Lifehacker’s Biggest Australian Stories Of 2010

As the year draws to a close, here’s the 10 biggest local stories on Lifehacker in 2010, ranked in order of popularity. Can’t wait to see what 2011 brings!
Lifehacker’s Biggest Australian Stories Of 2010

Top 5 Gadgets of 2010

It appears to be that almost daily a new gadget comes along, and the one you possess is then almost outdated already, even if it was a recent purchase. However, really cool gadgets with cutting edge design and technology are rare. Nevertheless, gadgets are the quintessence of cool and so here are our top 5 picks of 2010.
Top 5 Gadgets of 2010

Bloody Vikings, Create A Temporary Email Address On The Fly

It is sometimes a good idea to avoid sharing your personal email address with websites, services and contacts if you suspect spam or want to keep your privacy. Temporary email services offer one of the best ways for that, especially if the email address needs to be used only once for instance to signup to a website or service.
Bloody Vikings, Create A Temporary Email Address On The Fly

How Do I Avoid Getting Scammed When Buying or Selling Online?

Dear Lifehacker,
Lately I've been worried about being conned while buying or selling on Craigslist—and online in general. Do you have any thoughts on how I can avoid getting screwed?
Sincerely,
Paranoid Seller
How Do I Avoid Getting Scammed When Buying or Selling Online?

The 50 Best How-To Geek Windows Articles of 2010

Even though we cover plenty of other topics, Windows has always been a primary focus around here, and we’ve got one of the largest collections of Windows-related how-to articles anywhere. Here’s the fifty best Windows articles that we wrote in 2010.
Want even more? You should make sure to check out our top 20 How-To Geek Explains topics of 2010, or the 50 Windows Registry hacks that make Windows better.
The 50 Best How-To Geek Windows Articles of 2010

Most Popular iPhone Posts and Free Apps of 2010

It's been a rough year for the iPhone, what with the iPhone 4's antenna issues and iPhone 3G's iOS4 performance problems. Nonetheless, we've seen some great apps and put together awesome posts for the iPhone in 2010. Have a look.
Most Popular iPhone Posts and Free Apps of 2010

The 20 Best How-To Geek Explainer Topics for 2010

It’s near the end of 2010, and the How-To Geek has put together a list of the 20 best “Explainer” articles of the year—where they answer a question and teach you a little more about the topic. Enjoy!
The 20 Best How-To Geek Explainer Topics for 2010

Avoid Added Stress by Just Deciding and Moving Forward

Because our brains have a way of creating a synthesized happiness when we don't get what we want, it's often hard for us to make a "wrong" decision. As a result, you're better off just deciding and moving forward.
Avoid Added Stress by Just Deciding and Moving Forward

The Ultimate iPhone Guide: 60+ Essential Resources

With software and hardware updates and improvements, the iPhone has gone from strength to strength during 2010, and Mashable has been there to cover it all with news, features, galleries, tutorials and more.
The Ultimate iPhone Guide: 60+ Essential Resources

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas & Greetings to all, we hope your have a great time today and get some nice pressies (even some things you'd like!). Thanks for all your support through the year!
The Black Stump

Christmas 2010 Public Transport Schedules (And Freebies)

Using public transport on Christmas Day avoids any drink-driving woes, but requires a bit of planning. Here’s a national roundup of what schedules are running. (Melbourne residents get to travel for free!)
Christmas 2010 Public Transport Schedules (And Freebies)

Create Printless PDFs with WWF for Windows

The WWF file format, in case you missed reading about it before, is just a regular PDF file except that you can’t print the content of that document. This format was developed by WWF Germany to prevent unnecessary printing.
Create Printless PDFs with WWF for Windows

4 Predictions for Connected Devices in 2011

Pulling together some predictions for 2011 feels a bit like looking backward from 2020, but here goes.
4 Predictions for Connected Devices in 2011

Mozilla Firefox Web Browser, All You Need To Know

Mozilla Firefox is a free web browser available for Mac and PC as well as Android and several other operating systems. Firefox has built its focus around a practical, minimalist design and low, light weight memory usage. First released in 2004 with Mozilla Thunderbird as part of Mozilla Suite, Firefox quickly gained popularity among users disillusioned with more traditional browsers like Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator. Today, Firefox commands around forty-four percent of the worldwide market, though usage is as high as sixty percent in some areas.
Mozilla Firefox Web Browser, All You Need To Know

