Wednesday, December 05, 2007

How Australians are accidentally breaking their phones

Australia’s largest telecommunications company, Telstra, has released a report on the top five ways Australians are accidentally damaging their mobile phones, in what must be putting a smile on the dial of phone manufacturers who end up selling more phones.
How Australians are accidentally breaking their phones

Australia's population passes 21 million

Australia's population reached a milestone 21 million during the June quarter 2007 fuelled by the highest population growth rate since 1989, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.
Australia's population passes 21 million

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

Top 8 most Dangerous roads in the World

Photos follow.
Top 8 most Dangerous roads in the World

Australia ratifies Kyoto Protocol

Australia has ratified the Kyoto Protocol.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed the instrument of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol in his first act after being sworn in this morning.
Australia ratifies Kyoto Protocol

The Art of Portrait Photography

So you're interested in portrait photography, and you want to know what separates snapshots from art? Here are the things I consider vitally important.
The Art of Portrait Photography

Beacon: The Eye of Facebook

Facebook first took a beating when its Beacon service was ruining Christmas by broadcasting information about gifts Facebook users had just purchased to all of their Facebook friends. But this was just scratching the surface of larger invasion of privacy issues with Beacon.
Beacon: The Eye of Facebook

Most popular Aussie web searches of ’07 from Yahoo!7

Yahoo!7 have announced the annuals rankings of the most popular Australian searches of 2007 were celebrities, scandals, wild weather and home ownership, with Britney Spears topping three of the lists and Apple’s iPod Nano topping the tech section.
Most popular Aussie web searches of ’07 from Yahoo!7

Oxford Place Of The Year: Warming Island

I’ve been blogging about the Place of the Week for nearly two years now, choosing a new location every seven days that I knew little about but had caught my attention or that appeared in the news. In the last year global warming has become much more than another subject debated within academia; in fact its found its way into our language, popular culture, and even our shopping habits. As I thought about this while I tried to pick my first Place of the Year, I kept coming back to the very visible ways the Earth’s landscape has been altered by the phenomena.
Oxford Place Of The Year: Warming Island

Monday, December 03, 2007

14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol

After reviewing my research on healthy foods and cholesterol from this year I came up with the top 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.”
14 Foods that Lower Cholesterol

The Coolest 35 Facts You’ve Never Heard

Like...#35. “Stewardesses” is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.
The Coolest 35 Facts You’ve Never Heard

Print to Any Computer Over the Internet with PrinterAnywhere

Send print jobs to any computer from any computer over the internet--like to your home printer from work--with freeware application PrinterAnywhere. Just install the software and register for a free PrinterAnywhere account (requires a username and email address) to get started. PrinterAnywhere is freeware, Windows only.
Print to Any Computer Over the Internet with PrinterAnywhere

Obsessive- Compulsive’s Guide: Top 12 Organizing Tips

Is your life in disarray? Do you have trouble finding things? Do you constantly forget stuff? If so, don’t worry — you’re like most of the human population.
Obsessive- Compulsive’s Guide: Top 12 Organizing Tips

Buy a Car Without Getting Screwed

Car guy Rob Gruhl gives some great, practical advice on how to find, finance and negotiate buying a new car.
Buy a Car Without Getting Screwed

5 Signs You Are On Autopilot

I was on autopilot for many years. Sure, I was traveling through life with my eyes open and my hands on the wheel. But it seemed as if I was heading toward some pre-determined destination that had been chosen for me by others. Are you on autopilot?
5 Signs You Are On Autopilot

Friday, November 30, 2007

Free Answers to Your Tech Questions–Fast

Sometimes when you have a question, you don’t just need an answer, you need a consensus. If you can relate to that, definitely give Ask500People a try. Unlike Yahoo! Answers and some of the more specialized question answering sites on the web, Ask500People seeks group approval of interesting questions before they are asked, through online voting that causes the most intriguing questions to rise to the top.
Free Answers to Your Tech Questions–Fast

Social Site Rankings (October, 2007)

Some numbers on traffic to social sites (comScore calls them social networking sites, but they are not all social networks. Below are the results, which show both absolute traffic in the U.S. and percentage change where comparable data from October, 2006 is available.
Social Site Rankings (October, 2007)

What causes hiccups?

