Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Prepare for Isaac With Google Crisis Map

While residents of the Gulf Coast are buying up supplies and boarding up windows, they are also likely noting that Hurricane Isaac is, coincidentally enough, arriving on the 7th anniversary this week of Hurricane Katrina. That leaves many people seeking shelter elsewhere, and wondering about the projected path of the storm.
Prepare for Isaac With Google Crisis Map

Send Us Your Hurricane Isaac Photos

Seven years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, Gulf Coast residents are bracing themselves for Hurricane Isaac.
Send Us Your Hurricane Isaac Photos

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Blue Moon set to appear August 31, 2012

A Blue Moon will be present for all to see on Friday, August 31, 2012. Don’t miss this one, because you’ll not get another one for almost three years.
Blue Moon set to appear August 31, 2012

The Best Ways To Open A Stubborn Jar Lid

We each have our own favourite method for opening a stubborn jar lid. The folks at America’s Test Kitchen have a great selection of tips that will open any stubborn lid if your preferred way doesn’t work.
The Best Ways To Open A Stubborn Jar Lid

Watch Neil Armstrong narrowly escape a 1968 training accident

This silent film clip is posted at the Smithsonian's Air & Space Magazine blog.

Watch Neil Armstrong narrowly escape a 1968 training accident

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012: One Giant Loss for Mankind

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon or any other world beyond Earth, died today. The former test pilot and NASA astronaut recently celebrated his 82nd birthday, and underwent heart surgery just weeks ago.
Neil Armstrong, 1930-2012: One Giant Loss for Mankind

Neil Armstrong, First Man on the Moon, Dead at 82

Neil Armstrong, the first man to land on the moon as commander of NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, has died at 82 according to a report by NBC.
Neil Armstrong, First Man on the Moon, Dead at 82

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Curiosity’s Descent to Mars in HD [Video]

Thanks to the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) mounted on the fore-port side of Curiosity we’re treated to a high-resolution video of Curiosity’s descent to Mars.
Curiosity’s Descent to Mars in HD

Friday, August 24, 2012

“Avoid These Fast Food Items,” Say Fast Food Employees

We all know fast food is not good for us. Most nutrition experts agree that it should be eaten “rarely or never.” But having said that, most of us will grab a meal from a fast food restaurant sometimes.
“Avoid These Fast Food Items,” Say Fast Food Employees

Aussie In Hot Water After Tracking His Stolen iPad

Presumably, when one of your iDevices is stolen with iCloud activated it means you can find where it’s gone with the help of the police, right? After all, Apple helps you track the thing on a satellite map? Not so much for one Canberra man who is currently up on charges of digital trespass for tracking down his allegedly stolen iPad.
Aussie In Hot Water After Tracking His Stolen iPad

How To Beat Facial Recognition Technology

Facial recognition technology isn’t part of science fiction anymore, it’s something that’s being employed by a handful of governments around the world, and even private enterprise is getting in on it with applications like Facedeals. If you don’t want to be pinged in public by a surveillance suite though, hacktivist group Anonymous have made a handy instructional video to keep you safe.
How To Beat Facial Recognition Technology

Unfortunate vintage ads

Unfortunate-in-hindsight vintage ads over at Collectors Weekly.
Unfortunate vintage ads

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 13/2012

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 13/2012

Lolz! Oxford Dictionary Adds Ridic New Words

Hey, tweeps. Done any photobombing lately? You know, while you lifecasted your date night with that ripped Wikipedian; he said he was an ethical hacker, but turned out to be a douche who just wanted to talk vajazzling. Totes ridic, right? Lolz.
Lolz! Oxford Dictionary Adds Ridic New Words

New Zealand Roaming Rorts To Continue

Australia and New Zealand often boast of their close relationship, but if you use a mobile phone from Australia in New Zealand or vice versa, you’ll pay the same ludicrous roaming charges that apply to countries on the other side of the world. A joint government investigation which began back in May 2010 has finally issued a draft report, but all we’re going to get from it is a direction to make pricing clearer. Fat lot of help that is.
New Zealand Roaming Rorts To Continue

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The Little Games We All Play Inside Our Heads [VIDEO]

Do you still avoid stepping on sidewalk cracks for fear of breaking your mother’s back? Or embrace your inner Gabby Douglas and teeter on railroad tracks, retaining walls or anything that resembles a balance beam?
The Little Games We All Play Inside Our Heads [VIDEO]

