Melbourne named world's most liveable city

Melbourne has finally knocked Vancouver off its perch as the best city in the world to live in. Melbourne claimed the title of the world's most liveable city in the Economist Intelligence Unit's latest survey, with Sydney, Perth and Adelaide also making it into the top 10.
Melbourne named world's most liveable city

Four Amazing Freeware Tools for Windows

Some of the most useful and maybe, less-known freeware to make your Windows experience even more worthwhile.
Four Amazing Freeware Tools for Windows

What's important in Australian life?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) launched a national conversation today, asking:

What do you think is important in Australian life?
What do you think is important in Australia’s society, economy and environment?

To kick start the conversation, we asked Michael Stutchbury, Economics Editor of The Australian, and Richard Aedy, host of Radio National's Life Matters program to share their views.
What's important in Australian life?

Hurricane Irene: Top 5 Online Sources for Weathering the Storm

Now that Hurricane Irene is attacking the East Coast in earnest, it’s time to keep a close eye on current hurricane conditions — that is, if you’re lucky enough to still have some sort of Internet connection.
Hurricane Irene: Top 5 Online Sources for Weathering the Storm

Men and women are both living longer

Women are still living longer than men, but men are closing the gap, according to a new publication released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today. Over the last ten years life expectancy at birth has increased at a greater rate for men (by 3 years) than for women (by 2 years). However, women continue to have a higher life expectancy at birth (now 84 years for women and 79 years for men).
Men and women are both living longer

Hurricane Irene, as seen from space (video, and snapshot by astronaut)

From 230 miles above the Earth, cameras on the International Space Station captured new views of powerful Hurricane Irene as it churned over the Bahamas at 3:10 p.m. EDT on August 24, 2011. Irene is moving to the northwest as a Category 3 hurricane, packing winds of 120 miles an hour. Irene is expected to strengthen to a Category 4 storm as it heads toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Eastern Seaboard and the middle Atlantic and New England states.
Hurricane Irene, as seen from space (video, and snapshot by astronaut

How the first image of the whole Earth was taken

The very first image of the whole Earth was made in 1966. It was fax quality, sent back by the Lunar Orbit 1. Most remarkable was the ingenious contraption that took a picture, developed the film, scanned it and transmitted it back, all in analog, with mechanical moving parts, in zero gravity and a total vacuum.
How the first image of the whole Earth was taken

Fukushima technician gives behind-the-scenes look at the cleanup operation

New details about the robotics deployed to help clean up Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant have emerged, thanks to a series of blog posts penned by an anonymous technician.
Fukushima technician gives behind-the-scenes look at the cleanup operation

TravelSIM Lets You Receive Calls Free In 117 Countries

One of the big disincentives to use your mobile phone overseas is the roaming charge double-whammy: not only does the caller pay to ring you, but you get slugged with a charge as well. Roaming SIM provider TravelSIM has eased that pain a little, offering free receipt of calls in 117 countries.
TravelSIM Lets You Receive Calls Free In 117 Countries

Inside Antarctica’s ice caves

Kayla Iacovino is a Ph.D. student who works on Antarctica's Mount Erebus, the southernmost volcano in the world. Ironically, for a volcano, Erebus is also home to some truly stunning ice caves, carved out of nearby ice and snowpack by hot, volcanic gases.
Inside Antarctica’s ice caves

How to Remove Passwords from Adobe PDF Files

Is there a tool available that can remove password protection from PDF files? The answer is obviously yes.
How to Remove Passwords from Adobe PDF Files

A Guide To Facebook Security

Facebook on Thursday has released a security guide aimed at young adults, parents and educators to educate them about security concepts on the social networking site. The 14 pages of the pdf document are packed with information that range from general account protection information to using Facebook’s advanced security settings or recovering a hacked Facebook account.
A Guide To Facebook Security

How to Create a Windows 7 System Backup Image & Repair Disk

Creating a system backup image can be extremely useful. If something goes wrong with your Windows 7 installation, you can’t log in, or files have become damaged and corrupted, you can boot directly from your repair disk to rectify the problem. You should note that when you restore from a system backup image, it is a complete restoration, and you won’t be able to choose individual programs or files. However, if you find yourself with a corrupted disk drive, a complete restoration is probably what you want anyway.
How to Create a Windows 7 System Backup Image & Repair Disk

