Tech Search

A better mighty eagle.

(Credit: Sesame Street)

We're back again with another episode of The 404 Podcast, and for once, Wilson is pissed. It seems the only thing he cares about these days is Angry Birds. Rovio Mobile, creator of the addictive game is introducing a new character into the fold that can be purchased to get players through some of the more difficult levels in the game.

The Mighty Eagle can be purchased in gameplay, but Wilson considers the all-powerful bird an unnecessary cheat that almost ruins the fun of accomplishing an otherwise difficult, but entertaining goal.

For those who play the game, the Mighty Eagle is basically a God-mode trick that lets you clear any one level instantly. Check out Rovio's Mighty Eagle video and judge for yourself.

Moving on to more serious(ly obvious) news, stop using FourSquare and Facebook Places to broadcast your extended absence from home! The recent scourge of location-based check-in services like Facebook, FourSquare, and Twitter are a burglar's dream come true, and that's exactly what a ring of three techy criminals used to rob 18+ homes in New Hampshire.

Fortunately for the homeowners, the criminals were even bigger idiots than the posters- they stole a large amount of fireworks from one of the homes, so police were advised to listen for loud noises around the neighborhood. Sure enough, the criminals couldn't resist lighting off a few explosions, and an off-duty officer pounced on the scene and apprehended the men. The moral of the story, if it weren't clear enough by now, is think before you post, dummy.

Are gamers better decision-makers?

(Credit: MSN UK)

So Chattanooga has the fastest Internet in the country now, but nobody really cares except Wilson, so we move onto the next story, a compelling question: Are action video gamers better decision makers?

Researchers at the University of Rochester claim that gamers (of first person shooters) possess extrasensitive "probabilistic inference" qualities that stem from long hours of wandering around deep level mazes and making mundane navigation decisions. So everyone can sleep soundly knowing that there are plenty of folks walking around with exception abilities to make decisions on their aggressive tendencies.

There's a few more stories in today's show rundown, not to mention a bromantic Calls From the Public and more thoughts on the New Jersey Transit quiet cars we brought to your attention yesterday. Great show today!

Originally posted at The 404 Podcast