ChatRoulette

The 404 1,067: Where tweets look better from behind (podcast)

Years from now, when our children are grown, we'll tell them we were all online when a single Web site changed the way we use the Internet. Unfortunately, Chatroulette stumbled after racking up more than a million users thanks to a certain part of the male anatomy, but Napster co-founders Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning have teamed up again for a video-chat pivot called Airtime.

Though it's not ready for deployment yet, Airtime is already getting support from celebrities like Jim Carrey, Alicia Keys, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus who can't wait to start a random conversation with a Facebook user online. The service is different from Chatroulette in that it actually protects the eyeballs of its users from "vulgar behavior, sexually suggestive behavior, violence, and animal cruelty". In other words, nobody associated with The 404 will receive an beta invite.… Read more

The 404 891: Where we are total losers (podcast)

Writer Caprice Crane joins us in the studio today to tell us what it's like writing for shows like "90210" (2.0) and "Melrose Place." She also gets life-changing news halfway into today's preshow, so tune into Monday's show to find out how to win a copy of her book, "Little Luck."

Caprice also has a new Web site for self-deprecating stories called I'm A Total Loser, and she sticks around in the second half to give us her take on stories about social networking leading to drug abuse, a peer-to-peer alarm clock that smells like Chatroulette, and how social networking is blowing the cover of covert police officers.

The 404 Digest for Episode 891

Huffington Post named Caprice Crane the top 50 funniest on Twitter. I'm a Total Loser Newsflash: Social networking leads to drug abuse. Social media could render covert policing "impossible." National Lampoon names Caprice Crane " Twitter Queen." Follow Caprice Crane on Twitter.

Episode 891 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 855: Where it's just malarkey (podcast)

Today's 404 Podcast includes stories about a guy that's amassed every single PS2 game released in North America, a user-submitted show title generator, and Facebook's underwhelming new video chat plugin. We also have a bunch of quality video voicemails to show!

The 404 Digest for Episode 855

The Man Who Has Every PS2 Game In America. Facebook unveils video chatting, thanks to Skype. Dan's video voicemail from the top of Mt. Massive, Colorado. Kokesh's random show title generator.

Episode 855 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 651: Where the two youts are giving me agida (podcast)

I've never been afraid to write a blog post for The 404 Podcast before, but I'm expecting a world of pain after this morning's broadcast. Full disclosure: most of the first half is Jeff and Wilson getting mad at me for a long list of classic movies that I stubbornly refuse to watch. After the ammo runs out, we also talk about the new Google movie just announced, a clever viral marketing campaign for "The Last Exorcism" exploiting pervs on Chatroulette, a turtle skeleton in King Bowser's likeness discovered 3,000 years later, and … Read more

The 404 Podcast 495: Where we left a part of ourselves at CES 2010 in Las Vegas

Today is our first day back from CES 2010 in Las Vegas, and we're pretty lucky to return with our sanity (and organs) fully intact.

On today's episode of The 404 Podcast, we spend the first half wrapping up our coverage and giving you an impromptu slideshow of our experience broadcasting live from the CNET stage.

Of course, we have to spend some time thanking everyone involved with the back-end production, and of course, the dedicated listeners who showed up to watch the live show.

A special thanks goes out to Blake Stevenson for helping us design the very first The 404 stickers and Props Guy Jim for hooking us up with The 404 temporary tattoos!

We'll let you know how your mitts on that stuff very soon, so stay tuned!

The second half is all about Andrew WK, or at least the idea of him. AWK is under the media spotlight regarding a video confessional lecture in London last month, where the artist openly admitted that Andrew WK is simply a fabrication of a group of individuals in "the spirit of commerce."

Andrew claimed that "I'm not the guy you've seen from the I Get Wet album...I'm not that same person. I don't just mean that in a philosophical or conceptual way. It's not the same person at all."

He then goes on to tell us that he actually auditioned for the role of Andrew WK and gives little detail after that; watch the video here. We have so many questions about who actually wrote the album, when the current Andrew WK donned the mantle, and why this story sounds suspiciously reminiscent of The Dread Pirate Roberts from "The Princess Bride." We're going to try to get Andrew back on The 404 to chat with us about the controversy, but the bottom line is that Jeff and I support the music and the message behind it, regardless of who performs it.

It's good to be back! We'll go back to our normal format with a Calls From the Public segment tomorrow morning, so give us a call at 1-866-404-CNET and tell us what's on your mind!

EPISODE 495 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more