The First Photograph

Long before the first public announcements of photographic processes in 1839, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, a scientifically-minded gentleman living on his country estate near Chalon-sur-Saône, France, began experimenting with photography. Fascinated with the craze for the newly-invented art of lithography which swept over France in 1813, he began his initial experiments by 1816.
The First Photograph

Smashing 1st Anniversary Giveaway

Smashing Magazine has contacted designers and developers and asked them to celebrate their anniversary with them — giving away some software packages, licenses, accounts and credits. What came out of it is 48 presents they are happy to give you for free.
How can I participate?"
Smashing 1st Anniversary Giveaway

The Critical 7 Rules To Understand People

Most people tend to make the same mistakes. These mistakes are frequent enough that they create conflicts later. Remembering these seven rules will help you avoid these mistakes.
The Critical 7 Rules To Understand People

How Fast Does Language Change?

Language changes through variation. Some people say sneaked, others say snuck. The two forms may coexist for a long time, almost forever, or one of them may be considered snobbish, and, once the snobs die out, the form will go to rest with them.
How Fast Does Language Change?

Snapped Before Impact

This is a shot of a yellow plane nose diving into the ground, it was snapped a few microseconds before the impact. Through the window you can see the pilot and co-pilot bracing themselves for the inevitable collision with the ground.
Snapped Before Impact

Google’s 10 Oddest Patents

Google has a number of patents listed at the USPTO that have little to do with search - things like a waterproof cellular telephone case, or a medical instrument that can be “introduced into an animal or human body.”
Google’s 10 Oddest Patents

10 Tech Skills you should develop during the next Five Years

If you want a job where you can train in a particular skill set and then never have to learn anything new, IT isn't the field for you. But if you like to be constantly learning new things and developing new skills, you're in the right business. In the late 80s, NetWare and IPX/SPX administration were the skills to have. Today, it's all about TCP/IP and the Internet.
10 Tech Skills you should develop during the next Five Years

Woman visits her own Heart

Transplant patient Jennifer Sutton paid a visit to an exhibition in London called The Heart today, mainly to check out a particular item on display - her own heart.
Woman visits her own Heart

Password Policies. Once again.

Recently in the newsgroups (news:microsoft.public.security, to be specific) the question of password polices and the out-of-box defaults came up. The poster lamented a number of things: that Microsoft doesn't enable account lockout by default, that they don't have a built-in mechanism for automatically disabling unused accounts, that the 42-day default expiration is troublesome.
Password Policies. Once again.

Traffic lights see into the Future

A traffic system that predicts whether two cars will collide could help motorists avoid crashes, especially at intersections that lack lights or signs.
Traffic lights see into the future

Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, Jul 2007

In trend terms, short-term visitor arrivals to Australia during July 2007 (468,300 movements) decreased 0.5% compared with June 2007 (470,600 movements). Currently, short-term visitor arrivals are 3.0% higher than in July 2006.
Overseas Arrivals and Departures, Australia, Jul 2007

"Storm worm" adds millions of Computers to Botnet

The authors behind a specific strain of malware are trying every trick in the book to get users to succumb to their ill-meaning plans. You name it, they've used it: weather news, personal greetings, reports that Saddam Hussein is still alive, reports that Fidel Castro is dead, sexy women, YouTube, and even blogs. The group seems hellbent on creating the largest botnet to date, and they just might do it.
"Storm worm" adds millions of computers to botnet

How to Learn More and Study Less

Time spent studying does not equal learning.
More studying time won’t help if the way you are studying is flawed to begin with.
How to Learn More and Study Less

From Egg To Chicken… The Cycle of Life…

Two neat articles from Quedat.
From Egg To Chicken… The Cycle of Life…
and
25 of The World’s Most Interesting Animals

Air Show Collision

(Sept. 1) - Two small planes collided during an acrobatic display at an air show in Poland on Saturday, killing both pilots. Photos and Video follow.
Air Show Collision

Longest Word in the Dictionary

“What’s the longest word in the dictionary?”
“It depends on what counts as a ‘word,’ and it depends on the dictionary.” That answer doesn’t satisfy most people, since the follow-up question is typically something like, “No, really, is it antidisestablishmentarianism or supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?”
Longest Word in the Dictionary

Muslim Journeys in Australia

From the Afghan camel drivers who helped open the Australian continent's vast interior, to the Turkish families who answered a call for willing workers in the 1970s, Muslims have contributed much to Australian life. They journeyed to an unfamiliar land, bravely seeking opportunities in a culture inclined to view them with suspicion. Their surprising stories of adventure and adversity can be explored through the rich collections of the National Archives.
Muslim Journeys in Australia

Pussy in the Well?