Identity Theft and Password Security

Internet is fast becoming a second home for many and with social networking websites like Facebook, we end up sharing much more personal information without even realizing. This has resulted in greater number of identity thefts and the below infographic from Reflection.me illustrates that beautifully. It provides some interesting stats about identity theft and also password security.
Identity Theft and Password Security [Infographic]

How to Disable Caps Lock Key in Windows 7 or Vista

The caps lock key is one of those remnants of another age of computers, back when people used to shout at each other more often. Unless you’re in the accounting department, it’s probably not very useful, so today we’ll learn how to disable it.
How to Disable Caps Lock Key in Windows 7 or Vista

The 101 Most Useful Websites on the Internet

The list primarily highlights the lesser-known or undiscovered websites and misses out all-time favorites like Google Docs, Wikipedia or IMDB that most of us are already aware of.
The 101 Most Useful Websites on the Internet

How To Encrypt Passwords With Old-School Tabula Recta

John Graham-Cumming, an Oxford-trained computer programmer and mathematician with a doctorate in computer security, shares why he prefers writing his passwords down, and how he uses an old-school cipher technique to keep his wallet-friendly passwords secure.
How To Encrypt Passwords With Old-School Tabula Recta

Top 10 Most-Read Articles on Britannica for 2010

Here are the most-read articles on Britannica.com for 2010. History and economics dominate the list, with a little sprinkling of the arts and geography.
Top 10 Most-Read Articles on Britannica for 2010

How to Make a Panoramic Picture in Your Facebook Profile

The latest changes in Facebook's interface included a new five picture strip at the top of the profile page. This strip shows the latest pictures in which you were tagged and can be manipulated in many creative ways. One of the ways is to make a panoramic picture from this strip, and this article will show you how to achieve this.
How to Make a Panoramic Picture in Your Facebook Profile

10 Tools Every Homeowner Should Have

Doorknobs get loose, windows need unsticking, the tap always ends up dripping – and houses don’t usually come with a super. Here’s are the 10 tools that will get any homeowner through the most common projects around the house.
10 Tools Every Homeowner Should Have

Most Popular Repurposing Tricks of 2010

Favourite DIY conversions from the past year.
Most Popular Repurposing Tricks of 2010

10 Predictions for the News Media in 2011

In many ways, 2010 was finally the year of mobile for news media, and especially so if you consider the iPad a mobile device. Many news organizations like The Washington Post and CNN included heavy social media integrations into their apps, opening the devices beyond news consumption.
10 Predictions for the News Media in 2011

Lighthouse frozen in ice

Here is a lighthouse in Cleveland, Ohio. The spray from Lake Erie froze layer by layer until the structure was encased in ice.
Lighthouse frozen in ice

Australian Rules still our favourite spectator sport

Australian Rules still our favourite spectator sport. Around 2.8 million Australians aged 15 years and over attended an Australian Rules football game during 2009-10, according to the latest sports attendance figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
Horse racing (11%), rugby league (9%) and motor sports (8%) also attracted over 1 million attendees. Soccer was the only popular sport to report a significant increase from the last survey in 2005-06 (2% increase).
Spectator Attendance at Sporting Events, 2009-10

Your Online Footprint

The CEO of Google has suggested that once you leave college, you may want to change your name to distance yourself from all the dumb things you did as a younger person and can’t erase from the Internet. Of course if you change your name, you won’t be associated with any of the positive things you did either.
Your Online Footprint

9 Ways to Connect With Santa on the Web

You don’t have to head to the North Pole to hook up with Santa this year. There’s a sackful of online options that will let your little ones connect with the Claus from the comfort of your own home.
9 Ways to Connect With Santa on the Web

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 26/2010

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 26/2010

Most Popular Hive Fives of 2010

Every week LifeHacker put out a Hive Five Call for Contenders and ask you a simple question: Which is best? From DVD rippers to web hosts and everything in between, here's a look back at the most popular Hive Fives of 2010.
Most Popular Hive Fives of 2010

Google Earth For The Human Body

Google’s already taken you across the globe, down to the bottom of the oceans, and out to the mountains of Mars. It’s been a vaguely educational journey! Their next frontier: the human body, with Google Body Browser.
Google Earth For The Human Body

Popcorn in slow motion

Much like setting stuff on fire, filming things in slow motion is one of those science video tropes that has less to do with science, and more to do with making vaguely science-related things look really cool. And yet, you know, it does look really cool.
Popcorn in slow motion

