child

McAfee's new family shield

Updated June 5 at 3:48 p.m. Pacific Time: Users can now download the trial of McAfee Family Protection.

Correction: The 30-day trial for McAfee Family Protection is not yet available for users. I will update this post when it does become available.

On the heels of Symantec's OnlineFamily.Norton, released earlier this year, security stalwart McAfee is jumping into the family protection game with a new home-oriented protection program. Called McAfee Family Protection, the program will offer many familiar tools to parents in the hopes of fostering conversation while protecting children from harm.

McAfee Family Protection will … Read more

Stevie Nicks: Technology has 'ruined our children'

Please, as you walk down the street today, as you eat something far too large for you at Burger King, and as you go home to those who claim to love you, consider whether any children you see seem ruined.

I ask this on behalf of Stevie Nicks, the singer from sometime band of the ages, Fleetwood Mac. Ms. Nicks has strong beliefs. And most of them seem to paint technology as a dastardly villain that has moved into every neighborhood, like a living voodoo doll, warping children's brains into its control.

In an interview with the Associated Press, … Read more

The 404 308: Where Wilson is on nacation

If there's a more disturbing image than a naked Wilson Tang eating a stuffed pepper and doing his taxes, it's got to be a naked Tim Geisenheimer's sockless foot stuffed into a suede moccasin. We invite Tim into the studio anyway and he surprises us with some bad news: turns out the economy ain't doing so well.

Do not attempt to adjust the white balance on your monitor: Tim Geisenheimer's legs are actually that pale. I guess he and Michael Jackson share more in common than their tastes in footwear. Anyway, for some reason Wilson felt the need to stay at home today to do his taxes, which means being a good Chinese boy and writing off everything he possibly can. Why he decided to get nakee and do said taxes is another issue entirely, and one that teases my upchuck reflex anyway, so let's move on.

If you haven't figured it out yet, 'tis I, Justin Yu--on the poop deck, handling the blogging for the day. The first half of today's show is pretty random, since it's just Jeff and I riffing on a few stories, including one about Japanese space underwear.

I feel compelled to break out Space Beer guy, but mixing beer and underwear just doesn't feel right. Leave it up to the Japanese to reinvent the last thing you should worry about in space--forget the zero gravity, space debris, and Klingon warlords. Nah, nah, let's make a pair of underwear that you never have to take off.

Next story is about a Jewish Facebook group whose name suddenly changed from "I Heart Jews" to "Hitler: Great Modern Man of History." While we disagree with that statement, Jeff Bakalar (devoutly Jewish, FYI) gives the rest of us a free pass to laugh at the prank. Hey, at the end of the day, if Mel Brooks can laugh at Hitler, I think we're all safe.

After long calls from the public, we finally decide on a date for The 404 Meetup: APRIL 16. Everyone living in the Tri-State area should definitely clear their evening hour for a night of fun with The 404. We decided that two weeks is enough time for everyone to plan ahead, and it gives Jeff, Wilson, and I ample time to exercise our wrists and buy as many sharpies as possible. Riiight. Finally, check out some of the submissions below for our running contest. Can you write a funny caption for this photo of your humble 404 host? Here are some of our current favorites:

"Do these glasses make my eyes look less asian?" - Will Chan "The 404's Justin Yu was taken into custody shortly after molesting a lumberjack, a 90-year old woman, and robbing a Radio Shack in China Town last evening. Luckily there was no evidence of dicktopping at any of the crime scenes." - Andrew Teachout "What? I swear that printer was d**kto**ed before I got it!" - Jeff from Calgary

Send us your funniest caption to the404{at}cnet[dot]com and you could win a copy of Wheelman for XBox 360!

EPISODE 308 Download today's podcast |  Subscribe in iTunes |  Subscribe in RSS… Read more

Podcast: "Sexting" could lead to teen prosecutions

It's called "sexting" when someone takes a nude, partially nude or sexually provocative photo and sends it to someone, typically by cell phone. Some consider it a new type of flirting but if the picture involves a minor, it could be a state or federal offense even if the young person is the one taking and sending the picture.

In many circumstances, such pictures are considered to be child pornography according to Catholic University Law Professor Mary Leary. Though most prosecutors find another way to deal with these youthful indiscretions, some have pressed charges and won convictions.… Read more

Man charged with alleged child porn via PS3

A Kentucky man has been charged after allegedly persuading an 11-year-old girl to send nude pictures of herself while they played video games online via their PlayStation 3 consoles, according to reports.

Police have charged Anthony Scott O'Shea, 24, of Somerset, Ky., with promoting child pornography, online solicitation of a minor, and sexual performance of a child, the Houston Chronicle reported Saturday. Because the girl lives in the Houston area, O'Shea faces extradition to Texas.

The Chronicle cited court documents stating that O'Shea met the girl while they were playing Warhawk via the PS3's online network … Read more

Kindle? Here comes the Talking Book!

Everyone's talking about the new Kindle, but here's a product that may present an even more radical innovation in the e-book sector: The Talking Book, created and distributed by the non-profit Literacy Bridge, is a low cost audio player/recorder with special features for Knowledge Sharing and Literacy Learning. It was developed entirely by volunteers and costs less than $10. The device involves an ecosystem to produce and share locally relevant audio content, allowing users to record their own messages and distribute them within local networks through a device-to-device copying capability. Other features include slow play for reading … Read more

The 404 275: Where Wilson Kindled himself

Wilson is off getting Kindled, so Jeff and I take the show by the horns and relate our weekend stories. I got a chance to watch the live taping of Saturday Night Live, and sat next to Kirsten Dunst (yes, I wussed out and didn't ask her to come on the show). I also checked out Comic Con on Sunday, and a big thanks to David from Comixology for hooking it up with his extra pass. Listen in to today's show for a two-man conversation about Twitter spam, child subway performers, more opinions on the Michael Phelps controversy, … Read more

Sexting: why the latest prosecution seems pointless

It seems that adults continue to be shocked that teens are choosing to use the technology at their fingertips not just to say 'I'll Be Home at 10' and 'I Love You' but to send naked pictures of themselves to members of their target sex.

Last summer, there was outrage in Colorado. More recently, it seems that parents have been waking up in all parts of the country, removing themselves from re-runs of Sex and the City and Law and Order and howling that little Jenna has exposed herself by digital means to that ruffian from the rough part … Read more

Germany to order ISPs to censor child porn

In a move to stop the spread of child pornography on the Internet, German officials will soon be asking ISPs to filter out Web sites they deem offensive, according to news magazine Der Spiegel.

German regulatory officials have been working with Google and other search engines, providing them with a blacklist of sites to block, according to the article, which was reported on Google Blogoscoped on Friday. Google already excludes from its German and French search results content that is pro-Nazi.

There have been other censorship efforts recently related to images of children. Internet service providers in the U.K. … Read more