Friday, May 06, 2011

Have the biggest players dropped the ball on AV Protection?

The latest anti-virus test figures for Windows 7 are out and there are a good few shocks to be seen in the results. In the tests performed by AVTest, BitDefender has leapt from ninth place since last year to 1st place in the chart. Bullguard follows it closely having leapt even further all the way up from 13th place. The top players from last time are now suddenly all doing very badly.
Have the biggest players dropped the ball on AV Protection?

Thursday, May 05, 2011

Inside Fukushima's nuclear plant

The Tokyo Electric Power Company has released footage of the interior of its crippled nuclear power plant in Fukushima.
Inside Fukushima's nuclear plant

Apple Addresses iPhone Location Tracking Controversy with iOS Update

Apple has released iOS 4.3.3, which alters how iPhone and 3G iPad devices store and back up a built-in location database cache.
Apple Addresses iPhone Location Tracking Controversy with iOS Update

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

How long does it take to "fingerprint" someone's DNA?

For everybody playing Armchair Conspiracy Theorist (Is there any other kind? I'm not sure.): Molecular biology Ph.D. student, and science blogger, Christie Wilcox confirms that it is, indeed, possible to run a meaningful DNA test in a few hours, or even a few minutes.
How long does it take to "fingerprint" someone's DNA?

White House modifies earlier reports of Bin Laden raid

Early reports from the White House on the details of the operation that killed Osama bin Laden are now confirmed to have been partly inaccurate.
White House modifies earlier reports of Bin Laden raid

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Causes of Death, Australia, 2009

The leading cause of death in Australia in 2009 was heart disease, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). While the proportion of deaths from heart disease has decreased over the past decade, it still accounted for 16.0% of all deaths in 2009, compared with 20.9% in 2000.
Causes of Death, Australia, 2009

Footage From Inside Osama Bin Laden’s Compound Emerges [VIDEO]

Video footage taken from inside the compound in Pakistan where Osama bin Laden was killed has been posted online by ABC News.
Footage From Inside Osama Bin Laden’s Compound Emerges [VIDEO]

Monday, May 02, 2011

Google & The Death Of Osama Bin Laden

Danny Sullivan remembers distinctly how Google reacted during the 9/11 attacks. Miserably, having to resort to using its ad space and special links on its home page to keep people informed, because its results were so out of date. How things have changed, in so many ways.
Google & The Death Of Osama Bin Laden

Google Maps Shows Where Osama Bin Laden Died

Google Maps has been updated with a pinpoint for “Osama bin Laden’s Compound” in northern Pakistan.
Google Maps Shows Where Osama Bin Laden Died

Sunday, May 01, 2011

Is This That Thing You Lost In The Tornado? This Lady Found It.

After the surviving the tornado that ripped through Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, and the rest of Alabama on Wednesday night, Patty Bullion began to notice random photos and documents washing up in her front yard. Figuring they belonged to somebody, she began posting them in a public Facebook group to see if anybody would claim them. They did.
Is This That Thing You Lost In The Tornado? This Lady Found It

Friday, April 29, 2011

Fed up with Yahoo Mail? Here’s your Escape Hatch

Thursday’s Yahoo Mail blackout was the source of a lot of headaches, with some 1.2 million users said to be affected. As of press time, Yahoo’s Wikipedia page has been vandalized (screenshot below) and anecdotal reports continue to pour in from users who haven’t had access to Yahoo Mail for more than 8 hours. For its part, Yahoo is still mum on the exact source of the glitch. Judging from reader feedback on GigaOM, Yahoo’s outage has a lot of people thinking about making the switch to another email client. We’ve scoured the web for the best information on backing up your email or moving to another mail provider.
Fed up with Yahoo Mail? Here’s your Escape Hatch

What Time Is The Royal Wedding? Google Tells You With Special Box

Royal Wedding madness had descended upon Google. Do a search for royal wedding, and you’ll be treated to a special box telling you the time it happens in your location.
What Time Is The Royal Wedding? Google Tells You With Special Box

Weird things people swallow

In the 19th and 20th centuries, laryngologist Chevalier Jackson pioneered new methods to remove weird things that people swallowed, from safety pins, buttons, cigarette butts, and even a toy dog.
Weird things people swallow

Thursday, April 28, 2011

What Birthname Makes You Most Likely To Be CEO? [INFOGRAPHIC]

What’s in a name? Well, according to a new study by LinkedIn, it’s the key to your success. The social network for employment recently did some digging on which names spell job prestige and found that the top CEO names on LinkedIn are “Peter” and “Deborah.”
What Birthname Makes You Most Likely To Be CEO?