If a person gets hiccups and wants to know what has set them off, there is a long list of medical or physiological disorders that are associated with hiccups and seem to cause them.
What causes hiccups

The Ten Videos to Change How You View the World

I believe that a sign of good information is that it makes you think. If reading a book, listening to a lecture or watching a video doesn’t change how you think, it probably isn’t that important. But if you encounter something that forces you to change your views, even if you don’t completely agree with it, you’ve found something valuable.
The Ten Videos to Change How You View the World

SMS for the nearest toilet

The UK's first SMS service for finding the nearest toilet launched in London today. Just text the word "toilet" and SatLav, run by the Westminster City Council, points you the nearest public toilet.
SMS for the nearest toilet

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Patterns of internet access in Australia, 2006

There has been significant growth in Australia's access to/use of the Internet between 2001 and 2006. In 2001, 35% of Australian dwellings had access to the Internet in the week prior to the Census date. In 2006, 63% of Dwellings had access to the Internet.
Patterns of internet access in Australia, 2006

Corrective Services, Australia, Sep 2007

This publication presents information on persons in custody and community-based corrections. The statistics are derived from information provided to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) from administrative records held by corrective services agencies in each state and territory, and from the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department for details on federal prisoners.
Corrective Services, Australia, Sep 2007

The Top 25 Entertainers of the Year

Meet the extraordinary talents who shined brightest in 2007, from George Clooney to Johnny Depp to Carrie Underwood to...EW's pick for Entertainer of the Year!
The Top 25 Entertainers of the Year

Best 101 Lists by Interesting Observations

Coming up with 101 lists has been a trend these days! So, here is a Master List of the best ‘101′ lists out there!
Best 101 Lists by Interesting Observations

How to Doggedly Pursue Your Dreams in the Face of Naysayers

What do you do if you have a dream, but everyone around you keeps telling you to be more realistic and to give up the dream? What if they want you to pursue a more “sensible” and traditional career route?
You ignore them. You shut out the naysayers, and you stay focused on your dream.
How to Doggedly Pursue Your Dreams in the Face of Naysayers

Memorize Anything

Perhaps the first thing you should start doing before tackling extraordinary tasks of memorization is:
a. Get some sleep
b. Get a light snack (emphasis on light).
c. Amp Up Your Brain
Memorize Anything

Disable Facebook Beacon

Privacy and social networking may be mutually exclusive but there are measures you can take to protect your personal information. Lately Facebook's been under the spotlight for the privacy implications of its Beacon tool which can link up advertisers and third parties to report things on Facebook, like your purchasing habits.
Disable Facebook Beacon

Six Techniques to Get More from the Web than Google Will Tell You

The Internet has changed research dramatically. Now, it’s hard to resist defaulting to search engines, especially Google, as its capabilities grow. But you miss opportunities to get valuable insights into IT topics if you rely only on search engines.
Six Techniques to Get More from the Web than Google Will Tell You

The top 10 IT disasters of all time

From faulty satellites nearly causing World War III to the Millennium Bug, poorly executed IT has had a lot to answer for over the years.
The top 10 IT disasters of all time

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

12 Cold-Weather Remedies

The 12 cold-weather herbal remedies recommended here should help you stay well, or at least help cut the duration of most winter health challenges. There are remedies for sore throats, chapped lips and even chest congestion in this list.
12 Cold-Weather Remedies

Windows XP Speed Boost Coming with SP3

After pronouncing Windows Vista SP1 a "performance dud" two weeks ago, Devil Mountain Software, a Florida-based software development firm, reported that an upcoming update for Windows XP will offer substantial performance gains.
Windows XP Speed Boost Coming with SP3

Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, Summary Results, Australia, 2006

Information from the 2006 Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey. The results will assist in answering questions of whether Australians' literacy skills are adequate for the challenges they face in work and daily life.
Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey, Summary Results, Australia, 2006

Self Improvement Advice from the Devil

The Internet is full of self improvement advice. You can’t browse a blog these days without someone telling you how you should be living your life.
Well it is about time we shook things up a little…
Self Improvement Advice from the Devil

