Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Why Should I Hire You?

IT managers share their favorite interview questions and the thinking behind them.
Favorite Interview Questions

Australian Economic Indicators, Aug 2007

A monthly compendium of economic statistics, presenting comprehensive tables, graphs, commentaries, feature articles and technical notes. Primarily a reference document, the publication provides a broad basis for analysis and research on the Australian economy and includes statistics that can be applied to both macro-economic and sectoral analyses. The publication contains statistics under the following headings: national accounts, international accounts, consumption and investment, production, prices, labour force and demography, incomes and labour costs, financial markets, state comparisons and international comparisons.
Australian Economic Indicators, Aug 2007

Unusual Hotels of the World

Online Guide of the World's most Unusual & Unique Hotels!
Unusual Hotels of the World

Internet Archive: Movies

Watch full-length feature films, classic shorts, world culture documentaries, World War II propaganda, movie trailers, and films created in just ten hours: These options are all featured in this diverse library! Many of these videos are available for free download.
Internet Archive: Movies

Free Movie Catalog

Select from hundreds of free movies. Since these movies are in the public domain, they can be downloaded to play on computers and transfered to mobile devices like MP3 players and cell phones.
Free Movie Catalog

Saturday, July 28, 2007

Lo-Glycemic Index diets help Obese lose Weight

Overweight adults who would like to shed some pounds may want to replace their white bread with a serving of beans, a research review suggests.
Lo-glycemic index diets help obese lose weight

Petrol Price Movements

Australian petrol prices move in line with international prices and for Australia the current international benchmark is the spot price of Singapore Mogas 95 Unleaded, which is the price of refined petrol in Singapore, not crude oil.
Petrol Price Movements

Time May Not Exist

No one keeps track of time better than Ferenc Krausz. In his lab at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching, Germany, he has clocked the shortest time intervals ever observed.
Time May Not Exist

Friday, July 27, 2007

Google Earth Reveals Oddities and Secrets

The editors at PC World spent some time using Google Earth to scour the surface of the planet, and they turned up some incredibly strange sights.
Google Earth Reveals Oddities and Secrets

Thursday, July 26, 2007

50 Craziest Celebrity Baby Names

Jordan's baby daughter Princess Tiaamii joins a long list of children doomed to playground ridicule by their celebrity parents.
50 Craziest Celebrity Baby Names

Inbox Zero

“Clearly, the problem of email overload is taking a toll on all our time, productivity, and sanity, mainly because most of us lack a cohesive system for processing our messages and converting them into appropriate actions as quickly as possible.”
Inbox Zero

10 Ways to Instantly Build Self Confidence

Self confidence is the difference between feeling unstoppable and feeling scared out of your wits. Your perception of yourself has an enormous impact on how others perceive you. Perception is reality — the more self confidence you have, the more likely it is you’ll succeed.
10 Ways to Instantly Build Self Confidence

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

1902 Encyclopedia (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 9th and 10th Editions)

The famous Ninth Edition (1875-89) of the Encyclopaedia Britannica is widely known as the "Scholar's Edition" for its high intellectual standards.
The Tenth Edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1902-03) reprinted all the volumes of the Ninth Edition and added further volumes to update the encyclopedia to the early 20th century.
Taken together, the articles of these two editions of the Britannica (presented here by 1902 Encyclopedia) constitute a authoritative reference library on every aspect of human knowledge.
1902 Encyclopedia (Encyclopaedia Britannica, 9th and 10th Editions)

Regional Population Growth, Australia, 1996 to 2006

Includes: Population Change, Accuracy of Population Estimates, Capital City Growth, Growth along the Coast, Growth in Inland Regional Centres, Small Area Population Declines.
Regional Population Growth, Australia, 1996 to 2006

Population by Age and Sex, Australia, 2006

Includes: Total Population, Age Distribution, Median Age, Children (under 15 years of age), Working Population (aged 15-64 years), Older People (aged 65 years and over), Sex Ratio
Population by Age and Sex, Australia, 2006

