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

The 5 worst kitchen design goofs

Before picking products, consult the National Kitchen and Bath Association’s “Kitchen Planning Guidelines,” available at www.nkba.org, for tips on designing a functional layout. And aim to avoid these mistakes:
The 5 worst kitchen design goofs

How to Shuffle a Deck of Cards (Riffle Bridge): 6 steps (with video)

A riffle is a common way to shuffle cards often used in dealing poker and other games.[1] It looks challenging, but with practice, it's easy to do.
How to Shuffle a Deck of Cards (Riffle Bridge): 6 steps (with video)

Fewer calories, longer life

Previous research has shown that animals that eat 30 to 50 percent less food live significantly longer lives—sometimes up to 50 percent longer than animals fed regular diets—and have fewer age-related diseases compared to their peers.
Fewer calories, longer life

Consumer Price Index, Australia, Sep 2008

From the ABS...
The most significant price rises this quarter were for rents (+2.1%), water and sewerage (+12.3%), house purchase (+1.3%), automotive fuel (+2.0%), deposit and loan facilities (+1.9%), overseas holiday travel and accommodation (+4.9%), electricity (+4.6%) and property rates and charges (+6.1%).
Consumer Price Index, Australia, Sep 2008

Stop Wasting Money on Disposable Things

When you go to the grocery store or to the department store, many of the things you buy are disposable - they wind up in the trash. Packages. Plastic wrap. Boxes. Bags. It’s just trash, right? If you look a bit closer, though, you’ll see something else in there. Money.
Stop Wasting Money on Disposable Things

9 Tricks for Getting a Table (and Being a VIP) at Hot Restaurants

An evening out should be special, especially if it’s an expensive evening.
9 Tricks for Getting a Table (and Being a VIP) at Hot Restaurants

Driver of damaged car pretends nothing is wrong

When my car acts up, I try to ignore it, hoping it will fix itself. The driver of this car shares my sense of optimism in spades.
Driver of damaged car pretends nothing is wrong

Tapping Nature's Headache Remedies

Dear EarthTalk: Are there natural headache remedies that can get me off of Tylenol, Advil and other medicines whose side effects can be as bad as or worse than the pain that led me to use them?
Tapping Nature's Headache Remedies

Free Hoyts Movie Ticket in Australia

Hoyts are giving away a free movie ticket to all new Movie Club Members and existing member who confirm their membership details.
Free Hoyts Movie Ticket in Australia

Online Activity Doesn't Reduce Family Communication

Unlike watching television—which generally reduces conversation between family members in the home—more than 50% of people who live with a spouse and child are likely to surf the web together and share things online with one another.
Online Activity Doesn't Reduce Family Communication

The Psychology of Con Men

My all-time favourite [short con] only makes the con artist a few dollars every time he does it, but I absolutely love it. These guys used to go door-to-door in the 1970s selling lightbulbs and they would offer to replace every single lightbulb in your house, so all your old lightbulbs would be replaced with a brand new lightbulb, and it would cost you, say $5, so a fraction of the cost of what new lightbulbs would cost.
The Psychology of Con Men

Slimming down the bloated iTunes 8 installer

How do you supersize a simple music manager? Ask Apple. The Windows version of iTunes 8, released earlier this month and quickly patched after it caused an outbreak of blue-screen crashes, is a 64MB download. (For the sake of comparison, Windows Media Player 11 for Windows XP is just over 24 MB.) The full iTunes 8 installation takes up nearly 200MB of space on a Windows PC.
Slimming down the bloated iTunes 8 installer

How to Come up With Good Conversation Topics

Even if you know how to start a conversation and make it a good one, there's still the issue of choosing what you're going to talk about. Some topics are inappropriate in some situations, and some are just plain boring. Here are some topics to keep the conversation alive while keeping your foot out of your mouth.
How to Come up With Good Conversation Topics

Looking On The Bright Side: How to Find A Silver Lining In The Current Financial Crisis

