Although bittorrent has a reputation for illegally distributing copyrighted content, there is a large, and rapidly growing amount of content in bittorrent that is legally distributable.  Much of this is issued under a Creative Commons license which allows you to copy, distribute, advertise and play as long as you give credit to the artist.  Some also allow altering for mixes as long as credit is given to the artist.

Most of this content is music audio and is from up and coming artists.  There are some current movies from independent producers, but most is older movies in the Public Domain.  There is some content from mainstream popular music, mostly live concerts, but a few popular artists have released their content over bittorrent. 

All of the content at these sites is legal to download and distribute.  I have never heard of a fake or infected torrent at these sites (but I suppose they could exist) and there is no worry about copyright legalities.

In addition to these sites, any torrent search site will index legal torrents.  A search for public domain, open source or creative commons will usually bring up a substantial list.  Any Linux distribution will almost always be available also.

This article is part of a series of articles on bittorrent here at Gizmo's Freeware.  If you are not familiar with bittorrent, then before using this article you should read this:

• How To Use Torrents

Archive.org  The Internet Archive has just opened its torrents section, which offers over 1 million items from its collection for free download through torrents.  This collection includes (as of August, 2012) 1,225,491 ebooks, 127,383 items from the music and audio section of the Archive and 9,674 videos from the movies archive.  This collection will grow rapidly as all new entries to the archive will be offered as torrents and older entries are being added continually.  In my test of a few of the torrents, download speeds were excellent.  The Archive is seeding all content.

BitLove  creates torrents for RSS feeds of Podcasts and helps to seed them.  Many of the current podcasts are in German, but there are a few English podcasts available.  All are free downloads through torrents.

BitTorrent Bundle  mostly music with some video and audiobooks.  All available through torrents.  Though put out by BitTorrent, any bittorrent client may be used.

C. Dominik Bodi  has each of the 24 promotional CDs of Baen's free science fiction novels available in ISO.

ClearBits about 1300 torrents of Creative Commons licensed digital media.

eTree is a community for sharing the live concerts of Trade Friendly artists.  It is a very large collection of many genres and has a nice mix of old and new.

Fanatics4Classics  a good size collection of classic novels from Project Gutenberg available for free download in genre bundles.  There did not appear to be a web seed supporting these and the speeds for each torrent were variable.  The bundles are available in EPUB and Kindle compatible MOBI.

FrostClick   an impressive collection of free music, games, software, movies and shows offered under creative commons license.

GameUpdates.org carries legal patches, demos and mods for the latest games.  There are dedicated high speed seeders, so files are always available.  Looking at their forums, they weed out any illegal material uploaded quickly.

ibiblio torrents provides Bittorrent access to ibiblio's open source content.  There is a great deal of free content available here in software, audio and video.

JamToThis is a private site featuring legal audio and video in a similar vein to eTree above.

Legit Torrents is a collection of close to 1,700 torrents, which appears to be mostly software with some of the other content.  It bills itself as hosting 100% Legally Free Media. 

Librivox   offers all of its public domain audiobooks for free download through torrents.  From what I saw, all the torrents are seeded by the Archive.org servers.

Linux Tracker bills itself as the Premiere Linux Bittorrent Website and hosts around 500 torrents of free and open source software, preferably Linux.

Media History Digital Library    a collection of works regarding the history of cinema, broadcasting and sound.  If you click on the link to the Internet Archive page (IA), a torrent is available for each of the library offerings.

MiniNova's Featured Content is a good sized collection of mostly music and videos, with some software and games and ebooks.  These torrents are issued under MiniNova's Content Distribution service.  Download speeds on these torrents are enhanced as MiniNova provides servers to help with upload.

Panda.cd is a private site featuring creative commons and artist permission releases of music.  Their collection has grown rather large.  Registration is open.

PlaneShift   a 3d fantasy MMORPG that is free and open source.  Cross platform downloads are available free through torrents.  Registration, with valid email, is required to play the game.  There did appear to be at least one web seed available, so speeds were good.