Jennifer and Jim kept getting huge water bills. They knew beyond a doubt that the bills weren't representative of their actual usage. But no matter how they tried to conserve, the high bills continued. Although they could see nothing wrong, they had everything checked for leaks or problems: first the water meter, then outdoor pipes, indoor pipes, underground pipes, taps, toilets, washing machine and dishwasher - all to no avail.
Pussy in the Well ?

Dumbest Drivers in the World

Think of this like the Darwin Awards of driving!
Dumbest Drivers in the World

DIY: Whiten your Teeth with Strawberries

The secret to this inexpensive home whitening method is malic acid, which acts as an astringent to remove surface discoloration. Combined with baking soda, strawberries become a natural tooth-cleanser, buffing away stains from coffee, red wine, and dark sodas.
DIY: Whiten your Teeth with Strawberries

Digital Collections; Music Australia

Explore the Australian story through captivating pictures, rare historical maps, early Australian sheet music, manuscripts belonging to famous Australians, selected printed works from our Australian and overseas collections, and selected audio recordings of our oral history and folklore items.
National Library of Australia Digital Collections; Music Australia

24 Tips To Becoming An Early Riser

Getting up is crucial to success as an entrepreneur. And better yet: waking up early is really just a habit. You don't need any skill to do it. You just need to wake up consistently to condition your body to the routine. Here are some tips.
24 Tips To Becoming An Early Riser

The Way Of All Flesh

A small cosmetics case picked up at a flea market was found stuffed with photos almost all of which were of the same woman. The bulk of the photos were photobooths and portraits documenting her as she aged over the course of about 50 years or so. The dates where available are underneath each photo. Given the date of the first photo she was probably born in late 1937 or early 1938. The last photo dates from the early 90s so she's somewhere in her early-to-mid 50s there.
The Way Of All Flesh

16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re in a Slump

Even the most motivated of us can feel unmotivated at times. In fact, sometimes we get into such a slump that even thinking about making positive changes seems too difficult.
But it’s not hopeless: with some small steps, baby ones in fact, you can get started down the road to positive change.
16 Ways to Get Motivated When You’re in a Slump

Top 10 Greatest Hoaxes of all Time

A hoax is an attempt to trick an audience into believing that something false is real. We came up with a selection of the Top 10 Greatest Hoaxes of all time.
Top 10 Greatest Hoaxes of all Time

Earn More Money by Demanding It

The hardest part of negotiating a work contract is the pay. This article is written from a female perspective, but it can apply to men, too.
Earn More Money by Demanding It

How To Ride Your Bike To Work

"If I told you that I was going to give you a magic device that would save you money, save the planet, and, oh yeah, firm up that flab you have been carrying around with you for the last couple of year (all for three easy payments of $19.95!), what would you say? Most people would be pretty stoked, but when I tell people that this magic device is a bicycle, the thrill dies down a little."
How To Ride Your Bike To Work

How to create a secured and locked folder in Windows XP

If you’ve come across this page looking for a way to create a password protected, secure, hidden or locked folder in Windows XP for free, you’ve come to the right place.
How to create a secured and locked folder in Windows XP

The First Virus

What began as a ninth-grade prank, a way to trick already-suspicious friends who had fallen for his earlier practical jokes, has earned Rich Skrenta notoriety as the first person ever to let loose a personal computer virus.
The First Virus

How To Beat Carnival Games

Tips to win a knock-off stuffed animal or dusty mirror next time you're counting mullets at the fair.
How To Beat Carnival Games

