Monday, January 31, 2011

This Car DVR Is Worth Ten Traffic Lawyers

Planes have black boxes to record the vitals of an incident. About time cars had something similar, no? Enter the Car DVR, your fool-proof way to put the blame on the other guy. Assuming, you know, it’s his fault.
This Car DVR Is Worth Ten Traffic Lawyers

10 Incredible Interactive YouTube Videos

Like a 21st century version of the choose-your-own-adventure books, interactive YouTube videos can up the engagement factor by letting the viewer decide the course of the action, or just play around with the content.
10 Incredible Interactive YouTube Videos

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Thursday, January 27, 2011

2011

The year 2011 produces some dates with unusual combinations of 1s.
2011

How To Create Your Own Custom ASCII Art from Any Image

Creating pictures from monospaced ASCII characters may be useless, but it sure is fun! If you’ve got some time to spare and can download some free software, you can automatically create ASCII art and other wordy graphics in no time.
How To Create Your Own Custom ASCII Art from Any Image

Grand piano appears on sandbar

This grand piano mysteriously turned up on a sandbar in Miami's Biscayne Bay, about 600 feet from shore.
Grand piano appears on sandbar

10 "Rules of Life" from Tolstoy

Tolstoy is particularly fascinating -- both because he wrote so extensively about happiness and because he made and broke so many resolutions himself. Spectacularly.
10 "Rules of Life" from Tolstoy. What Are Your Rules?

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

8 Things To Do After Losing Your Wallet

Losing your wallet or purse is stressful. Your money, credit cards, driver's license, all gone. Don't fret too much about tracking down contact information to close accounts and get things replaced. USA.gov puts the answers you need in one easy-to-find place.
8 Things To Do After Losing Your Wallet

Speccy 1.08.218

Speccy will give you detailed statistics on every piece of hardware in your computer. Including CPU, Motherboard, RAM, Graphics Cards, Hard Disks, Optical Drives, Audio support. Additionally Speccy adds the temperatures of your different components, so you can easily see if there's a problem!
Speccy 1.08.218

How To Backup and Copy Data Between iOS Devices

Although iTunes usually does a good enough job backing up your data, the backups are encrypted and inaccessible save for totally restoring your system. What if you want to copy your saved games to a new device? Read on to find out how.
How To Backup and Copy Data Between iOS Devices

Windows 7 The Pocket Guide, Free Offer

Windows 7 has been out for more than 12 months and it is already clear that it is a huge success, not only for Microsoft but also for users who switch to the new operating system. The majority of computer users are still using a different system, and it will take additional time before they make the switch.
Windows 7 The Pocket Guide, Free Offer

Ron McCallum named Senior Australian of the Year

Victorian businessman and philanthropist Simon McKeon has been named Australian of the Year 2011. Mr McKeon is a successful investment banker but took up a part-time role as an executive chairman at Macquarie Group in 1994 to focus on social causes.
Ron McCallum named Senior Australian of the Year

Simon McKeon named Australian of the Year

Victorian businessman and philanthropist Simon McKeon has been named Australian of the Year 2011. Mr McKeon is a successful investment banker but took up a part-time role as an executive chairman at Macquarie Group in 1994 to focus on social causes.
Simon McKeon named Australian of the Year

Jess Watson named Young Australian of the Year

Queensland teenage sailor Jessica Watson has been named Young Australian of the Year for the bravery and tenacity she showed during her solo round-the-world trip.
Jess Watson named Young Australian of the Year

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Australia’s Top 10 Inventions: The Electric Drill

To celebrate Australia Day this week, we’re looking at some of the best inventions to ever come out of our sunburnt country. Today, we pay homage to Arthur James Arnot, who used his knowledge of electricity to create the world’s first electric drill.
Australia’s Top 10 Inventions: The Electric Drill

Making Sense of your Credit Card Number

Your credit card number may look like a random string of 16 digits that’s unique in the world but those digits reveal a little more than you think.
Making Sense of your Credit Card Number

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Why This Is The Longest Word In The English Language

