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parks

Review: Speed Parking 3D turns parking your car into a fun game

Unlike other driving simulators, Speed Parking 3D is unusual in that the player can only park the car.

At less than 10MB this is most likely the smallest driving simulator available. It features 3D graphics and fully-functional controls. Unfortunately all the controls are touch based and do not respond to tilting the device or shaking it. While Speed Parking 3D has cheesy graphics and generic background sound effects, it is still entertaining. It has very predictable, intuitive controls, yet they are slightly unrealistic. The game has obvious goals and the user requires no instructions to start playing. There's no … Read more

When your airbag is your enemy (CNET On Cars, Episode 17)

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Way back in May 2005, I did what I believe was our first car tech video: a look at the 2005 Acura RL. It was like this thing from Mars had dropped on the CNET building. Today, the RL is gone, the RLX takes its place, and its first job is to put Acura back on the map in terms of a high-tech flagship sedan that sells in greater numbers than you can count on two hands. We'll show you … Read more

Don't miss Patton Oswalt's hilarious ideas for 'Star Wars: Episode VII'

On Thursday's episode of the NBC comedy "Parks and Recreation," jokesmith Patton Oswalt made a brief appearance as a filibustering fool attempting to block a city council vote. According to the network, producers asked Oswalt to ramble about any subject during the skit, but what they got in return might be one of most zany and geeky "Star Wars: Episode VII" plot ideas ever heard.… Read more

The 404 1,247: Where we hop in the ball pit with Emily Dreyfuss (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Hi-fi reviews based purely on the feel of the knob .

- Which celebrities can you pay to message on Facebook?

- Can you bully a celebrity? Short answer: no.

- How the hell do you pronounce GIF anyway?

- Follow Emily Dreyfuss on Twitter.… Read more

Witness the birth of 'Jurassic Park' dinosaurs

These days, computer-generated imagery rules the movie scene, but 20 years ago, it was still a relatively fresh idea that was difficult to integrate into film without looking fake.

When production of "Jurassic Park" commenced, director Steven Spielberg enlisted iconic special-effects guru Stan Winston and his studio team to design and create realistic-looking animatronic dinosaurs. The groundbreaking work, which included an incredible amount of engineering and artistry, forever changed the way people think about dinosaurs. … Read more

Facebook gets approval to build plush second campus

Menlo Park's city council has officially given Facebook the go-ahead to break ground on its swanky second campus.

The council voted 4-0, with one member absent, to let the social network build its 433,555-square-foot building that was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, according to the Mercury News.

"Congratulations," Menlo Park Mayor Peter Ohtaki told Facebook officials yesterday, according to the Mercury News. "Where's the 'Like' button?"

It was revealed in August 2011 that the social network had plans to build a second campus. The site is located next to its current Menlo … Read more

The 404 1,236: Where we're hidden in plain sight (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Cell phone towers disguised as trees are a puzzling attempt at aesthetics.

- You know you're rich when you have the luxury of turning down an iPad.

Bathroom break video: ASMR keyboard raindrops… Read more

Video reveals secrets of a 'Jurassic Park' Spitter

Do you remember these famous last words? "Look, stick! Stick, stupid -- fetch the stick. You don't want the stick? No wonder you're extinct. I'm going to run you over when I come back down."

In the movie "Jurassic Park," shortly before his demise, computer technician Dennis Nedry (Wayne Knight) mutters those lines to a peculiar-looking dinosaur. A behind-the-scenes video by the legendary Stan Winston special-effects company reveals how a small team built the Dilophosaurus (known as the Spitter in pop culture) for the dinosaur thriller.… Read more

The 404 1,217: Where it's kind of hot in these rhinos (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Discussion: Are you spoiling a movie for yourself by listening to the soundtrack before watching the movie? Inspired by Clint Mansell's new "Stoker" score available to stream.

- Discussion: Which programs are still shown in standard definition?

- The New York Times warns against sitting at work.… Read more

Google flexes its Googleplex with planned expansion

Not to be outdone by Apple and its upcoming spaceship HQ, or Facebook and its future complex designed by starchitect Frank Gehry, Google is planning a massive expansion to the Googleplex. And in the company's algorithmic world, form follows data.

The 42-acre expansion was reportedly designed by architecture firm NBBJ using mountains of info gathered and quantified by Google's real estate team and involving everything from where the sun is at different times of day to which way the wind blows to the importance of placing one work group near another to, quite simply, what sort of workspace employees prefer.… Read more