Microsoft Australia makes Meter Maids ‘apology’

Microsoft Australia has been forced to apologise for choosing to use the Australian Gold Coast’s “Meter Maids” during its Tuesday-night welcome party, with Microsoft Australia MD Tracey Fellows declaring it “just wrong” and “unacceptable”.
Microsoft Australia makes Meter Maids ‘apology’

The Ballad of Cat Bin Lady: The Internet's Latest Viral Villain

It’s a thin line between Internet Hero and Internet Horror, and it seems that for one woman in Coventry, England, that line has been clearly crossed — over to the “horror” side, that is. Mary Bale, 45, found herself caught in the crosshairs of the reputation executor that is the web this week after a surveillance video of her placing a cat in a garbage bin went viral. Now, the Internet is replete with parodies, groups and spin-offs dedicated to bringing Bale down. Ah, what we can achieve when we really apply ourselves…
The Ballad of Cat Bin Lady: The Internet's Latest Viral Villain

Revenge of the Cat

Cat, unaware of video camera, drops middle-aged woman into trash can.
Revenge of the Cat

Snapshot: bike lane indicators get straight to the point

Photograph was taken by Carlton Reid, and the stencil street art it documents is the work of Peter Drew of Adelaide, Australia.
Snapshot: bike lane indicators get straight to the point

List of Free and Fast Public DNS Servers

DNS (or Domain Name Servers) is basically a system to convert domain names into IP addresses. Domain names are easier to understand, memorize and write for humans while computers only use IP addresses to communicate. Normally, the ISPs provide their users with their own default DNS server IPs which are often unreliable and slow. There are many better, faster, safer and more reliable public DNS servers for your everyday use. Here is a list of all such fast & free public DNS servers along with their IPs.
List of Free and Fast Public DNS Servers

Are you safer in the rear or front seat of cars?

An Australian study using U.S. data has shown that 50-year-old passengers in the back seat of cars are at more risk of injury or death than those in the front seat because safety features are lacking. What about younger adults and children?
Are you safer in the rear or front seat of cars?

Lose weight with 2 glasses of water before meals

A U.S. study has shown that drinking two eight-ounce glasses of water before meals helps people to consume fewer calories during meals. And, fewer calories consumed means a way to lose weight!
Lose weight with 2 glasses of water before meals

Use Cotton Strips for No-Fuss Houseplant Watering

If you'd like to keep your houseplants well-watered despite vacation plans or forgetfulness, you'd be hard pressed to find a simpler solution than this DIY, no fuss, no electricity needed, watering system.
Use Cotton Strips for No-Fuss Houseplant Watering

Top 5 Free Tools to Speed up Copying Files in Windows

When you try to copy or move large number of files on Windows 7 (or Vista), it can get on your nerves specially if the destination directory is on a different partition or a different folder under the same partition. This is when you would need a File copying tool which can act as an alternative for Windows Copy command. There are several such file copying tools available, some of which are paid and others free. Since most of the free ones are good enough, we have reviewed and listed down five of the best file copying tools to speed up your Windows experience.
Top 5 Free Tools to Speed up Copying Files in Windows

2 Great Ways to Disable iPhone’s Auto Rotation Feature

iPhone’s built-in accelerometer offers a simple way to switch between portrait and landscape mode. As all know, you can simply rotate iPhone sideway and it responds automatically to display content in landscape. I love this slick feature. At the same time, I find it quite irritating for a simple reason: I hate it turn sideway when I lay in bed to browse web and check my email.
2 Great Ways to Disable iPhone’s Auto Rotation Feature

What Can I Do With A Dead Hard Drive?

Before we delve into gutting your hard drive and repurposing its guts, let’s talk data security. While you didn’t specify what “dead hard drive” means, we’ll assume this means the disk is inoperable and any means of recovering the disk for use using software have failed. If the disk has truly sensitive data on it—data worth enough that someone would invest significant time and energy in recovering it—the only safe thing to do is to reference the Symphony of Destruction portion of our guide to properly erasing your physical media. If, on the other hand, the disk was mostly populated with your bootleg Bon Jovi concert rips, it’s ripe for all manner of DIY projects.
What Can I Do With A Dead Hard Drive?

