Jackie

Politicians aim some pointed privacy questions at Google

One of Google's hometown members of Congress is complaining that the search company isn't doing enough to protect its users' privacy.

Rep. Jackie Speier, a longtime Democrat whose district includes YouTube's San Bruno, Calif., headquarters, co-authored a letter (PDF) today asking the company to respond to a series of sternly worded questions about its plans to simplify privacy policies into one more-or-less standard one. Currently Google has more than 70 individual privacy policies.

"We believe that consumers should have the ability to opt-out of data collection when they are not comfortable with a company's terms … Read more

The 10 worst proposed Internet laws?

The latest list of the 10 worst Internet laws is out, and topping it are proposals to restrict targeted online advertising.

NetChoice, a Washington, D.C. coalition that includes AOL, eBay, VeriSign, and Yahoo as members, today released its updated "iAWFUL" list of misguided, nutty, or simply counterproductive laws.

Topping them is a bill introduced last month by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), which would require the Federal Trade Commission to regulate targeted Internet ads. Last year's iAWFUL list was led by proposals to regulate the data collection and use practices of many Web sites.

"Their favorite … Read more

At long last, a visit to Cooperstown

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y.--For a lifelong baseball fan like me, visiting this little town on the edge of Otsego Lake in upstate New York for the first time is like a political junkie's first-ever trip to Washington, D.C.

It turns out, of course, that my Road Trip 2010 project has afforded me both of those opportunities, and where my initial journey to D.C. earlier in the journey was a chance to finally see, firsthand, places like the White House and the U.S. Capitol, my first-ever passage through the doors of the Baseball Hall of Fame here … Read more

Jackie Chan pens deal with electric motorcycle maker

Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, and martial artist Jackie Chan has teamed up with Ashland, Oregon-based Brammo Inc., maker of electric motorcycles.

Brammo's first product is the Enertia, a fully electric motorcycle that became available in select Best Buy stores in August 2009. It has a top speed of over 60 miles per hour (95 km/h), a range of 42 miles (68 kilometers), and a charging time of about 4 hours.The Enertia sells for $7,995.

The deal will have Jackie Chan's company, JCAM Advanced Mobility Company Ltd., sell the Brammo electric motorcycle product line in Hong … Read more

The 404 532: Where we put the Oscars in a 'Hurt Locker' (podcast)

Today's episode of The 404 Podcast deals with a lot of movies, which makes sense after last night's utterly forgettable Academy Awards ceremony, or so Wilson claims, because he forgot to watch.

The awards committee certainly wasn't lacking a sense of irony after selecting Sandra Bullock for the best female performance in "The Blind Side." The actress also won the Razzie for worst female actor in "All About Steve." Audience members were also surprised to see "Avatar" lose the best picture award to "The Hurt Locker," despite the questionable activity of one of its producers prior to the event. It's also interesting to note how the same movies in the best picture category ranked on BitTorrent, with "District 9" earning the most at more than 12 million downloads since its DVD-quality release last September.

Tim Burton's adaption of "Alice in Wonderland" came out last weekend, and Jeff went to check it out with his fiancee, who festively dressed up as Alice for the showing. Don't get your hopes up though; Jeff sadly left his White Rabbit costume at the dry cleaners. I won't spoil Jeff's personal review of the movie, but let's just say that 91 other movie-goers on Rotten Tomatoes agree with him.

No matter what you think of AIW, we can all agree that Zach Snyder's new movie "Legend of the Guardians" will win next year's Oscar for best comedy. Based on the novel "Guardians of Ga'Hoole," the teaser implies that the movie is about talking owls...fighting in the sky...wearing Elven face masks. Check out these screenshots and join us as we purchase advanced screening tickets live on the show.

All these stories plus some a near-expired batch of Calls From the Public and a news piece about your grandmother DJing Parisian nightclubs, all on today's episode of The 404!

Episode 532 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 Podcast 478: Where The 404 hoverboard works on water (Prize Giveaway!)

There's so much to do on today's episode of The 404 Podcast that I'm surprised we were able to fit it all into half an hour--we've got 404 listener Leopold's take on our theme song, Back to the Future/The 404 mash up fan art, and a prize giveaway courtesy of Otterbox!

