The 404 Podcast

We're all still in shock about receiving a tweet from one @LesMoonves, but we get through it to bring you an awesome Monday show. Today's stories cover Twitter getting hacked and why it does (and doesn't) matter; a guy who got a Palm Pre tattoo; and Kazaa making a (paid) comeback!

(Credit: Icon Designer/Flickr)

Per usual, there's a lot of Twitter news today, including a story about employee data getting hacked. According to TechCrunch, which broke the story, a hacker calling himself "Hacker Croll" managed to steal a Twitter employee's e-mail password and access to users' personal information and even some documents that exposed Twitter's inside business practices. Within this story, though, are two hidden stories. First of all, why is TechCrunch even posting about this? Instead of just reporting the information, they actually posted some of the stolen information...is that a smart thing to do?

My other question is, even after gaining access to Twitter's business notes, has anyone figured out how that site is going to make money, if at all? I'm sure Biz Stone is living comfortably, but what about the admin assistant that got his or her e-mail account jacked by the hacker? What about the little people!?

In other ridiculous Twitter news, check out this video of a guy getting a Palm Pre tattooed on his arm for PreCentral.net's "What would you do for a Palm Pre?" contest. I know we've seen this before with the guy who got a Microsoft Zune tattoo, but this is getting ridiculous. A lifetime of permanent artwork for a device with a two-year relevance, at most! It might be even shorter if people can't figure out a way to sync a Palm Pre with iTunes. Wilson actually found two ways to sync your Pre to iTunes, but neither of them are free or work with Windows, so PC users should still stick with the previous version.

Also, get ready for the resurgence of Kazaa, but this time it's a paid service. Is anyone paying attention to what happened to BitTorrent and Napster?

Maybe we should have used "So bad, but so good" as our show motto instead of "High Tech, Low Brow!" Today's show is a good example of that, and we kick it off with Wilson's brief and spoiler-free review of Bruno. We also talk about the rise of the Twitterns, Apple breaking the Pre-iTunes lovefest, and Jeff meeting Tony Hawk!

Tony Hawk plays his new game, Ride.

(Credit: Jeff Bakalar/The 404)

Check it out! Jeff was invited to an Activision event last night to preview Tony Hawk's new game, but he was pretty surprised when Tony Hawk himself showed up to show him around! As you can see, the game comes with an actual "skateboard" controller to jump, ride, and pop up to do tricks within the game. Jeff tells us that the game is very realistic, but popping up the board feels more like a snowboard than skating. Check it out for yourself when it comes out on October 13 for $120.

In other news, The 404 has decided to hire a young Twittern to update our Twitter. Social media, whether it's in short or long form, is super time-consuming...anyone out there want to be our Twittern? We're only half-joking...

In more important news, Apple has finally broken up the love affair between iTunes and the Palm Pre: the smartphone no longer works with the popular desktop software. Jeff owns a Pre and figures that the only thing to do now is to refrain from upgrading to the latest software, lest some savvy developer use the latest SDK to somehow crack Apple's padlock.

Also, start getting amped for tomorrow's episode where I, Justin Yu, will debut yet another band in a segment we like to call...deep breath..."The 404 Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.FM, a subsidiary of CBS Interactive and CNET News and Reviews." Jeez.

Today's show covers Wilson's ever-growing locks of hair and Google ads catering to stupid people. We also take a look back at the original Sony Walkman and examine the best-selling video games of the '90s. Finally, stick around for our weekly Audio Draft Pick sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.fm!

Sony Walkman turns 30

(Credit: Flickr/MaureenLD)

The first segment of the show is dedicated to Wilson's beautiful head of hair. I think I met Wilson's hair long before I ever met the man, and while I've always loved its golden highlights and butter-soft touch, I can't help but think of the Herculean Kevin Sorbo every time I glance in its general direction. Maybe it should start introducing itself with us at the beginning of the show.

Lots of nostalgia on today's show! After a long examination of the way Google is marketing ads to stupid people, we run down the top 50 best-selling video games of the '90s. Most of the picks are no-brainers, but there are a few surprises in there, including Frogger for PS1 coming in at No. 46. Did people really pay money to buy FROGGER on a DISC?! Scary to think about now.

