Reviews

Twingly – visualize blogging activity worldwide

Are you an avid blogger? Do you take fancy with the idea of seeing all those people blogging at the same time as you are? If you answered, "yes," to both questions, then Twingly is the perfect screensaver for you. The program is still in its beta stages but it works great in providing users with a visual idea of the entire blogosphere. It gives users and bloggers, a chance to see exactly how many people are blogging at the same time all across the world. It is definitely a nifty and fascinating tool to have right in front of your computer screen.

Grid Wars – great Geometry Wars clone for free

Never thought that a programmer's art could be appealing? Then let Grid Wars prove you wrong. Grid Wars is a free game that's based on the minigame Geometry Wars. Despite its simple aim and shoot gameplay, it is one of the most entertaining shooting games around. With simple gameplay, colorful graphics and straightforward controls, the game is a definite winner. It has been tagged as one of the "most fun shooting games" around and pretty much you'll understand why once you start playing it.

“Small Penis” – a short film by Stian Hafstad

A graduation film by a group of students led by writer Stian Hafstad, “Small Penis” briefly chronicles the story of Daniel who has huge insecurities about the size of his penis. Produced with a budget of US$400-500 and filmed in only five days in Bergen, Norway, this amusing short film is very well written, shot and composed of surprisingly good, convincing actors. For a film title, “Small Penis” gives a lot, despite its size. Different folks will have different reactions, naturally. Some will be quickly amused, others displeased, and others, stoked.

The Rest – Atlantis, Oh Our Saviour

Dreamy Canadian youngsters that strike a chord in the world of indie rock. To say that indie rock has never sounded so good, is an understatement with The Rest. Atlantis, Oh Our Saviour is a great compilation of 11 fresh tracks that resonate with twangy guitars, intermittent piano, sometimes painful screaming and sometimes sweet vocals. The Rest certainly showcases one of the best albums in the indie world. Their follow up album Everyone All at Once is out now. But if you want to get to know the band a bit better, start with this album first.

Schilli-San – Smooth Situations

It's Saturday night, and you're feeling a bit too adult to go out clubbing until dawn, but way too young to stay at home and do nothing. Smooth Situations is the perfect kind of music for a weekend full of adventures and secrets - it has a laid-back groove that invites you into its mystery, without giving too much away. This is great news for people who like dance music, without necessarily wanting to dance all the time.

Nexuiz – free first person shooter game

Another 3D death match game that you can enjoy. Dying to shoot some alien scum or simply pass off a lazy Saturday afternoon? Give Nexuiz a try. It's an open source 3D deathmatch game created by Alientrap. Development for the game started back in 2002 and until now it's still gaining a lot of favorable responses from gamers. Nexuiz can run on different kinds of platforms including Mac and Linux, aside from the traditional Windows. Players can choose from several different game modes from CTF, deathmatch, domination and of course, single player campaigns which will lead players to survive through 20 levels of chaos.

The Extended Play by Farmertan – a garage rock band bent in making their music heard

Maybe it's just me but it's hard to get over this band once you start listening to their songs. Farmertan is an indie rock band that composes tracks that makes itself so easily likable. If there's a special place for indie rock in your heart, it's hard not to find a place for this band somewhere in your heart. Farmertan hails from Connecticut and has been active in the band scene, touring and playing live since the 1990s. The Extended Play is one of the several EPs they've released since their inception.

Cherrycoke “Acoustique” – simple & timeless acoustic guitar album

Melancholic music with sweeping guitars that induce a melodic reverie. Apart from a Myspace site and a Jamendo page as well as the fact that he's from France, there is hardly any information on Cherrycoke and his music. Acoustique creates dreamy and melancholic bliss that engages every acoustic lover out there. Music like this can be described as transcending the language barrier. Its simplicity is actually its beauty and its appeal. By not having any complex guitar work and essentially just "sticking to the basics," Cherrycoke creates appealing music that works.

Panda 3D – free game engine rendering program

A full 3D open source game engine that you can toy around with. If you have been dying to try out your game rendering skill but don't want to spend tons of cash getting commercial software for it, then Panda 3D could help you in that department. Panda 3D is a free open source game engine that can help you with all your basic game rendering needs. The software was originally run and developed by Walt Disney VR Studio while additional developments were put in by Carnegie Mellon University for the open source version. Panda 3D works great in cutting back cost and fulfilling game projects at a relatively faster pace.