ugly

Ugly Meter app makes a pretty penny via Howard Stern

An application that makes its goal to tell you how ugly you are is riding high in Apple's App Store.

Ugly Meter, which has been around for quite some time, has suddenly found itself threatening Angry Birds Space for the top spot in Apple's App Store. For a period of three weeks recently, the application topped China's listing of top iPhone apps, according to the U.K.'s Daily Mail. As of this writing, it's in second place in the U.S. store.

Ugly Meter first made headlines last year after raising concerns among anti-cyberbullying organizations. … Read more

The 404 1,000: Where we enter the 2K (podcast)

Welcome to our 1,000th episode of The 404 Podcast! It's an exciting mile marker for the show, so we commemorate it with Wilson Tang--remember that guy?

This episode is packed with stories guaranteed to induce Wilson's chuckle that we miss so dearly.

And since we all know how much Wilson worships Apple, we're talking about a bunch of Idiots paying for a $0.99 service that adds a "Sent From My iPhone" signature to the end of every going message, YouPorn getting caught with their collective pants down, Google adding concert listings to their search results, and an ugly YouTube trend that takes advantage of self-conscious teenagers.… Read more

Comedy Central, Spike TV get game developer

MTV Networks has announced the forming of 345 Games, an internal division of the company that will develop titles based on original Comedy Central and Spike TV properties.

345 Games' first two titles will debut this summer, first in July with Spike TV's "Deadliest Warrior: Legends" and then in August with "Ugly Americans: Apocalypsegeddon." Both titles will hit the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade marketplaces for $10 each.

The company has already seen success with last year's "Deadliest Warrior: The Game," a digital-only title that has amassed nearly 400,000 downloads.

345 Games hopes to tap the talent behind some of the network's most popular shows and has had the Ugly Americans creator's pen the script for the upcoming game.

It's no secret that both Comedy Central and Spike TV's demographics are heavily comprised of gamers; Spike TV has hosted the Video Game Awards for the previous eight years. … Read more

Dating site for 'uglies' heralds first engagement

Have you lost hope?

Are you sick of slogging away on sites such as Match.com and eHarmony.com to find the partner of your dreams? Or at least the partner who will put up with your dead lizard collection, your back hair, and your difficult morning breath?

Then perhaps it is time to be honest with yourself. Perhaps it is time to look in the mirror and decide that you should be at the Ugly Bug Ball. Or, more accurately, on it.

The Ugly Bug Ball is a dating site for those who are aesthetically challenged. That is the … Read more

Gmail Turf + Chrome Grass themes = yuck

Google is clearly proud of its environmental ethos and likes to show it off through its products, but there can be too much of a good thing.

Mostly in an attempt to gross people out, I tried adding the new Turf theme for Gmail while using the Grass theme for Chrome (download Google Chrome).

Nobody ever accused me of having much in the way of taste, but even I can tell it's pretty awful. The eyestrain alone is headache-inducing.

What's the worst combination you can think of? High Score on Legal Pad? And what happens when you add … Read more

The 404 Weekend Throwback: Episode 191, 05/16/08

Now you can get your weekend 404 fix with throwback episodes coming atcha every Saturday! We're always open to suggestions on which episodes you guys want to hear, so hit us up at th404(at)cnet[dot]com and let us know your favorites.

First up, check out this episode from wayyy back in May 2008: it's the first official appearance of yours truly, Justin Yu, as the OFFICIAL HOST of the show! Before you judge me though, take note that I'm still learning the ropes and exactly what I can, and more importantly, CAN'T say … Read more

The 404 165: Where we don't discuss geopolitics

On today's show, it's all about guido fist pumps and geopolitics. Psyke! We actually talk about big foot news (down, but not out), more Spanish insensitivities, ugly ducklings, neuvo guido fashion, the Goslings vs. the Reynolds, and Wilson's disturbing explanation of evolutionary breast development.

After receiving an e-mail from one of our listeners requesting coverage of the dismal political climate in modern Georgia, we dig deep and produce: "I love the money pit." That's all we have to say about that. There are few things that we don't discuss on The 404, and … Read more

DS gets a celebrity makeover

Nintendo is trying to turn an ugly duckling into a rose princess. Next week America Ferrera, the star of Ugly Betty, will be joined by Grammy winner Carrie Underwood in a campaign to promote the "Metallic Rose" edition of the handheld DS, which came out last year as part of a special package but is now being offered as a separate product.

Actress Liv Tyler will also be making an appearance in commercials for the red and black version, which also was released in 2007. It's unclear why these celebrities were chosen to promote these particular versions, … Read more

Where we're putting the Yu in useless

Today we start a new era of The 404 as Justin Yu officially joins the crew. Rana Sobhany chat with us about the Weird Old Men on the Block, how women prefer ugly men, and the MySpace controversy. Plus we'll touch on the Digg office perks, Prince Caspian, and Ellen DeGeneres marrying Portia de Rossi. EPISODE 101 Download today's podcast

A home phone that's as loud as it is ugly

If there were a polar opposite to the sleek good looks of Philips' home phones, this might be it.

Granted, the "Pro Amplified Phone Center" may well be packed with useful functions, including four tone levels amplified up to 50 decibels for those who may be losing their hearing, according to GeekAlerts. (We were tipped off by the fact that this came from FirstStreet, the catalog that carries such items as the "Lite and Motion Head Lite Cap" in fulfilling its mission to serve "Boomers and Beyond.")

But does it have to look like … Read more