posts on CNET - Page 204

Friday Poll: Hackers' response to Sony breach fair?

When I first signed up for a PlayStation Network account years ago, never did it occur to me that my personal information would end up in the wrong hands. A wide-scale breach of a major game network of that size had never really happened before. Gamers safely played under a digital umbrella--now an illusion--of a secure network, thinking Sony was large, powerful, and had the resources to thwart any attack.

Then down came the rain--hard--and washed the illusion away.

The next blow, should it happen, could prove to be one of the worst public relations disasters to ever strike a consumer electronics company. Hackers say they have access to some of Sony's servers and plan to publicize all or some of the information they can copy from those servers. This may include consumers' credit card details. (A source tells CNET that this group of hackers claims to have access to Sony's servers, which are different from the servers already hacked to expose more than 77 million user accounts.) … Read more

Raspberry Pi: Computer on a stick for only $25

A British nonprofit has a novel idea for getting kids interested in computer programming--a computer that fits in a pocket and costs less than the latest video game.

It's called Raspberry Pi, and the prototype isn't pretty--it looks like a leftover scrap from electronics recycling day. But it's a working computer that game developer David Braben and his Cambridge-connected colleagues expect to make available for only $25 for a fully configured system.

Don't expect to see Raspberry Pi on store shelves anytime soon--although I think it'd do pretty well in the check-out line in between the tabloid mags and packs of Trident--because the rough prototype still needs some refining and the Raspberry Pi Foundation's goal is to get the systems into the hands of children in both the developed and developing world.… Read more

The 404 814: Where we're saying Cinco de 'Bye'-o (podcast)

It's Caroline McCarthy's final appearance on The 404 before she makes a move to the Googleplex where she'll be a member of the company's new Trends & Insights team. That also means she'll be splitting her time between Google projects and redirecting all of Google's 404 error pages to the show blog. But before she leaves, we're thanking her for all her help with The 404, introducing us to guests like Dennis Crowley of FourSquare, Dave Karp of Tumblr, Rex Sorgatz of 4Food, and many more. She's also credited for being the first to suggest recording our chats for a CNET Podcast, so we owe it all to her! Join us on today's show to see what kind of gifts she brings, as we share our best intoxication stories in the spirit of a hilarious Reddit picture.

The 404 Digest for Episode 814

Follow Caroline on her personal blog! Reddit, what is the drunkest photo ever taken of you? Still playing Game Boy!

Episode 814 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 813: Where our pets' heads are falling off (podcast)

The listeners in the chat room this morning want us wish you a happy Star Wars Day, but we're pretty sure we'll get beaten up for saying something like that. Instead, we're taking taking our anger out on Wilson's floating head in the studio, dodging blueberries and corn from our neighbors in New Jersey, and, of course, bringing you silly tech stories of the day.

The 404 Digest for Episode 813

Man robs Subway sandwich shop with PlayStation Move Controller.

Original space-traveling Game Boy fetches $2,000 at Sothebys auction.

Nintendo drops the price of the Wii to $149.

Episode 813 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Paint for Cats: Your cat is an iPad Picasso

All of us crazy cat owners secretly believe our felines are the most charming and talented creatures on the planet. Now we can prove it to skeptics and dog owners everywhere with Paint for Cats, an iPad painting app from the same nutty people that brought you Game for Cats, a laser pointer and mouse chase game for those of the four-legged, long-tailed persuasion.

Paint for Cats features a rainbow-striped mouse dancing around and off the screen in a manner designed to tantalize cats into smacking your iPad around. Every time a paw lands, a splash of paint gets added to the faux canvas.

We all know how fickle cats are about toys that are bought for them. I spent $1.99 on Paint for Cats and decided to test it out with some highly scientific experiments.

Test subject No. 1: Delia

Notes: Small black domestic short-hair shows immediate engagement with app. Rapid-fire pawing results in great depth of color. Resulting painting is reminiscent of Motherwell with an obvious Jackson Pollock influence. Makes a bold statement about the plight of polydactyls in an uncaring world.… Read more

preGame 50: MotorStorm: Apocalypse

On today's 50th episode of preGame we'll round up all of the PSN news, including the highs and mostly lows of the now weeks-long outage.