I Told You I Was Sick

William H. Hahn, JR. buried in his large family plot, is known for the epitaph on his flat headstone.
I Told You I Was Sick

6 Steps to Lose the Buddha (Belly)

The belly: it’s the first spot to get paunchy and the last place to look sleek. A tight core is the one thing we all want (possibly even more than another new online community).
6 Steps to Lose the Buddha (Belly)

The World's 100 Most Powerful Women

For the second year in a row Angela Merkel, the first woman to become chancellor of Germany, ranks No. 1 on our list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She continued to impress the world with her cool leadership.
The World's 100 Most Powerful Women

How to Address An Embarrassing Problem

Unless you're a total hermit, you will eventually be faced with a friend or co-worker who is suffering from an embarrassing problem. Depending on your relationship with the person, it may be difficult to broach the subject.
How to Address An Embarrassing Problem

Google Earth Flight Simulator

Some time last week, Google expanded Google Earth with Google Sky. As fascinating as Google Sky is, that's not the focus of this post. Along with the latest update comes a hidden which is not in the release notes and a search on Google produces no results. Seems Google have done one of their unpublicised updates they're becoming well-known for.
Google Earth Flight Simulator

Australian Economic Indicators, Sep 2007

A monthly compendium of economic statistics, presenting comprehensive tables, graphs, commentaries, feature articles and technical notes. Primarily a reference document, the publication provides a broad basis for analysis and research on the Australian economy.
Australian Economic Indicators, Sep 2007

Radar's Guide to shopping for Counterfeits

You know you want it: The high-performance sports car, the designer handbag, the Rolex. But the prices! So-called counterfeiters feel your pain, and they're doing everything they can—including putting themselves at tremendous personal risk—to make such items truly affordable, to take luxury out of the soft, deeply moisturized hands of the privileged few and bring it to the masses. Most of these so-called knockoffs come from China.
Radar's Guide to shopping for Counterfeits

Stonehenge: The Inner Circle

English Heritage does grant very limited access to the stones themselves to limited numbers of visitors, by advance arrangement—long advance arrangement, in the early mornings, before the site opens, or in the evenings, after it closes.
A slideshow of some snapshots follows.
Stonehenge: The Inner Circle

The Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time

One question you may be wondering: Why are these experiments listed here, on the Museum of Hoaxes? They're not hoaxes, are they? No, they're not.
The Top 20 Most Bizarre Experiments of All Time

Upload and Send Large Files for Free

File Sharing the Easy Way: Upload and send large files for free.
TransferBigFiles

Got The Current Time? Your Search Engine Does!

Typically, a search in the format of "time in [city] or [state] or [country]" returns the current time for the area you searched for at the top of the search results, for most major search engines.
Got The Current Time? Your Search Engine Does!

Archival Space

In honor of the recent announcement that the Internet Archive is partnering with NASA to archive and manage all of their photographs and audiovisual materials, this blog entry is devoted to space science.
Archival Space

Divorces, Australia, 2006

Information on divorces granted in Australia in 2006. Key indicators of national and state divorces are included in the analytical commentary.
Divorces, Australia, 2006

Update on Windows Releases: Vista SP1, XP SP3, Server 2008 Update

Overnight Microsoft announced availability dates for several key product updates including Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista, Service Pack 3 for Windows XP and the release to manufacturing of Windows Server 2008.
Update on Windows Releases: Vista SP1, XP SP3, Server 2008 Update

Tweak Vista and XP with Xdn Tweaker

Windows only: Tweak system settings in both Windows XP and Vista with lightweight freeware application Xdn Tweaker.
Tweak Vista and XP with Xdn Tweaker

China's New Cop Avatars

Police in China’s capital said Tuesday they will start patrolling the Web using animated beat officers that pop up on a user’s browser and walk, bike or drive across the screen warning them to stay away from illegal Internet content.
China's New Cop Avatars

25 Tips to Become More Productive and Happy at Work

Would you like to be more engaged, satisfied, and fulfilled in your work? Would you like to be more productive and feel a greater sense of accomplishment at the end of each day? Well you can.
25 Tips to Become More Productive and Happy at Work

