times square

Hey, Times Square! I'm Google+. Please notice me

NEW YORK -- Google is the big cheese in online advertisement, but offline, the search company still has a few things to learn.

Last night, Google took to one of the many jumbo screens in Times Square to promote the upcoming biopic "Lincoln," as well as Google+ Hangout, the video-chat service.

Sadly for Google, not even Steven Spielberg, the director of "Lincoln" and America's premier storyteller, could get passers-by to take notice. After the trailer for "Lincoln" made its debut on Google+ online, Spielberg and actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt took part in a video … Read more

The 404 1,100: Where we spoke in class today (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

On this day in 1992, "Jeremy" premiered on MTV.

Great collection of what Olympic divers look like mid-jump.

NASA to air Mars landing in Times Square.

Digg unveils revamped home page.

FCC to Verizon: You don't have a right to block tethering apps.

Direction of Justin Bieber documentary to reboot He-Man movie.… Read more

First Look at Madden 12: Enough to save the NFL?

It's a weird time for the NFL, to say the least. The league has been in a state of suspension since the Super Bowl in February, engaged in a lockout that seems, at the moment, to be lifted. And, of course, the NFL draft is about to kick off tonight amid the confusion. No better time to check out the latest edition of EA Sports' Madden franchise, which was unveiled today in playable form during an event in New York City's Times Square.

Enter EA Sports, which decided to engage in an unorthodox campaign of its own for this year's Madden 12 by putting the yearly cover athlete up for a bracket-based public vote.

In a shocker, the Cleveland Brown's gritty running back Peyton Hillis beat out the controversial Mike Vick, becoming the first cover athlete on EA's box in recent history who most people can't even recognize.

The cover photo shoot happened as a live event in Times Square, and alongside the session were the first playable versions of Madden 12, tucked away in a press tent. Needless to say, I stuck around to play (I'm a bit of a New York Jets fan, in case you didn't know).

I also spoke with Madden 12's art director, Mike Young, and executive producer, Phil Frazier, about how this year's version will fare amid a season that's still very much in flux. In addition, I asked about my continual pet peeve: Bill Belichick's mysterious absence from the Madden franchise. Check out the video above for the interview. Down below, I'll briefly discuss the game and my initial impressions.… Read more

The 404 783: Where we don't kill the text messenger (podcast)

The 404 Digest for Episode 783

Apple pulls a Christian iPhone app promising a cure for homosexuality. "But I'm a Cheerleader" is a satirical film about a fictitious homosexual-rehabilitation camp. Time Warner Cable is forced to remove 17 channels from its iPad app.

Netflix strikes an exclusive deal for David Fincher's new show, "House of Cards." Netflix streaming may lose some Showtime programs. Pranks go digital with TxtSpoof. A visitor from Toronto controls Times Square video screens...for real this time. A conceptual solution to Jeff's multiuser iPad profile issue.

Episode 783 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

It's official: Times Square screen hack a hoax

Just as I--and many of you--suspected, the viral video claiming to demonstrate how to hack into the huge video monitors in New York's Times Square was a fake.

The video shows two people: one filming and holding an iPhone with a "video transmitter" plugged into the headphone jack, and the other with a "video repeater" that appears to hijack any screen it comes near, forcing it to display the video feed from the phone. Toward the end of the video, the repeater is attached to a helium balloon, and floated up in front of the Times Square monitor, which also acquiesces to the "hack."

As it turns out, there's more of a backstory to the video than its DIY aesthetic would seem to indicate. The faux hack was actually part of a subtle viral marketing campaign for the movie "Limitless." The only nod to the film comes in the moments before the Times Square screen is taken over--the movie trailer is playing on the screen before it's replaced with the iPhone feed.

While many people called the hoax, we didn't get it totally right. I and most others assumed the screen manipulation was the result of video post-production. In fact, Michael Krivicka of Thinkmodo, the marketing agency behind the video, says the apparent video hijack really did play on the Times Square screen.

"We basically rented the screens on Times Square," Krivicka told InformationWeek. "We had our own footage play on there, which had sync points that were looping every 60 seconds. So we basically synced up the footage on our iPhone and made it look, with rehearsed timing, like it's being hacked into. It was really simple."… Read more

iPhone hacker hijacks Times Square screens (maybe)

It's either a triumph of hacking, or some pretty decent video editing. Either way, this video purporting to demonstrate the takeover of a number of video screens (including a rather famous one in New York) using only a transmitter and an iPhone is worth checking out. Watch and decide for yourself before we render our judgment:

The uploader of the YouTube video gives this explanation:

...the way it works is pretty simple: plug in my transmitter into the iphone 4 and play back any video clip. you can play it through the ipod feature or through the camera roll. the transmitter instantly sends the video signal to the video repeater and the video repeater overrides any video screen that it's being held next to. it doesn't matter what shape or size the hacked screen is because the hack video will simply keep its correct dimensions and the rest of the hacked space will stay black.

Seems basic enough, until you consider that the headphone jack being used can't handle transmitting video, and if it could, Apple would have held a press conference to tell us about it. Therefore, we call hoax. Maybe we're missing something on the technical side, but one thing is for sure--these guys get an "A" for knowing what makes a good viral video.

What do you think? Is this thing for real? … Read more

AT&T ramping up public Wi-Fi access in NY, SF

AT&T is expanding Wi-Fi access in New York and San Francisco where customers have run into trouble with the carrier's overcrowded celluar network, according to the Associated Press.

The company is due to announce today that it will expand its Wi-Fi hot zone this week in New York City's Times Square, which launched in May. "Hot zone" is a term for a large, outdoor, public area covered by multiple hot spots.

AT&T is also eyeing new hot zones around New York's Rockefeller Center and St. Patrick's Cathedral areas, according to … Read more

Honda holds 3D launch in Times Square

Honda threw a big party, spanning five blocks, in Times Square yesterday to celebrate the launch of the all-new CR-Z sport hybrid coupe.

Honda ran 3D footage of the CR-Z on the Times Square HD Spectacolor screen (on Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets). Several CR-Z models were on hand and hip-hop trio, N.E.R.D. played to a crowd of 250,000.

The Honda CR-Z and CR-Z EX sport hybrid coupe went on sale August 24 with a starting price of $19,200.

The CR-Z is powered by a 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder engine with a six-speed manual … Read more

Times Square bomb plot SUV was Craigslist buy

Sources tell CBS News that the last registered owner of a 1993 Nissan Pathfinder containing a homemade bomb and found in Times Square on Saturday night told authorities that he recently sold the vehicle to a "Middle Eastern"- or "Hispanic"-looking man for $1,300 cash in $100 bills via Craigslist.

Authorities interviewed the Pathfinder's registered owner on Sunday night but say he is not a suspect in the case. The vehicle identification number on the Pathfinder had been removed from the dashboard, but it was stamped on the engine and axle. Its license … Read more