Texting

Hands-on: IM+ for iPhone's speech-to-text feature

Typing on the iPhone/iPod Touch's keyboard can be arduous. This is never more evident than when trying to bang out messages in several instant-messaging conversations at once. Shape Services, the makers of the popular IM+ instant-messaging app ($9.99 App Store link), have realized this, and are soon rolling out a new version of the app that includes speech-to-text, albeit at a price.

Taking advantage of Apple's recently released in-app payment system, 99 cents a month gets you the feature, meaning that the annual cost of continuing to use it is about $12 a year. Not bad … Read more

PDF text copier

A-PDF Text Extractor helps users remove text from locked PDFs that don't allow for copying and cutting. By performing its task quickly and easily, this program could rescue more than a few users.

The program's interface feels very intuitive and users should not have trouble navigating its small collection of command icons. However, a Help file is available for anyone needing a little more guidance. This program performs its difficult task of copying text from a locked PDF with amazing ease. Users simply seek out the PDF in question by navigating a standard file tree. Next they just … Read more

British teens make gory texting-while-driving video

A story on NPR covered this British high-school-produced public service announcement on the perils of texting while driving. The video shows the gory aftermath of an accident caused by text-messaging distraction, and makes it clear that people other than the texter suffered the most. According to the NPR story, only 14 of the United States have outlawed texting while driving. And while many people who do text while driving will probably ignore statistics and videos like this one, it at least might get the attention of more state lawmakers.

The problem is partially that we have trained ourselves, like Pavlov'… Read more

BOL 1053: Stay healthy, stay fat

Sure Apple has made their September 9 announcement official, and yeah Disney is buying Marvel and will soon own Spider-man. But we're most concerned about RIBA the robot bear who's coming to get our unhealthy thin humans. Protect yourself! Keep out of beds and wheelchairs and for heaven's sake stay over 135 pounds!

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) EPISODE 1053

Disney buys Spider-Man and friends http://paidcontent.org/article/419-spider-man-meets-mickey-mouse-disney-buying-marvel-for-4-billion-in-sto/

Utah Law Punishes Texters As Much As Drunks In Driving Fatalities http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/08/29/1224250/Utah-Law-Punishes-Texters-As-Much-As-Drunks-In-Driving-Fatalities… Read more

Shocking stats, video on texting while driving

When I think about all the possible dangers associated with technology (cyberbullying, sexting, inappropriate material, online and game addiction and even the remote chance of being harmed by a predator), nothing strikes me as scarier than texting while driving.

A recently released study (PDF) by the VirginiaTech Transportation Institute found that truck drivers who were texting were 23 times more at risk of a "crash or near crash event" than "nondistracted driving." As per talking on a cell phone, the same study found no increased risk for truck drivers and 1.3 times the risk for … Read more

Typing tutor

Thanks to its helpful tutorials, KP Typing Tutor let you practice typing groups of letters and sentences, as well as get familiar with key positions on your computer's keyboard.

This program is a great solution for busy professionals who never took a typing class in school. KP Typing Tutor is easy to use for adults and children, and there is a link to a Help Web site should you have any questions. We liked how the program offers different types of practice and instruction. You can practice typing anything from simple groups of letters to whole paragraphs. There is … Read more

The 404 412: Where we celebrate Halloween in August

Alli (aka Heavy from the old days) joins us on today's show and as usual, she brings up the wackiest topics. Today's tangents include Halloween costume ideas, time travel, and super powers...oh, and some stories from the Internet, too!

We always love having Alli on the show because she always brings up the weirdest topics of discussion. Case in point: Halloween costumes...it's the end of August! It's going to be hard to top last year's costumes but Alli has a great idea for a DOUBLE costume: Jon & Kate Plus 8--it's the perfect costume for us, aside from the fact that we'd have to stand next to each other all night and somehow abduct eight babies. This might be our last Halloween.

Next, we move onto a rundown of 10 joke technologies that sort of became real, but we actually only get into the invisibility cloak before getting sidetracked into our most desired super power. Jeff wishes he had the power to tan, I go with the ability to morph into a potted plant, and Alli just wishes she could get out of The 404 studio.

Plenty of more stories to get to, but don't just read about them here, listen to the show! We've got Bob Dylan voicing a GPS system (replete with our awful impersonations), the UK's disturbingly graphic "texting while driving" PSA, and Microsoft's tasteless Photoshop incident. You don't want to miss this episode!.

EPISODE 412 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Is PSA on texting and driving too shocking?

It has already been discussed on NBC's "Today Show."

It has apparently enjoyed more than 1 million views on YouTube. And it has already aroused cries that it is too graphic, too shocking, too much to watch.

But the police department of Gwent, Wales, felt it had to do something to highlight the realities of texting and driving, so together with filmmaker Peter Watkins-Hughes, it made a public service announcement.

The film shows a teenage girl driving some friends in her car. Engrossed in her texting, she is involved first in one crash before her car is … Read more

Simple PDF converter

PDF UNdo is a simple program that allows users to convert PDF files into Word, text, or Rich Text Format documents. Although the program does not have a lot of features, it's easy to use and does a good job of converting documents.

The program's interface is basic and similar to that of Microsoft Office programs. Large buttons give users access to all of the program's features. Two frames to the left of the interface display the contents of the user's computer in a tree format, allowing users to find and open PDFs, but this seems … Read more