Next, we launch into a story about 13-year old Scott Campbell swapping his Apple iPod for the original Sony Walkman. Fresh on the heels of the gadget's 30-year anniversary, this leads us to reminisce about the influence of the Walkman on all subsequent mobile audio products. We all had them (at least those of us born prior to 1990) and absolutely loved making mixtapes and mixtape art for our friends and significant loved ones. Unfortunately, we get so nostalgic that both Jeff and I reveal humiliating stories that you won't want to miss.

Long live the Sony Walkman! You were there with us through good and bad times, my friend--we'll never forget you.

Matt Pond PA

(Credit: Last.fm/Matt Pond PA)

We're also very psyched today, not only because the date is 7/8/9, but also for the Weekly Audio Draft, brought to you by Beck's Beer and Last.fm! Also, big thanks to Dylan Swart for sending in a poster for the segment. It's my pleasure to introduce today's band, Matt Pond PA.

Like everyone, the transition from middle school to high school wasn't easy for me, but music like this, among others, helped me push through it and I'm proud of these guys for continuing to put out such heartfelt records after 12 years of lineup changes, relocation, and subtle changes to their sound.

The sample song on today's show is called Several Arrows Later from the album "Several Arrows Later." The music combines smooth, gentle vocals with beautiful instrumentation for a unique sound that refuses to be pigeonholed into today's genres. The word "emo," although thrown around a lot in describing Matt Pond PA, is a cringing understatement for this band. Granted, all of the band's music is emotional by nature, but what I like the best about Matt Pond PA is that each of its songs strikes a different chord--each one means something different to the listener. Check out Matt Pond PA and get hooked!

(Last.fm is a part of CBS Interactive, which also publishes CNET News and Reviews.)

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

This week's E3 2009 coverage continues as The 404 examines the Nintendo and Sony press conferences!

Each company made plenty of exciting announcements as well as some not-so-exciting ones. Will anyone really ever use a Wii Vitality Sensor? Sony officially debuted the PSP Go, which will be released October 1 for $250. We think that may be a bit much for the redesign, but the 16GB of internal storage sure is tempting.

We were glad to see all the awesome game announcements, including titles even our own Justin Yu has heard of! Yes, Justin, they're still making Super Mario games. Having not even made his way through the first quarter of the original God of War, Justin is still pleased to hear about God of War III coming to the PS3 in March of 2010.

Finally, a big congrats is in order to Blake Stevenson, the winner of our 404 logo design contest.

(Credit: Blake Stevenson)

Wilson's back and feeling mellow after yesterday's inauguration, so we take advantage of his good spirits to ream him for taking the day off. He gives us an in-depth review of his party at the Apollo and the movie Gran Torino. We also cover a superwide range of hilarious stories today, including Google crimes, the Razzies, school bus stories, the Phantom Bathroom Smearer, and Phacebook Phishers.

According to this article, Australians apparently have terrible manners when it comes to using cell phones and other tech gadgets in public. Some of the statistics listed are: 48 percent of Australians admitted to using a phone on the toilet at one point or another; 80 percent said they would use one during a meal; and 48 percent said they'd have no problem talking on a phone while another person is trying to sleep in the same room. OK, that all sounds pretty rude and all, but I'm sure that if you surveyed a random sample of Americans, you'd hear the same, if not worse! Like how many Americans do you think have had a phone ring during a wedding, or worse--a funeral? I'm sure that at least 80 percent of movie screenings in America are rudely interrupted by the ring of a cell phone. All three of us on the show admit that we've talked on the toilet, and how is that even a problem if the person doesn't know? It's a win-win situation. Just because nature calls doesn't mean you can't make one too! Australia: PROCEED! Love, The 404.

It's true that we only think of you as a close friend, but that doesn't mean we don't appreciate your support! On today's show, we attempt to sell off Jeff's old busted G4 Powerbook, make fun of Don Cheadle's awful British accent, fan out over the new Avengers movie, and do our impression of some of the most popular video game quotes. If nothing else, listen to this show for Jeff's spot on Mario!

