Digital TV in Australia

The five major Australian cities are due to have analog TV turned off at the end of next year, progressively the remainder of the country will be forced to convert by 2013. So, knowing that any equipment older than around 5 years will stop working in 18 months, how are we doing?
Digital TV in Australia

The Golden Money List: Hundreds of Tips for Turning Your Financial Life Around

A list of the best money articles on Zen Habits and a resource for anyone trying to live more frugally, get out of debt, save money, or simply create a better financial system in their lives. Bookmark it for future reference if you like. Enjoy!
The Golden Money List: Hundreds of Tips for Turning Your Financial Life Around

How to Calculate How Much Money You Need to Retire

Whether you've reached middle age and you are just now starting to wonder if you are going to be able to retire comfortably at a reasonable age, or you're one of those few people in your 20s or 30s who's already thinking about retirement, you need to crunch some numbers in order to make it happen.
How to Calculate How Much Money You Need to Retire

Print to PDF in Windows Vista

The go-to Vista fix-it guy, The How-To Geek, offers a much-needed tutorial and walk-through on installing print-to-PDF functionality in Windows Vista.
Print to PDF in Windows Vista

9 July – Happy Constitution Day!

The National Archives of Australia is embarking on an annual Constitution Day event program for 9 July. The date is special for all Australians yet few understand why.
9 July – Constitution Day

History of "jet lag"

Air & Space magazine posted a fascinating short history of "jet lag," beginning with what appears to be one of (?) the first printed appearances of the phrase in a 1966 L.A. Times article.
History of "jet lag"

Eight Handy Tools in Microsoft Word You Probably Don't Know About

Microsoft Word is full of tools that can help you work faster and smarter—but only if you know about them. Here's a list to remind you of just what Word can do for you. You're probably familiar with some of these. Your neighbor knows a few, too, but not the same few. Eight Handy Tools in Microsoft Word You Probably Don't Know About

5+ Ways To Watch The Tour De France

The Tour de France began earlier today out of Brest, Valverde raised his fists in triumph, and we haven’t told the cycling fans among you how to watch the action.
5+ Ways To Watch The Tour De France

Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia, 2007

This publication presents national crime statistics relating to victims of a selected range of offences that have been recorded by police. These statistics provide indicators of the level and nature of recorded crime victimisation in Australia and a basis for measuring change over time.
Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia, 2007

AVG Fakes User Agent, Floods the Internet

Anti-virus provider AVG is spamming the internet with deceptive traffic pretending to be Internet Explorer. Essentially, users of the software automatically pre-crawl search results, which is bad, but they do so with an intentionally generic user agent. This is flooding websites with meaningless traffic.
AVG Fakes User Agent, Floods the Internet

Your brain lies to you

The brain does not simply gather and stockpile information as a computer's hard drive does. Facts are stored first in the hippocampus, a structure deep in the brain about the size and shape of a fat man's curled pinkie finger. But the information does not rest there. Every time we recall it, our brain writes it down again, and during this re-storage, it is also reprocessed.
Your brain lies to you

10 Spectacular Cockpit Photos

Gliders, Space Shuttles, Airbus...
10 Spectacular Cockpit Photos

How to Reset Your Body Clock

Not an unusual predicament for web workers. Especially since we own our time. Although we don’t necessarily have a boss who prefers that we start at 9:00 am, waking up late in the afternoons isn’t ideal either.
So how can we fix a broken body clock?
How to Reset Your Body Clock

Who’s Mindful of Who’s Apostrophes’?

While rambling incognito through a remote town, I saw this sign gracing the upper floor of a restaurant: “The Party’s at Sally’s.” I was intrigued. The quotes look out of place, I thought, unless the whole is the title of a movie or musical. However, the smell coming out of the building in conjunction with rather wild music convinced me that the establishment was indeed an “eatery” in which the party was never over. But forget the quotes. What is “party’s”?
Who’s Mindful of Who’s Apostrophes’?

