Valerie

Letmein: The Bag

Punk rock from "non-punks." Although Letmein might not be true blue punks when they were growing up, they can sure create some powerful punk pop tunes without any problems. Letmein is a five piece band from Brescia, Italy. The group has a knack for creating punchy, poppy punk rock, even though they admit that they dislike listening to "radio friendly pop." Ironically, much of the tracks they have would feel right at home in any top 40 pop punk rock list.

The Wagner Logic: Easiest to Grab

Shoegazer indie rock that makes you feel "infinite." Perhaps the Wagner Logic has noticed the many criticisms they got after tagging "punk" along with their genre in Jamendo, because they removed it and left their description as indie, alternative, postrock and rock. Well, those words are more fitting in describing their beautifully melodic release, Easiest to Grab anyway. The Wagner Logic is composed of Jeremy Wagner and James Glave who by their own definition are "two mysterious friends challenged to a blood pact...making music in the woods." This is their very first release and for sure it's not going to be the last one.

Barrage

Word of caution to potential players, this game might be just a tad too violent. Barrage is a free Mac game that is made in the Command and Conquer vein. It features a fast-paced, shoot-as-many-enemies-as-possible gameplay, leaving players with little to no room to dilly dally about. If you feel that you need to release some stress without really hurting anyone, then this is a good game to play.

On Returning: Thieves Like Us

Sounds like feel good 80s indie pop music. If you're in for an occasional timewarp back to the era of big hair and leotards, then "Thieves Like Us" by On Returning can help you out. Thieves Like Us is composed of 8 pop alternative tracks that brings to mind New Order. Of course, it's not lost on us that the band has the same album title as a New Order song. Whether it's a straightforward nod or not, there's no doubt about the influence they retained in their music. Definitely an album worth time warping with.

Gungirl Sequencer

Sequencing audio to your video files has become much easier, thanks to Gungirl Sequencer. Sure, the name might be a little odd sounding but this program gets the job done. Moreover, it features an easy to use interface that will turn help out any beginner. The program has received positive reviews because of its simple interface and straighforward controls. It is the perfect program for any beginner looking to try their hand in audio sequencing.

Enigma

Some of us just love to be challenged and a quick puzzle game could do the trick. Enigma is a transport puzzle game that will definitely help exercise those brain cells and get them going. The game was based on another game, Oxyd. In Enigma, your goal is to uncover identical colored Oxyd stones while trying to overcome puzzles, laser beams and countless mazes on your way.

The Black Heart

When your job gets too stressful, and you just want to shake off everything; take a mini break and play The Black Heart. This horror styled, macabre, beat 'em up game will definitely give you your fix. You don't only get to release some stress with this game but the bonus is that it is visually arresting. In fact, I think it rivals most commercial games out there in terms of style and production values. So sit back, relax, pick your favorite characters and start beating the hell out of your oppenent in The Black Heart.

Whalers

Fun indie pop rock that'll put a perfect cap to your summer. Chumming Around by Whalers is a feel good summer pop rock album that's definitely worth tripping to. Although the production quality is not that good, you can instantly tell just by listening to one track that these guys definitely have a gem up their sleeves. Hopefully, they'll take a cue and record a higher quality version and let us enjoy our last days of summer "chumming around."

Tofu

Got no plans of trading in your Macbook for a Kindle? Then you might want to get Tofu on your Mac to help you read your favorite e-books much easier. Tofu is a great application that helps you read a novel on your Mac as if you were reading an actual book. Most people hate the thought of reading a book on the computer screen; this little application helps to solve this problem. It helps make reading long reports, e-books or other long written material online so much easier.