There was a standard mantra in my house when I was growing up: "make the best of what you've got". If we were between paydays, that might mean eating grilled cheese sandwiches or eggs and biscuits for dinner, taking our lunch to school or foregoing that new outfit at the mall. To my Dad, it meant finding a way to make due in order to avoid even the smallest expenses. And my Dad lived what he preached, tying knots in his broken shoelaces and sewing up holes in his socks.
Looking On The Bright Side: How to Find A Silver Lining In The Current Financial Crisis

How to Make Work Feel Effortless

Sometimes work can be a drag. You get caught up in trying to be more productive and suddenly your life turns into a series of to-do lists. You gauge your measure of success by how much you accomplish. You even determine how happy you allow yourself to be by how much you’ve gotten done in the day.
How to Make Work Feel Effortless

How to Put VHS-C Videos into Your Computer

Learn how to put VHS-C videos into your computer so you can edit them, upload them to the internet, and/or burn them to DVD.
How to Put VHS-C Videos into Your Computer

How to sync an iPhone with two (or more) Computers

(Or, How to sync an iPhone with one computer and manually manage music and videos on another).
How to sync an iPhone with two (or more) Computers

Commonly Misused Words and Phrases

English is a difficult language. With words and phrases constantly entering and exiting our vernacular, reflecting changing trends, slang, and technology, it’s no surprise that some words are misinterpreted and some clichés sound as if they were passed through a game of telephone since their current form bears no relation to their beginnings.
Commonly Misused Words and Phrases

How to Tell When Your Hard Drive is Going to Fail

You don’t have to be psychic to predict your hard drive’s imminent failure. You just need to recognize the warning signs.
How to Tell When Your Hard Drive is Going to Fail

15 Foods That Can Save Your Heart

At least three times a day, you have a chance to significantly lower our cholesterol, blood pressure, and overall risk of heart disease. How? By eating the right foods at every meal.
15 Foods That Can Save Your Heart

How to Change Your IP Address

An IP address is your identification on the internet, usually assigned by network administrators. There are a couple reasons you might want to change it.
How to Change Your IP Address

No opt-out of filtered Internet

Australians will be unable to opt-out of the government's pending Internet content filtering scheme, and will instead be placed on a watered-down blacklist, experts say.
No opt-out of filtered Internet

Windows 7 equals some strange math

It was the product's code name, something relatively simple, and it is generally seen as a lucky number (at least in the United States). But to arrive at the number 7, Microsoft does some strange math, as general manager Mike Nash outlined.
Windows 7 equals some strange math

Airport trials 'see-through' scanners

New screening technology capable of seeing through passengers' clothing has been put on display at Melbourne airport.
Airport trials 'see-through' scanners

18 Tools to Track Car and Fuel Maintenance

With the economy in such an uncertain place, it’s very likely that people will be holding on to their cars far longer than they have in the past. With this in mind, it’s important to take care of your vehicle, which can be made simple using a variety of online services. Here are 18 tools to help you keep track of your car’s maintenance, as well as gas consumption, mileage, and more.
18 Tools to Track Car and Fuel Maintenance

Why Women Worry

How rational are our fears?
In late 2007, a study discovered the word that evoked the greatest fear. The study included the words spider, snake death, rape, murder, and incest.
“Shark” evoked the strongest reaction.
Why Women Worry

A special message from Ringo Starr - no more fan mail after Oct. 20

You have just five days to send stuff to Ringo to get it autographed. Hurry, hurry. Don't get shut out.
A special message from Ringo Starr - no more fan mail after Oct. 20

Optimize Your Web Connection

Your broadband connection screams compared with the dial-up days of yore, but it could be faster. These days, your internet connection can't be fast enough. That is why we're here — to show you the way to a faster internet connection by tweaking the hardware and software you're using.
Optimize Your Web Connection

How to Construct a Killer Resume, From Start to Finish

It would be worthwhile to go through the entire process of creating a strong resume, step by step.
How to Construct a Killer Resume, From Start to Finish

