canals

Battling to keep Venice's floodwaters at bay

VENICE, Italy--Not far beyond this famous city, just at the border between the Venice Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea, a group of concrete behemoths is under construction. A lot of very smart people think they will be part of the solution that could save the island town from drowning.

The notion that Venice is sinking has been around for a long time, and in fact, it has lost 23 centimeters of land over the last 100 years. But these days, it faces a troika of what may be more insidious challenges: rising tides that each year bring more and more … Read more

The 404 147: Where we're looking for the big E

Self-proclaimed audiophiliac Steve Guttenberg sits in with us today and gives us the inside scoop on the many benefits of ear cleansing. Light candles in your ear, pouring hydrogen peroxide into the ear canal, what the...? We also talk more about the latest headphones on the market and even gain some insight into the Steve's former political agenda! We also play a heartbreaking voicemail that Natali received from our buddy Phil Ryan and EVENTUALLY get into the rundown at the tail end of the show, talking about (dare we say) hot, sweaty lesbians! 'Tis true, take a peek! EPISODE … Read more

Australian study on hearing implicates iPods and other portable players

"Justin...Justin...JUSTIN!!!"

This happens at least once a day...I'm at my desk, typing up a review or blog post on my computer, when all of a sudden someone sneaks up behind me and unintentionally make me jump 10 feet in the air with a simple tap on the back. How do I allow this to happen? Am I deaf? Well, not right now, but it's quite possible that I might be if I continue to constantly blast music out of my Princess Leia headphones.

A recent report out of Australia titled "Is Australia Listening?" … Read more

'Mogo Dapter' a tasty little treat

There's both bad and good in the fingernail size of the "Mogo Dapter": It could easily get lost (bad), but it's so small that you may never need to unplug it (good). The Lilliputian Bluetooth adapter is tinier than any USB storage key we've seen, yet the Red Ferret says it promises to provide faster connections and enhanced multimedia quality. Just be careful with it around toddlers, especially at Halloween--it could be mistaken for a half-eaten peanut butter cup.