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

How to Use the Rule of 72

The rule of 72 is a handy rule used in finance to estimate quickly the time it takes to double a sum of capital given an interest rate, or to estimate the interest rate it takes to double a sum of money within a given amount of time. The rule states that interest percentage times the number of years it takes to double a principal amount of money is approximately equal to 72.
How to Use the Rule of 72

Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed

"Ric Elias had a front-row seat on Flight 1549 as it crash-landed in the Hudson River in January 2009. What went through his mind as the plane went down?"
Ric Elias: 3 things I learned while my plane crashed

Why should you care about iOS location tracking?

Over at Wired Gadget Lab, Brian Chen and Mike Isaac have a thoughtful, non-hysterical piece up about the Apple iOS location data gathering issue.
Why should you care about iOS location tracking?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

RIP Typewriters: Last Manufacturer Closes Its Doors

oining other discarded technologies of late, including the Flip video camera, Kodachrome, and the humble floppy disk is the typewriter, which will no longer be produced anywhere in the world.
The last company on earth to produce the typewriter — Godrej and Boyce — has shut down its production plant in Mumbai, India, according to reports that, fittingly, are making the rounds via the Internet.
RIP Typewriters: Last Manufacturer Closes Its Doors

Chernobyl disaster, 25 year later: commemoration around the world

It's early morning on April 26 in Kiev, Ukraine, where the Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened exactly a quarter century ago. On this day in 1986, reactor number four at the plant exploded, setting off a catastrophe that still reverberates well beyond the 30-kilometer exclusion zone.
Chernobyl disaster, 25 year later: commemoration around the world

Monday, April 25, 2011

Amazon to Zappos

Shipping Rates and Free Shipping for Over 50 Top Online Retailers.
Amazon to Zappos: Shipping Rates and Free Shipping for Over 50 Top Online Retailers

Lifehacker’s 2011 Australian Airport Public Transport Guide

You’ve planned carefully to score yourself a cheap airline ticket — why jack up the budget by spending a fortune getting a taxi from the airport? Instead, check out Lifehacker’s comprehensive guide to public transport options for Australian airports.
Lifehacker’s 2011 Australian Airport Public Transport Guide

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Importance of Drinking Water

In essence, if you washed your dirty dishes with orange soda, they wouldn’t come clean. In fact, they would be sticky and disgusting. Water is required to get the dishes clean. Well, what about the inside of our bodies? If we only drink sugary beverages and never drink water, how will our insides be cleansed?
The Importance of Drinking Water

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 8/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 8/2011

How To Clear A Browser Cache

Before we start with explanations on how to clear a browser cache, we are going to look at the cache briefly. What is it? Why is it there in first place?
How To Clear A Browser Cache

Top 10 Photography Hacks

Your digital camera, whether it's built in to your cellphone or it's a hefty DSLR, is an incredible creative tool. If you've only used it as it comes straight out of the box, however, you're only scratching the surface. Here are our top 10 photography hacks to supercharge your camera.
Top 10 Photography Hacks

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Favorite YouTube Videos This Week: The Earth Day Edition

In lieu of awkward, Earth-worshipping gyrations, Mashable brings you their weekly YouTube roundup, the Earth Day edition. Now go recycle something.
Favorite YouTube Videos This Week: The Earth Day Edition

Late Easter

Easter Sunday occurs unusually early and late in 2011.
Late Easter

Turn a Webcam into a Security Camera with Email Notifications

This DIY project takes an old webcam and converts it into a motion sensitive CCTV camera, complete with email and growl/prowl push notifications.
Turn a Webcam into a Security Camera with Email Notifications

