Drunk

Cheeky talking urinal cakes join drunk-driving battle

Michigan State Police have deputized a new sort of law enforcement officer in the fight against drunk driving. Talking urinal cakes are now in residence in bars and restaurants around the state.

The cakes have a motion-activated audio track where a lady tells the restroom user, "Hey! Listen up. That's right. I'm talking to you. Had a few drinks? Maybe a few too many. Then do yourself and everyone else a favor. Call a sober friend or a cab. Oh, and don't forget. Wash your hands."

"Not only do we want to turn some heads and get people talking, we hope everyone takes the message to heart," said Michael L. Prince, director of the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, in a statement about the project.… Read more

Spray gets you drunk instantly... but not for long

If you're in the United States and under 21 years of age, you really need to stop reading right now. In fact, I'm not sure I want anyone under 25 to know about this thing. Seriously, go look at some phone or video game reviews for a few minutes instead.

You're all still here aren't you?

Fine, then -- I tried. No, the headline doesn't lie. A French-American scientist named David Edwards has teamed up with French designer Philippe Starck -- who may or may not be behind some epic Apple product -- to create an aerosol spray that purports to make you "feel drunk" for a few seconds. … Read more

Drunk RIM execs on plane 'chewed through restraints'

Sometimes the pressure gets to us. Sometimes the world seems so much against us that we want to forget it.

And sometimes we just get so blind-drunk that we don't remember why we got so blind-drunk.

This may have been the case with two RIM employees (executives, according to a New York Times report) who recently boarded an Air Canada flight and got so drunk that they had to be handcuffed and restrained, and the flight--heading from Toronto to Beijing--had to be diverted to Vancouver to let them off.

George Campbell, 45, and Paul Alexander Wilson, 38, whose official … Read more

The 404 814: Where we're saying Cinco de 'Bye'-o (podcast)

It's Caroline McCarthy's final appearance on The 404 before she makes a move to the Googleplex where she'll be a member of the company's new Trends & Insights team. That also means she'll be splitting her time between Google projects and redirecting all of Google's 404 error pages to the show blog. But before she leaves, we're thanking her for all her help with The 404, introducing us to guests like Dennis Crowley of FourSquare, Dave Karp of Tumblr, Rex Sorgatz of 4Food, and many more. She's also credited for being the first to suggest recording our chats for a CNET Podcast, so we owe it all to her! Join us on today's show to see what kind of gifts she brings, as we share our best intoxication stories in the spirit of a hilarious Reddit picture.

The 404 Digest for Episode 814

Follow Caroline on her personal blog! Reddit, what is the drunkest photo ever taken of you? Still playing Game Boy!

Episode 814 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

The 404 787: Where play the show from the Amazon Cloud Drive (podcast)

Today we're talking about Amazon's new locker storage service in the cloud that could signal an Amazon-branded tablet PC in the near future, an iOS app that lets you quickly erase regretful Internet activity, and Sylvester Stallone's eponymous clothing line.

Episode 787 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

RIM says it will pull drunken-driving apps

Following yesterday's letter from four U.S. senators that asked Apple, Google, and Research In Motion to remove applications that could help drunken drivers evade police checkpoints and other law enforcement efforts, RIM has agreed to the request, saying such applications will soon be removed from its BlackBerry App World.

"RIM's decision to remove these apps from their online store proves that when it comes to drunk driving, there should not be an app for that," Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a statement this morning.

Schumer had been joined in the effort by … Read more

U.S. senators ask Apple to pull police-evasion apps

A group of U.S. senators is calling on Apple to remove applications that alert users to the presence of police and other law enforcement checkpoints that have been set up to combat drunk driving.

U.S. Senators Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), and Tom Udall (D-N.M.) are named as senders in the letter, which is addressed to Apple's senior vice president of iPhone software, Scott Forstall. No specific applications are named, but the letter highlights apps that "contain a database of DUI [driving under the influence] checkpoints updated in … Read more

How to prevent drunk Facebook postings

Hilda Legging is in a relationship with her very married, but luscious-lipped, CEO. Jonathan Footsore would like everyone to know that he just enjoyed breast reduction surgery. Harold Bragadoccio is currently rocking orange underwear from Victoria's Secret.

With all the opportunity that Facebook offers us for sharing our most tightly-held intimacies, sometimes we regret offering up what should have never seen the light of a laptop.

Yet, as Google CEO Eric Schmidt is so keen to remind us, once it's out there, it's out there for the rest of your days. Hey, you might even get special … Read more

Police to put drunk drivers' names on Twitter

Ever since someone tried to sell me on the curious notion that Houston was the Manhattan of Texas, I have become fascinated with the place.

So I am blissfully excited that PCWorld has caused my blood to turn my arteries into a NASCAR track with the revelation that police in the Houston-area county of Montgomery have decided to shame drunk drivers in a very modern way.

Yes, if you are caught driving while the special eggnog concoctions are making your nerve endings feel like Christmas lights, you will have your name on an especially festive Twitter page.

This seasonal offer … Read more

Toyota testing drunk-driver lockdown device

In a move sure to make the members of MADD happy (see what I did there?), Toyota has announced that it's testing a mouthpiece-free breathalyzer to keep those with high alcohol levels off the road.

Similar to Volvo's drunk-driving tool, drivers blow into the handheld device, which analyzes their breath without them having to put the product in their mouths.

A mounted digital camera records which face goes with which reading so an inebriated driver can't try to push a false reading from a volunteer's less-boozy breath.

If the level is too high (no word yet … Read more