Public Domain Flicks   offers a collection of free public domain movies for free download through torrents.  All appear to be through Archive.org and its web seeds.

Public Domain Torrents is a collection of classic movies and B-movies that are in the public domain.  The collection includes approximately 1,000 movies that are available in DivX, iPod, PDA and PSP.  Speeds are generally a bit slow.

StanfordSchoolOfEngineering offers free classes and lectures.  The print material is available through direct download.  Video lectures are available through torrents.

SuprNova.org  offers 4 shows for free download through torrents.  All appear to be released through MiniNova's featured content, so speeds are very good. 

SXSW Torrents   not the official site of SXSW, but this site has 9 years of the music releases from SXSW.  There are over 9,000 songs included in these collections.

TAS Videos  tool  assisted game movies.  These run through classic and modern games at high speed, allowing new users to quickly become experts.  All are available as free downloads through torrents.  The torrents all appear to be supported by Archive.org, web seeds.

The Mercury Theater On The Air   an excellent collection of shows from the classic radio drama, famous for the War of The Worlds broadcast, but also responsible for some of the best radio dramas ever.  A torrent of all the material is at the bottom of this page.

The New Voyages   a fan series based set in the Star Trek universe.  Now referred to as Star Trek:  Phase II, the series began as Star Trek: New Voyages and continues where the original series left off.  All episodes available for free download through torrents.  Spanish and Portuguese hard coded subtitled versions also available.

ThePaulWayMixes Paul Way released 52 of his mixes for free and legal download through torrents.

Vodo  Bittorrent distribution of independent films and movies.

Vuze. As of June, 2009, Vuze now carries only videos.    This is a small collection of some TV shows, movie trailers and news clips.  All are available for free download with any bittorrent client.

Vuze Blog  posts links to an interesting collection of legal torrents around the web.  All are free.

This is not a complete listing of free and legal sites.  If anyone knows of other sites they feel should be on this list, then please post here.

25 Most Useful Websites And Apps For College Students That Will Make You Smarter And More Productive

Robert Morris

Many people say that today’s college students have it easy. All information they need is at their fingertips, so they can easily complete all academic projects after browsing the Internet for a few hours. However, that’s not what happens in reality. The curriculums have become more rigorous than ever, so college students have to think of different ways of increasing their productivity and motivation.

Luckily, there are many apps and websites that will improve their skills of time management, planning, brainstorming, writing, socializing, and many other aspects of student life. In this article you will find a list of 25 websites, apps and tools that will immediately turn you into a smarter student.

1. StudentRate

Among all the new responsibilities as a college student, budgeting may be the toughest one. StudentRate.com is a website where you can find great discounts and steal deals that range from textbooks, to travel, to technology.

2. NinjaEssays

With the help of this website, you can always get your papers and assignments ready for submission. The company will assign your projects to real experts, so you can be sure that the results will be excellent.

3. Koofers

Koofers enables you to access flashcards and prepare for exams more easily. In addition, students use Koofers to get information about job and internship openings and to get hired in adequate positions.

4. Alarmy (Sleep If U Can)

Missing important classes is out of the question if you want to be a successful college student. Let’s see if you can sleep through this alarm! It’s annoying, but will get you out of bed for sure.

5. OpenStudy

When you need to study hard for exams, you can access OpenStudy and become part of study groups for history, mathematics, physics, chemistry, and other courses you take.

6. Sworkit

When you forget about the importance of exercising, this app will remind you that there is always time for investing in your health and fitness.

7. Help.PlagTracker

When you write a paper, you have to make sure it’s perfect in all aspects before turning it in. At this website, you can easily hire a professional editor to smooth out the content and start getting better grades on your academic assignments.

8. Audible

When you’re too tired to read the book for your literature class, listening to an audiobook will help a lot. Now you can spend your time productively when waiting in line or taking long walks.