Before we get into all of that, we have to make fun of the new Karate Kid movie coming out next year starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith. Slashfilm just released four official photos from the next film in the franchise, and already we're seeing glaringly obvious cultural mix-ups. For instance, one of the training scenes features the young Karate Kid practicing on the Great Wall of China. Karate = Japanese, Great Wall = Chinese. Come on!

And speaking of mistakes, the third installment of "Jackass: The Movie" will premiere in 3-D. Don't get us wrong- The 404 is no stranger to the Jackass movies, but a 3-D view of Chris Pontius' Speedo we do not need!

A big thanks goes out to 404 listener and music student Leopold, who sent in an amazing new theme song for The 404--we'll definitely put it into the song rotation, great work, Leopold! Jim, another talented 404 listener, also deserves our appreciation for the Back To The Future hoverboard mash-up you see up there! Judging by the DeLorean in the background, Jim is obviously a big BTTF fan and so are we, so check out the slideshow for more pictures of The 404 hoverboard, and don't worry--it's got POWER.

Finally, the good folks at OtterBox hooked it up with 10 of their Defender and Commuter cases, so if you have an iPhone and need a case, leave a comment on this blog and tell us why you deserve to win!

Here's what you need to do:

Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, there's no need to register again. Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated. Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified. The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive (1) Otter Box case for the iPhone 3G/S. Retail value is ~$50. If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen. Entries can be submitted until Friday, December 4, at 12 p.m. EST. Full rules after the jump. EPISODE 478 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 436: Where we're different by choice

We're very proud and excited to welcome Beck's Beer back as our official show sponsor for the month of October, as you can see by the advertisement over yonder. You know what that means, right? All month long we'll be bringing back the Semi-Weekly Audio Draft Pick, sponsored by Beck's Beer in conjunction with Last.fm. That's a lot to say, so if you can think of a better title for the segment (maybe even a funny acronym involving beer), shoot us a line at the404(at)cnet[dot]com. Just like in July, we'll be introducing you to some of our favorite musicians and playing their music on the show every Tuesday and Friday for the next month, so be excited, and if you have any suggestions, well, tweet us.

OMGWTFBBQ! The Robsham Theater Arts Center from Boston College is putting on a musical comedy inspired by songs by our buddy Jonathan Coulton! If you didn't hear his live performance the last time he was on The 404, go check it out and get ready for some musical theater. Luke Jorgenson, the associate theater professor at BC, was "taken by Coulton's satire of office life and technology," which inspired him to produce the script. We're very psyched for Jonathan. Congrats, buddy!

Next up in the news, we've got a few iffy Sony PS3 ads to show you guys. The first one is a picture of a stereotypical gamer giving a blood transfusion to someone that looks a lot like Erwin Rommel, aka "The Desert Fox" and a German General in World War II. The other one features the same gamer, but this time he's giving his heart to Joan of Arc. Like, literally giving his heart in a celebratory transplant. Yikes, Sony--what message are you guys trying to convey here?

Next, we play a brief PSA video to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a subject that is very dear to our hearts. The video is played in jest, and of course we have to make a few jokes about the steamy subject matter, but Breast Cancer itself is very real, so all month we'll be supporting the cause.

Have an awesome Thursday, everyone!

EPISODE 436 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 258: Where we know how to get to Chad's Gap from the bottom of Alta

Big thanks and confusion goes out to listener PacGamer for today's show title. The answer is somewhere in today's show, but it's hidden between a gulch and a burrito. Listen in for a story about Jeff's brother's upchuck reflex to The 404, a magical iPhone application, our best Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker impressions, and more!

I'll start this post by joining the masses in demanding people to stop hating on Chipotle! They're not supposed to taste like an "authentic" taqueria burrito--in fact, I usually skip the burrito altogether and order the burrito bowl, and now I can do it on their new iPhone application. I'm a little scared to use it, though, especially with that "extra filling" button staring my stomach in the face. Sure, you'll probably curse the company in the privacy of your bathroom after the meal, but the app also includes a special "Pepto Bismol delivery" button free of charge!

EPISODE 258 Download today's podcast … Read more

Little Jackie, 'Crying For The Queen': Free MP3 of the Day

Imani Coppola's new project feels like a fire hydrant busted open on a hot day: It's refreshing, forceful, and pretty much illegal. The frontwoman mashes tart-tongued (but sweet) neo-soul with infectious Motown beats in a way that usually only Cee-Lo and Danger can manage.

Download free MP3 now!