Computer Randomly Plays Classical Music

During normal operation or in Safe mode, your computer may play "Fur Elise" or "It's a Small, Small World" seemingly at random. This is an indication sent to the PC speaker from the computer's BIOS that the CPU fan is failing or has failed, or that the power supply voltages have drifted out of tolerance. This is a design feature.
Computer Randomly Plays Classical Music

The 10 Most Ridiculous Inventions Ever Patented

The wheel. The light bulb. Big Mouth Billy Bass. Great inventions inspire awe, while providing comfort and convenience to the masses. Other inventions inspire second-hand embarrassment and provide a window into the dark souls of the men who created them.
The 10 Most Ridiculous Inventions Ever Patented

Outlook: How To Delete Duplicated Contacts

Sometimes syncing Outlook with another application or device can result in the addition of a duplicated list of contacts. Removing this list can be quite cumbersome if you take the time to delete each one, especially if you have collected a large number of addresses and such.
Outlook: How To Delete Duplicated Contacts

Ensure a Fast Internet Connection When You Need It

Your internet connection is an indispensable part of your life, but between BitTorrent, Xbox Live, web browsing, and VoIP, sometimes there's not enough bandwidth to go around. But rather than running around the house shutting down all of your computers next time you're experiencing a little lag on Xbox Live or Skype is breaking up on you, you can set up Quality of Service (QoS) rules on your router to distribute bandwidth to your different gadgets and applications based on your priorities.
Ensure a Fast Internet Connection When You Need It

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

How Babies Know What You're Up To (or Not)

When it comes to watching the actions of others, we all have a little Nostradamus in us. When someone begins a physical action we can often "predict" the outcome before it occurs -- that is, our eyes move to the action's end point before the actor reaches it himself.
How Babies Know What You're Up To (or Not)

Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for her

So you want to get your girl something gadgety for the holidays, but don't quite know what. We've got you covered. In addition to our own thoughtful ideas, we also roped in Engadget-ladyfriends Veronica Belmont and Jill Fehrenbacher to make some suggestions and ensure we're not too far off base. (In other words, if you're looking for a totally trite list of pink gadgets you'll want to look elsewhere.)
Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: for her

Census of Population and Housing

The second release of 2006 Census data is here! All the valuable data you and the rest of Australia provided has been processed and is now available. You can discover information online about the people of Australia and your local community for free!
Census of Population and Housing

One way to try to figure out what someone REALLY thinks.

Sometimes when we ask an important question, we know that people might be reluctant to give a true opinion. Maybe they’re worried about angering someone else, or appearing unsophisticated, or maybe they feel uncomfortable with what they think.
Tyler Cowen made an observation that I think is absolutely fascinating, and one that provides a possible solution to this non-disclosure problem.
One way to try to figure out what someone REALLY thinks

Monday, November 26, 2007

Hey, Kids, MySpace Can Hurt You

Whenever some agency creates a site aimed at young people, you can be absolutely sure that kids will a) never ever visit it and b) if they do visit it, they’ll laugh at it. This will probably be the case with ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) and their site which should explain UK kids that MySpace data is not private, and that it can be stolen and misused which can hurt them in the long run.
Hey, Kids, MySpace Can Hurt You

Want to live longer? Buy yourself a pogo stick

We all know the mantra - to live longer we need to eat more fruit and veg, take regular exercise, drink in moderation and cut out cigarettes.
Then last week the World Cancer Research Fund declared that we also need to give up bacon, pork chops and salt. Thankfully, there are other, less tedious ways to add years to your life. Here, the Mail shows you how...
Want to live longer? Buy yourself a pogo stick

Google Street View hits Australia

The controversial Google Street View project has arrived in Australia taking snaps in our major cities and towns.
The project has already captured images in 17 cities in North America, taken at street level and attached them to the highly popular Google Maps online application.
Google Street View hits Australia

Eight Ways to Fight Memory Loss

Memory loss can occur for a variety of reasons. Some loss of memory with aging is natural – it is normal to experience short-term forgetfulness, such as the inability to remember a person’s name you met recently.
Eight Ways to Fight Memory Loss

Your Eyes Don’t Lie - Reading Thoughts By Eye Movements

The eyes have this habit of positioning themselves according to the thoughts that are in your head, and other people can often understand what you are thinking about just by watching your eyes.
Your Eyes Don’t Lie - Reading Thoughts By Eye Movements

