21 Settings, Techniques and Rules All New Camera Owners Should Know

A list of photography tips and techniques that new camera owners might like to work through in the coming weeks. Some are very basic while others go a little deeper - but all have been selected from our archives specifically for beginners and new camera owners. Enjoy.
21 Settings, Techniques and Rules All New Camera Owners Should Know

Can you cure a hangover?

If you've ever dragged yourself into work a little bleary-eyed after a festive night out, you'll have heard people saying "Now what you need is…" followed by some improbable and unpalatable home remedy.
Can you cure a hangover?

How to Clean a Toilet With Coke

Is your toilet full of limescale and other nasty stains and you don't have a chemical toilet cleaner on hand? Or are you looking for less expensive and/or non-toxic cleaning solutions? Don't worry, just reach for the fridge, and grab a Coke!
How to Clean a Toilet With Coke

The Pointless Pursuit of More: When is Enough Enough?

Wants are almost insatiable; that one want satisfied makes way for another. … economically we have a boundless field before us; that there are new wants which will make way endlessly for newer wants, as far as they are satisfied.
The Pointless Pursuit of More: When is Enough Enough?

Everything You Need to Know How to Do in Windows

A review of the most popular Lifehacker Windows tutorials ever published.
Everything You Need to Know How to Do in Windows

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all!

Thanks for stopping by in 2008 and we'll see you again in early 2009. Until then, have a Good One!

Pete

Happy Birthday Earthrise

Forty years ago, the biggest TV audience in history tuned in to watch humankind's first close encounter with another world, as the crew of Apollo 8 reached lunar orbit. Here, the Apollo historian and film-maker Dr Christopher Riley gives his perspective on the mission and how that Christmas Eve of 1968 changed the world.
Happy Birthday Earthrise

Help Clueless Relatives with Their Computer Problems

"Can you take a look at my computer?" is the dreaded question your clueless family member will ask when you're home for the holidays. Let's review some common computer complaints and the easiest solutions.
Help Clueless Relatives with Their Computer Problems

Top 100 Products of 2008

In this post we've done a megalist, the top 100 products of 2008.
Top 100 Products of 2008

News review 2008: The year in science

It was a year when everything seemed to fall apart. Fuel, food, finance - it all went wrong, and the consequences will dog the world next year and beyond. It wasn't all doom and gloom, however.
News review 2008: The year in science

The 12 Graphs of Christmas

It’s the time of year when people from many parts of the earth take time off to eat, drink and be merry, or something like it. But just how excited is the social media universe about the upcoming holidays? Here are some metrics to put the holiday mindshare into perspective.
The 12 Graphs of Christmas

8 Santa Trackers For Christmas Eve 2008, From NORAD Santa To Twitter

It’s Christmas Eve, and that means Santa Claus is out doing his run. But where is Santa right now? Thanks to the internet, there’s a huge number of ways to get Santa sightings. Below, a summary that covers online video sightings, Santa’s phone number (he has elves to talk for him while driving), email updates, tracking him via your mobile phone and yes, even getting Twitter updates.
8 Santa Trackers For Christmas Eve 2008, From NORAD Santa To Twitter

How to stick to your New Year’s resolutions – 12 tips.

It’s almost New Year’s Eve, and that means it’s the season for resolutions. I’ve always been part of the 44% of Americans who make (and also break) New Year’s resolutions; I’m a big believer in the power of small changes to make us happier.
How to stick to your New Year’s resolutions – 12 tips

Top 10 Places Already Affected by Climate Change

Cities deep underwater, frozen continents, the collapse of global agriculture: so far, much of the discussion about climate change has focused on these distant, catastrophic effects of a superheated world. What's less talked about is how global warming is making itself felt already. Even the modest temperature rise we've already experienced has set in motion fundamental shifts—and the further warming we can expect in the next few decades has the potential to set off dramatic changes.
Top 10 Places Already Affected by Climate Change

9 Strong Reasons To Eat Slowly

The most prominent benefit of eating slowly is reduced intake of food and, therefore, weight loss, which has its own health benefits like lowering blood pressure or arthritis prevention.
9 Strong Reasons To Eat Slowly

How to Get Rid of Fleas

Sometimes pets accidentally bring some friends home to play, and those friends happen to be tiny, blood-sucking, and persistent. Here's how to get rid of the unwelcomed guests.
How to Get Rid of Fleas

Geometry Fail

Triangular square?
Geometry Fail

How to Iron Clothes Without an Iron

If your iron just broke (or you just don't feel like pulling it out) try this little trick from essortment:
How to Iron Clothes Without an Iron

Cricket Australia Launches YouTube Channel

If wall-to-wall TV broadcasts of cricket over summer aren't enough for you, Cricket Australia has the solution: its own YouTube channel for even more leather-and-willow goodness. The channel's currently dominated by background information on current players and recent activities, but Cricket Australia is promising more archive footage in the future.
Cricket Australia Launches YouTube Channel

The World From Above: The Beauty Of Aerial Photography

Aerial photography offers a drastically different perspective than the one you get from shooting on the ground. It includes photographs taken from aircraft, helicopters, balloons, rockets, kites, skydives, etc. It can be a rewarding, challenging and enriching experience. It can produce unique shots that look different than any other ground shot you have ever taken. Scenic flights can give you some great, memorable photos.
The World From Above: The Beauty Of Aerial Photography

Over 238 000 people were killed by catastrophes in 2008

Preliminary Swiss Re sigma estimates that over 238 000 people were killed by catastrophes in 2008, insured losses soar to USD 50 billion.
Over 238 000 people were killed by catastrophes in 2008

24 Most Underrated Websites of 2008

Over the past year we’ve reviewed sites from just about every cross-section of the web. And yet, so many ground breaking new services haven’t received the recognition they deserve: we aim to set that straight.
24 Most Underrated Websites of 2008

10 ways to achieve financial success

In scary times like these it’s all too easy to forget the financial basics. The other day, Patricia Q. Brennan, a certified financial planner and professor emerita at Rutgers University, who has been teaching women about personal finance for almost 40 years, gave a talk on the 10 essential things women need to do. We think her advice applies just as well to that other gender.
10 ways to achieve financial success, even now

Nine Creative Ways to Utilize Leftovers from Common Meals

One of the best ways to really extract the value from a meal is to utilize every bit of the leftover food instead of merely throwing it away. Not only does this reduce waste, it also drastically reduces the cost per meal in your household, and over the long term, that can add up to a lot of money.
Nine Creative Ways to Utilize Leftovers from Common Meals

The Best and Worst Places to Stash Cash in Your Home

The current economy has many people considering a simpler method of financial security – cold, hard cash. And while we all agree that a buck has value, it is also a bit vulnerable when not hidden properly. Forget the $3000 hi-tech safe, and stick with these affordable tricks.
The Best and Worst Places to Stash Cash in Your Home

Living in the Future: The Dangers of Overplanning

Everywhere on and off the web, people talk about the benefits of planning. Plans help you define your goals, help you determine what tasks are needed and when you need to do them. And plans help you stay on track when distractions set in. So, what’s not to love about plans?
Living in the Future: The Dangers of Overplanning

A visit to the coldest town on Earth

Founded by Mongols in the time of Ghengis Kahn, the town of Oymyakon is the coldest permanently inhabited place on earth.
A visit to the coldest town on Earth

David Pogue's Best Photography Tricks

Tech columnist David Pogue pulls out "The Best Photography Tricks of All Time" for anyone shooting digital, including the crafty use of a lampshade.
Digital Photography: David Pogue's Best Photography Tricks

Digital camera Ratings: Good choices for every budget

What could possibly make a compact worth considering for $500 or so? Three such cameras—the Canon PowerShot G10, $470, Panasonic DMC-LX3, $500, and Nikon Coolpix P6000, $450—are loaded with special features.
Digital camera Ratings: Good choices for every budget

The scientific guide to gift wrapping

Need to squash all your presents into the smallest parcel possible? Here's how...
The scientific guide to gift wrapping

Make your own Alka Seltzer for a fraction of the cost

Over on Instructables, Belsey shows how to make your own Alka Seltzer for a fraction of the cost.
Make your own Alka Seltzer for a fraction of the cost

30 Unforgettable Movie Opening Sequences

We all know that first impressions are important, right? Well, the same goes for film. The opening title sequence of a film is that film’s opportunity to make a good first impression on you, the viewer. A well-crafted title sequence introduces the audience to the tone and theme of the film as well as the cast and crew.
30 Unforgettable Movie Opening Sequences

Blackstump Australia Issue 47 - December 21, 2008

This weeks latest new family friendly sites from The Black Stump...the final issue for 2008 - see you in early January!!!
Blackstump Australia Issue 47 - December 21, 2008

FilePhile: Free Unlimited File Transfer

Secure Unlimited File Transfers. Any Computer, Any File, Any Size, Anywhere With Professional Grade Encryption.
FilePhile: Free Unlimited File Transfer

Most Popular DIY Projects of 2008

When it comes to saving time and money, sometimes the best approach means rolling up your sleeves and doing it yourself. Check out the best DIY projects featured here in 2008 and beyond.
Most Popular DIY Projects of 2008

