The 404 380- Where these wind screens won't stand, man

The 404 380: Where these wind screens won't stand, man
We scavenge the depths of the dirty Internet to bring you a couple interesting, albeit dirty, stories, like this one about a teen in New Zealand who stumbled upon some "artistic" photos of his mother, and instead of gouging his eyes out with the nearest sharp object, he auctioned them off on the Internet! Ugh, the story gets even more messed up though, and you'll never guess what his Mother does when she finds out what her son's been up to at her expense. Hint: he doesn't get in trouble.That story actually segues well into the next one, where we finally ask the question, "Is the Internet destroying porn as we know it?" The answer is a mix of yes and no, as CNET blogger Chris Matyszczyk (how do you pronounce that?!) helps us figure out why 90-minute adult movies are quickly getting fazed out in lieu of 335-second clips on sites like YouPorn and XTube. On the other hand (no pun intended), there are plenty of examples of money getting poured into big budget pornographic films, some with a budget of over 1 million dollars. Although we have no personal opinions on the matter, since none of us have actually seen said video genre, we reference very informative articles we've read on the Internet. Stay tuned to the second half of today's episode to see how you can instantly obtain 5,000 Twitter followers and listen to a hilarious Calls from the Public with a special appearance by none other than the much-missed Sally Henderson!EPISODE 380Download today's podcast Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) |Subscribe in RSS Audio |Subscribe in RSS Video This content is rated TV-MA, and is for viewers 18 years or older. Are you of age?YesNoSorry, you are not old enough to view this content.PlayFollow us on Twitter!The 404Jeff BakalarJustin YuWilson TangAdd us on Facebook!The 404 Fan PageThe 404 GroupJustin YuJeff BakalarWilson Tang


Maker Faire CEO- Rockets and robots instead of pigs and pies (podcast)

Maker Faire CEO: Rockets and robots instead of pigs and pies (podcast)
Since 2006, San Francisco Bay Area maker movement aficionados have been making an annual pilgrimage to the San Mateo Event Center (the county fair grounds), to attend the Maker Faire. Self-described as "part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new," the Faire attracts a broad swath of attendees, not just in the Bay Area, but in other Maker Faires that are popping up around the world.Last year 165,000 people attended the flagship events in the Bay Area and New York. There were also Maker Faires in Minneapolis, Detroit, and other cities around the world, according to the Faire's sponsor Maker Media (which also publishes Make magazine) .What strikes me about the event is the mixture of high-tech, low-tech, and products that are a combination of both. You'll find robots and 3D printers, but also doily making, arts and crafts, and decidedly 20th century tools with 21st century twist, like an engraving machine that's controlled by a smartphone. I've been to several Maker Faires and have always been impressed with the passion of the maker attendees, whether they're showing off an experimental new piece of tech hardware or beautiful things you can do with a needle and thread. Maker Media Founder andCEO Dale DoughertyMaker MediaTo find out more about the Maker Faire, I sat down with Maker Media Founder and CEO Dale Dougherty, who said that the Maker Faire is "kind of reinventing the fair." He said he "wanted to take many of the good sides of it, but instead of pigs and pies, we have rockets and robots." He added that the Faire is a chance for makers to "share with their friends and family and the whole community." "We are creators and producers and makers of things," said Dougherty. "We don't just buy stuff. We have this desire and ability to create things."For more, click below to listen to the 5 minute interview: Listen nowYour browser does not support the audio element.Subscribe now:iTunes (audio) |RSS (audio)


Cook on Ping- 'Will we kill it- I don't know'

Cook on Ping: 'Will we kill it? I don't know'
Apple CEO Tim Cook talked for about an hour and a half tonight about myriad topics from patent spats, to product names and the company's efforts in China.But don't ask the guy about Ping.Apple's music-centric social network that launched inside of iTunes 10, and is largely considered one of Apple's missteps in the past few years, was a topic Cook was hoping to avoid during the night. The executive confessed that detail during the Q&A session following the interview with D10 show hosts Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher.ABC News' Joanna Stern asked Cook whether Ping was the last time we'd see Apple in the social space. "I was carefully avoiding that," Cook replied. "We tried Ping and I think the customer voted and said this isn't something that I want to put a lot of energy into."That doesn't necessarily mean the product is headed to the annals of defunct Apple products."Will we kill it? I don't know, I'll look at it," Cook offered. Cook noted that the company's stand is not to own a social network, as seen in the Twitter integration built into iOS and coming to the next major version of OS X later this summer. Cook also mentioned iMessage, the company's proprietary messaging system that's making a similar trip from iOS device to the Mac with OS X Mountain Lion. Earlier in the interview, Cook had been asked about Apple and Facebook, the social-networking giant it's got some storied history with. "Facebook is a great company. I have great appreciation for them," Cook said. "We have great respect for them. I think we can do more with them. Just stay tuned on this one."Update at 10:39 p.m. PT: Here's a clip from that section of the talk:CNET's Rafe Needleman contributed to this report.