How to stop Junk Mail

From Matt Cutts, Google. I’ve been learning how to stop receiving junk mail, and I thought I’d share what I’ve learned.
How to stop junk mail

Australians making odd choices for Funeral Songs

A large cemetery and crematorium in Adelaide, Australia reports that Frank Sinatra's "My Way" has become the most-played funeral song. Second on the charts is "Wonderful World" sung by Louis Armstrong. Only two traditional Christian hymns are in the top 10.
Australians making odd choices for funeral songs

20 Ways to Attack Shyness

Can you remember the last time you stepped into a room full of strangers and felt that self-conscious and awkward feeling rush over you? Or that heart thumping moment when you wanted to ask someone on a date, but were too shy to do so? Or wanting to approach someone for business, but was too hesitant to actually do it? That anxiety in the pit of your stomach in social situations? Does it always feel like something is holding you back?
20 Ways to Attack Shyness

The Secret to Ultra-Sharp Photos

The following post on The Secrets to Ultra-Sharp Photos is by San Francisco based photographer Jim M. Goldstein.
The Secret to Ultra-Sharp Photos

Pranks: Just Say 'Yes' To Telemarketers

Want to drive a telemarketer crazy and amuse yourself at the same time? Here's an example of how to do it.
Pranks: Just Say 'Yes' To Telemarketers

7 Most Unhealthy Carnival Foods

There are few things in the universe more evil than carnival food. Why do they feed us deep-fried sugary food before we get on rides that spin us around and around? Why is it that carnies aren't all 500 lbs.? Must be the meth. Check out Newsweek's list of the 7 most unhealthy carnival foods.
7 Most Unhealthy Carnival Foods

How to get the most from Qantas' new Frequent Flyer program

Qantas today unveiled major changes to its Frequent Flyer program, adding options to fly on any day where seats are available and an expanded range of other products to its traditional use-points-and-fly-if-you're-lucky approach. Where can the best deals be had and how can you ensure you get the flights you want?
How to get the most from Qantas' new Frequent Flyer program

10 Essential Sites for Tips and How-To’s

The advent of the Internet and social media have spawned a number of how-to sites, which has made finding tips and resources easier than ever before. We’ve put together a list of 10 essential sites where you can find or in some cases contribute tips and how-to’s on a wide range of topics. And the eleventh is The Black Stump!
10 Essential Sites for Tips and How-To’s

The iPhone gets a price and Telstra joins the party

It turns out the rumours were true: Telstra will begin selling the iPhone 3G on July 11, joining Optus and Vodafone. Telstra has also become the first company to reveal any Australian pricing for the iPhone.
The iPhone gets a price and Telstra joins the party

Access Your Computer Remotely

Afraid you'll be bored on the Big Island this summer? Nervous about seven mind-numbing days on Nantucket? Thanks to virtual network computing, you can access your home machine from anywhere.
Access Your Computer Remotely - Wired How-To Wiki

Cutting Email Down to Size

IBM’s Luis Suarez is the latest social networker to argue for reducing your dependence on email as a productivity tactic. Tired of spending hours a day on email, Suarez worked to stop the cycle of emails generating emails, reducing his incoming stream by 80% in a week.
Cutting Email Down to Size «

How To Write an Effective Thank You Note for Any Occasion

Thank you notes can be a big source of anxiety for many people and it’s often something that’s put off until later because of that anxiety. To help get through that anxiety, here’s a guide to thank you notes, covering when they’re appropriate to send and how to assemble an effective one.
How To Write an Effective Thank You Note for Any Occasion

Pictures From the Sky

As it says, an eclectic mix of pictures from the sky.
Pictures From the Sky

How to Get a Lot Done – 7 Tips to Achieve More

Have you ever written out a list of goals you’d like to achieve and thought, ‘How can I get all this done’? Or seen an opportunity that you’ve had to pass by because you are just flat out? Life is a torrent of choices and possibilities, and often it’s hard to let them go. Should you compromise? Or do you just need a better game plan?
How to Get a Lot Done – 7 Tips to Achieve More

10 Free MS Word Alternatives You Can Use Today

While many people believe that they are “locked” into using Microsoft Word for all their document creation needs, it simply isn’t true. There are many free alternatives to the costly application from Microsoft, many of which are free. Today we’re going to talk about ten alternatives to Microsoft Word that you can quickly and easily start using today. Some will be online and some will be downloadable applications that can be installed on your local computer, but all will enable you to wean yourself off of Microsoft Word and still be productive.
10 Free MS Word Alternatives You Can Use Today

How Can I Find Out If a File Really Has a Virus?

I love my AV app, but is there a better way I can verify whether or not a file really contains a virus?
How Can I Find Out If a File Really Has a Virus?