Untrackerd Destroys Your iPhone's Tracking Data

You've probably learned recently that your iPhone is tracking your whereabouts. If you don't like this, Untrackerd is a jailbreak app that can put a stop to the problem.
Untrackerd Destroys Your iPhone's Tracking Data

Convert Web Documents to PDF with Google Docs Viewer

Google Docs has a built-in PDF converter that supports nearly all popular file formats including Office documents, presentations, HTML web pages and more. Simply upload a file to Google Docs and then choose the “Download as PDF” option to convert it into a PDF.
Convert Web Documents to PDF with Google Docs Viewer

Friday, April 22, 2011

The 2011 TIME 100

Meet the most influential people in the world. They are artists and activists, reformers and researchers, heads of state and captains of industry. Their ideas spark dialogue and dissent and sometimes even revolution. Welcome to this year's TIME 100.
The 2011 TIME 100

iOS devices secretly log and retain record of every place you go, transfer to your PC and subsequent devices

Security researchers presenting at the Where 2.0 conference have revealed a hidden, secret iOS file that keeps a record of everywhere you've been. The record is synched to your PC and subsequently resynched to your other mobile devices. The file is not transmitted to Apple, but constitutes a substantial privacy breach if your PC or mobile device are lost or seized.
iOS devices secretly log and retain record of every place you go, transfer to your PC and subsequent devices

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

10 Marvels Of Underwater Photography By National Geographic

What was the first colour underwater photo, and how was it taken? What exactly was Jacques Cousteau’s influence on the underwater photography field? How were photos taken of the Titanic, 12500 feet below the surface? National Geographic has a fascinating little slideshow of the history of underwater photography, though one question it failed to answer for me is exactly what the photographers say to the fish to get them to smile for the camera. Krill?
10 Marvels Of Underwater Photography By National Geographic

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Unfriend Finder for Facebook

Unfriend Finder is a realtime script that allows you to know wich one of your friends removed you on facebook.
Unfriend Finder

A Guide to Smartphone Manners

A Modest Proposal for a Digital Détente: 10 Rules to Make Sure Smartphones Don’t Make Us Stupid.
A Guide to Smartphone Manners

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Wirelessly Transfer Photos For Free From iPhone To Computer

Transferring pictures from your iPhone to computer can be annoying! Plugging in a cable and waiting for Image Capture to load and then syncing pictures over? Not cool. Apps like Photosync are great (and do two way transfers) but cost money, Wi-Fi Photo Transfer for iPhone is completely free.
Wirelessly Transfer Photos For Free From iPhone To Computer

Friday, April 15, 2011

How to Properly Clean Your Camera Lens [Video]

Everybody is familiar with the most rudimentary of lens cleaning techniques–a swipe with a clean sleeve–but what about giving your lens a thorough and lens-friendly cleaning? This detailed video shows you how to get the cleanest lens around.
How to Properly Clean Your Camera Lens [Video]

Microsoft Safety Scanner, Free On-Demand Virus Scanner

Microsoft has just released a program called Microsoft Safety Scanner, a free on-demand virus scanner for the Windows operating system. The program’s main task is to run a virus scan on a Windows system. The core difference to conventional antivirus software is the fact that it scans the PC but does not add protection to the operating system at the same time.
Microsoft Safety Scanner, Free On-Demand Virus Scanner

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Not Dead Yet: The Ultimate Guide To RSS In 2011

RSS is dead, they say! They, being all of you who now get your news, information and various social updates from one of the many online platforms you subscribe to. But let it be said that all the Twitters, Facebooks and Reddits in the world can’t put a stake through the heart of the undying Really Simple Syndication feed. It’s a powerful part of the information distribution system that makes up the general Web, and its use on the mobile platform is unquestioned: Tablet PCs plus RSS equals sublime.
Not Dead Yet: The Ultimate Guide To RSS In 2011

