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Wild Wednesday: Star Wars game bundle, free tech mag and more!

From the Cheapskate: Get a generous collection of Star Wars games and help charity. Then get a password manager for your business. Then enjoy "Idiocracy" for cheap.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read

CNET's Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page.


It's that time again! The time when "hump day" transforms into deal madness -- otherwise known as Wild Wednesday!

The Force is looking a little long in the tooth with this one

There's a whole generation of kids discovering "Star Wars" for the first time. And that means they've yet to experience the innumerable Star Wars games of long ago. Take Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, a real-time strategy game that GameSpot rated 8.2 and called "a tidy little bundle of escapism."

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Humble Bundle

That title is one of many in the Star Wars Humble Bundle II, a name-your-price collection of 10 games (with at least one more to come) that'll run you just $1-10, depending on which tier you choose.

No-brainer: pony up $9.99 and get the whole bundle. Yes, most of these games date back to the 90s, but most of them are also pretty good. What's more, proceeds (you decide what percentage) go to Star Wars Force for Change and Unicef. Oh, and if you want my two cents, Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is well worth $10 all by itself.

Also included in this bundle: a coupon for 75 percent off any Star Wars titles (up to three) in the Humble Store. Thus, you could grab something like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II for just $4.99.

Magazines: They're still a thing

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Do you like to read about tech? Of course you do! Why else would you be here? So this is pretty sweet: TradePub.com is offering a free three-year subscription to Innovation & Tech magazine, starting with a digital issue you can download immediately and the remaining digital/print issues delivered quarterly.

The catch? You'll need to supply some work-related info, and there's no guarantee the publisher will approve your subscription (though you'll definitely get that first issue). Yeah, I don't like that, either, but I understand the reasoning; the publisher wants a certain category of reader.

For your consideration...

We're living in confusing, uncertain times, and often it's hard to make sense of it all. For some much-needed perspective, check out the hard-hitting documentary "Idiocracy" from filmmaker Mike Judge. The HD version is currently on sale for $4.99 from both Amazon and Google Play. Regular price: $15.

This somber, eye-opening portrait of a world gone mad should serve as a wake-up call to a lot of people. (Please, please let it serve as a wake-up call...)

The Xbox bundle to beat

Game time! Specifically, console-game time. While supplies last, Northwest Outdoor (via Ebay) has the Microsoft-recertified Xbox One 500GB console with two controllers, two games and a headset for $269.95 shipped.

Typically you'd pay $299.99 for the Xbox, one controller and no games. And given that an extra controller alone can run you $50-60, this is a pretty solid bundle. The included games: Forza 5 and Sunset Overdrive.

Password protection for your business

Everyone knows the importance of using a password manager (largely because I mention here every 10 seconds or so), but what about password management for businesses? Enter Passwork, a self-described "Dropbox for passwords" designed expressly for teams. And StackSocial has an amazing deal: just $19 for a lifetime Passwork subscription, one that allows for unlimited users.

Because Passwork is hosted in Switzerland, "data will not be disclosed to third parties even in the case of official requests of other countries." Now that's security!

Okay, end of Wild Wednesday. Who's getting what, and why?