20 Cool Twitter Accounts for Daily Fun and Inspiration [PICS]

Twitter is an ever-expanding source of fascinating information. More than just news and updates, there is also another, more fun side of Twitter that is sometimes overlooked. You can use the real-time micro-blogging service to get a daily dose of education, entertainment, or something in between. Whether you want to expand your vocab, discover new music, be inspired, or just view a cute bunny on a daily basis, Twitter can help.
20 Cool Twitter Accounts for Daily Fun and Inspiration [PICS]

Voters wake to Political Turmoil

A handful of independents are set to decide Australia's political future after an inconclusive election delivered what seems certain to be Australia's first hung parliament since World War II.
Voters wake to Political Turmoil

Top 10 Facebook Fixes

Facebook may be the de facto social network of, frankly, almost everyone, but that doesn't mean you have to use Facebook exactly the way its creators, or your Farmville-addicted friends, want you to. Here are 10 tweaks to make Facebook better.
Top 10 Facebook Fixes

10 Classic PC Games That Found New Life on the iPhone

Apple’s iPhone may mark a second golden age of computer gaming for a lot of reasons. The open marketplace means anyone can create a game; from major companies to just a couple of talented people in a garage. The result is a new boom in innovation, the likes of which we haven’t seen in about 20 years. Even with all the potential for innovation, maybe you still want to relive that first golden age of gaming. If you’re excited for how new tech can update the classics, then this list is for you: 10 of the greatest, most influential, straight-up classic computer games ever made, all available on and completely remastered for Apple’s handset, and in most cases also playable on the iPod touch and iPad.
10 Classic PC Games That Found New Life on the iPhone

Chameleon Folder Puts Favorite Folders At Your Fingertips

What’s the default way of accessing specific folders in the Windows operating system? The majority of users will probably answer that question by stating that they browse to that folder in Windows Explorer. Some may have put shortcuts to folders on the desktop or the start menu, and advanced users may make use of application launchers that support folder links. Still, the majority of users makes use of the default way of opening folders. The problem? It is not really comfortable, nor fast, especially if the folder is hidden deep in the file system.
Chameleon Folder Puts Favorite Folders At Your Fingertips

Two Online Databases: Find a Bike Map + Bike/Walking Info Database

Locate maps by using drop-down menus for each state or country (Australia, Canada, Croatia, Ireland, New Zealand, UK). This database is not comprehensive (at least as of today) but it’s growing and they would welcome new maps contributed by visitors.
Two Online Databases: Find a Bike Map + Bike/Walking Info Database

Cameron Diaz + Web Search = Potential Malware Dangers (Let’s Be Careful Out There)

Searching for “Cameron Diaz” brings bad news — in the form of risky sites — in one of every 10 search results, according to McAfee’s Most Dangerous Celebrities study. Make the search terms “Cameron Diaz” and “screensavers,” and that 10% chance of danger almost doubles. The “Knight and Day” star replaces last year’s No. 1, Jessica Biel.
Cameron Diaz + Web Search = Potential Malware Dangers (Let’s Be Careful Out There)

10 Useful iPhone Keyboard Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks

Whether you’ve taken to the iPhone’s touchscreen keyboard like a duck to water, or are more of a one-finger-at-a-time typist, there are plenty of shortcuts, tips and tricks that can improve your iTyping experience. Here, we’ve rounded up ten useful ways to be faster and more productive with your iPhone’s keyboard. We hope these tricks are handy for anyone new to the platform, or those who have not had the time to really experiment.
10 Useful iPhone Keyboard Shortcuts, Tips and Tricks

[How to] Opt out of Facebook Places & Hide Location From Friends

Facebook Places is a cool feature which was just introduced by facebook using which the users can share their current location or place with other Facebook friends. But then, for some of you, this feature sounds creepy and an invasion to your privacy. Well, if you are one of those, then here is a simple guide to turn off Facebook Places and save whatever privacy is left on Facebook.
[How to] Opt out of Facebook Places & Hide Location From Friends

