Offtopic: The first of many "techie" freebies has arrived. More techie stuff may be coming soon. :P
Javascript Beautifier
Convert this mess
/* paste in your own code and press Beautify button */var latest_changes=new Object({'2007-10-17':'Many, many fixes and improvements. Processing speed is also back.','... who cares ...','2007-02-08':'Initial release'});var a=b?(c%d):e[f];
into pretty code
/* paste in your own code and press Beautify button */ var latest_changes = new Object({ '2007-10-17': 'Many, many fixes and improvements. Processing speed is also back.', '... who cares ...', '2007-02-08': 'Initial release' }); var a = b ? (c % d) : e[f];
with the online beautifier for javascript. Yea, it's kinda like pretty printer for javascript. But it's useful to have around if you lost your uncompressed javascript files or just to snoop around compacted scripts made by others, which coincidentally, is why this was actually created. The javascript beautifier is another one of those tools that I can't seem to find when I need it. Bookmarked. :)
RCRD LBL
Feel free to steal all the music you see at RCRD LBL. Tracks at RCRD LBL are free for personal use and you can always download an MP3 version of every track that is released. An account is not required to download music, but it allows you to keep track of your favorite bands. Just in case you're wondering, yes, they've removed all the vowels from the words "record label". :)
Nothing to see here, move along. Oh, can't get enough, can ya? A CD in my mail might do wonders. :P
If you're wondering why you haven't heard of Lamont before, it could be because 1) they're a Swedish band (performing in English) or 2) this is their debut or 3) you don't keep your ears open :P. Here's their Golden Daze music video, just in case you can't decide if you should dedicate some bandwidth to them. (It's worth noting viddler had to add more servers just for this video.)
My experience with the download can be summed up in one word - speedy. Within seconds of starting the torrent, I had already crossed the 100 kilobytes barrier. Can't say much about the album since I'm still not done yet (a few minutes more), but the 10 files look like they're 320kbps MP3s (from their size).
Programmers/web developers/code junkies normally collect a bunch of coding tricks/tips over the years. But keeping them organized is quite a challenge (not to mention troublesome). This is where Posteet steps in and hands you control over your code.
Other than storing your code, Posteet allows you to tag and share it with others, if you wish. And if you're worried about code that looks like a half-done novel, snippets on Posteet come with syntax-highlighting whenever supported. With such a wide variety of code up on Posteet, I wonder if I can find LOLCODE there. :)
Yeah, what can I say? Freebies are scarce on Sundays. :P
The Inevitable Rise And Liberation of Niggytardust by Saul Williams for free? Kewl!
Yes, it's true. You can get Saul Williams's Niggytardust produced by Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails for $0. Or if you wish for a low fixed price of $5.
If you're opting to listen to the album for free (like me), select
Enter your email twice.
After submitting your email, you should see this screen.
Check your email account and look for a confirmation email. It should show something like
Saul Williams Order Confirmation
Thank you for your interest in Saul Williams.
Order number: Your order number here Order date: 10/30/2007 Your email address: Your email here
Order total: $0.(US)
You will receive another email on November 1 that includes the link to download your files.
Wait till Nov 1 for your download email.
Profit!
What's in your Niggytardust download?
If you choose to pay for the record, your download will be available in the following formats:
* 192Kbps MP3 * 320Kbps MP3 * FLAC lossless audio
If you choose not to pay for the record, you will receive it in 192Kbps MP3 format.
All versions include a PDF with artwork and lyrics
All files are 100% DRM free, and can be played on any device. MP3s are encoded with LAME v3.97 and love.
So freeloaders like me will be getting 192kbps MP3s, artwork and lyrics. Not too bad a deal. :)
Niggytardust Track Listing
1. Black History Month 2. Convict Colony 3. Tr(n)igger 4. Sunday Bloody Sunday 5. Break 6. NiggyTardust 7. DNA 8. WTF! 9. Scared Money 10. Raw 11. Skin of a Drum 12. No One Ever Does 13. Banged and Blown Through 14. Raised to be Lowered 15. The Ritual
Written and performed by Saul Williams with Trent Reznor, CX Kidtronik, Thavius Beck and more.
Produced by Trent Reznor Mixed By Alan Moulder Mastered by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner Engineering / programming: Atticus Ross
Citizen Soldier was recorded by 3 Doors Down as a tribute to the National Guard. Well, at least that's what the description at the official National Guard site says. That's all I know about this song at this point, other than the fact that it's free to download. :)
The site mentions that you need to register to download the song and it's limited to the first 50,000 people... (and they really like to emphasize that the song is free by stating it's free twice in a row)
Sign up for FREE Song download
Complete the form below to get a free free download of 3 Doors Down - Citizen Soldier.