Make Roses Bloom Longer with Salt and Mint Oil

Life's a trade-off. Fake roses bloom eternal but they're about as romantic as a cubic zirconia engagement ring. Make your real roses blossom longer with these tips.
Make Roses Bloom Longer with Salt and Mint Oil

Form an Attack Plan for a Cluttered, Messy Home

It's the place you don't have to keep clean—until somebody's coming to visit. For anyone looking to cut back on clutter to create more living space (and space for awesome projects), read on for tips on putting your house in order.
Form an Attack Plan for a Cluttered, Messy Home

Web Archive Viewer For Internet Explorer

Web Archive Viewer is a plugin for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer that provides access to file archives before the download. It displays the contents of zip and rar archives and gives Internet Explorer users the option to download selected files instead of the complete archive.
Web Archive Viewer For Internet Explorer

Intel Product Comparison Chart

If you have already decided that the next processor that you are buying will be an Intel processor but are yet undecided on the processor itself you might find the Intel Product Comparison Chart useful.
Intel Product Comparison Chart

The OED is 80: Some fascinating facts

Some fascinating facts and figures about the Oxford English Dictionary. Did you know…
The OED is 80: Some fascinating facts

How to Go from Introvert to Extrovert

If you're an introvert, how do you balance the introvert and extrovert parts of yourself, such that you enjoy both types of activities equally, rather than looking forward to one and dreading the other? If you’re very introverted, you may undervalue the positive role people can play in your life, such as knowledge, friendship, growth, laughter, and so on. The optimal outcome is to strike a balance between the two and become an ambivert, or someone who enjoys social interaction and solitude equally.
How to Go from Introvert to Extrovert

Maxtor Shared Storage II - 2TB NAS - $499 (2 days only)

rrp $699. 2 Days only, some of you have mentioned not getting NAS deals, so here it is:
Maxtor Shared Storage II - NAS - 2 TB - HD 1 TB x 2 - RAID 1 - Gigabit Ethernet ~$640 on SI.
Simply share storage and automatically backup computer files, photos, music and digital videos to one location on small office and home networks with Maxtor Shared Storage II. Easy user interface provides backup scheduling of networked computers, data restoration, and media playback to networked media/ entertainment systems without being tied down to a dedicated computer host.
Maxtor Shared Storage II - 2TB NAS - $499 (2 days only)

Rat Race Urban Adventure Series - Melbourne, Australia

The Rat Race Urban Adventure has arrived in Australia – be part of the Ratolution.
Rat Race Urban Adventure Series - Melbourne, Australia

Stay on Top of Your USB Stick

Are you carrying a USB thumb drive with useful applications with you at all times? I’ve written before about how it makes a lot of sense, and how to stock your drive with many good free, open source applications with only one download. MacLibre and PortableApps.com remain the choice sites to go to to stock your drive up with good apps. For ongoing information on how to get the most out of your pocket drive, though, try GetUSB.info.
Stay on Top of Your USB Stick

How to Reuse an Empty Altoids Tin

Altoids candy comes in a variety of small, sturdy metal tins that invite creative reuse. If you have one (or a giant stack) left over, try one of these projects to put it to good use.
How to Reuse an Empty Altoids Tin

Finding The Best 3G Mobile Broadband Deal

Mobile broadband services -- using 3G spectrum to deliver the Internet to your PC or notebook -- are getting more popular, with almost a million Australians already using them. Whether you want to use them at home, in a hotel room or even in a train, there's a wide range of plans to choose from, and recent price changes from Optus, Telstra, 3 and Vodafone have further muddied the waters. Read on for Lifehacker's guide to the best current deals in the mobile broadband space.
Finding The Best 3G Mobile Broadband Deal

Free 2GB USB drive from Microsoft! | OzBargain

Just fill out the quick survey to receive a free 2GB USB drive from Microsoft!
Free 2GB USB drive from Microsoft! | OzBargain