This jumble of over 1000 unreadable letters is not the product of a kitty dancing on a keyboard. It’s a protein found inside of a virus. And it’s the longest word in the English language. Probably.
Why This Is The Longest Word In The English Language

Common Sense Security For Your iPhone

Think for a moment about the information you have stored on your iPhone. If you’re anything like me, you’d consider much of the information there personal, private and potentially dangerous if it were to fall in to the wrong hands.
Common Sense Security For Your iPhone

Friday, January 21, 2011

Cool Web Tools! "Send to Kindle: Any Web Page Text, With One Click, Using Chrome Browser"

With the new Send to Kindle option, you can specify that the text content of a webpage you're on be sent to your Kindle at [you]@free.kindle.com. This Kindle address avoids the 15 cents per megabyte charge for sending a personal document over 3G Whispernet instead.
Cool Web Tools! "Send to Kindle: Any Web Page Text, With One Click, Using Chrome Browser"

A World Map of Disasters and Accidents Updated in Real-Time

The various icons on the map illustrate natural disasters and accidents – everything including floods, earthquakes, forest fires, volcanoes, airplane accidents, terror attacks, etc. – that are happening in various parts of the world right now.
A World Map of Disasters and Accidents Updated in Real-Time

Thursday, January 20, 2011

8 Reasons to Drink More Water

It's old news by now that we don't really need to drink eight glasses of water per day. Nobody really knows where the "8 x 8 Rule" originated, and most researchers agree it isn't supported by science. But don't put down that bottle or cup yet; there are still plenty of reasons to keep well hydrated, and water is the best option.
8 Reasons to Drink More Water

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

How To Avoid Mistakes With Apostrophes

You don’t have to wander very far on the Internet before you encounter examples of apostrophes being used in entirely the wrong way. Here’s a basic guide to making sure you’re not responsible for howlers like “The problem with it’s design is that it let’s you send a message too easily”.
How To Avoid Mistakes With Apostrophes

Smishing: scary new malware scam

A new security risk has crept into the world of online shopping, and it combines the trickery of phishing scams with the ease and availability of text messages.
Smishing: scary new malware scam

Monday, January 17, 2011

33 More Entertaining 404 Error Pages

Landing on an error paging while surfing the Internet is usually an unpleasant experience, but some web designers add a bit of sunshine to the world with their quirky 404 error pages.
33 More Entertaining 404 Error Pages

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Record flooding devastates Victoria

Dozens of Victorian towns are preparing for record-breaking flood peaks, after communities were swamped by swollen rivers yesterday. So far 13,000 properties across Victoria have been flooded and 3,000 people have been forced to abandon their homes.
Record flooding devastates Victoria

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Use Spaces In Your Windows Password For Extra Security

Your Windows password is your first line of defence against someone getting deeper into your system. It’s not uncrackable, but you can make it tougher by adding a space — which, oddly enough, Windows is cool with.
Use Spaces In Your Windows Password For Extra Security

Fast Food Calories Is a Pocket Nutrition Guide and Tracker for Fast Food

Fast Food Calories is a pocket guide and tracker to help you stay on top of how much crap you're eating.
Fast Food Calories Is a Pocket Nutrition Guide and Tracker for Fast Food

Friday, January 14, 2011

Amateurs capture Brisbane flood devastation

Queensland residents have been posting amateur footage of the flood damage online.
Amateurs capture Brisbane flood devastation

Scam Alert! Ten Signs to Avoid

Imagine if you had little or no ethics or morality at all. You live under the belief that if you lie and misrepresent right to a person’s face and they believe it, they deserve to have their money taken from them for being so stupid.
Scam Alert! Ten Signs to Avoid

Brisbane's history of flooding

Brisbane is no stranger to flooding. As the maps below show, there's a grim inevitability to the floods occurring in the Australian city this week - but a review of dam capacity suggests that the flood risk might lessen in future.
Brisbane's history of flooding

Brisbane and Ipswich flood photos

Brisbane and Ipswich flood photos from the ABC.
Queenslanders survey flood damage

Queensland drenched - - Flood Photos

Floods have ravaged Queensland, inundating properties and isolating towns. Photo gallery from the ABC.
Queensland drenched - Flood Photos