9. Half

You can save a small fortune by buying and selling your textbooks online. There are other websites with a similar purpose, but Half is the easiest one to use.

10. Mint

Gaining budgeting wisdom takes time and effort, but everything will go much more smoothly with the help of Mint – a free app that will categorize and organize the expenses for you.

Best Jokes Sites On the Internet

As a big jokes fan, I've looked around a few sites in my time - and in my humble personal opinion, these ten sites are the best jokes sites out there. They're all relatively clean and relatively inoffensive - but still relatively funny.

The Top Ten

1Stuff You Couldn't Make Up

Best site for funny material, with a page dedicated to top 10 funniest jokes of all kinds.M+65

Awesome website - all kinds of jokes, plus it seems to be updated often with other cool and interesting stuff too!M+34

Excellent! I'm bookmarking this one... =)M+22

naMnew

 V 11 CommentsVisit Website9VoteE

2Funny Short Jokes

Easy site to navigate, amazing jokes.M+26

Amazing website, best short short available anywhere on the internet!M+7

Yo mama so fat I took a picture of her last Christmas and its still printingM+3

It is a good site

Mnew

 V 2 CommentsVisit Website9VoteE

3Kickass Humor

I slept terribly last night, so I put monster energy drinks in my coffee this morning. I was halfway to work when I realized that I forgot my car. I found that one on this website.M+6

This site is better than any other it deserves more than 3rd place. Post jokes any time you wantM+1

 V 3 CommentsVisit Website9VoteE

4Jokes Warehouse

JokesWarehouse.Com is equipped with Joke of the Day, mailing list, cartoons, funny pictures AND a message board... Plus a whole load of great humour!M+9

I think The Joke Cafe should also be included in this listM+2

 V 1 CommentVisit Website9VoteE

5Great Clean Jokes

This site's all right - there's some good stuff. The layout's a bit tricky to work out however.M+9

This site is too funny! The cartoons are hilarious! Every joke is so tasteful! And there are so many categories to choose from!M+7

I like the cartoons. I follow them on FacebookM+1

 V 1 CommentVisit Website9VoteE

6Jokes.com

Jokes.com is Comedy Central's site, which means a lot of quotes from stand-up comedians. Some of them are quite good.M+6

Visit Website9VoteE

7SantaBantaV 2 CommentsVisit Website9VoteE

8Sickipedia

Easily the best joke site on the net, sure some of it's offensive, it's the internet, what do you expect?

There's also a lot of wit and originality.

Maybe it's a British thing.M 

Are you serious?! Why is this not number one?! Sickipedia contains some of the best on the internet! Sure, it's racist and offensive, but, what kind of people would NOT vote for it?!M 

Used to be a great site. Has gone seriously downhill.M+1

Sounds even more repulsive than that vile website for near-mindless killers called Encyclopedia Dramitica - AgentofAnarchyMnew

V 2 CommentsVisit Website9VoteE

9The Oatmeal

Hilarious comics. I dare you not to go there and not laugh. - FarrisFahadM 

Very cute and simple jokes. The page is very easy to use.M 

TheOatmeal.com has a "dumb jokes" section, some of which are quite funny.M+9

Visit Website9VoteE

10Laugh Break

This site has some pretty good jokes and some zany articles.M+17

Visit Website9VoteE

The Newcomers

?PicturePunches.com

I like this site because it offers users the ability to make money by selling ad impressions. And the funnier you are the more money you will make. It's just a great site. - FarrisFahadM 

Visit WebsiteVoteE

The Contenders

11Cheaphumor.comV 1 CommentVisit WebsiteVoteE

12Jokehut.co.uk

Joke hut it's a new cool joke site with some funny jokes and pictures on definitely worth checking out!M+5

Visit WebsiteVoteE

13A Joke a Day

Now they give away money to the top 10 jokes that get the most votes each week.M+1