The Least Developed Countries Report, 2007

The least developed countries (LDCs) are a group of countries (presently 50 States) that have been officially identified by the United Nations as "least developed" in the light of their low income, weak human assets, and high economic vulnerability.
The Least Developed Countries Report, 2007

The New World's Tallest Building

On July 21, construction reached 1,680 feet on the 141st floor of the Burj Dubai tower in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, making it the largest building in the world.
Photos: The new world's tallest building

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Mo' iPhone, Mo' Problems

No, I didn't stand in line for an iPhone. I wasn't sure it could stand up to my occasional fumble-n-drop method of phone usage and I didn't want to buy a cell phone with a battery I couldn't replace. Read on...
Mo' iPhone, Mo' Problems

Saturday, July 21, 2007

10 Most Amazing Illusions

We think we perceive objective reality, but perception is always altered by invisible biases. Illusions demonstrate this fact. So go ahead, get your own perception from 10 of the coolest illusions ever made.
10 Most Amazing Illusions

Chinook - World Man-Machine Checkers Champion

The Chinook project began in 1989 with the goal of developing a program capable of defeating the human World Checkers Champion. In 1990, Chinook became the first program in any game to win the right to play for a human World Championship. The program lost the Championship match in 1992, but became Champion in 1994. By 1996, it became clear that the program was much stronger than any human, and Chinook was retired.
Chinook

God Plays Dice

A look at daily life through the eyes of a mathematician.
God Plays Dice

Common spice may help Alzheimer's patients

Turmeric, the main spice found in curry, may boost the immune system of patients with Alzheimer's disease and, thereby, increase the clearance of amyloid plaques in the brain.
Common spice may help Alzheimer's patients

Low glycemic index diets best for weight loss

Low glycemic index diets are more effective than other diet strategies for helping overweight or obese people lose weight and improve their cholesterol levels, a review of the medical literature shows.
Low Glycemic Index diets best for weight loss

Vitamin C useless for preventing or treating colds

For the average person, popping vitamin C pills is unlikely to ward off the common cold or shorten its length or severity. However, for people exposed to short bouts of extreme physical exercise or cold temperatures, vitamin C may markedly reduce their risk of catching a cold.
Vitamin C useless for preventing or treating colds

New test pinpoints deadliest Prostate Cancers

Scientists have found a new way to identify a particularly deadly form of prostate cancer in a breakthrough that could save tens of thousands of men from undergoing unnecessary surgery each year.
New test pinpoints deadliest Prostate Cancers

Thursday, July 19, 2007

5 Simple Ways to Store Your Files Online

5 simple online backup services that just work.
5 Simple Ways to Store Your Files Online

Seven Blunders of the World

The Seven Blunders of the World is a list that Mahatma Gandhi gave to his grandson Arun Gandhi, written on a piece of paper, on their final day together, not too long before his assassination.
Seven Blunders of the World

4 Powerful Reasons to Meditate and How To Get Started

Meditation is the art of silencing the mind. When the mind is silent, concentration is increased and we experience inner peace in the midst of worldly turmoil. This elusive inner peace is what attracts so many people to meditation and is a quality everyone can benefit from.
4 Powerful Reasons to Meditate and How To Get Started

wikiHow - The How-To Manual

wikiHow is a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest, highest quality how-to manual. With your edits, we can create a free resource that helps millions of people by offering solutions to the problems of everyday life. wikiHow currently contains 22,162 articles written, edited, and maintained primarily by volunteers.
wikiHow - The How-To Manual

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

10 virtually instant ways to improve your Life

Many of our problems come from within our own minds. They aren’t caused by events, bad luck, or other people. We cause them through our own poor mental habits. Here are 10 habits you should set aside right away to free yourself from the many problems each one will be causing you.
10 virtually instant ways to improve your Life

