jamie

Google Play exec says big media can't ignore service (Q&A)

Look at Google go.

Not only are the new Android-powered Nexus devices here but Google has loaded the gadgets with more movies and music. For the first time, Google Play, the new name given to the old Android Market, can boast licensing deals with all the major music labels and film studios. That must have taken some doing.

Big entertainment companies have long complained about what they perceived as Google's reluctance to help protect copyrighted works from online pirates. But Android devices are everywhere and the popularity of the operating system makes it difficult for music and film companies … Read more

Anyone can be a MythBuster at Explosive Exhibition

SAN JOSE, Calif.--If you've ever wanted a chance to bust a myth like a real MythBuster, your time has come.

Starting tomorrow, MythBusters fans can try their hand at a number of myths and see some of the artifacts behind a number of the hit Discovery Channel show's greatest hits at MythBusters: The Explosive Exhibition at the Tech Museum here.

From testing whether you're more likely to get wet by running or walking in the rain to whether it's really possible to pull a tablecloth off a table without destroying everything on it to a … Read more

With 'Unchained Reaction,' the MythBusters go Rube Goldberg

For years, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman were known for one thing: being the "MythBusters."

But now, the two have launched a new show, Discovery Channel's "Unchained Reaction," "a new six-part series that pits two teams of varying backgrounds against each other to build an elaborate chain-reaction contraption."

Think giant Rube Goldberg machines--balls falling and knocking things into other things. Seesaws going up and throwing things into the air, each step in the process impacting the next, with each team vying to build the most impressive contraption in five tension-packed days. The … Read more

MythBusters to launch explosive new series, 'Unchained Reaction'

The MythBusters are at it again.

In a tweet this morning, Adam Savage, co-host of the hit Discovery Channel show, said that he and his co-conspirator, Jamie Hyneman, have gotten the green light to produce their new "sooper secret project," "Unchained Reaction."

According to Deadline Hollywood, Savage and Hyneman will executive produce the new Discovery Channel show and serve as judges on what will be a six-part series. The show will pit "two teams of varying backgrounds--artists, rocket scientists, animatronic specialists, engineers, and even your average Joes--against each other to build an elaborate chain reaction … Read more

'Don't try this at home:' MythBusters take their act on tour

CUPERTINO, Calif.--As Adam Savage walked onto the stage alongside a battered old water heater, the crowd of several thousand people erupted in a loud ovation. They weren't cheering for the famous co-host of "MythBusters."

"Only at a MythBusters show will a busted water heater get a round of applause," Savage said, grinning.

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you know why the audience was revved up by the appearance of something as prosaic as a water heater. But for the uninitiated, during a 2007 episode of Discovery Channel's hit … Read more

MythBusters make apologetic house call after cannon accident

It's not often that two world-famous TV stars drop by your house, but then again, it's not often that cannonballs come flying through your walls either.

On Wednesday, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, MythBusters hosts Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman personally stopped by to apologize to the residents of the Dublin, Calif., house that crew members of their show had accidentally hit with their cannon fire a day earlier.

In a tweet this afternoon, Savage addressed the situation. "It's true, a cannonball got away from a Mythbusters experiment in Dublin, CA," Savage tweeted first. &… Read more

Are men or women better packers? The MythBusters know

SAN FRANCISCO--It's an age-old question. Who's the better driver, navigator, or packer--men or women? These are some of the least settled unknowns in the battle of the sexes, but ones perfect for the MythBusters.

With an episode that will air next year but which was taped over the last few weeks on Treasure Island, halfway between San Francisco and Oakland, the mega-hit Discovery Channel show is braving the potential wrath of millions of members of the losing gender by trying to find out the answers.

Usually, the MythBusters conduct their experiments by themselves, either in warehouses in San … Read more

The 404 885: Where we weeze the juice (podcast)

"Woot" joins "jeggings," "mankini," "noob," and 400 other new definitions in the 12th edition of the Concise Oxford English Dictionary published today, but what happened to "glamazon," "hangry," and "retrosexual"?

Along with our suggestions for new slang to be added, we're also warning everyone about a privacy breach called juice-hacking and a virtual hit-man service that charges $10 an hour for DDoS attacks. And we talk about whether it's necessary to reboot or shut down your computer at night.

This, plus a handful of Calls From the Public on today's episode--enjoy!

The 404 Digest for Episode 885

'Woot' is officially a thing, according to Oxford English Dictionary. Beware of juice-hacking. Russians outsource DDoS attacks for $10 per hour. Is it necessary to restart or shutdown your laptop every night? Congratulations to Sir Ron for completing the maze we featured on yesterday's show!

Episode 885 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 884: Where there are no words (podcast)

If you've ever wondered what Playboy looks like in Braille, you'll want to check out this 404 podcast. Today, the Internet Archives is showing us how it's endeavoring to scan all books and magazines (including Playboy) for posterity.

Before we get to that story, however, we begin with Jalopnik's hunt for the hottest TV traffic reporter. It includes one of Jeff's childhood friends from summer camp who somehow ties into Justin's morning routine.

After that, we have a couple of tips on how to avoid in-person conversations with the help of your phone. Then we move onto a strange study that profiles the drinking, eating, and social habits of Android vs. iPhone users, a mysterious prototype MacBook Pro with 3G spotted on eBay, and a handful of Calls from the Public!

The 404 Digest for Episode 884

Android users versus iPhone users. What it's like to read Playboy in Braille. OMG, it's happening again: Prototype MacBook Pro with 3G spotted on eBay. Ever faked a cell phone call? You're not alone. Who's the hottest TV traffic reporter? Video voicemail from Marshall's dancing girlfriend.

Episode 884 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more