8 Nifty Tips for Getting the Most from an All-You-Can Eat Buffet

Food can serve many purposes. For some it is merely for nourishment. For others it is a form of art or a means of entertainment. For still others, it fills an emotional need and could even be considered an addiction or vice. For the purpose of this article, I’d like to point out that my advice is for the most basic of needs: good nutrition, a bit of indulgence, and a chance to fellowship with your family or friends with no dishes to clean up! Here are the 8 ways we make our dining dollars a great investment.
8 Nifty Tips for Getting the Most from an All-You-Can Eat Buffet

How to Stop Feeling Like Your Life Isn't Good Enough

In recent times, it seems there are only three measures of success: Money, looks, and fame. If you don't have one or all of them, you just don't measure up. But you're an ordinary person, and it's hard to feel self-worth, self-respect, and self-esteem when you go to an everyday job in an everyday world. How do you find a sense of significance in a world that seems so shallow?
How to Stop Feeling Like Your Life Isn't Good Enough

Stop Trying to Impress Other People

Imagine, just for a moment, that you find yourself on a desert island with just you and four or five of your closest friends and relatives - the people you care about the most in this world. The only people around are the people that care about you.
Stop Trying to Impress Other People

Uncluttered public speaking

I’m sure we’ve all attended memorable presentations — some are memorable because they inspire, others because they’re awful. (I’ll never forget my astrology professor who droned on and on: “One may find that it’s intuitively obvious” and then he’d add a few incomprehensible points about celestial objects.)
Uncluttered public speaking

How Meditation Improves Your Health

Fact 1: Meditation assists healing. If you have any kind of health complaint at all then meditation can help you to get better.
How Meditation Improves Your Health

The 2008 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix - The Big Picture

The sixteenth round of the 2008 Grand Prix motorcycle racing (MotoGP) season was recently held on a track on the southern coast of Australia. The 2008 Australian motorcycle Grand Prix took place on Phillip Island, on the weekend of October 3rd.
The 2008 Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix

The Financial Crisis in Pictures: 8 of the Best from Around the Web

With the stock market continuing to plunge, one thing remains constant: financial news sites like to tell part of the story with images of distressed Wall Street traders and executives that are experiencing some of the worst moments of their careers.
The Financial Crisis in Pictures: 8 of the Best from Around the Web

Why It's Not Selfish to Put Yourself First

One piece of advice that I’ve come across in the writings of several life coaches is that we should act in our own best interests. My initial reaction to this is to feel uncomfortable – like most people, I worry that I’m being selfish if I put myself first.
Why It's Not Selfish to Put Yourself First

How to Accept Criticism With Grace and Appreciation

How do you deal with criticism? The first reaction for many of us is to defend ourselves, or worse yet to lash back. And yet, while criticism can be taken as hurtful and demoralizing, it can also be viewed in a positive way: it is honesty, and it can spur us to do better. It’s an opportunity to improve and build up our true talents.
How to Accept Criticism With Grace and Appreciation

Opening the Door to Helping Your Parents

What kind of help should I provide for my parents? What kind of help do they actually need? What does their situation really look like? Would they be happy if I took an interest, or would they not like it at all?
Opening the Door to Helping Your Parents

Email: Test Your Web Mail's Password Recovery (Before Someone Else Does)

CNET's Michael Horowitz runs down the ins and outs of securing and restoring access to your Gmail, Yahoo, or Hotmail account, whether it's been infiltrated, locked you out, or you're just looking to ensure its privacy. It's a good guide that might make you think twice about your web mail practices, especially if you haven't run through his final bit of advice: Test your password recovery procedure—the kind that left Sarah Palin's Yahoo Mail account wide open—before anyone else does.
Email: Test Your Web Mail's Password Recovery (Before Someone Else Does)

Once-a-Month Shopping: Save More by Shopping Less

How often do you go to the supermarket? Could you get by making only one trip per month? What if it saved you money?
Once-a-Month Shopping: Save More by Shopping Less

