Survivor

At 'Twitter for video' Tout, happy celebs mean explosive growth

SAN FRANCISCO--When you're a startup trying to upend a business dominated by a powerhouse like YouTube, and adding users far faster than Twitter did during its first serious growth spurts, it's essential that you take care of the famous people who want to come along for the ride.

For Gardner Loulan, the director of community and content at Tout, a company that's pioneering the way people use mobile devices to create short, sharable, and interactive video, catering to the needs of celebrities is something that can happen at any time.

That's why, in the middle of … Read more

Should an iPhone case survive a sledgehammer?

I recently got my hands on two military-grade iPhone 4 cases--the Ballistic HC and the Griffin Survivor.

One of my first thoughts was: could either survive the extreme tests that manufacturers and consumer sites love to throw at such products? Could you drive your car over one and still make a phone call? Could either absorb a smash from a 10-pound sledgehammer and still offer up Angry Birds?

But I'm not going for silly--or for hype.

These cases are actually designed to offer elite protection in everyday use. They give you peace of mind if you drop your iPhone, expose its surface to liquid, fall and land on it, etc. They're not for use in strong-man tests at your county fair.

For sensible uses, both the Ballistic HC and the Griffin Survivor more than suffice.

That said, which do I prefer? Both offer multiple levels of protection, including a main plastic case, a protective screen, a rubberized outer covering and a carrying clip. Both are impact ready and wrap the phone up tight. They cover all ports and connectors. They're similarly priced. … Read more

How online tools spoil reality show secrets

For the producers of a reality show like "The Amazing Race," the headaches probably don't get much bigger than those caused by the TAR Detectives.

A global, loosely formed group of sleuths dedicated to uncovering and publicly revealing spoilers about TAR, or "The Amazing Race," the detectives have proven what the producers of any number of reality shows have learned: It's nearly impossible to keep what happens during filming a secret from those determined to find out.

And thanks to the growing number of online and social-media tools available, and the vast numbers of … Read more

The 404 561: Where Anna David tells us why Reality Matters (podcast)

Established author, frequent guest, and friend of The 404 Anna David joins us on today's episode to accomplish two very specific goals:

Talk about her new book "Reality Matters," a collection of essays penned by a handpicked pack of storytellers that examine our obsession with reality television. Drag Justin's name through the mud.

As an exclusive treat for our live chat room, this morning's pre-show (and a good quarter of the actual show) features some of the tallest tales ever to fly out of Jeff and Wilson's loose mouths. Don't believe the stories these kids tell about me; as Albert Einstein once said, "Great ideas often receive violent opposition from mediocre minds," and I look forward to thanking them in the credits of my first novel, with Anna's expert help of course (after all, Anna's accomplishments as a book editor are well-documented).

"Reality Matters" is Anna's third novel grounded in reality. Her first book, "Party Girl," deals with the nuances of the addiction and recovery process, while "Bought" brings the reader into the world of "paid companionship."

This anthology examines each writer's personal thoughts on shows like "American Idol," "Real Housewives," "Survivor," and The 404's favorite--"The Real World." And it's not at all inflammatory fluff pieces making fun of Snookie's budget pompadour, either. Anna brings together well-known writers like Neil Strauss, Jerry Stahl, and James Frey to take a serious (and sometimes snide) look at the pervasiveness of reality shows on the airwaves and what these individuals can teach us about our role in the REAL real world.

Speaking of which, Anna also tells us a hilarious story lifted from the pages of her own life about an experience trying out for the early days of "The Real World" in San Francisco. Unfortunately the network turned her away for not fitting into one of the show's one-dimensional archetypes, but the real story is the crazed convict that develops a disturbing obsession with Anna as a result of her newfound "fame." Tune in to the show and pick up a copy of "Reality Matters" for more details!

Half an hour of showtime is never enough with Anna, but you can read much more about, her including the schedule of her book readings, speaking engagements, and Red Eye appearances on her personal Web site, and she also offers sex and relationship advice on Annalytical Answers.

If you enjoyed today's episode of The 404 Podcast as much as we did recording it, call us up at 1-866-404-CNET and let us know your thoughts, or you can shoot us an e-mail to the404(at)cnet(dot)com and we'll read it on the air! Have a great weekend and we'll see you back here on Monday!

EPISODE 561 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Getting a handle on celebrity Twitter IDs

In the fall of 2008, most likely after watching an episode of "Survivor," I hopped over to Twitter.com and registered the ID @jeffprobst.

I have absolutely no memory of doing this, or why I signed up using the name of the host of long-running reality show, but I've been a fan of the (CNET parent company) CBS series since 2000 and it must have seemed like a funny idea at the time to anonymously post little tidbits like "The tribe has spoken" or "I'll go tally the votes." But I quickly … Read more

Amazon.com has the Corsair 16GB Flash Survivor USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $31.66, after $14.33 savings and $20 mail-in rebate.

Amazon.com has Corsair 16GB Flash Survivor USB 2.0 Flash Drive for $31.66, after $14.33 savings and $20 mail-in rebate. >> Regular price is $65.99 >> Sale price is $31.66 >> Savings $34.33 (52.02%) >> Click here for deal

Safety device for the urban survivor

If there's a gadget that symbolizes urban living, it might well be something like the "BodyGard Survivor."

As its name implies, this handheld item from Swiss Tech serves as a personal security device that will fire off a high-decibel sonic alarm and flash ultra-bright LEDs when activated by the panic button, according to Gadget Grid. The survivor half of the equation comes into play with its compass and hand-cranked generator, which can be used to power a cell phone or laptop that's gone dead.

Of course, depending on where you live, there are other alternatives that … Read more

Bombproof gadgets: Our most trusty technology

Crave has often mused on the pathetic flimsiness of modern gadgetry. But in a world where waterproof means splashproof and ruggedized means you'd better not drop it, there's all the more reason to celebrate tech that just won't die.

Whatever the reason for its survival, the technology we've collected here deserves enormous credit. It's coped with years of abuse and thousands of meters of cumulative drops, but it continues to operate as well as it did on the day it emerged from the factory. Click here to view the collection.

(Source: Crave UK)

A USB key for reality shows

They've been run over, submerged in water, subjected to extreme temperatures and even built to withstand nuclear explosions. For some reason, people insist on treating USB flash drives like contestants on Fear Factor. And yet, more often than not, they seem to survive with flying colors.

The "Corsair Flash Survivor" is the latest to enter this Thunderdome culture, an aluminum encased device with a black O-ring to prevent water seepage that comes in 4GB and 8GB storage sizes, according to Everything USB. What we can't figure out, however, is why it looks like a flashlight.