How to Identify a Scam Email

Remember the good-old days, when a Nigerian Prince would offer you riches beyond belief if you’d just help him get some of his ill-gotten gains out of the country? That prince hasn’t e-mailed me in years. He’s been replaced by a wide variety of scam tales, all of them just as hell-bent on making you do things you’re sure to regret later on.
How to Identify a Scam Email

The Most Difficult Security Questions You Will Ever See

This security check is used to prevent the creation of fictitious accounts. Please provide answers to the 2 security questions listed below.
The Most Difficult Security Questions You Will Ever See

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

‘You Can Do Anything, But Not Everything’

The world is filled with things to do, make and accomplish, but not with a lot of time. This quotation from David Allen, the creator of the Getting Things Done productivity system, is a reminder that we have to remember what’s important to do rather than trying to do it all.
‘You Can Do Anything, But Not Everything’

The Most Amazing Humpback Whale Photos You’ve Ever Seen

Humpback whales swimming in the waters off San Luis Obispo, Calif. created an unexpected and incredible photo opportunity for Bill Bouton.
The Most Amazing Humpback Whale Photos You’ve Ever Seen

Friday, August 17, 2012

Everyday Items Developed By NASA

NASA is often criticized for wasting taxpayer dollars. The $2.5-billion rover that recently landed on Mars has brought this issue to center focus once again.
But the Space Program's research and advancements extend well beyond spaceflight into everyday life. Since the agency's creation in 1958, technologies originally developed for space missions have been adapted for commercial products and services on Earth.
Everyday Items Developed By NASA

Tightrope Walker Defies Death in Heart-Stopping Volvo Ad

Volvo’s new advertising plan for its line of trucks could give potential customers a case of sweaty palms before they ever get behind the wheel.
The Swedish automaker hired Hollywood stunt director Peter Pedrero to coordinate a daredevil feat that involved two speeding semis, a tightrope and a few moments of pure terror.
Watch and then take a deep breath.
Tightrope Walker Defies Death in Heart-Stopping Volvo Ad [VIDEO]

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Why You Should be Careful About Cloud Storage

This is not an article meant to compare the advantages and the disadvantages of cloud storage. You already know what the cloud can do for you, but maybe because it’s so easy accessible and at hand, you might not be aware of the minuses that cloud storage presents. While you might be lured into the beauty and versatility of cloud storage, you should be aware of the dangers that it represents.
Why You Should be Careful About Cloud Storage

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

The Top 10 Memes of the Olympics Will Impress Even McKayla

The London 2012 Olympics bid a British song-and-dance farewell Sunday night, but the memes spawned at the Games will live forever. Or at least until something else catches the Internet’s attention.
The Top 10 Memes of the Olympics Will Impress Even McKayla

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

The Science of Total Recall

Like many people, I went to see Total Recall recently. Much of the story for this science fiction thriller (based loosely on a short story by Philip K. Dick) concerns “The Fall.” As explained in the introduction for the movie, “The Fall” is a tunnel bored through the center of the Earth that connects the fictional United Federation of Britain and The Colony, which is located in present day Australia.
The Science of Total Recall

For his birthday, (almost) all of Alfred Hitchcock's cameos

In honor of Alfred Hitchcock's birthday - which would have been his 113th - here is a very decent compilation of nearly all the cameos made by the Master of Suspense. He may not have been an angel, but he made us some pretty excellent movies, in which he made some pretty clever cameos.
For his birthday, (almost) all of Alfred Hitchcock's cameos

Google Earth locates lost pyramids

A recent survey using a satellite that provides data to Google Earth found two previously unknown pyramid groupings about 145 kilometers (90 miles) apart in Egypt. Further research will verify the archaeological find.
Google Earth locates lost pyramids

Monday, August 13, 2012

Cloud Storage

Want your files to be everywhere you are? Throw away your thumb drives, and think cloud storage. With so many big companies clamoring to give you free online storage, cloud storage is hot. And, as with many online tools, there is no rule saying you have to stick to just one vendor.
Cloud Storage

10 Terrifying Shark Clips on YouTube

Hurrah! It’s the most wonderful time of the year again. No, we don’t mean the holidays — we mean Shark Week. To celebrate all things great-big-scary-fish-related, we have collected some awesome, user-generated shark clips.
10 Terrifying Shark Clips on YouTube