Yoko Ono: Celebrate John Lennon's Birthday Today with Peace

On 9 Oct 2008, John Lennon’s birthday, Yoko Ono asks the people of Iceland to join her and many others across the rest of the world in praying for peace and stability.
Yoko Ono: Celebrate John Lennon's Birthday Today with Peace

The Certainty Bias: A Potentially Dangerous Mental Flaw

Robert Burton is the former chief of neurology at the University of California at San Francisco-Mt. Zion hospital. He recently wrote a book, On Being Certain, that explored the neuroscience behind the feeling of certainty, or why we are so convinced we’re right even when we’re wrong.
The Certainty Bias: A Potentially Dangerous Mental Flaw

The Only Two Secrets to Motivating Yourself You’ll Ever Need | Zen Habits

Motivation isn’t that complicated. Sure, there are numerous tips that can help, numerous tactics and strategies.
The Only Two Secrets to Motivating Yourself You’ll Ever Need | Zen Habits

Google Maps: Now Officially Gorgeous

Remember when we told you about Google’s new satellite, GeoEye-1, which should bring highest resolution commercial imagery available to Google Maps? Below, you can see the first image that the satellite captured. GeoEye-1 captures images at .41 meters in black and white and 1.65 meters in color; for real life reference, that means crisp enough to read license plates.
Google Maps: Now Officially Gorgeous

Understand the Financial Crisis

Freddie and Fannie, Bernanke, Bush, mortgages, loans, foreclosure, $700 billion bailout, recession, crisis. These are the words filling the headlines and being tossed around in Washington and on Wall Street in worry and, yes, panic. What does it all mean?
Understand the Financial Crisis

The Things You Don’t Need (But They Say You Do) For a New Baby

Expecting parents know the gauntlet of baby gear pushed and prodded their way through the store’s aisles. Modern-day culture all but convinces the average parent-to-be that they may very well fail at their upcoming task without the shiny new products begging for purchase. Never mind that men and women have parented children for eons without most of these things.
The Things You Don’t Need (But They Say You Do) For a New Baby

8 tips for finding the right thing to say in a difficult situation

I often feel like I don’t know the right thing to say. I’ll be desperate to find the right words, but in a tough situation, I just don’t know what to say to make a person feel better. I often find myself switching the topic of the conversation -- so quickly that I've changed it before I realize what I've done.
8 tips for finding the right thing to say in a difficult situation

A Do-It-Yourself Guide to a Romantic and Highly Frugal Date Night

I’ve been collecting ideas and tips for a while and I’ve come up with some fairly modular options for coming up with a frugal romantic date. Choose one option from the “Dinner” section and the “Entertainment” section and then top it off with one item from the “Follow-Up” section.
A Do-It-Yourself Guide to a Romantic and Highly Frugal Date Night

The 10 Things I Won’t Give Up Just To Save Money

Times are tough and they may be getting tougher as inflation and unemployment rates rise. There are 10 things that I could cut out of my expenses to save money right now but these measures will likely cause my earning power to shrink and my cost of living to rise in the long term.
The 10 Things I Won’t Give Up Just To Save Money

New in Labs: Stop sending mail you later regret

Sometimes I send messages I shouldn't send. Like the time I told that girl I had a crush on her over text message. Or the time I sent that late night email to my ex-girlfriend that we should get back together. Gmail can't always prevent you from sending messages you might later regret, but today we're launching a new Labs feature I wrote called Mail Goggles which may help.
New in Labs: Stop sending mail you later regret

Critic’s Notebook - Old Gender Roles With Your Dinner?

To Jenny Moon, the whole business of giving menus to women before men, taking orders from women before men and clearing women’s plates first just didn’t make sense, not in the East Village in 2008.
Critic’s Notebook - Old Gender Roles With Your Dinner?

How to Save Money on Your Wedding: ASK!

Eight people from the wedding industry had gathered to swap hints, tips, and stories. They talked about networking, about wedding expos, and about dealing with problem customers. They also talked about some of the financial aspects of their business.
How to Save Money on Your Wedding: ASK!

