Russ with Hova--no big deal.

(Credit: Russ Frushtick)

Russ Frushtick from MTV's Multiplayer blog joins us on today's episode of The 404 Podcast to give us the rundown of this month's upcoming video game releases, but first we have to give a quick head nod to the Yankees for winning the World Series and, of course, Matsui for coming through with the MVP of the series.

Also, were you as annoyed with the lame tech commercials during the game as we were? Between James Cameron's upcoming flop "Avatar" that looks like a 2-hour video game cut scene, the new Droid phone ripping Apple apart, and the rather malicious new Mac ads practically lying about past versions of Windows, we could barely watch the game!

Next, we run down a list of near-extinct tech that just won't seem to go away. The list includes items like the landline telephone, Twitter, vinyl, fax machines, Windows XP, and Sonic the Hedgehog, and although we agree with most of them, how are people supposed to send sandwiches to loved ones without a fax machine?

By far, the highlight of today's episode comes toward the tail end of the show during our classic Calls From the Public segment, where Jeff is the reluctant receiver of a huge spoiler to his current read, Lois Lowry's "The Giver." If you're planning on reading the book for the first time, you might want to click the mute button for the remainder of the episode, or risk suffering a similar fate. On the other hand, the look on Jeff's face when things get spoiled is too hilarious to miss.

This month in games: November 2009--photos

404 listeners dressed as Rorschach and Silk Spectre! (Click thumbnail for full size.)

(Credit: Hector)

When you do a daily podcast for two years, you start to realize a strange thing about the daily news cycle: one day there are tons of interesting stories to talk about, and the next day there's nothin'. This is one of those nothin' days, but that doesn't mean today's episode is boring by any means. In fact, the slow news days gives us an outlet to do what we do best--veer off course and offer insight into what's going on in our heads!

To kick things off, Jeff and Wilson educate me on GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony, the second episode of the popular expansion pack that was just released a few days ago.

After taking time to shake our collective heads at the voters in Maine, we give Robert Zemeckis the spotlight to reveal details about his latest effort, a sequel to Who Framed Roger Rabbit!

The interview shows Zemeckis choosing his words carefully so as not to reveal any details, but some are speculating that the script will tell the prequel story about how Roger Rabbit popped out of the Toon world and into 3D. As usual, we agree with Jeff's cynicism about the project considering the director's sketchy idea to use performance capture a la "Beowulf" and "A Christmas Carol" to bring the characters (not Roger Rabbit, phew) back to life. We're warning you, Bob--if you mess up this movie we will never forgive you, "Back to the Future" notwithstanding.

Next, we hand it over to Wilson, who tells us about a recent U.K. study that reveals sensitive new "metrotextual" trends amongst young men in the 18- to 24- year-old age group. The study defines "metrotexting" as a text message sent from one male to another that offers a message and signs off with an "x," which translates from text-speak to a virtual kiss.

Thanks to 404 listener Jenny Lawrence for this snapshot!

(Credit: Jennifer Lawrence/The 404)

The article goes on to report that metrotextuality is most popular among 18- to 24-year-olds, with an unbelievable 75 percent of males ending texts to their dude friends with an XO, or "hugs and kisses."

We're not sure what's going on in the U.K., but our small experience doesn't reflect the same intimacy with our friends, although we're starting to think that we should spread the love a little more...so Wilson and Jeff, if you're reading this...doing the show for the past two years with you guys has been the most rewarding experience of my life, no lie. I love you guys. /bromance

We've got a lot more stories for you, including a quick book review of Lois Lowry's The Giver, Modern Warfare 2 terrorist claims, a discussion about video game ratings, Nintendo's newest DSi XL/LL, T-Mobile carrier outages, and of course - the third and final round of our virtual Halloween costume parade!

Enjoy the show and let us know what you think in a voicemail (1-866-404-CNET) or an e-mail (the404(at)cnet[dot]com). Have a great Wednesday!

404 listener Halloween costume parade, Pt. 2!