Sunday, November 25, 2007

30 Interview Questions You Can't Ask and 30 Sneaky, Legal Alternatives to Get the Same Info

In every job interview, the goal is to obtain important information while building a friendly rapport with the candidate. But some questions are just a little too friendly. Protect yourself and your company from legal trouble and embarassment by avoiding the wrong questions while still getting to the root of the concern behind the question. Read on for 30 ways to turn litigious questions into harmless, legal alternatives.
30 Interview Questions You Can't Ask and 30 Sneaky, Legal Alternatives to Get the Same Info

Easily Show The Contents of Password Fields

How to recover passwords from your browser. It doesn't require any software to reveal hidden passwords under asterisks and don't need to waste your time in cracking master password.
Easily Show The Contents of Password Fields

Saturday, November 24, 2007

JAXA | KAGUYA (SELENE) World's First Image Taking of the Moon by HDTV

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) have successfully performed the world's first high-definition image taking by the lunar explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE,) which was injected into a lunar orbit at an altitude of about 100 km on October 18.
JAXA | KAGUYA (SELENE) World's First Image Taking of the Moon by HDTV

How to Study Less by Learning Things Once

You read over your notes. Then you read them over again. Then you read them over a third time. Then you take the test and are surprised at just how much you missed. Despite reading everything three times!
A lot of study time is wasted because of one problem: you fail to learn things the first time around.
How to Study Less by Learning Things Once

Don’t Want to Shell Out for MS Office? Get a Free Alternative

Among free productivity application suites that can save you from shelling out money for Microsoft’s Office suite, GoogleDocs and OpenOffice tend to get all the attention. Lately, though, I’ve been experimenting with some alternatives, and they’re more than good enough to use in place of Microsoft’s applications. ThinkFree Office, in particular, is worth a look.
Don’t Want to Shell Out for MS Office? Get a Free Alternative

Six Ideas That Will Change the World

They are making orange peel plastic and robots that can heal themselves. They are six researchers with six ideas that will one day change the world.
Six Ideas That Will Change the World

Friday, November 23, 2007

Lifehacker guide to election day

It's election eve in Australia, so we've compiled a roundup of all the information you need for voting tomorrow. Below the cut you can find information on the best information available online to find out who your candidates are and where to vote, along with the a wrap up of the election guides that are available online, and even how to get the election results SMSed to you!
Lifehacker guide to election day

New words - Oxford English Dictionary

On 14 September 2007 the alphabetical range proter-purposive was added to the New Edition: every word in this range has been thoroughly revised and updated. Below are listed all the new words in the range. We have also added a further list of new words from across the alphabet.
New Words - Oxford English Dictionary

The Social Media Manual: Read Before You Play

So many questions from people about Digg, Propeller, Reddit, Stumbleupon, and other social news sites every day - decided to write this little "manual" as something to read before you jump in head first into any social site, and to keep by your side as you progress through the ranks. It should not only help you succeed with your social media marketing efforts, but also help you avoid some of the mistakes.
The Social Media Manual: Read Before You Play

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Products in Translation: Photos

One of the great adventures of travel is sampling the local fare. To do so, it sometimes has a few odd translations for product names, signs and food labels.
Products in Translation: Photos

The Hidden Truth Behind Hotel Drinking Glasses

I've always wondered where that wonderful flavor comes from. Now I know.
The Hidden Truth Behind Hotel Drinking Glasses

The Rolling Bridge

Rather than a conventional opening bridge mechanism, consisting of a single rigid element that lifts to let boats pass, the Rolling Bridge gets out of the way by curling up until its two ends touch.
The Rolling Bridge

250 Things You Wish You Know That Will Guarantee Your Speaking Success

#1. Audience always comes first, ask yourself “How can they benefit from listening to me?”
etc
250 Things You Wish You Know That Will Guarantee Your Speaking Success

On Being Pretty Ugly: A Nice But Quaint Oxymoron

The etymology of the adjective pretty has been investigated reasonably well. Many questions still remain unanswered, but it is the development of the word’s senses rather than its origin that amazes students of language. The root of pretty, which must have sounded approximately like prat, meant “trick.”
On Being Pretty Ugly: A Nice But Quaint Oxymoron

How does Bluetooth work?