Excel Transpose Trick

This one minute video shows you how to take a list of items in a column and copy it to a row. It is pretty simple, but when you need it this can really save you a lot of time.
Excel Transpose Trick

A gallery of doctored cosmonaut photos

Wired has a gallery of before-and-after photos showing how the Soviet Union airbrushed some cosmonauts out of history. These are absolutely fascinating, not just because of the uncovered lies—but because what was being lied about turned out to be much less horrible than anybody in the West had guessed.
A gallery of doctored cosmonaut photos

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Watch Jumbo Jet Spin Tiny Jet In JFK Runway Collision

What happens when the world’s largest commercial jet clips the tail of a much smaller plane? Some tarmac turbulence that left the passengers of Comair Flight 6293 spinning.
Watch Jumbo Jet Spin Tiny Jet In JFK Runway Collision

How to Send Pictures from the Digital Camera to your Mobile Phone

Eye-Fi memory cards let you wirelessly transfer pictures from the digital camera to your computer without cables. They are compatible with most digital cameras and, other than transferring pictures to the computer, Eye-Fi cards can also upload photos to sites like Flickr and Facebook straight from the camera.
How to Send Pictures from the Digital Camera to your Mobile Phone

How to Find Thousands of Free Ebooks Online

You’ve got an ebook reader (or a laptop or netbook with ebook reading software) now you just need some free books to put it to good use. Read on as we show you the best places to score free books online.
How to Find Thousands of Free Ebooks Online

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

3 Free Online OCR Tools for Your Paperless Office: Online Collaboration «

One of the reasons that it’s so hard to create a truly paperless office is all the printed materials that you receive, such as invoices, receipts and other documents. You can scan them, of course, but to do anything useful with those scans, you’ll need to use optical character recognition (OCR) software, which can turn the images into text that you can then import into other apps. OCR software can also come in handy when a colleague or client emails you a PDF or image containing text that you’d like to use in another app.
3 Free Online OCR Tools for Your Paperless Office

Monday, April 11, 2011

Battleground trenches unearthed in Gallipoli

Australian archaeologists have located trenches, tunnels and cemeteries in the Gallipoli battlefields of Turkey as part of the first survey of the area since World War I.
Battleground trenches unearthed in Gallipoli

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Problems revealed 50 years after Yuri Gagarin's space flight

The first manned mission to space by any human from planet Earth did not go off without a few hitches. Russia is releasing former secret documents on the fiftieth anniversary of the famous flight of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.
Problems revealed 50 years after Yuri Gagarin's space flight

Vintage Ventriloquists Dummies

There is possibly no simpler gadget that is more creepy than a vintage ventriloquists dummy. A primitive automaton that threatens to come to life and haunt you. Here are a collection of slightly unsettling old ventriloquy puppets with their often equally unsettling owners.
Vintage Ventriloquists Dummies

50 Years In Space: Was It Worth It?

It was 50 years ago when people first flew in space. Here’s an infographic that shows you the spacecraft humans have flown to reach that great void over the past half-century.
50 Years In Space: Was It Worth It?

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Coffee vs. Tea; An Infographic Breakdown

Over at Killer Infographics they have a detailed infographic breaking down the differences between drinking coffee and tea including levels of caffeine, health benefits, and health risks. Hit up the link below for the full infographic.
Coffee vs. Tea; An Infographic Breakdown

Friday, April 08, 2011

How to Remember a Person's Name

Having problems remembering people's names? It happens to almost everyone from time to time but if it's a permanent issue for you, it's time to do your best to stop what is a bit of a bad listening habit. If you're shy, nervous, bored, or facing people who awe you, these can all feed in to your name forgetfulness but they're not an excuse; there are ways to remember names and to keep yourself in the social graces of everyone else.
How to Remember a Person's Name

Watch This Car Drive Into Japan’s Eerily Quiet Evacuation Zone

This reporter films his journey into the evacuation zone around Japan’s troubled Fukushima nuclear plant. Normally crowded streets are empty but for a pack of dogs and a few flat-bed trucks carrying unknown cargo. A Geiger counter measures extremely high radiation.
Watch This Car Drive Into Japan’s Eerily Quiet Evacuation Zone