Set File Properties To Make Searching Easier In Windows

One of Windows 7′s best features is the ability to find pretty much anything from the Search option on the Start menu. If you’ve got your own scripts that you run regularly, you can make these easy to find with a simple file properties trick, as Lifehacker reader Dan explains.
Set File Properties To Make Searching Easier In Windows

Crazy Roger Federer Trick Shot

A video featuring tennis star Roger Federer that plays on our collective fascination with “real or fake” hit the web earlier this week and has quickly gone viral, accumulating more than 700,000 views as of this morning. The video, which was part of a Gillette commercial shoot in Switzerland, features Federer serving a tennis ball and knocking a can off the head of one of the crew members –- twice in a row. This is made particularly compelling because, well, if he missed … you get the idea. Supposedly, it was all filmed in one take.
Crazy Roger Federer Trick Shot:

Cool Tools: Google Drawing

The best simple drawing program there is is hidden away inside of Google Docs. It's free, and completely intuitive to use. Google Drawing is the opposite of Adobe's Illustrator, which while insanely deep (and expensive) requires hours if not years to master. You can draw with this one in seconds.
Cool Tools: Google Drawing

Offbeat travel: Crime-themed tourism

As any fan of “CSI,” “Law & Order” or “The Untouchables” knows, there’s something about crime and punishment, mobsters and the long arm of the law that piques our interest. The why of it is better left to a psychologist or doctor, but whatever the reason, we humans seem to be programmed to find the macabre a little intriguing.
Offbeat travel: Crime-themed tourism

How to Password Protect Files and Folders on Computer or USB Flash Drives

Do you have files and folders on your computer that you absolutely don’t want anyone else to see? Or do you even carry important documents on those easy-to-misplace USB drives?
How to Password Protect Files and Folders on Computer or USB Flash Drives

7 Services to Find and Reserve Your Name Across the Web

If you choose a different username for every site you’re on, it can be hard to create a consistent identity across the web. The problem, however — as Megan Fox, BP, and even the Dalai Lama recently found out — is that being the first to claim your name on every site can be difficult. And since most of the hundreds of sites that can host your profile prevent automated sign-up processes, you need to manually create one profile at a time.
7 Services to Find and Reserve Your Name Across the Web

Is it “Ms.” or “Miss”?

A rare occurrence of “Ms.” in 1885 suggests that the term is an abbreviation of “Miss.”
Is it “Ms.” or “Miss”?

How to Delete Friends on Facebook

Are you just tired of that friend who constantly bugs you with messages or just spams your Facebook wall? Do you want to "un-friend" him/her? Here's how.
How to Delete Friends on Facebook

HopShopGo Ships From US-Only Stores

Tempting online stores with “we only ship to the continental US” clauses are a perennially annoying fact of life. HopShopGo is the latest site to offer shipping to Australian addresses from a range of US stores, selling itself on the ability to pay via PayPal.
HopShopGo Ships From US-Only Stores

Backup your Windows Device Drivers with this Free Tool

When you buy a new PC, the vendor will almost always provide you with a “driver CD” that has the device drivers for all the hardware that’s inside your new machine. The CD comes handy when you are reinstalling Windows from scratch or are trying to recover your machine to its original state after, say, a system crash.
Backup your Windows Device Drivers with this Free Tool

Complete Guide to Breathing New Life Into Your Old PC or Laptop

Do you have an older PC or laptop laying around just collecting dust and not sure what to do with it? You could sell it, but not get much for it. Here we bring you a guide on how to bring it back to life.
Complete Guide to Breathing New Life Into Your Old PC or Laptop

Five Best Deal-Hunting Sites

Today's deal-hunting web sites have changed the once hit-or-miss aspect of scoring an amazing deal into more of a whenever-you-want affair. Check out these five popular deal-hunting sites to score deep discounts and bargain-basement prices.
Five Best Deal-Hunting Sites

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 17/2010

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 17/2010

Use a Password Hasher to Generate More Secure Passwords

The trouble with secure passwords is that they’re hard to remember, and you should really use a different one for each site or application you use. One solution is to use randomly-generated strong passwords and store them in a password manager, like LastPass. Alternatively, you could use a password hashing tool to create a strong passwords for each of the sites you use from a master password in conjunction with a parameter.
Use a Password Hasher to Generate More Secure Passwords