We go straight to the source and get Bluetooth executive director Michael Foley to wirelessly transmit an answer to this query.
How does Bluetooth work?

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

The 10 People you'll find in any Gym

Step in any gym in any city in any state in this entire country and you're sure to find the same people. Of course not the exact same people, but the same types of people.
The 10 people you'll find in any gym

10 things you can do to get a promotion

Very few people hire on with any company or organisation with the intention of remaining indefinitely at the position for which they were hired. These ten tips will help you ask for advancement.
10 things you can do to get a promotion

How to Win at Monopoly ® - a Surefire Strategy

I'm a big Monopoly fan and I recently saw a great website that did something I've always wanted to do: calculate how long it takes to return your investment in the various properties and houses/hotel purchases. Knowing this is really the key to developing a strategy to win the game. Without it, how do you know whether to focus on putting hotels on Boardwalk or buying all the Railroads? You can't do everything - the key to winning is making the right trades and decisions at the different stages of the game. This is just my interpretation of the numbers, but I propose a winning strategy below and then back it up with the data.
How to Win at Monopoly ® - a Surefire Strategy

Lose Belly Fat - Is It Really Possible?

Yes! Of course it is! Don’t give up! There is hope. The key is to understand how your body works and to have a comprehensive plan that you will execute over a reasonable period of time. Translation: this is not a quick fix. But, remember, it is doable! Take the turtle approach, slow and steady, and you’ll get there.
Lose Belly Fat - Is It Really Possible?

Telework is Good For You

Or, to be more precise, “telecommuting has mostly positive consequences for employees and employers,” according to a press release from the American Psychological Association. The release summarizes the findings of a paper from Journal of Applied Psychology that performed a meta-analysis of 46 different studies of telecommuting over the years.
Telework is Good For You

Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Once per year at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse they shut down the weak insipid modern (presumably electric) light and switch over the the 5 kerosene lamps and fresnel lens of the original, as it was 135 years ago.
Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Interesting Web Browsers You Have Never Heard Of

There are more browsers than you are aware of. Besides Firefox, Opera and Internet Explorer there is a number of promising alternatives which can improve your flexibility, increase your productivity and enrich your browsing experience.
Interesting Web Browsers You Have Never Heard Of

Global Personal Taxation Comparison

Mercer's Worldwide Individual Tax Comparator Report analysed the tax and benefits systems across 32 markets focusing on personal tax structures, average salaries and marital status.
Global personal taxation comparison survey

Monday, November 19, 2007

Constitution Day - National Archives of Australia

The National Archives is embarking on a new Constitution Day initiative and is seeking partners to support its move to create an annual event program on a national scale, culminating in a new national celebration.
Constitution Day - National Archives of Australia

Sunday, November 18, 2007

7 Bad E-Mail Habits that Make People Want to Kill You

E-mail is a shallow way to communicate. It’s easy, fast and lacks the depth of understanding most people have face-to-face. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize just how much of this understanding is lost. As a result, they pick up bad habits and start driving coworkers, bosses and friends crazy.
7 Bad E-Mail Habits that Make People Want to Kill You

How to Cut Crutch Words When Giving a Speech

You’ve all seen it before. What would otherwise be a great presentation becomes one interrupted jumble of syllables. Instead of taking those key pauses to let the audience digest, every moment of hesitation is filled with a crutch word. Maybe it happens to you.
How to Cut Crutch Words When Giving a Speech

How to Shave Ten Hours Off Your Work Week

Almost everyone I know is working more time than they would like. That’s why a book like The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss has been such a big bestseller. This is a great book, but the promise is a little over the top. I don’t know of anyone, including Tim Ferriss, who really only works four hours.
How to Shave Ten Hours Off Your Work Week

7 Incredible Natural Phenomena you've never seen

7 Incredible Natural Phenomena you've probably never seen!
Natural Phenomena

Friday, November 16, 2007

Quitting the Day Job: Finding the Guts to Pursue Your Dreams

Something amazing has happened in the past eighteen months. While I’ve been learning about personal finance — and sharing my knowledge with you — Get Rich Slowly has grown from a small site with a couple hundred readers into a real-life business. GRS currently has 35,000 subscribers and generates $5,000 in monthly revenue. It also takes most of my time. This is a blessing and a curse.
Quitting the Day Job: Finding the Guts to Pursue Your Dreams

