condom

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Bill Gates will grant you $100,000 to invent a next-gen condom.

- "Now That's What I Call Music" documentary coming soon.

- Dongle jokes and a tweet lead to firings, threats, DDoS attacks.

- And of course, a silver lining: http://forkmydongle.com.

Bathroom break video: NHL celebrates 20-year anniversary of NHL '94 in awesome throwback fashion.… Read more

Why are gay men worth more to advertisers on Facebook? We'll begin today's show with a story on PC Pro that clarifies how social networks sell your information as part of a package demographic that advertisers can use to target specific markets.

We'll also highlight the similarities between Android phones and condoms, notably the criteria they share for nomenclature that includes seven characteristics -- "distinctive," "short," "appropriate," "easy to spell and pronounce," "likable," "extendable," and "protectable."

Other stories of the day include a high school senior getting expelled for dropping several F-words in a Twitter post supposedly crafted on campus, HBO Go hitting Xbox Live tomorrow, another chapter in the "Ninja Turtles" saga, and The Weinstein Company refusing the MPAA's R Rating for the movie "Bully."… Read more

This week, old meets new as we drool over a new AC/DC pinball machine, turn our old CDs into works of art, and put your condom's location on the Web. Plus, a skateboard powered by your brain, a shopping cart that stalks and judges you, a DIY Chewbacca tissue box suitable for space travel misadventures, and Bonnie's robot gets a name.

Subscribe in iTunes SD Video | Subscribe in RSS SD Video … Read more

There is nothing sweeter and more endearing than receiving a friend request from one of your children.

Well, except if that child doesn't actually exist. Yet.

A Brazilian company, Olla Condoms, decided to use this charming and wishful thinking in order to persuade people to use its products.

Essentially, it created fake Facebook profiles for users--adding "Jr." to the user's name. Then it sent a friend request from Junior to Senior, as it were.

When Senior decides that perhaps it's worth investigating whether he has a Junior, he sees an ad for Olla Condoms.

Immediately, … Read more

Today is Wilson's last day on the show before he ships out to China tomorrow. Don't worry, he'll be back with us at CES in January, but before he leaves we test his ability to predict the future of tech one last time. To nobody's surprise, all of his predictions are related to Apple. We also ask Wilson to check the validity of this growing Chinese trend, give predictions on tomorrow's Google Chrome OS event, run through the latest Facebook design, and more!

It started with small trinkets, then moved on to blinking LEDs, and now Chinese kids are attaching condoms to their cell phones. The movement is a countrywide effort for young people to show their support for contraceptives, although a condom danging from your phone must look pretty funny to everyone else.

Also, the phone charms are generic with no markings to indicate manufacturer, type, or even an expiration date. While he's there, hopefully Wilson can also promote our own adjunct method of birth control: The 404 Podcast!

Google is finally ready to unveil its big Chrome OS project with an event tomorrow, December 7, in San Francisco. The search engine giant provided no other details in the invite, but we're thinking the Chrome Web Store may finally materialize tomorrow, giving users an easy way to search and download Web applications.

Additionally, Google plans to incentivize developers to use the store by offering a 5 percent "processing fee," as opposed to the 30 percent cut that store operators typically receive from applications sales.

Last night Facebook received yet another face-lift for profile pages as previewed by CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an interview with Lesley Stahl on yesterday's episode of 60 Minutes.

Big changes include more prominent photos at the top of the page and a new "Featured Friends tool that highlights your most important friends. Popular features like your "Wall" and "Personal Information" get moved to a new column under the main profile photo, and infinite scrolling means you can browse profile photos faster than ever.

Users can take the new layout for a spin by going to http://www.facebook.com/about/profile/ and clicking the green "Take the tour" button.

If you'd like to leave a video voice mail for the show, record a YouTube video and send the link to the404(at)cnet(dot)com! You can also leave an audio-only voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638), or just shoot us a note at the404(at)cnet.com. Have a safe flight to the motherland, Wilson!

In what's apparently a move to display the message "I play safe," some Chinese kids are attaching condoms to their cell phones. Instead of keeping their jimmy hats in their pockets or wallets like us puritan Westerners, the young and hip of the Far East are just putting it out there, saying, "Look, I use condoms." Good for you, proactive Chinese teens!

The phone charms are called "Interesting Imported Condoms," and the wrappers feature zodiac signs or popular cartoon characters such as Astroboy. This, it seems, helps the phone charms appeal to teens, … Read more

Contraception would be the cheapest and most effective way to reduce carbon emissions worldwide between 2010 and 2050, according to a study by the London School of Economics.

The report, "Fewer Emitters, Lower Emissions, Less Cost," (PDF) determined that if contraception was made widely available between 2010 and 2050 to women and men around the world who wished to use it, the reduction in unwanted births could result in saving 34 gigatonnes (one billion tonnes) of carbon emissions. That's roughly 60 years worth of U.K. emissions or 6 years worth of U.S. emissions.

The cost … Read more

This show starts out as the Recycle, Reduce, Re-Use Episode. Shortly into the show, we realize how poorly thought out a theme that was. Wow, it's been a long break.

Pee-powered battery (that technically runs on water or juice too) (Thanks Cianna!)

Sega robo-cat will meow, won’t catch mice

Quit smoking or be forced to wear these clothes made from cigarette butts

Breathalyzer key chain lets you see if you’re drunk while on the highway

Recycled condoms used on hair bands??? Snopes confirms this as legit! ACK!

Facebook spoils the free Whopper fun

Microchip Cufflinks… Read more

Our reservoir of embarrassing stories about Jeff is bottoming out, so we're happy to welcome his old chums from BeenVerified.com to refill the glass. Josh, Ross, and Jay are ushering in a new generation of background checks for employers and job seekers, but today they're not afraid to use their powers for evil to dish the dirt on our fellow co-host. They also help us weigh in on virtual larceny, the problem with young whippersnappers, how to answer a professional call of doodie, and Josh spouts praise for his favorite luxury gadget: the $5,000 toilet.

We spend the first half of the show talking to the guys about their brand-new company, BeenVerified. They're no strangers to starting innovative sites, and this one is no different. In an age where employers are starting to perform pseudo background checks through social networking sites like FaceBook and MySpace, BeenVerified takes it a step forward and offers a background checking service for employers and job seekers alike. After talking to Josh, Ross, and Jay, we're afraid to see how many skeletons in our respective closets, but here's the beauty of the site: users must approve the release of their information to the public before anyone can see it, so if don't want to be exposed, just say no! Of course, seekers will benefit from being an open book in general, so let that freak flag fly. Best of all, you can apply it to other transactions in your personal life, for example, screening Craigslist meetups, online daters, and nannies. Listen to today's knee-slappin' show and check out the animated short below for more about BeenVerified.