Google Zeitgeist 2007

We're bidding adieu to 2007 with a look back at the breaking news, the big events and the must-have gadgets that captivated us this year (give or take a few weeks; we compile this list by early December). To get a glimpse of what's been on our collective consciousness, we mined billions of search queries to discover what sorts of things rose to the top. We encourage you to check out our findings to see if you, too, reflect the zeitgeist — the spirit of the times.
Google Zeitgeist 2007

Six Tech Predictions for 2008

It’s only a matter of days until 2008, and next year promises to bring some significant changes that will affect web workers. In this post are six predictions that may affect you next year, in some cases possibly profoundly.
Six Tech Predictions for 2008

Best Of 2007: Lifehacker's 2007 Software Superlatives

Who had the Most Obnoxious Icon, Best Splash Screen, and Best Easter Egg of the Year? Find out after the jump, where we'll also hand out our Most Likely to Make You Downgrade and Most Likely to Turn Completely Evil honors.
Best Of 2007: Lifehacker's 2007 Software Superlatives

Quarterly updates - Oxford English Dictionary

Every quarter, a range of entries in OED Online will be replaced by updated versions produced by the OED's revision programme. New entries will also be added across the alphabet.
Quarterly updates - Oxford English Dictionary

Sellout Songs

The Moby Quotient, generated by the formula below, determines the degree to which artists besmirch their reputations when they lend their music to hawk products or companies.
Sellout Songs

Windows Vista Service Pack 1

The Windows Vista Service Pack 1 Release Candidate (RC) is now available to the public. In addition to previously released updates, SP1 contains changes focused on addressing specific reliability and performance issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several new technologies. SP1 also addresses some management, deployment, and support challenges.
Windows Vista Service Pack 1

6 Simple Steps to Achieve Laser-Like Focus

Does focus elude you? Do you multi-task at the cost of focusing on your more important projects? Have you ever wished that you could have laser-like focus? Ever thought, "Hmm, I wish I could just take a pill that would help me focus." Well, as we all know, there is medicine for this type of need. But I think even people who take focus-enhancing medicine will attest that unless you have a good process and discipline, you're still not going to have great success with just a pill.
6 Simple Steps to Achieve Laser-Like Focus

11 Tips for Nuking Laziness Without Becoming a Workaholic

Rest is important for productivity. Trying to work straight without recovering your energies leads to a wandering attention, procrastination and, in extreme cases, death. But when does “recovering your energies” just become an excuse to waste time? How do you draw the line between constructive rest and laziness?
11 Tips for Nuking Laziness Without Becoming a Workaholic

Zoho Tackles Powerpoint With Zoho Show

The folks at Zoho just don’t seem to get tired: they announce new features, products and services for their online office suite on an almost weekly basis, which is what we usually expect from Google. This time, they’ve launched a new version of Zoho Show, an online tool for creating presentations, which we can most easily describe as the online version of Microsoft’s Powerpoint.
Zoho Tackles Powerpoint With Zoho Show

Are you an over-buyer or an under-buyer?

A quiz--Are you an over-buyer or an under-buyer?
I love a good self-diagnosis quiz. What kind of clutterer are you? Are you organized or disorganized? Are you at risk for dropping out of your exercise program?
Are you an over-buyer or an under-buyer?

Why pregnant women don't fall over

Women do not tip over during pregnancy because their spines are built differently from men's – and have been ever since our ancestors began walking upright. The difference allows a pregnant woman to lean backward to counterbalance the weight of her developing fetus.
Why pregnant women don't fall over

7 Stupid Thinking Errors You Probably Make

The brain isn’t a flawless piece of machinery. Although it is powerful and comes in an easy to carry container, it has it’s weaknesses. A field in psychology which studies these errors, known as biases. Although you can’t upgrade your mental hardware, noticing these biases can clue you into possible mistakes.
7 Stupid Thinking Errors You Probably Make

Earth From Above

French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand's beautiful images of the planet have become a coffee table favorite across the world. Today we are excited to present a new Google Earth layer of nearly 500 of his images, many taken from hot air balloons and all taken from above the earth.
Earth From Above

3 Riddles

How are these three phenomena possible, and how could they be reproduced?
3 Riddles

Lifehacker Gift Guide 2007

It's not easy finding the right gift for everyone on your list, especially if you've got a lot of people to buy for, so today we're taking a look at gifts small and large—from under $10 to the over $50 set—perfect for the life-hacking loved one on your list (even if that's you).
Lifehacker Gift Guide 2007

Why Are You Reading All That News?

You’re feeling stress about your RSS feeds? Talk about self-created problems. The real solution to managing RSS feeds is to stop reading RSS feeds. It’s simple … when a purely optional “convenience” technology is causing stress, it’s time to re-evaluate at a pretty fundamental level.
Why Are You Reading All That News?