Top 40 best free legal movies you can download right now

While you constantly hear about how downloading movies is illegal, there are numerous free legal movies you can download. Sure we aren’t talking about the latest summer blockbusters here, but there are some great films out there on the Internet that can be had for free.
Top 40 best free legal movies you can download right now

The Best Online Backup Services Compared

While it is easy to create a local backup of your computer, the physical media where you are storing the backups, like the DVDs or external disk, may not be very reliable in the long term. The other disadvantage is that local backups don’t always happen in real-time. It is therefore recommended that you switch to an online backup service – these are inexpensive and will automatically copy your computer’s data over the Internet to a more secure off-site location (aka the data center) in near real-time without your involvement.
The Best Online Backup Services Compared

Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, Jun 2009

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. Estimates for June 2007 have been revised and estimates from June 2008 onwards are preliminary.
Population by Age and Sex, Australian States and Territories, Jun 2009

The Oddest English Spellings, Part 17

Even the staunchest opponents of spelling reform should feel dismayed at seeing the list in the title of this essay. How is it possible to sustain such chaos, now that sustainable has become the chief buzzword in our vocabulary? Never mind foreigners—they chose to study English and should pay for their decision, but what have native speakers done to deserve this torture? The answer is clear: they are too loyal to a fickle tradition.
The Oddest English Spellings, Part 17

OUPblog » Blog Archive » The Oddest English Spellings, Part 17

Even the staunchest opponents of spelling reform should feel dismayed at seeing the list in the title of this essay. How is it possible to sustain such chaos, now that sustainable has become the chief buzzword in our vocabulary? Never mind foreigners—they chose to study English and should pay for their decision, but what have native speakers done to deserve this torture? The answer is clear: they are too loyal to a fickle tradition.
OUPblog » Blog Archive » The Oddest English Spellings, Part 17

How Secure Is A Password?

New technologies and more powerful computer systems have made it important in the last years to create secure passwords to avoid successful automatic password cracking attempts via brute force and dictionary attacks. But how do passwords have to look like to be considered secure? And who determines that? There is no authority with guidelines on the creation of secure passwords. Companies, organizations, software developers and end users all have their own definition of secure passwords.
How Secure Is A Password?

The Best Way to Send Important Files Really Fast

When you need to send an important file to a contact, you can either send it as an email attachment or, if the file size is too big for an email message, you can upload it to any of the file hosting services and share the download link with your contact over email.
The Best Way to Send Important Files Really Fast

Virus Check Files Online Without Downloading Them

It sometimes is a good idea to check a file online for malicious code before downloading it to the local computer system. While it is usually not dangerous to download a file as long as it is not executed, it can save some time to perform a virus scan before downloading the file. The developers of one of the most popular online Virus scanning services, Virus Total, have released a Firefox add-on today that can be used for exactly that purpose, and more.
Virus Check Files Online Without Downloading Them

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.2

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) 2.0 is an easy-to-use tool that helps small and medium businesses determine their security state in accordance with Microsoft security recommendations and offers specific remediation guidance. Improve your security management process by using MBSA to detect common security misconfigurations and missing security updates on your computer systems.
Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer 2.2

Snap Send Solve Sends Reports To Local Councils From Your iPhone

Out for a walk and spot a litter problem, an overflowing drain or another problem the local council should fix? iPhone app Snap Send Solve uses your GPS coordinates to determine which council is responsible, and then lets you send an email report direct to the relevant party.
Snap Send Solve Sends Reports To Local Councils From Your iPhone

Remove Multiple Toolbars In Windows

Toolbars are not necessarily installed as standalone applications
these days. Toolbar developers have established business relationships with software developers to include their toolbars in the software installer. Users who do not pay close attention to the installation process may inadvertently end up with one or multiple toolbars installed on their system.
Remove Multiple Toolbars In Windows

Five Best Mobile Fitness Apps

Mobile fitness apps have changed the way people create, record and reach fitness goals, thanks to mobile phones and mobile devices that put a powerful computer right in your pocket. Here’s a look at five of the best mobile fitness apps.
Five Best Mobile Fitness Apps