10 iPhone Apps for Music Lovers

Everyone knows about Pandora, Last.fm and Spotify, but the following 10 apps, which have mostly flown under the radar, deserve props for making it easier for us to enjoy the music we love.
10 iPhone Apps for Music Lovers

The Australian Floods: a photo gallery

Flood water in Australia's third-biggest city peaked below feared catastrophic levels on Thursday but Brisbane and other devastated regions face years of rebuilding and even the threat of fresh floods in the weeks ahead.
The Australian Floods: a photo gallery

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Queensland flood waters threaten Great Barrier Reef

Flood waters in Brisbane reached a 4.46-metre peak at 5.30 am local time today - lower than the 5.2-metre peak predicted earlier this week. By noon, the Bureau of Meteorology reported that the Brisbane river was at 3.91 metres and steady. But with an offshore cyclone now forecast, Reuters reports that further floods are feared - and Brisbane already faces a clean-up operation that may last for months, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Queensland flood waters threaten Great Barrier Reef

You Could Run A Marathon On The World’s Longest Bridge

The Qingdao Haiwan Bridge took four years, 10,000 workers, and more than $US8 billion to construct, numbers that sound big at first but are actually shockingly low given the scale of the project. The previous record-holder, Louisiana’s Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, is all of 4.8km shorter.
You Could Run A Marathon On The World’s Longest Bridge

Disaster Relief

Welcome to the Register of Goods and Services Donations for those affected by the Queensland flood disaster.
Disasterrelief

Brisbane from the air

A bird's-eye view of Brisbane reveals a vast landscape of water as flood levels peak.
Brisbane from the air

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 2/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 2/2011

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

10 Things Your Mom Said That Were Actually Right

It’s natural for young people to go through a period of doubting what their parents say and to lack the perspective to see the truth in the things they told us. But as we mature and grow older, we can look back on what our mothers (and other elders) told us and appreciate how right they were.
10 Things Your Mom Said That Were Actually Right

Aerials of the Brisbane River

Watch aerials of the Brisbane River as the surging flood waters inundate more than 30 suburbs.
Aerials of the Brisbane River

My Blackberry Is Not Working

Ronnie Corbett and Harry Enfield star in this hilarious, fruity sketch from the BBC.
My Blackberry Is Not Working

Brisbane swamped as floodwaters rise

Brisbane is preparing for the full impact of its worst flooding in more than 100 years, with officials warning almost 20,000 homes in the city will be flooded by early tomorrow morning.
Brisbane swamped as floodwaters rise

Dramatic flood footage from Queensland

Queensland has been inundated with rising flood waters, with Brisbane preparing for its worst flooding in more than 100 years.
Dramatic flood footage from Queensland

Most detailed image of night sky unveiled

It would take 500,000 high-definition TVs to view it in its full glory. Astronomers have released the largest digital image of the night sky ever made, to be mined for future discoveries.
Most detailed image of night sky unveiled

New Google Goggles app that solves Sudoku puzzles

You could say it rather defeats the game's purpose. But Google has unveiled a new version of its Goggles app that it says can solve any Sudoku puzzles just by snapping a picture of it. The internet giant has produced a short video which it has posted on its blog and YouTube which shows how the puzzle-solving application works.
New Google Goggles app that solves Sudoku puzzles

Queensland Floods Latest News | Courier Mail

For the absolute latest on the Floods from the main Queensland newspaper site. Lots of stories, videos, news, warnings and updates.
Queensland Floods Latest News | Courier Mail

YouTube - [Australia Floods] Amazing raw footage from Ten News (11 Jan 11)

And note right at the end they start a story of a bushfire in Western Australia - what an amazing country this is!
YouTube - [Australia Floods] Amazing raw footage from Ten News (11 Jan 11)

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Wall of water tears through Grantham

Houses have been ripped from their foundations and carried away by raging floodwaters in the southern Queensland town of Grantham.
Wall of water tears through Grantham

