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So you've probably heard that Valve has ported Steam to the Mac. And to celebrate the release, they have released the hugely popular game Portal free of charge until May 24th. There is some dispute whether Steam will actually delete the game after this time, but if you ask me, I think the wording is pretty clear that it is yours to keep. Nevertheless, this confusion alone shows just what kind of power Steam has over the installed games. And unfortunately the bad experiences do not end there. Read on to find out what you are getting yourself into, and whether Portal is worth the download.

Today's Music Monday is more about a music video than the actual music itself. I am sure all of you have heard MGMT's summer hit "Kids" (and if you think you haven't, you'll most likely recognize it when you hear it). Maybe you have even seen the video that I am about to show you. What you may not know, is that this video, that has been watched over 28 million times on YouTube was actually made by a group of students (who never dreamed it would take off the way it did), and is completely unofficial. You can read an article on them and the video here. While personally, I am a fan of MGMT and love their first album I never quite liked "Kids" - that is, until I came across this video. Now, it has somehow grown on me, and the video feels so perfect to the music, that every time I hear the song I see the video in my head as well. I don't know why, but it somehow brings back many memories from when I was growing up. (And it probably does help that I find the girl exceptionally cute). Anyway, not only I was impressed by this work of art: MGMT liked these guys so much, they featured them in their next videos - this time officially.

Man, am I jealous. So on Conan's tour of Silicon Valley, he (of course) dropped by Google for a 45 minute Q&A session. Watch the video after the break to see why Conan is the true king of spontaneous comedy. He also gives a lot of insight into his time after he was fired from The Tonight Show, and reveals just how tight of a grip the TV industry has on his public appearances (oh, and does a fantastic impression of his alter ego Jay Leno, ... I mean Ludacris). Anyway, I wish I could be there to watch him live on his tour.

To my buddies in Mountain View: Did any of you guys see him? Oh and on that note: I saw on TV that the dog whisperer was at Google as well. Any of you guys have a chance to meet him?

Some of you may remember the 2D-Boy World of Goo pay-what-you-want offer a back in 2009. Essentially this allowed you to purchase the game for any amount you felt adequate. I remember being appalled at reading that many people were paying just a cent or two, and that 2D-Boy was actually losing money as the transaction fees were higher than that. They released a very interesting follow-up on which people were the most generous. Unfortunately, I missed out on the offer because (as usual) I simply had forgotten about it.

But now, an even more amazing offer is back called the Humble Indie Bundle. It includes "World of Goo" and 4 other games that all run on Linux, Mac and Windows and are all DRM free. You can pay what you want, and I can highly recommend it. I dished $20 for it, which may be above the current average, but I still consider a complete steal. Furthermore you can decide if the money should go to the developers, should be donated, or split between both. Check out the video after the break. As for me, I've got some Goo towers to build!

Katie Melua is no stranger in the music scene, and her mix of pop with jazz and blues appeal to a large mass. Still, she may have passed you by, just the way I had not taken note of her until recently. Missing out on her would be a shame since her music provides for some great easy-listening, head-bobbing enjoyment. And I'll be honest: That's pretty much where it ends as well. You see, though her voice is great, it's not particularly memorable nor is her music. It seems she likes to dabble in different musical genres, and though she is great in all, she excels in none. In other words: It's perfect at-work music, that you can stream through your headphones to lighten your day without it interfering your so-called productivity. Hit the break for a live version of "Spider's Web" performed in Stuttgart.

No, I am not talking about the animal in the picture, but rather about the latest and greatest Ubuntu release. When it comes to cats and operating systems I usually think of several Mac OS 10 versions such as Panther, Tiger and Leopard, etc... I am just guessing, but I think the Ubuntu team had exactly that in mind on their search for an animal starting with the letter "L". And I personally think it fits, because the new look, the integrated Ubuntu One Music Store and the window controls being at the top left actually remind me of those great Apple operating systems.

What do I think of Ubuntu sort of copying Apple technology? So far I am happy with it. Maybe this would change, if Ubuntu started to copy the unpleasant things as well such as trying to narrow down user options to push its own products. I think a software company has to find the right balance between client and company interests. Of course, different clients have different interests, so that balance highly depends on the client himself... but I am getting a little bit off topic here :)

It's an odd situation, that many of us may find us in: You have your great home cinema system setup, with a giant TV screen and a 7.1 surround sound system, most likely in our living room. Yet most of your music and movies are sitting in on the PC in the work room. What to do? Well you may not know it, but your TV may be able to do more than you think. The keyword here is DLNA. After the break I will show you how I got my Sony TV to play all my media on my iMac, including purchased iTunes music over the home network. This will also work for a PS3, and may work for other DLNA enabled devices. Furthermore the software involved is open-source and platform independent so this should work for Linux and Windows users as well.

I have always had a thing for Celtic folk music, and living in Dublin I get my fair share of that every time I stroll down Grafton street. The artist I am about to introduce to you may seem every bit as Irish as you can get: She plays the harp, has light skin and long red hair. She is however actually French, and goes by the name Cecile Corbel. It was my wife, who first took interest in Corbel's music when she stumbled upon one of her songs for the soundtrack of the upcoming Japanese animated feature "The Borrower Arrietty". Planning on buying my wife the CD I browsed iTunes for her music. And although they only had a single album (which does not contain the song from the soundtrack), I instantly fell in love with the 30 second previews streaming through my speakers, and bought the CD. I'd call it a great mix of traditional Celtic and modern day music, with songs ranging from classical waltzes to Celtic rock. Some might find her voice almost unbearingly soft, but I feel it fits the music perfectly. Check out a clip of Corbel and her harp skills after the break.

It may seem the low point of a boring life when you begin to post about grammar, and if you do not share my fascination for hidden structures within everyday life you will probably want to skip this. But I have recently come across an interesting simple explanation behind a translational mismatch between English and German, that has bothered bilinguals for ages: The classic "must not" vs. "muss nicht" false friend. Both are identical when taken word by word: must = muss, and not = nicht. However, together both mean entirely different things. While "must not" is roughly equivalent to "not permitted", "muss nicht" on the other hand means "do not have to". So why do we have this strange difference, and is one more correct than the other? Read on to find out.

I have often wondered just how precise the iPad's touch-screen is. As I have some ideas of my own that I would like to implement (most likely, in a far too distant future), this aspect has always interested me. Well, a video I just stumbled upon shows just how incredibly sensitive the screen really is. While watching, keep in mind that the dude making the video is using only one hand, and does this in one take (with the camera in his other hand).

The video furthermore undermines that yes, the iPad is not merely to consume, but also to produce and create. Hit the break to see the video, and as always, leave your reactions in the comments!