Piracy is fast reaching the point where it affects nearly every single Internet user in some way or another. Often the attempts to curb the illegal downloading of copyrighted materials threaten to spill over and affect other aspects of our online lives, much like the recent debate regarding SOPA and PIPA.

For film-makers the impact is often negative, but with a change of perspective the Internet can suddenly be the catalyst for success, spring-boarding a film from obscurity to fame in record time. Best of all, film-makers are actually able to make money by sharing their creations for free.

Welcome to VODO.

Magic People, VODO People

VODO works in a similar way to crowd-funding services like Kickstarter, except the funding process almost works entirely in reverse. For film-makers VODO appeals because once the film has been made it can be shared and distributed (via BitTorrent, nonetheless) and promoted by VODO. There are no physical distribution or packaging costs and the retailer doesn’t take a slice of the pie either.

Instead the film is presented to the Internet for free. Once a user has downloaded and enjoyed the film then the option to donate is heavily encouraged. Like many crowd-funding ventures, there are opportunities to donate larger amounts in exchange for extras like signed DVDs, audio commentary and so on.

The service turns the idea of piracy on its head, and places faith in the downloading public to donate. Donation amounts can be as little or as much as you like, and the film-makers are guaranteed to see more greenbacks than if you spent a similar amount on a physical DVD. Without further ado, let’s see what quality films reside on this excellent service.

Snowblind (2010) [IMDB]

The product of a group of German 70s and 80s grindhouse enthusiasts, Snowblind is a film for anyone who enjoys graphic novel adaptations, cowboys and motorbikes. Talent was sourced from the US, Britain, Australia, Ireland and South Africa to make this a truly international effort.

The film is highly stylized in typical graphic novel fashion, and takes the usual grainy visuals and atmosphere and does something a bit different with it. Snowblind was entirely privately funded on virtually no budget. It won “Best International Picture” at Belfast’s 2010 Yellow Fever International Film Festival.

The Tunnel (2011) [IMDB]

Shakey-cam films can either turn out tense, gripping and watchable (The Blair Witch Project) or cliched, boring and nausea-inducing (Cloverfield, anyone?). The Tunnel is yet another shakey-cam “found footage” film which, in my opinion, is worth the slog. Set in Sydney, Australia, a journalist and her team venture into a network of disused underground tunnels in search of a story only to discover that the story is coming for them.

The acting is a bit ropey in places, but the film does manage to pull some convincing characters and dialogue out of the hat when it matters. The Tunnel has won a variety of awards and is available in a selection of formats over at the official website.

Exhibit A (2007) [IMDB]

Straight from the Eden Lake school of horror, Exhibit A tells the tale of a British family disintegrating under financial pressure through the eyes of the family video camera. That’s right, it’s technically another shakey-cam though this is certainly not your average horror film.

The camera eventually becomes “Exhibit A”, and captures the slow disintegration of a family unit that’s painful to watch, but impossible to look away. The film was shot in only 18 days and the actors did all of their own (convincing) camera work.

A Grain of Sand (2009) [IMDB]

In 1972 British-national Brendan Grimshaw gave up his successful career editing major African newspapers in order to buy Moyenne Island for £10,000. Since then he and his friend Rene Lafortune have planted 16,000 trees, built 4.8KM of nature trails and built up a population of 109 giant land tortoises.

Experience Brendan’s paradise in this documentary which uncovers his last 30 years of effort. Brendan is now in his 80s and concerned about the future of Moyenne Island which has accrued a value of around £28 million (€34m).

The Yes Men Fix The World: P2P Extended Edition (2010) [IMDB]

Gonzo journalism lives on in the form of The Yes Men who stop at nothing to get their point heard and message conveyed. This special P2P edition of the film contains additional footage of the duo impersonating the United States Chamber of Commerce, who are now suing them for doing so. This footage cannot be released on DVD, so the only way it’ll be seen is if you download it.

Join the pair as they expose inequalities the world over including flagrant profiteering from Hurricane Katrina and other high-profile, highly-entertaining and very clever political stunts.

Conclusion

There are so many films to choose from on VODO, and you can easily donate using PayPal, Visa or Mastercard. Browse, download, give what you like and reap the benefits – not only are you helping out film-makers, but also proving that file sharing can be used for far more than just piracy.

Best bit? Most torrents are well-seeded so download speeds are generally very high.

Any films on this list you like? Any on VODO you’d like to recommend? What do you think of the payment model? Have your say in the comments!

