Gegereking

If you couldn't guess from the title, I've found a new website worth checking out: it's called Gegerka, and it's basically google for ftp servers. For those non-technical in our audience, ftp servers are a way of sharing files on the internet that's existed as long as the internet itself. Gegerka allows you to search for any known file type, including mp3's and movie formats (.avi, .wmv, etc.) Once the files are found, a few clicks and you're downloading. So if you're too cheap to pay $1.47 for the Raconteurs on allofmp3.com, you *might* be able to find an open ftp server making it available for free.

This is, of course, ethically questionable. Some might liken it to taking things from someone else's house just because they left the front door open. I prefer to think of it as if they've left the stuff out on the curb, free to anyone who happens along and wants to take it. Except instead of taking it you make your own copy, maybe using one of those replicator things from Star Trek or something.

In other mp3 related news, here are a few other sites worth checking out (most of which I learned about through DownloadSquad):

• MP3Tunes.com: provides 1gb of free space on the internet for you to store your mp3's and stream them to your computer. Upgraded accounts with more space available for more money.
• SpiralFrog: free, legal, free, unlimited music downloads, but with ads.
• AllPeers: a FireFox enhancement that serves peer-to-peer file transfer mechanism
• TubeSock: a free utility for OSX to save and convert YouTube videos for the iPod.