breakup

A beginner's guide to telecom jargon, part 7

The mobile world moves at a breakneck pace, and it's difficult to keep up--even without the technical jargon most industry insiders throw around. And they do love to toss those terms around.

This week, I explain what the difference between a computer chip and chipset is, the difference between regular and Enhanced 911, and why for companies, breaking up is hard to do.

So for some light reading, here are a few terms (and definitions) commonly used by telecommunications experts who assume everyone understands them.

Breakup Fee: OK, so this isn't exactly a telecom term, but it's … Read more

The 404 766: Where no milk will ever be our milk (podcast)

Today's show title comes from this scene in Billy Madison, but unfortunately Adam Sandler got no recognition at last night's Academy Awards.

We thought James Franco and Anne Hathaway made a cute couple of hosts, and we appreciated James's #oscarsrealtime updates but we also agree with Roger Ebert and the LA Times, who gave critical reviews of the remarkably tame ceremony.

As usual, the Oscar food puns for each nominee were borderline more entertaining than the show itself.

Last week we talked about a Facebook app called Breakup Notifier that would send you a message when your crush changed his or her relationship status to "single."

Well, an "accidental" change in the Facebook developer's code permanently disabled access to such notifications, so creator Dan Loewenherz clever shifted his focus to a new project called the Crush Notifier.

The Facebook Crush Notifier lets you purchase Facebook credits that allow you to select crushes in your friend list. Those individuals are notified in an anonymous e-mail, and have the option to rate you back.

If you're selected as well, you'll receive a similar message- unfortunately… Read more

Google makes you a better chef

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

Google launches Recipe View to help you whittle your ingredient lists

Disney purchases Togetherville, a social network for children

Google makes a small change to its algorithm to push "content farm" links farther down in search results

Intel unveils its ThunderBolt data transfer technology, formerly code-named Light Peak

Angry Birds will fly on Windows Phone 7 in April

Bing extends Facebook's Like feature across its search results

Facebook breaks up with the Breakup Notifier app

Buzz Out Loud 1413: iPad 2 sooner than expected? (podcast)

On today's show, Brian Tong's secret sources seem to indicate that the iPad 2 might be hitting stores sooner than expected ... we'll see. The announcement is March 2! Also, the FTC looks into kids buying all those Smurf Berries in game on their iPhones, and radiation from cell phones does actually make things happen in your brain, we just don't know what it means. --Molly

The 404 762: Where we're picking up the pieces (podcast)

Jeff's dad, aka Sweet Lou Bakalar, is celebrating a birthday today, but unfortunately he can't be live on the show to go through his 10-item birthday wish list with us so we'll have to settle on a 10-minute voice mail instead. Lou's back, and he's cracking down on cyclists!

We'll play his voice mail right after the break, but before that we want to talk about two Facebook apps that plan to ruin (or strengthen!) as many relationships as they can. First up is a service called Breakup Notifier that automatically sends you an e-mail when your crush breaks up with his or her significant other, giving you the opportunity to turn your lurk into love.

There's also Social Harpoon, an anonymous "hot or not"-style ranking system just for your Facebook friends. The app shows you two friends and judges rating percentages based on the elo rating system to show how likely each person is to "win" against you.… Read more

The Facebook Breakup Notifier: Stalk someone you like

Has Christine dumped him yet? He looked like a freak. But, then again, there always Lucretia. Or Marianna. Or Jeffrey. Are they free yet?

It's very hard to keep up with the relationship status of those whom you'd like to get to know better, as in a whole lot better. This is made even more difficult if you happen to have thousands of Facebook friends and at least 20 people of your target sex (or sexes) whose smell you would like to become familiar with.

Developer Dan Loewenherz knows exactly how you feel. That's why he has … Read more

The 404 700: Where you vote yes on prop 404 (podcast)

Voting day is finally upon us, so don't forget to get out there and punch in your ballot or you will turn into that creature above! We're clearly experiencing technically difficulties while Jeff is away, so apologies to everyone watching today's video because I'm hulking out all episode! By the way, if you need help finding your nearest polling station, you can head over to Google Maps' voter info page, enter in the home address where you're registered, and Google does the work for you.

An artist here in New York has started a new project that literally integrates technology into the city. Aram Bartholl's "Dead Drops" is a public file-sharing network that places USB flash drives into buildings, walls, and curbs that are accessible to anyone with a computer and a willingness to share.

Each flash drive, distributed in five locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, contains a readme.txt file that explains the project and invites users to openly share their digital lives, but The 404 knows how low the Internet will go, and this doesn't bode well for the Dead Drops. The chat room has its own NSFW name for the USB keys, but we won't spoil it in the blog, so be sure to listen to the show to get all the filthy details.

A few weeks ago we showed you what OK Cupid tells us about the real Stuff White People (and other people) Like, but a new TED talk from David McCandless called "The beauty of data visualizations" shows what Facebook tells us about trends in breaking up.

The graph shows that the biggest peak in breakups is right before spring break, specifically on Mondays, which means that people like to party with other singles in the spring and summer months. Another peak happens right before Christmas, which could be attributed to penny pinching or perhaps the desire to get a fresh start for the new year. Thankfully, the lowest amount of breakups throughout the year happens on Christmas Day, so have a great holiday!

Episode 700 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Knife block has a sense of humor about relationships

I've never been the kind of person to seek revenge on people I've dated, but if you've recently been snubbed, there's a kitchen gadget that might ease the pain. Dubbed The Ex, this knife block lets you take out your frustration about love lost by letting you stab your kitchen knives into it.

Made out of abs plastic, the block was featured in Time Magazine as a gadget for cooks with a sense of humor. When you slip your knives into the voodoo doll body of the knife block, they stay put thanks to magnets. You … Read more

Nothing says 'I love you' like a laser

Talk about versatility. On one hand, high-end flashlights and personal lasers can be used to blind, electrocute, and stun assailants, all before making breakfast.

But then there's a softer side, or so we're supposed to believe. That's why TechLasers is marketing its "Power Pair Valentine's Special Gift Pack," which includes "two Infiniti 125mW green laser pointers, one Infiniti 15mW green laser pointer, two LaserShades, and two cap sets," according to BornRich. As far as the romance meter goes, it ranks right up there "My Clocky Valentine."

Send a 'Sonic Bomb' Valentine

One of Crave's primary missions is to keep you on top of the latest trends, and there's one that has barely been noticed: loud alarm clocks. (We didn't say they'd be good trends.)

It started a couple of weeks ago with the "Sonic Bomb," which blasts you awake to the tune of 113 decibels and bed-shaking vibrations. That item, which proved surprisingly popular among readers, was followed by a retro version of said clock. Now, thanks to Gadgetizer once again, we find out that there's a "Sonic Boom Love" edition available … Read more