Sleep, Attention, and Memory: Not (Maybe) What You Thought

Most of us can remember at least one occasion on which we sat in class, half asleep, trying to pay attention and learn what we were being taught – to no avail. Why is this?
Sleep, Attention, and Memory: Not (Maybe) What You Thought

Reminders as Effective as Trainers at Exercise Enforcement

Find yourself falling behind on your fitness goals? A reminder system can be just as helpful as having a personal trainer to report to. That's according to researchers at Stanford University, where a study found that a group of exercisers who received reminder phone calls exercised an average of nearly 40 minutes per week more than those who were left to their own willpower.
Reminders as Effective as Trainers at Exercise Enforcement

Absurd Windows Errors Invade Planet

Reports all over the world confirm the worst: the best Windows error ever was just the beginning of a planetary invasion by alien forces using time-space-twisting software code. There's no other explanation for this gallery of demoniacally absurd errors.
Absurd Windows Errors Invade Planet

» Complete This Sentence

If anyone would like to try completing this sentence by figuring out the missing letters, please help out.
» Complete This Sentence

The Only 4 Principles of Weight Loss You Need To Know

Visit a nearby newsstand and I am sure that you will come across some magazines promoting miraculous weight-loss formulas. Sometimes they turn to the mythic properties of fruit, like with the “Lemon Diet” or with the “Papaya Diet.” Other times they just create special nutritional plans, say the “Low-Carb Diet.” There are also the magic workouts and exercises that are supposed to reduce your belly circumference by 10 centimeters in three days – while toning your muscles….

Come on!

The Only 4 Principles of Weight Loss You Need To Know

What Makes Us Moral

If the entire human species were a single individual, that person would long ago have been declared mad. The insanity would not lie in the anger and darkness of the human mind—though it can be a black and raging place indeed.
What Makes Us Moral

MySpace, Facebook a danger to our children?

Recently parents at an Australian private school received a notice from the principal advising them that incidents of cyber bullying at the school had been discovered. The letter went on to warn parents that they should closely monitor the online activities of their children and stop them from joining social networks such as MySpace and Facebook. Is this sound advice or unnecessarily alarmist?
MySpace, Facebook a danger to our children?

25 Easy Ways to Fit in 10 Minutes of Exercise

Experts recommend working out 45 minutes to an hour a day (30 minutes for beginners) for weight loss and fitness. But if you're like most women, you don't always have a block of 30 to 60 minutes a day to devote exclusively to doing your workouts.
25 Easy Ways to Fit in 10 Minutes of Exercise

Is it healthier to be fit and fat—Or lazy and thin?

Are you a thin couch potato? Think that because you're slim, you don't have to work out? Wrong.
Is it healthier to be fit and fat—Or lazy and thin?

Strictly No Photography

Features user-submitted photos taken in all the places where photography is strictly off-limits. Concerts, museums, classified government installations, etc
Strictly No Photography

The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude

Okay, so there’s no myth that I am a positive person, or at least striving to be one. However, I am aware that I’m not positive all the time. I am continuously working to become conscientious of my choices, thoughts and reactions. I frequently get asked about positive thinking, and I wanted to first clear up some points of confusion.
The 5 Myths of Positive Mental Attitude

Negative Calorie Foods: 15 Foods That Actually Burn More Calories Than They Contain

No, we’re not advocating the battle to see how few calories you can consume each day or promoting crash diets in any form or function; however, if you’re a snack-o-holic who can’t stop munching and crunching in between meals, try snacking on one of these negative calorie foods instead of gobbling down a cupcake or big bag of chips.
Negative Calorie Foods: 15 Foods That Actually Burn More Calories Than They Contain

I'll be so happy once I'm thin. Or rich. Or successful. Or engaged. Right?

Kate Harding makes several interesting arguments, but her key point is the tendency for people to think, “When I’m thin, I’ll be different. I’ll be more adventurous, or more sociable, or happier in my relationship.” Her message: No, you won’t. You’ll still be yourself.
I'll be so happy once I'm thin. Or rich. Or successful. Or engaged. Right?

What we learn from the dying

My first day of medical school was a series of inspirational talks. The tone, set by the anesthesiologist who led off, was lighthearted. His subject was "Everything you will ever need to know about medicine." This turned out to be just three things, which he had us all recite: Air goes in and out. Blood goes round and round. Oxygen is good. Just keep these in mind, he said, and you'll be okay.
What we learn from the dying

Tip of the Week: Leave Your Desk Messy «

Spend too much time worrying about getting your desk perfectly clean and your work perfectly excellent and you might put yourself at risk for psychological problems.
Tip of the Week: Leave Your Desk Messy «

May I take your order?

It was a night like any other - people inviting us out to a steakhouse. We get there, we are seated in a private room. All was well. Niceties aside, we prepare to order. I ask my wife what I should get. She says, “Go ahead and look at the menu - it’s in English.”
“Oh Really?”
May I take your order?