Baby Blogging: 8 Trendy Tools Compared

When baby needs to blog, and in this day and age it seem almost a life necessity with babies twittering from the cradle, where does mommy turn for a child and parent-friendly site for micro and macro baby publishing?
Baby Blogging: 8 Trendy Tools Compared

21 Sites To Find Out What’s Hot Online

Is it important for you to stay informed of daily news? Do you try to always be up-to-date with what people are talking about throughout the world? If “yes” is the answer to both of the questions, then today’s post on how to spot internet hot trends is right for you!
21 Sites To Find Out What’s Hot Online

What is Gibberish to One is an Etymology to Another

Gibberish is an undignified word, and this is the reason we have difficulties in discovering its origin.
What is Gibberish to One is an Etymology to Another

Internet Explorer Exploit Temporary Fix Now Available

Microsoft will be pushing out an unscheduled security patch for Internet Explorer's recently-discovered vulnerability tomorrow, but you can get a temporary patch from British software security firm Prevx today.
Internet Explorer Exploit Temporary Fix Now Available

Preservation for Home Movies

Home movies all too often get relegated to basements where they sit with recordings of made-for-TV movies or other equally-neglected videos. Of course, there are always the semi-annual walks down memory lane where people pull out the documentation of times past, but as a general rule, our home movies are going the way of dinosaurs. Please add to the growing collection at Internet Archive. Keep your footage safe while sharing in a collective vision to archive our heritage. If you have uploaded a home movie on the archive and would like it added to this collection, please contact skip@avgeeks.com.
Preservation for Home Movies

Disk Wipe Utility

Disk wiping describes the process of deleting data of a partition or entire hard drive so that the data cannot be recovered by data recovery software. Copy Wipe is a disk wipe utility for DOS or Windows that can be used to delete the contents of a partition or hard drive permanently. It can also be used to copy data from one partition or hard drive to another as well hence the name Copy Wipe.
Disk Wipe Utility

OPEN WEB AWARDS: People’s Choice Winners

Today we’re pleased to announce the winners of The 2nd Annual Open Web Awards, a multilingual, international online voting competition that covers major innovations in web technology. Through an online nominating and voting process, the Open Web Awards recognizes and honors the top achievements of websites and services in 26 categories.
OPEN WEB AWARDS: People’s Choice Winners

How To Polish Shoes With A Banana

No need for shoe polish when you have a banana around. You can eat the banana itself, just remember to keep the banana skin.
How To Polish Shoes With A Banana

Effective Communication

We’ve all seen spam emails and hyped-up sales pages that look so sleazy. We see large fonts, boldface, red text, and sometimes even blinking text. Everyone claims to be able to change your life with this one secret you absolutely need. Effortless abundance is there for the taking, but you must ACT NOW because they only have one product left.
Effective Communication

How to Convert Vinyl to MP3

These two videos show you how to convert your records to MP3 format using a free program called audacity.
How to Convert Vinyl to MP3

6 Ways to Convert a PDF to a JPG

PDF files can be a pain. You need a special program to view them which could mean long loading times.
6 Ways to Convert a PDF to a JPG

Most Popular Free Windows Downloads of 2008

Here's the full run-down of the 12 most popular Windows downloads of 2008.
Most Popular Free Windows Downloads of 2008

Cool Tools: Gift Guides 2008

The holiday shopping season is in full swing. By now, you're either finished (congrats) or catching up. Here's a few gift guides we recommend, because unlike a lot of year-end round-ups, they don't simply list what's new or flashy, but in most cases make a compelling case for why the stuff's interesting, fun and worth considering.
Cool Tools: Gift Guides 2008

Australian court rules that Facebook "Wall" scribbles are legal notice

An Australian court has ruled that a posting on someone's Facebook page can serve as legal notice.
Australian court rules that Facebook "Wall" scribbles are legal notice

The 10 Most Popular Slide Shows of 2008: Scientific American

Here we present Scientific American.com's most-viewed slide shows of 2008.
The 10 Most Popular Slide Shows of 2008

Microsoft warns of Internet Explorer security flaw

Users of the world's most common web browser have been advised to switch to another browser until a serious security flaw has been fixed.
Microsoft warns of Internet Explorer security flaw

Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories

From the ABS. In the 12 months to 30 June 2008, the Australian population increased by 359,000 people, reaching 21,374,000. The annual growth rate for the year ended 30 June 2008 (1.7%) was higher than that recorded for the year ended 30 June 2007 (1.5%).
Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories

How to Compromise with Your Spouse

Always feeling like the doormat when it comes to making decisions with your spouse? Or perhaps it's you who always calls the shots and your spouse meekly obliges, to the point where you feel they no longer contribute enthusiastically to the relationship. Either way, compromise between spouses is a key skill essential to a lifetime of cooperation, ever-growing love and continued respect for one another.
How to Compromise with Your Spouse

18 Top Tips for Buying Used Clothes

If the national media is any indication, more people are embracing the notion of buying used clothing from thrift stores and consignment shops. Last week, USA Today ran a story describing how secondhand stores are reaping the benefits of recession.
18 Top Tips for Buying Used Clothes

Is This the Thinnest House in the World?

May be the thinnest, smallest house in any city in the world.The house is located in Amsterdam.
Is This the Thinnest House in the World?

How to Avoid Spiked Drinks

There are many stories about spiked drinks and some of them unfortunately are true.[1][2] Spiking drinks with drugs is done with the aim of taking advantage of a person while their sense of reality is distorted, and sometimes this leads to assaults such as date rape, making people ill so that they cannot perform in sport etc., and robbery.[3] The type of drugs used in drinks to create drowsiness or even unconsciousness include Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine.[4] If you have any concerns because you are alone or you don't feel that the situation is quite right, it pays to keep alert and pull back on your drinking. Here are some suggestions to help you avoid spiked drinks when out partying.
How to Avoid Spiked Drinks

Top 10 DIY Photography Tools

As productivity thinker Merlin Mann recently wrote, getting better at photography can be a long-haul test of willpower and humility. It doesn't have to be expensive, though.
Top 10 DIY Photography Tools

Most Popular How-To Features of 2008

From classic topics like Windows tweaking and iPod how-tos to more recent favorites like the iPhone or Wii, our most popular how-to features of 2008 souped up your hardware and squeezed more from your PC.
Most Popular How-To Features of 2008

Scientists extract images directly from brain

Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people’s dreams while they sleep.
Scientists extract images directly from brain

Blackstump Australia Issue 46 - December 14, 2008

This weeks latest new family friendly sites from The Black Stump...
Blackstump Australia Issue 46 - December 14, 2008

Giz Explains: Everything You Need to Know About Hard Drives

Some say that the end of the trusty hard drive is near, killed by SSD. But let's not be so quick to give up on a technology that stores a whole terabyte for $100.
Giz Explains: Everything You Need to Know About Hard Drives

Quick Media Converter

Quick Media Converter is free software that can be used to convert video formats easily. It comes with an easy and expert mode to suite experienced and inexperienced users. The easy mode is basically a one-screen media converter. Users begin by picking the desired output format from a list of available ones.
Quick Media Converter

New migraine drug shows promise

If you've never had a migraine, you might think of one as no worse than a bad headache. But the reality is that migraines can cause severe pain that lasts for several days, often accompanied by nausea and unpleasant sensitivity to light and sound. According to the World Health Organization, migraines are one of the most disabling long-term conditions.
New migraine drug shows promise

First images of the damage that shut the LHC

In September, in a circular 27-kilometre tunnel beneath the Swiss-French border, the most complex machine ever built was switched onMovie Camera. Riding on the Large Hadron Collider were the hopes of hundreds of excited physicists, who hoped that by colliding proton beams at near light speed it would reveal new particles and solve old mysteries. Yet after just nine days of operation, an accident closed the LHC down. See images showing the damage caused, and learn more about what happened.
First images of the damage that shut the LHC

How to Remove Red Wine from Fabric

Whether you're a red wine enthusiast or you're serving it to a group of people (and you know there's a good chance some of it will end up on someone's clothes, the sofa, or the tablecloth) here are some ways you can pull out the stain before it sets. The important thing is to use any of these solutions as soon as possible after the wine was spilled.
How to Remove Red Wine from Fabric

Want an out-of-body experience? Research shows you can!

Swedish neuroscientists have produced the phenomenon called “body-swap illusion” in experimental volunteers. A male, for instance, can experience the movements of a women’s hands like they were his own.
Want an out-of-body experience? Research shows you can!