Cook- iCloud's got more than 100 million users now

Cook: iCloud's got more than 100 million users now
More than 100 million people are now signed up to Apple's iCloud service, the company's CEO said today.Speaking at the Goldman Sachs annual Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco this afternoon, Apple CEO Tim Cook once again described the service as part of the company's strategy for the next decade, adding that more than a 100 million people were using it. "If you take iCloud and dial back 10 to 12 years, Steve (Jobs) announced a strategy for Apple to position the Mac or PC as the hub of your life ... The idea was that the PC or Mac was the repository," Cook Said. "iCloud turns that on its head. It recognized that over the past two to three years, we live off multiple devices." Cook added that iCloud, like Apple's Siri voice assistant, is not a product with "a year or two" of life, but part of the company's strategy for the next decade. "Both of those go in the profound category," Cook said. "Not these things that will not mean anything a year from now. They're things you'll talk to your grandkids about as profound changes."During Apple's first fiscal quarter earnings call late last month, Cook said iCloud--which the company launched in October--had seen 84 million sign-ups, and described customer response as "incredible." Along with discussing iCloud and Siri, Cook spent the initial part of the on-stage interview discussing the company's auditing of its supply and manufacturing partners, competition in the tablet market, and the company's cash pile--about which Cook once again said he was "not religious about holding it or not holding it."


Controversial iPhone app security bug fixed in iOS 5.0.1

Controversial iPhone app security bug fixed in iOS 5.0.1
The security flaw that led to security researcher Charlie Miller getting kicked out of Apple's developer program has been patched in the company's latest iOS update.That flaw, which let apps phone home to download potentially malicious unsigned code, thus changing the behavior of an application, is listed as one of the security fixes in iOS 5.0.1, which went out to users today."A logic error existed in the mmap system call's checking of valid flag combinations. This issue may lead to a bypass of codesigning checks," Apple posted in a security document coinciding with the new software this morning. "This issue does not affect devices running iOS prior to version 4.3," it read, crediting Miller as the finder of the issue. Miller, who is a researcher with Accuvant Labs posted his initial findings of the flaw earlier this week in an interview with Forbes to promote a demonstration of his method at the SysCan conference, which takes place in Taiwan next week.Despite Miller having sent Apple his findings three weeks prior to publicizing the issue, the company responded by terminating Miller's developer license, saying that he violated two parts of the agreement that cover interfering with Apple's software and services, and hiding features from the company when submitting them. The boot came with a one-year ban from reapplying to Apple's iOS Developer Program. Miller declined to comment on what's happened since that decision, and what he plans to show off at Syscan now that the issue's been addressed. In a tweet this morning, Miller said "even if some thought what I did was unethical, I hope public reporting of that flaw sped up time to patch release to make things safe for us."


Cook hints at additional Siri features coming soon

Cook hints at additional Siri features coming soon
Siri as we know her (or him in some places) is due for an upgrade in the coming months, Apple's chief executive teased tonight.During a live interview at the D10 conference tonight in Palos Verdes, Calif., Cook was asked whether the company's voice assistant was up to the company's standards.Cook replied by saying that customers "love it," but that there was more to be done, and that the company had "a lot of people working on this." He added that people will be "really pleased with some of the things you see over the coming months on this." "We have some cool ideas about what Siri can do," he said.Siri, of course, remains a beta product for Apple. A rarity by its standards, but also one that's been the headlining feature for a handset that was otherwise an incremental bump over the already-popular iPhone 4. The product, which is a successor to the namesake company Apple acquired, launched alongside the iPhone 4S last October. The feature uses the iPhone 4S' built-in microphone, taking user commands and turning them into actions on the phone. That includes searching the Web, setting reminders, and checking stock prices. Those queries are piped through Apple's servers then fed back to the phone.Apple is expected to extend the functionality of the product, something software tweaking enthusiasts have long since done, using it to search from other Web sources, and even tie into things like home thermostats. The next big update is expected to be something official from Apple that lets third-party apps -- not just those chosen by Apple -- into the system to add additional tools and features. CNET's Rafe Needleman contributed to this report.Update at 10:45 p.m. PT: Here's the relevant section of the talk with Cook:


Consumers to spend big on mobile apps

Consumers to spend big on mobile apps
"As smartphones grow in popularity and application stores become the focus for several players in the value chain, more consumers will experiment with application downloads," said Stephanie Baghdassarian, research director at Gartner, in a statement. "Games remain the No. 1 application, and mobile shopping, social networking, utilities, and productivity tools continue to grow and attract increasing amounts of money."But Gartner also expects a changing app market as smartphones come down in price and are consumed by more of the general public. Today, tech-savvy users flock to download the mobile apps they need and have no qualms about paying for them online. Down the road, non-tech types may be more wary of paying for apps, a trend that could pave the way for more ad-generated free apps."Growth in smartphone sales will not necessarily mean that consumers will spend more money, but it will widen the addressable market for an offering that will be advertising-funded," said Baghdassarian.The mobile app market has been dominated by Apple's App Store, which now offers more than 100,000 apps and recently watched the number of downloads top 3 billion. But other players have battled for a share of the mobile app market.Launched in 2008, Google's Android Market now has around 16,000 apps, according to Google. Last year alone, Palm set up its new App Catalog store, Research in Motion unveiled its Blackberry App World, and Microsoft kicked off its own mobile storefront.Updated 1:30 a.m. PST to fix typo in number of App Store apps.