50 Tips for Frugal Living

I am fairly frugal (though not always), but sometimes I take it too far: I have T-shirts with holes in them, I never buy new clothes, we’re shopping for a new couch because our current one has holes in it, and I ran my current pair of running shoes until the soles fell off.
50 Tips for Frugal Living

13 ways to Protect Personal Data from Online Fraud and Identity Theft

In our digital age, it's becoming increasingly hard not to share your personal data, such as passwords, bank account numbers, credit card numbers, etc online because even if you prefer the two P's when performing transactions (Paper and Phone), most companies prefer doing everything online for financial reasons. Unfortunately, some companies do not put in place the necessary stringent policies and procedures needed for your personal data to be secure.
13 ways to Protect Personal Data

Sony blasted for helping hide Malware

Security specialists are warning that Sony's MicroVault USB, which is a biometric USB storage device, cloaks driver software in a Windows directory that could be used by malware to avoid detection from security applications.
Sony blasted for helping hide malware on users' PCs

Maintain a Consistent Workspace Across Multiple Computers

Most likely you use more than one computer in the course of a day—a work computer and a home computer, maybe even a laptop and a desktop. That means you've got at least two workspaces that can get horrendously out of sync if you don't keep them in check. The key to staying productive at all your computers is building a consistent workspace—that is, a computing environment that is the same (where it counts) everywhere you use a computer.
Maintain a Consistent Workspace Across Multiple Computers

How To Hide An Airplane Factory

During World War II the Army Corps of Engineers needed to hide the Lockheed Burbank Aircraft Plant to protect it from a Japanese air attack. They covered it with camouflage netting and trompe l’oeil to make it look like a rural subdivision from the air.
How To Hide An Airplane Factory

It's Time to Stand Up to Your Email

Thanks to the avalanche of messages they receive every day, many professionals and office workers say they suffer from email overload. It doesn't have to be that way.
It's Time to Stand Up to Your Email

Resources: Encyclopedias

Contains a listing of selected general encyclopedias available on the internet and selected online subject specific encyclopedias as well as selected subject and topic specific encyclopedia publications available in print, electronically or both.
These are selected titles and these lists make no pretension of being comprehensive.
General Internet and Print Resources: Encyclopedias

Track real-time Earthquakes and Volcanic Activity

Track and explore real-time earthquakes and volcanic activity with Google Maps.
Google LatLong: Track Earthquakes and Volcanic Activity

10 Killer Job Interview Questions and Answers

Behind every interview question there is a concern or another question. Your job is to process the question thinking about what the interviewer’s concern might be. In other words, why is the interviewer asking you this question?
10 Killer Job Interview Questions and Answers

Deliver Better Presentations

“Tell a story that makes the audience into the protagonist, then demonstrate how your approach to solving their problem will help them win in the end.”
How to Deliver Better Presentations

Removing Backgrounds Quickly in Photoshop

How to remove backgrounds very quickly with good results using Photoshop’s extract feature.
Removing Backgrounds Quickly in Photoshop

Teen hacks 'useless' Govt porn filter

A Melbourne teenager who has managed to circumvent the Federal Government's internet pornography filter has described it as "completely useless".
Teen hacks 'useless' Govt porn filter

Things I Learned From Movies

Meh!
Things I Learned From Movies

How to Spot a Fake Rolex

They say there’s a “sucker born every minute” but you're not a sucker if you intentionally know what you’re getting into.
How to Spot a Fake Rolex

The Manager's Cheat Sheet: Body Language

Like it or not, your body speaks volumes, even when you are silent. Here's how to express an attitude that's appropriate for a leader.
The Manager's Cheat Sheet: Body Language

All the things not to do

Breathing ?
All the things not to do

14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol

1. Whole grains and oats - a five-year Insulin Resistance Athersclerosis Study showed that people whose diets contain the most whole grains “had the thinnest carotid artery walls and showed the slowest progression in artery wall thickness.” etc
14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol

American Airlines and Wikipedia Edits

September 11 - their Wikipedia page clearly stating that Flights 11 & 77 were not scheduled on 9/11/2001. Huh ?
American Airlines - Wikipedia Edits