Top 5 Free Antivirus for Windows

When asked about Anti-virus, I often recommend everyone Kaspersky because of its performance and detection level. But for a less hostile and home environment, going for a free anti-virus alternative is a better choice. Thinking of which, I began my search for the best free antivirus to my already paid license of Kaspersky. I visited most of the AV-companies sites and saw what they had to offer and then compared all those those alternatives to the results of the test conducted by AV-Comparatives in the month of May. According to my observation and my past experience, here are top 5 free anti-viruses.
Top 5 Free Antivirus for Windows

Private Browsing Modes Not So Private After All, Report Says

Cnet’s Seth Rosenblatt today published a story about privacy risks in private browsing modes of modern web browsers. He summarized the findings of a soon-to-be published report of researchers at Stanford University’s Computer Science Security Lab. The researchers analyzed the private browsing modes of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Apple Safari
.
Private Browsing Modes Not So Private After All, Report Says

How to Extend the Battery Life of an iPad

Just as with an iPhone or iPod Touch, the battery life of your iPad will be shorter during heavy use. However, there are some measures you can take to keep your device on and active for hours of enjoyment, and this article explains what you can do to lengthen the battery life.
How to Extend the Battery Life of an iPad

Yoko Ono: Beatles Not Coming to iTunes Store Any Time Soon

Yesterday, Yoko Ono, the widow of John Lennon and part owner of the Beatles music catalogue, revealed that there’s been no progress in negotiations with Apple when it comes to getting the band’s music in the iTunes store. Her statements quiet ongoing rumblings about the matter.
Yoko Ono: Beatles Not Coming to iTunes Store Any Time Soon

WobZip, Uncompress Archives Online

The right archiving software may sometimes be out of reach to unpack an archive. This can be the case when using a public computer in an Internet Cafe or library for instance. Users who need to extract an archive but cannot do so locally can resort to online services to do so.
WobZip, Uncompress Archives Online

A Girl’s Guide to Car Problems

If you’re anything like me, your automobile knowledge doesn’t extend much beyond the gas cap and ignition switch. I find myself much more comfortable under the hood of a stove than the hood of a car and happily leave it to the men in my life to tell me when something’s wrong. Yet, in an age where women are becoming increasingly independent and adept at a variety of skills, I think it’s time to demystify the automobile world.
A Girl’s Guide to Car Problems

Internet Explorer 9

The Internet Explorer 9 Platform Preview gives developers and curious end users an early look at some of the features coming to IE9.
Internet Explorer 9 - WinPlanet Windows Software Reviews and Downloads

Is It All Over? Liberal Party Will Not Support The Filter

Late this afternoon on Triple J’s Hack program, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey announced the Coalition would act to block Labor’s mandatory internet filter if they find themselves in opposition after the election. With the Greens also taking a position against the filter, it is highly unlikely Labor will have any chance of getting the numbers they need to push their legislation through during a next term.
Is It All Over? Liberal Party Will Not Support The Filter

Five Easy Ways To Avoid Any Internet Filter

We’ve covered similar territory before, but the post at Gizmodo by Colin Jacobs from the EFA showing five ways any filter can be avoided in two minutes is well worth checking out. What exactly is this plan to create a secret government list of banned sites protecting us from again?
Five Easy Ways To Avoid Any Internet Filter

An Online Easter Egg Hunt is Underway!

Want to learn about all the new features in Microsoft Office 2010 and SharePoint 2010? Microsoft has launched a fictional research and development company, Allure Bay Corp., and the fake company’s website is chock full of Easter eggs to demonstrate the new features of Microsoft’s latest software releases. Embark on the hunt by clicking the projector at the end of the introductory video.
An Online Easter Egg Hunt is Underway!