Australian Population by Age and Sex

This issue contains estimates of the resident population of Australian states and territories as at 30 June of each reference year. Estimates up to 2006 are final, based on the results of the 2006 Census of Population and Housing, and 2007 estimates are preliminary.
Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, Jun 2002 to Jun 2007

10 tips to help relieve insomnia

Having trouble sleeping? Here we list 10 favoured remedies.
10 tips to help relieve insomnia

Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia, 2007

This publication presents national crime statistics relating to victims of a selected range of offences that have been recorded by police. These statistics provide indicators of the level and nature of recorded crime victimisation in Australia and a basis for measuring change over time.
Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia, 2007

French Kissing Confusion Over…

Have you ever been to France and felt awkward when one of them kisses you on the cheek?
French Kissing Confusion Over…

All The Best Tips on Getting In Shape, In One Handy List | Zen Habits

A bunch of articles about health, fitness, and the challenges of getting in shape.
All The Best Tips on Getting In Shape, In One Handy List | Zen Habits

Top 10 Ways to Trick Yourself into Saving Money

Good money management is a mental exercise in self-regulation and focusing on the long-term goal, even when you're sure you just can't go on another day without buying that Kindle or MacBook. Even the most uber-organized and priority-minded people can stumble when it comes to money—how to save more of it, how to stop spending it, and how to keep doing both over and over again.
Top 10 Ways to Trick Yourself into Saving Money

Extraordinary Uses for Lemons

Discover this popular fruit's 34 clever uses.
Extraordinary Uses for Lemons: Around the House Advice and Know-How

Alerting All Stalkers: You Can Find Me Here

It seems these days we are becoming obsessed with continuously telling the world what we are doing, who we are doing it with, and now the hot ticket item seems to be letting everyone know where we are.
Alerting All Stalkers: You Can Find Me Here

Australia's population increases at fastest rate since 1988

Australia's population grew at its fastest rate since 1988 according to figures released today from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The population growth rate for Australia during 2007 was 1.6% (or 331,900 people), for a total of 21,181,000 people.
Australia's population increases at fastest rate since 1988

Avoid speed cameras with Speedwarnings

Heading out in the car but don't want to get pulled up by cops or caught out by speed cameras? Speedwarnings offers an SMS update service; text a regional shortcode to receive regular updates on police and camera activity in your area (as tracked by parent company Road Info; there's a phone number for ringing in your own reports).
Avoid speed cameras with Speedwarnings

Weird science: 10 unexplained phenomena - Science

Science has the power to harness energy, allow human flight, help cure the sick, and explain much about the world. But as amazing and beneficial as science is, it cannot explain everything.
Scientists may never know exactly how the universe began, or help to settle matters of faith. The same is true for the paranormal world. Though science can explain many strange phenomena, some mysteries remain to be solved -- often because there is simply not enough information to reach a definitive conclusion.
Weird science: 10 unexplained phenomena

Photographer Documents Secret Satellites -- All 189 of Them

BERKELEY, California -- For most people, photographing something that isn't there might be tough. Not so for Trevor Paglen.
His shots of 189 secret spy satellites are the subject of a new exhibit -- despite the fact that, officially speaking, the satellites don't exist. The Other Night Sky, on display at the University of California at Berkeley Art Museum through September 14, is only a small selection from the 1,500 astrophotographs Paglen has taken thus far.
Photographer Documents Secret Satellites -- All 189 of Them

The-3-000-Mile-Oil-Change-Myth

According to a recent study by the California Integrated Waste Management Board, 73 percent of California drivers change their oil more frequently than required. This same scenario no doubt repeats itself across the country. Besides wasting money, this translates into unnecessary consumption of $100-a-barrel oil, much of it imported.
The-3-000-Mile/5-000-Kilometre-Oil-Change-Myth

Today is the happiest day of the year according to Cliff Arnall's maths formula

June 20 is the happiest day of the year according to a maths formula worked out by an academic. But rather a pity the formula doesn't account for which hemisphere you live in....
Today is the happiest day of the year according to Cliff Arnall's maths formula

100 Useful Niche Search Engines You’ve Never Heard Of

Though the general Google site is often touted as the number one search engine online, college students sometimes need more specific tools to help them uncover quality information on the Web that they can use for class projects, research papers, and even job and apartment searches. This list features a huge variety of search engines that can be useful to students, including tools that find photos, sound effects, summer internships, health and medical information, reference guides, and a lot more.

