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The 404 534: Where we take a stab at the daily news (podcast)

The original rundown for today's episode of The 404 Podcast started with a bunch of stories about tech-related violence, but we decided to scrap all that for a more positive show. And we're also putting Wilson on a temporary story time-out for the next few days so this doesn't happen again.

Jeff is particularly excited about this first story, because it involves two of his close loves: video games and Playboy bunnies. This fall, Take Two Interactive is partnering with Playboy on Mafia II, a mature video game that lets you play as a gangster in the 1940s and '50s. The game is replete with vintage Playboy magazines and, of course, the centerfolds. Before you start writing your local government reps, keep in mind that the images are tastefully integrated into the game's nostalgia, which also includes vintage cars and firearms to invoke the 1940s zeitgeist. Additionally, the scenes in question are fairly tame compared with another Take Two game series, "Grand Theft Auto." Remember the Hot Coffee mod in GTA: San Andreas?

The 404 prides itself on keeping up to date on pop culture trends, but the newest fad among teenage girls is churning our stomachs. Across the country, the newest thing is to get intoxicated by an alternative form of ingestion. We'll spare you the details in this blog, because my physical demonstration in the video makes it so much easier to digest. This is why we're absolutely terrified of having kids.

Now that spring has finally decided to visit New York, it's time for backyard BBQs, rooftop parties, and bikes rides! New York certainly isn't the easiest city to navigate on a bicycle, but Google Maps is now offering a cycling navigation feature to guide you along your way.

The directions route you through to your destination by cross-referencing the least busiest streets with the ones that have clearly defined bike lanes, getting you there faster and, most importantly, in one piece. Once you get to your destination, however, be sure to do everything you can to minimize the chance of theft.

In perhaps its first practical application, local New York bike messenger Austin Horse successfully recovered his stolen bike using Twitter. After someone snatched his bike, Horse immediately notified his followers to keep a lookout (not too difficult a task, as the frame is bright orange) and posted the same to a local message board. In less than 24 hours, someone recovered his vehicle in the Lower East Side and it's now back with its rightful owner--great news!

Keep sending us voice mails to 1-866-404-CNET because you know we love to hear how you're doing, and don't forget to send in your 404 sticker pictures to the404(at)cnet[dot]com. High quality shots have a good chance of making it to a blog post, like the one you see up there from our buddy Derrick Chen. Natali Del Conte on the show tomorrow, so be sure to catch us live at 11 a.m. EST/8 a.m. PST on CNET TV.

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Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars: iPhone app of the week

I usually write about two iPhone apps every week, but this week is special. This week, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars came out for the iPhone and it is worth every cent of the $9.99 price tag. Though it is certainly not what I would call a family game, it is done so well that serious gamers should head to the iTunes Store immediately. I want to reiterate here: this is not a family game. Gratuitous violence, bad language, drugs, theft, and murder, are all commonplace in Chinatown Wars--in other words, we strongly suggest you don't buy it … Read more

Alleged car thief caught playing Grand Theft Auto

Legend has it that people play video games and then go out to imitate the behavior that those games encourage. May I present evidence that this may not be the case?

According to the Associated Press, police in Polk County, Fla., were pursuing someone who allegedly stole a 1998 Dodge Durango. Suddenly, they espied the car parked outside a home in Haines City. How could they not investigate who or what might be inside the house?

I feel confident in imagining that not one police officer emitted the slightest chuckle on noticing Michael Ray Ekes, 30, in the house, allegedly … Read more

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars carjacks the App Store

Note to parents: Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for iPhone and iPod Touch is a crude, violent, decidedly R-rated game. So don't let the kids catch you playing it, OK?

Actually, it's more likely you'll catch them. Chinatown Wars ranks among the top-rated and most popular titles ever for both Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable, and its iPhone counterpart is sure to enjoy similar success.

For those unfamiliar with GTA games, Chinatown Wars plays like an interactive John Woo movie. As the son of a murdered gang boss, you must complete various missions on the sprawling, … Read more

Making beautiful music with the Techno Jeep

Glance at Car Tech forum and you'll quickly learn one thing: Jeep Cherokees are notorious for electrical problems. So, what do you do with that dying Jeep sitting in your driveway? Why not turn it into 2,500-pound musical instrument? Enter the Techno Jeep:

Shortly after the video ends, we're told the Jeep simply exploded. :)

The 404 Podcast 499: Where we turn our heads and cough

In case you didn't catch the preshow, today's show title is in honor of Jeff and Wilson both visiting the doctor...here's hoping they're at the same time. Before we get to the show, be sure to head out for your free tacos from Taco Bell, then come back for another hilarious Friday episode of CNET's The 404 Podcast.

We've always been valiant supporters of Conan O'Brien, so it's very disappointing to see that NBC is supposedly giving Leno the 11:30 p.m. spot and pushing The Tonight Show back to 12:05 a.m. Jeff and Wilson definitely feel more vehemently about the decision than I do, but I'm starting to see Jay in a similarly desperate light--whatever happened to bowing out with respect? We're hoping this was actually posted by Conan, but someone put The Tonight Show on Craigslist. Listed as "barely-used" and up for sale to the highest bidder, the ad spells out a hilariously specific requirement: the buyer must honor the scheduled Barry Manilow booking for next Thursday.

