20 Free Kindle Book Downloads

Is your New Year's Resolution to read more and Wii less? Have an Amazon Kindle or iPhone / iPod Touch? Well then here are 20 books you could be reading as soon as tonight:

1. Already Dead: A Novel by Charlie Huston
2. Beauty and the Beast by Marie Le Prince de Beaumont
3. Conspiracy in Kiev by Noel Hynd
4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
5. Midnight in Madrid by Noel Hynd
6. Mossy Creek by Deborah Smith, Sandra Chastain, Debra Dixon, and Virginia Ellis
7. Murder Takes The Cake by Gayle Trent
8. Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining by Beth Hensperger
9. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
10. Once Bitten by Kalayna Price
11. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
12. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Sir Doyle
13. The Art of War by Sunzi
14. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
15. The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith
16. The Prince by Niccol Machiavelli
17. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
18. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco
19. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
20. Vanish by Tom Pawlik

Check the prices before you 'buy' as sometimes a book is free for promotional purposes and reverts to a higher price after a time. Also, try searching for 'kindle freebie' as a tag at Amazon.

[via Kim's Shopping Blog]

Microscale Lego Star Destroyer (link roundup)

News from the internets:

Hulu has full episodes of MST3K.

Discovered via Google Reader
--
For all you know, sent via CamBot

as seen on the 22 inch TV

As people get bigger TVs for their living rooms, the old set quite frequently moves into the bedroom. What used to be a decent sized TV is now considered 'small' and relegated to one of the lesser watched rooms. I used to have a 13 inch TV as my main set, now a 22 Inch TV or better is considered a 'starter' set.

For the cheapest deals on 22 inch TVS in the UK and for finding great prices and reviews on all the top selling TVS you don't have to look all over any more, all the information you need is all in one location.

New Google SmartPhone

For those not on twitter:

@wired asks–

Psyched for the Google Nexus One smartphone? All signs point to a January 5, 2010 launch date.

http://bit.ly/85rSGL

What was the date of the Apple iSlate announcement again?

Upular

Have yet to watch UP, have had the Netflix DVD for almost a week now, guess we should watch it soon. In the meantime, enjoy what Artist Nick Bertke (aka Pogo) has created–a video using only clips from Pixar’s Up. The music is composed of chords, bass notes and vocal samples from the movie.



via thedisneyblog

way to shop

Yesterday we were in Union Square in San Francisco and as near as I could tell, only Macy's and Barney's had any holiday displays in their windows. Sack's Fifth Avenue had nothing of their ballet themed displays of years past. I think Neiman Marcus had a tree up but since we never shop there we didn't go any closer than glance at it from a cross the block.

Newspaper and radio report are saying that Americans are spending less money in actual shops but are spending more online, but that makes me wonder, no matter where you shop – Macy*s is still Macy*s, right? I figure if we are any indication, we are only getting busier and less interested in trying to fight the crowds and try to find a place to park. If the stores are all run by the corporate home office and are not a franchise business, it's just a question of the money going into the left pocket or the right.

I suppose it all comes down to the shopping experience and based on yesterday's trip, I can see why the online version is winning, at least for the big chains. The smaller stores where you still get a personal touch are for the most part still worth going into.

Little Houses

Not Martha provides the look and pattern for an ingenious set of miniature gingerbread houses scaled to delicately perch on the side of your favourite mug of cocoa.

I know, just what everyone needs, another crafty thing to do just before Christmas but take a look and tell me you are not going to try them either this year or soon:

Plans, links to cookie cutters that are similiar and a link to the real Martha Stewart recipe for Royal Icing all at Not Martha.

take it make it easy

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Club House. All opinions are 100% mine.

This year, don't let making the gravy become a stress point for your Christmas meal. Great sauces and gravy can make would have been just an ordinary meal into a feast to remember. Even the best chefs will tell you it can be a challenge to make them from scratch since so much depends on the quality and quantity of the drippings that you capture from the meat. With Club House Gravy mixes serving as your own personal saucier, you can have a dependable and consistent way to deliver the flavorful gravy your family will enjoy all with no stress or fuss!

The count down to the twenty-fourth is on and getting closer, so for some gravy tips videos that will keep you feeling confident get over to the Club House. Plus, while you are there,check out the newsletter sign-up and contest entry and you can be a winner rwice over.

Club House Gravy sounds like the easy way to prepare and deliver the great tasting gravy your family will love. When it is easy as using a Club House Gravy mix, adding your roast drippings and simmering, what's not to like?!

Diamond in the Rough

Martha Stewart has a how-to on making faux-coal boxes just the right size "to package earrings, a rolled-up tie, and other small gifts."

Get yourself to the craft store for hexagonal boxes, black masking tape and glitter, and in short order you will have a box that can be reused with pride for years. She's right when she says with these under the tree, landing on the Naughty List wouldn't be so terrible after all.

nurture your nature

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Safer® brand. All opinions are 100% mine.