MP3 download is limited to the first 50,000 people
However, I don't think either of those claims is true. ;) You can definitely download Citizen Soldier without registering and you can also download the video! Ha! I sure caught them off guard. :)
My bad folks. You do need to register with the National Guard at this link to download the song. No real details needed though. Just enter anything! (I personally tested this again.) But registration is NOT needed for downloading the video! My apologies go out to everyone who were clicking their fingers off on the song download link below and coming up with a big blank screen. :)
If you need an FLV video player (to play the flv file you just downloaded), you can download FLV Player or try converting the video into other formats with Zamzar (just paste the above video URL into Step 1).
Edit: I know most people are probably not gonna download the video so I've decided to embed the YouTube video. But if you're a fan, trust me the big video download above is worth the wait.
Citizen Soldier Lyrics (transcribed by me)
Beyond the boundaries of your city's lights, stand the heroes waiting for your cries. So many times you did not bring this on yourself, when that moment finally comes, I'll be there to help.
On that day when you need your brothers and sisters to care, I'll be right here. Citizen soldiers holding the (light for OR lives of) the ones that we guide from the dark of despair. Standing on guard for the ones that we sheltered, we'll always be ready because we will always be there.
When there are people crying in the streets, when they're starving for a meal to eat, when they simply need a place to make their beds, right here underneath my wing, you can rest your head.
On that day when you need your brothers and sisters to care, I'll be right here! Citizen soldiers holding the (light for OR lives of) the ones that we guide from the dark of despair. Standing on guard for the ones that we sheltered, we'll always be ready because we will always be there...
there... there... there...
Hope and pray that you'll never need me, but rest assured I will not let you down. I'll walk beside you but you may not see me, the strongest among you may not wear a crown.
On that day when you need your brothers and sisters to care, I'll be right here! On that day when you don't have the strength for the burden you bear, I'll be right here! Citizen soldiers holding the (light for OR lives of) the ones that we guide from the dark of despair. (Citizen soldiers) Standing on guard for the ones that we sheltered, we'll always be ready because we will always be there.
Edit: Thanks to Ari (in comments) for the fix to "guide from the dark of despair" from "died from the dark of despair"! The only explanation I can offer is that my ears are quite deaf. :)
Edit: Another fix courtesy of pvt hallmark (in comments) and Louise (via email) - from "holding the lives of the ones that we guide" to "holding the light for the ones that we guide". I ought to get my ears checked. ;)
Edit: Some say light, others say lives. Oh well, you get the idea. ;) Both are up till Brad steps in to correct me. :P
If you see anything wrong with the lyrics (I'm not too good at listening to what people are singing about :P ), please tell me about it below. :)
A Calorie Counter is a simple to use online calorie search engine. Type in your favorite snack and out pops a detailed list on its nutritional facts. It does this by mining the USDA food nutrition database so it should be fairly accurate. A simple tip: Try to be specific. I tried searching for bread and 11 pages worth of results were returned! At least you know it's very extensive. :)
Sidereel is unlike many other watch-free-movies-online sites. Sure it doesn't host any of the shows on its site, but the one thing that makes Sidereel stand out from the rest is user-generated content. Yes, you heard that right. You could go up to Sidereel and add a new page to its database. Or if you know where to watch the latest episode of Heroes online, feel free to add it in. With the rise of user-generated sites like Wikipedia, Sidereel looks like it could be going places.
Yugma
Yugma allows you to share your desktop with others. But why stop there? Yugma also provides a whiteboard, teleconferencing (via Skype if you wish), chatting and more! It's like the ultimate free online collaboration/presentation tool. The free service has some limits like 10 simultaneous users and also lacks some premium features but it's already better than what you can find elsewhere. Plus you get to try the premium features for 15 days when you signup for free. Yugma is also multi-platform which is a bonus. Watch their demo to find out more.
Are today's freebies good? Provide feedback via comments! :)
After yesterday's disastrous free stuff post where I promised to keep it short and failed miserably, I return today refreshed and willing to give short posts another try. :) On another note, regular readers of my feed may have noticed I turned on summary feeds yesterday in an attempt to prevent others from simply regurgitating content from my feed on their sites. I'm not sure if there's any way around this at the moment. Anyway enough about that, and let's get on to the free stuff. :)
Free networking Ebook The authors have decided to give The Wireless Networking Starter Kit 2 away for free because it didn't garner enough sales to warrant an update. This doesn't necessarily mean it's bad (they claim to have gotten great reviews for it), though it's quite outdated since it's from 2004. As they admit, coverage on WPA/WPA2 is limited and the successor to 802.11g, 802.11n, isn't talked about in the book. Unless you're a network professional (in which case you should be buying your books), this shouldn't matter that much. At worst you could show it off to your grandkids to explain how things were done in the past. :)
Free rescue LiveCD SystemRescueCd is a bootable Linux-based CD that allows you to rescue your system from hell. Equipped with many useful utilities such as GParted, NTFS read/write support via Ntfs3g, Clam-AntiVirus, network tools and more, SystemRescueCd can revive not just Linux systems but also computers running Windows. Of course some idea of what you want to do before popping in the CD is recommended, although SystemRescueCd does pack a lot of graphical programs. If you're looking for a free rescue LiveCD (bootable CD), SystemRescueCd may be the one for you.
