On this week’s show, We noodle with a Google Doodle, Facebook goes public! Google officially makes things, Microsoft goes social, Zuckerberg gets hitched, and private enterprise launches into space.

Join us here LIVE in our chat room tonight at 10PM EST/7PM PST here! [...]

This week, we look at some new Facebook-related changes on the cusp of their Initial Public Offering, and whether those changes are enough to keep advertisers interested after Facebook goes public. Then, to code or not to code…that is the question.

But first, the headlines…Yahoo‘s fibbing CEO Scott Thompson gets his comeuppance, and Yahoo gets an interim CEO, Pebble breaks all Kickstarter records at $10 in pledges, Apple moves away from Google Maps, Apple may offer an iPhone with a larger screen and a thinner MacBook, how Yahoo killed Flickr, Google introduces a knowledge graph, and Aaron Sorkin will script Steve Jobs‘ life [...]

This week we’ll look at the most successful campaign on Kickstarter, Apple’s move away from Google Maps, Yahoo’s next move after Resume-gate, and new changes at Facebook (and whether they’re enough to keep advertisers interested… and more!

Join us here LIVE in our chat room tonight at 10PM EST/7PM PST here! [...]

Scam School
Book 1
Kindle Edition
By Brian Brushwood
Bizarre Magic, Inc.
Release Date: March 14, 2012

Scam School, Book 1 is the first (naturally) of three companion ebooks to online network Revision 3‘s popular series. The premise of the show (and the book), according to the website, is that “Award-winning magician Brian Brushwood takes viewers on an inside tour of bar tricks, street cons, and scams,” and this ebook is truly kind of magical, but not for the reasons you might think. More on this later.

The book opens with a terrific Forward where Brian Brushwood recalls how he was inspired at age 8 by watching Penn & Teller, and how he wrote to Teller (with no anticipation of a reply), and received in response an incredibly instructive and inspiring letter teaching him some of the finer points of the illusion arts, including this fundamental tip: always engage an element of surprise (a tip Brushwood uses to great effect in many of the book’s scams) [...]

This week, we look into a scandal involving Scott Thompson, Yahoo‘s CEO, wherein he allegedly lied on his resume about having a CS degree. Later, we’ll poke into a couple of exciting rumors of Apple lowering the price of their Macbook Air to $799, plus their upcoming HDTV offering.

But first, the headlines…Facebook sets its IPO price, Discovery buys Revision3, Draw Something loses 5M users/Mo. after Zynga purchase, AT&T CEO regrets offering unlimited data, Google loses copyright infringement case to Oracle over Java, Google’s Hangouts on Air rolls out to everyone, & Google’s Autonomous cars get an official nod from Nevada [...]

Transformers: The Ride 3D
Universal Studios Hollywood
Ride previewed: April 28, 2012
Ride opens to public on May 25, 2012

Hasbro‘s Transformers films have excited the public for years now with fulfilled promises of high-speed action, fiery pyrotechnics, and intense Autobot vs. Decepticon battles on land and in the city skies above; everything you’ve come to expect from a Michael Bay production. The question is, could Michael Bay effectively translate that experience to a theme park ride? Recently I went on that ride, and I can honestly say, “Mission Accomplished.”

Michael Bay collaborated with the ride builders at Universal Creative to bring the experience from his films to life. I rode Transformers: The Ride 3D during what Universal Studios Hollywood called their Technical Preview (which just means that some aspects of the ride may not have been fully functional, but to be honest, everything seemed to work fine to me).

I’ve included an unabashedly enthusiastic post-ride video reaction and photos here below, along with a description of the ride and of the whole experience [...]

This week on the show, we’ll look into a scandal involving Scott Thompson, Yahoo’s CEO, that’s being called alternatively Resume-gate or CS-Lie. Later, we’ll poke into a couple of exciting Apple rumors. Join us LIVE here in our chatroom!

Join us LIVE Tonight at 10PM EST/7PM PST here! […]

This week, The Drill Down team (and Techmeme‘s Lidija Davis) discusses Barnes & Noble‘s new partnership with Microsoft to compete with Amazon‘s Kindle & Apple‘s iPad, and later we discuss a development which could spell the end for Digg.com, one of the most venerated social news sites on the internet.

But first the headlines…CISPA passes the House (and how that will affect you), Apple sidesteps billions in taxes, The Pirate Bay must be blocked in the UK, Blackberry launches version 10 OS, Facebook adds organ donor status to profiles. [...]

Tonight on The Drill Down team will discuss CISPA, a recently passed privacy-killing bill that makes SOPA & PIPA look tame by comparison, Apple’s tax-loophole strategies, Microsoft partners with Barnes & Noble to challenge the Kindle and the iPad, RIM’s Blackberry 10 OS, and is Digg.com finally dead?

Join us LIVE Tonight at 10PM EST/7PM PST here! [...]

This week The Drill Down team takes a look at the battle for your online distributed data, with new features on cloud storage services from Microsoft, Dropbox, and Google. Then, it’s sci-fi billionaires in space!!! as Google’s Larry Page, Eric Schmidt, and director James Cameron launch into a new venture to mine asteroids.

But first, the headlines… Nokia‘s down 30% with a $1.7 BN loss, Anonymous launches a social music service, Facebook pays Microsoft $550 M for former AOL patents, Adobe announces Creative Suite 6 (and subscription-based licenses), and Facebook announces its staggering Q1 financials, including details on its Instagram purchase [...]