Internet Explorer 9, Platform Preview 4 Released

The Internet Explorer team just as expected released the fourth platform preview of the upcoming Internet Explorer 9 browser. The preview still offers no “real” user interface, but lots of progress has been made under the hood. Hardware accelerating everything that is rendered on the user’s PC seems to have been one of the main goals in the development. The developers have added additional hardware accelerated elements into IE9, including fully hardware accelerated HTML5. This basically means that Internet Explorer 9 uses hardware acceleration whenever possible.
Internet Explorer 9, Platform Preview 4 Released

Top 5 Firefox Extensions for Web-Developers

There are many tools to solve basic problems that we face while embedding javascripts, while defining CSS or while optimizing the web-site’s load time, and the best of them all are actually addons of Firefox.
Top 5 Firefox Extensions for Web-Developers

See Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn

Over the next few nights early in August 2010, sky watchers should be able to see the planets of Mercury, Venus, Mars, and Saturn in the western night sky. Don’t wait too long because Mercury soon disappears!
See Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn

How to Get Started with Usenet in Three Simple Steps

Usenet is a wonderful service for finding and downloading digital media, giving you speed and reliability you won't find with other file-sharing options—like, say, BitTorrent. Here's a quick guide on setting up and getting started with Usenet.
How to Get Started with Usenet in Three Simple Steps

Microsoft Office is licensed for two PCs

Surprise! surprise!! Did you know that the MS Office license you bought is actually valid for two PCs?
Microsoft Office is licensed for two PCs

Checklist Guide for Reinstalling Windows

Do you need to reinstall Windows on your computer? Here’s a checklist of the things you should do before you make the leap and reinstall.
Checklist Guide for Reinstalling Windows

Reset Web Browsers To Factory Default Settings

Resetting a web browser to its factory default settings is sometimes a last troubleshooting option, especially if all other repairing options have failed. The consequences are manifold. All custom settings and preferences will be reset to their default parameters, which means that the browser has to be customized after the resetting again. All popular Internet browsers offer an option to reset the settings. This article describes how to reset the settings of Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and Google Chrome.
Reset Web Browsers To Factory Default Settings

5 Awesome Optical Illusion Videos

How long has it been since you watched a video that made you go “Whoa?” If the answer is more than a day, then fear not, as we’ve got five lined up, each chock-full of “whoa” potential. Using nothing more than our eyes’ and brain’s perceptive weaknesses, these clever videos will trick your gray matter and leave you amazed. Or, if you’re really hard to impress, you’ll at least be mildly taken aback. Assuming you don’t have a medical condition that would make it unwise to stare at these brain busters, hop on through our gallery below. We pinky-swear there are no trick videos.
5 Awesome Optical Illusion Videos

Best Google Search Tricks And Easter Eggs

Google was built by geeky programmers, and geeky programmers have a great sense of humour. For evidence, look no further than the weird range of bonus features hidden in Google’s search and other products.
Best Google Search Tricks And Easter Eggs

Google Earth Now Displays Real-Time Rain and Snow

The latest version of Google’s (Google) 3D map application, Google Earth (Google Earth), now has the ability to display real-time rain and snow in certain parts of the world. To see it, you must first enable the clouds layer, and then zoom in to a location where it’s raining or snowing. Google Earth displays rain and snow only in certain parts of North America and Europe; to see where exactly the new feature is available, enable the radar layer.
Google Earth Now Displays Real-Time Rain and Snow

10 Best Viral Video Remixes on YouTube

You know a viral video has truly made it into the zeitgeist when it gets the remix treatment, which can itself go viral; so meta. For your viewing pleasure we’ve hit up YouTube for 10 of the best examples of memes remade to music. From Leeroy Jenkins to Chris Crocker, these amusing remixes take a video and make it even more memorable.
10 Best Viral Video Remixes on YouTube

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 16/2010

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 16/2010

5 Time Zone Tools

One of the problems with working people in other time zones is that figuring out whether it’s a good time to call them can be tricky; scheduling meetings can become positively nightmarish if you have participants in several time zones. Here are some tools that make things a little easier.
5 Time Zone Tools

6 Great Reasons for Paying off the Mortgage on Your Home

Should you pay off the mortgage on the home you are living in? Mortgage interest rates are at historic lows and a fixed rate mortgage seems to be a deal of a lifetime right now, so why would anyone pay it off? Here are six reasons why paying off your mortgage is still worthwhile in the current economic climate.
6 Great Reasons for Paying off the Mortgage on Your Home

