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The evolution of the benevolent alien

In its bid for our ticket-buying dollars, Hollywood has long sought to reach into our pockets by giving us films that appeal to our current sense of hopefulness or fearfulness.

Over the years, one of the most reliable mechanisms for doing that has been the alien, the evil, destructive invaders hell-bent on laying waste to everything we hold dear (The War of the Worlds, say) or the inquisitive visitors curious to make our acquaintance and see what they can learn from us and our experience (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, maybe).

And to many, the extent to which these … Read more

DaysAgo Timers keeps track of your leftovers

I can see the potential for overuse here. Imagine walking into a home and finding these little timers all over the place, on everything. I can see it. In fact, I can see implementing it. It might be a better approach than my current yellow sticky system, where the ubiquitous pieces of paper are indeed ubiquitous; they are everywhere.

However, one corner of my kitchen is devoid of reminder notes, and that would be inside the fridge. I just haven't found a good way to keep them stuck as I shuffle things around in there. As I move the … Read more

Security Bites 120: When social networks host malware

In this week's Security Bites podcast, Robert Vamosi speaks with Ryan Naraine, security evangelist for Kaspersky and Zero Day blogger for ZDNet, about malicious software.

Naraine recently spoke at a conference on emerging security threats sponsored by the Georgia Tech Information Security Center about the increasing risks of malware on social networks, such as Facebook pages that to lead people to Google pages with additional links to malware sites (a two-step infection process), and the more straightforward approach of Facebook being used for botnets.

In this podcast, Naraine and Vamosi talk about the changing nature of threats today and … Read more

Accessorize the kitchen wall

In the sleek and shiny world of food gadgetry and kitchen kitsch, it can be easy to overlook one spot: the kitchen walls.

You know how sometimes how you look away from something just for a second, and by the time you look back, you are asking yourself, "What just happened?" Well, that is exactly how you will feel if you turn away from Abbey Ryan's Painting a Day series. The Philadelphia-based artist has been keeping up with her self-imposed timeline for the past year.

Focusing mainly on food, her paintings tend to measure on the small … Read more

The 404 175: Where we're wearing white after Labor Day

Welcome to the working week! We're back after a very relaxing Labor Day Weekend. We welcome Natali back to the office and catch up on some political news. Don't fret, we mostly just make fun of Palin's daughter's redneck boyfriend. Other stories from today include MySpace suckage, CraigsList prostitution busts, an Amy Winehouse mental health update, and a Justin PSYu Foundation report!

After an extended weekend, it's usually difficult to drag yourself back into the office, but it's easy when there's so much to talk about! First things first: how come nobody told … Read more

The 404 173: Where we wish Natali Del Conte a happy 21st birthday

Happy 21st birthday, Natali. We hope you're having a great time out there on the best, err...West Coast! Even though Jeff is mad at me for not getting Morgan Spurlock on the show, we squash the beef and get going on a great show. Today we talk about magic noodles, the Facebook movie, and Steve Jobs' impending death. We also debut the best set of voicemails ever played on The 404. No hype!

I can't stop reiterating this sentence in my head: Morgan Spurlock served me ice cream cake on a boat in New York city last … Read more

Kids, not Russian government, attacking Georgia's Net, says researcher

Initial information suggests that Internet attacks on Georgian Web sites over the last two weeks are the work of kids, according to one researcher, while another says the intensity of these attacks is short-lived when compared with attacks in Estonia last year.

In an e-mail to CNET News, Gadi Evron, founder of the Zero Day Emergency Response Team, said that "although the impact on their Web sites is clear, I believe this may end up being just some kids who got overexcited, with Georgia being ill-prepared to say the least. "

Posting on CircleID, Evron wrote that there are … Read more

The 404 159: Where Justin burns down the 404 studio

On today's show: In Jeff's absence, Justin takes over the studio and all hell breaks loose. Natali Del Conte rushes in to save the day! Wilson sits back and laughs, and we discuss a few stories about free Olympic condoms, annoying neighbors, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, and lost light sabers.

When Jeff's away, the SPig will play! That's right, Jeff's on vacation in Atlantic City, New Jersey, gambling his salary away, so I decide to take up the reins and jump into the hot seat! And trust me, you don't want … Read more

Fun flying with Power Downloader

Kitty Kilobyte is off to Europe for her annual vacation abroad. Like many of us, she loves travel but hates flying. When she asked Power Downloader if he had any advice--such as a program that was so boring it would put her to sleep for 10 hours--he came back with an alternative plan.

Instead of boring herself to sleep, Power Downloader suggested Kitty try a brain challenge--an engaging game that would take her mind off the pre-flight horrors of the TSA and the in-flight trauma of getting stuck with the middle seat. Power D's recommendation this week is MahJong Suite 2008. … Read more