Awhile back, I had the idea to start this as a meme. Then I realized that I hate memes. I decided to start it anyway. Then I realized that I don't have comments, and that I really don't want to tag anyone because I prefer to read the stuff that people come up with on their own. Then I realized it didn't have to be a meme, that I could just write it on its own. So I guess it's a meme for one. A meme for ... me. Me.

Maybe you'll find it useful.

For watching TV online, I use Hulu
Hulu is pretty much a perfect model for online TV watchin'. It's free. It's legal. It requires very little effort to sign up. It works on a Mac (without Internet Explorer even!). Best of all, it actually works. Even though it's still kind of an infant, the selection is quite good. Most of the current programs are present, along with a slew of old stuff. While I'd like to see more than 3-5 episodes of The Simpsons and The Family Guy, there's still plenty of great content, including movies. Don't believe me? Here's The Jerk, in its entirety.

For mp3 downloads, I used eMusic
eMusic works like this: For $9.95 per month, you can download 30 songs. There's no DRM, meaning that you can use the mp3s on any player, and make as many CD copies as you want. Also, they never "expire" so you can also keep them forever. The one catch: If you don't use up your 30 downloads by the end of the month, you wasted them, because they don't roll over into the next month. The other catch: The selection leans heavily toward indie stuff, so you're not going to find any Justin Timberlake or Warrant for downloading.

For (quasi-legal) mp3 downloads, I use Hype Machine
This is an aggregator of sorts for music blogs. Whenever someone posts an mp3 to their blog, Hype Machine links to it. You can search for whatever bands or songs you're looking for, and if someone has uploaded it to their blog (whether legally or illegally) you can go there and grab it. I like to use this to find full-track samples of bands I'm not familiar with. If I find I like the sample song, I might go buy the rest of the album.

For general advice, I use Lifehacker
Think "Hints from Heloise" only for nerds. Lifehacker features great tips and tricks for tech stuff (about 80% of the site) as well as the real world (about 20%). You'll find information about various Firefox plugins next to instructions for jailbreaking your iPhone next to advice for organizing your sweaters. I really like it.

If anyone does decide to do this, let me know. I always like finding out about useful junk.