How to Unshrink Your Clothes

Don’t give your shrunken clothes to needy children—make them wearable again instead! All you need is white vinegar and a sponge.
How to Unshrink Your Clothes

How to Stop Hesitating

Be bold - decisive! What? You can't? Do you find yourself suffering angst and taking forever over the smallest of decisions? Discover how to step up!
How to Stop Hesitating

How to Avoid Jet Lag

Timezone travel is a pain. When you're flying across timezones, it can take your body a bit of time to adjust. In the meantime, you're graced with unpleasant symptoms like fatigue, insomnia, constipation, diarrhea, confusion, and more - enough to make any trip or vacation difficult to enjoy - while your body matches its internal clock to your new external clock. Fortunately, there are some things you can do to ease and speed up the transition.
How to Avoid Jet Lag

Overcoming Negative Self-Talk

I was sitting in my car in bumper-to-bumper traffic and I was not happy about it. I was due into my office for a 9 a.m. meeting and I knew I would never make it on time. All sorts of thoughts started to run through my head. Wasn’t I a fool for not leaving enough time for my drive? What if my boss reprimanded me for being late, or worse yet, fired me? Why shouldn’t I be on time when my co-workers were going to be? As my mind raced from one thought to the next, I started to get a headache. My heart was thumping and the back of my neck was beginning to sweat. All in all, I felt terrible.
Overcoming Negative Self-Talk

10 Tips for Looking Your Best

Tim Gunn, one of the most reputable voices in the fashion industry, has a list of ten essential items every woman must have in her wardrobe. They are:
10 Tips for Looking Your Best

Google Zeitgeist 2008

As the year comes to a close, it's time to look at the big events, memorable moments and emerging trends that captivated us in 2008. As it happens, studying the aggregation of the billions of search queries that people type into the Google search box gives us a glimpse into the zeitgeist — the spirit of the times. We've compiled some of the highlights from Google searches around the globe and hope you enjoy looking back as much as we do.
Google Zeitgeist 2008

Your retirement or your kids?

Helping out financially isn’t always the best thing—for you or for them.
Your retirement or your kids?

2008 to be extended by one second

Those eager to see 2008 come to a close will have to wait a second longer. A single leap second will be added at the end of the year to accommodate a subtle slow-down in the Earth's rotation.
2008 to be extended by one second

Victoria - 101 Must Do's

Read why people voted and why you should get out and explore all that Victoria has to offer.
Victoria - 101 Must Do's

How to Remove a Ring That's Stuck on Your Finger

Maybe it’s the salty food that did it. Or could be you squeezed someone else’s engagement ring on your hand to see what it looks like, and then panicked when it wouldn’t come off.
How to Remove a Ring That's Stuck on Your Finger

The Savvy Shopper's Guide to This Year's Online Deal Finders

With all the belt-tightening going on in this economy, it's no surprise that coupon codes and deal finders—especially for online shoppers—are the hottest tools on the web right now. With only a week or so left to finish your online holiday shopping in time for the packages to show up at your door before the 24th, it's time to fill those virtual carts and get to hitting "Checkout."
The Savvy Shopper's Guide to This Year's Online Deal Finders

John Lennon Died 28 Years Ago Today; a Word to Boing Boing from Yoko

Yoko Ono has kindly emailed Boing Boing this beautiful photograph of her husband, former Beatle John Lennon, who was murdered on this day in 1980. Photographer Allan Tannenbaum took the image on November 26, 1980, just a couple of weeks before Lennon passed away.
John Lennon Died 28 Years Ago Today; a Word to Boing Boing from Yoko

How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks

Stretch marks are caused when skin changes shape too quickly (think weight gain, weight loss, or pregnancy). This sudden change causes a tear in the middle layer of your skin, the dermis. The collagen and elastin fibers in the dermis rupture, and you end up with "underground" scars that look like stripes on the affected area. The sooner you treat them, the better your chances of removing them, but that doesn't mean you're out of options if you've had your stretch marks for years.
How to Get Rid of Stretch Marks

Get Stuff Done by Becoming a Weekend Luddite

Reinhard Engels over at the self improvement blog Everyday Systems, found that his weekends were astoundingly unproductive. Despite having a job that had him stuck in front of a desk every day all week, he would gravitate towards his computer on the weekends and wile away the hours.
Get Stuff Done by Becoming a Weekend Luddite

Australia's Internet filtering too ambitious, doomed to fail

It's tough being a government these days; who has the energy to clean up the Internet after a hard day's work bailing out the financial sector? Not the Australian government, it seems. Rather than actually doing something about illegal content, they just make a list of it and tell ISPs to filter everything that's on the list. Sidestepping the murky political details and—for the moment—the civil liberties problems inherent in this approach, let's take a closer look at the technical aspects of such a plan.
Australia's Internet filtering too ambitious, doomed to fail

Blackstump Australia Issue 45 - December 7, 2008

This weeks latest sites ftom The Black Stump...
Blackstump Australia Issue 45 - December 7, 2008

How to Craft the Perfect Speech

At some or other point in our lives, we’re likely to be called upon to make a speech, be it for a family wedding or a presentation at work. While maintaining a degree of spontaneity is crucial, winging the whole thing is probably not the best option. Instead, taking the time to prepare something solid can leave a memorable impression for years to come.
How to Craft the Perfect Speech

404 Error Page Best Of

Following a link or entering an url manually can have two results in the web browser. A website is loaded or an error message is shown. One of the most dreaded error messages of them all is the 404 error page not found.
404 Error Page Best Of

How is Your Home Wi-Fi Network Performing?

Have you taken a look at the speeds you’re getting with your home Wi-Fi network lately? Many web workers work out of their homes, and if that’s you and you work wirelessly, it makes a lot of sense to do a checkup.
How is Your Home Wi-Fi Network Performing?

Safely Remove Stains from Leather Furniture

Vinegar has so many uses: It cleans your microwave, allows you to iron a permanent crease in your pants, prevents residue buildup in your dishwasher—and cleans leather furniture!
Safely Remove Stains from Leather Furniture

Ditch the salt, keep the flavour

When cooking, taste your food before adding salt. Try other flavor enhancers, such as herbs and spices, salt-free seasoning blends, citrus juice or zest, and flavored vinegars instead of salt.
Ditch the salt, keep the flavour

Astrometry Photos

Flickr: The astrometry Pool.Astrometry Photos

Most Underhyped Apps of 2008

Now that you've seen all the big names and launches of 2008, it's time to give a nod to the apps that didn't get the attention they should have this past year. If you're sick of hearing about Firefox and the iPhone and Gmail and Chrome, you're in the right place. Let's take a look at the least hyped software that launched or saw great improvements in 2008, and give 'em the love they deserve.
Most Underhyped Apps of 2008

Brain quirk makes eyewitnesses less reliable

Eyewitness accounts of crimes could be more untrustworthy than we thought. Describing an event straight after it occurs makes witnesses more susceptible to providing false information in subsequent retellings, a new study finds.
Brain quirk makes eyewitnesses less reliable

HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Google Maps

Google Maps has become the standard mapping utility for everything from getting directions and finding nearby food options to viewing the surface of the moon. Are you getting the most out of your Google Maps experience? Keep reading to get some helpful hints on how to maximize (or minimize) all your mapping desires.
HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Google Maps

Telstra says Net filtering useless, GetUp wants re-think

Telstra’s Greg Winn has poured cold water over the Government’s filtering plans, saying it's akin to trying to “boil the ocean” and that people will find a way around it, while GetUp!’s campaign to “Save the Net” draws huge support from Australians.
Telstra says Net filtering useless, GetUp wants re-think

Use Coca-Cola to Remove Scratches from DVDs

Here’s another interesting suggestion from jackald at Metacafe.
Use Coca-Cola to Remove Scratches from DVDs

Paint Job Win

Burning...
Paint Job Win

Open Web Awards: The Finals

The moment is here. After more than 50,000 nominations and in excess of 80,000 verified votes from the web community, we’re pleased to announce the finalists in the Open Web Awards, an open, international contest to find the web’s best sites and services. Congratulations to all the finalists!
Open Web Awards: The Finals

Funny Pic: Lunch

Its the animal kingdom version of a sushi train. Lunch on the run, killer whale style.
Funny Pic: Lunch

Conundrum: A Cold Spoor Warmed Up

No talk show about words and no word column can do without a question about conundrum. Since the label “of unknown origin” has stuck fast to it, the questions will never cease, and therein lies their main beauty.
Conundrum: A Cold Spoor Warmed Up

Women in science group want a female Doctor Who

The UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology is calling for the next Doctor Who to be a woman, in order to inspire girls to take up careers in science (and time-lording).
Women in science group want a female Doctor Who

AOL 2008 Year in Review: The Hottest Search Trends

The presidential election reigned supreme in the land of America (Online), as politically charged queries ranged across more than 40 categories in AOL’s annual lists of top Web, mobile and video searches. Celebrity news, captivating headlines and pop culture continued to captivate the online audience; emerging mobile devices bumped activity for social apps like MySpace and Facebook, as well as sharing videos downloaded via apps for the iPhone.
AOL 2008 Year in Review: The Hottest Search Trends

Google 2008 Year-End Zeitgeist; Fastest Rising Searches

Google’s official list of the most popular search activity for 2008, aka Zeitgeist, has yet to make its debut, but the search giant has been leaking out tasty tidbits of data to get us salivating for even more search data.
Google 2008 Year-End Zeitgeist; Fastest Rising Searches

12 mental exercises -- zany but productive

Dorothea Brande was an American writer and editor, well known for her books Wake Up and Live and Becoming a Writer (a useful resource for writers, by the way). In Wake Up and Live, she suggests twelve mental exercises to make your mind keener and more flexible.
12 mental exercises -- zany but productive

'Port' and 'sherry' out as Canberra signs wine deal with EU

FIRST it was champagne. Now Australia has agreed to European demands to drop the terms "port" and "sherry" to describe locally made fortified wines.
'Port' and 'sherry' out as Canberra signs wine deal with EU

