matrix

'The Matrix' is back (in your hospital)

So you're in the hospital. You want a reassuring environment. You want everything to go well.

But who's that man in the dark suit? The one with the shades. The one with the very suspicious face and accent.

Why, it's Agent Smith. The very same Agent Smith who contributed to making "The Matrix" something of a cult classic.

The very same Agent Smith who can occupy your body, or a version of it. How might this affect your surgery?

Please try not to worry. For the moment, this is just an ad for GE software. … Read more

Wachowskis of 'Matrix' fame bring sci-fi series to Netflix

Late next year, as we're glued to our screens watching Netflix's newest original TV series, will the online-movie powerhouse somehow be tapping our bodies' electrical energy and selling it to evil machines?

If the credentials of the show's creators are any indication, that's a distinct possibility.

"Sense8," a sci-fi show Netflix describes as a "global tale of minds linked and souls hunted," is the brainchild of the Wachowskis -- aka sibling duo Andy and Lana Wachowski, the masterminds behind "The Matrix" movies. The 10-episode first season of "Sense8" will be available for streaming in late 2014, Netflix announced today.… Read more

BlackBerrify your iPhone with Spike keyboard case

LAS VEGAS--No one likes typing on a touch screen. So what if your iPhone case had a very mini QWERTY keyboard?

That's just what Spike from SoloMatrix is designed to be. When we heard about it last year, the Spike TypeSmart keyboard was part of a Kickstarter campaign that proved successful.

The tactile keyboard swivels out from its case and its keys make contact with the iPhone's on-screen keyboard.

It doesn't require separate charging, docking, or an app, and it works with capacitive conductivity through the screens on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 5.

Whenever a key … Read more

Meet the pint-size portable speaker, Qube

LAS VEGAS--At CES Unveiled today, the Canadian audio company, Matrix Audio, demoed its newest (and smallest) member of its family of portable speakers.

Known as Qube, the $49.99 speaker measures 1.5 by 1.5 inches and is about the size of a golf ball. It connects to devices through an auxiliary cord that plugs into any 3.5mm headphone jack.

With its aluminum finish and polished colors, Qube sports an attractively compact design. Currently, it comes in black, silver, and red, but will come in three more pastel colors at the end of February.

The speaker will be … Read more

The 404 965: Where we tell everyone about it (podcast)

Joseph Kaminski fills in for Wilson again on today's 404 podcast to mediate a most divisive argument: "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" vs. "Dumb and Dumber": who did it better?

We'll also wag a finger at Sony for pushing the U.S. release date back to February 2012, show off a YouTube educational feature guaranteed to upset a ton of schoolkids, and discuss a couple scientists claiming they're getting very close to Matrix-style instant learning.… Read more

My dot-matrix-camouflaged Mighty Wallet: Just don't throw it out if you find it

Pulling my dot-matrix Mighty Wallet out of my pocket, I might look like I'm living life with dollar bills stuck into an old piece of '80s printer paper. I like that. I just hope no one throws it out.

Searching for a backup wallet to replace one from a vacation I just took, I wandered down to Urban Outfitters and found this enticingly ridiculous, and ugly, dot-matrix wallet. It's a design only a geek could love. The green-and-white paper complete with tractor holes looks picture-perfect, only this wallet's not made of standard paper. Mighty Wallets are made of Tyvek, that same tear- and water-resistant material that's used in mailing envelopes and water-park wristbands. They've been around since 2005, but this is the first time I'd ever seen one.… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1392: There is no Matrix (podcast)

Brian Tong returns from the islands in time for us to get collectively punked by a surprisingly elaborate rumor about Keanu Reeves and two more Matrix sequels. But that's nothing compared to the punking that is AOL's subscription service, which generates 60% of its profits and isn't needed by pretty much anyone who pays for it. Ouch. Plus, the tech bubble is our new drinking game and the white iPhone ... never mind. We're not talking about that damn thing anymore. --Molly

Live Matrix aims to schedule the Web

A new service called Live Matrix, which comes out of private beta Monday morning, is attempting to solve the very large problem of organizing live events from all around the Web into one place.

These are not just Web events though--things like Apple event live blogs, online sales, or streamed concerts--but TV programs, auctions, and sporting events too.

In the same way TV listings work, users can cycle through upcoming events by "channel." These are broken down by genres like sports, entertainment, news, and shopping. Users are also able to create their own channels by "following" … Read more

The 404 Podcast 471: Where we work for No. 2

It's National Toilet Day today, and Justin isn't here to celebrate. Fortunately, we more than make it up with dozens upon dozens of fecal jokes. Mark Licea of The Green Show joins the show today to talk tech and...lingerie?

Admittedly, we here at The 404 celebrate National Toilet Day at least three times a day, but we're glad to see that people across the planet are starting to recognize the importance of the porcelain throne. It may sound a bit unusual for us to be so beholden to the toilet, but most New Yorkers can sympathize. After all, most of us here have to deal with a mixed bag of ethnic food and $20 dollar fees to use a public restroom.

In nonpoop news, we talk about a Warner Bros. program to let DVD owners upgrade their discs to Blu-ray versions. The program is called DVD2Blu. This only applies to Warner Bros. films, and viewers must pay a fee of $8 to $10 per disc. We think this is a great idea. Wilson is especially keen on not having to pay $30 for each disc in his "Lord of the Rings" and "Star Wars" collections.

Also, Jeff has a follow up to our video game censorship series. He interviewed Major Nelson of Microsoft to talk about racism, misogyny, and homophobia in online gaming. Check it out. A keen chat room listener though points out the irony of talking about derogatory words when players are shooting people in the head.

If you're worried about your cheating wife or girlfriend, a Brazilian line of lingerie from LindeLucy that comes with a built-in GPS tracking device. Now, the device is not exactly subtle, but for the paranoid ones out there, this might be the trick to keep your lady in line--or get her mad at you, again. Trust, after all, is the bond that holds all relationships together.

Finally, we get to some voice mails and viewer feedback about cool moms that play video games before their children do and an early review of "2012." Wilson is disappointed with the fact that the film won't be available in IMAX. He just wants to watch the world burn. Meanwhile, the rest of the crew remember the movie magic of the first "Jurassic Park" movie. The t. rex at the end: Priceless.

Send in your feedback and callbacks to the404 [at] cnet [dot] com. Or call us! We are after all an audio podcast too! The number is 1-866-404-CNET (2638). Thanks again!

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Basic school organizer

CyberMatrix Class Scheduler provides users with a simple way to keep classes, students and even grades organized. With simple directions and an unmistakable layout, this program will appeal to a lot of academic users.

The program's interface should not be difficult for even novice users to manage. Its commands are controlled by wizard-like screens that walk you through steps using simple commands and intuitive buttons. For those still not in tune, the program provides a great Help file. The program mimics the looks of an Excel spreadsheet, creating a cross section where days of the week and times of … Read more