Download Windows 7 ISOs To Reinstall Without Restoring Your System

If you’ve just bought a new laptop or pre-built desktop running Windows it’s more than likely you do not have a disc with the operating system. You may have a restore disc or hard drive partition that will restore your computer to factory settings, but having an actual disc to install Windows is handy if you need to reinstall just your operating system.
Download Windows 7 ISOs To Reinstall Without Restoring Your System

Fukushima: First photojournalist inside plant captures daily life of cleanup workers

25-year old Kazuma Obara (Twitter), a native of Japan's tsunami-hit Iwate prefecture, is the first photojournalist to enter the Fukushima Daiichi plant and photograph what conditions are like for the cleanup workers.
Fukushima: First photojournalist inside plant captures daily life of cleanup workers

How Can I Start And Shut Down My Computer Automatically Every Morning?

Is there any way I can make my computer start automatically in the morning so it’s ready for me when I get up?
ow Can I Start And Shut Down My Computer Automatically Every Morning?

Introduction to Databases - Stanford University

A bold experiment in distributed education, "Introduction to Databases" will be offered free and online to students worldwide during the fall of 2011. Students will have access to lecture videos, receive regular feedback on progress, and receive answers to questions. When you successfully complete this class, you will also receive a statement of accomplishment. Taught by Professor Jennifer Widom, the curriculum draws from Stanford's popular Introduction to Databases course.
Introduction to Databases - Stanford University

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 16/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 16/2011

Every Hour of TV You Watch May Shorten Your Lifespan By 22 Minutes

In case you needed more proof that watching excessive amounts of TV is bad for your health: new research shows that there is a correlation between the amount of time you spend in front of the TV and how long you live.
Every Hour of TV You Watch May Shorten Your Lifespan By 22 Minutes [STUDY]

Free Whereis iPhone App Offers Turn-By-Turn Navigation

There’s no shortage of GPS apps for the iPhone, but most come with hefty price tags attached. Telstra’s Whereis app is an unusual exception: it offers turn-by-turn directions for Australians, and it’s completely free.
Free Whereis iPhone App Offers Turn-By-Turn Navigation

List of inventors killed by their own inventions

This is a list of inventors whose deaths were in some manner caused by or related to a product, process, procedure, or other innovation that they invented or designed.
List of inventors killed by their own inventions

Personal Computers: A History of the Hardware That Changed the World

On this day in 1981, IBM launched the “Personal Computer.” Revealed at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, the 21-pound PC cost $1,565, boasted 16K of memory, and had the ability to connect to a TV set, play games and word process. While IBM wasn’t the first or only company with a personal computer on the market (the Apple II was launched in 1977), it kick-started the home computing revolution. A year later, the personal computer was selected as Time Magazine‘s “Man (or rather, Machine) of the Year.”
Personal Computers: A History of the Hardware That Changed the World

How To Start A Program Automatically When Your Computer Boots

Every time you boot your computer, you probably have a few programs you always start up immediately. Here’s how to set them to start up automatically whenever you turn on your PC.Whether you always seem to have iTunes running, or you want Skype constantly on in the background in case you get a call, most people have one or two programs they want to boot with their computer out of convenience. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to do, both on Windows and Mac OS X. Here’s how.
How To Start A Program Automatically When Your Computer Boots

Best PC Freeware

Welcome to the Gizmo's Freeware Editors' Choice List, where you'll find a collection of the very best freeware from our site. This really is a "best of the best" list. Most of the products in this list have been awarded the coveted "Gizmo's Top" pick award signifying they are the best free product in their class. We've also included some other outstanding products that have impressed our editors with their usefulness and professionalism.
The Editors' Choice List: Our Selection of the Best PC Freeware

Standard & Poor's Credit Rating for each country

..and Moody's, Fitch, Dagong's...Australia going pretty well !
Standard & Poor's Credit Rating for each country

How To Build A Computer From Scratch

How to build your own custom PC, from picking the parts, to putting it together and installing your OS. Here’s the complete guide, along with a printable PDF version that you can use as a reference.
How To Build A Computer From Scratch: The Complete Guide

Boost Your Brain’s Willpower With A Simple Memory Exercise

Some say your willpower is limited and others believe it is as strong as you think it is. Regardless of how much you have, it turns out that you may be able to boost it with a simple brain training exercise.
Boost Your Brain’s Willpower With A Simple Memory Exercise

My Gmail Account got Hacked – What to do and How to Prevent This?