(Credit: CNET)

So after yesterday's Apple announcement, Jeff and I have finally agreed to shed our ancient G4 Powerbooks for one of the new Macbooks. The question that I'm sure other people are asking right now is which one should we get? We both want to spend less than $2,ooo, so it's a toss-up between the $1,600 Macbook and the $1,999 Macbook Pro. Is the slightly larger screen and dual-video cards worth the $4,000 price difference? We've both gotten so comfortable using a 15 inch screen that it seems difficult to adjust to a 13 incher. And what about that giant one-piece track pad? There are so many questions to answer about the design, but we'll be getting both models into the office tomorrow, so that's when the deliberation will begin. Is anyone else in this boat with us, trying to decide between the two? For me, it's less a question about performance and more a deliberation about screen size. I don't travel much and don't do image or video editing (I don't even have Photoshop!), so maybe all those extra features aren't worth it for my purposes. Help!!

On today's show: Libe Goad from AOL's GameDaily.com--the life of a female gamer, sucky upcoming games, Wii Music, Resistance, Little Big Planet, and hating on the Madden series...ULTIMATE GAME DAY!

Now you might think that today's show would be a big snore-fest for me, but the fact that Libe Goad from AOL's GameDaily.com is table-poundingly hilarious totally makes up for it, and I'm almost tempted to say that today was one our funniest shows! Libe tells us what it's like to work with a bunch of nerdy dudes all day long, and while it might sound miserable to us, apparently it's not so bad-- except for this whole "did you finish it?" mentality that the majority of gamers apparently have.

Coming soon from EA Games!

So anyway, as Jeff and Libe geek out hardcore on the Sony event they both attended, chatting it up about the new Resistance and whatnot, I'm over at my mic just minding my own business, seeing what's new on the ol' eBay Marketplace, when all of a sudden they decide to put me on the spot and I'm forced to defend my role on the show as the resident game-hater. Come on! Let's put this to rest: I don't hate games, I simply don't participate. You can listen to that segment on the show for more justification, but all you gamers shouldn't worry; I don't stop them from talking about the latest games. We even talk about my favorite game, ball in a cup, Mexico's favorite toy for over 340 years! Or what about jacks?! And don't forget about Rock, paper, scissors!! See ,who said I don't play games?

By the time the show comes to a close, Libe has us all on the floor with a super harsh e-mail she received from a reader that didn't like a story on GameDaily, entitled Epic Fail: Games that will probably suck. The actual e-mail below is a piece of work, but you have to listen to the way Libe reads it--for such a cool girl, she does a surprisingly excellent impression of the prepubescent nerdy gamer with a wicked case of nasal drip. I have to warn you, though, don't listen to it in a place that doesn't allow loud noises!

Here's the e-mail:

Best of all, apparently the guy felt so bad for throwing such an e-tantrum that he sent her an apology e-mail...and Libe reads it in its original context. You ready for this?

Also, don't forget to enter our join contest with Go!Animate! Check out the Web site and make an animation about The 404. If we choose your animation as our favorite, you'll receive a 404 T-shirt and an opportunity to be a guest host for a day on our show! Finally, if you happen to live in New York City, you'll also win an internship at Go!Animate, how cool is that? Don't procrastinate on this one; the contest ends next Tuesday.

Finally, as part of our guerrilla marketing campaign, we're asking all of our listeners to help us distribute the following promotional clips that our buddy Jamey made for us. Check them out and post 'em up wherever you see fit. Help us get the word out!

EPISODE 157

EPISODE 89

Today we talk games with Russ Frushtick from UGO. We'll chat about how GTA IV will basically ruin our lives for the next few months. Plus, there are other new games out like Mario Kart Wii, and we'll also discuss the highly anticipated Ghostbusters game. All that and the possibility of a new iPhone price drop on today's 404.

Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 83

On today's show we easily solve the Earth's environmental problems. Then we'll talk about what it must be like to get trapped in an elevator for 41 hours and figure out the proper way to say "Mario." It's a Jersey thing. Plus we'll tell you our idea for the ultimate action movie, all on today's 404.

Listen now: Download today's podcast