I paid for some of this...

I don't think it's always been the case, but you can now buy Android programs from Amazon.co.uk without having to install their AppStore program. You'll need to use it to install the programs themselves, but it's ideal for going 'Yes, I might want that "free app of the day" at some point...' even if you don't actually have an Android device yet.

Today is a particularly useful day for that - as well as one of the Cut the Rope series as the 'official' freebie, there are eight more free ones that usually cost money, including:

Angry Birds - the 'ad free' version, still annoyingly with in-app purchasing.

World of Goo - excellent physics puzzler, building stuff with stretchy blobs of goo. I paid for it via a Humble Bundle.

Paper Camera - I paid for this when it was on sale on Google. It's one of the 'apply an art effect to your pictures' programs, and while it doesn't have many, the ones it has are good.

CalenGoo - a better way of looking at and managing your Google Calendar. I'd still like one like the Psion series 3's calendar, mind.

Swiftkey - the first thing I bought for Shiny three years ago. It's an alternative keyboard with excellent word prediction, saving lots of 'keystrokes'. Since being released, it's been upgraded to have optional Swype-style 'move your finger over the displayed keyboard, and it will work out what word you want from where your finger changes direction'. Highly recommended.

... even if it was not very much

When L had to go to Sutton-in-Ashfield for a work meeting recently, I went along too. One of the shops in the town centre is a card / remaindered books one. I skipped the thousands of secondhand vinyl LPs stacked in the back, and bought a book. Oh, on the floor at the till is a '3 CDs for £1' box.

One of the things I got was Trance Power* which is a double CD describing itself as 'The most powerful trance compilation in Scandinavia'. I'd say I took a chance on it, but on the basis that it must have at least one good track, 33p didn't seem like much of a risk.

And it's really rather good, if you like trance. I hope the neighbours do, because I have been playing it rather a lot! I don't think there's a poor track, and there are several very good ones.

The second compilation in the series was available new for 50p plus £1.26 postage on Amazon, so I bought that too. I've only had a chance to listen to disc one (of three, this time) but it's looking like another bargain.

There's also a third, but that's currently considerably more expensive (and might only be one disc...)

* _{I originally typed that as 'Trans Power'!}