Good Math, Bad Math

Good Math, Bad Math is a blog which exists for two reasons:
1. For Mark Chu-Carroll to ramble about the beauty of mathematics, and try to share his enthusiasm for the subject.
2. To track down the bozos who use bad math to lie, distort reality, and in general support bad arguments; demonstrate their errors and their dishonesty; and generally mock them.
Good Math, Bad Math

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Prime Minister of Australia Weekly Radio Message

Australia is continuing to address the global challenge of climate change through practical and balanced responses.
Prime Minister of Australia Weekly Radio Message

Turn of the Century Magazines

The late 1800s and early 1900s were an exciting time to be part of the magazine industry. Literary and pulp magazines began to flourish as the cost of chemical wood pulp dropped from $366 per metric tonne in 1866 to $36 in 1900. Magazines like Munsey’s and McClure’s dropped their prices to around 10 cents and began produced volumes with novel-sized proportions.
Turn of the Century Magazines

State of World Population 2007

In 2008, the world reaches an invisible but momentous milestone: For the first time in history, more than half its human population, 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas. By 2030, this is expected to swell to almost 5 billion. Many of the new urbanites will be poor. Their future, the future of cities in developing countries, the future of humanity itself, all depend very much on decisions made now in preparation for this growth.
State of World Population 2007

100 Worst Cover Songs

Some of these covers were sincere attempts to make good songs, others are so inexplicably awful that you don't know what the hell they were thinking. Others are clearly meant to be jokes, but it doesn't make them sound any better, even so.
100 Worst Cover Songs

Travel: World's Longest Non-Stop Flights

You're traveling from Newark, NJ to Singapore... bring a book. You'll be in the air for almost 19 hours on the longest flight in the world, according to Forbes magazine.
Travel: World's Longest Non-Stop Flights

Lack of ability to smell may be early sign of Alzheimer’s

Researchers at Rush University Medical Center (Chicago, Illinois) conclude that problems with smelling may indicate an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease.
Lack of ability to smell may be early sign of Alzheimer’s

How Long Do You Need To Boil Water?

The fact is, with a water temperature of 165 degrees F (74 C) it takes just half an hour for all disease causing organisms to be inactivated. At 185 degrees this is cut to just a few minutes. By the time water hits its boiling point of 212 F (100 C) the water is safe. Even at high altitudes the time it takes for the water to reach a rolling boil and then cool means you can safely drink it.
How Long Do You Need To Boil Water?

Monday, July 16, 2007

The Wealthiest Americans Ever

An interactive graphic showing the 30 all-time richest Americans.
The Wealthiest Americans Ever

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Tour de France - Live Tracker 2007

Watch the exact position and additional data (heart rate, cadence, speed, power) of the racing cyclists on an interactive map.
Tour de France - Live Tracker 2007

Is Your Printer Spying On You?

MIT"s Media Lab has started a website that helps consumers contact the manufacturer of their printer so they can request that "tracking dots" be eliminated from their machines.
Is Your Printer Spying On You?

Tallest and Shortest

The world's tallest man, Bao Xishun today shook hands with He Pingping who claims to be Earth's shortest.
Worlds apart: Tallest and Shortest

Saturday, July 14, 2007

How to Travel the World with 10 Pounds or Less

The name of the game in world travel is being “fashionably light.”
How to Travel the World with 10 Pounds or Less

The Origin of Everyday Punctuation Marks

Here are the origins of several symbols we use in everyday life.
The Origin of Everyday Punctuation Marks

How to Actually Execute Your To-Do List

Getting things on your to-do list actually done is difficult because it’s really a collection of habits that most people don’t think about. Today, we’ll look at addressing those issues that stop you from doing things, and the habits needed to overcome those issues.
How to Actually Execute Your To-Do List

Thursday, July 12, 2007

10 Alternatives to iTunes for managing your iPod

This overview details the features (with screenshots) of 10 different programs other than iTunes to manage your iPod. Tutorials are included for every program, and they’re all either free or Open Source.
10 Alternatives to iTunes for managing your iPod