Eight Essential Tips to Overcoming Shyness and Making a Good Impression

Many of us wish we were one of those people who walked into a room and had friends-to-be flock to them. Anyone would agree that those of us who make friends easily and are innately likable will probably have an easier and more pleasant time of things than those who are incredibly shy or find it very hard to make friends.
Eight Essential Tips to Overcoming Shyness and Making a Good Impression

The Vista Death Watch

Microsoft has extended the life of Windows XP because Vista has simply not shown any life in the market. We have to begin to ask ourselves if we are really looking at Windows Me/2007, destined to be a disdained flop.
The Vista Death Watch

JAXA | KAGUYA (SELENE) Image Taking of Earth-Rise by HDTV

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) have successfully performed the world's first high-definition image taking of an Earth-rise* by the lunar explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE,) which was injected into a lunar orbit at an altitude of about 100 km on October 18, 2007.
JAXA | KAGUYA (SELENE) Image Taking of Earth-Rise by HDTV

Thursday, November 15, 2007

The Art of Punctuation: What your use of quotation marks says about you

Today I’m bringing you an excerpt from our book The Art of Punctuation by Noah Lukeman. Here Lukeman talks about how a feast or famine of quotation marks can say a lot about the kind of writer (and even the kind of person you are). Who knew that a writer’s use of quotations marks could be so revealing?
In many cases a publishing professional need only flip through a manuscript to get an immediate idea of its worth: quotation marks tell the story.
The Art of Punctuation: What your use of quotation marks says about you

Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, Aug 2007

Full-time adult ordinary time earnings rose by 5.2% for males and 4.8% for females in the twelve months to August 2007.
Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, Aug 2007

Australia's election map redrawn

Australia's federal election is on 24 November 2007, and the campaign is well and truly in its final stages. Prime Minister Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd are adding final details to their policies and making their final appeal for votes.
Australia's election map redrawn

The truth about recycling

As the importance of recycling becomes more apparent, questions about it linger. Is it worth the effort? How does it work? Is recycling waste just going into a landfill in China? Here are some answers.
The truth about recycling

Oddly, Hypocrisy Rooted in High Morals

Morally upstanding people are the do-gooders of society, right? Actually, a new study finds that a sense of moral superiority can lead to unethical acts, such as cheating. In fact, some of the best do-gooders can become the worst cheats.
Stop us if this sounds familiar.
Oddly, Hypocrisy Rooted in High Morals

17 Tips to Be Productive with Instant Messaging

The best way to be productive with instant messaging (or chat)? Don’t do it.
Seriously, IM can take up your entire day if you let it. Those who stay away from it can get a lot more done.
17 Tips to Be Productive with Instant Messaging

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Be aware of the threat of hidden keystroke-logging devices

Keystroke loggers are a particularly dangerous security threat because users typically don't realise they're even there.
Be aware of the threat of hidden keystroke-logging devices

How many things can you plug into an electrical outlet before it catches fire?

It seems to happen most around the holidays -- the electrical outlet begins putting on extra weight. There are nine strings of lights for the tree, electric candles, a CD player with holiday music and -- for some reason -- a George Foreman Grill. It seems like just staring at this mess of electrical cords for too long will give it just the extra boost it needs to catch fire.
"How many things can you plug into an electrical outlet before it catches fire?"

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Conquering your fear of public speaking

People fear public speaking more than anything else. Anxiety over a simple presentation can be debilitating. Moreover, sufferers are typically embarrassed and reluctant to admit they have a problem. They hide a deep concern about the phobia's affect on their careers in an industry that values presentation skills so highly.
Conquering your fear of public speaking

How to Survive Creative Burnout

The longer you work at creating things, whether it’s software, websites, essays or paintings, the greater the odds you’ll hit a day where you don’t feel like doing it anymore. Up until then, you may have heard others describe burnout, but you just shrugged it off as superstition, or perhaps believed yourself immune.
How to survive creative burnout

Top 25 Craziest Deaths

This is a list of crazy, weird and even funny deaths of prominent people in the last 100 years.
Top 25 Craziest Deaths