Expert and trend-watchers are predicting 2010 will have more people moving away from unnecessary luxury and more toward health and wellness for two main reasons – as the economy shrinks people have less disposable income (or are hesitant to display that they still do) and as the effects of unchecked global climate change and pollution become more evident want to start taking better care of themselves and the planet (as the signs read in Copenhagen, "There is No Planet B".)

As people begin to raise more of their own food, having an Organic Garden is more important and luckily, becoming easier to do so thanks to Safer® brand products. In our front lawn area we have some weeds that insist on moving into the sidewalk area, I suppose in the past the previous owners probably used some toxic chemicals to fight back the invasion but now there are so many better and safer ways to handle the unwanted weeds and pests, important when there are kids and pets in the area as well as many beneficial bugs. There's an extensive library of information and loads of help and advice for new as well as experienced gardeners over at saferbrand.com so if you are raising food or just want flowers and green grass without all the toxic products of the past there's something to learn.

Want to learn even more? Check out and become a fan of Safer brand's facebook page, or follow them now that Safer brand is officially on twitter.

Love Your Scrollbar

There is no page fold. Kids, ask your parent's friend the newspaper publisher what this means. Better yet, ask your grandparents.

Holiday eMail

Check out the Jumsoft goodies page for free downloads for Keynote objects, iWeb, and Freeway and themes as well as a great set of holiday card mail templates designed as Apple Mail stationery.

Jumsoft sells a full collection of themes and objects, so check out the freebies and see if they don't have something you could use later in the year when it's time to head back to work.

If you forgot to mail real cards this year this may just have to do!

DRM Blocks Avatar Showing

Attendees at a 3D preview showing of Avatar (maybe you've heard about it?) in Germany yesterday were left in the dark when the movie’s DRM ‘protection’ system failed and the video could not be decoded.

The complex DRM system, which involves several certificates and server-delivered time-sensitive keys for hard drives and projectors, failed [...] after working for several hours cinema workers failed to decrypt 150 gigabytes of data, which resulted in at least one location reverting back to the 2D version.

[via TorrentFreak]

Wikipedia, Germans and Food

They holidays make me think of food and lately I have been thinking about Leberkäse.So, just for fun I looked up Leberkäse on Wikipedia and found this gem:

The name "Leberkäse" literally translates to "liver-cheese" even though in Bavaria the dish traditionally contains neither liver nor cheese. [...] According to German food laws, only products called "Bavarian Leberkäse" are allowed not to contain liver; otherwise, there must be a minimum liver content of 4%.

There is something to be said for German efficiency and they Food Purity Laws. Sometimes I think the US could learn a great deal from them, particularly when it comes to additives and preservatives.

--
Holiday Cheer to All

Another Perspective on a Free Andriod Phone

We've [at Gizmodo] all been a little breathless over the idea of The Google Phone, and that everything could change (some of us, anyway). But, wait, you say, Google can't just give away a phone like that. Well, they could.

Read more on the economics of giving things away when you are the market leader with a big bank account here.

Unlocked Phones

Like many I was happy to hear that google was rumoured to begin
selling unlocked Android phones until as it was pointed out, phones in
the US are cheap because they are subsidized by the carrier.

Without the subsidy, any smart phone worth owning would probably be
hundreds of dollars. Not that you don't pay for it one way or another,
but somehow it seems less painful the way it is now.

--
For all you know, sent via Elf & Unicorn

[flickr] Lego Bee & Fountain Pen

IMGP6723
Originally uploaded by d-higdon

Could this picture have anything more in it that I love? OK, it's missing a kitten, but that would ruin the scale, don't you think?

Also, a ProTip™: Avoid buying anything labeled a 'Honey Blend.' Looked at ingredients & it's mostly corn syrup!

Grey Goes Green

Just when I.D. Magazine announces they are shutting their doors after 55 years in print, I discovered their website and this cool story & look at the Greyhound bus company's new livery:

I.D. - Grey Is the 
New Green

Grey Is the 
New Green - Greyhound’s redesign comes just as long-distance bus travel is beginning to look more appealing again—for environmental as well as economic reasons.

Bonus: The new coaches offer wi-fi and power outlets, and five seats have been removed to increase legroom.

From the Web: 10 Crazy Christmas Ads

Just one of ten ads that probably made sense at the time but with the long look back simply baffle. See and read all of them over oddee and maybe you will have found yourself next year's Christmas card. Personally, I am rather keen on the one from MOJUD.

Nes Gadol Hayah Sham *

It's holiday time which means Jewish Star Wars fans from around the world are celebrating Hanukkah which includes playing the traditional game of dreidel.

Check out StarWars.com for a printable PDF of R2D2 in 'droidel formation:

via StarWars.com | Droidel, Droidel, Droidel

*"A Great Miracle Happened There."

bid for a cause

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Bidazzled. All opinions are 100% mine.

