sox

How Curt Schilling's video game dreams turned toxic

Editors' note: A day after this commentary was published, Curt Schillings' 38 Studios laid off its entire staff of nearly 400 employees.

For retired Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling, the Legend of the Bloody Sock is taking a back seat to the tale of bloody dumb loan his videogaming company received from the Rhode Island state government two years ago.

I say this as a diehard Red Sox fan (as you can see from my bio below this post). I say this as someone who popped champagne when the Red Sox won a World Series in 2004. I say this … Read more

The 404 1,052: Where we meet the million dollar man (podcast)

2K Sports held its annual "Perfect Game Challenge" last night with a million dollar prize, and today we'll chat with the winner of the MLB2K12 tournament, Mr. Chris Gilmore.

Twenty-year-old Gilmore bested Charles Bates 10-1 in the tournament final that pitted him against eight other highly ranked players. We'll obviously ask him what he plans to do with the bounty, but we also want to know about his history with competitive video games, his preparation process in the weeks leading up to the event, and how it felt to breathe the same air as Kate Upton.… Read more

Superfans print out enormous 3D Fenway Park

To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first game at Fenway Park, printing company Objet created an extremely accurate 1/200 scale model of the ballpark with a 3D printer.

With stout measurements of 3 feet by 5 feet, Objet referenced blueprints and current images of the home of the Red Sox to recreate the stadium in 3D software. The company then printed out 40 separate sections -- weighing 105 pounds total -- on an Objet Connex500 multi-material 3D printer. … Read more

At 3,000 miles, Road Trip 2010 hits New Hampshire

BRENTWOOD, N.H.--Road Trip 2010 has officially covered enough miles to make it from one coast of America to the other.

Of course, that's not what's really happened. Instead, I've driven 3,000 miles up and down--and up and down, and up and down, following a truly inefficient path--the East Coast in search of great destinations to report on.

And that's what has brought me here, to this town of population 4,200 in the southeastern corner of the Granite State--that quest for great things to write about. It's not that I had … Read more

Backstage at the Red Sox's beloved ballpark

BOSTON--On April 12, 1912, after two days of rain, the Boston Red Sox and the New York Highlanders played the first game ever at Fenway Park.

Ninety-eight years later, the ballpark is called--by the Red Sox at least--the most adored in Major League Baseball. It's possible that Chicago Cubs fans might dispute that, given how protective they are of Wrigley Field.

Either way, there's no arguing that Fenway is much loved, and on Thursday, as part of Road Trip 2010, I got a chance to visit the park and see many of the areas that are generally used … Read more

Paws-on with the Pet's Eye View Cam

The subject of today's thing-you-can-attach-to-a-cat's-head story is a black cat named Sox--a large, meaty puss belonging to yours truly. Regular readers will remember us writing about a camera built to be strapped to just such a cat so you can pry into its private life. Well we got one sent in, and yes: we strapped it to a cat.

He didn't seem to mind, actually, as you can see in the photo above. The camera looks chunky, but it's actually quite lightweight and attaches to your cat's--or dog's, or sheep's, or girlfriend's--collar … Read more

The 404 188: Where Jeff's jawbone hurts

Poor, poor Jeff. He attended last night's PEPCOM event, a showcase of this holiday season's tech goodies, and left without snagging a free Jawbone headset. Not to rub it in, but I, Dan the Mantern, will be testing mine out this evening. It was a slow news week for The 404, but today's show gets a pick-me-up from B-Sox and Morning Moose, rock jocks for Lazer 103.3 FM in Des Moines, Iowa.

B-Sox and Moose, we love you guys, you're multitalented and witty, but you blew whatever shreds of decency were left at the 404. We know it felt great to be free from all those censorship rules and regulations on a "licensed" broadcast station (they can't even say "goddamn") but, come on, think of the children. All jokes aside, it was a hilarious show, the guys "went there," and we all had a good laugh. Have a great weekend. See you on Monday, if we're not canceled...

EPISODE 188 Download today's podcast … Read more

Why the chip stocks are down

A colleague recently asked if I knew why semiconductor stocks significantly underperformed the market over the past five years, even though chip sales have seen double-digit growth during the same period. Being a veteran of the industry, I surprised both of us by not knowing the answer. So I decided to find out.

First, the facts. The PHLX semiconductor sector index (SOX) declined at a rate of 2.9 percent per year over the past five years, while Merrill Lynch's semiconductor index exchange-traded fund (SMH) declined 1.0 percent per year.

The Nasdaq, on the other hand, experienced a 4.8 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the same period. Likewise, the Dow and S&P 500 respectively grew 3.7 percent and 3.9 percent annually.

Indeed, the semiconductor sector has significantly underperformed the broad market. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 688: I like your photos

I like that photo of you that you posted on Facebook. You know, the private one? Yeah. I saw it. It was pretty cool, although I'd never wear that T-shirt again if I were you. In other news, Netflix DVDs are coming late! The end of the world is nigh! Also, the DOJ approves the XM-Sirius merger and Sony BMG wants to get on your iPod in a decidedly nonrootkit way. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 688

Netflix glitch to delay deliveries http://www.news.com/newsblog/8301-10784_3-9902294-7.html

XM, Sirius move closer to improbable merger http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120638514923860085.html … Read more