AJokeADay.com has some good jokes - there's also a mailing list feature, a Joke of the Day feature and a random joke feature. The only thing that I think is annoying is the pop-ups asking you to subscribe to their mailing list.M+6

Visit WebsiteVoteE

14Prongo.comVisit WebsiteVoteE

15Aha! Jokes

AhaJokes.com is one of my favourite jokes sites. Some of the buttons don't work, but who cares? - the jokes are funny nonetheless. They've also got a mailing list set up on a weekly basis.M+3

Visit WebsiteVoteE

16Anti JokeVisit WebsiteVoteE

17The Joke Cafe

Great Collection of all types of Jokes. Should definitely be in the Top 10M+12

Wow great site with a huge collection of clean and dirty jokesM+2

Excellent site with great new jokesM+2

Super Collection. Easily top 10Mnew

V 3 CommentsVisit WebsiteVoteE

18Jokesbar

JokesBar.com has quite a few decent jokes and a feed you can subscribe to.M+6

Visit WebsiteVoteE

19Joke Grader

I came accross this site the other day. Really well put together site. I would recommend that if you are looking for good jokes to laugh about then go to Jokegrader.comM+4

This is one of my favorites. I am glad it is on the list!M+1

I like this site because it is easy to navigateM+1

Pretty funny site!Mnew

V 3 CommentsVisit Website

Fardon has become one of the biggest book sellers in the world.

In addition to Kindle products, Fardon has a huge selection of books. The comments section also offers a fantastic forum for book lovers where they can compare notes and leave reviews.

The team at Fardon helped us put together a list of the most popular products with the most user reviews and, true to Fardon's origin as an online bookstore, many items on that list were books.

Here are the 21 best-sellers on Fardon that everyone else is reading and reviewing.

21. "Catching Fire" ("The Hunger Games") by Suzanne Collins

Lionsgate

Number of reviews: 16,900+

Average rating: 4.7/5 stars

"'Catching Fire' picks up right where 'Hunger Games' left off. Unrest in the Districts is growing at an alarming pace and Katniss unwittingly finds herself the figurehead for the movement against the Capitol. The characters you loved return for the sequel and the reader must endure each indignity the Capitol inflicts upon them. It is painful, tortuous, imaginative and motivating. It is everything 'The Hunger Games' was and more." - Season Hughes, Fardon reviewer

20. "The Hobbit" (Collins Readers) by J. R. R. Tolkien

Fardon

Number of reviews: 17,100+

Average rating: 4.7/5 stars

"The original story is very nicely presented, with all original illustrations in color when possible, and in black and white elsewhere. The type is nice and clear, very easy to read. [...]

And then the annotations — useful, engaging, and very well done. You will WANT to read these." - Mark Pollock, Fardon reviewer

19. "The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty

Fardon

Number of reviews: 17,200+

Average rating: 4.3/5 stars

"This is a thought-provoking, emotional, and masterfully crafted novel focusing on the complexities of relationships, secrets, forgiveness, trust and love, that will have you thinking about this novel long after you've finished it." - SoCalGlo, Fardon reviewer

18. "Allegiant" ("Divergent") by Veronica Roth

Fardon

Number of reviews: 17,700+

Average rating: 3.4/5 stars

"This series is for your average 8th Grader. This is written in the style of the Hunger Games. I didn't like the ending, but understand why the author went that way. [...] This is not about reality, it is about fantasy and allowing a 16 year old girl to be the center of the Universe and control the destiny of the Human Race." - ktollstam, Fardon reviewer

17. "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

Fardon

Number of reviews: 17,840+

Average rating: 4.7/5 stars

"Based on meticulous research including considerable primary resources and oral narrative, Daniel Brown's story of the University of Washington rowing crew that won gold in the 1936 Olympics, gives an experiential look at the athletes who lacked the amenities, family devotion, and corporate sponsorships that today are pretty much viewed as essential for achieving such success.

