horses

The 404 1,218: Where we order off the secret menu (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- The mystery behind Chipotle's secret 1,500-calorie monstrosity.

- The ultimate In-N-Out secret menu survival guide.

- I used to smoke pot every time I played a video game. Here's why I stopped..

- SUNY adds a hip-hop anthem to its marketing set list.

- 404 listener Kulastar made this infographic comparing Bill Murray to Jim Carrey.… Read more

Trojan Horse dons thousands of keyboard keys

One artist sees treasure in trashed keyboards of yesteryear.

Inspired by the tale of ancient Greece's infamously sneaky Trojan Horse and humankind's Internet gluttony, German artist Babis Pangiotidis created an elaborate model of a rocking horse known as "Hedonism(y) Trojaner" with skin made of thousands of forgotten keyboard keys. Babis states on his portfolio site that the shades of color found on the recycled keys range from ivory white to nicotine-stained yellow. … Read more

Japanese users of Google Play get played by malware

Japanese users of Google's online clearing house of downloadable entertainment for Android devices are being targeted with a Trojan horse that displays requested videos but nicks personal information in the process.

Antivirus company McAfee posted a blog item this afternoon about the Trojan, which was found lurking in the Google Play marketplace.

The post says applications carrying the Trojan promise, and in some cases deliver, trailers for upcoming video games or anime or adult-oriented clips, but they also request "read contact data" and "read phone state and identity" permissions before being downloaded.

Those permissions give … Read more

The 404 1,012: Where we bring our Ella, Ella (podcast)

There's so much to talk about with our guest today, Ella Morton. She's a former editor from CNET Australia, so we'll talk to her about her appearances on Planet CNET, a book she co-wrote with the founders of RecordSetter.com, and her visit to Sesame Street with RocketBoom.

Ella is currently working on a guide book to the world's hidden wonders with the team from Atlas Obscura, so she'll also tell us a few of her favorite stories from her research. We'll finish out the show with a chat about Ella's other love: burlesque!

With so much to talk about, we'll definitely have Ella back on the show, but in the meantime be sure to follow her on Twitter and check out her own podcast, Ellipsis.… Read more

Fleshless robot baby would do Skynet proud

"Eraserhead" baby, meet your match.

It seems engineers and tinkerers never tire of creating horrific human simulacra in robot baby form, or even robot fetus form. But the sheer nightmarish genius of this latest unholy spawn gives one pause. Behold it in the video below.

The silently mewling babe is a collection of whirring servomotors and flailing claw-arms, seemingly powered by unseen mechanisms beneath its blanket.

Its movements are perfectly lifelike, and yet its appearance is so alien-death machine-like that I get an overwhelming urge to cast it far into the Uncanny Valley from whence it came. … Read more

The 404 958: Where we lied our way into this job (podcast)

Our guest today is Emily Dreyfuss from CNET's newest tech gossip podcast, Rumor Has It!

We're learning all kinds of stuff from Emily, like to how to defeat an oncoming shark attack, the best way to win a burger-eating competition, and the backstory behind the Carrier IQ keylogging controversy.

Leaked from 404 Podcast 958:

How Carrier IQ was wrongly accused of keylogging. Controversy, confusion over Carrier IQ. Congress lifts five-year ban on the sale of horse meat. Thanks Obama! Rumor: Apple TV sets will be mighty pricey.… Read more

Apple issues late XProtect update for Flashback Trojan

As with many modern operating systems, OS X is relatively difficult to infect with self-propagating malware attacks like viruses or worms, so malware developers have resorted to social engineering and trickery, with Trojan horse programs being the main mode of attack on home computer systems.

A Trojan horse is a piece of maliciously crafted software that is disguised as a legitimate software package, but which when installed by an unsuspecting user will corrupt files, break down system security measures, or send personal information to external servers among other malicious activity.

Malware generally is distributed via underground Web sites, though in … Read more

Rumor Has It, Ep. 8: Google TV is a dead, dead horse (podcast)

The month is almost up, and Karyne is beating Emily by a smidge. With only two shows left, however, it's time to start thinking of embarrassing things for Emily to do when she loses.

On this week's show, we cry over CDs going the way of the dodo; we laugh about Staples selling the PlayBook for $199; Google Music is going to 11, whatever that means, at an event on Wednesday; and according to nobody, the iPad 3 will be able to fly.

Things are heating up in the Twitter wars, too! Stephen, at the time of the … Read more

Get into Avira Free Antivirus 12 faster than before

The bottom line: An aggressive redesign aimed at making its best-known suite more accessible than before, Avira Free Antivirus 12 combines fast scans with above-average protection for a solid security combo.

Review: Free antivirus maker Avira debuts a laundry list of changes in its latest major update, basically repositioning the suite to remain competitive in the face of tougher competition from other free security suites and a renewed emphasis on performance from paid competitors. From the new breezy installation to the modernized interface and reputable security, the suite has a lot going for it.

However, it notably lacks some features … Read more