The 404 (MP3)

The 404 1,065: Where it's all in our heads (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:08:12 PDT

Today's episode of The 404 is a valuable resource for anyone obsessed with headphones -- classic audiophiles, young audiophiliacs, musicians, producers, and casual listeners will all benefit from Steve Guttenberg's knowledge, and he brought a friend! Tyll Hertsens is largely credited for creating the first portable headphone amp and currently the editor-in-chief of InnerFidelity.

With Tyll's help, we'll run through the differences between on-ear and in-ear headphones, give credit to two companies responsible for introducing high-quality headphones to the next generation of audiophiles, and we'll even spend a little time dissecting the criteria for what makes a headphone "sound good."

…

The 404 1,064: Where just enough is more (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 31 May 2012 12:29:58 PDT

Today's show title is the design credo of Milton Glaser, the celebrated designer responsible for turning the "I <3 New York" graphic into a world-recognized symbol.

That ethos is also the inspiration for today's discussion topic about Apple's "faux-real" user interfaces that Tom Hobbs at Fast Company believes is stunted by skeuomorphs, or elements of design that retain parts of its inspiration.

We'll look at how Apple's desire to show off the look of its products may be hindering its principal innovations, why the Amazon Kindle uses its own basic layout to create a more immersive environment for its readers, and how apps harnessing nostalgia like Instagram and Hipstamatic are holding back the next evolution of technology.

…

The 404 1,063: Where we get Russ on the regular (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:03:29 PDT

Russ Frushtick from The Verge's Polygon gaming Zord joins us today for a preview of what's to come at next week's Electronic Gaming Expo.

Jeff and Russ will both be there to cover the show, and while casual gamers may still lament the lack of hardware announcements this year, there are still plenty of highly anticipated games to get their hands on, including "The Last of Us," "The Last Guardian," and the new "Tomb Raider."

…

The 404 1,062: Where we actually like hotspacho (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:10:08 PDT

Jeff's still gleeful after the results of this weekend's NHL Eastern Conference Finals, but there are other things going on in the world of The 404 too.

On today's show, Jeff gives a 50/50 review of "The Avengers," Justin gets an East Coast geography lesson, airports around New York announce holographic avatars designed to "help" lost passengers, Facebook reveals plans to develop yet another Facebook-exclusive phone, and Sony files a patent that could pause games to show players advertisements.

…

The 404 1,061: Where we're in too deep (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 25 May 2012 11:26:27 PDT

Stupid Andy helps us round out the week before the three-day holiday, and our favorite way to pay tribute to the soldiers is by getting choked up at YouTube videos of soldiers reuniting with their dogs. The ones with their families are pretty good, too.

…

The 404 1,060: Where we break through the clusterzuck (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:37:28 PDT

Now that the Internet isn't flooded with Facebook IPO news, we can move on to more breaking news, like Hollywood finally answering our prayers for a Hook prequel that tells the Rufio origin story.

That's right, the original actor who played Rufio, Dante Basco, recently announced in an interview that a Rufio prequel film is in the works under the directing eye of Rpin Suwannath. Maybe we'll finally get to the bottom of how he got those fabulous red tights.

…

The 404 1,059: Where Facebook fizzles and we're happier for it (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:12:01 PDT

Last time Jill Schlesinger was here, she advised all our listeners to be patient and wait to see how the Facebook IPO would react to the hype machine leading up to last Friday's open trading. Two weeks later, we hope you listened, or you may have lost some money.…

The 404 1,058: Where CNET fans for the win (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:32:29 PDT

Congratulations to all of our colleagues at CNET TV for winning a Webby Award in People's Voice Award in the Technology category at last night's ceremony.

Plenty of celebrities including Bono, George Lucas, Al Gore, Buzz Aldrin, and more were on hand to pay tribute to Steve Jobs and celebrate the best of the Web. None of CNET's programming would be useful without viewers to watch it, so thanks to you for tuning in!

…

The 404 1,057: Where we'd rather have an IPA (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:30:02 PDT

Sorry about the rather short show today, but the Facebook IPO just started trading and we have to make way for a special edition of Reporter's Roundtable featuring our own "Aunt" Jill Schlesinger, Andy Rachleff of Wealthfront, and Tom Merritt. Check it out for in-depth discussion about the offering!

We'll be back on Monday with a week of new episodes, but you can stay in touch on our Instagram page--look us up @the404.

…

The 404 1,056: Where you don't win friends with salad (podcast)

the404@cnet.com (CNET.com) — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:36:40 PDT

The Netflix video streaming player finally gets an overhaul, but most of the upgrades to the navigation and video thumbnail layouts feel vaguely reminiscent to us, but we can't put a finger on it.

Speaking of streaming video, we'll also made a plea to HBO to broadcast episodes of "Game of Thrones" to non-subscribers. The show has quickly become the most pirated show of 2012 so far, and although we understand HBO's rights to keep the episodes in-house, we can't help but wonder why the network isn't taking advantage of this opportunity to get more money. Related: this week's Low Latency comic.

…