100+ More Ways to Organize Your Life

From basic to do lists to event planning, fitness, educational organizers, and more, here are 100 new applications to get you even more organized.
100+ More Ways to Organize Your Life

Australia experiences record population growth: ABS

Australia recorded its fastest population growth since 1989, according to figures released today from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. As at 30 June 2008, Australia's population had grown to 21,374,000, an increase of 1.7% or 359,000 people. Net overseas migration contributed 213,500 people (or 59% of growth) to Australia's population and natural increase (the excess of births over deaths) contributed 145,500 (41%).
Australia experiences record population growth: ABS

Manage Your Online Reputation

Are you happy with the results people get back when they Google your name? If not, there are easy ways to monitor and guide what information is published about you online. Two years ago we covered how to have a say in what Google says about you, and more recently, and how to track down anyone online. But a rash of social media sites have arisen that give you more tools to help you manage your online reputation and become more findable.
Manage Your Online Reputation

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2008

With politics and the economy foremost on the minds of many, it is no wonder that bailout—a word ubiquitously featured in discussions of the presidency and fiscal policy—took home honors as Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year for 2008.
Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2008

NORAD TRACKS SANTA 2008

All the preparations for this year are in place! Return on Christmas Eve to track St. Nick on his magical flight around the world! Until then, come back each day to receive updates from the North Pole and to discover new surprises in the Kids' Countdown.
NORAD TRACKS SANTA 2008

Year in Review 2008 from Yahoo! Buzz

Olympian highs and politics as unusual, to celebrity hopefuls and market meltdowns: Through millions of searches and thousands of stories each day, people sought to make sense of the world around them. Take a look back at what captivated our imagination and fueled our passions in 2008, a very historic year indeed.
Year in Review 2008 from Yahoo! Buzz

Ask Top 2008 Searches

The lowdown on 2008 from Ask.
Ask Top 2008 Searches

Smiley sky above Oz

Jupiter and Venus line up to create a smiley face with the crescent-shaped moon.
Smiley sky above Oz

Woman has perfect "episodic memory"

"People say to me: Oh, how fascinating, it must be a treat to have a perfect memory," she says. Her lips twist into a thin smile. "But it's also agonizing."
Woman has perfect "episodic memory"

The 100 Best Movies of 2008

Times and Sunday Times critics pick their favourite films of the year.
The 100 Best Movies of 2008

How to Choose a Haircut That Flatters Your Facial Shape

Your hair is your crown, so it should be treated like a crown and make you feel like royalty. A good hair day needs a good haircut and good haircuts are made with more than just scissors and gel. The two most noticeable things about you would definitely be your face and your personality (unless of course you have 3 arms or something) so you should definitely take these things in account when choosing your hairstyle.
How to Choose a Haircut That Flatters Your Facial Shape

Diamond Ring Buying Tips

It pays to learn as much as you can before purchasing a diamond ring. Knowing all about the four Cs, having a budget and thoroughly vetting your jeweler are tips that will help you buy the diamond ring of your dreams.
Diamond Ring Buying Tips

HD or Standard Def? One in Five HDTV Owners Don't Know the Difference

If it's flat and has a big-screen, it's high-def, right? Apparently, a lot of HDTV buyers think so.
HD or Standard Def? One in Five HDTV Owners Don't Know the Difference

Laptop Buying Guide

Laptops are diversifying. Depending on your needs, you can find a model with a 7-, 9-, 13-, 14-, 15-, 17, or even 20-inch display. Battery life is getting longer, smaller systems are getting lighter (though at the expense of speed). Larger models are still hefty, but they're getting faster, rivaling desktop models.
Laptop Buying Guide

Five Best CD and DVD Burning Tools

The internet has made it easier than ever to share media and data with friends, family, and co-workers, but that doesn't mean burning your own CDs and DVDs is a thing of the past. Blank optical discs are dirt cheap, they work virtually everywhere, and if you bought your computer sometime in the last 5 years, chances are you've got the necessary hardware to quickly burn anything you want to a disc in just a few minutes. Now all you need is the right authoring tools.
Five Best CD and DVD Burning Tools

The Best Online Sources To Play & Learn Chess

Sites to play and learn chess.
The Best Online Sources To Play & Learn Chess

Blackstump Australia Issue 44 - November 30, 2008

This weeks latest sites ftom The Black Stump...
Blackstump Australia Issue 44 - November 30, 2008

Why You Shouldn't Care What Others Think About You

Who’s in control of your life? Who’s pulling your strings? For the majority of us, it’s other people – society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course. We were brainwashed.
Why You Shouldn't Care What Others Think About You

35 Things Every PC User Should Know

Want to speed up your broadband connection? Diagnose mysterious crashes? Move massive files across the Internet? Sooner or later, you will--and you'll find step-by-step instructions for these and other common PC tasks right here.
35 Things Every PC User Should Know

How to Use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

EFT is a drug-free, easy-to-learn technique that may reduce stress or painful emotions associated with thoughts, past experiences, etc. There are several points on your body where you will tap, gently, with your fingers, while holding in mind the troublesome thought.
How to Use the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Warren Buffett's 10 Ways To Get Rich

With an estimated fortune of $62 billion, Warren Buffett is the richest man in the entire world. In 1962, when he began buying stock in Berkshire Hathaway, a share cost $7.50. Today, Buffett, 78, is Berkshire's chairman and CEO, and one share of the company's class A stock worth close to $119,000. He credits his astonishing success to several key strategies, which he has shared with writer Alice Schroeder. She spend hundreds of hours interviewing the Sage of Omaha for the new authorized biography The Snowball. Here are some of Buffett's money-making secrets -- and how they could work for you.
Warren Buffett's 10 Ways To Get Rich

Copy iPhone to Computer

iTunes users could not directly copy music files from iPhone to pc desktop or laptop because iTunes blocks iPhone-to-computer song/video transfer. But we can utilize other programs to achieve that. Here is step-by-step guide on how to transfer songs and videos from iPhone to computer.
Copy iPhone to Computer

India: 80 Reported Dead in Bombay Terror Attacks, 7 Locations Attacked

Terrorists struck at India's financial capital late Wednesday night as at least seven near-simultaneous firings and explosions rocked areas in the vicinity of posh hotels in South Mumbai, leaving ten persons dead and several injured.
India: 80 Reported Dead in Bombay Terror Attacks, 7 Locations Attacked

How to Master the Art of Forgiveness

Many people find it hard to forgive. As we go through life, it’s inevitable that we’ll come across people who wrong us in one way or another. From the one who cuts you off in traffic to the one who puts you on hold and forgets about you, there’s no shortage of people out there who aren’t treating us exactly the way we’d like. Unfortunately, we’re rather limited in our ability to influence their behavior. But the good news is that we have a lot of control over how we react to them.
How to Master the Art of Forgiveness

Get Windows 7's Best Features Right Now

If you're tired of hearing about Windows 7's upcoming features while you sit and stare at your aging XP or Vista desktop, take solace in a few free apps and themes that can give you a taste right now. While it's true that Windows 7 isn't much different from Windows Vista (inside and out), a few neat features are worth trying out, and you can do it without installing the Windows 7 Preview. Here are a few free apps and alternatives that simulate Windows 7's built-in features.
Get Windows 7's Best Features Right Now

Why It Pays to Ignore Financial News

Financial news can be dangerous to the health of your investment portfolio.
Why It Pays to Ignore Financial News

Bargains For The Holidays May Be Just Clicks Away

With the economy in a tailspin, consumers may be looking for every edge they can get this holiday season when they shop for bargains.
Bargains For The Holidays May Be Just Clicks Away

How did turtles get their shells?

Ever wonder how a turtle got its shell? You're not the only one. Evolutionary biologists and paleontologists have long been stumped by the question. But a recently unearthed turtle fossil, the oldest on record, may hold the answer.
How did turtles get their shells?

Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera

If you're using a consumer grade point-and-shoot Canon digital camera, you've got hardware in hand that can support advanced features way beyond what shipped in the box. With the help of a free, open source project called CHDK, you can get features like RAW shooting mode, live RGB histograms, motion-detection, time-lapse, and even games on your existing camera. Let's transform your point-and-shoot into a super camera just by adding a little special sauce to its firmware.
Turn Your Point-and-Shoot into a Super-Camera

Google Maps Gets Its Own Version of Clippy (And Some Useful Street View Updates)

Google Maps has just launched a number of updates that make Street View much more prominent. Now, whenever you’re viewing a map where there is Street View imagery available, you’ll be able to drag “Pegman” from the view slider to the street where you’d like to see a picture.
Google Maps Gets Its Own Version of Clippy (And Some Useful Street View Updates)

Fitness and the Brain: Can a Walk a Day Keep Alzheimer's Away?

Worldwide, more than 100 million people may have Alzheimer’s by the year 2050. As clinicians, we have learned to recognize that jokes about “old-timer’s disease” and “Teflon brain” are often calls for help from seniors worried about their memory lapses. Living longer is obviously no fun if you cannot remember your home address or drive a car.
Fitness and the Brain: Can a Walk a Day Keep Alzheimer's Away?