Right about now I bet you are thinking either I wish I had more time or more cash to buy gifts for the people you care about. Well, it may be too late for this auction site to help you this year but I am sure there are birthdays or other holidays coming up, alternatively, you can always pick up something for yourself ;).

Since early November, Bidazzled.com has been redefining the online auction market while offering you savings of up to 90% on name brand merchandise all while funding the Ruch Foundation: (www.ruchfoundation.com). You may have heard of these as a penny auction or Pay-Per-Bid where bids are purchased in advance to be used to bid on merchandise. The prices increase a few cents with each bid placed and a few seconds are added to the countdown clock to let others get a chance to bid. The auction ends when no other bids are placed. If that new laptop ends at just a dollar, then you won the laptop for a dollar!

Auction winners usually saved at least 80% off retail and nobody loses – if you don't win, you receive up to 50 Bonus Bids as a thank you for participating, and you can purchase the item less the investment you had in the auction. Plus, if you win, Bidazzled typically make an offer to buy the item back for either for cash.

Act quickly and get fifteen additional bids when you use this code until January 15th:

* Blog: BBP1202A
* Twitter: BTP1202A

Bids cost just $1 at Bidazzled and are available for purchase in bid packs as low as $25. You'll also receive bonus bids when you purchase a bid pack. Read the rules carefully, know what you are bidding on and good luck!

Meet the 2010 Pantone Color of the Year

Pantone announced its 2010 color of the year this week – a of turquoise they call PANTONE 15-5519.

Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.

 

via Google Reader & Art is Everywhere 

Emotion & Technology

I will say it right up front: I don't own a smartphone. In fact, my
previous phone was so old the salesman all but did a double-take. The
replacement - a venerable Motorola RAZR that ran me $20.

Even still, I find it rather sad when I see people with older phones
than I have.

Which why I found it amusing that I felt warm and fuzzy when I saw a
guy on the train with an arm-load of LPs.

--
For all you know, sent via Unicorn

I Need to Go Card Shopping

Ever since Sparks.com disappeared I have yet to find a really cool card shop that is a reliable source for awesome cards. While these are not all from the same location, here are a few winners for your Christmas needs.

Flavorwire » 10 Holiday Cards That We Love



Not shown: the letterpress version that simply reads: WTFWJD.

The Legend of the Cat at Christmas

An old legend tells of how a cat came with other wild animals to pay homage to the baby Jesus. Overcome by the glory of the Lord, a trembling sound came from the cats throat. One by one the other creatures fled back to the wild, but the cat could not bring itself to leave. Since then the cat has been a household companion – never forgetting their wild nature, but content in the comforts of a warm house.

...as told by the people of Bronners, Frankenmuth, MI.

Getting Paid to Shop

You've earned cashback from Bing

You earned $3.90 from your Barnes & Noble.com purchase on 12/2/2009

Who says buying music on CD is dead (or expensive)? Not me. Note: actual titles not displayed for Christmas gift-giving reasons.

3 Laws Safe

Arthur C. Clarke third "law" of prediction states that any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic, well, here's (more) proof to mull over:

A Picasa Web code-named Slip has created a Twitter-powered Magic Clock just like the one featured in Harry Potter. Powered by a Seeeduino microcontroller board and a wireless router, it moves the four servos to position the each of the four clock’s hands to the appropriate status or location based on keywords in their Twitter updates.

More pictures and links @ http://technabob.com/blog/2009/12/03/harry-potter-clock/

to a higher degree

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of USC. All opinions are 100% mine.

Have you ever thought about getting an advanced degree? Have you thought about the many benefits of earning your degree online?Things like the learn at your own pace on your own schedule and no commute?

The USC Rossier School of Education’s MAT@USC has a program for both current working educators as well as the future teachers of tomorrow. Now from the comfort of your home office or living room, you can earn a prestigious Master of Arts in Teaching from one of the most elite research universities. With all the convenience and flexibility that comes from studying online.

USC's School of Education was recently ranked Nº 22 in the United States, and Nº 9 among all private universities by US News and World Report. Their teaching program offers its students a highly interactive online learning combined with invaluable field-based experiences as well as a groundbreaking tuition reimbursement program. Plus, with their accelerated program, you can be done in as little as 12 months – meaning that in about a year you would be a part of the elite USC Trojan Family with all the connections that implies as you would have full USC student status and benefits, including participation in commencement ceremonies and free lifetime Alumni Association membership. Wondering who else has gone to USC? Well, with a 100-year history of educating teachers, probably several people who have taught you over the years.

Get their program information today and you can change your life as well as being an agent of change in about a year.

World AIDS Day

Did anyone besides Twitter do anything for World AIDS Day? Not sure I even saw anything about it in the paper, and one a small mention on NPR this morning.

Too many other fish to fry these days?

25¢ Expressionism

One of three Arcade Expressionism pieces by Brock Davis as part of his “make something cool every day 2009″ project.

Go see the Donkey Kong and Missile Command paintings and tell Brock they are cool.