BFI = Brendan the Future Intern

(Credit: The 404/CNET)

One surprise guest on The 404 always makes for a great show, especially when it's Bonnie Cha, who's in town apartment hunting for her big move out to New York at the end of the year! We're so excited at the idea of hanging out with her full-time, and even more stoked to welcome our second surprise guest: 404 superfan Brendan!

Our new underage friend took it upon himself to arrive at the CNET offices in the middle of his N.Y. vacation, bright and early at 3 a.m. in anticipation of sitting in on the show. We're more than happy to oblige, because that's some serious dedication. 404 fans rule; thanks for stopping by, Brendan!

In honor of our two guests, we've got a hilarious show today, literally packed full of awfully random stories from the Internet. It's the first day we're all back together as a family, so Jeff takes a second to tell us about his Halloween adventures and his trip to see Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" in 3D. It sounds like he might be changing his opinion on 3D, although we're all a little wary about Jim Carrey's upcoming 3D adaptation of "A Christmas Carol."

Wilson's next three months.

(Credit: Toys.IE)

Next, Wilson offers two completely off-kilter stories that he dug from the colon of the Web about a creepy new Wii game that forces you to "cram a Wiimote inside a baby," according to Wilson's description, and another story about a bizarre space hotel that will charge guests $4.4 million for a three-night stay that includes majestic views of the rising sun...15 times a day. No, it's not Fhloston Paradise, it's real life, which is much scarier.

Speaking of movies, check out the official trailer for "Prince of Persia" and this photo of a shirtless Jake Gyllenhaal and tell us you won't be first in line when it comes out on May 28, '10.

Also, Wilson tells us Joss Whedon has issued an open letter to the Terminator owners asking to make a $10,000 bid to continue the popular franchise. The guy definitely means business, and we might be onboard were it not for the fact that he keeps referring to himself as a "legendary mastermind." He does, however, offer a throat lozenge for Christian Bale's John Connor if accepted and even puts in $10k for the Batman series while he's at it, so it's clear that Joss Whedon has lost his marbles. Maybe we should just keep it to blood-suckers and wooden stakes, how about it Joss?

Much thanks once again to everyone who sent in photos for our Halloween costume virtual catwalk you see below. If you'd like to be included, send us a photo of this year's get up to the404{at}cnet[dot]com.

Hope you guys enjoy today's show as much as we enjoyed recording it!

404 listener Halloween costume parade, Pt. 2!

"What's so important? What's he carrying?" The newest Podcast from the 404, of course!

(Credit: Props Guy Jim)

Jeff didn't get the memo about daylight-saving time and misses today's episode of The 404 Podcast, but luckily our good buddy Mark Licea of The Green Show set his clock back and helps us out with today's Halloween recap, as well as a few stories from around the Internet.

Wilson stayed out partying with a group of hotties, per usual, Mark hung out in the city, and Justin downed a couple of 40s of Arizona Iced Tea and passed out early, but not before seeing two very disturbing things on the walk home.

Many thanks to all the listeners who sent in pictures of their costumes! Be sure to check out the photo slideshow below and send yours in to the404(at)cnet(dot)com to be included!

The first story of the day is about the iPhone finally arriving in Wilson and Justin's motherland, but with a catch: no Wi-Fi! Since Wi-Fi is banned in the country, Apple's local Chinese partner Unicom (not Unicorn) decided to release a version to the eager Chinese without the wireless Internet services.

Unicom is asking 6,999 yuan, or a whopping $1,025 for the 32GB iPhone 3GS. Fortunately, Chinese technophiles can get their iPhone fix at a cheaper price on the black market who are currently offering the 3GS WITH Wi-Fi at only $835.

Apple-branded bookmarks masked as iPod Nano.

(Credit: iPhone Savior)

We all know Apple is not without a cruel sense of humor, but this Halloween the company played a hilarious trick on unsuspecting mall-goers in Bellevue, Wash.

