etiquette

Korea's backhander to Bill Gates for one-handed handshake

Etiquette, politeness, and decorum are not words that normally bother the tech world.

When your life's work consists of disrupting existing systems, you can hardly spend a moment considering whether the fork goes on the left or the right side of your burger wrapper.

Today, though, there is much consternation concerning Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and the hand that stayed in his pocket when he met Korean President Park Geun-hye on a visit to her country.

There are many moms reading this who would be appalled if their male offspring greeted any adult with their right hand extended and … Read more

Watch out, there's a man wearing Google Glass in your public restroom

It's becoming difficult to defend taste, decency, and style in a world that is rapidly being overtaken by those who believe technology is all.

I understand that many who believe they are ahead of their time are terribly excited about wearing their somewhat less than stylish Google Glass all over the planet.

I also understand that there are certain places -- bars and strip clubs, for example -- that have already expressed their desire to eject anyone wearing Google's famed, Internet-connected tools.

Not every eventuality has, however, been considered. Which is why I was grateful -- in a painful way -- to the resurrected ValleyWag for this morning noticing that famed tech personality Robert Scoble is boasting of wearing his Google Glass in the toilet.… Read more

The latest trend: The 'you're not invited' wedding e-mail

I have always found the marriage thing fascinating.

Though I've never managed it myself, I have been best man five times. This has brought me up close to the deep-seated neuroses surrounding the happy day.

What should the happy couple wear? What color should the flowers be? Should there be a vegetarian option? And, of course, most vital, who should be invited?

I had always imagined that those not invited would accept the slight with good grace or permanent spite.

I had also imagined that those who didn't quite make the cut would at least be offered a … Read more

Microsoft eyes phone that silences itself in movies

You've just sat down to watch "Les Miserables" and Russell Crowe's opened his mouth to bark, when the air is filled with the sound of... marimba? As you scramble to switch your phone to silent, you can look forward to Microsoft's vision of a future in which phones silence themselves when they realize they're in a movie theater.

Microsoft has filed a patent, spotted by InfoWorld, that allows your phone to put itself into "an inconspicuous mode of operation" in certain circumstances. Inconspicuous mode makes it sound like KITT going invisible when … Read more

The 404 1,095: Where we hang onto the bar (podcast)

Last week's show with the Sleep Doctor Michael Breus answered a lot of questions about how to stop snoring and sleep better, and Dr. Breus generously donated a Renew Sleep Clock to give away. The contest starts today, so head over to our 404 SubReddit and tell us about your craziest dream for a chance to win!… Read more

Nine tips for avoiding e-mail snafus

If you've ever sent a private e-mail to an unintended party, or forgot to include an attachment in a business e-mail, you're not alone.

Here are nine tips for avoiding common e-mail snafus:

1. Forgetting attachments "I've attached the document for your review." "Oops, no I didn't." Forgetting attachments is so common that Google's Forgotten Attachment Detector graduated from Google Labs to being a permanent feature in Gmail. The best way to avoid forgetting to include attachments, even if you use Gmail (the forgotten attachment detector is not foolproof), is to … Read more

Commenting rules: Stay on topic, lay off the ads, watch for spam

Anybody who writes about technology on the Web owes a debt of gratitude to the knowledgeable readers who comment on our posts. Sometimes the comments are more informative than the original post, and they often lead to topics for future posts.

You might think I would object to the negative comments, but I learn more from the critiques than I do from the praises, so please keep the complaints coming. Many CNET readers are serious gearheads, and some of them will always know more about the topic of a particular post than I do. I sincerely appreciate these readers sharing … Read more

Movie theater shames F-word texter

The Alamo Drafthouse cinema in Austin, Texas, is a civilized place. It serves food. It serves drinks. I confess I have even enjoyed a second date there that brought me considerable lunch and joy.

So I cannot be entirely surprised that the theater is a bit intolerant of those who text during a movie. The Alamo has a history of not being understanding of those who, for example, talk during a show.

With one customer, however, the Alamo has taken its lack of tolerance a little further.

According to the Alamo Drafthouse blog, this customer was truly annoying. She "… Read more

The 404 698: Where we pour one out for a real mensch...mazel tov! (podcast)

With only one day left before Mr. Stacie Bakalar's wedding, we're sure Jeff is busy getting prepared for tomorrow's celebration. But before Wilson and I head blindly into the fray, we ask the Financial Decoder herself, Jill Schlesinger, to join us in Jeff's absence to give us a preview of what to expect at our first Jewish wedding.

Jill lays down several rules for proper etiquette, but we had no idea that although the ceremony itself will likely be short and sweet, clapping is frowned upon. So we'll keep our hands to ourselves.

She also tells us about the traditional Jewish wedding chair dance that comes from the tradition of carrying royalty on chairs. We definitely have a lot to learn from Aunt Jill, and she even helps us decide exactly how much cash moneys to give to the happy couple.

Jill's very, very close to attaining her goal of 3,000 Twitter followers before the end of October, and with your help she''ll reach it, so follow her Tweets for daily financial tips that we can't always get to on The 404.

Jill always comes prepared with 404 listener questions, and today is no different. Along with advice about automatic routing within bank accounts (PIPs) and travel insurance (get it!), Jill also maps out the three golden rules for financial success:

1. Pay down your consumer debt (credit cards, car loans).

2. Have an emergency reserve fund that includes 6-12 months of living expenses tucked away.

3. Feed as much as you can into your 401k account, at least as much as your employer will match.

Most importantly, don't forget to set aside some money every month for your entertainment! This ensures that your binge drinking won't start at 11 a.m. like our friend Wilson this morning. Crossed fingers that we make it through Jeff's absence next week! Keep a lookout for more throwback episodes coming your way this weekend, and don't forget to send Jeff and Stacie your best YouTube video voice mail wishes to the404(at)cnet(dot)com!

Episode 698 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Reporter's phone-manners ruse tests tolerance

The dangers of texting or talking on your cell phone while driving are obvious. But what about when you're simply using your tech device in everyday life? "Early Show" special contributor Taryn Winter Brill conducted a tech etiquette social experiment to find out just how long it would take to try people's patience.

Brill reported each year Americans spend more than 2 trillion minutes on their cell phones, and send over a trillion text messages. The constant chatting in public places can be annoying, so we designed our very own hidden camera social experiment to find out how people react when they're face-to-face with rude behavior.

Brill started out on a quiet commuter train, talking loudly on her phone. It took less than a minute for the man in front of her to react.

The man said, "Do you want to take your conversation in the corridor? It's not very courteous."

And what about those irritating chirping sounds when you're busy texting or IM'ing your friends? One woman suffered in silence for three whole minutes before she finally said, "That sound is going right through my ears. Could you lower it a little bit?"

Next Brill went to a supermarket and held up a line with her phone conversation.

One man picked up his items and moved to another cashier. The woman behind him took action and said, "I'm sorry, you're holding up our whole line here!" … Read more