Thursday, April 07, 2011

LizaMoon infection: a blow-by-blow account

A nasty piece of malware known as LizaMoon has hijacked links on millions of websites in the past weeks, including some normally safe iTunes and Google links. Fortunately, LizaMoon is easy to avoid if you know what to look for.
LizaMoon infection: a blow-by-blow account

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 7/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 7/2011

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

Planhacker: Australian iPad SIM Plans 2011

The iPad 2 is officially out (if in short supply) in Australia, and most carriers have made tweaks to their existing iPad micro-SIM offerings to recognise the occasion. Here’s an up-to-date and interactive listing of all the monthly and prepaid micro-SIM deals for iPad users.
Planhacker: Australian iPad SIM Plans 2011

Aussies Still Not Good Enough At Mobile Phone Security

According to a survey of 500 Australians by Norton, 41% of us use some kind of password on our phones.
Aussies Still Not Good Enough At Mobile Phone Security

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Use a Mirror to Keep Birds from Nesting on Your Porch

There's nothing wrong with inviting a little wildlife to your home, but there are some places you just don't want birds invading your space. Keep them away with a simple mirror.
Use a Mirror to Keep Birds from Nesting on Your Porch

Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Pack Your Suitcase as Efficiently as a Flight Attendant

The New York Times featured the packing strategies of flight-attendant Heather Poole, who frequently lives out of a carry-on for 10 days at a time. With baggage fees higher than ever, knowing how to efficiently pack a carry-on can save you a bunch of money when traveling by air. Here's how to do it.
Pack Your Suitcase as Efficiently as a Flight Attendant

Firehouse burns down

The Houston County Fire Department's McKinnon station burned down last week. The cause is unknown and fortunately nobody was injured. Oddly, the article in the Stewart-Houston Times doesn't pay so much as a nod to the irony of a fire station catching fire.
Firehouse burns down

Each Firefox Add-on Adds 10% To Firefox Startup On Average

Add-ons can severely impact the startup time of the Firefox web browser: On average “each add-on you install adds about 10% to Firefox start-up time” notes Mozilla’s Justin Scott in a post at the Mozilla Add-Ons Blog. This means that the startup time of Firefox will on average double if ten add-ons are installed.
Each Firefox Add-on Adds 10% To Firefox Startup On Average

Friday, April 01, 2011

Our Choice: The Funniest April Fools Jokes

In Gmail, you no longer have to use obsolete technology such as a mouse and a keyboard to write, compose, or reply to e-mails: you can do all of those simply by moving your body.
Our Choice: The Funniest April Fools Jokes

It’s Over: Google Has Already Won April Fool’s Day 2011

It’s not even April 1st in Mountain View, but the April Fool’s Day comedy game is already over and I’m declaring Google the winner. Hiring autocompleters? YouTube 1911? Gmail Motion? Chromercise? Ding, ding, ding and ding. Game over. If you’re planning any big pranks tomorrow, skip it.
It’s Over: Google Has Already Won April Fool’s Day 2011

YouTube Time Travels to 1911 for April Fools

YouTube has kicked off the April Fools festivities with a celebration of its “100th birthday” — a journey into what YouTube might have looked like in 1911, if YouTube or the Internet existed back then.
YouTube Time Travels to 1911 for April Fools

The Great Beyond: The world's nuclear reactors as you've never seen them...

The nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daichii power plant will have consequences for the future of nuclear power in Japan and elsewhere. To get a better idea of the world's current tally of nuclear reactors, I've created a map of the world's nuclear power plants and reactors using Google Earth – the maps are based on a database kindly supplied to me by staff at the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Power Reactor Information System (PRIS) database, so it's reliable, and up-to-date.
The Great Beyond: The world's nuclear reactors as you've never seen them...

