flying

It seems that America's airports have become, in the words of San Francisco filmmaker John Maringouin, "YouTube City."

Ever since the TSA introduced body scanners into the most detailed parts of our lives, travelers have pulled out their cell phones in order to record incidents that seem to verge on the pointless, if not the slightly degrading.

Following the YouTube video of a little boy being strip searched (which has since been added to with a claim that the TSA might not have been entirely truthful about what happened), here is Dr. Tammy Banovac in her underwear.… Read more

It's the last day of the week for us! Mark Licea joins us today to fill in for the day before Thanksgiving. We hope all of your enjoy your new TSA-approved enhanced pat-downs when you're flying to see your loved ones. Justin isn't even leaving the city, but he's making daily trips to the airport to meet his special security officer.

Speaking of the TSA screenings that have become all the rage on the news these days, Jeff thinks that it's the dearth of news in American media that is letting the issue blow up on cable news and across the Web. In part, Wilson agrees given that the new regulations, backscatter (cool name for a band) X-ray scanning machines and pat-down searches have been planned for months. While the general populace might be a bit surprised by the new TSA regulations, Wilson doesn't believe it makes it right to be photographed through our clothes just because we want to fly.

In happier ramblings, The 404 does give thanks for the privilege of essentially shooting the tech-and-culture crap with each other on a daily basis. It's something we're truly thankful for, and we'd love nothing but to share our love for our loyal and growing listener base.

Jeff, being Jeff, though, has to interrupt the flow of happiness to talk a bit about the blackout for the New York-New Jersey region when it comes to the NHL's new GameCenter service, which lets fans watch games and replays. The big exception that really irks Jeff is that the service won't let him watch his beloved New Jersey Devils! Wilson and Mark really couldn't care less.

Any way, we won't be having a show tomorrow or Friday, due to the Thanksgiving holiday, but be sure to e-mail us or call in at the usual 1-866-404-CNET (2638), and let us know what you're thankful for. Maybe it's that new tech gadget or Wilson's laugh? Let us know.

Thanks so much to Props Guy Jim for Photoshopping The 404 Podcast into the "disappearing" photo from "Back to the Future"! The movie recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and check out this picture Jim snapped of the photo in action at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance. Thanks again Jim!

Mark Licea joins us for a chat about television programming as it's affected by streaming content providers like Hulu and Netflix.

As those two companies compete to offer the cheapest monthly subscription price, consumers face a decision to either stick with HD cable/FIOS and a DVR box or cut the cord and stick with Internet video.

Regardless of your decision, there's plenty of content available online for your entertainment, and our conversation naturally steers toward late-night programming and Conan's second week of shows on TBS. There's also the AMC zombie series "The Walking Dead" and "Boardwalk Empire" on HBO. On the other hand, sometimes we just want to sit on the couch and channel surf!

After the break, we run through a few voice mails that humiliate and educate our audience, and there's also a question for Jeff about his experience traveling through the TSA's new airport security scanners. We try not to get too serious about it, but everyone seems to have an opinion, so tune in to find out why Wilson will be taking a boat ride to CES next year.

I was just at the wedding of one of New York's finest unsung comedians.

Her father is a recently retired US Airways pilot. He explained to me that he was instructed never to use words like "turbulence" or "thunderstorm," as these tend to frighten people to the degree that they might reach for the air sickness bags.

Perhaps you are one of those who is prone to having your food make an unexpected return to your throat when the plane begins to bump, grind, and sway out of control. Well, perhaps the Barany chair might … Read more

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the original "Back to the Future" release, so today we're running down the top 21 BTTF2 innovations everyone is still waiting to see. The list includes classic BTTF gadgets like Marty's self-drying jacket, the Mr. Fusion home energy reactor, and of course flying cars in the Skyway, but there are a few inventions on here that actually do exist in some form or another.

For example, cops in the 21st century may not have scrolling LED hats, but walk into any mall and you'll see a dude walking around in an LED message belt buckle. Same goes for bar code license plates and modern vehicle identification numbers.

Be sure to check to see if your local movie theater is screening the movie tonight at 7 p.m., exactly 25 years from when Marty first went back in time!

Halloween is coming up fast, and the holiday wouldn't be complete without the annual American tradition of forcing your dog to wear uncomfortable costumes for the enjoyment of others. On Saturday I attended the yearly Halloween dog parade in Tompkins Square Park, so check out that link to see some of the funnier costumes, like the "Tron" console, a couple of bedbugs, and my favorite: Antoine Dogson.

