subway

Working to keep an edge on the mapping front, Google announced today that it's boosting Google Maps' live transit feature. Now, users can see several subway and bus live departure times in New York and Salt Lake City and service alerts for Washington, D.C.'s Metrorail.

"We want to make sure you have access to the most comprehensive, accurate, and useful information when you're on the go -- and that includes public transportation," Soufi Esmaeilzadeh, Google Maps partnership development manager, said in a blog post today. "With these updates -- part of the millions … Read more

Some people are pros at navigating the New York City subway system. Blindfold them, spin them around, set them loose, and they'll still get to their destination on time.

Others need a little assistance, and those people are about to get a high-tech helping hand thanks to a collaboration between the New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority and the Control Group, a technology and design agency.

The Control Group is going big by unleashing a herd of 47-inch touch-screen kiosks across some of the busiest subway stations in the city. Millions of riders each day will have the chance to see and interact with the screens. The interactive machines will replace the old-school maps currently in use.… Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- How Facebook knew a man was gay before anyone else did .

- NYC subways deploy a touch-screen network, complete with apps and Wi-Fi.

- Man who got porn site logos tattooed on his face now somehow regrets his decision.

- Lululemon pulls popular yoga pants for revealing too much.… Read more

Two California men have been indicted for allegedly hacking point-of-sale terminals at Subway shops to steal at least $40,000.

Prosecutors accused Shahin Abdollahi, aka "Sean Holdt," and Jeffrey Thomas Wilkinson of hacking at least 13 point-of-sale (POS) terminals to install software that fraudulently loaded at least $40,000 onto Subway gift cards, according to an indictment unsealed in Boston on Friday (see below). The pair then allegedly used the cards to make purchases at Subway shops and sold them on eBay and Craigslist.

Abdollahi owned a Subway franchise in Southern California from 2005 to 2008 and later … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- The mystery behind Chipotle's secret 1,500-calorie monstrosity.

- The ultimate In-N-Out secret menu survival guide.

- I used to smoke pot every time I played a video game. Here's why I stopped..

- SUNY adds a hip-hop anthem to its marketing set list.

- 404 listener Kulastar made this infographic comparing Bill Murray to Jim Carrey.… Read more

Welcome to today's show, where we're finally analyzing the food photography trend for what it is, with the help of this article in the New York Times that profiles restaurateur David Bouley and the creative tactics he's come up with to stop the dining room distractions.

The way we see it, the problem with food photography is that we've collectively lost our shame and sense of subtlety when it comes time to dine. Instead of snapping a quick 3-second iPhone pic, we've seen folks stand on chairs, use tripods with a giant dSLR, and even ask the restaurant to adjust the ceiling lights to suit the mood of the picture.

The fact is that there's really no better way to prove you're eating above your budget than to take a picture of it. Argue all you want, it's just a tacky move and plenty of restaurants agree. Check out today's show to hear some places are doing to avoid the awkwardness.… Read more

Before we take on the Subway issue, we start today's show welcoming Ariel back from the dead. He spent the last week in bed, proving our theory once again that CES is bad for your health and should be treated accordingly.

On to the news. Google's security team just released a new research paper where GP Eric Grosse unveiled his vision of our future in terms of Web security.

Phishing attacks, malware, and poor password choices are making it hard to keep private data in the cloud, but Grosse proposed a new method called the Yubikey USB card that automatically logs you into your Google account when you plug it in. If you're thinking that sounds like a step back, check out what Google has to say.… Read more

2012 was another year that kept me glued to my iPhone and iPad, checking out the latest batch of iOS games and other apps. So which ones proved to be among my favorites? In alphabetical order...

Angry Birds Star Wars My wife and I love to play Angry Birds, and the Star Wars edition is a great take on the familiar franchise. This app could've easily taken a turn to the dark side. But Rovio knew just how to pair its birds and piggies with the classic Star Wars characters and settings that fans know and love. The challenging … Read more

New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority finally joined the smartphone era today by releasing an iOS app showing train arrival times for seven subway lines.

Available for the iPhone, the iPod Touch, and the iPad, MTA Subway Time will display train arrival times for 156 stations on the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 lines, and the S shuttle line. Though officially in a test version for the time being, the app will use the same arrival times shown on station countdown clocks and on MTA's Web site.

"The ability to get subway arrival time at street … Read more