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/garageband_icon-300x300.png" alt="" />Apple is keeping busy updating their mobile applications, and now they are bringing a new version of their popular music creation program href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garageband/id408709785?mt=8">GarageBand. For starters, this update adds support for iPhone, which is the biggest change. The app has been available for iPad users for some time now, but for users looking to create music on the iPad’s smaller cousin, they were left out in the cold.

Thankfully, with version 1.1, that is isn’t a problem anymore. They made some minor tweaks to the user interface to make the app compatible with a smaller screen. Since the app is universal, users who have already purchased it on the iPad will now be able to download it free of charge.

In addition to adding iPhone support the new version also brings some improvements. They added some improvements in terms of available time signatures. The app now supports 3/4 and 6/8 signatures.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mzl.iqcukeeb.320x480-75.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="320" />

On top of some new signatures, you can also change settings for how you export songs to AAC and AIFF formats, giving further customization to the music making process. For touch instruments, you can now adjust the velocity for a little more fine tuning. The last change is the addition of custom chords for Smart Instruments.

class="aligncenter" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/mzl.jspgbafi.320x480-75.jpg" alt="" width="480" height="320" />

The updated version is available for $4.99 for new users and free for current owners of the original version in the href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/garageband/id408709785?mt=8"> iTunes app store.  If you decide to get it, let us know in the comments what you think of it.

Source: href="http://mashable.com/2011/11/01/garageband-iphone-1-1/" rel="nofollow">Mashable

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/netflixhoneycombthumb1.jpg" alt="" />Tablets are excellent for watching movies, either while traveling, on a bus, or in bed. The big, beautiful displays are able to render detail that you simply don’t receive while squinting at a 4.3” LCD, making the mini-theatrical experience that much better.

This has made it all the more strange that Netflix hasn’t been quick to offer support for Honeycomb-powered Android tablets, but now that issue has finally been rectified. Android tablet fans, it’s time to head to the Market, because the Netflix app has been officially updated. This is no piecemeal rollout, either. The update makes the app compatible with all Honeycomb devices.

src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/netflixforhoneycomb1.jpg" alt="" width="570" height="334" />

Tablets users aren’t the only people gaining Netflix with this update, as it also makes the app available to users in Canada and Latin America, who previously hadn’t had access to the app on any Android device.

Savvy users will note that this isn’t the first time Netflix has been placed on a Honeycomb tablet. Some users have been able to enjoy Netflix since the 1.3 update  href="http://www.droid-life.com/2011/07/20/download-netflix-version-1-3-works-on-honeycomb-tablets/">by downloading the Netflix.apk file online and installing it manually, a trick that coincided with the release of the “Netflix certified” Lenovo IdeaPad K1, the first Android tablet to gain official Netflix support.

Not everyone who’d tried the manual install trick had reported success, however, so this update will be the first time that many can enjoy Netflix streaming movies on their tablet.

Source:  href="http://www.androidguys.com/2011/10/19/netflix-app-for-android-updated-honeycomb-devices-now-supported">AndroidGuys

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/netflix-android-app-updated-support-honeycomb-canada-latin-america-news-2/">Netflix Android App Updated, Provides Support For Honeycomb, Canada & Latin America [News] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/netflixhoneycombthumb1.jpg" alt="" />Tablets are excellent for watching movies, either while traveling, on a bus, or in bed. The big, beautiful displays are able to render detail that you simply don’t receive while squinting at a 4.3” LCD, making the mini-theatrical experience that much better.

This has made it all the more strange that Netflix hasn’t been quick to offer support for Honeycomb-powered Android tablets, but now that issue has finally been rectified. Android tablet fans, it’s time to head to the Market, because the Netflix app has been officially updated. This is no piecemeal rollout, either. The update makes the app compatible with all Honeycomb devices.

src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/netflixforhoneycomb1.jpg" alt="" width="570" height="334" />

Tablets users aren’t the only people gaining Netflix with this update, as it also makes the app available to users in Canada and Latin America, who previously hadn’t had access to the app on any Android device.

Savvy users will note that this isn’t the first time Netflix has been placed on a Honeycomb tablet. Some users have been able to enjoy Netflix since the 1.3 update  href="http://www.droid-life.com/2011/07/20/download-netflix-version-1-3-works-on-honeycomb-tablets/">by downloading the Netflix.apk file online and installing it manually, a trick that coincided with the release of the “Netflix certified” Lenovo IdeaPad K1, the first Android tablet to gain official Netflix support.

Not everyone who’d tried the manual install trick had reported success, however, so this update will be the first time that many can enjoy Netflix streaming movies on their tablet.