In other nerdly news, 23-year-old Brittney Schnecks just finished rebuilding her 1994 Dodge Caravan to look exactly like the Ninja Turtles van from the comic book/cartoon series!

A dedicated fan of the original TV series, Brittney has been building the van since last July using money she saved at her cashier's job. She used a Dodge Caravan instead of a VW due to availability of parts, but the final outcome looks great and even includes fake gun turrets, a spoiler, and hand-painted decals!

Finally, thanks to the two Zachs and Jennifer in the U.K. for sending the following video voicemails. We love watching these, so keep them coming by sending your YouTube link to the404(at)cnet.com!

Jenny from the U.K. has a message for the dudes.

Zach thinks The 404 is the best...we agree!

The 404 Podcast, and the CNET office in general, hasn't been the same without Natali Del Conte around, so we're all super psyched for the long-awaited return of NDC Thursdays...well, everyone except Wilson; he's at home waiting for the perfect time to interrupt today's show.

Although she describes the difficulty in leaving her newborn son at home, the self-proclaimed domestic diva is back in the office after her maternity leave to make her son proud!

Oh, she also tells us what she did on her lunch break yesterday, but that's no big deal...!!!! Don't miss the first half of today's episode, and be sure to send your congrats to the new Mrs. Morris!

At Apple's Mac OS X event yesterday, Steve Jobs unveiled both an update to Apple's MAC operating system, now called Mac OS X Lion (now with FaceTime,) as well as a refresh to the Macbook Air line of portable, and pricey, laptops. The new Airs are much smaller than the originals and now benefit from ultralong battery life and instant-on functionality thanks to the integrated solid-state drives.

Prices range from $999 up to $1,599 based on screen size (11.6-inch or 13.3-inch), processor type, and storage capacity. We're all still waiting for the next iPad to drop before we run to the nearest Apple Store, but keep an eye on CNET.com for benchmark scores in an upcoming review.

We're also rolling out our first batch of VIDEO VOICEMAILS today and since they're just YouTube links people send over, check them out for yourself!!

Jeremy has bad news about "Back to the Future."

Aaron has good news from Hawaii.

Ben has nice things to say about The 404!

Michael has a deadly gift for Natali and Justin!

If you have something you want to say about the show, record a YouTube video and send the link to the404(at)cnet(dot)com and we'll play it on the air! As usual, audio voicemails are also welcome, and the number to dial is 1-866-404-CNET (2638).

Tune in tomorrow when TONY HAWK will once again join us in the studio to chat about skateboard, video games, and more!

Flight Doodle is a simple, fun, and extremely polished casual flying game in which you pilot a hot-air balloon through endless hazards to ever-increasing heights.

The interface is simple: you use tilt controls (tilting your device left and right, with adjustable sensitivity) to steer a hot-air balloon up an infinitely scrolling vertical skyscape; you can use touch-screen buttons on the left to slow down, speed up, or get a temporary boost. You face an inexhaustible supply of enemies that threaten to pop your balloon and end your game--including rock-throwing cloud men and pointy thumbtacks that materialize at the edge of … Read more

Fox News is sometimes criticized for floating wayward ideas.

This criticism is unfair and unbalanced. The station understands its viewers better than any other and offers them a fine and subtle mixture of both fear and reassurance.

However, perhaps Fox News' "Fox and Friends" allowed its enthusiasm this week to fly a little too high. For the station reported that the city of LA had invested $1 billion in a jetpack called the Martin. The suggestion was that LA's police, paramedics, and fire department were in grave need of such a flying gizmo. This is entirely understandable, given LA's quite hopeless traffic situation.

Though "Fox and Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade did offer words of caution: "You gotta make up some rules because you're going to have jetpacks flying into choppers," I have to report that the Fox report is rather untrue.

For LAPD chief Charlie Beck told the Los Angeles Times: "We certainly haven't bought any jetpacks. We haven't bought [squad] cars for two years."

While trying to muzzle my disappointment with the LAPD for such obvious technological myopia, I am grateful to Gawker for attempting to discover where Fox News might have done its flying sourcing.… Read more

Whacksy Taxi is a fast-paced, ad-supported racing game with old-school graphics and controls--and a surprising amount of quality content for a free game.

Whacksy Taxi looks superficially like an Out-Run-style racer, but your lateral movement is much more like Frogger: you're always driving forward, on an endlessly straight road, but you use left and right buttons to switch back and forth between three vertical lanes, dodging a maze of traffic that becomes more dense with every level. You also have buttons to jump cars (one or two at a time) and to brake (to give yourself some breathing room). … Read more