Comedy, satire get laugh-appy

A new golden age of comedy is playing out online and via mobile applications for smartphones and tablet computers. There are apps that showcase the funniest satirists on Twitter, broadcast interviews with newcomers and comedy legends, and make classic publications like The Onion and Cracked come alive.

WitStream
(iPhone, iPod Touch; free)
Twitter's insistence that all posts be no more than 140 characters is a boon to the comedy industry. The best jokes and punch lines are short, snappy and topical. But it's not always easy to find your favorite comedian on Twitter. WitStream, managed in part by comedian Michael Ian Black, rightfully bills itself as "your 24-hour live comedy ticker." The app not only curates tweets from notable and up-and-coming comedians, but it is also a must-have app during live events like the Oscars or presidential debates. Sections in the app include "Spotlight," "The Black List" and "tweet The Press."

Earwolf
(iPhone, iPod Touch, Android; free)
Comics were early adopters of the podcasting medium. Podcasts are basically radio programs or snippets that explore what isn't always permissible on commercial broadcasts (or that would otherwise require seven-second delay buttons!). Comedians including Adam Carolla, "Clerks" director Kevin Smith and Jimmy Kimmel all have their own official iPhone apps that distribute their podcasts and other programming. If you're looking for an app that pulls together podcasts from tomorrow's stars, Earwolf is your best bet. Note to Android users, you must have Google's Listen app installed for everything to work properly.

The Onion
(iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad; free);
Onion News Network
(Android; free)
The mobile apps for The Onion combine the portability of the weekly paper with the multimedia videos and audiocasts of the website. Hilarious headlines and articles from The Onion that you may have missed in other formats are clearly presented within the apps, giving the reader every opportunity to chuckle and ask "how do they think of all this stuff?" The Onion also publishes a fun Magic Answer Ball iPhone app, which gives outrageous answers to any questions that you ask.

McSweeney's
(iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad; free)
For literary-oriented laughter, there's McSweeney's, based on the publication founded by author/ editor Dave Eggers. McSweeney's presents expertly written and whimsical short stories and videos.-- Appolicious.com,

TECH BYTES

Forgot your password?
Try Password1. A report by information security firm Trustwave says "Password1" is the most common password used by business employees because it satisfies many minimum requirements that passwords contain at least eight characters with one number and one capital letter. The report also found the most likely time to receive an email with a malicious attachment is between 8 and 9 a.m. as hackers target still-sleepy employees checking emails at the beginning of the day.

Tweet deals
American Express card users can get discounts from several retailers under a new partnership with Twitter. To get the savings, card holders send a tweet using a special-offer Twitter hashtag associated with the deal and the retailer. After they purchase the item using their Amex card, members get the savings credited to their account. About 20 retailers have signed on, including Best Buy, McDonald's, Whole Foods Market and Carle Place-based 1-800-Flowers.com.