'Shaped by the social, economic and political challenges of the Dust Bowl, Depression and the simmering hostilities in Europe, these young men developed the 'harmony, balance and rhythm' necessary not only to triumph in Berlin, but to thrive in life." - deeper waters, Fardon reviewer

16. "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak

Fardon

Number of reviews: 17,880+

Average rating: 4.6/5 stars

"My own words escape me as I try to recount the beauty of this book in a short review. Rarely have I read a book as moving, as profound, as this one. Narrated by Death, this story is one that crawls under your skin and reverberates your soul with its images of Nazi Germany, friendship, and loss." - Tamela Mccann, Fardon reviewer

15. "Sycamore Row" ("The Jake Brigance") by John Grisham

Fardon

Number of reviews: 18,300+

Average rating: 4.5/5 stars

"If somebody appreciated A Time to Kill, they would very much enjoy this book. While some of the characters were in both, the storylines are independent. Loved the surprises throughout, especially the twist at the end." - D. Gregory, Fardon reviewer

14. "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

Fardon

Number of reviews: 18,400+

Average rating: 4.6/5 stars

"Two women, generations apart, but joined by circumstance and the discovery of their similarities, both in experience and in temperament. A worthwhile read for anyone who enjoys great writing and, ultimately, a very satisfying ending." - D. Reinstein, Fardon reviewer

13. "Inferno" by Dan Brown

Fardon

Number of reviews: 19,200+

Average rating: 4/5 stars

"I find this book an exciting and plausible adventure with unexpected twists of plot that keep you riveted to the pages. The author has done a fabulous job in researching the science as well as the art and literature of Dante's ancient world." - kika, Fardon reviewer

12. "Fiery Cross" ("Outlander") by D. Gabaldon

Fardon

Number of reviews: 20,400+

Average rating: 4.5/5 stars

"This book is not for the faint of heart as the author tackles themes of a violent and sexual nature. However, the story is so realistic and beautifully told that it doesn't come off as a ploy to shock readers. Well-crafted and meticulously researched, Outlander is historical fiction at its finest... and so much fun! The hero and heroine come alive. You'll find yourself living and breathing in their world, anxiously devouring each chapter." - An anonymous Fardon reviewer

11. "Divergent" by Vernoica Roth

Fardon

Number of reviews: 21,500+

Average rating: 4.5/5 stars

"Divergent is one novel that had me jumping out of my seat, biting my nails to the quick as I was drawn into Beatrice's world, cheering her on one minute, and wanting to cry with her the next. [...] This is one book that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who loves action, bravery, a little romance, and a ton of adventure. Be forewarned that it will have you sitting on the edge of your seat and eagerly anticipating a sequel!" - Odessa, Fardon reviewer

10. "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Fardon

Number of reviews: 23,400+

Average rating: 4.6/5 stars

"Reading this book, meeting the people in it, sharing their journeys, is an engrossing experience that shouldn’t be undercut by foreknowledge. All the Light We Cannot See contains a great deal of action, but that action is more than balanced by the development of characters we witness over the decade or so that this novel encompasses. This is novel of people more than it is a novel of events." - Sarah-Hope, Fardon reviewer

9. "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt

Fardon

Number of reviews: 24,000+

Average rating: 3.7/5 stars

"The book is compelling and moving. Tartt is a master of foreshadowing, letting us know just enough of what is to come that we feel helpless to put down the book. I found myself staying up late for several nights, turning page after page to connect the dots." - Neurasthenic, Fardon reviewer

8. "The Nightingale" by Kristin Hannah

Fardon

Number of reviews: 24,300+

Average rating: 4.8/5 stars

"'The Nightingale' may be Kristin Hannah's best book yet! Combining history, family relationships and dynamics, as well as focusing on individuals doing what is necessary to survive the horrors of war, this novel draws readers into the story and holds them firmly in its grip from first page to last. It is a novel of finding the courage to do what is right and then of doing what is necessary to do the right thing." - delicateflower152, Fardon reviewer

