props

Like the iPhone before it, the iPad is generating a cottage industry for accessories. Add to the list the rather unique iProp, which features a long, bendable neck and ball-and-socket connector that allows you to tilt and swivel your iPad in all directions.

As for specs, the full stand is 36 inches long (12 inches rigid/24 inches flexible) and it has a "heavy duty" base that weighs in at close to 4 pounds.

The iProp ships in February for $79.99. We look forward to testing it to see how stable the stand really is.

theiProp from … Read more

It was a close call, but California voters yesterday defeated Proposition 19, also known as the "Regulate, Control, and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010," so we're canceling our S.F. holiday plans and staying in New York. Oh well, at least we still have front-row seats to the World Series riots thanks to the newly appointed Riot Badges on FourSquare.

Speaking of things that are harmful to your health, a new report co-authored by former government chief drugs adviser David Nutt suggests that alcohol is more harmful than heroin.

Professor Nutt judged 20 drugs on 16 degrees of harm that include lasting effects on physical and mental health, social harms including crime, and environmental damage, and alcohol is the most prevalent on this chart, topping other substances like ecstasy, LSD, mushrooms, crack, and methylamphetamines.

The results likely have more to do with alcohol being the only legal drug on the list, and cannabis surprisingly ranks fairly high on the list as well, just two under nicotine.

We all know cigarettes are lethal carcinogens, but a new company called Blu Cigs is manufacturing electronic cigarettes aimed at users who want to "smoke" tobacco without the addictive nicotine element.

We're obviously not condoning use of this product, but the tech angle on the device itself is interesting because they use battery-operated atomizers to warm up capsules of flavored liquid that then produce vapor you can inhale, making them technically "legal" to use in non-smoking areas, like on an airplane. Be sure to watch this segment's video to see an actual e-cigarette in action!

After we hit the break (and a small audio hiccup afterward), we have two jaw-dropping video voicemails queued up: the first is from our own Jeff Bakalar, who recorded a video of him and his new wife Stacie at some dreadful resort in who knows where, and the second is a relatively straightforward voicemail from "BMGreatness" that also features a disturbing prop. Check it out, and keep sending your video voicemails to the404(at)cnet.com!

Even in paradise, Jeff is still Jeff. BMGreatness: Please call back and verify the owner of that thingie.

Voting day is finally upon us, so don't forget to get out there and punch in your ballot or you will turn into that creature above! We're clearly experiencing technically difficulties while Jeff is away, so apologies to everyone watching today's video because I'm hulking out all episode! By the way, if you need help finding your nearest polling station, you can head over to Google Maps' voter info page, enter in the home address where you're registered, and Google does the work for you.

An artist here in New York has started a new project that literally integrates technology into the city. Aram Bartholl's "Dead Drops" is a public file-sharing network that places USB flash drives into buildings, walls, and curbs that are accessible to anyone with a computer and a willingness to share.

Each flash drive, distributed in five locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, contains a readme.txt file that explains the project and invites users to openly share their digital lives, but The 404 knows how low the Internet will go, and this doesn't bode well for the Dead Drops. The chat room has its own NSFW name for the USB keys, but we won't spoil it in the blog, so be sure to listen to the show to get all the filthy details.

A few weeks ago we showed you what OK Cupid tells us about the real Stuff White People (and other people) Like, but a new TED talk from David McCandless called "The beauty of data visualizations" shows what Facebook tells us about trends in breaking up.

The graph shows that the biggest peak in breakups is right before spring break, specifically on Mondays, which means that people like to party with other singles in the spring and summer months. Another peak happens right before Christmas, which could be attributed to penny pinching or perhaps the desire to get a fresh start for the new year. Thankfully, the lowest amount of breakups throughout the year happens on Christmas Day, so have a great holiday!

The recent popularity of GPS functionality built into smartphones and stock vehicles might eventually phase out third party portable navigation devices entirely, but folks who currently own Tom Tom systems can now hear their driving directions read by classic Star Wars characters like Yoda and Darth Vader. Tom Tom will release one Star Wars character a month, available as a $13 download- check out this hilarious promo for the Yoda version.

July 13 is the official Embrace Your Inner Geek Day so we're celebrating this annual holiday by doing...the same thing...we normally...do. And just for kicks, … Read more

Google apologized to China for miscommunication over its scanning of books. But that didn't stop it from scanning the books. Or even get it to apologize for scanning the books. Also Microsoft Word is no longer sold, at least for a brief period of time. And the Apple rumors are ramping up.

Microsoft Word injunction goes into effect http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10432510-56.html

Warning, Nexus One users! Dangerous fees may lie ahead http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2010/01/warning-nexus-one-users-dangerous-fees-ahead.ars… Read more

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but art, it seems, is whatever a court says it is.

The folks at Lucasfilm, creators of the "Star Wars" franchise, took the designer of the original Stormtrooper costume to court in the UK and had their light sabers thrust right back at them.

According to London's Times, Andrew Ainsworth, the man who originally created the helmets and armor for the first "Star Wars" movie, decided to capitalize on his design by selling replicas made from the original mold online.

Lucasfilm clearly thought Ainsworth's view … Read more

Not everyone has a USB flash drive outfitted with locks or alarms, but there may be a better deterrant anyway: deception. The aptly named Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories has devised a diabolical way to create a USB key that looks like a hastily severed cable. All that's needed is some epoxy glue, an old cord, and "almost zero technical know-how," according to Uber-Review. A step-by-step guide can be found here.) If that doesn't work, please proceed to the next level of deception.

No evil villain would be complete without their own a badass raygun, right? Or in this case, a Goliathon 83 Infinity Beam Projector. No, it doesn't actually do anything. Yes, it costs $621. But the looks you would get bringing one of these to an NRA rally... priceless.

The Goliathon is produced by Weta Workshop designer Greg Broadmore (prop designer for LOTR and Hellboy) and looks like an amazingly crafted artifact caught between the universes of Barbarella and Brazil. It comes with its own velvet-lined case (which it will probably spend a lot of time in, seeing as the … Read more