Source:  href="http://www.androidguys.com/2011/10/19/netflix-app-for-android-updated-honeycomb-devices-now-supported">AndroidGuys

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/netflix-android-app-updated-support-honeycomb-canada-latin-america-news-2/">Netflix Android App Updated, Provides Support For Honeycomb, Canada & Latin America [News] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

View full post on MakeUseOf

class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/netflixhoneycombthumb1.jpg" alt="" />Tablets are excellent for watching movies, either while traveling, on a bus, or in bed. The big, beautiful displays are able to render detail that you simply don’t receive while squinting at a 4.3” LCD, making the mini-theatrical experience that much better.

This has made it all the more strange that Netflix hasn’t been quick to offer support for Honeycomb-powered Android tablets, but now that issue has finally been rectified. Android tablet fans, it’s time to head to the Market, because the Netflix app has been officially updated. This is no piecemeal rollout, either. The update makes the app compatible with all Honeycomb devices.

src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/netflixforhoneycomb1.jpg" alt="" width="570" height="334" />

Tablets users aren’t the only people gaining Netflix with this update, as it also makes the app available to users in Canada and Latin America, who previously hadn’t had access to the app on any Android device.

Savvy users will note that this isn’t the first time Netflix has been placed on a Honeycomb tablet. Some users have been able to enjoy Netflix since the 1.3 update  href="http://www.droid-life.com/2011/07/20/download-netflix-version-1-3-works-on-honeycomb-tablets/">by downloading the Netflix.apk file online and installing it manually, a trick that coincided with the release of the “Netflix certified” Lenovo IdeaPad K1, the first Android tablet to gain official Netflix support.

Not everyone who’d tried the manual install trick had reported success, however, so this update will be the first time that many can enjoy Netflix streaming movies on their tablet.

Source:  href="http://www.androidguys.com/2011/10/19/netflix-app-for-android-updated-honeycomb-devices-now-supported">AndroidGuys

href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/netflix-android-app-updated-support-honeycomb-canada-latin-america-news-2/">Netflix Android App Updated, Provides Support For Honeycomb, Canada & Latin America [News] is a post from: href="http://www.makeuseof.com">MakeUseOf

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/netflixandroidthumb11.jpg" alt="" />Though href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tags/netflix/">Netflix arrived on Android in May, its rollout to devices has been slow and on a device-by-device basis. As a result, many devices that seemed to have the required hardware were left out in the cold. Now, for owners of href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/quick-guide-android-versions-updates-android/">Android 2.2 and 2.3 smartphones, that’s in the past.

Netflix’s latest update of its Android app surprisingly states that it supports all Android smartphones running 2.2 or 2.3. This greatly expands the number of devices that have access to the service. According to the href="http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html">Android Developers website, over 82% of current installations are one of these two more recent incarnations. Only the 13% of users still owning Android 2.1 devices are likely to feel a bit miffed.

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This isn’t the end of device-by-device support, however. Android Honeycomb is still not fully supported, but in earlier announcements Netflix provided support for the Lenovo IdeaPad K1, one of the newer tablets on the market.

Hopefully Netflix support will be extended to all href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-android-tablets-today-buyer-check/">Honeycomb tablets quickly, but don’t hold your breath. Less than two percent of Android users have the tablet version of the OS, which means there’s little incentive for Netflix to prioritize that branch of the operating system.

Source: href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/239830/netflix_now_works_on_android_22_and_23_devices.html#tk.rss_news" rel="nofollow">PC World

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class="align-right" src="http://main.makeuseoflimited.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/polls.jpg" alt="" />Last week we wanted to know href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/long-wore-watch-makeuseof-poll/">how long it has been since you wore a watch. Unexpectedly, it seems most MakeUseOf readers still wear watches and love it.

Out of the 742 votes, we have this split: 52% still wear a watch; 19% ditched their watches in the last 1-11 years; 13% got rid of their watches in the 90s; 6% haven’t worn a watch as long as they can remember; 5% haven’t worn a watch since the 80s; 5% have some other temporary reason for not wearing a watch, but will probably get back to it soon.

Full results and this week’s poll after the jump.

It’s plain to see that most MakeUseOf readers still seem to really love their watches.

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This week’s href="http://www.makeuseof.com/service/polls/">poll question is: Do You Support Hacktivism?

In the past year we’ve seen many different groups claim responsibility for a number of different hactivism efforts with a wide variety of motives and victims. Most of us in the general public are aware of these, but not involved personally. So, it would be interesting to see how much support these hactivism efforts have from our readers. Do you support hacktivism?