Legally stream (almost) all the music you want in Australia – for free.

We all like music, right? I mean, some of us profess to enjoy it more properly, appropriately or adequately than others – this here Superior Hipster for example:

…but when you get down to it, pretty much everybody likes it.

So, we all want more of it, right? Thus the dawn and success of the iPod, and various other MP3 players. We could carry our thousands of tunes with us everywhere we went, beautiful.

Read on through my rambles to find out what I think the best music streaming service available to Australians is (so far).

Super Mario Crossover – Your Friday Afternoon Fun

First off, you’re going to need to look at this picture, and think about how awesome it is. If only for having one of the best old school Nintendo super teams ever formed, lined up there at the bottom.

Now consider this, you’re about to play through some good ol’ Super Mario Bros – which of those characters would you choose to play through with? Honestly, I need look no further than Mega Man (or Rockman for you purists) – but you might have a different opinion.

The final step here, is to find Super Mario Crossover (which I have helpfully provided a link to) and then go fulfil your nerdy dreams.

The developer has done a really fantastic job here, with Mushrooms and Fireflowers providing perfectly adapted powers for each character. Can’t recommend this enough as a nostalgic, Friday afternoon time waster.

@tali3sin

[Source: Buzzfeed]

Chris Anderson’s new book, ‘Free’, rife* with…plagiarism

Apparently, Chris Anderson thinks everything should be free. Footnotes citing large portions of quotes were culled from the Wired editor’s new book, Free, and even though attribution for other sources were included throughout the book, those from Wikipedia were not.

Obviously, Anderson is maintaining his plagiarism was completely unintentional and has issued an apology alongside his publisher, and has promised to amend this situation (albeit online). It’s a little bit unfortunate, given the topic he’s ultimately discussing in this book.

Get your stolen Laptop back

Laptop Cop, which lets you remotely control your computer and delete files if it is stolen, now has a geo-location feature based on WiFi-hotspot triangulation technology from Skyhook Wireless. It is the same technology that is used in the iPhone (along with GPS and cell-tower triangulation) to determine your location for geo-aware apps. Now you can tell the cops exactly what door to knock on.

check it out here.

Unfortunately it isn’t free. so if you just want to know where your laptop is you can download loki (here).

Apple announces Top 10 iPhone App downloads of 2008

There shouldn’t really be any surprises for anyone who own an iphone or iTouch.

and i won’t bore you with all of the lists, but here are my favourites:

1. BeejiveIM made it to #2 on the top 10 paid social networking list
I am not surprised that it’s there because it’s pretty good, but it’s 16 bucks – people must have too much money

2. “Units” made it into the top 10 for paid and free apps – I know its 2 different programs but why would you pay for something that does the same thing as a free app?

3. “TouchScan”, a 99 cent application that “scans the mind of two people at once and compares the brain waves recorded” by way of a fake on screen fingerprint scanner makes it all the way to #6 – it makes me cry

you can see them all in iTunes if you want.

Windows gets 3rd party App store

When Microsoft opened up its own online store for software downloads earlier this month, it signaled that packaged software is not long for this world. The problem is that the store offers only Microsoft products.

a better idea: a download app store for Windows PCs that could distribute any third-party software, just like the iTunes App Store does for the iPhone. So they created the BaseShield App Store:

Check it out here

Microsoft Throws Prizes At You For Searching

Dubbed SearchPerks, Microsoft’s latest gives users points when they use Live Search, which can be redeemed for prizes. Users who sign-up before the December 31 deadline, must agree to download a small program that tracks their usage. Once installed, the users will get one “ticket” per day for every Live Search query, but Microsoft is capping the total number per day to 25. Once the program is up in April, users can trade those tickets in for prizes.

Read more here.

Something you didn’t know your Xbox360 can do

It can write its own blog

It monitors your Live account and automatically generates entries about what it’s been up to that day

The tone is very much American geek, but it’s a fun record of your own gaming habits, and of keeping an eye on what your chums are up to. Get set up at www.360voice.com.

And here you can find some other things you might not have known about your Xbox.

Amazing Light Painting – Hi-Res Air Graffiti Wallpaper Download

We made this hi-res air-graffiti light image using a technique we worked out (here). The images are pretty stunning, especially when you see them in high res. Here’s one for your desktop in all it’s glory. Completely free for you to use for any non commercial purposes. 

Update: We are uploading full versions of these (gradually) to Flickr. Read the comments for the link 🙂 

Download here (1900×1200):
http://www.amnesia.com.au/blogimages/amnesia_light_painting.jpg
(then right click – set as background)

There are many more of these…
 

So… write some nice comments and we’ll think about releasing the rest in hi-res 🙂

Amnesia Open Studio 2008 – 2 & 3 April

Are you a digital design student or just starting your career?

Amnesia – AdNews Interactive Agency of the Year for 2006 and 2007 – is committed to helping young designers and students get the best possible start in their career and is hosting two evenings of seminars and dialogue this April in conjunction with Semi-Permanent.

PLEASE NOTE NEW START TIME: 6.30pm 

Our program is open to all design students and young designers and is focused on giving practical advice on a variety of topics through short seminars and one-on-one sessions with our Senior Designers and Art Directors.

The evening runs over two nights and includes:

Brainstorming seminar
Tips and tricks on how to generate ideas and think outside the box

Getting your career started
Practical advice on how to break into the world of design

Designing and developing with Flash
The dark art of Flash explained

The future of digital
The end of the world is nigh, digital is just beginning

Portfolio review
We’ve seen a lot and can help you tweak yours

Creative surgery
Designer’s block? Get some advice from our Art Directors

And best of all, it’s totally free, no strings attached!

Space is very limited and it’s first come best dressed, so register immediately to avoid disappointment.

REGISTER ONLINE at www.amnesia.com.au/openstudio

Learn more about Amnesia on our website and our blog