100 Useful Niche Search Engines You’ve Never Heard Of

...and dont forget this one...Useful Australian Search Engine You May Never Have Heard Of

Family Characteristics and Transitions, Australia, 2006-07

Providing information about changing patterns of family and household composition in contemporary Australia. Information on family transitions such as relationship history, relationship expectations, children born and fertility expectations is also presented in this publication.
Family Characteristics and Transitions, Australia, 2006-07

Top 10 Easy, Eco-effective Travel Tips

Wondering how small changes can make a big difference? Individually, they may not. But when enough of us make the changes we will make the world a more livable, sustainable place—and enjoy ourselves while we’re at it.
Top 10 Easy, Eco-effective Travel Tips

JukeBo: Online Music Video Database

If you’re perusing the Web for music videoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_video , you’re likely to search YouTubeYouTube for content. Or DailyMotion. Or Yahoo, or AOL, or Last.fm. The choices are many, and they’re all quite good both in depth and delivery. But in your quest for convenience, perhaps you’d like to browse multiple video hosts at once, rather than visit each singularly.
JukeBo: Online Music Video Database

BBtv: "Improbable Research Collections" debut

Today, BBtv is proud to share a sneak peek at the new "Improbable Research Collections" internet tv series.
The Improbable Researchers are a group of scientists who collect and conduct research to provoke both laughter and thought. They publish a bi-monthly magazine, "Annals of Improbable Research;" they award the coveted " Ig Nobel Prizes;" and they oversee the exclusive and ridiculous Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists ("for scientists who have, or believe they have, luxuriant flowing hair").
BBtv: "Improbable Research Collections" debut

Eleven tips for broaching difficult subjects

We’ve all had to start conversations that we dreaded having – everything from asking for a raise to asking for a divorce to asking for help with the laundry. These strategies help the conversation go more smoothly -- at least, that's the hope.
Eleven tips for broaching difficult subjects

The 25 Best High-Tech Pranks

Everyone loves a good laugh, and in the age of electronics, high-tech hijinks are just waiting to be pulled off. So snuggle up to your screen and get ready to unleash all sorts of shenanigans as we present the 25 best high-tech pranks known to man. Our apologies in advance to your friends and co-workers.
The 25 Best High-Tech Pranks

Australian finds vulnerability in his coffee maker

An Australian man has discovered security holes in his internet-connected coffee maker that could allow a remote attacker to not only take over his Windows XP-based PC but also make his coffee too weak.
Australian finds vulnerability in his coffee maker

How to Make Yourself Indispensable

Let me ask you a question: could you disappear? If you didn’t show up at work tomorrow, if you weren’t home at 6:00 for dinner, if nobody ever heard from or saw you again, would it matter?
OK, these are depressing things to think about, but that’s exactly how many people feel, day in and day out, in their jobs and even at home. They feel unappreciated, unchallenged, ineffective, and in the end, completely irrelevant.
How to Make Yourself Indispensable

50 office-speak phrases you love to hate

Management speak - don't you just hate it? Emphatically yes, judging by readers' responses to writer Lucy Kellaway's campaign against office jargon. Here, we list 50 of the best worst examples.
50 office-speak phrases you love to hate

The Ultimate Guide To What’s Good In Firefox 3

Ok, so Firefox 3 final is out. You don’t really care that much about its compatibility with every standard under the sun; you just want to know which new features are actually useful? Good, so do we. Here’s our rundown of the stuff that makes the latest iteration of this cool Web browser worth your while.
The Ultimate Guide To What’s Good In Firefox 3

How to Make Windows Vista Less Annoying

Whether it's the nagging prompts or the irritating notifications, Windows Vista's default settings can grate on your nerves... which doesn't help you be the productive person you want to be. A few simple tweaks can cut down on the irritation—and drastically alter your views on Vista. Let's take a look at some of the best ways to tame the Vista beast and make it a less naggy operating system to work on.
How to Make Windows Vista Less Annoying

Why You Should Download Firefox 3 Right Now

Firefox 3 — available for download at 10am PDT Tuesday — is the culmination of a two-year quest to build the best browser ever. And while it’s not perfect, it comes pretty close.
Why You Should Download Firefox 3 Right Now

Archive Shoeboxed: Organise Your Receipts

Launched around a year ago, Shoeboxed provides a simple service for uploading, storing and organizing all those paper receipts that are stuffed into real shoeboxes around our homes and offices, into over-sized wallets and purses, largely lost or disorganized until summoned by our accountants and tax authorities!
Archive Shoeboxed: Organise Your Receipts

Is it Time to Retire the Never-Ending List?