Australians are living longer

Life expectancy in Australia continues to increase, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The life expectancy of a boy born today is 79.0 years, while for a girl it is 83.7 years. Since 1987, life expectancy at birth has increased by around six years for men and four years for women.
Australians are living longer: ABS

Ninja, Pirate or Zombie: What's Your Attitude to Work?

Are you a ninja, a pirate, or a zombie? Or a bit of all three?
Ninja, Pirate or Zombie: What's Your Attitude to Work?

How to Deal With Difficult Relatives

s one thing dealing with difficult people with whom you have a professional or casual relationship, such as your boss, a co-worker, or anyone you deal with on a regular basis. But if the problem person is a relative and your relationship is personal and permanent, that’s a whole different beast. You must clearly define the boundaries you’re comfortable with, let the other person know what those boundaries are, and then enforce them.
How to Deal With Difficult Relatives

Abandon Your Self-Control.

Studies indicate that we have a limited amount of self-control, and it can be depleted. If you use a lot of self-control at work to resist the urge to yell at a co-worker, it might be harder to push yourself to go for a run when you get home.
Abandon Your Self-Control.

Grocery Saving Tips for Carnivores

Looking to make the most of your money saving opportunities while cooking for the meat and potato lovers in your family? Find the cost of your favorite cuts is putting a rather large dent in your child's college fund? Read on. Help has arrived.
Grocery Saving Tips for Carnivores

Five Recession-Proof Ways to Get Hired

Let’s face it—job hunting is a challenge in a good economy and we are now well into a full blown recession. If you dust off that old econ textbook in your mental library, you’ll remember a model called Supply and Demand.
Five Recession-Proof Ways to Get Hired

Tips for Traveling With Kids

The thing that causes the most stress isn’t holiday gifts or basting the turkey, it’s the prospect of a long plane flight or car ride with kids in tow.
Tips for Traveling With Kids

How to Figure Out What You Want in Life

What do you want to be when you grow up? For some it may be a disturbing notion to consider that even in our late twenties, thirties and beyond we may still find ourselves asking this question of ourselves.
How to Figure Out What You Want in Life

How to Maintain Eyeglasses

Eyeglasses can be a pain to care for, what with smears, smudges, fingerprints, fogging...Ever wondered how to look after your glasses, keep them in good repair so they'll last until your next eye exam? Want to be able to see through them without the smudges? Read on.
How to Maintain Eyeglasses

Protect your laptop and data on your USB keys

Here are two free Windows utilities worth trying. The first can help protect your laptop from theft, and the other will hide data (up to 1 GB) on your USB keys from prying eyes.
Useful Tools for Windows - Protect your laptop and data on your USB keys

Live Piracy Map

This map shows all the piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre during 2008. If exact coordinates are not provided, estimated positions are shown based on information provided. Zoom-in and click on the pointers to view more information of an individual attack. Pointers may be superimposed on each other.
Live Piracy Map

World's Tallest Bridge Goes Up in China with the Help of Some Rockets

They erected huge towers on either side of the valley to anchor the bridge, first off. Next, they attached 3,200-foot cables to rockets, accurately firing them across the valley to the other side. While other large bridges took care of this process using helicopters or kites, that was just too practical for these guys.
World's Tallest Bridge Goes Up in China with the Help of Some Rockets

Google SearchWiki 101: An Illustrated Guide

Google SearchWiki — a new feature that allows you to move and comment on search results — has been out for less than a day, and it’s amazing to see how much confusion (as well as commentary) there is already developing. So below, some clarification on how it works, opportunities search marketers should consider, some privacy issues and ideas for improving it.
Google SearchWiki 101: An Illustrated Guide

Blackstump Australia Issue 43 - November 22, 2008

This weeks latest sites ftom The Black Stump...
Blackstump Australia Issue 43 - November 22, 2008

Holiday toy shopping hints

If you’ve got kids to buy for this holiday season, you’re probably already thinking about what to get them. “Wow” gifts don’t have to be the season’s “hottest” toy. The classics can often hold their interest just as long.
Holiday toy shopping hints

Negotiation: Prices Are Just Suggestions

In the book, Women Don’t Ask: Negotiation and The Gender Gap, authors Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever shed light on what should be some startling statistics. For example, men initiate negotiation four times more often than women, and women are 2.5 times more likely to feel apprehension when negotiating.
Negotiation: Prices Are Just Suggestions

The Best Way to Get Clean, Streak-Free Mirrors

Try as I may I cannot get my mirrors as clean as I would like them—and my vanity is not OK with that! Perhaps this solution from TipKing will do the trick.
The Best Way to Get Clean, Streak-Free Mirrors

How to Save Money by Shopping Once a Month

How often do you go to the supermarket? Could you get by making only one trip per month? What if it saved you money? When people shop more often, they buy more stuff. Supermarkets and grocery stores know this, and that's why they often bury the most common items in the back of the store - so you have to walk through the aisles to get there, and the probability of an impulse purchase goes up! Besides making a list and sticking to it, another way to limit your spending is to minimize the amount of time you actually spend in the store. Why make four or more trips per month when you can make just one? That's right--go grocery shopping 12 times a year. It takes time. It also takes organization. Here's how to pull it off.
How to Save Money by Shopping Once a Month

5 tips to avoid annoying other people

Most of us would like to get along well with others -- whether friends or strangers. One thing to keep in mind is that certain habits tend to get on other people’s nerves. Now you might say, “If someone’s annoyed when I talk on the phone in the grocery store, I don’t care, because that’s ridiculous!” The fact is, whether or not you think it’s ridiculous, some people will be very annoyed. Just know that. Here are some common aggravations to keep in mind.
5 tips to avoid annoying other people

Phishing Scams in Plain English

You’ve probably seen it. You receive an e-mail from your bank or trusted company, and it’s asking you for information. It looks real, but it’s designed to fool you into handing over important information. This is a scam called phishing, and you need to avoid it. This is Phishing Scams in Plain English. This video suggests several ways to minimize the risk of being scammed.
Phishing Scams in Plain English

Vestigial Facts

LiveScience's "Top 10 Useless Limbs (and Other Vestigial Organs)" slideshow.
Vestigial Facts

Things It’s Cheaper to Do Yourself

You can make a good argument for hiring out certain tasks because it frees your time or because the person you hire will do a better job. In fact, people have. Author Timothy Ferriss turned the idea of outsourcing your life into a best-selling book, The 4-Hour Workweek. But when money is tight and you’re looking for places to cut, some of the places you’re outsourcing now should get a second look.
Things It’s Cheaper to Do Yourself

Oxford’s Place of the Year 2008: Kosovo

Welcome to Geography Awareness week, the perfect time to announce another Place of the Year.
Oxford’s Place of the Year 2008: Kosovo

LIFE Photo Archive available on Google Image Search

The Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination; The Mansell Collection from London; Dahlstrom glass plates of New York and environs from the 1880s; and the entire works left to the collection from LIFE photographers Alfred Eisenstaedt, Gjon Mili, and Nina Leen. These are just some of the things you'll see in Google Image Search today.
LIFE Photo Archive available on Google Image Search

20 of your most hated cliches

According to an online survey, cliches like "at the end of the day", "24/7" and "literally" are among the most reviled. Here are 20 more that particularly irk Magazine readers.
20 of your most hated cliches

Beatles hard days night mystery chord Solved with Fourier analysis

his first chord that starts A Hard Day’s Night is one of the most recognizable and famous opening chords in rock & roll. It’s played by George Harrison on his 12 string Rickenbacker.
Beatles hard days night mystery chord Solved with Fourier analysis

How to Open a Difficult Jar

Following these steps, even arthritic or small hands can open a jar with ease. Jars are under a vacuum; if you break the vacuum and let air in, then they are much easier to open.
How to Open a Difficult Jar

2008 Gadget Guide

Looking for the perfect present for that techno geek in your life? This year's guide has plenty to choose from, including a bunch for the socially conscious in search of green tech that helps curb energy usage, cut down on paper pollution and clean up—sans toxic chemicals. The guide also features innovative uses of technology to provide basic services such as water, sanitation and light to areas that lack them.
2008 Gadget Guide

How to Understand Your Digital SLR: 12 steps (with video)

When they were first introduced, digital SLR cameras were enormously expensive and a tool for professionals only. Since then, they have come down in price into the consumer price range. Because of this, many people buy digital SLRs without understanding how they work -- and, consequently, not making the most of them. This article will guide you through the most common functions they have, and to show you how to learn to use one by experiment. The principles herein are the same for any camera; but you will probably not be able to set your shutter and aperture manually on most non-SLR cameras. Read on nonetheless.
How to Understand Your Digital SLR: 12 steps (with video)

A Beginners Guide to Capturing Motion in Your Photography

Photographs, by definition, capture and immortalize a small slice of life. There is little for the viewer to infer what happens before or after that moment. However, there are images that need to communicate motion. For example, you may want to capture a dog running, a train barreling down the tracks, or trees that are blowing in the wind. Each of these scenes can come alive within your photographs if you learn how to convey motion properly.
A Beginners Guide to Capturing Motion in Your Photography