Airport shoe-scanner device could prevent stupid shoe-removal ritual

Could this be what we've all been waiting for? Israel's Ben-Gurion International has added a gizmo called MagShoe to its security checkpoints in Terminal 3, meaning some passengers will be able to leave their shoes on.
Airport shoe-scanner device could prevent stupid shoe-removal ritual

UK to install clusters of cameras to catch speeders

The UK is going to install camera clusters on hundreds of roads next year to "monitor drivers’ average speed on all routes across a wide area."
UK to install clusters of cameras to catch speeders

Hosting Overnight Guests: 10 Easy Tips To Help Your Visitors Feel Welcome

As you’re reading this, we are hosting out-of-town guests in our home for a few days. Some people where we live kindly refer to us as a “bed and breakfast” because we have so many guests pass through our hallways - and we love it.
Hosting Overnight Guests: 10 Easy Tips To Help Your Visitors Feel Welcome

24 Words the CED Want to Exuviate (Shed)

Here are a list of words the Collins English Dictionary want to discard to make room for up to 2,000 new entries.
24 Words the CED Want to Exuviate (Shed)

9 Signs You Need to Fire Your Financial Planner

In tough economic times, financial planners are on the front lines. They are the gateway to investment returns when the markets are good, and are the buffer against financial disaster when the markets are bad.
9 Signs You Need to Fire Your Financial Planner

Forged Elvis Passport Accepted By Airport Security

A group of hackers has released a video showing a forged Elvis Presley passport - the RFID-protected kind that can be scanned by computers - being run through and accepted by a Dutch airport security machine.
Forged Elvis Passport Accepted By Airport Security

Retirement Plans in a Down Stock Market

Stocks are inherently a risky investment. If you look at the long term history of the stock market, there are a lot of years where the stock market goes up 15 to 20% in a year. There are also a lot of years where the stock market drops 20% in a year. Over the very long haul, these average out - that’s why holding a broad range of stocks (like in an index fund) is a good idea if you’re investing for the far future.
Retirement Plans in a Down Stock Market

To improve your marriage -- be quiet

Forget everything you've heard about frankness, sharing your feelings, getting him to express his. New research into the male mind makes it clear that discussion may be the fastest way to shut down communication. (Oh, you noticed that, have you?)
To improve your marriage -- be quiet

OUP UK’s Word of the Year is…

Drum roll please! Today sees the announcement of OUP UK’s Word of the Year, as chosen by Countdown’s Susie Dent. And, perhaps unsurprisingly given what is going on in the world’s economy at the moment, that word is....
OUP UK’s Word of the Year is…

Go ogle Australia’s Great Barrier Reef on Google Maps!

Although there’s no “Reef View” to rival the Street View on Google Maps, a bird’s-eye view of the Great Barrier Reef using new map data and satellite imagery is now available for anyone to go ogle!
Go ogle Australia’s Great Barrier Reef on Google Maps!

Make Your Clothes Last Longer (without spending big)

With everyone trying to stretch their dollars further these days, it makes sense to take care of the things we have, rather than buy replacements. This goes for clothing as much as anything else we own and use on a daily basis.
Make Your Clothes Last Longer (without spending big)

Google 2001

In honor of our 10th birthday, we've brought back our oldest available index. Take a look back at Google in January 2001. (hmmm Google is such a pup, The Black Stump is over 13 years old!)
Google 2001

12 Greek Words You Should Know

Along with Latin, Greek is probably the language that most influenced other languages around the world. Many English words derive directly from Greek ones, and knowing their origin and meaning is important.
12 Greek Words You Should Know

Warren Buffett’s Ten Secrets to Wealth and Life

Warren Buffett is the richest man in the world, yet his reputation for frugality, folksy wisdom, and straight talk make him seem like just a regular guy, like he might be the billionaire next door.
Warren Buffett’s Ten Secrets to Wealth and Life