Top 10 Movies for the Modern Tech Geek

It’s a great time to be a tech geek with a love for the cinema. Not only is film technology evolving at a breakneck pace, the subject matter for films is also targeting tech audiences in a more nuanced, fulfilling way.
Top 10 Movies for the Modern Tech Geek

Facebook’s Zuckerberg wins Time’s Person of the Year

Despite a campaign for Wikileak’s editor Julian Assange, The Man with 550 million friends, Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg has been named Time’s Person of the Year.
Facebook’s Zuckerberg wins Time’s Person of the Year

5 Simple Tips to Secure Your PC

With the increased usage of internet, it is now becoming important for all computer users to keep their system secure from spyware and malware on the web. Big companies like Kaspersky and BitDefender have developed different security software to protect users’ computers from network attacks, malware, adware and so on. However an antivirus or internet security might not always protect and secure you computer system, since there are hundreds of new virus and trojans being created everyday. You need to follow a few more tips to fully secure your system from any kind of harm or dangerous activities.
5 Simple Tips to Secure Your PC

Lifehacker Australia Unaffected By US Hacks

It’s been in the news that Gawker in the US was hacked recently. LiefHacker Oz would like to reassure local readers that the Australian edition sites are run on entirely separate infrastructure. AU versions of Gizmodo, Lifehacker, and Kotaku are unaffected.
Lifehacker Australia Unaffected By US Hacks

Australian Social Trends, Dec 2010

Australian Social Trends draws on a wide range of data, sourced both from ABS and other agencies, to present a picture of Australian society. This publication aims to inform decision-making, research and discussion on social conditions in Australia. It covers social issues of current and ongoing concern, population groups of interest, and changes in these over time.
Australian Social Trends, Dec 2010

Twitter’s Top Trends Of 2010

Twitter released their top Twitter trends of 2010. They have a nice reviews page of trends at yearinreview.twitter.com/trends/. Here is the break down.
Twitter’s Top Trends Of 2010

The Curious Case of Benford’s Law

When you roll dice, all numbers have the same probability to show up (assuming that the dice aren’t loaded in any way). However, the leading digits of numbers in very large accumulated datasets—for example, the amount you pay for each household bill over the course of a year—follow a very different pattern. In such cases it is much more likely that a given number will start with one, with decreasing probability for each higher digit up to nine. This statistical phenomenon is called Benford’s law.
The Curious Case of Benford’s Law

This Year’s 10 Most Popular YouTube Videos In Under 90 Seconds

What were the 10 most-watched YouTube videos of 2010? If I had my way it would just be the Bed Intruder song on repeat. But! Here’s how it actually played out.
This Year’s 10 Most Popular YouTube Videos In Under 90 Seconds

The Real Da Vinci Code Discovered

This is not part of Dan Brown’s novel. Researcher Silvano Vinceti – chairman of the Italian national committee for cultural heritage – has found a secret code in the Mona Lisa by scanning her eyes. A code that could reveal her mysterious identity.
The Real Da Vinci Code Discovered

Minnesota Dome Collapse Captivates the Web [VIDEO]

When a massive snowstorm dumped tons of the heavy white stuff on Minneapolis over the weekend, Fox, who was in town to broadcast Sunday’s scheduled NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, did something unusual: it trained a camera on the roof of the Metrodome stadium.
Minnesota Dome Collapse Captivates the Web [VIDEO]

FAQ: Compromised Commenting Accounts on Gawker Media

This past weekend Gawker Media's servers were compromised, resulting in a security breach at Lifehacker, Gizmodo, Gawker, Jezebel, io9, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Deadspin, and Fleshbot. If you're a commenter on any of those sites, you probably have several questions.
FAQ: Compromised Commenting Accounts on Gawker Media

Find if your Email Address Got Leaked through Gawker’s Database

The user database of Gawker Media has been hacked and the email addresses, user names (aliases) and encrypted passwords of millions of Gawker commenters have now been posted on the web and are viewable by anyone.
Find if your Email Address Got Leaked through Gawker’s Database

Track Santa in Real Time with Google Maps

Christmas is just a couple of weeks away and Santa must be getting ready buying all the gifts he has promised us! To help all of us track Santa, Google and NORAD are ready with their Santa tracker, using which you can follow Santa once he gets on the move at around 2am EST on December 24 2010.
Track Santa in Real Time with Google Maps

Wire an Old Car Radio for MP3 Input

Just because you've got a sweet classic car doesn't mean you have to go with 1960s-era technology for your tunes. Hacking your radio for MP3 input is a simple DIY electronics project.
Wire an Old Car Radio for MP3 Input