Shoppers flooded their local Apple Store when they caught a glimpse of employees giving away what they thought were iPod Nanos, which actually turned out to be iPod Nano-shaped BOOKMARKS. Well, at least they weren't giving out copies of Windows 7.

Speaking of grouches, we also have a bizarre story in the today's rundown about a study in the U.K. that claims grumpiness can actually improve memory and sharpen your senses! Whereas positive moods promote the imagination, cooperation, and flexibility, these flights of fancy often distract a person from paying attention to their surroundings.

The study concludes that sadness can actually promote information-processing strategies and force you to be more critical of the world around you! Maybe Jeff is onto something after all...

404 listener Halloween costume parade, Pt. 2!

Video coming soon, check back later today!

MTI, Wilson, and Kenley as a Lt. Dangle/Karate Kid lovechild, a panda, and Sherlock Holmes, respectively.

They said it would never happen, but the day has finally come for Justin to get some much-needed tail....as he dons a skunk costume and becomes Justin Le Pieu for today's very unspooky Halloween episode of The 404! Be sure to check out today's video for all the details. Since Jeff is out today and this coming Monday for who-knows-what, the guys ask everyone's favorite Kenley and Alli to help co-host the show.

Unfortunately, with the Swine Flu hitting New York at full force, nobody in the office is feeling too hot for the holiday, but they do their best and don some shades as they recall last night's CNET's Client Halloween Party. Kenley chooses her top picks for the Best Costume Award and Alli tells everyone a horrifying story that happened on her way to work this morning...trust me folks, NOTHING is scarier than a mouthful of New York trash water.

(Credit: Last.FM/Fool's Gold)

As October slowly fades away, and with great reluctance and tears, we must say goodbye to Beck's Beer and the Semi-Weekly Audio Draft, but not before Wilson debuts our last pick. Continuing in our tradition of introducing new and different genres of music, Fool's Gold plays a unique blend of South African, Ethiopian, and Eritrean influenced music with a twist--lead vocalist Luke Top was born and raised in Israel and sings the majority of the lyrics (although many of the tracks, including our first pick, are instrumental) in Hebrew.

The two featured tracks on today's episode are called "Surprise Hotel" and "Ha Dvash." If you're into the band, you can even win a date with Alli and Kenley to go see the band perform on November 17 at the Bowery Ballroom here in New York! All interested parties should submit a photo, general interests, date ideas, and a brief cover letter to the404(at)cnet(dot)com.

Have a great Halloween folks, and be safe!

(Credit: CNET)

It appears all the bacon sandwiches and soda have finally caught up with our very own Justin Yu as he is once again not with us for the show. Instead, we are graced by two special guests.

For the first half of the show our buddy Sean Cullinane stops by to help us understand why there are a lot more Phillies hats being worn in New York City today than Yankees hats and to pick apart our Motorola Droid review sample. What this phone lacks in style points it makes up in weight--it's the heaviest cell phone we've ever held!

For the second half of our program Natali Del Conte joins in for some calls from the public and a discussion about Netflix streaming coming to the Wii. Also, we announce our winner of the Ratch & Clank Favorite Weapon contest!

All this and much more on today's 404.

EPISODE 456

The lovely and brilliant Anna David joins the show today to fill Justin's diminutive shoes. Pray for him. He's still not feeling too well. Our beautiful new co-host tells us about her new Web site Annalytical Answers, where she answers your questions about dating, love and--yes--S. E. X. Wilson can barely contain himself.

Look! She's using a computer. That's tech!

(Credit: Eric Fischer)

Before we dive headlong into the questions that have continued to perplex men for millennia, Anna and the crew share stories about the post office and how no one there can smile. We think it's an actual work rule. Justin and Wilson vie for the affection of any lady that ventures onto The 404. In Anna's case, the win and subsequent fail goes to Justin. Justin, who ignores a question about a printer from a hot woman AND he's the printer expert? When is that really ever going to happen again? For shame, Justin, for shame.