Seven Wonders of the Tech World

Seven Wonders of the Tech World

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

50 Best Websites 2007 - TIME

50 Best Websites 2007

Voluntary Work, Australia, 2006

Contains information about participation in unpaid voluntary work through an organisation or group. This publication includes data about the types of organisation with which the voluntary work is associated, the types of activities carried out, time spent volunteering, the characteristics of the volunteer, and the reason for volunteering. Also includes information about givers of monetary donations to organisations.
Voluntary Work, Australia, 2006

Monday, July 09, 2007

How to use Winamp to manage your iPod

This brief tutorial will show you how to use Winamp to manage your iPod.
How to use Winamp to manage your iPod

Sunday, July 08, 2007

101 Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

In every part of your house, everyday items — from clothespins to cotton swabs — are simply waiting to do surprising new things.
101 Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

Top 10 Most amazing facts about the Earth

1. Gravity is not the same over the surface of the Earth
etc
Top 10 Most amazing facts about the Earth

33 Names of Things You Never Knew had Names

1. AGLET - The plain or ornamental covering on the end of a shoelace.
2. ARMSAYE - The armhole in clothing.
etc
33 Names of Things You Never Knew had Names

Five Things that Are Worse than Global Warming

While public attention is focused on climate change, things elsewhere will continue much as always. During the 24 hours of Live Earth, 214,000 acres of tropical forest will disappear forever. Two billion gallons of human sewage will be dumped into the world's oceans. 10,800 children will die from drought or the lack of clean drinking water. And we'll be 85 million barrels closer to the end of the Petroleum Age.
Five Things that Are Worse than Global Warming

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Your Guide to Never Feeling Tired Again

The true culprits are our everyday habits: what we eat, how we sleep, and how we cope emotionally. Read on for some simple, recharging changes that can help you tackle all of the energy stealers in your life.
Your Guide to Never Feeling Tired Again

Do you want a Fly with that?

In a fantastic bit of advertising by the largest supermarket chain in Australia, a proof reader allowed this clip into the Coles Catalogue to advertise their in-store bakery.
Do you want a fly with that?

A Bite of Chocolate a Day May Keep Blood Pressure at Bay

Chocolate lovers can rejoice again: More research has found that the antioxidants in dark chocolate can help slightly lower blood pressure.
A Bite of Chocolate a Day May Keep Blood Pressure at Bay

Friday, July 06, 2007

Procrastination: Ten Things To Know

There are many ways to avoid success in life, but the most sure-fire just might be procrastination. Procrastinators sabotage themselves. They put obstacles in their own path. They actually choose paths that hurt their performance.
Procrastination: Ten Things To Know

Protect Your Data: everything else is just Plumbing

Steve Riley on Security. Stuck somewhere between marketing and consulting, and not afraid of (his own) opinions.
Protect Your Data: everything else is just Plumbing

Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, May 2007

In trend terms, short-term visitor arrivals to Australia in May 2007 (480,200 movements) changed little compared with April 2007 (479,900 movements). Short-term visitor arrivals are currently 6.0% higher than when the series last troughed in July 2006 (453,100 movements) and 5.3% higher than in May 2006 (455,900 movements).
Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, May 2007

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Australian Airspace Policy Statement

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Transport and Regional Services, Mark Vaile, said today he had issued the first Australian Airspace Policy Statement.
Australian Airspace Policy Statement

Drought Statement - Another Drier than average Month in Rainfall Deficient Areas

With the notable exceptions of Gippsland and southeast Queensland, June rainfall was mainly below to very much below average in the rainfall deficient areas of southwest WA, southern and southeastern Australia.
Drought Statement - Another drier than average month in rainfall deficient areas

iPhone Root Password cracked in Three Days

It's been out just three days, but already the Apple iPhone has been taken apart both literally and figuratively. The latest: inquisitive Apple fans have hacked into the firmware and discovered the master root password to the smart phone.
iPhone Root Password cracked in Three Days