How to Permanently Delete Data from Your Hard Drive

According to the New York Times, a basic privacy measure that is often overlooked is the proper destruction of data on hard drives. An ongoing study by British Telecom says that most people don't realize that deleting a file doesn't actually remove the data from a computer.
How to Permanently Delete Data from Your Hard Drive

ZoneAlarm 2009 Pro Free Tomorrow Only

The popular Windows firewall application ZoneAlarm Free has a big brother called ZoneAlarm Pro, which boasts a handful of features not available in the free version—including integrated antivirus. Normally $US40, ZoneAlarm Pro will be available tomorrow (November 19 Australian) for the low, low price of free.
ZoneAlarm 2009 Pro Free Tomorrow Only

Dery on decapitation

The evidence for the survival of awareness (as opposed to brain activity) after decapitation remains inconclusive. According to Dr. Ron Wright, a forensic pathologist and former chief medical examiner of Broward County Florida, "After your head is cut off by a guillotine, you have 13 seconds of consciousness (+/- 1 or 2).
Dery on decapitation

HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE: 20+ Tools for Family Travel

From travel planning sites to navigation apps and services to help you keep track of your spending, here are over 20 resources to help you survive the holiday travel season.
HOLIDAY SURVIVAL GUIDE: 20+ Tools for Family Travel

How to Stop a So Called Friend from Putting You Down

You have a "friend" who can be funny and fun to be with sometimes, but in front of others, puts you down or uses you as the butt of jokes or pranks. How do you handle this unusual relationship? Is there any chance you can change things?
How to Stop a So Called Friend from Putting You Down

How to Run a Con

If we humans have such big brains, how can we get conned?
How to Run a Con

Wrapping cords and hoses

Despite all the cordless tools that keep showing up on job sites, air hoses and extension cords still need to be rolled out every morning and wrapped up at the end of the day. Coiling them tightly for storage introduces twists and kinks that can cause damage and make them harder to manage around the work zone.
Wrapping cords and hoses

Maps Of Fires In Southern California: November 2008 Edition

Fires are burning in Southern California once again. Here’s an update on how to find maps of where the blazes are at.
Maps Of Fires In Southern California: November 2008 Edition

The Complete Guide to Speeding Up Your PC's Startup

You just hit the power button your PC, and now you've got enough time to brew a fresh pot of coffee for the entire office—because that's how long it takes for your computer to go from "on" to "ready to work." If your PC's bogged down by a bunch of programs that automatically start up when it does, it can take forever to get started every morning. Without a major hardware upgrade, there's not much you can do to cut the time it takes for Windows to actually boot—but you can trim and tweak the amount of time it takes for your desktop to get to a working state.
The Complete Guide to Speeding Up Your PC's Startup

20 Essential Sources for Free HD Videos

HD Video isn’t just coming to every television screen, it’s making its way online as well. From well known video sites like YouTube to unknown upstarts like Vuze, many online video services are embracing the new standard.
20 Essential Sources for Free HD Videos

Find Hidden House Prices On Real Estate Sites

The blog at house pricing social network Home Price History offers up a trick for finding prices for houses that are listed online without a dollar figure (a pretty common scenario with auctions). Turns out that both realestateview.com.au and realestate.com.au store background information using Google Base, and if you go hunting through the real estate category on Base, you can often find the asking price in the listing for a particular property.
Find Hidden House Prices On Real Estate Sites

The Lazy Man’s Guide to Getting Things Done

What if I told you that you could be totally lazy and irresponsible, and still accomplish just as much? What if you could slack off, loiter, and essentially do nothing and get more done than the average person. It’s a bit of an art, but you can master this skill with some practice.
The Lazy Man’s Guide to Getting Things Done

Software Updates 46 2008

Most notable updates have been released for VLC Player, the Software Update Monitor SUMo or the new version of Soundbase.
Software Updates 46 2008

Living with and Learning from Layoffs

Earlier today, I shared several lists of recession-proof jobs. The experts who created these lists don’t agree on much, but they do seem to think that both jobs in IT and the health-care industry are fairly safe. That doesn’t mean that all of these jobs are safe, of course.
Living with and Learning from Layoffs

Setting Goals

When you set goals for yourself, do you picture the benefits you’ll receive in a year, five years, ten years? Do you struggle on day by day in activities you don’t particularly enjoy – or actively dislike – because you want to reach a target some day in the distant future?
Setting Goals

Brute Force Calculator

Have you ever wondered how long it would take for a typical computer bought in 2008 to brute force your passwords? Now you can find out with the Brute Force Calculator. While it does not provide scientific results it could be interesting to see how long it could take to brute force your passwords to make sure they are hard enough to crack.
Brute Force Calculator

How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci was the ultimate multi-tasker: an accomplished scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer. If you want to be a Renaissance Man (or Renaissance Woman), you can learn a lot from how Leonardo da Vinci lived and thought. Based on studying the life and work of this famous polymath[1] anyone can emulate da Vinci with the following steps.
How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci

Breast-feed and boost your child's immunity

Need help strengthening your child's developing immune system? There is strong evidence that nursing decreases the incidence and severity of ear and respiratory-tract infections, diarrhea, meningitis, and urinary-tract infections.
Breast-feed and boost your child's immunity

New Laptop Batteries to Last 8 Times Longer Than Current Crop

Researchers at Hanyang University in South Korea have developed new Lithium batteries that can last a whopping eight times longer than today's models.
New Laptop Batteries to Last 8 Times Longer Than Current Crop

Easy Way to Defrost Your Freezer

Anytime you have to remove the contents of your freezer it’s a hassle—though it does help you remove items that have past their shelf life! Next time you need to defrost, do it quickly and easily using this great idea from Tips for Girls. (Yes men, you can read, too.)
Easy Way to Defrost Your Freezer

Medicine cabinet dos and don'ts

There are 39 types of Tylenol, 18 versions of Alka-Seltzer, six of Excedrin, and 18 of Sudafed. With so many options at the drugstore, how can you make the best choices? We listed our top picks of everything you need for a well-stocked medicine cabinet. Also, see our "Drug Don'ts." It turns out that over-the-counter medications can be just as risky as prescription drugs.
Medicine cabinet dos and don'ts

Coping with Holiday Stress

The thought of holidays may warm our hearts and have the kids excitingly anticipating all the fun. However, the holidays can also be a stressful time, making you dread what may lie ahead …
Coping with Holiday Stress

AVG 8 Update Marked User32.dll As Virus Infected

An update of the popular anti-virus software program AVG let a false positive slip through quality control which caused widespread panic on the Internet by desperate AVG users looking for help. The update detected a virus, more precisely Trojan Horse PSW.BANKER4.APSA, in the important system file user32.dll in Windows XP. User32.dll allows programs to implement a graphical user interface and is considered a core component of the Windows XP operating system.
AVG 8 Update Marked User32.dll As Virus Infected

Could You Eat Healthfully on One Dollar a Day?

“How much does it really cost to eat a healthy diet?”
Could You Eat Healthfully on One Dollar a Day?

Internet filtering? Just say no

There's lots of heat and little light in the debate surrounding the Australian government's Internet censorship plan - and the minister responsible isn't helping.
Internet filtering? Just say no

Oxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases

Heading the list was the expression 'at the end of the day', which was followed in second place by the phrase 'fairly unique'.
Oxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases

Let The Computer Make Decisions For You

Are you one of those people that are hard pressed whenever they have to make a decision? It can be about basic things like asking a girl out, eating or buying some new household items. It could also be about life changing things like jobs, moving or buying larger items like cars or apartments.
Let The Computer Make Decisions For You

Six Simple Housework Hacks

Need things to be easier? No available budget monies for a cleaning service? Boy, do I hear you! Here are six simple things I've started doing to maintain housework sanity on the home front.
Six Simple Housework Hacks

Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?

According to Michael Gurian, co-author of Leadership and the Sexes: Using Gender Science to Create Success in Business with Barbara Annis, not only can men be trained to understand and value the sometimes nurturing and collaborative leadership styles of some women, but women can learn to respect what they might perceive as the hyper-competitiveness and abruptness of some men. These traits, they argue, are hard-wired rather than created purely through cultural and societal influences.
Can Men Be Trained To Understand Women?