'Inland tsunami' threatens Brisbane

Flood waters continue to cause chaos in northern Australia, as an overnight downpour created an "inland tsunami", killing at least 13 people. The worst is yet to come. Brisbane river has broken its banks, sparking fears that the city – Australia's third largest and home to 2 million people – will be flooded by Thursday.
'Inland tsunami' threatens Brisbane

The Year of Practical Thinking by Giles Turnbull

They say you learn something every day. In 2010, I decided to put this to the test, and write down the one thing I learned each and every day of the year.
The Year of Practical Thinking by Giles Turnbull

More evacuations as NSW deluge continues

About 4,500 people are cut off by flood waters as heavy rain continues to fall in northern New South Wales. River levels in the region are still rising and many rural communities are cut off, while some residents are being evacuated by helicopter.
More evacuations as NSW deluge continues

Brisbane suburbs at risk of flooding

Depicted on a Google Map.
Brisbane suburbs at risk of flooding

Amateur captures nature's fury in Toowoomba

Source: ABC News
Toowoomba resident captures the extraordinary moment when the Chalk Lane Creek overflowed, carrying away cars.
Amateur captures nature's fury in Toowoomba

The 2010 Mashable Awards Winners

Take a look at this year’s Mashable Awards winners and their more-than-worthy finalists in this celebratory infographic by Shane Snow. Thanks to everyone who participated and congratulations to the winners!
The 2010 Mashable Awards Winners

Raging floods bear down on Brisbane

The Brisbane River has broken its banks amid dire predictions of the biggest floods to hit Queensland's capital since 1974. The weather bureau says the river is expected to reach major flood levels tomorrow afternoon and rise further on Thursday. Water is also rising quickly in the Bremer River at Ipswich, west of Brisbane, where it is expected to peak close to 19 metres.
Raging floods bear down on Brisbane

Pouring rain worsens NSW floods

The State Emergency Service (SES) says heavy rain in northern New South Wales is worsening flooding in the area. A further 200 millimetres of rain is expected within the next 36 hours as the risk of major flooding increases on the north and mid-north coasts.
Pouring rain worsens NSW floods

Queensland floods

For help in an emergency or to report storm damage call the State Emergency Service (SES) on 132 500. Donate online, by phone, in person, internet banking or mail.
Queensland floods : Queensland Government

Flash floods cut path of destruction

SE Queensland flash floods photo gallery.
Flash floods cut path of destruction

Queensland's flood crisis

Eight people are dead and grave fears are held for more than 70 people still missing after yesterday's unprecedented flash flooding in southern Queensland.
Queensland's flood crisis

Monday, January 10, 2011

Australian Open Offers A Choice Of Two iOS Apps

The Australian Open kicks off next week, and dedicated tennis fans with tech leanings face a choice. Do you go for the $4.99 official event program app for the IBM-developed iPad guide, or save your cash and get the free iPhone app instead?
Australian Open Offers A Choice Of Two iOS Apps

Internet Not Working? Easy Way to Repair Internet Connection

If you are a Windows user, you must have had problems with your internet connection sometime or the other. Regardless of a wired or wireless connection, this issue is bound to appear. What do you do when internet stops working? Restarting the modem and/or the router may be an option. Or, flushing the DNS cache, deleting the cookies, cleaning the temporary files. Or may be use the default troubleshooting tool provided by Windows. Things can get really tedious, even for a geek. Then imagine the plight of a non-techie!
The easy solution is Complete Internet Repair.
Internet Not Working? Easy Way to Repair Internet Connection

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Software Discounts You Can Get With An .EDU Email Address

You're probably aware that an .EDU address can score you some pretty nice discounts. If you're looking for more ways to save with an .EDU email, a thread at social news site Reddit has some suggestions for some great software discounts.
Software Discounts You Can Get With An .EDU Email Address

Friday, January 07, 2011

Four free programs to help control Windows 7

Windows 7, like all powerful operating systems, can seem a bit overwhelming and give you the feeling you've lost control. Fortunately, there are some great utilities for taming Windows 7.
Four free programs to help control Windows 7

Mass dying of animals plotted on Google map

Whether it's red tilapia dying en masse in Thailand or thousands of blackbirds dropping out of the sky over Arkansas it might seem like the entire natural world has given up the ghost. But this startling new map shows every instance of falling birds and dying fish across the globe over the past few weeks.
Mass dying of animals plotted on Google map

Thursday, January 06, 2011

Why Are Thousands Of Dead Birds Suddenly Falling From The Sky?

