william

The 404 1,039: Where we start back at one (podcast)

Of all the terrible video game movie adaptations, the 1991 version of "Super Mario Bros." got the most critical reaction.

Its story is chronicled in a new book called "Generation Xbox: How video games invaded Hollywood," so we'll spend some time today dissecting all the negative reviews and discover how it became a cult favorite.

Bridget Carey joins us for the first half with a backstage pass to her new show, CNET Update!

It rounds up all the top tech stories of the day and keeps a close eye on product updates, emerging trends, and … Read more

Shatner takes his millionth Twitter follower to dinner

It has been clear for at least 60 years that William Shatner knows no equal.

From his appearances as the brooding, sexual Captain Kirk to his elder, defiant, but still broodingly sexual presence as Denny Crane in "Boston Legal," he has oozed an individuality and integrity that politicians can only crave.

So when he declared that he would take his 1 millionth Twitter follower to dinner, it seemed entirely plausible that he would.

Now he has. I am grateful to WSOC TV in North Carolina for revealing that Troy Pound, a man with a name like an ancient … Read more

'Star Trek' in the White House: Obama and Uhura go Vulcan

Conspiracy theorists focused on President Obama's citizenship may have been on the wrong track. Perhaps he didn't call Kenya or Indonesia home. Perhaps he's not a citizen of Earth at all.

In fact, new photographic evidence leaked to TwitPic suggests the commander in chief may not even be human. The photo -- no doubt intended as a personal memento and not for the eyes of Earthlings -- shows Obama (if that's really his name) flashing the Vulcan salute alongside none other than Admiral (formerly Lt.) Nyota Uhura, who apparently time-traveled from her administrative offices at Starfleet Intelligence for a top secret conference with the president.

Come to think of it, Obama always did strike us as looking a bit Vulcan-like.… Read more

Twitter's first obscenity (and other 6th birthday memories)

It took just 18 minutes for Twitter to go from family-friendly to potty-mouth.

At 12:50 p.m. on March 21, 2006, then-Odeo employee Jack Dorsey upended publishing forever when he posted these fateful words: "just setting up my twttr."

Political movements would never be the same. Local news would forever be scooped on earthquakes. Cat videos would speed around the world at lightspeed. Serious forward progress had been made.

And at 1:08 p.m., it all went downhill with this (probably NSFW) tweet from @jeremy: "Oh, s--t, I just twittered a little."

In all … Read more

It was six years ago today that twttr began to play

If you go to one of the sites that tell you how long a Twitter account has existed, and ask about @jack, @ev, and @biz, you'll find something interesting: All three accounts were registered on March 21, 2006.

For those keeping score at home, that's exactly six years ago. And that makes a lot of sense since those three accounts belong to Twitter co-founders Jack Dorsey, Evan Williams, and Biz Stone.

Indeed, today is Twitter's sixth birthday, a number that seems impossibly large. Could it really be that long since then-Odeo employee (and now Square founder and … Read more

Will Apple pull Siri rival Evi from the App Store?

Apple may be looking to take down its latest Siri rival for fear of competition.

Launched as an Android App, Evi made its iOS debut in Apple's App Store in mid-January. But after a little more than a month, its days may be numbered.

William Tunstall-Pedoe, CEO of Evi developer True Knowledge, told TechCrunch that he received a phone call on Friday from an Apple representative named Richard Chipman, who apparently handles some of the calls about apps on the chopping block.

Chipman reportedly told Tunstall-Pedoe that Apple was going to remove Evi from the App Store since it … Read more

The 404 993: Where we smell the roses (podcast)

If you're burning to spend this Valentine's Day, Pizza Hut has a $10,000 engagement party package that includes a personal fireworks display, a one-topping pizza, and bread sticks with icing to prep your stomach for a lifetime of loneliness. … Read more

It's raining protons

Google+ finally allows nicknames, Priceline is killing Shatner, and a solar radiation storm crashes communication systems.

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Priceline to kill off Shatner--possibly during the Super Bowl

Time defeats us all. Surely, though, it is the height of bad taste for the Grim Reaper to come for you during the Super Bowl.

Yet that appears to be the fate awaiting William Shatner, as those nice people at Priceline send him plunging to his apparent death in their latest TV spot.

This is a time for the rending of garments. This is a time for weeping in the streets. This is not a time for a single Star Trek joke.

As the Associated Press sniffs it, the Shat--who has been manfully trying to send you off to places … Read more

Steam power engine maker to sponsor conference

Sacramento, Calif. is going to get a little steamy this weekend as the International Association for the Advancement of Steam Power and the Steam Automobile Club of America kick off a conference on the latest developments in steam power technology.

Ten steam-powered cars will be on display at the first-ever IAASP conference, to be held January 13, 14, and 15 at the California Automobile Museum. Conference participants will include steam automobile owners and developers, modern steam locomotive experts, small steam power plant developers and manufacturers, engineers, and enthusiasts.

Cyclone Power Technologies, the company that created the engine for a Cyclone-Williams LSR streamliner, … Read more