precious

There are times, I am sure, when you believe your car is talking to you. Your lawn mower too, no doubt. These machines sometimes groan and squeal as if to say "Ease up, big boy" or "Honey, I have a headache."

I have to tell you, though, that these messages are all in your mind. Machines do not have feelings. They will never truly love you.

Well, all except one. A bike called Precious.

Precious has been fitted with all sorts of clever sensors that reveal the bike's thoughts and feelings at any given moment. As Precious rides along, the sensors send the average of their readings by text message back to servers that analyze the true emotional soul of this extraordinary machine.

This analysis leads, it being the modern world, to tweets at Twitter.com/yesiamprecious. Did I mention that Precious is currently on a 3-month journey from the East Coast of America to the West, in aid of Livestrong? Well, I should have, because it makes for some fascinating understanding of how a machine's brain and emotions really work.… Read more

Jeff is taking the week off to get a head start on Thanksgiving, so Wilson and I invite Mark to help us out on today's episode of The 404 Podcast. After spending a couple days out of the office last week, it feels great to get back in front of the mic. It's no fun being home with the flu, but it did give me an opportunity to check out Twilight. No, not The Twilight Saga: New Moon, I meant the first one, which I never bothered to watch in theaters. I'm glad I didn't spend $12 to watch it, too! Get all the details plus a sneak peek at the new movie in theaters now. Wilson also checked out Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey's new movie, "Precious." The movie also features Mariah Carey and Mo'Nique, who's up for an Academy Award nomination for her performance as Precious' abusive mother.

The first story of the day is about the much-publicized-but-never-materialized Hulu iPhone App. The self-proclaimed "bada**" portable player was first announced in April '09, successfully drumming up hype for a product that never actually came out. Wilson and Mark speculate that it could be because Hulu is preparing to launch a paid version of the streaming video site, which could potentially be holding up development of the iPhone version, which leads us to pose the question: How much would YOU be willing to pay for a monthly Hulu subscription on your iPhone? Do you frequently watch video on your smartphone, and if so, how much does it eat up your battery life? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Mark and Wilson know a thing or two about Black Friday after heading out to Best Buy every year to video tape the anxious shoppers waiting in line, but this year is a different story. While those two are fast asleep in their beds, others will be pushing, fighting, and kicking to get the best deals at their local big box retailers. But as Chris Matyszczyk tells us, some of the deals might not be awesome as they seem. Watch out for deceptively low product quantities that give zero hope for anyone NOT third in line, as well as "derivatives," aka products that are advertised as brand name but are actually "inferior models." If you're planning on waiting in line, be sure to listen to this segment for helpful tips on how and where to shop for the best deals this Black Friday.

We're only recording three shows this week, but be sure to tune in LIVE tomorrow and Wednesday for a few surprise guests and more turkey talk!

It's a problem that so many people must face these days: what kind of stylus to use with your Swarovski crystal-encrusted DS Lite. Not just any stylus will do, of course, especially when it's being used with an item reportedly designed by Paris Hilton.

Luxurylaunches says this Nintendo DS Lite gold stylus "gives the feel and performance of the most luxurious stylus on the market in the present day. And it's apparently real 18 carat, not some cheesy plated product, and can work with any PDA. That means more bang for your buck (if you can … Read more