Get a $600 game and ebook bundle for $30
Wow! There's some stellar stuff in here, and all proceeds go to charities, making this one of my favorite Humble Bundles to date. Plus: a free Wi-Fi thermostat?
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.
At the risk of sounding like a total shill for Humble Bundle, because I just shared one of their bundles last week, today's deal is quite possibly one of the best Humble Bundles ever. It's certainly one of my favorites.
Alas, because of the times in which we live, I suspect a few folks will find a way to be offended by it. Which is too bad, because it's an awesome deal.
Just a sliver of the titles included in the Humble Freedom Bundle.
Anyway. The Humble Freedom Bundle is a collection of over 45 (!) games, ebooks and other stuff. Your price: $30 (or more, if you like). Total value: over $600.
Unlike other Humble Bundles, this one is donating 100 percent of its proceeds to three excellent charities: Doctors Without Borders, the International Rescue Committee and -- here's where I'm probably going to get accused of "politics" -- the American Civil Liberties Union.
But, wait! If you don't like that particular nonprofit, just scroll down near the bottom of the bundle page, click choose where your money goes, then adjust the ACLU slider as you see fit. Ah, freedom of choice -- nothing like it.
The bundle is really quite amazing, with loads of top-rated games like The Witness (normally $40 all by itself), Day of the Tentacle Remastered, World of Goo, The Stanley Parable, Super Meat Boy and Invisible Inc. Most of these titles are multiplatform; a few are Windows-only. All are redeemed on Steam.
You also get a small, rather odd assortment of ebooks, audiobooks and graphic novels -- including programming guide "R in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition," for some reason. As always, these items are all DRM-free.
Mostly, however, it's games. Lots and lots of games. And I am so in.
Your thoughts? Let's keep it civil, people. (See what I did there?)
Bonus deal: I'm a huge fan of Wi-Fi-equipped thermostats you can control via app. Unfortunately, many of them -- cough, Nest, cough, Ecobee, cough -- sell for $250 or more. Ouch! Today only, Home Depot has the Honeywell Wi-Fi Programmable Touchscreen Thermostat for $79 shipped (plus tax). What's more, you may qualify for rebates! In my neck of the woods, for example, where gas and electric come from separate utilities, I can actually score both $75 and $50 rebates -- meaning I'd make money on the deal. Your mileage may vary, of course. But even if there's no rebate, that's a great price on a modern, home-smartening thermostat.