Wednesday, August 08, 2012

Tips From A Baggage Handler On How To Avoid Damage To Your Luggage

Baggage handlers have to pick up and move luggage hundreds of times day. The ones that get treated the most carelessly are those that are heaviest, according to a baggage handler, who offers other tips for keeping your luggage intact.
Tips From A Baggage Handler On How To Avoid Damage To Your Luggage

These 11 Olympic Fails Will Make You Cringe

Olympic athletes are at the top of their game, having labored tirelessly for years to prepare their bodies for the grandest of stages. And because of this ceaseless conditioning, no athlete ever makes an error.
These 11 Olympic Fails Will Make You Cringe

Tuesday, August 07, 2012

7 Tricks Your Mind Plays On You (And How To Fight Back)

Have you ever noticed that your own mind is sabotaging your path to happiness? While your mind may not be the sole culprit, it is a clever foe. Your brain can mislead you and make you miserable… and you won’t even know it.
7 Tricks Your Mind Plays On You (And How To Fight Back)

Sunday, August 05, 2012

Top 10 Ways To Boost Your Home Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi is one of the most useful and important parts of using a computer, and yet it’s also one of the most frustrating. If you’re plagued by slow speeds, bad reception, and other Wi-Fi issues, here are 10 ways you can power up the Wi-Fi in your home.
Top 10 Ways To Boost Your Home Wi-Fi

Learn How to Tie a Bow Tie with Bill Nye the Science Guy [Video]

You’ve got the lab coat, you’ve got the slacks and sensibly comfortable shoes, you almost have your dashing scientist look down pat–you just need the nail that bow tie. Who better to teach you than the bow tie wearing Bill Nye?
Learn How to Tie a Bow Tie with Bill Nye the Science Guy [Video]

Thursday, August 02, 2012

Increase the Security of Your LastPass Account with Two New Options

Two new security options are now available to LastPass users in the account settings dialog, which can be opened from the LastPass vault: the ability to restrict logins to selected countries and to disable access from TOR.
Increase the Security of Your LastPass Account with Two New Options

Beating The Australia Tax: Can The Government Do Anything To Stop It?

The Government’s inquiry into local price gouging for tech seems to be going swimmingly, but now that the first hearings are over and the dust is beginning to settle, questions are emerging as to what the government can actually do to stop these companies charging Australians through the nose. Can the government actually stop industry gouging? We can reveal new information that says that perhaps it can.
Beating The Australia Tax: Can The Government Do Anything To Stop It?

How bus passengers avoid each other

Yale University sociologist Esther Kim traveled thousands of miles on buses to study "nonsocial transient behavior," basically how passengers keep their distance. Of course, the most obvious unspoken rule is that you should never sit beside someone if you can avoid it.
How bus passengers avoid each other

Gmail vs Outlook - Ten Reasons to Love the new Outlook.com

Several unique and useful features in Outlook.com that you will surely miss inside Gmail.
Gmail vs Outlook - Ten Reasons to Love the new Outlook.com

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Revealing the Psychology of Playing Card Magic

For thousands of years, magicians have amazed audiences by developing and applying intuitions about the mind. Skilled magicians can manipulate memories, control attention, and influence choices. But magicians rarely know why these principles work. Studying magic could reveal the mechanisms of the mind that enable these principles, to uncover the why rather than just the how.
Revealing the Psychology of Playing Card Magic

How to Get the Outlook.com Email Address You Want

Microsoft just completely overhauled Hotmail, rebranding it as Outlook and moving the whole email service to Outlook.com. The app is actually much improved, but longtime Hotmail users will probably have tons of questions — the most important being: What’s my email address now?
How to Get the Outlook.com Email Address You Want:

Microsoft pushes out Outlook.com mail preview

Todays craze in the tech world is Microsoft’s launch of outlook.com, a preview of an email service that may replace Hotmail eventually, or act as a completely independent service. No on knows yet for sure. What everyone suggests though is that you grab your outlook.com email address before it is picked up by someone else.
Microsoft pushes out Outlook.com mail preview

[How to] Upgrade to Outlook.com Email from Hotmail or Live.com

Hotmail, the world’s first webmail service is no more. Technically, it isn’t dead yet, but Microsoft is rebranding Hotmail.com as Outlook.com and will soon phase it out of the interwebs.
[How to] Upgrade to Outlook.com Email from Hotmail or Live.com