One afternoon, earlier this year, as I was scanning a long list that I was adding to endlessly, I realized, "I'll never get it all done. That's probably just fine. But this endless list and this feeling of being completely scheduled...it's not working right now."
Is it Time to Retire the Never-Ending List?

Retrain Your Brain

Can't remember where you put your glasses? Blanked on your new colleague's name? "Forgetting these types of things is a sign of how busy we are," says Zaldy S. Tan, MD, director of the Memory Disorders Clinic at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "When we're not paying good attention, the memories we form aren't very robust, and we have a problem retrieving the information later."
Retrain Your Brain:

Toilet Signs Across the World

Male and females are represented differently all across the world. One of the proofs for this statement is the diverse representations of toilet signs in different corners of the globe. While some tried to make the signs as obvious as they can get, others went out of their way to be creative. Here are some of the wackiest, funniest or oddest men and women toilet signs.
Toilet Signs Across the World

The 30 Most Salacious Sites For Celebrity Gossip

Feel a burning need to know the latest happenings in Lindsay Lohan’s life? Can’t wait to find out about the latest addition to the Brangelina family? If so, this list is definitely for you.
The 30 Most Salacious Sites For Celebrity Gossip

RepairPal Tracks the “Health” of your Car, From Buy to Sell

What if you could keep tabs on your automobile’s “health” in the same manner Google is hoping you’ll manage your own healthcare? There are a few services out there that hope to aid you in your pursuit of automobile happiness, including sites like Carfax that give you itemized records of car maintenance so you can decide whether or not the used car you’ve been eying is a lemon.
RepairPal Tracks the “Health” of your Car, From Buy to Sell

De-duplicate Your Data with Free Tools

When your hard drive's cluttered with hundreds of files in folders scattered everywhere, chances are you're using up disk space with multiple copies of the same data. Whether multiple memory card downloads have plagued your photo library, or swapping MP3s with friends who have similar tastes left you with double copies of the same songs, or you've saved and re-saved the same documents in different places, a good file de-duping can recover hard drive space and help you get organized.
De-duplicate Your Data with Free Tools

The Celebrity 100 - Forbes

IT IS THE YEAR OF THE TWEEN. Coming off a concert tour, a hit 3-D movie and a risqué picture in Vanity Fair, pop star Miley Cyrus (a.k.a. Hannah Montana) leads a slew of young stars onto our annual Celebrity 100 ranking of the world's ultrafamous. Also building buzz, and drawing dollars, from the under-18 crowd: Daniel Radcliffe, Zac Efron and Ashley Tisdale.
The Celebrity 100 - Forbes

The Growing List of Things You Can Do With Google Maps

The Google Maps team has been hard at work launching a number of new features in recent months. In case you’ve missed them, here are a few of the features available in Google Maps these days.
The Growing List of Things You Can Do With Google Maps

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

Fourteen tips to avoid nagging

In marriage, or any partnership, chores are a huge source of conflict. How do you get your sweetheart to hold up his or her end, without nagging?
Fourteen tips to avoid nagging

Australia's most gullible: Top victims of cybercrime?

Australians experience one of the highest levels of cybercrime in the world, according to a new survey — but are Aussies really such easy targets?
Australia's most gullible: Top victims of cybercrime?

