses the iPhone 4's front-facing camera to take three pictures in a row, letting you get creative with how you pose between shots. The end result is a strip of retro-looking photos, much like what you would pull from those aforementioned … Read more

What would you have said if someone told you pre-E3 that Microsoft would do its best to mimic Nintendo, whereas Nintendo would act like Microsoft? It certainly seemed like the companies flip-flopped at their respective E3 press conferences. Though the 360 spent a great deal of focus on motion control and the Kinect, Nintendo didn't breathe a word about health, motion, or the Wii Fit at its E3 briefing on Tuesday.

Instead, the company's games were the real focus, especially retro franchises: those folks hoping for years for a taste of old Nintendo games certainly had a field day. StarFox, F-Zero, and Pikmin remain undisclosed (Update: Though not discussed at the press briefing, StarFox 64 3D was announced for the 3DS), but Nintendo did unveil new Kirby, Donkey Kong, and Kid Icarus titles, along with detailed gameplay from the next Wii Zelda.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword: Demonstrated for nearly half an hour, the Nintendo flagship sequel will feature Wii MotionPlus support for more-accurate weapon and item actions. The rest of the story remains a mystery, but the game has a more cel-shaded look than Twilight Princess. It arrives in 2011.

Wii Sports Mix: In a very smart move, Nintendo is creating a Mario compilation sports game with what appear to be soccer, hockey, dodgeball, basketball, and volleyball. This could be a real surprise hit, and it's a nicer idea than infinite "Mario X" sports games.

Wii Party: Nintendo's "bridge" game, the next in the "Wii" series, features Miis in a game that looks a lot like an updated Mario Party. Board games, minigames, and group casual play seem like the focus. … Read more