The 10 Most Ridiculously Awesome Geeky Computer Pranks

Everybody loves a good prank… unless you are the one on the receiving end of the fun. It’s time to hone your pranking skills, not just to make sure you are the best, but so you can avoid being pranked by others.
The 10 Most Ridiculously Awesome Geeky Computer Pranks

What Files Should You Backup On Your Windows PC?

Everybody always tells you to make sure that you are backing up your PC, but what does that really mean? And what files do you actually need to backup? Today we’ll walk you through the basics of backing up your PC, what you should back up, and why.
What Files Should You Backup On Your Windows PC?

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Gallery – Google Maps with Street View

Visit historic and architecturally significant landmarks in Italy. You can now explore inside the Colosseum, see ancient wellness centers, and walk along the Appian Way.
Gallery – Google Maps with Street View

Most Beautiful, Readable Radiation Dosage Chart Yet

We’ve been talking a lot about radiation lately – and with good reason – but it’s been difficult to keep track of just what all those numbers mean. How much is safe? How much is bad? How many bananas do I have to eat before I mutate? This chart shows us in clean, beautiful, terrifying strokes.

The full chart (below, click to embiggen) may not be to correct scale like the also terrific xkcd radiation dosage chart, but it’s a bit easier to follow. The chart also puts things in terms of Fukushima, where maximum radiation levels have nearly doubled the highest dose limit for US radiation workers in life-saving situations.
Most Beautiful, Readable Radiation Dosage Chart Yet

10 Office Pranks Perfect for April Fools' Day

Ah, April Fools’ Day. That dreaded day of the year that news editors and the gullible public love to hate. While we can’t wait to see what amusing pranks the likes of Google are cooking up, you can plot your own fun in the meantime.
10 Office Pranks Perfect for April Fools' Day

OMG! Online abbreviations make dictionary

OMG! LOL! The venerable Oxford English Dictionary approves of the three-letter, Internet-inspired expressions you use for "Oh, my God!" and "Laughing out loud."
OMG! Online abbreviations make dictionary

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

How to Get Around The New York Times Paywall

The New York Times currently uses browser cookies, and not IP addresses, to keep track of how many articles you have read on their online website. That means if you are reading the NYT articles in Google Chrome and then switch to Firefox or IE, the limit is reset to zero because cookies aren’t shared across browsers.

If you would like to stick with one browser, you can still get around the NYT paywall by clearing the cookies that are associated with nytimes.com (there’s no need to clear all the browser cookies). All web browsers let you remove cookies through their Privacy settings but a easier way to get this done is through a bookmarklet.
How to Get Around The New York Times Paywall

This Is The Scariest Tsunami Video Yet

Watch as the waves ravage the port of Kesennuma, destroying everything in it’s path. First watch as the tsunami begins by tossing cars around like toys at the port parking lot – and then watch how terrifyingly fast the rest of the city becomes enveloped in water. In the end, only a couple of buildings survive.
This Is The Scariest Tsunami Video Yet

20 Essential Online Resources for Finding New Music

Back in the oft-mentioned “day,” we only had the radio and helpful record store clerks to satiate our musical hunger pangs. Now we have the entirety of the web.

Still, with this veritable diner menu of choices (read: overstuffed), it can be hard to find what one is looking for, impelling one to perhaps choose whatever is safest and most familiar, rather than seeking out something new, and perhaps, more delectable.
20 Essential Online Resources for Finding New Music

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Cracking the Credit Card Code

You likely use a credit or debit card on a daily basis; have you ever wondered how exactly your card number is generated? Check out this infographic breakdown to see.
Cracking the Credit Card Code

Friday, March 25, 2011

The Only Secure Password Is the One You Can’t Remember

Let's assume you log onto a bunch of different websites; Facebook, Gmail, eBay, PayPal, probably some banking, maybe a few discussion forums, and probably much, much more. Consider a couple of questions:

Do you always create unique passwords such that you never use the same one twice? Ever?
Do your passwords always use different character types such as uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and punctuation? Are they "strong"?