Would you rent games from a box? For $2 a day, Redbox is doing just that. In addition to DVD and Blu-ray rentals, Redbox will start renting video games in 21,000 out of their 27,000 locations. We're encouraging our preGame audience to write to us about this experience when the rollout begins next month.

Today's demo is MotorStorm: Apocalypse, the latest in the PlayStation 3 exclusive racing franchise. Apocalypse … Read more

The 404 812: Where can you, like, turn down your keyboard? (podcast)

Wilson joins us on the show, Max Headroom style from the CNET office in San Francisco. Tune in to the first half where we grill him about his loyalty to the East Coast and why he refuses to take showers in the office. We also have a couple stories in the rundown about teens asking Yahoo about Osama Bin Laden, a Nintendo 3DS augmented reality icon, a Japanese kissing machine, and yet another privacy breach from the already befallen Sony PlayStation Network.

The 404 Digest for Episode 812

Japanese engineer creates Facebook kissing machine. Dude tattoos Nintendo 3DS augmented-reality icon on his arm. Yahoo search trends prove teens don't know Osama bin Laden. Sony hacked again.

Episode 812 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 811: Where we pick a new Mayor of Cave Street (podcast)

The Internet already has jokes about the news of Osama's death and last night's subsequent broadcast, and someone already created a Google Maps location for Osama's compound on "Cave Street" with four pages of hilarious reviews. We also have a story a programmer living in Abbottabad, Pakistan that accidentally livetweeted the death of bin Laden, as well as more random topics like Tom Tom's privacy flub, the bacteria content of your steering wheel, and a Finger-nose stylus for your touch screen devices!

The 404 Digest for Episode 811

Osama's compound pops up on Google Maps, with reviews. Programmer unknowningly liveblogs the events in Pakistan. TomTom supplies driving data to police to set speed traps. Your car steering wheel is dirtier than a public toilet seat (good thing I drive with my knees). Eyes Wide Shut-esque finger-Nose stylus for touch screens.

Congratulations to @Blood_Nut and @Steamypeas for their winning entries in our #Gunnar404 contest. Direct message us @The404 to claim your Gunnar Optiks Performance Eyewear!

Episode 811 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Old-school 8-button Nintendo game pad is back

Long for a world without terrorism alerts, credit default swaps, and game controllers more complicated than Facebook's user agreement? Thanks to Elecom's Retro USB Game Pad, a replica of the old-school 8-button rig from the original Nintendo Entertainment System, it's possible to go back to a simpler time.

I came across the game pad while browsing the Japanese treasure trove that is JBox.com and found myself transported back to those sweet days of youth--Crystal Pepsi in my hand, Martika's "Toy Soldiers" in the background, Mario with Tanooki Suit on the screen. Yes, I actually remembered that word without Wikipedia.

Unless you have some luck on eBay, the only way to get ahold of one of these replicas is to wait for them to ship from Japan. The $19.50 game pad fits in a USB slot and comes with 6 feet of cord, 4 configurable fire buttons, and 2 buttons on the top set to autofire.

I'll keep checking back and let you know as soon as it becomes possible to play Call of Duty with that original gun controller we all used for Duck Hunt on NES.… Read more

'Clippy' alive? Sighting raises questions, fears

In a mysterious turn of events worthy of Elvis Presley, "Clippy," everyone's least favorite talking paper clip cum animated software assistant, appears to be the star of a new Microsoft initiative--despite the fact that he's supposedly been dead since 2004.

GeekWire's Todd Bishop spied the fastener in what he reports is--gasp!--Microsoft's new training tool for Office, a game called Ribbon Hero 2. Clippy even appears to get top billing--the game's official name, Bishop reports, is Ribbon Hero 2: Clippy's Second Chance (a title that's sure to send shivers down the spine of many an Office user).

It's not the first time the aroma of conspiracy has wafted around the cloying length of wire. A month after Clippy's supposed 2001 ousting from Microsoft's flagship software suite (and his supposed move to jobs as a cab driver and a UPS deliveryman), a duo of crack CNET investigative journalists revealed that the fastener had somehow made his way into Office XP.… Read more