Top Tourist Spots Americans Can’t Visit

Looking for someplace special to spend the Fourth of July? FP investigates five fabulous destinations where a summer getaway is next to impossible.
Top Tourist Spots Americans Can’t Visit

How to Recover Deleted Files with Free Software

Ack! The computer ate my term paper! We've all been there at some point. You delete an important file, somehow it skips your Recycle Bin altogether, and for all practical purposes, it's disappeared into the ether. But before you hit the big red panic button, there's a very good chance that your file is still alive and kicking somewhere on your hard drive—you just need to know how to find it. With the right tools, finding and recovering that deleted file can be as simple as a few clicks of your mouse.
How to Recover Deleted Files with Free Software

The 50 Best Pun Stores

Pun stores. Stores with puns in the title. Bet you didn’t think we could rank the 50 best ones. But you didn’t even think there were 50. Well guess again. BWE.tv has scoured the internet and pulled together the 50 Best Pun Establishments. And here we go:
The 50 Best Pun Stores

Get Rid Of Ants Without An Exterminator

Has warm weather brought a plague of ants down upon your home?
Get Rid Of Ants Without An Exterminator

Five job interview bear traps

In a tough job interview even the smoothest candidate can come unstuck. And the interview episode of The Apprentice showcases tactics to test the mettle of prospective employees. How to respond if you find yourself in a job interview from hell?
Five job interview bear traps

Eight ways to get exactly what you want - being-human

Cajole your boss into giving you a raise, win someone round to your point of view, or persuade your partner it's their turn to put out the trash - getting people to do what you want can be very handy. Persuasion is a key element of all human interaction, from politics to marketing to everyday dealings with friends, family and colleagues.
Eight ways to get exactly what you want - being-human

The Ultimate Guide to Motivation - How to Achieve Any Goal

One of the biggest challenges in meeting any goal, whether it be related to productivity, waking early, changing a habit, exercising, or just becoming happier, is finding the motivation to stick with it.
If you can stick with a goal for long enough, you’ll almost always get there eventually. It just takes patience, and motivation.
The Ultimate Guide to Motivation - How to Achieve Any Goal

Human Body and Mind

Surveys and Psychology Tests.
BBC - Science & Nature - Human Body and Mind - Surveys

Five Best Antivirus Applications

The internet is a glorious and exciting world, but unless you're properly protected with a good antivirus application, it can also be a dangerous one. We've come a long way since the days of Norton, with handfuls of excellent freeware software that can keep your computer safe from malware just as well as their bloated, more expensive counterparts.
Five Best Antivirus Applications

The Skinny on Fat: You're Not Always What You Eat

Ever wondered why some people seem able to gobble down anything and still stay slim?
New research shows that the answer may lie in serotonin, a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger produced by nerve cells.
The Skinny on Fat: You're Not Always What You Eat

The Most Risky Web Locales

Where should you be careful when you’re online? That’s the question that McAfee Research has tackled in its newly released report The Most Dangerous Domains to Surf and Search on the Web. The report seeks to pin down which general types of domains give you a good chance of picking up malware, and gets into which parts of the world those domains are usually associated with.
The Most Risky Web Locales

Complaint Letters: Professional Complaint Letter Writer Shares His Secrets

"Praise with faint damn" is the underlying secret to how professional complaint letter writer Bruce Silverman is able to be so successful in getting companies to give him free stuff.
Complaint Letters: Professional Complaint Letter Writer Shares His Secrets

New Hints Seen That Red Wine May Slow Aging

Red wine may be much more potent than was thought in extending human lifespan, researchers say in a new report that is likely to give impetus to the rapidly growing search for longevity drugs.
New Hints Seen That Red Wine May Slow Aging

5 salts from around the world

Salt is one of those ubiquitous ingredients that not only makes food taste better, but is a necessary part of the human diet. Chemically speaking, it’s a compound formed by sodium and chloride ions arranged in a lattice structure which is why it forms crystals.
While many take it for granted these days, there was a time when salt was more valuable than gold, influencing the growth and migration of civilizations and inciting wars. A recent tome to Salt recounts the epic history of this every-day ingredient revealing that it’s anything but mundane.
5 salts from around the world

Eight tips for making yourself happier IN THE NEXT HOUR

If you’re experiencing a blues emergency, you can lift your spirits right now by using some of the following strategies. The more items you tackle, the bigger the boost you’ll receive.
Eight tips for making yourself happier IN THE NEXT HOUR

Key to All Optical Illusions Discovered

Humans can see into the future, says a cognitive scientist. It's nothing like the alleged predictive powers of Nostradamus, but we do get a glimpse of events one-tenth of a second before they occur.
Key to All Optical Illusions Discovered

The 30 skills every IT person should have

An IT manager's guide on how to be better at what you do, no matter how experienced you are.
The 30 skills every IT person should have