This week, The Drill Down team takes a look at the battle for your online distributed data, with new features on cloud storage services from Microsoft, Dropbox, and Google. Then we’ll look at the ambitious plan tech billionaires (and James Cameron) have for mining the asteroids! Join us in our chat room LIVE.

Join us LIVE Tonight at 10PM EST/7PM PST here! [...]

This week, Dwayne DeFreitas & Andrew Sorcini examine Microsoft‘s announced new versions of Windows 8 OS, and Twitter‘s pledge not to join the Patent War offensive.

But first, the headlines…Google announces a stock split, Google Drive launches next week, Yahoo CEO’s plan to drop fifty properties to turn the company around, Valve announces research into wearable computing, IKEA will sell a HDTV modular furniture system, text messages soothe the soul, and Tupac lives again via “hologram.” [...]

This week the TDD team look at the many flavors of Microsoft‘s Windows 8, Twitter‘s pledge to stay out of the patent wars, Yahoo’s plans to restructure by dropping 50 properties, IKEA‘s new HDTV console, Valve jumps into the wearable computer game, and more! Chat with us LIVE!

Join us LIVE Tonight at 10PM EST/7PM PST here! [...]

This week, The Drill Down team discusses Facebook’s one billion dollar purchase of mobile phone startup Instagram, and whether or not that portends another tech bubble; plus, Is the age of cheap, subsidized cellphones over? But first let’s look at this week’s tech headlines…

Commodore founder Jack Tramiel dies, Apple patches a trojan affecting 600K Macs, US DOJ sues Apple & e-book publishers for price fixing, the FCC‘s plan to track your lost cellphone, Microsoft pays $1 BN for AOL patents, Nokia launches the Lumia 900, Netflix forms a PAC, and Google Plus gets a makeover [...]

On this week’s show, we say farewell to a computing legend; over half a million Macs become botnets; Microsoft buys AOL patents for $1 BN; Netflix forms a PAC; and Facebook buys Instagram for $1 BN, and so much more!

Join us LIVE Tonight at 10PM EST/7PM PST here! [...]

Titanic (3D presentation)
Directed by James Cameron
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
Rated PG-13
Release Date (3D Version): April 4, 2012

I’ve now officially contributed twice to the highest grossing motion picture in history.

I had the opportunity to go out to the movies the other night, and I had a lot of choices, including a remake of 21 Jump Street I’d heard was quite funny, and a reunion sequel to American Pie, but my decision in the end was determined by a film whose experience I couldn’t replicate at home: James Cameron’s 3D post-conversion of Titanic (1997).

The last time I saw Titanic was in the theaters fifteen years ago. It’s not that I hadn’t enjoyed it; I had always meant to see it again. I’d even picked up a DVD at one point (okay, so I contributed thrice), but I’d never unwrapped it. My recollection of it was that it was technically brilliant, but flawed in many ways. I just never felt that compelled to revisit it. Cameron’s year-long, $18 million 3D conversion gave me a good excuse to do just that [...]

Dollhouse, Vol. 1: Epitaphs
Written by Andrew Chambliss, Maurissa Tancharoen, Jed Whedon
Pencils by Cliff Richards
Inks by Andy Owens, Cliff Richards
Colors by Michelle Madsen
Letters by Nate Piekos
Cover Art by Phil Noto
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: April 11, 2012
Cover Price: $18.99

Dollhouse, Vol. 1: Epitaphs is the trade paperback that collects the first five volumes of the post-apocalyptic follow up to Joss Whedon’s short-lived Fox series.

For the unfamiliar, Dollhouse was about the secretive Rossum Corporation, who serviced a high-class clientele by providing them with male and female escorts who would be anybody (and do anything) they’d want. To achieve this, they leveraged a technology allowing them to wipe the minds of their escort “actives” and imprint custom personalities to suit the client. After each mission, the actives would get back a docile blank personality and have no memory of their escort mission [...]

This week, The Drill Down team takes a look at April Fools’ Day on the web, Apple’s upcoming revolutionary TV vs. existing console-based options, and further bad times for Yahoo, as Facebook strikes back, but first, this week’s hot tech headlines.

Instagram comes to Android, details on Sony‘s next-generation Playstation, Ashton Kutcher to play Steve Jobs, Apple addresses worker violations at Foxconn, an iPhone stalker app raises privacy concerns on Facebook, Amazon wins sales tax fight in Colorado, Google to sell tablets online, Google tests augmented reality goggles, and OMGPop‘s CEO gets catty [...]

Join The Drill Down crew as we look at April Fools’ day on the web, the next Playstation, a creepy stalking app, Yahoo’s massive layoffs, Facebook’s patent lawsuit revenge, Google’s amazing augmented-reality goggles, and more!

Join us LIVE Tonight at 10PM EST/7PM PST here!

This week, The Drill Down team (including occasional co-host TechMeme editor Lidija Davis) talk about employers asking prospective new hires for their Facebook (and other social) passwords and Facebook’s reaction to that. Also, we look at the issues and reactions that have emerged in the two weeks since the launch of Apple’s new iPad.

But first, this week’s headlines… Apple to pay dividends, Kevin Rose to work for Google, Zynga buys OMGPOP, Facebook buys 750 patents from IBM, Nokia‘s Lumia 900 comes to AT&T, Obvtuse vs Svbtle, and Google shows you what you’ve been doing…on Google [...]