How to Overcome Jet Lag

Prepare Before Your Flight
Melatonin: Often Used But Unproven
Be Healthy In Flight
Reset Your Internal Clock At Your Destination
How to Overcome Jet Lag

Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith

Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear.
— Mother Teresa to the Rev. Michael Van Der Peet, September 1979
Mother Teresa's Crisis of Faith

Searcharazzi: Salacious Wiki Edits to FAST Search & Transfer

Ever since Caltech graduate student Virgil Griffith launched Wiki Scanner, it has been nonstop fun freaking out PR people everywhere. While Wired’s list of salacious edits has everyone abuzz, Searcharazzi still enjoys good, old-fashioned wiki sleuthing, as brought to our attention yesterday.
Searcharazzi: Salacious Wiki Edits to FAST Search & Transfer

Square Watermelon

Farmers in the southern Japanese town of Zentsuji have figured out how to grow their watermelons so they turn out square.
Square Watermelon

How to Stop Complaining

It’s good to take responsibility for your thoughts, but you don’t want to identify with those thoughts to the point you end up blaming yourself and feeling even worse.
How to Stop Complaining

Least Religious Countries

When you travel to Europe , don't be surprised to find that many Europeans don't believe in God.
Least Religious Countries

China Airlines Repaints Its Toasted 737

China Airlines has painted over its name and logo on the wreckage of a passenger jet that exploded in flames at Naha Airport in Okinawa moments after passengers slid down emergency chutes to escape.
China Airlines Repaints Its Toasted 737, Translates "Chutzpah" into Chinese

Measures of Australia's Progress: Summary Indicators, 2007

The Measures of Australia's Progress products aim to provide a digestible set of statistical evidence to allow Australians to make their own assessment of whether life in Australia is getting better.
Measures of Australia's Progress: Summary Indicators, 2007 (Ed. 2)

How to Hide Files inside JPGs

Jimmy Ruska demonstrates how you can hide any file into a JPEG image using the free 7-Zip and the Windows command line.
How to Hide Files inside JPGs

Hurtling Toward Mars

August 21, 2007: By the time you finish reading this sentence, you'll be 25 miles closer to the planet Mars.
Hurtling Toward Mars

In Google Earth, a New Sky Service

Google is unveiling within Google Earth today a new service called Sky that will allow users to view the skies as seen from Earth. Like Google Earth, Sky will let users fly around and zoom in, exposing increasingly detailed imagery of some 100 million stars and 200 million galaxies.
In Google Earth, a New Sky Service

Australia's Key National Indicators, 2007

A summary of Australia's key economic and social indicators.
Key National Indicators, 2007

Hack a Toilet for free Water

This Instructable is a step by step description of the process of adding a sink to the top of a toilet allowing the use of the clean water before it goes into the bowl.
Hack a Toilet for Free Water

Diet Coke is 99% Water (And That Is Now a Good Thing)

Back in the day, when people noted that Diet Coke was 99% water, it was an insult. The point was that water was free, and Diet Coke was just free water plus a little bit of artificial this and that — so you would have to be a fool to pay so much for it.
Diet Coke is 99% Water (And That Is Now a Good Thing)

Australian Retail Petrol Price

Australian petrol prices move in line with international prices and for Australia the current international benchmark is the spot price of Singapore Mogas 95 Unleaded, which is the price of refined petrol in Singapore, not crude oil.
Comparison of Australian retail petrol price movements with Singapore Mogas 95

History of the Flush Toilet

There is disagreement over who was the inventor of the modern flush toilet, and flushing out the truth is not easy. Many give credit to THOMAS CRAPPER (1837-1910), an English sanitary engineer, for inventing the valve~and~siphon arangement that made our modern toilet possible.
History of the Flush Toilet

Windows Rootkits 101

When administrators and security professionals hear the word rootkit, most think first of a UNIX-based system. Unfortunately, this only leads to a false sense of security for Windows-based systems. The fact is that Windows rootkits do exist, and you need to be able to detect them.

What is a rootkit?