Astronomers discover new threat to Earth

Astronomers have detected a half-kilometre wide asteroid that appears to be on a collision course with the Earth - in 172 years time.
Astronomers discover new threat to Earth

Swan hints at possible filter changes

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan has suggested changes could be made to the Federal Government's proposed internet filter.
Swan hints at possible filter changes

Common Passwords That You Should Avoid

This poster has a list of top 500 common passwords that you should absolutely avoid using with your online and offline accounts.
Common Passwords That You Should Avoid [Poster]

How Women Use the Web [REPORT]

More women than men across the world visit social networking sites and spend 30% more time per month using them.
How Women Use the Web [REPORT]

Beginner Geek: Do More With Windows 7 Sticky Notes

Would you like an easy way to write down a quick note and keep it in front of you without wasting a piece of a dead tree? Let’s take a look at the Sticky Notes app in Windows 7 and how you can use it to its fullest potential.
Beginner Geek: Do More With Windows 7 Sticky Notes

Use System File Checker to Repair Your Unbootable Windows PC

The System File Checker (sfc.exe) is a command-line tool built into Windows that helps you repair corrupted system files. If you can't boot your PC, the Winhelponline blog explains how to use it from the install disc.
Use System File Checker to Repair Your Unbootable Windows PC

Top 10 "Unusual" Uses For Duct Tape

It’s versatile, it’s cheap, it comes in a variety of colors and it’s as tough as old boots.
Top 10 "Unusual" Uses For Duct Tape

Apple Sets Australian Price For iPhone 4

We know the iPhone 4 goes on sale this Friday, and now we know how much it costs. If you buy the 16GB model direct from Apple, it will cost $859, according to a press release sent from Apple late on Monday night.
Apple Sets Australian Price For iPhone 4

The Science Behind "Having a Bad Day" (and How to Solve It)

Sometimes you wake up, and within the first hour or so, you know it's going to be a bad day. It happened to me a couple days ago, and it happened to my girlfriend just this morning. So I'd like to take this opportunity to go on the record saying this entire notion of having a "bad day" is bulls! Don't worry, this is not a rant, there's real science behind it.
The Science Behind "Having a Bad Day" (and How to Solve It)

Top 10 Browser Add-Ons to Heighten Your Internet Experience

The fun doesn’t end with choosing a browser. These days, there are innumerable ways to customize your Internet experience by selecting add-ons, which boost your browser’s ability to work for your own unique needs. Spend hours on end updating your social networking sites? The Yoono add-on will let you update them all at once. Lose entire afternoons researching real-time media? The Cooliris add-on lets you scroll through videos and pictures without clicking through the website. Love reading long articles, but not squinting at the screen? Greasemonkey lets you change the font size.
Top 10 Browser Add-Ons to Heighten Your Internet Experience

Australian government blocks out 90% of document on web-spying plans

Australia's web-censors have outdone themselves. After Stephen Conroy (the Australian minister notorious for proposing the Great Firewall of Australia) promised greater transparency in his government's efforts to regulate the Internet, they replied to a Freedom of Information request on plans to monitor Australians' internet traffic with a document that was 90 percent blacked out.
Australian government blocks out 90% of document on web-spying plans

10 Fascinating Facebook Facts

Facebook’s astronomic rise, staggeringly large user-base, and world’s youngest self-made billionaire CEO make it one of the most fascinating companies around today. While everyone knows the basics about the service’s Harvard dorm room origins, we’ve delved a little deeper to find out more interesting snippets of info. Here are 10 facts you might not know about Facebook, so read on.
10 Fascinating Facebook Facts

Best Free Data Recovery Software

How many times have you deleted something from your hard-disk and immediately realized you made a mistake? How many times have you shift-deleted something really important, only to bang your head on the keyboard later? How many times have you wished you could un-delete a file from USB drive?
Best Free Data Recovery Software

NASA Uses Space Lasers to Map the World’s Forests [PICS]

Typically, we’d associated terms such as “lasers from space” with global destruction. However, the good folks at NASA have used three satellites and LIDAR laser technology to do something much more interesting — and with much more value for residents of Earth.
NASA Uses Space Lasers to Map the World’s Forests [PICS]

Find DNS Problems with Pingdom Tool

Pingdom tools – one of the most popular and accurate tools to test page loading time of websites has added DNS Health checkup tool to its arsenal.
Find DNS Problems with Pingdom Tool

“Refudiate this, word snobs!”

