Free Urban Outfitters playlist.

Want to know what the coolest kids on your block are listening to? Well, they definitely shop at Urban Outfitters, so you should download this free playlist posthaste to find out. Feel yourself becoming cooler as you scan the track list by artists such as Destroyer, Cut Copy, WIN WIN, and more!

Most of these bands I've never even heard of, which I guess means I need to download the playlist without wasting another moment.

Free iPhone/iPad games: Smash Fiesta and Mad O Ball 3D.

Here are a couple of free games for your iPhone or iPad, downloadable through iTunes:

• Smash Fiesta (like whack-a-mole with veggies, apparently)
• Mad O Ball 3D (some sort of rolling marble maze game)

I remember hearing about Smash Fiesta when it came out, and version 2.2 is free for a limited time only, so why not download it and see what the fuss is about?

Free National Geographic music sampler.

National Geographic, or "Nat Geo" as they would like to be called (I refuse to say it), has a free music sampler for you, via Amazon MP3. I'm not familiar with any of the groups on here, but it sounds like it's probably world music or something like that, so if you're in the mood for something different AND free, give it a listen.

Amazon: Free MP3 albums from around the world.

I admit, I'm late to the party with Amazon's free MP3 albums. Who knew they had so many? Not only are there a ton of record-label samplers out there (mostly indie labels, that I've seen), there are a bunch of interesting music samplers from all around the world. Check these out:

• Turkish Hits Vol. 1
• Rotana Presents: Music From The Middle East
• Atração Presents: Music From Brazil
• Wyld Pytch/51 Lex Records Presents: Music From Nigeria
• Scandinavian Gold

And that's just the beginning... there are tons and tons of free albums and songs available on Amazon. You do have to use their MP3 downloader, but it's free and it automatically imports downloads into iTunes when it's finished, so it's a snap to use. You don't have to spend any money to put together a great summer playlist for the 4th of July!

Amazon: Free 4AD sampler.

Amazon is offering a free 4AD MP3 sampler, featuring artists like Camera Obscura and the National. You have to have their MP3 downloading software, but it's free, works well, and automatically imports to iTunes when it's done.

This is part of the Indie and Alternative Music Sale, which includes lots of other free samplers:

• Dangerbird Records
• Hardly Art 2010 Sampler
• Frenchkiss Records Sampler
• Merge Records Sampler
• Matador Records Sampler
• Saddle Creek 2010 Sampler
• ROIR: So Indie It Hurts Sampler
• Sympathy for the Record Industry Sampler

That ought to make for a decent Memorial Day weekend BBQ playlist, right?

Free Nine Inch Nails album download.

Wow, I can't believe Nine Inch Nails is still going strong. I was into them back in the days of my own black-nail-polish-wearing, art-supply-shoplifting misunderstood adolescence, but those days are long gone. For me, I mean. Not for Trent Reznor, clearly.

Download the new album for free in your choice of formats. What you do is you enter your email address and they email you a promo code, which you can then use to download the album in the format you wish. Easy, right? Downloads include a PDF with art and credits, so you could even make your own little pretend liner notes if you're into that.

Free download: Digital Bang Sub-Pop music sampler.

Sub Pop Records has released their 2010 free MP3 sampler, called Digital Bang, and you can download it for free through Amazon. It includes artists like Wolf Parade, Beach House, the Album Leaf, and David Cross. And it's free, so what do you have to lose?

You will have to download the Amazon MP3 downloader widget, but it works surprisingly well and will even import the songs into iTunes automatically, so it's no biggie.

iTunes: Free "Planet Earth" episode 1 download.

I love "Planet Earth"! Even if you're not super-into nature shows, this groundbreaking documentary series about our environment is one beautifully filmed how-did-they-get-that-shot moment after another... and Oprah's "Life" just pales by comparison to Sir David Attenborough's buttered-crumpet voice. Download the first episode for free at iTunes and see if you don't agree. (You have to have iTunes installed, but it's free.)

I actually own the series, which is available for a pretty good price over at Amazon, and if you really agree with me on the Oprah thing, you can pre-order the David Attenborough version of "Life," without her cornball script that tries to turn animals into courageous single moms. Bleh.

Free "Battle Bears" iPhone app, Jan. 29.

I think this is my first iPhone freebie post ever, which makes me feel old and obsolete. So, needless to say, I have no idea what this is or whether it's worthy of downloading, but at any rate, you can get a free download of BATTLE BEARS today only via the iPhone app store. (Normally you can get a limited version of BATTLE BEARS free and the full version costs money, but today's freebie is for the full version.)

I feel more futuristic and hip already.

(Thanks, Sonya!)

Free PDF book: Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker.

The Internets is determined to make sure you have enough recipes to feed everyone this holiday season. If you have a slow cooker that's been gathering dust on a shelf, dust it off and download this PDF book of crockpot recipes.

I know what you're thinking - mushy brown meat that falls apart into watery broth - but slow cooking can actually be good, and Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker has lots of party-oriented recipes for appetizers, hot dips, even desserts. I got this book for a slow-cooking friend of mine last year, so I'm personally vouching for it, and it's free, so what do you have to lose?

If you don't have a Kindle, you can still download it using the free Kindle for PC - in fact, according to the comments, it might work better in the PC version. On the right-hand side, under the big "Buy now with 1-click" button, there's a teeny tiny link that says "Available on your PC." So get cookin'!

FREE CAKE (game)!

Okay, it's not as good as real-life free cake, but Amazon is offering a free download of the PC game "Cake Mania." I've heard about this game and was curious, but alas, it's only for PC... us Mac users are just out of luck.

There's also this Big Kahuna Reef matching game, which seems to be decently reviewed and rated, so if you like matchy puzzle fun rather than nail-biting time-trial cakework, you could try that one, too.