Windows Rootkits 101

WikiScanner

WikiScanner - List anonymous wikipedia edits from interesting organizations

Watch out for the latest email phishing attacks

Arriving in inboxes around the world now are the latest email phishing attacks, socially engineered once again to appear legitimate to try and capture users, experienced or not, off guard – how do you protect yourself?
Watch out for the latest email phishing attacks

Improve your Self Esteem

Ten quick tips....
Improve your Self Esteem

How to be Clean

What better way to spruce up a potentially boring subject than through film! The archive has several films that all find different ways – sometimes bizarre, sometimes clever but always entertaining – to attack the subject of cleanliness and personal hygiene.
How to be Clean

404 Error Pages

From Smashing Magazine here are over 40 working examples of user-friendly, creative and outstanding 404 error pages.
404 Error Pages

The King: Dead and Well on Ask.com

Yesterday marked the 30th Anniversary of Elvis Presley's death, and while we don't normally commemorate the anniversary of someone's death…well, he's the king. If you want to remember him today from your desk, here's a little help courtesy of Ask 3D.
The King: Dead and Well on Ask.com

Elvis Presley And The Events Of 1977

Elvis Presley & the events of 1977 as we remember Elvis on the 30th anniversary of his tragic death.
Elvis Presley And The Events Of 1977

Bad Habits to Stop Now

Here are nine stressful and common habits that entrepreneurs and office workers should strive to eliminate. Focus on one or two at a time, just as you would with high-priority to-do items.
The Not-To-Do List: Bad Habits to Stop Now

Free your music from iTunes with iTunes Export

Out of the box, iTunes can't transfer the song files of individual playlists out of your library for playing anywhere other than your iPod. But an open source Windows utility, iTunes Export, can do just that.
Free your music from iTunes with iTunes Export

8 Surprising Household Deodorizers

When smells turn a room sour, it may be time for an intervention. Try these gentle home remedies for the most off-putting odours.
8 Surprising Household Deodorizers

How Long Foods Stay Fresh In Fridge

Foods don't stay fresh in the fridge forever, and the day will come when you take something out and wonder if it's still good to eat or has gone bad.
How Long Foods Stay Fresh In Fridge

21 Tips to Deal with Info Overload

The problem with being constantly bombarded by information, as we web workers are, is not so much that we can’t deal with it, or that it distracts us from our work, or that it shortens our attention spans or stresses us out.
It’s that we have allowed that information to control our lives.
21 Tips to Deal with Info Overload

10 Surprising Uses For Aspirin

Aspirin is an excellent painkiller and anti-inflammatory, but it also has many other household uses.
10 Surprising Uses For Aspirin

Airplane Crash - Safest Seat

In the wake of nearly 200 passenger deaths in a Brazilian airliner accident, we take an exclusive look at 36 years’ worth of NTSB reports and seating charts. The best way to live through a disaster in the sky? Move to the back of the Airbus.
Airplane Crash - Safest Seat

Worst Slogan Translations Ever

1) The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as "Kekoukela", meaning "Bite the Wax Tadpole" or "Female Horse Stuffed with Wax", depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent "kokoukole", translating into "Happiness in the Mouth." etc
Top 13 Worst Slogan Translations Ever

Ten Free Security Utilities

Here's a list of ten free security tools you can and should be using to help protect, disinfect and manage your Windows computer.
Ten free security utilities you should already be using

9 Ways To Make Your Portrait Subjects Look Thinner

If you take enough photos of people, eventually you’ll photograph someone who is either a little heavier or thinks that they are. This is especially true for those of us in the U.S., where obesity rates are sky high. The good news for you is that there are a few tricks you can add to your bag to help make your subject look thinner. You’ll get the photo, your subject will be happy with it, and everyone wins.
9 Ways To Make Your Portrait Subjects Look Thinner

Best of July 2007

Every month Smashing Magazine takes a look around and selects some of the most interesting web-development-related web-sites. They read articles, check out tools, analyze the advantages of new resources. Below you’ll find useful references, tutorials, services, tools, techniques and articles they’ve found over the last 30 days - an overview of web-sites you shouldn’t have missed in July.
Best of July 2007