parties

BOL 1071: Falling off the hype cycle

Twitter trades hype for a huge cash infusion, Windows 7 attempts to create hype with a spectacularly awfsome video, and we cover all the hype falling out of the Demo conference. Speaking of falling, Honda's new Segway-style unicycle looks amazingly easy to fall off of.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1071

Report: No Palm Pre for Verizon Wireless http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-10361144-266.html

Twitter Appears Set to Raise $100 Million, Valuing It at $1 Billion http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/25/technology/internet/25twitter.html … Read more

U.K. gets its own Pirate Party

The Pirate Party UK, which is dedicated to technology and copyright-law reform, has become an official political party.

The party was registered by the Electoral Commission this week, the party's leader Andrew Robinson told ZDNet UK.

"We're still in the early stages of forming the party," Robinson said Thursday. "We're still very small."

The U.K. organization has around 250 active members, Robinson said.

Electoral Commission registration allows the party to raise funds and list Pirate Party UK candidates at the next general election, which must take place before June 2010. Similar parties … Read more

Sony's Party-shot joins Crave Asia's party

Sony's Party-shot dock does the swivel and twist at our Crave Asia offices. And, surprise, surprise, Sony's new spaceship-looking Party-shot arrives just in time for our evening... party.

Would you put Sony Party-shot on your guest list?

When a Sony rep plunked down the company's new, unfortunately hyphenated Party-shot dock in the middle of a press briefing with one of the two new Cyber-shot models parked in it, the thing automatically began to whir, rotate, tilt, zoom, snap and flash in our faces. And I began to go through what I retrospectively realized were the five stages of grief.

Denial: They're joking, right? This thing reminds me of the "SNL" commercial parody Big Red (which I really wanted to embed/link, but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere on the Web) … Read more

The 404 365: Where Andrew WK gives us bloody noses

Artist and newly crowned TV show host ANDREW WK joins The 404 today in what might be the crowning moment of our careers. We run the gamut in our extra-long show--we chat about his music career, an upcoming album, his new show "Destroy Build Destroy," and Jeff and I actually reveal our two chance encounters with the man. IT'S TIME TO PARTY!

After pimping out his appearance on the show for the past two weeks, we're very, very excited to welcome Andrew WK to our humble studio. Unsurprisingly, Andrew's super posi vibe gels well with the group and we get right into the interview, beginning with a story about how Andrew got into the piano as a kid and how it shaped his music today.

If you haven't had a chance to see Andrew play live, do yourself a favor and check it out with The 404's highest recommendation for a guaranteed good time. Also be sure to listen for a very special clip from Andrew's newest sold-out record, "DAMN! The Mixtape Vol. 1", currently only available for download on iTunes or Amazon. We also pick Andrew's brain for his opinions on the current state of music, including the overuse of auto-tune and his newfound appreciation for Dave Matthews Band.

After the break, we launch right into a conversation about Andrew's newest endeavor, a brand new show debuting on the Cartoon Network this Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EDT called "Destroy Build Destroy." The premise is simple: two teams of teenagers (with plenty of guidance and safety measures) compete to destroy a large structure, build the remnants up into something else. The winner of the competition gets to obliterate the loser's! You had us at "destroy," Andrew, the premise sounds like a mix between Double Dare and Battle Bots.

AWK's all over the place! In addition to Santos Party House, his successful bar in downtown Manhattan, Andrew also talks about his next solo album entitled "55 Cadillac" that's a pretty wide departure from his normal rock and roll. Listen to a few clips on his MySpace, give him a call, and let him know how much you love it!

Click on the slideshow above for candid shots from our interview with Andrew WK, courtesy of Sara the Woah-mantern, and a big thanks goes out to Anna David for introducing us to AWK! Wait, is it time to party yet? Yeah, it's time...LET'S GET A PARTY STARTED!

EPISODE 365 Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Digg API changes could mean profit for developers

On Tuesday Digg announced big changes to its API that should make third-party developers happy--and maybe even rich.

The most major one being that the company has let up on its use for commercial applications, meaning that developers will be able to create services that take advantage of Digg's content and community without first having to ask for permission from the company. This includes pulling in content from the service and either charging to do so, or including on-page advertisements--two things which kept application developers from making a profit, or even charging for their creations.

The updated application programming … Read more

Data crunch: Where did people go during Internet Week?

Just how powerful can the data behind a location-based application be? Extremely.

Earlier this month, the second annual Internet Week New York took place, and Dropio founder and certifiable data nerd Sam Lessin crunched a bunch of numbers based on what his contacts on urban navigation and friend-finding service Foursquare were doing. Lessin was working with a group of fewer than 100 contacts, almost all of whom are involved in the tech and new-media industries (this is the scene that birthed Foursquare and its predecessor Dodgeball, after all), and yet it's a fascinating peek at just how much this … Read more

Ahoy! Pirate Party gets berth in European Parliament

Sweden's Pirate Party has won entry to the European Parliament in Brussels in elections held Sunday.

The Pirate Party gained 7 percent of the Swedish votes and secured at least one of the 18 seats that Sweden holds in the parliament.

"Citizens have understood that it's time to pull the fist out of the pocket and that you can make a difference," Rick Falkvinge, leader and founder of the party, told the Swedish daily Svenska Dagbladet, after the result of the elections were revealed. "We don't accept to be bugged by the government. People … Read more

The 404 357: Where Wilson calls dibsies on Dan Hesse

Wilson breaks some Sprint and Palm Pre information, based on an interview he did with CNET News reporter Maggie Reardon and Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. This makes Jeff infinitely jealous, because Wilson got to hold a Palm Pre before Jeff did.

Dan Hesse denied that Verizon and AT&T would be getting the Palm Pre in six months time, saying that the reports had the facts wrong. Wilson thinks that Sprint probably has the option to extend its exclusivity in six months. Wilson also thinks that the Palm Pre is a little too small and a little too thick. Reminds us of something we'd rather not say or write.

In more phone news, Jitterbug has released a new version of its Jitterbug cell phone. Remember the one last week that couldn't even dial 911 in some cases? Well, Jitterbug has added text messaging to this new model. Yeah, we don't really think that grandma is going to be really into T9 text messaging.

Plus, we think Jitterbug is opening up itself to the worst deluge of tech support calls on the planet by having direct tech support access built-in to the cell phone. Our grandparents drive us crazy enough when they ask us to set up their VCRs. Imagine if that was your job!

Grandpa: Why doesn't my son call me any more?

In more puzzling economic recession news, we find it pretty interesting that the tattoo removal business is booming. Apparently, that face tattoo was a great idea when the economy was booming. Now, you'll be hard pressed to find a job doing much of anything that doesn't require a face mask if you've got one.

Finally, in the big news of the day, we let the world know that musician and inspirational speaker, Andrew W.K., will be coming to guest on The 404 on June 18. Be sure to get your iPods, Zunes, iTunes, and RSS readers all fired up to check out this interview. For those of you who don't know, check out any party scene in a movie released in the last decade for his hit "Party Hard." He'll be on to promote his new show on the Cartoon Network, and Justin will be dedicating his life to the man. We're serious. We think Andrew W.K. should bring bodyguards. Take care and have a great weekend everybody!

EPISODE 357 Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more