Here at Oxford, we love words. We love when they have ancient histories, we love when they have double-meanings, we love when they appear in alphabet soup, and we love when they are made up.
“Refudiate this, word snobs!”

Uni delves into Aussie diminutives

A new study aims to find out why Australians use so many abbreviated words like 'servo', 'rellies', and 'barbie'.
Uni delves into Aussie diminutives

Watch The Apollo 11 Landing With New Audio, Multiple Cameras

Forty-one years ago today, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the Moon. Millions watched the grainy video and listened to the noisy sound from space. Now Stephen Slater and Footagevault have joined multiple camera feeds with restored audio.
Watch The Apollo 11 Landing With New Audio, Multiple Cameras

Reduce Computer-Caused Eye Strain with the 20-20-20 Rule

Repetitive stress injury (RSI) and eye strain are common ailments among computer users, and there's no silver bullet for avoiding them beyond taking regular breaks to relax. Following his doctor's advice, tech blogger Amit Agarwal suggests a simple 20-20-20 rule.
Reduce Computer-Caused Eye Strain with the 20-20-20 Rule

First (Australian) surfing photo?

Is this the first Australian surfing photo? Taken in 1912, the shot depicts surfing pioneer Tommy Walker catching a wave at Main Beach on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
First (Australian) surfing photo?

Buy Cheap Sunglasses Without Sacrificing Quality

Apart from the price tag, It turns out the difference between a $40 pair of sunglasses and a $400 pair is often as little as the shiny designer logo stamped on the side. Save money without sacrifice by grabbing some cheap shades.
Buy Cheap Sunglasses Without Sacrificing Quality

Display All Special Folders In Windows With Special Folders View

Special folders in the Windows operating systemare presented to the user abstractly, they are not represented by their folder path but solely by their function. Examples of special folders are the My Documents or My Music folders in the user directory, application data folder, the desktop or the temporary Internet files folder.
Display All Special Folders In Windows With Special Folders View

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 15/2010

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 15/2010

How to Do Tasseography

Tasseography is a grand name for the enjoyable art of tea leaf reading. Although most people use teabags nowadays to make tea, this change of preference need not deter you from practising what is perhaps the most homely of all the methods of divination.
How to Do Tasseography

Ancestry.com.au Launches the Australia Birth, Marriage and Death Index

The Australia Birth, Marriage and Death Index, a compilation of the records of those who were born, married or died in Australia between the years 1788 and 1985.
Ancestry.com.au Launches the Australia Birth, Marriage and Death Index

Scientists think chicken came first

What came first, the chicken or the egg? Scientists in Britain think it was probably the chicken, after using new computer technology to try and crack the age-old riddle.
Scientists think chicken came first

Paul the Octopus Gets His Own (Unofficial) iPhone App

You know that German octopus who successfully predicted all those World Cup games? He’s back in the form of an iOS app that makes predictions about anything you want it to, not just football.
Paul the Octopus Gets His Own (Unofficial) iPhone App

Add "Scam" To Your Searches When Checking Out A Business, Product Or Web Site

People often turn to services like Yelp or Amazon to see what people think about a business, product or web site, but to cut straight to complaints that may have made it everywhere, reader MrYdobon adds one word to his searches.
Add "Scam" To Your Searches When Checking Out A Business, Product Or Web Site

Common Netiquette Questions: Answered

The ground rules for online courtesy gelled sometime in the late ’90s: Don’t swear on public forums. Zip large files before sending. AVOID WRITING IN CAPS, AS IT IS RUDE TO CYBERSHOUT.
Common Netiquette Questions: Answered

15 Fascinating Facts About Smiling

Everyone loves the quote “laughter is the best medicine,” and as a nurse, I have experienced the benefits of smiling and laughter with my patients. In fact, smiling can boost your mood and even your immune system. Keep reading for more fascinating facts about our smiles.
15 Fascinating Facts About Smiling