With all the tablet rumors surrounding the next Apple Event on January 26, it's refreshing to hear that the next iPhone might feature a touch-sensitive back. According to Goldman Sachs analyst Robert Chen, the fourth-gen iPhone might come with a case similar to the Apple Magic Mouse that you can pinch, pull, and tap. A "touch-sensitive back," you say? The jokes almost write themselves....but you better believe we still go there.

We also spend some time in the second half of the show on the earthquake disaster in Haiti. Much thanks and support to the soldier who called in with a voice mail about the effort! We're urging everyone to do their part and text HAITI to 90999 to give $10 to the Red Cross. Also, please help us spread the word that American Airlines is taking volunteer doctors and nurses to Haiti for free, just call 212-697-9767 for more details. Red Cross also needs more Creole-speaking volunteers for their 24-hour phone bank, so get in touch with them if you can.

Have a great weekend everyone!

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Modern Warfare 2 joins 'Avatar' in ultra-elite $1 billion club

For an entertainment property to hit $1 billion in sales is a very rare feat. For two separate properties to pass the 10-figure mark at the same time may well be a first.

On Wednesday, Activision Blizzard announced that its mega-hit video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, had crossed the billion-dollar mark, after just two months on store shelves--and the entertainment industry's single-day sales record. That milestone came shortly after it was announced that James Cameron's uber-blockbuster movie, "Avatar," had also reached that financial promised land.

To be sure, these are just round numbers, and don't have any formal meaning, but there's no arguing with the fact that it sure sounds good for the entertainment business to be sporting two separate billion-dollar titles at the same time, especially since they come from such different corners of the world.

In the history of video games, a billion-dollar hit is an extreme rarity. It's hard to tell precisely how many there have been, but it's possible that number is as small as two.… Read more

GrandCentral Web site to jump the tracks

Google is derailing the GrandCentral Web site in order to get fully onboard its Google Voice train.

Google sent out an e-mail to GrandCentral users Saturday announcing that it will be closing down the GrandCentral Web site on December 31.

Google Voice, of course, is the new version of the GrandCentral technology Google acquired in July 2007. Under the service, people pick a phone number from Google Voice; when others call it, Google can ring all the actual phones a person uses and handle voice mail.

Google Voice is still in beta, but GrandCentral users have had the option to … Read more

Getting to know Gay Tony in Grand Theft Auto IV

The final expansion pack (or episode) for Grand Theft Auto IV has been released in the form of The Ballad of Gay Tony. You assume the role of Luis, nightclub owner Gay Tony's right-hand man who must handle his dirty work across Liberty City.

The Ballad of Gay Tony can be downloaded via Xbox Live (for $20) or in a $40 disc form (called Episodes from Liberty City) which also includes The Lost and Damned, GTA IV's first additional episode.

We've had sometime with the final version of the game and here are our thoughts:

Jeff: First thing's first. If you haven't downloaded The Lost and Damned, go out and buy Episodes From Liberty City. It's tough to recall such a great value in gaming prior to this double pack, and Xbox 360 owners don't need a copy of the original GTA IV to jump right in. There is an incredible amount of gameplay value here; it's like getting two full $60 games for less than the price of one.… Read more

The 404 460: Where we turn it up to 11

When you do a daily podcast for two years, you start to realize a strange thing about the daily news cycle: one day there are tons of interesting stories to talk about, and the next day there's nothin'. This is one of those nothin' days, but that doesn't mean today's episode is boring by any means. In fact, the slow news days gives us an outlet to do what we do best--veer off course and offer insight into what's going on in our heads!

To kick things off, Jeff and Wilson educate me on GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony, the second episode of the popular expansion pack that was just released a few days ago.

After taking time to shake our collective heads at the voters in Maine, we give Robert Zemeckis the spotlight to reveal details about his latest effort, a sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit!

The interview shows Zemeckis choosing his words carefully so as not to reveal any details, but some are speculating that the script will tell the prequel story about how Roger Rabbit popped out of the Toon world and into 3D. As usual, we agree with Jeff's cynicism about the project considering the director's sketchy idea to use performance capture a la "Beowulf" and "A Christmas Carol" to bring the characters (not Roger Rabbit, phew) back to life. We're warning you, Bob--if you mess up this movie we will never forgive you, "Back to the Future" notwithstanding.

Next, we hand it over to Wilson, who tells us about a recent U.K. study that reveals sensitive new "metrotextual" trends amongst young men in the 18- to 24- year-old age group. The study defines "metrotexting" as a text message sent from one male to another that offers a message and signs off with an "x," which translates from text-speak to a virtual kiss.

The article goes on to report that metrotextuality is most popular among 18- to 24-year-olds, with an unbelievable 75 percent of males ending texts to their dude friends with an XO, or "hugs and kisses."

We're not sure what's going on in the U.K., but our small experience doesn't reflect the same intimacy with our friends, although we're starting to think that we should spread the love a little more...so Wilson and Jeff, if you're reading this...doing the show for the past two years with you guys has been the most rewarding experience of my life, no lie. I love you guys. /bromance

We've got a lot more stories for you, including a quick book review of Lois Lowry's The Giver, Modern Warfare 2 terrorist claims, a discussion about video game ratings, Nintendo's newest DSi XL/LL, T-Mobile carrier outages, and of course - the third and final round of our virtual Halloween costume parade!

Enjoy the show and let us know what you think in a voicemail (1-866-404-CNET) or an e-mail (the404(at)cnet[dot]com). Have a great Wednesday!

EPISODE 460 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS VideoRead more