A cure for itchy shirt labels

Why did I never think of this before hacking off a bunch of my daughter's shirt tags? (I inevitably break the thread of the neck and a hole is born.)
A cure for itchy shirt labels

Blackstump Australia Issue 42 - November 9, 2008

This weeks latest sites ftom The Black Stump...
Blackstump Australia Issue 42 - November 9, 2008

The complete book on pee and poo

The Big Necessity is a new book written by British author Rose George that delves into the “now-mentionable” world of human waste. The author states that the toilet adds twenty years to the life of an average human but that about one in three persons in the world do not have access to one.
The complete book on pee and poo

Australia's water supplies under pressure

Australia's second largest city, Melbourne, has uncomfortably low water storage levels, as most of the country faces a hot and dry summer, experts say.
Australia's water supplies under pressure

Surviving a Layoff

People are usually laid off for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Don't expect logic in who gets laid off and who doesn't, which departments survive and which don't, etc. There is often no discernable logic involved. It's just the luck of the draw, and it is not a personal failure, so don't let it destroy your confidence.
Surviving a Layoff

17 Interesting Facts About Doctors & Patients

1. How frequently do doctors misdiagnose patients?
etc
17 Interesting Facts About Doctors & Patients

Fifty Things I Learned About Life

Reflections...
Fifty Things I Learned About Life

How to Get Closure

There may be times in our lives when relationships - whether they are romances, friendships, or family ties - hit a bump in the road and seem to fade away, leaving us wondering what happened and why? If it's been a long time and it's clear to you that the relationship is over, but there was no final talk or last goodbye, you might be in need of some closure so that you can move on, and put that relationship behind you.
How to Get Closure

Surprise migraine, breast cancer link

In a puzzling twist, women who have a history of migraine headaches are less likely to develop breast cancer than other women, say US researchers.
Surprise migraine, breast cancer link

Your Single Best Action For Saving Money

What single action was the most effective in your life for saving money? What one thing have you actually done or specific change have you actually made, in an effort to save money, that has been the most effective in your life? After all, psychological tips like “stop spending to impress other people” are powerful, but when they’re coupled with direct action, they become transformative.
Your Single Best Action For Saving Money

Funny old warning sign for light bulbs

19th century people needed some explanation to understand the difference between the regular candlelight and the electrically simulated candlelight.
Funny old warning sign for light bulbs

Google Street View Easter Egg

Google recently hinted at a new Easter Egg part of Google Maps Street View. And it has surfaced now – it’s called Street With a View.
Google Street View Easter Egg

Women and Migraine Headaches

Women have good historical cause to lament that they, not men, must endure the labor pains of childbirth. On top of that, now we must consider migraine headaches.
Women and Migraine Headaches

Five Job Hunting Mistakes That Scream “I’m Unprofessional”

In most job-filling situations, the employer has the luxury of choosing from several well-qualified applicants, all of whom could probably do the job. That’s when the little things, like the common but often unrecognized mistakes described here, almost always come into play. Make sure you avoid them so they don’t cost you a shot at the job.
Five Job Hunting Mistakes That Scream “I’m Unprofessional”

How to Live in the Moment

Living in the moment is all about living like there's no tomorrow. It takes practice but in the end, you'll lead a fuller life. To do this you must realize beauty in every moment, and in everyday activities. This is your life, now live!
How to Live in the Moment

Use a Teabag to Fix a Broken Nail

Using a tea bag to repair a broken nail. Here’s what you need to do.
Use a Teabag to Fix a Broken Nail

Can You Save $1,000 in 30 Days?

Ramit at I Will Teach You to Be Rich has announced his Save $1,000 in 30 Days Challenge. During the month of November, he’s urging people to get off the couch and actually take steps to reduce their spending.
Can You Save $1,000 in 30 Days?

The Eerie Amusement Parks of North Korea

I’m hooked on virtual tourism and one of my favorite stops in Google Earth includes Pyongyang, North Korea. While traveling along the Taedong River, I noticed something that looked like an amusement park, an intriguing find in such a pragmatic and tedious city.
The Eerie Amusement Parks of North Korea

Why Do We Forget Things?

The brain can store a vast number of memories, so why can't we find these memories when we need to? A new study provides insights into this question.
Why Do We Forget Things?

You know! It's a thingummy... Whatjermercallit...

Our lives are full of 'thingummys', 'thingamajigs' and 'whatjermecallits' - those everyday items we should know the word for, or were once told but have since forgotten.
You know! It's a thingummy... Whatjermercallit...

Free Photo Editing Tool

Photoscape is a versatile free photo editing tool that can be downloaded as a portable software or an installer. The photo editing tool combines many of the most popular functions that are needed when editing photos. Many of the functions are available by clicking on tabs in the main interface.
Free Photo Editing Tool

Celebration Of High-Speed Photography

A digital camera, some fast-moving subject, and a bit of knowledge about how to take the best pictures of moving subjects will launch you on the road to some of the most interesting photographs you’ve ever taken. Although some blurring can be effective in communicating a sense of high-speed motion, some photographers want the subject to be frozen in time to get some pretty special photographic effects.
Below we present over 35 beautiful examples of high-speed photography, which are supposed to provide you with some inspiration of what can be done with high-speed photography. We also showcase some truly stunning slow-motion videos. All the examples are linked to their sources. You can also explore further works of the photographers we’ve featured below.
Celebration Of High-Speed Photography

Wheelchair athlete's back flip lands him in record book

With the top of his head mere inches above the lip of a jump, Aaron Fotheringham soars into the Guinness World Book of Records by performing a back flip in his wheelchair at Doc Romeo skate park on Saturday.
Wheelchair athlete's back flip lands him in record book

Are We Hardwired with a Sense of Irony?

Well, that’s just great.” Quick, what does that sentence mean? Is the speaker acknowledging some good news, celebrating a joyful event that just took place? Do we take the statement at face value? Or could the person who said it mean something quite different, maybe even the opposite? Perhaps his pleasure is not genuine.
Are We Hardwired with a Sense of Irony?

Why Waistlines Matter More Than Weight

It goes by many cute nicknames: beer belly, spare tire, bowlful of jelly. It can make bending over difficult and buying bathing suits excruciating. Sometimes, it can cause confusion, such as the “how many months along are you?” transgression. But no matter what we call it, carrying a few, or many, extra pounds around the abdominal section is not just a cosmetic issue; it’s a threat to health.
Why Waistlines Matter More Than Weight

No Clean Feed - Stop Internet Censorship in Australia

The Australian Federal Government is pushing forward with a plan to force Internet Service Providers [ISPs] to censor the Internet for all Australians. This plan will waste tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and slow down Internet access.
No Clean Feed - Stop Internet Censorship in Australia

50 websites you'll wonder how you lived without

When it comes to the Internet, we're creatures of habit – Google for search, Hotmail for email, Twitter to stay in touch and maybe the BBC's website for news. This means that we use only a handful of favourite sites, leaving the rest of the Internet unvisited. Let's put that right. By the time you've finished reading, we promise that your list of bookmarked sites will have ballooned and you'll be getting more from your surfing.
50 websites you'll wonder how you lived without

Online Virus Scan

No Virus Thanks is another web service that provides options to scan files with multiple anti-virus detection engines. It pretty much works like other web services of its kind like Virus Total by providing an upload form on the website which can be used by the user to upload a file to the service.
Online Virus Scan

E-mail error ends up on road sign

When officials asked for the Welsh translation of a road sign, they thought the reply was what they needed. Unfortunately, the e-mail response to Swansea council said in Welsh: "I am not in the office at the moment. Please send any work to be translated".
E-mail error ends up on road sign

Beat a Migraine Before It Beats You (Naturally)

If you’ve never had a migraine, then you can’t possibly understand the unbearable pain that someone goes through when they experience this special type of headache.
Beat a Migraine Before It Beats You (Naturally)

Eight Ways to Age Gracefully and Improve Health Now

If I never read another article on how to pass for a twenty-year-old for the rest of my life, I’ll still have read too many. It seems like most articles about aging are written with a pretty anti-aging bias.
Eight Ways to Age Gracefully and Improve Health Now

Never Lose Your Keys Again! FREE 2 x Key Finders, Just Pay postage!

FREE 2 x Key Finders from OZstock. Just pay postage ($3.90 aus-wide).
Never Lose Your Keys Again! FREE 2 x Key Finders, Just Pay postage!

Freshen a Room with a Light bulb

Here’s a great money-saving tip to fill your room with your favourite scent: spray perfume or aromatic oil on a rag than wipe it on a cold incandescent light bulb.
Freshen a Room with a Light bulb

Blackstump Australia Issue 41 - November 2, 2008

This weeks latest sites ftom The Black Stump...
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 41 - November 2, 2008

Use Toothpicks to Cook Food Faster in the Microwave

I swear I’ve read entire novels while waiting for potatoes to cook in the microwave. OK, that’s an exaggeration.
Use Toothpicks to Cook Food Faster in the Microwave

Make Your Mobile Phone Battery Last Longer

Doesn’t it always seem like your battery conks out right when you need it most? Your car breaks down, battery dies. Your sister calls crying, your battery dies. You can squeeze the most life out of it by following these suggestions.
Make Your Mobile Phone Battery Last Longer

Simple ways to save energy and money at home

There are plenty of lower-cost ways to slash your energy bills at home without becoming an energy anorexic, including these and those that follow.
Simple ways to save energy and money at home

HDTV: See which display type suits your needs

If you're thinking about buying a flat panel HDTV for the holidays, you're probably asking yourself whether it should be a plasma or LCD.
Our Buying Advice on televisions gives you a complete rundown on the distinctions between the two display technologies, plus all the information you need on how to choose an HDTV that's right for your needs. We also looked specifically at the LCD vs. plasma debate in our recent report, "LCD or Plasma TVs?"
HDTV: See which display type suits your needs

$100 Optus Pre-Paid Recharge Card for $30 @ Always on Sale

For only $30, you get a cool $100 worth of Optus mobile call time with a $100 Optus PrePaid Recharge card from AlwaysonSale.com.au
$100 Optus Pre-Paid Recharge Card for $30 @ Always on Sale

How to Avoid Printing Web Page Backgrounds

A colorful webpage background might look lovely on the page but that doesn’t mean you need to print it—it’ll eat up all your ink! Here’s how to avoid this in Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Netscape.
How to Avoid Printing Web Page Backgrounds

Hold on to that clunker!