New Words on the Block: Back When "Movies" Were Young

When we think about new additions to the English lexicon such as locavore or tase (or other candidates for the New Oxford American Dictionary Word of the Year), it’s easy to forget that some of our most common vocabulary items were once awkward newcomers, like transfer students desperately trying to fit in with the other kids in class.
New Words on the Block: Back When "Movies" Were Young

Cool Tool: BookGem

Reader-diners know the pain of trying to balance a thick book and a meal without losing your page or spilling food.
Cool Tool: BookGem

Google Releases Chart Image Generator

Google released a chart generator service they are calling the Google Chart API. Usage is quite straightforward: you link to an image in the form of a parameterized URL.
Google Releases Chart Image Generator

Partial Recall: Why Memory Fades with Age

As we age, it becomes harder and harder to recall names, dates—even where we put down our keys. Although we may fear the onset of Alzheimer's, chances are, our recollective powers have dulled simply because we're getting older—and our brains, like our bodies, are no longer in tip-top shape.
Partial Recall: Why Memory Fades with Age

Environmental Issues: People's Views and Practices, Mar 2007

Grey water was being used by more than half (55%) of all Australian households in 2007, according to figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today.
Grey water was the second most common source of water after mains/town water. Victoria and the Australian Capital Territory had the highest proportion of households using grey water, at 72% and 63% respectively.
Environmental Issues: People's Views and Practices, Mar 2007

Try Honey for Children's Coughs

A teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children's coughs and help them sleep better, according to a new study that relied on parents' reports of their children's symptoms.
Try Honey for Children's Coughs

Feature: The 20 Best iPod Utilities

With a new generation of iPods on the market this holiday season, your reliable old iPod may not seem as shiny as it once did. But with the help of third party applications and utilities, you can unlock tons of useful functionality you never knew was there and revive that aging iPod so it doesn't look quite so bad next to its successors. Whether new or old, the following 20 iPod utilities can help you get the most from your iPod.
Feature: The 20 Best iPod Utilities

Google Reveals Fast-Growing Search Terms of 2007

Not to be confused with Google Zeitgeist’s year-end top searches, which has yet to be released, Google revealed today a list of the “fast rising U.S. search terms” for 2007. Marissa Mayer, VP of Search & User Experience at Google, made an appearance Tuesday morning at NBC’s “Today Show”, where she revealed, not surprisingly, that the “iPhone” was number one on the list. Within the past 24 hours, Google has also released year-end search trends for various countries throughout the world, including Australia.
Google Reveals Fast-Growing Search Terms of 2007

To My Great-Great-Grandchildren: Hows Your Climate?

Simon Donner, a climate scientist at the University of British Columbia, contributed one of the “100-Year Letters” over at DeSmogBlog.com that I mentioned in Science Times this week.
That project is one of various efforts to find more engaging ways to tell the climate story, which sprawls across time and geography and relates to every life decision, from turning off the lights to pulling a lever in a voting booth to choosing a vocation.
To My Great-Great-Grandchildren: Hows Your Climate?

Lose that belly boys, eat red meat

A new study conducted by Australia's Commonwealth Science and Inductrial Research Organization has found that overweight and obese men can strip inches off their waist-line and lose weight effectively and safely on a high protein red meat diet. In fact, a balanced red meat diet was found to be better for tightening the belt buckle than a balanced carb diet.
Lose that belly boys, eat red meat

How to Block Facebook Beacon

On November 6th, 2007 Facebook launched a new feature called Beacon which collects data on the behavior of Facebook users on several commercial websites such as eBay, Fandango, Zappos and Overstock.com. When a Facebook user purchases an item at one of these websites, Facebook provides a way for the user to advertise their purchase on their Facebook News Feed. While users can decline sending out the advertising, Facebook does not allow users to opt out of the data collection and behavior monitoring. Even if you opt out, click "no thanks", and log out of Facebook, Beacon will still be surreptitiously collecting your web browsing behavior data and sending it to Facebook.
How to Block Facebook Beacon

Bring Your ABC to the Desktop with ABC Now

Our national broadcaster has added another string to its multimedia bow with the release of desktop gadget ABC Now, which is essentially a media player which lets you get ABC news headlines, radio streams, podcasts and TV highlights on your PC. You can also get weather updates.
Bring Your ABC to the Desktop with ABC Now

The Ask.com Blog: Our Search Top 10's for 2007

"If you want to see how a society thinks, look at what it searches for."
--George Bernard Shaw

Okay, George Bernard Shaw didn't say that. I made it up. BUT, if you want to take a look at what fascinated people this year, our big list of 2007 Most Popular searches is a great place to look.
The Ask.com Blog: Our Search Top 10's for 2007

How to Track Down Anyone Online

When you're trying to find someone online, Google's not the only game in town. In the last two years, a handful of new people search engines have come onto the scene that offer better ways to pinpoint people info by name, handle, location, or place of employment. While there's still no killer, one-stop people search, there are more ways than ever to track down a long-lost friend, stalk an ex, or screen a potential date or employee. The next time you wonder, "What ever happened to so-and-so?" you've got a few power people search tools to turn to.
How to Track Down Anyone Online

7 Myths about the Internet

Apparently the Italians share some misconceptions about Internet usage with their U.S. counterparts. Here’s a video of a speech by Italian TV host and blogger Marco Montemagno describing myths Italians hold about the Internet and identifying Web 2.0 opportunities for businesses.
7 Myths about the Internet

Microsoft exec kicks off new browser security war

Internet Explorer is more secure than Firefox, according to a senior Microsoft executive, who compared how many vulnerabilities were found in the two browsers -- but critics say his study is flawed.
Microsoft exec kicks off new browser security war

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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