If you can't answer "yes" to both these questions, you've got yourself a problem. But the thing is, there is simply no way you can remember all your unique, strong passwords and the sooner you recognize this, the sooner you can embrace a more secure alternative.
The Only Secure Password Is the One You Can’t Remember

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Thank You For Visiting NYTimes.com, How To Bypass

You may have heard that the New York Times will introduce its “paywall” on March 28. It basically limits visitors to 20 articles per month, after which a paywall message appears that asks them to sign up to become a subscriber to access the contents on the site. Is there a way to bypass the New York Times paywall? You bet. The thing is, the NYTimes developers have decided to use JavaScript and CSS to create the overlay. The contents are still there, only in the background with no visible option to access them.
Thank You For Visiting NYTimes.com, How To Bypass

The Top 10 Worst Nuclear Nightmares

What’s happening right now in Fukushima is terrible, for sure. But how does it rank in the pantheon of nuclear disasters? We humans have had an awful lot of atomic foulups; here are the ones that have caused the most widespread contamination and destruction.
The Top 10 Worst Nuclear Nightmares

Anniversary of OK

Today in 1839, the expression "OK" was first used in print. It appeared in Boston Morning Post article about the Anti-Bell-Ringing Society.
Anniversary of OK

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

10 Common Photoshop Frustrations (And How to Fix Them in Five Minutes)

Photoshop is not always the most user friendly of programs. Sometimes it has frustrating issues, and the solution is not always clear. Here’s a list of 10 annoying problems you might have with Photoshop, and simple solutions to fix them.
10 Common Photoshop Frustrations (And How to Fix Them in Five Minutes)

HTG Explains: What’s the Difference Between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7?

Whether shopping for a new computer or upgrading an old one, you’ve likely come across the the “64-bit” designation and wondered what it meant. Read on as we explain what Windows 7 64-bit is and why you’d want a piece of that 64-bit pie.
HTG Explains: What’s the Difference Between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7?

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 6/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 6/2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Make Your Caps Lock Key into a Cr-48-Style Search Key

Google did it with their Cr-48 Chrome netbook, and Lenovo did it, too. If you want to try living without Caps Lock, and converting it into a much more helpful Search button, commenter Java-Princess has your how-to.
Make Your Caps Lock Key into a Cr-48-Style Search Key

Travel Without Baggage

There are four modes of no-baggage travel these days:
1) Total Nada
2) Just Pockets
3) Day Baggers
4) Minimalist Borrowers
Travel Without Baggage

Monday, March 21, 2011

12 Critical Things You Should Never Tolerate

There is so much in life that we just tolerate. Some of it we have to deal with (taxes, bad weather, traffic). But there’s a good portion of stuff that we tolerate even when we don’t have to. We step around things, overlook irritations, and mindlessly accept energy drains. Perhaps we’ve become so immune to these tolerations that we don’t recognize the negative impact they have on us.
12 Critical Things You Should Never Tolerate

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Fukushima Serious Business, Japan raises disaster level to 5

Japan's nuclear safety agency today raised the level of the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear plant from level 4 (local consequences) to level 5 (wider consequences, same level as Three Mile Island), on the 7-point scale created by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Their assessment was declared as retroactive to Tuesday.
Days after global nuke experts declare Fukushima Serious Business, Japan raises disaster level to 5

How To Remove Vocals From Music Tracks Using Audacity

Ever get a sudden, inexplicably irresistible desire for karaoke? Maybe you like the music of a song but can’t stand the lead singer? Here’s how to use remove the vocals from most music tracks in a few simple steps.
How To Remove Vocals From Music Tracks Using Audacity

Friday, March 18, 2011

Flyover Of Japanese Nuclear Plant Shows Apocalyptic Scene

Helicopter video of Japan’s troubled Fukushima Nuclear plant from yesterday indicates how extensive the damage at the plant is from the earthquake, tsunami and subsequent explosions.
Flyover Of Japanese Nuclear Plant Shows Apocalyptic Scene

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Web Browser Benchmark Results Comparison

Time for a now Internet browser benchmark comparison. All benchmarks are run on a 64-bit Windows 7 Professional PC with an Intel Core i7 860 Ghz cpu, 8 Gigabytes of RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 470 display adapter.
Web Browser Benchmark Results Comparison