5 sites to Watch Free Movies Online I wrote about watching free TV/movies online at Testcard.tv a few posts ago. Now I shall return with even more sites (5 in fact) to watch movies online for free.
The Open Video Project aims to store digital video for researchers to use. Browsing around, I found mostly documentaries, lectures and science related videos. Videos are available for download only; I didn't see any videos embedded at the site. If you're into science, astronomy and all that, this site is for you.
Go4Ent, Vdo 4 Free, Movies on Demand and Red Curtain Movies all allow you to watch free movies online. Like many other sites, they do not host the videos and simply collect the videos that are posted on video hosting sites. This means links can go down at anytime and what you can watch depends on what's uploaded at the video hosting sites. In addition, you should be aware that these 4 sites walk along the gray areas of the law. That being said, Vdo 4 Free deserves a special mention for having a large collection that includes TV shows, anime and more.
Well, not exactly. Radiohead is offering their newest album, In Rainbows, at any price you desire. Free's the lowest price, although I'm sure they'd appreciate some green for their music.
What to do?
Head over to InRainbows.com, add the In Rainbows download to your basket and checkout (view the basket to do so).
You'll see an option to enter a price and it's up to you. No really, it's up to you. :)
After you have cracked your head trying to decide on a price, wait a bit at the processing screen.
You'll be presented with a screen to register (free) with the site if you're a new user or login if you've already signed up before.
Click through some confirmation screens and you'll hit the order confirmation page, as you can see below.
Wait till Oct 10 for the email to get your download. Your email should be waiting for you in your inbox. :) If you run into problems, I've compiled some tips to help you get In Rainbows.
Profit!
What's in the In Rainbows download and what isn't:
THIS CONSISTS OF THE NEW ALBUM, IN RAINBOWS.
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE EXTRA MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THE DISCBOX.
YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE FILE DIGITALLY FROM THE 10th OCTOBER 2007.
YOUR PURCHASE MAY BE SUBJECT TO A TRANSACTION FEE. THIS WILL BE SHOWN AT THE CHECKOUT.
In Rainbows Download Track Listing:
15 STEP BODYSNATCHERS NUDE WEIRD FISHES/ARPEGGI ALL I NEED FAUST ARP RECKONER HOUSE OF CARDS JIGSAW FALLING INTO PLACE VIDEOTAPE
Edit: Some people are wondering how the confirmation email looks like and why they haven't received any email with the code/link to download the album. Well if I'm correct, you should have received an email with your order number stating that
You will receive a further e-mail shortly before the 10th October detailing your username and activation code. The e-mail will also provide the link to the download area.
If you didn't understand that, the email with the download link will arrive some time before Oct 10, but it hasn't been sent yet. So just keep an eye on your inbox and wait...
Just heard this cover of Kiss Me by New Found Glory and I think that Sixpence None The Richer did the better job. It's easy to tell that Kiss Me is a romantic song. New Found Glory killed the romance of the song with their heavy rock influence. They'd probably be better off with Punch Me or Hit Me. Leave the lovey-dovey songs to Sixpence None The Richer.
Speaking of which, There She Goes is a great cover by Sixpence None The Richer. It's one of the few covers that is able to outclass the original song.
Amazon announces a new competitor to iTunes, Amazon MP3.
The Good
Digital Rights Management (DRM) free - no restrictions imposed. Use on any MP3 player, not just iPods.
A la carte - buy any songs you want, instead of entire albums.
$0.89 - $0.99 for songs
Top 100 best-selling songs are $0.89, unless stated otherwise
Albums from $5.99 to $9.99
Top 100 best-selling albums are $8.99 or lower, unless stated otherwise
High quality - 256kbps
Download individual songs using one-click button
The Bad
Only 2 million songs
Amazon MP3 Downloader software required for album downloads.
Amazon MP3 Downloader runs only on Windows XP/Vista, Mac OSX 10.4 or higher. Linux version in the works.
In beta - may contain some bugs.