Neil Armstrong Talks About The First Moon Walk

Well, this doesn't happen every day.
Neil Armstrong Talks About The First Moon Walk

Most Popular Photography Tips, Tricks, and Hacks of 2010

Whether it's before, during, or after you shoot, Lifehacker have posted some awesome photography tips, tricks, and hacks this year. Here are the most popular for 2010.
Most Popular Photography Tips, Tricks, and Hacks of 2010

Browser Speed Tests: IE 9, Firefox 4 Beta, Chrome's Crankshaft, and Opera 11 Beta

Google's got a new "Crankshaft" in its bleeding-edge Chrome, Internet Explorer 9 is out to prove its modern mettle, Firefox 4 is nearly complete, and Opera's adding extensions. It's a good time to put these browsers head to head.
Browser Speed Tests: IE 9, Firefox 4 Beta, Chrome's Crankshaft, and Opera 11 Beta

Make Better Choices by Asking Yourself Two Simple Questions

Presumably you want to spend your time here on Earth doing something that matters to you. If you fall into that likely category, there are two questions you ought to be asking yourself to ensure you're making good choices.
Make Better Choices by Asking Yourself Two Simple Questions

The Best, Most Disgruntled Toner Cartridge Description Ever

Sometimes, a man reaches his breaking point. He realises that he’s, say, a copywriter for InkCartridges.uk.com, and that he’s tired of writing boring ink cartridge descriptions all day, and he snaps in hilarious ranting fashion. This is that glorious moment.
The Best, Most Disgruntled Toner Cartridge Description Ever

Disaster zones declared across eastern Australia

Thirty-five council areas in New South Wales and Queensland have been declared natural disaster zones with more areas likely to be announced as floodwaters continue to rise, prompting more evacuations.
Disaster zones declared across eastern Australia

Google’s 2010 Zeitgeist Video is Up!

Google’s 2010 Zeitgeist site is not up yet but they already have a video on YouTube capturing events and moments that the world searched for during 2010.
Google’s 2010 Zeitgeist Video is Up!

The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better

We’re big fans of hacking the Windows Registry around here, and we’ve got one of the biggest collections of registry hacks you’ll find. Don’t believe us? Here’s a list of the top 50 registry hacks that we’ve covered.
The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better

Google top 10 Australian searches for 2010

Aussie users of Google have been super interested in controversial topics for much of the year with Wikileaks, Andy Irons and Andrew Bolt amongst the most popular search terms. Sport’s been big as well with the World Cup with the Dukan Diet also being big topics of interest.
Google top 10 Australian searches for 2010

Top 5 iPhone Apps for Students – Educational Apps

iPhone is not just a smartphone, it’s much more than that. By having a constructive thinking, you can stay up-to the mark and productive with your time. I believe iPhone is the best option for almost everyone, from a master chef to a star business man. What makes iPhone so great? The Apps! That’s right, the apps are very innovative and you can make your iPhone even better with over 300,000 apps from Apple’s App Store.
Top 5 iPhone Apps for Students

Prisoners in Australia, 2010

Contains national information on prisoners who were in custody on 30 June each year. The statistics are derived from information collected by the ABS from corrective services agencies in each state and territory. Details are provided on the number of people in correctional institutions (including people on remand), imprisonment rates, most serious offence and sentence length. A range of information is also presented on prisoner characteristics (age, sex, Indigenous status) and on the type of prisoner (all prisoners, sentenced prisoners, and unsentenced prisoners (remandees).
Prisoners in Australia, 2010

Births, Australia, 2009

Contains statistics on live births and fertility for Australia, states and territories, and sub-state regions, based on calendar year of registration data. Information on characteristics of the child include place of usual residence, sex, Indigenous status, and age, martial status and country of birth of parents.
Births, Australia, 2009

How to Know when Car Tyres Need Replacing

Ever wonder when to replace your worn car tyres? The performance of your car tyres is critical to the safety, performance and efficiency of your vehicle; the NHTSA estimates that about 400 fatalities annually may have been attributed to tyre failures. Most tyres are designed to provide similar performance throughout their lives. However, at some point they start to lose performance in terms of their traction and braking ability. Here are a few tips that should help you decide if it is time to start shopping for a new set of tyres and avoid spending more than you need to.
How to Know when Car Tyres Need Replacing

Get The Contact Details For Everyone In The Room With This iPhone App

Sharing contact information can be a pain, but the My Name Is E iPhone app makes the whole process terrifyingly simple by allowing people to share contact information with anyone in physical proximity.
Get The Contact Details For Everyone In The Room With This iPhone App