Let’s be honest. We’d all rather cruise around town in a brand new car instead of a 10-year-old clunker. But with money and credit as tight as they are, there’s plenty of incentive to keep our old wheels running a little longer.
Hold on to that clunker

Software Updates Week 41 2008

Wednesday is the day that software updates get published here at Ghacks. The article will contain software updates of the last seven days. Only software applications that have been reviewed at Ghacks previously will make it in the list.
Software Updates Week 41 2008

Green Alternatives to Dry Cleaning

Have you ever noticed your dry cleaning carries strong fumes? They come from perc (Perchloroethylene)—the solvent used in traditional dry cleaning—which the EPA has classified as a groundwater contaminate and potential human health hazard. It causes headaches, nausea, dizziness, and even reproductive problems.
Green Alternatives to Dry Cleaning

9 Sites That Help With Everyday Budgeting

Most consumers could use a little financial handholding these days. Nearly half of the workers recently surveyed by CareerBuilder.com said they live paycheck to paycheck. Even those who do have cash left after paying the bills are struggling -- 52% reported they have less than $100 per month to put into savings.
9 Sites That Help With Everyday Budgeting

The Web Explodes With Windows 7 News

The day began with screenshot posts by Paul Thurrott and Tom Warren who both posted lots of screenshots that Microsoft supplied. They managed to create their own as well and their posts show both the official and custom screenshots of Windows 7 M3 builds.
The Web Explodes With Windows 7 News

How to Locate a Wall Stud

Locating a wall stud does not have to be rocket science, however this is a very important step people sometimes overlook when trying to hang heavy items on the wall. Finding a wall stud to nail into will insure that what you are hanging will stay there forever.
How to Locate a Wall Stud

Tips for Eating Healthy in Flight

I travel a lot for business and, well, it can take a real toll on your wellbeing. Nutrition, especially, can be a real challenge. I find that flying is the worst, because if you are anything like me, and you take several hour flights, you have to eat.
Tips for Eating Healthy in Flight

Internet Security Cameras

"I have someone in my home during the day to clean and do childcare. Can I install a wireless security camera that can be monitored over the internet? I'd like to be able to look in during the day from my office computer. If so, how expensive are internet security cameras, and what features do you recommend?"
Internet Security Cameras

Blackstump Australia Issue 40 - October 26, 2008

This weeks latest sites ftom The Black Stump...
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 40 - October 26, 2008

Births, Australia, 2007

This publication contains statistics for births and fertility in Australia.
Births, Australia, 2007

How Long Meat Stays Fresh in the Freezer

I don’t know about you, but I tend to toss things in the freezer and assume they're good forever. Turns out that’s not the case when it comes to meat—and some of their shelf lives may surprise you.
How Long Meat Stays Fresh in the Freezer

How to Deal With a Mooching Friend

We've all experienced a moocher-- someone who conveniently "forgets" their wallet at home every time you go out to dinner, "loses" anything you loan them, and always manages to get out of their share of a chore. If you want to maintain both the friendship and your sanity, you will have to set firm but clear boundaries to stop the mooching behavior. The key is to anticipate potential situations where the mooching will occur, and address the issue with increasing degrees of confrontation.
How to Deal With a Mooching Friend

Man's arm trapped in train toilet

A passenger on a French train had to be rescued by firemen after having his arm sucked down the on-board toilet. The 26-year-old victim was trapped when he tried to fish out his mobile phone, which had fallen into the toilet bowl, and fell foul of the suction system.
Man's arm trapped in train toilet

Seven of the greatest scientific hoaxes

For this week's issue of New Scientist I edited a review of The Sun and the Moon by Matthew Goodman, which tells the story of the great moon hoax of 1835. This got me thinking about other great scientific hoaxes in the past. After doing a bit of digging, I was amazed by how many there were – and at the variety and creativity of the hoaxes. Here are a few of the best
Seven of the greatest scientific hoaxes

Public Speaking: How to Present Yourself Powerfully, Part 1

You may have a great idea bouncing around in your head. It may be something that could revolutionize the company that you work for, or even change your own career. But if you can't find a way to get that idea out and in front of others, you and it will be forever stuck. The key is to have the ability and the courage to get up in front of a room—full of your friends, your peers or your bosses—and tell them what you know.
Public Speaking: How to Present Yourself Powerfully, Part 1

How to Clean a Window

Nobody really likes to clean windows. But if you are going to do it, you might as well have them looking their best. Here are a few tips to get your windows sparkling clean.
How to Clean a Window

How to keep your bathroom mirror from steaming up

Tired of your bathroom mirrors steaming up after your shower???
How to keep your bathroom mirror from steaming up

Start Em Young - Three Web Apps for Families

Since launching Dad-o-Matic, a blog where dads give views, reviews, news, and ideas about parenting, I’ve been thinking a lot about how families interact with the Web. I look for applications and ideas that give parents some “first steps” into sharing experiences using online tools. Here are three Web applications I’ve found recently that I find provide a fun way to build projects with kids.
Start Em Young - Three Web Apps for Families

Clean and Maintain Plasma TVs

When you spend a great deal of money on a new Plasma TV in order to have the best quality viewing experience possible, you want to do everything you can to make sure that your TV is properly maintained. Correctly cleaning and maintaining your new Plasma TV will help to ensure that you get years of enjoyment from it.
Clean and Maintain Plasma TVs

10 Tips to Keep Your Notebook Safe when Traveling

These days, we Geeks don’t travel anywhere without our laptops. It’s a given that we need to have them on us! How would we survive?! Thankfully, Seth sent in the following tips to help us keep them safe while we are on the road.
10 Tips to Keep Your Notebook Safe when Traveling

Giz Explains: How to Buy an HDTV Like a Pro

The economy sucks. But like Warren Buffett, you should be greedy when everyone else is skurred. If you've got the extra scratch, this is probably the best holiday season ever to buy an HDTV, since retailers don't want a pile of them going obsolete in their warehouse. But what should you look for in an HDTV? HD Guru Gary Merson—a dude who's reviewed 125 TVs at once—uses sophisticated gear for his own studies, but told us the five most important things that all the rest of us Joe the Plumber types can look out for when buying an HDTV.
Giz Explains: How to Buy an HDTV Like a Pro

Calculate the Optimum TV Screen Size for Your Room

The bigger that TV screens get, the more important it is to calculate room size; by doing this you can determine the best screen size for maximum picture quality.
Calculate the Optimum TV Screen Size for Your Room

Microsoft posts emergency defense for new attack

News update responds to threat of Web worm
By Brian Livingston (Windows Secrets)
We're publishing a special news update today to bring you a bulletin on a serious weakness in Windows.
Susan Bradley, our contributing editor who covers Microsoft patches, has written an up-to-the-minute description of the latest situation, which potentially affects every recent version of Windows.
Microsoft posts emergency defense for new attack

My Maps Australia Awards

Your favourite spot or hideout in town. Interesting sites and local specialties. Make your own "My Map" on Google Maps and enter it in the My Maps Australia Awards. Ten winners will receive "Best My Maps Awards" and one of these will win the grand prize of a 13" 2.1 GHz Macbook and eternal Australian mapping fame. Take part in My Maps Australia Awards now!
My Maps Australia Awards

How to remove red wine from carpet

How to remove red wine from carpet.
How to remove red wine from carpet

How to clean a DVD

Have you ever rented a movie and it starts to skip right at the good part well here's a easy way to clean the DVD.
How to clean a DVD

Treat your child’s cold and cough, but skip the drugs

If you have a child under age 4, what are you supposed to do now that the makers of children's cough and cold medicines are warning parents not to use their products? Actually, all children under age 6 shouldn't be given these medicines.
Treat your child’s cold and cough, but skip the drugs

How to Reuse Old Toothbrushes

Toothbrushes still have a use beyond their initial life. Not only will you get more bang for your buck, but you'll also be helping the environment.
How to Reuse Old Toothbrushes

Giant spider eating a bird caught on camera

Photographs of a giant spider eating a bird in an Australian garden have stunned wildlife experts. (I'm staying in Victoria..)
Giant spider eating a bird caught on camera

Software Updates Week 40 2008

A list of software updates is published each Wednesday at Ghacks. The list will consist of software programs that have been covered before at this website, that have been updated in the last seven days and that are free to use.
Software Updates Week 40 2008

Gas Appliance Safety Check

You can’t always smell gas when there’s a leak. Maybe it’s a small amount you’re dealing with or perhaps allergies have stolen your smelling capabilities.
Gas Appliance Safety Check

How to Keep Important Stuff from Slipping Through the Cracks

There are many, many days where I feel completely buried in little tasks. Pay the bills. Help my son draw a picture. Make dinner. Write an article. Write another article. Answer correspondence. Do a phone interview. Vacuum the carpet. Do the dishes. Wash the kitchen floor. Do a load of laundry. And on … and on … and on.
How to Keep Important Stuff from Slipping Through the Cracks