Thoughts
Plenty of people have been claiming that they would be scrambling to lighten their wallets if there was a reasonable offering of DRM free, high quality tracks. While not as cheap as AllofMp3Mp3Sparks or other similar mp3 stores (which may be illegal in some countries), Amazon MP3 beta is definitely legit.
Amazon MP3 also has the added advantage of its existing customer base who already know how to use the Amazon website. By making the process of downloading singles similar to its other products, Amazon may have a winner on its hands already won half the battle (I really should pay attention to what I'm typing :) ). It would be interesting to see if Amazon MP3 can edge out the iTunes store in time to come (which would help to dispel the myth that DRM free tracks are impossible/impractical to sell).
Here's another single by Hinder, released after Better Than Me and the highly popular Lips Of An Angel. I like this track, particularly the guitar intro, which is repeated in the chorus. However this has prompted some critics to speculate that this may have been "heavily inspired" by Guns N Roses's Sweet Child Of Mine. It doesn't really matter to me, although I sincerely don't find them to be too similar (slightly similar sounding perhaps). I hope that this won't hinder you from listening to this great song.
This was performed by Julienne Irwin, the 14 year old country singer, who came in fourth on the show. Many people were hoping that she would win.
*Update* - Here's a video that some of you want to watch again, Julienne Irwin and Taylor Swift on America's Got Talent End Finale performing Teardrops On My Guitar.
Beautiful Girls - Sean Kingston
Butterscotch sang this one which got her third place. This single by Sean Kingston is currently very popular on the music charts.
*Update* - Here's a video that some of you want to watch again, Butterscotch & Sean Kingston on America's Got Talent End Finale performing Beautiful Girls.
Red Red Wine - UB40
An old favorite of many, Cas Haley sang his way to second place with Red Red Wine. Although many first heard this song coming from UB40, it was originally produced by Neil Diamond.
*Update* - Here's a video that some of you want to watch again, Cas Haley and UB40 on America's Got Talent Finale Show 8/21/07 performing Red Red Wine.
You've Got a Friend - Carole King
And last but not least, You've Got a Friend netted Terry Fator (Terry Fader) the big win on the show.
*Update* - Here's the video that many of you want to watch again, Terry Fator (Terry Fader) With Kermit on America's Got Talent End Finale performing You've Got a Friend.
*Update* - Here's the video of the win plus Terry Fator's (Terry Fader) encore performance of Roy Orbison's Crying.
Note that in the third and fourth place, the songs performed were very recent. However the top two did songs that were "oldies". Is it because the judges preferred and had greater familiarity with songs of the past or am I just too observant (joking)?
*Update* To download the whole show from rapidshare, visit Xplict91's YouTube page and click on any America's Got Talent video. The rapidshare links are listed when you expand the description of the video.
Before you listen to Body Language, let me first warn you. In this single, Heidi Montag seems to have more than a passing similarity to Paris Hilton's voice. If you don't know what that means, then may god have mercy on you. :) Supposedly the single samples quite a number of songs according to Wikipedia, which makes the end result even worse in my opinion. The single was "leaked" just a few days ago on radio, although I'm not too sure why anyone would want to do that. I have a feeling it may be due to the image below.
This song is becoming quite popular on the radio ('ve heard it for the second time today) and makes for a nice Sunday song. An attractive young lady singing a catchy pop/dance song is a good recipe for success ("sex sells" as they say), even if it may lead to unwanted attention. She definitely caught my attention and now the song is stuck in my head. Am I dreaming...
I just heard this song and I think it may become quite popular, (I mean I took note of it after just listening to it a few times) even though I've never heard of the band. It's weird that the song was released in 2005 on their first album and I don't know of it (guess I should keep my ears open for great new stuff). It's on their second album as well so I guess it must have been semi-popular at least. If you'd like to know more, the links above may satisfy you. Anyway, take a listen, and by the way, that is not my imeem site. :)
Here's another great song for you. I think I've never heard of the singer but the one on the guitars is none other than Carlos Santana. Not too sure about what the song is about either, but all I know is it sounds fantastic esp. the guitars. Santana seems to do collaborations every year or so. I remember him doing one with Michelle Branch and the Wreckers and another with Michelle Branch alone. Anyway enough of that, just check out the song.
Here's a song that I've been listening to recently. It's by a one-man band called Secondhand Serenade. When I first heard it, I did a double take cause this guy really sounds like the lead singer from Simple Plan. It turns out I'm not the only one who thinks so. If you want to know more about him, here's the link at Wikipedia: Secondhand Serenade.
Feel free to steal all the music you see at RCRD LBL. Tracks at RCRD LBL are free for personal use and you can always download an MP3 version of every track that is released. An account is not required to download music, but it allows you to keep track of your favorite bands. Just in case you're wondering, yes, they've removed all the vowels from the words "record label". :)