The Panacea for Putting Things Off

Can you recall a time when you wanted to do something important, yet you’ve managed to make enough excuses to leave it for a later date? Putting something off once makes it easier to put it off again, and before you know it, several weeks have past and you still haven’t done it?
The Panacea for Putting Things Off

Navigating Food Labels

Did you know the label "100 Percent Natural" has different meanings for chicken fingers, cookies and various other foods? Or that those "cage-free" chickens might not ever have seen the outdoors? Here's a guide to help sort out what's meaningful, what's dubious — and what's total fluff.
Navigating Food Labels

Five Secret Japanese Tricks to Make Life Better

In Japan, there's an organic, non-commercial cure for almost anything. It's a tradition that blossomed in the post-WW2 era when people had to save money and space for economic reasons. Today, this habit of utilitarian thriftiness paired with a quirky national sensibility has spawned a phenomenon called urawaza--a collection of offbeat life hacks and unmapped shortcuts.
Five Secret Japanese Tricks to Make Life Better

Pringles can designer dies; remains buried in Pringles can

Dr. Fredric J. Baur was so proud of having designed the container for Pringles potato crisps that he asked his family to bury him in one.
Pringles can designer dies; remains buried in Pringles can

Digital Forensics: 5 Ways to Spot a Fake Photo

This story is a supplement to the feature "Digital Forensics: How Experts Uncover Doctored Images" which was printed in the June 2008 issue of Scientific American.
Digital Forensics: 5 Ways to Spot a Fake Photo

Digital Forensics: Photo Tampering Throughout History

Photography lost its innocence not long after it was born. As early as the 1860s photos were already being manipulated—only a few decades after Joseph Nicéphore Niépce created the first photograph in 1826. With the advent of high-resolution digital cameras, powerful personal computers and sophisticated photo-editing software, the manipulation of digital images has proliferated. Here, I have collected some examples of tampering throughout photography's over 180-year history.
Digital Forensics: Photo Tampering Throughout History

How To Entertain Yourself in an Airport

Flight delayed? Have a long layover? Think you’re going to go crazy? Fear not. There are ways to keep sane and entertained.
How To Entertain Yourself in an Airport

50 Weight Loss Secrets: Small Changes, Big Weight Loss

This is not a diet -- or a rigorous exercise program. (Nobody can stick to those for long.) Instead, it's a simple way to make weight loss a natural part of the life you already live. And guess what? It's fun! You don't have to give up the foods you love or join a gym. It's about balancing calories in tiny ways that add up to big benefits. You just adopt some tricks naturally lean people do. Pick the ones you like, stick with them, and you'll slim down and tone up -- for good!
50 Weight Loss Secrets: Small Changes, Big Weight Loss

10 Items You Think Make You Cool, But Don’t

Being cool is normally subjective. But there are some things that unequivocally make you uncool. We’re not saying we’re cool, we’re just saying if you own any of these items, you’re not.
10 Items You Think Make You Cool, But Don’t

Scientific American: Swedish Spruce Is World's Oldest Tree

What's sixteen feet tall and 9,550 years old? It’s the world's oldest tree. The worn and weathered spruce grows in Sweden's windswept tundra. But, until recently, well, recent to the tree at least, it barely resembled a tree at all. Before this last warm century, the spruce grew more like a shrub to survive the harsh conditions of its cold landscape. But rising temperatures convinced the tree to give up its shabby lifestyle, shed the majority of its needles and go with the single-trunk look.
Scientific American: Swedish Spruce Is World's Oldest Tree

Google Earth: Now in your browser!

Google just released a new browser plugin that lets users experience Google Earth from directly inside a webpage. The new plugin is accompanied by an API that web developers can use to easily incorporate Google Earth into their applications, just like what they did with Google Maps a long time ago.
Google Earth: Now in your browser!

20 Funniest Newspaper Headlines ever

20 Funniest Newspaper Headlines ever

Word Clock (Mac)

Word Clock is a typographic screensaver for Mac OS X. It displays a fixed list of all numbers and words sufficient to express any possible date and time as a sentence. Word Clock displays time by highlighting appropriate words as each second passes.
Word Clock

Protect Your Stolen Mobile Phone

You've synced your email, address book, and calendar to your fancy smartphone, which has internet access, photos, and videos on it, too—but how do you keep a thief from ringing up your bill, or worse, stealing your identity using your phone?
Protect Your Stolen Mobile Phone