R.I.P. Grooveshark. Long live Streamsquid!

All of a sudden on the last day of April, 2015, Grooveshark shut down. Apparently it had to do with a very expensive fine.

Although I don't approve of piracy, I thought Grooveshark had survived this long because it was legit. and it hurt me a lot to see my favourite music streaming service go offline, especially without prior warning. What about all of my playlists! The love and effort I'd put into them for years!

Oh well, there was nothing to be done, so I just accepted I'd have to listen to my local MP3 collection for a change instead...

That is, until Streamsquid came along!

FREEBIES: Worlds of Ultima

GOG.com is giving you the opportunity to be the happy owner of the Worlds of Ultima games: Savage Empire and Martian Dreams.

Just head on over to gog.com and claim your freebies!

In Your Arms - Kina Grannis

Fan of stop motion?

Ever tried to create a stop motion video yourself?

If you have, then you'll appreciate the immense labour of love that this music video is.

22 months.
1,357 hours.
30 people.
2 ladders.
1 camera.
288,000 jelly beans.

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Playlist Central - Free music streaming for South Africa on cellphone or PC

[ UPDATE 2011-11-07: 
Under the "more" button at the top you can generate a random playlist from 5 to 50 songs from 'any' genre and year. There is also support for cellphone streaming and ... interestingly ... uploading songs?


UPDATE 2011-12-05:
I noticed a few weeks ago that this site was no longer accessible and now when you go there it says "account suspended" so I guess it's back to the old drawing board, or www.grooveshark.com for your music fix :)


END OF UPDATE ]



When I was in the U.S.A. I was overwhelmingly convinced that Pandora music service would be the next big thing to hit the world of internet music streaming. When I returned to South Africa I was heartbroken to discover that it's limited to U.S.A. and I would never be able to partake of the juicy goodness that lies in Pandora outside of the States.

Almost two years later, a poor substitute has surfaced in South Africa called Playlist Central which boasts (at time of post) more than 76GB of 64Kbps MP3 music (that adds up to more than 1200 artists, 2900 albums, almost forty thousand songs, or in other language - one thousand two hundred hours [forty nine days of non-stop music]) that is free-to-play online.

Some may argue that forty thousand free-to-play songs online for South Africans isn't a poor substitute but clearly those 'some' haven't tried out Pandora! Since this post isn't about Pandora I won't do a comparison and will focus more on Playlist Central and what it offers in a South African context.

Playlist Central is currently in a beta offering but from what I've tried in the afore-mentioned context of available South Africa services it's fantastic. Sporting a range of artists from A-Z including the likes of Abba, Seether, Breaking Benjamin, Adele, and Sepultura there's sure to be something for everyone.

FREE PC game: Portal

Portal is FREE for two days on Steam. If you don't already own this great title, grab it now while it's absolutely free!

This special runs until 20 September whereupon it reverts back to the regular retail price of $19.99.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/400/

FREE PC Game: Dragonsphere

Grab MicroProse's epic fantasy point-and-click adventure game for FREE from Good Old Games!

Check it out here: http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/dragonsphere

Free Microsoft Points

It's a bit of a stretch but if you want to earn free Microsoft Points and you intend to be on your Xbox 360 for a while (and perhaps they'll carry over to the next generation console when it comes out) then just sign up for Xbox LIVE Rewards!

Fill in a quick survey (and it really is quick - I clicked my answer and clicked submit and earned my points) every month and get something back.

Sure, it isn't much, but if you did this for one year you'd at least have earned yourself 240MSP for virtually nothing :)

http://rewards.xbox.com/my-rewards/survey

FREE PC Game: Ultima IV Quest of the Avatar

Good Old Games is giving Ultima 4: Quest of the Avatar away for free.

I don't really know how they can do that except that it appears they have purchased the rights to a bunch of legacy games and can do what they want any way that they want.

Anyway, all that aside, it's a great game and if you want a trip down memory lane then go and grab it for FREE now!

Alternatively, buy Ultima 4, 5, and 6 for under $6 here: http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/ultima_4_5_6

Free Xbox 360 DLC: Red Dead Redemption

My buddy just reminded me of the soon-to-be-released free DLC for Read Dead Redemption, entitled Myths and Mavericks. It comes out on 13 September 2011 and is absolutely free. Time to dig up my copy of RDR and start playing some multiplayer again!

Thanks, Oltman!

More importantly, THANKS Rockstar!

http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/18701/release-date-details-on-the-free-red-dead-redemption-myths-and-m.html

Last Night was FRIDAY!!

Have to admit that I appreciated this video. Lots of cameo's, one-liners, and Katy Perry starring alongside Rebecca Black (who, incidentally, is "a nice girl"). Good effort Katy Perry ;)

She's even created her very own alter-ego, Kathy Beth Terry with a Twitter and Facebook account - very inventive!

The Humble Indie Bundle #3

If you're in the market for some refreshing games and want to support indie developers, charity, or get some freebies then look no further than The Humble Indie Bundle #3 for the next two weeks.

The Humble Indie Bundle is currently on sale for any price you want to pay and you can even determine how the contributions you make get distributed between developers and charities.

I can't comment on the quality of the games but the principle excites me so why not check them out? Thanks to Oltman for pointing out this deal!

The basic features are as follows:

• Cross-platform (LINUX, Mac OS X, Windows)
• Pay what you want
• Support charity
• DRM free (install as many times as you like AND redeem them on Steam and Desura)

A video of the bundle is located here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4c6PWtE9mI&feature=player_embedded

Angry Birds: The Movie (Trailer)

FREE: Necrovision - The Lost Company (game)

Oltman has alerted me to a free game on promotion TODAY: Necrovision - The Lost Company.