I thought that setting up a password of 50 characters long would be enough, but I have chosen only words and numbers. That’s how I almost got hacked. Another huge mistake that I made was to be logged in all the time.
My Gmail Account got Hacked – What to do and How to Prevent This?

Be part of our history, tick 'Yes' to Question 60

On Census night, 9 August 2011, Australians have an opportunity to ensure their story is preserved in our national history for generations to come.
Be part of our history, tick 'Yes' to Question 60

Color video from Hiroshima

The Nation's Greg Mitchell has a new book out about the strange saga of color video, shot in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the nuclear bomb attacks, which was suppressed for nearly 40 years. You can see a couple of clips from that video in the trailer he's put together for the book.
Color video from Hiroshima

The Hilariously Bad Disguises Of The German Secret Police

Check out these great cold war-era photos of some totally normal East German citizens, who are definitely not members of the secret police! How innocuous they are, these completely non-suspicious-looking gentlemen, who could not possibly be Stasi officers in disguise, especially not the fellow in sunglasses and the enormous fur coat with the upturned collar. Nope, just some regular guys.
The Hilariously Bad Disguises Of The German Secret Police

.net Awards 2011: the top 10 young developers of the year

Another new category in the .net Awards 2011 honours the Young Developer of the Year. Here we profile the top 10 developers under 21 years of age from both sides of the Atlantic that you’ve nominated. Who knows? The next Mark Zuckerberg might be among them.
.net Awards 2011: the top 10 young developers of the year

Direct Google’s Crawl To Your New and Updated Pages

Today, Google launched a new way for site owners to request that specific web pages be crawled. How is this different from the other ways available to let Google know about your pages and when should you use this feature vs. the others? Read on for more.
Direct Google’s Crawl To Your New and Updated Pages

Who Am I, According to Google Ads? Who Am I, According to the Web? Who Do I Want to Be?

The Google ad preferences page. It gives you a limited but nonetheless interesting overview of the various categories and demographic information Google believes reflect your interests (and in a way, your identity, or "who you are" in the eyes of an advertising client). This is all based on a cookie Google places on your browser.
Who Am I, According to Google Ads? Who Am I, According to the Web? Who Do I Want to Be?

Eau Dear: Which City Has Australia’s Worst Drinking Water?

There are ways you can learn to love drinking water, but as Lifehacker reader AJ points out, the taste of water varies widely from city to city. What are your nominations for Australia’s worst-tasting tap water?
Eau Dear: Which City Has Australia’s Worst Drinking Water?

Catholic Priest Advises Engaged Couples: Don’t Use Google Maps

You know it’s rough going when even the clergy can’t recommend your service. That’s what’s happening to Google Maps, which is listing a Catholic church/school in Short Hills, NJ, at the wrong location. The church is located at 50 Short Hills Ave., but when you search Google for that address, it instead shows a similar address — 50 Old Short Hills Rd.
Catholic Priest Advises Engaged Couples: Don’t Use Google Maps

What’s the most iconic scientific image?

This image, first published by neuroscientist Wilder Penfield in 1950 as a way of illustrating connections between parts of the brain and the physical movements they seemed to control is like a pictorial atlas of the cerebral cortex. It’s called the motor homunculus. And it’s definitely iconic, even if it’s not the kind of iconic that’s liable to turn up on the evening news.
What’s the most iconic scientific image?

How to Convert PDF Files for Easy Ebook Reading

Many ebook readers natively support PDF documents but, unfortunately, not all PDF documents are easy to read on a small ebook reader screen. Let’s take a look at two simple and free ways to convert PDF files for enjoyable reading.
How to Convert PDF Files for Easy Ebook Reading

Using the System File Checker to Repair Windows 7

Microsoft have made available direct downloads for versions of Windows 7 that contain Service Pack 1 integrated into the ISO file. These downloads are more important than you might think, as installing service pack 1 on your Windows 7 effectively breaks one of the most useful and important troubleshooting features of the operating system, the System File Checker.
Using the System File Checker to Repair Windows 7