Wednesday, July 04, 2007

9 Great Reasons to Drink Water

We all know that water is good for us, but often the reasons are a little fuzzy. And even if we know why we should drink water, it's not a habit that many people form.
9 Great Reasons to Drink Water, and How to Form the Water Habit

Western Australian Statistical Indicators, June 2007

In percentage terms, Western Australia's population growth of 17% between June 1996 and June 2006 was higher than the national average of 13% and was the 2nd highest among the states and territories behind Queensland with 23%. In 2005, there were 11,300 deaths registered in Western Australia. The underlying causes of death were mainly cancer (malignant neoplasms), ischaemic heart disease and stroke - together accounting for more than half (55%) of all deaths.
Western Australian Statistical Indicators, Jun 2007

Why Emails Should be Short Instead of Nice

We’re suffering from outdated rules and expectations about email that don’t work in our email-saturated world.
Why Emails Should be Short Instead of Nice

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Spinning Sihouette Optical Illusion

If you look at the spinning girl's silhouette, you will think it is spinning clockwise, probably. When you check her shadow below, momentarily the spinning direction changes in your mind, and now the girl is spinning counter-clockwise. It can be quite hard at the beginning to notice switch of the spinning direction, but eventually you'll manage.
Spinning Sihouette Optical Illusion - Mighty Optical Illusions

Man nearly sucked out of Seattle-bound Plane

Associated Press - Man survives with just cuts and bruises.
BOISE, Idaho - A flight nurse who had his head and right arm sucked through the broken window of an air ambulance at 20,000 feet said the hard shell of his headset frame may have saved his life.
Man nearly sucked out of Seattle-bound plane

Apple's iPhone: an initial (but in-depth) Review

While the iPhone is primarily marketed as a mobile phone, it's also the latest generation of iPod, a handheld computer with a web browser, an organizer, a note taker and a camera. Are all of its features worth its $500-600 price, particularly in view of criticisms lodged against AT&T's service and the missing features in the device itself?
Apple's iPhone: an initial (but in-depth) Review

Monday, July 02, 2007

iPhone: For the rest of the world it’s wait and see on 3G

It’s a testimony to the drawing power of the iPhone and marketing prowess of Apple that consumers are prepared to overlook the fact that it’s only available in the US on an obsolete Edge network. That may be good enough for US consumers but it probably won’t wash in Europe, much of Asia and here in Australia.
iPhone: For the rest of the world it’s wait and see on 3G

Top 10 iPhone Applications

The much-anticipated iPhone hit the streets recently (in the US). While developers and users alike aren't thrilled that third-party iPhone apps are limited to the web, you might be surprised at the impressive offerings that have already been developed for new iPhone users.
Top 10 iPhone Applications

10 Things that "Absolutely suck" about the iPhone

By Ben Guild
Today I went to the Apple store around 2PM EDT and waited for the iPhone with some friends that I'd had no idea would be there. I bought my phone, and was excited. Got home, couldn't get it to connect. After 15 minutes, realized that a new version of iTunes (7.3) had been released.
10 Things that "Absolutely suck" about the iPhone

Six Questions

We asked three writers, three scientists and two broadcasters to answer six basic scientific questions, and their answers appear to confirm the arts/science divide.
The Panel

HD video: iPhone Interface Complete Walkthrough - Engadget

It's not like you need any clearer a picture of what to expect from the iPhone interface at this point, but we'll show you some real world use of the device in this walkthrough as we churn through just about every app and option the iPhone's got.
HD video: iPhone Interface Complete Walkthrough

Sunday, July 01, 2007

10 Predictions about Climate Change to come True

Here are the hard facts about global warming that everyone should know, compiled for Times Online by internationally acclaimed writer, scientist and explorer Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: Our changing climate and what it means for life on earth.
Ten predictions about climate change that have come True

iPhone Disassembly

Take the iPhone apart - steps and photos.
iPhone Disassembly

and another...
Apple's iPhone Dissected