If you want to grab it, go over to Green Man Gaming, sign in or register, and claim the game using the promo code listed below.

http://www.greenmangaming.com/games/action/necrovision-lost-company/

GMGY1-PROMO-TREAT

DSTV Drifta channels increased

A quick update from News24 has alerted me to the fact that DStv Mobile is increasing its channel offering for DStv Mobile subscribers; now you get CNNi, E! Entertainment, and Sony Max added to the mix.

This brings the total channel offering as of 1 April 2011 to:

• eNews
• CNNi
• Channel O
• E! Entertainment
• Sony Max
• Africa Magic
• Cartoon Network
• Trace Urban
• SuperSport 1
• SuperSport 2
• SuperSport 3
• SuperSport Blitz

This is becoming a sweeter deal by the month :)

Cost-wise, expect to pay R36 a month unless you want to receive it on a DVB-H phone (bypassing the need for the Drifta receiver) for an extra R9 a week on top of the R36 a month. It's FREE if you have DSTV Premium, and it's also free until 31 March 2012 if you have DSTV Compact and signed up before 1 April 2011.

Read my thoughts on the Drifta here.

DSTV Drifta

"... If you want rugby, then the Drifta will cost you the same price for a year as the DSTV bouquet will cost for a month. Think about that!"

UPDATE June 2012: I've added a dedicated DStv Drifta page for future DStv Drifta information. Find it here or click up top.

[ UPDATE April 2011: J-J.co.za has set up an unofficial yet very comprehensive Drifta FAQ here. Highly recommended! ]

[ UPDATE 31 March 2011: THREE new channels announced for DSTV Drifta! Read about it here. ]

[ UPDATE: the cost per month as at March 2011 is R40pm INCLUDING the insurance if you don't piggy-back an existing DSTV subscription ]

By now most of us living in South Africa have heard of the DSTV mobile solution called the Drifta. It's touted to be a DStv Mobile Decoder and all it really is is a tiny DVB-H receiver. At first I thought it was a cheap gimmick: a tiny device with a tiny screen, but when I learnt that it actually doesn't have a screen at all and instead connects to your iOS devices or your PC / laptop, it caught my attention.

I've since read a few local reviews and snatched one up for a birthday present because on the surface it sounds like it can do the job I'm looking for. If you're interested in finding out whether it really is worth it, read on!

DSTV XtraView settings

Setting up XtraView can be quite simple provided you know the configuration options.

Multichoice (AKA "monochoice") used to have a nice PDF with instructions but I can't find them any more - it's like they've been taken off the website. Instead, there's a quick reference guide which - once you've learnt how to read it - seems quite simple to follow. Attached here for your convenience because it's a bit of a mission to actually find it on the DSTV website!

(as an aside, what's with the "xtraview" without the "e"? That's just silly... and so difficult to filter)


Gleaned from http://care.dstv.com/main.aspx?ID=1747&SOR=0115555G

Settings

Decoder Combination	Primary DSD	Single View	HD	Single View	HD		HD
	Secondary DSD	Single View	Single View	HD	HD		HD
Primary Decoder	Comm Port	RF In	RF In	RF In	RF In		RF In
	Remote mode	TV 1	TV 1	TV 1	TV 1		TV 1
	Relay Remote Command	TV 2	ON	TV 2	On		On
	Accept Relayed Command	Off	On	Off	On		On
Secondary Decoder	Comm Port	RF Out	RF Out	RF Out	RF Out		RF Out
	Remote mode	TV 2	TV 2	TV 2	· Using SD Remote	· Using HD Remote	TV 2
	Relay Remote Command	Off	Off	On	Off		Off
	Accept Relayed Command	TV 2	TV 2	Off	On		Off

Free Steam Games List

A buddy of mine reminded me of this site, and he wants to share the love, so I'm sharing the love on my blog :)

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=851573

At the time of writing (and as Oltman points out, last updated 2011/01/23) the list included, amongst others:

For all Steam users:
Alien Swarm: install - storefront
America's Army 3: install - storefront
BattleForge [1][4][7]: install
Between [1][4]: install - storefront
Codename Gordon: install
COIL [1]: install - storefront
Mightier [1]: install - storefront
Moonbase Alpha: install - storefront
Peggle Extreme: install - storefront
Sam & Max: Episode 4: install - storefront
Spacewar: install
TrackMania Nations Forever [2]: install - storefront

Free Thunderstone promo pack!

If you're at all interested in CCG (AKA "deck-building") then this may interest you: AEG is giving away 4,000 promo packs of their best-selling Thunderstone Card game!

I won't bore you with the details, because it's free and worth a look :)

http://www.alderac.com/thunderstone/free-thunderstone-promo-pack/ to sign up and snag your own FREE deck!

4 Player Co-Op Game for FREE

There are several universal truths: 

1. Multiplayer games are awesome
2. Co-op multiplayer games are even better
3. FOUR player co-op makes it even better still
4. Everyone loves freebies

Thanks to my buddy, Oltman (you cracked a mention! Woohoo!), many of us are now made aware of a new 4-player co-op game available for FREE on STEAM, entitled Alien Swarm, which for some may sound familiar! 

If you want to grab it for FREE (even if you won't ever play it, grab it anyway, since it locks into your STEAM account for, like, FOREVER)... then head over to here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/630/

Enjoy!