Cool Tool: Vinegar

I recently became a vinegar convert after acquiring this book whose intriguing subtitle says it all: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of.
Cool Tool: Vinegar

Oxford Word Of The Year: Locavore

It’s that time of the year again. The New Oxford American Dictionary is preparing for the holidays by making its biggest announcement of the year. The 2007 Word of the Year is (drum-roll please) locavore.
Oxford Word Of The Year: Locavore

The Downside of Optimism

Optimism, it turns out, is best in moderation.
The Downside of Optimism

Monday, November 12, 2007

Melbourne 'on track to be Australia's biggest city'

New population growth figures show Melbourne is closing the gap on Sydney as Australia's largest city.
Consultancy firm KPMG has found 62,000 people moved to Melbourne last financial year, nearly twice the increase in the population of Sydney.
Melbourne 'on track to be Australia's biggest city'

Sunday, November 11, 2007

Hear This: 10 Ways to Become a Better Listener and Change Your Life Forever

Learning to listen — I mean really listen — is the single-most important thing you can do to improve communication in your life. It’s unreal how many varied aspects of our lives are directly and indirectly controlled by our ability (or, most often, inability) to listen.
Our romantic relationships run into communication problems everyday. Friendships can get too one-sided and devolve into arguments about taking too much. Even consumerism is dependent upon listening — advertising and referrals help us determine what to buy and where to buy it.
Hear This: 10 Ways to Become a Better Listener and Change Your Life Forever

Saturday, November 10, 2007

World Records day sees snakes, swords and strong ears

The daring, the ditzy and the downright deluded were out in force across the globe on a day of mass attempts to break world records.
A wealth of weird and wacky attempts were scheduled which involved kissing cobras, pulling buses with ears, firewalking, bathing with rattlesnakes, tying bras together and samurai sword assaults on apples.
World Records day sees snakes, swords and strong ears

10 Simple, Sure-fire Ways to Make Today Your Best Day Ever

This morning as I took my kids to school, I was feeling rushed and harried. Stress levels high, my face wore a permanent frown, my mind was in a million different places, and my two youngest kids (3 year old, and 20 months) were quiet in their car seats.
Then I realized: while my mind is elsewhere, I’m missing some prime moments with my kids. And not really enjoying my day.
And so I changed the moment, and in doing so changed my day.
10 Simple, Sure-fire Ways to Make Today Your Best Day Ever

The 7 deadly sins of instant messaging

I heart instant messaging, but I heart it too much. If you’re a chat addict like me, you understand the lure. It’s convenient, connecting you to faraway buddies with little cost. It’s safe, releasing you from the worry of looking pretty or sounding sexy. And its deliciously fun. How can you not love video effects, screensharing, and presentation-hosting in Leopard’s iChat?
Despite the benefits, instant messaging can turn you into a mindless chat drone. Too much chatting replaces real interactions and, soon, people turn into pixels.
The 7 deadly sins of instant messaging

Friday, November 09, 2007

Deaths, Australia, 2006

This publication brings together statistics on deaths and mortality in Australia. In the main, statistics refer to deaths registered during the calendar year shown, unless stated otherwise. Populations used in the calculation of rates for 2006 are preliminary estimated resident population by age and sex at 30 June 2006. State/territory relates to the state/territory of usual residence of the deceased at the time of death, unless stated otherwise.
Deaths, Australia, 2006

Household Wealth and Wealth Distribution, Australia, 2005-06

This publication presents a summary of findings about household wealth and wealth distribution in Australia compiled from the 2005-06 Survey of Income and Housing (SIH). The survey collected detailed information about the income, assets, liabilities and household characteristics of persons aged 15 years and over resident in private dwellings throughout Australia. In this publication, net worth is the main measure used to describe wealth.
Household Wealth and Wealth Distribution, Australia, 2005-06

How to Construct a Killer Resume, From Start to Finish

Go through the entire process of creating a strong resume, step by step.
How to Construct a Killer Resume, From Start to Finish

25 Moving Movie Moments for Men

Real men don't cry, right? Heck, they don't show any emotion at all. The average guy is a rock steady super-human, who, in the infamous words of Dennis Leary, is a "suburbanized slob" who likes "football and porno and books about war." Indeed.
25 Moving Movie Moments for Men