How to Ditch Slow Wireless Speeds and Go Completely Wired in Your Home (and Why You Should)

Wi-Fi provides a convenient way to connect the computers in your home without dealing with the hassle of wires, but Wi-Fi is also slow and unreliable compared to a wired connection. Wireless may be the way of the future, but here are some of the best ways to go wired where it counts.
How to Ditch Slow Wireless Speeds and Go Completely Wired in Your Home (and Why You Should)

Japan’s Prime Minister Launches English-Language Twitter Account for Quake Updates

The Japanese Prime Minister’s Office started an English-language Twitter account Wednesday, providing updates on the Tohoku-Pacific Ocean Earthquake situation.
Japan’s Prime Minister Launches English-Language Twitter Account for Quake Updates

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

As Japan nuclear fears spread, so does crowdsourced radiation tracking

CNET: "The intensifying nuclear crisis in Japan is raising anxieties on both sides of the Pacific over the potential impacts of radiation exposure, and a relative dearth of official information on radiation levels is leading some to turn to crowdsourced options. (...) With official estimations of the threat from radiation across Japan changing rapidly and sometimes inconsistent, a number of real-time amateur radiation monitors have popped up online."
As Japan nuclear fears spread, so does crowdsourced radiation tracking

The Ultimate Facebook Tips And Tricks Guide

You’re on Facebook. So is the guy sitting next to you on the bus. Your brothers, best mates, old classmates, demented neighbours, former coworkers, your grandma – they’re all on Facebook. The social networking behemoth now boasts over 500 million (active) members (that’s 1 in every 13 people on earth) and everything from your Mountain Dew Code Red to your sneakers has a fan page). Facebook is becoming an integral (and at times, claustrophobic) part of how we access the Internet.
The Ultimate Facebook Tips And Tricks Guide

Internet Explorer 9 Released: Here’s What You Need To Know

Microsoft has released the final version of Internet Explorer 9, and there’s just one question you should be asking yourself: Should I bother installing it? Here’s everything you need to know about the latest release of Microsoft’s infamous browser.
Internet Explorer 9 Released: Here’s What You Need To Know

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Amateur video captures tsunami destruction - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

Watch new footage of the tsunami as its rips through Japan's Miyagi prefecture.
Amateur video captures tsunami destruction

World Nuclear News

On a daily basis World Nuclear News provides free and accurate public information on the subject of nuclear power. BREAKING NEWS - Serious damage to the reactor core of Fukushima Daiichi 2 seems likely after coolant was apparently lost for a period. Seawater is again being injected, but coolant level is unknown.
World Nuclear News

Internet Explorer 9 Launch, All The Information You Need

Internet Explorer 9 will be released for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows Vista SP2, Windows 7 and the server products Windows Server 2008 SP2 and Windows Server 2008 R2. The minimum system requirements are 512 Megabytes of RAM, a computer with a 1 Gigahertz processor and 70 to 200 Megabytes of hard drive space depending on the version used.
Internet Explorer 9 Launch, All The Information You Need

Monday, March 14, 2011

Google’s Before/After Gallery Of Japan Is Tragic Viewing

In addition to their updated Google Earth imagery, Google has created a Picasa album full of before and after shots of Japan following the devastating earthquake and Tsunami.
Google’s Before/After Gallery Of Japan Is Tragic Viewing

Japan: terrifying eyewitness video of tsunami destroying an entire town

James MacWhyte, a US citizen who lives in Tokyo, is reported to have shot this six-minute video of the Japan tsunami destroying a town in the northern part of the country.
Japan: terrifying eyewitness video of tsunami destroying an entire town

Sunday, March 13, 2011

How Nuclear Plants Save Themselves From Meltdowns

After today’s earthquake in Japan, there was concern over the country’s nuclear power plants: though 13 of the affected plants automatically shut down, two caused a scare. This raises the question: how does a nuclear plant stay safe during an earthquake, and why were there problems in Japan?
How Nuclear Plants Save Themselves From Meltdowns