This week, 5000 blackbirds fell from the skies over Arkansas, followed by 500 more in Louisiana. And now it’s happening in Sweden too. You’ve got to wonder what the hell is going on. We’ll explain.
Why Are Thousands Of Dead Birds Suddenly Falling From The Sky?

This Keyboard Will Steal Your Card PIN, And You’ll Never Notice It

You may think that the ATM you’re using is perfectly normal. After all, it may even be in the bank building. And you cover your hand while typing your PIN, anyway, just in case there’s a hidden camera. Well, think again.
This Keyboard Will Steal Your Card PIN, And You’ll Never Notice It

How to avoid online tracking. (Hint: you can't.)

Christopher Maag, writing for credit.com, says that any attempt to maintain your privacy online is doomed. Deleting cookies won't work, banning cookies won't work, and using privacy tools won't work, either.
How to avoid online tracking. (Hint: you can't.)

Convert Office Documents with Zoho Viewer

Zoho Viewer, an online tool that lets you preview Office documents and PDF files in the browser without any desktop software, now supports document conversion as well.
Convert Office Documents with Zoho Viewer

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

10 Apps to Watch in 2011

There are more than 200,000 apps in the Android market. There are more than 325,000 apps available for iOS devices. Even the fledgling Windows Phone 7 app marketplace already has greater than 5,300 apps. Throw in the wide world of web applications and, forget about it: you’d need many lifetimes to try them all.
10 Apps to Watch in 2011

Tuesday, January 04, 2011

La NiƱa and monsoonal winds flood northern Australia

Blame the strong La NiƱa and a monsoonal low-pressure zone for the devastating floods in the Australian state of Queensland that have left towns and cities stranded this week.
La NiƱa and monsoonal winds flood northern Australia

Resolved: How to Keep Your Computer Safe, Clean, and Backed Up in 2011

Those important computer tasks—like securing, cleaning, and backing up—are like any other resolution: we all say we're going to do them but rarely keep up with them all year. Here's LifeHacker's simple guide to staying on track in 2011.
Resolved: How to Keep Your Computer Safe, Clean, and Backed Up in 2011

Federal Cabinet Records 1980 and 1981

Under changes to the public access provisions of the Archives Act 1983 approved by Parliament in May 2010, the open period for most Australian Government records (including Cabinet records) will commence after 20 years instead of the current 30-years. The change will be phased in over the next 10 years with the closed period reducing by a year on 1 January each year until 2020. In 2011 Cabinet records up to and including 1981 are in the open access period. Find out about the latest Cabinet records release for 1980 and 1981.
Federal Cabinet Records 1980 and 1981

10 Websites to Watch in 2011

There are more than a trillion URLs in Google’s index. Yes, that’s a one with twelve zeros after it. And Google crossed that milestone two and a half years ago. With so many sites on the web in 2011, how do you know which to pay attention to?
10 Websites to Watch in 2011

Sunday, January 02, 2011

95+ Predictions for the Web in 2011

2010 was a busy year for social media and the web. It began (more or less) with the launch of the Apple’s genre-defining iPad tablet and culminated with the ascent of Facebook as the web’s most visited site. In between we had the fall of Palm, the rise of Android, the surprise of Groupon and the success of the Facebook movie. There was more, too, from fun new gadgets to embarrassing downtime (at a startup not called Twitter).
95+ Predictions for the Web in 2011

Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week

If you’re not sure which topic hit the top of the trends in late December, you deserve to be permanently unfollowed.
Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week

Saturday, January 01, 2011

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 1/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 1/2011

LSSU's 36th annual List of Banished Words

It may have been word of the year in some wheelhouses, but "refudiate" wasn't looked upon favorably by many who sent in nominations for Lake Superior State University's 36th annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness, which was released on New Year's Eve.
LSSU's 36th annual List of Banished Words