New Virus: Watch Out for Goo.gl Links on Twitter

Twitter users, there's a new worm going around. Beware of bad Goo.gl links. It spreads when you click on the these links, so don't click if you see a Goo.gl link in a tweet all by itself.
New Virus: Watch Out for Goo.gl Links on Twitter

4 Effective Tools for Monitoring Your Child's Online Safety

If you’re concerned about your child’s online safety, you aren’t unusual. Seventy-eight percent of respondents to a survey conducted by Yahoo had similar worries, and more than 70% of them took some action to manage their children’s online and mobile activities.
4 Effective Tools for Monitoring Your Child's Online Safety

This Traffic Camera Is A Little Different: It Pays You Money

Now this, this is a traffic camera I can get behind. The Speed Camera Lottery, a winning project for Volkswagen’s Fun Theory series, sends tickets to speeders and enters law-abiding drivers in a lottery to win their money. Awesome auto-karma.
This Traffic Camera Is A Little Different: It Pays You Money

Most Popular How-To Guides of 2010

Here's a look back at Lifehacker's most popular how-to features of 2010.
Most Popular How-To Guides of 2010

Will you age slower if you exercise, eat well?

German researchers say yes, you will age slower if you exercise, eat healthy foods, and have a good lifestyle. In fact, they have determined how many years more, on average, you will live if you do those things.
Will you age slower if you exercise, eat well?

An Undocumented Google Search Operator - AROUND

This Google cheat sheet [PDF] has a nice overview of all the popular search operators that are supported in Google. Other than this “official” list, Google also supports an undocumented search operator called AROUND(n) that will help you find documents where the distance between two search terms is around ‘n.’
An Undocumented Google Search Operator - AROUND

5 iPhone Apps For Avoiding International Business Faux Pas

No matter where you’re doing business, it’s important to make a good impression. But making a good impression can involve drastically different behaviors in different cultures. That’s why it’s important to do your research before you get on a plane.
5 iPhone Apps For Avoiding International Business Faux Pas

20 Windows Keyboard Shortcuts You Might Not Know

Mastering the keyboard will not only increase your navigation speed but it can also help with wrist fatigue. Here are some lesser known Windows shortcuts to help you become a keyboard ninja.
20 Windows Keyboard Shortcuts You Might Not Know

LCD? LED? Plasma? The How-To Geek Guide to HDTV Technology

With image technology progressing faster than ever, High-Def has become the standard, giving TV buyers more options at cheaper prices. But what’s different in all these confusing TVs, and what should you know before buying one?
LCD? LED? Plasma? The How-To Geek Guide to HDTV Technology

Understanding Pac-Man Ghost Behavior

Each of the ghosts is programmed with an individual “personality”, a different algorithm it uses to determine its method of moving through the maze. Understanding how each ghost behaves is extremely important to be able to effectively avoid them. However, before discussing their individual behaviors, let’s first examine the logic that they share.
Understanding Pac-Man Ghost Behavior

Windows 7 32-bit vs 64-bit

Computer users who want to buy Microsoft’s latest operating system Windows 7
have two choices to make. First they need to decide on the edition of the operating system. At least three different editions are available for retail users, they are: Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate. They also have to decide whether they want to install a 32-bit or 64-bit edition of the purchased operating system. This decision does not have to be made during the purchase as the Windows product key is valid for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the selected edition.
Windows 7 32-bit vs 64-bit

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 25/2010

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 25/2010

Introducing Google Earth Engine

Today, Google launched a new Google Labs product called Google Earth Engine at the International Climate Change Conference in sunny Cancun, Mexico. Google Earth Engine is a new technology platform that puts an unprecedented amount of satellite imagery and data—current and historical—online for the first time. It enables global-scale monitoring and measurement of changes in the earth’s environment.
Introducing Google Earth Engine

Track Santa in Real-Time With Google Maps This Holiday

Christmas Eve might not be for another 23 days or so, but Google (Google) and NORAD already have the online Santa Tracker ready to go.
Track Santa in Real-Time With Google Maps This Holiday

SalesClark Picks Out the Perfect Computer for Your Needs (So You Don't Have To)

If you're tired of computer shopping for all your friends, SalesClark will help them narrow down what they need with just a few simple questions in a chat-style webapp.
SalesClark Picks Out the Perfect Computer for Your Needs (So You Don't Have To)