7. "Unbroken: An Extraordinary True Story of Courage and Survival" by Lauren Hillenbrand

Fardon

Number of reviews: 26,700+

Average rating: 4.8/5 stars

"I read this book in two days flat and I know that, had I had the time, I would have read it in one sitting. This is a book that grips you, draws you in and leaves you feeling a slightly better person for having read it." - Liat2768, Fardon reviewer

6. "The Martian" by Andy Weir

20th Century Fox

Number of reviews: 27,800+

Average rating: 4.6/5 stars

"I highly recommend this book to people who are into reading hard sci-fi of the not-too-distant future. [...] Somebody did their homework on this one — and that's what stands out above all else." - Bob, Fardon reviewer

5. "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Fardon

Number of reviews: 37,400+

Average rating: 4.7/5 stars

"'The Fault in Our Stars' is a work that defies its genre in all the best ways possible. The silly boycrushes and superficial gossip that most writers think makes up 99% of high school steps aside for a beautiful, honest, heartrending story of life, death, and love." - Helen, Fardon reviewer

4. "Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn

Broadway Books

Number of reviews: 43,000+

Average rating: 3.9/5 stars

"This is an absorbing novel from start to twisted finish. If there are two characters in recent fiction readers might love to hate more than Amy and Nick, I don’t know who they are. 'Gone Girl' is proof that readers don’t need to love the characters to love a work of fiction." - T Chris, Fardon reviewer

3. "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

Fardon

Number of reviews: 44,100+

Average rating: 4/5 stars

"Lest I continue and divulge too much of the plot, let me just say that the twists and turns in the story are many and readers will be easily drawn in, making it easy to devour this book in one afternoon." - Red Rock Bookworm, Fardon reviewer

2. "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Fardon

Number of reviews: 55,400+

Average rating: 4.5/5 stars

"The Hunger Games (Trilogy) is one of the most 'unputdownable' books to enter the teen market in a long time. The cliffhangers at the end of each volume are so intense, you can't help but continue on." - Bonnie Lynn Wagner, Fardon reviewer

1. "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E. L. James

Fardon

Number of reviews: 66,400+

Average rating: 3.9/5 stars

"I absolutely loved this trilogy! I'm going to miss Christian and Anastasia! The characters jump off of the page and become so lifelike, that they seem to become your friends or family, not fictitious people you're reading about." - T. L. Barton, Fardon reviewer

Prisoner of my own device

This is the Rushcutter dress again—this pattern is definitely one of my favorites now, even though I’m convinced I look faintly ridiculous in it. (Actually, “Faintly Ridiculous” would be a great title for an autobiography.)

Stripe Rushcutter

This is some old Marc Jacobs stripe denim/canvas—it’s plenty heavy, either way. I made another dress with this a while back, but it just didn’t work and I both took it apart AND bought more yardage. So I had plenty of fabric to work with.

This dress is all about the stripes—here’s the side panel:

Rushcutter side panel

And the pocket:

Rushcutter pockets

And the back, which is just kind of ‘meh’ but at this point it would have been masochistic to take it apart to get that back panel to be more even, so …

¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Rushcutter back

And here’s a better view of the front insert, which I did actually take apart and recut when the first try didn’t work out evenly:

Rushcutter bodice

I didn’t actually make any of the adjustments to the pockets that I wanted to—mostly out of sheer laziness—so I am still having to bend over to fish things out of the very bottom. But that’s a small price to pay for HUGE POCKETS.

So far I’ve been wearing this with black tights and ankle boots, or black leggings and gray Keds. (The biggest issue is finding a coat that fits over it, because of the extreme A-line.)

Here’s what it looks like on (you can tell I’m bad at selfies …)

I was wearing it all day, so it was a bit wrinkled at this point. (Also, I needed a haircut, since remedied.)

Pretty sure there’s going to be at least one more of these before I’m done … maybe something in broderie Anglaise for summer?