We can't recap them all, but we spend most of the show with Anna answering questions from the chat room about dating. Some memorable questions: How do you get out of the friend zone? Does long distance dating ever work out? Is it really OK to date a cougar? Be sure to send in your questions.

All that and more on today's lovely show. If you want your dating questions answered, head on over to Annalytical Answers and sign up! In the mean time, we wish Justin a speedy recovery and be sure to check back for more 404 madness.

Kenley Bradstreet and Mark Licea join the show today because Justin Yu is still battling with SARS. We wish him a speedy recovery, but in the mean time, we welcome the presence of two beautiful people. Plus, it's just fun to watch Kenley rock out to today's Audio Draft pick.

(Credit: Kenley Bradstreet and Mark Licea)

On today's show, we recant what we said about Sony yesterday. The company managed to botch up a feature that would have leveled the playing field with the Xbox 360. For those of you who didn't listen, Sony and Netflix announced the arrival of streaming on the console. Sounds great? Not so fast. Apparently, you'll need to plug in a BD-Live disc every time you want to watch Netflix. We know it's only temporary, but come on! It's accessible from the dashboard on the Xbox 360, and you don't need no stinkin' disc.

Audio Draft Pick: Rancid

(Credit: Wikipedia)

It's Jeff's pick today for the Audio Draft, and while traditionally we usually pick smaller bands or unknown acts, Jeff has decided to go the other way and picked Rancid. They've been around for a while, and released a couple of albums. According to Mr. Bakalar, their latest is turning heads. We play "The Bravest Kids" and "L.A. River" from their latest album. Stay tuned for the last Audio Draft pick of the month on Friday from Wilson! It won't be country music this time.

To round out the show, we talk talk a little bit about Droid from Verizon, the company's first Google Android phone. Wilson still thinks the phone is a pretty ugly design, but that it may change the market around considering it's the first non-BlackBerry-Storm smartphone on the network. Still, Apple seems to be the one still innovating in the smart phone market.

In other news today, Kenley tells us that it's the 15th anniversary of the birth of Internet advertising. That's right on October 27th, 1994, Hot Wired ran the world's first banner ad, and surprisingly, it was pretty effective! Mark gets excited about the Tekken 6, while Wilson can't really tell the difference between Tekken 5 or Tekken 6. Jeff adds snidely, "Tekken 4." Think it's hot that Kenley likes to watch guys play videogames? Well send her a message as usual through voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638).

Justin Yu has finally caught the SARS/swine flu that's been floating around the CNET New York offices. It was bound to happen, considering the number of makeout parties we have here. Filling his petite shoes, we have Mark Licea (aka MTI).

This ain't right.

(Credit: beautifulpeople.com)

On today's show, we talk about beautifupeople.com, a Web site that is finally coming to the United States, which only beautiful people are allowed to join. That's right: in order to join this dating Web site, you have to be pretty. Users must submit their pictures, then the community decides whether you're hot enough to join. Unfortunately, Jeff and Wilson will likely get rejected. We'll let you know what Mark finds out on the Web site.

Not cool.

(Credit: Phoenix New Times)

After that, we find out that older men who are less educated than their female counterparts are less likely to get a divorce and are generally happier in their relationships. So we guess all those cougar relationships out there aren't going to work out. We also check out a not cool "illegal alien costume." It might have been funny on "Chappelle's Show," but it's likely to get the crap beat out of you immediately.

Finally, we cover CNN's new Web site and we get to some video game news and commentary. The PlayStation 3 finally gets Netflix streaming after Xbox 360 has had it for almost a year now. Took them long enough, but we think this might start to change the balance of power in the video game console war, because it will be free on the PlayStation 3, rather than having to sell out $50 bucks a year for a Xbox Live Gold membership. Plus, Wilson gets close to beating Ghostbusters: The Videogame. His take? It's fun to watch, a little monotonous to play after a while, but a good buy.

Please, please, send in voice mails. We're running a bit low these days, and we love to hear your feedback. Call in at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). Call! (Especially if you're a lady.)