Top 25 Weirdest Stories of 2011

A poop-scooping robot?
Top 25 Weirdest Stories of 2011

Ten Common Misconceptions Debunked In Under Four Minutes

Readers, I know you’re intelligent. You know the average person doesn’t swallow eight spiders each year, that the Great Wall of China isn’t visible from space, and that cracked knuckles don’t result in arthritis. But some of your friends are probably dumb, so show them this.
Ten Common Misconceptions Debunked In Under Four Minutes

Sign Into Your Google Account On Public Computers Without Typing Anything

If you ever want to log into your Google account when you’re at a public computer, where you’re unsure whether or not there’s a keylogger installed, there’s now a solution. And it’s from Google!
Sign Into Your Google Account On Public Computers Without Typing Anything

Which Suburbs Are Best For Property Investors?

Generous tax concessions and a widespread belief that investing in property is the safest choice mean that owning a rental property is a popular choice for Australians. But where should you buy a house to get the best returns?
Which Suburbs Are Best For Property Investors?

Breathtaking Space Video Shows Milky Way, Lightning Over Africa

NASA has released a stunning video taken from the International Space Station that shows the Milky Way and lightning storms over Africa.
Breathtaking Space Video Shows Milky Way, Lightning Over Africa

Been scammed? A government taskforce wants to hear from you

If someone tried to scam you, the Australasian Consumer Fraud Task Force (ACFT) and the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) want to hear from you.
Been scammed? A government taskforce wants to hear from you

Wolfram|Alpha Makes Easy Work of Any Integer Sequence

Wolfram|Alpha Makes Easy Work of Any Integer Sequence.
Wolfram|Alpha Makes Easy Work of Any Integer Sequence

The Best Password Tips to Keep Your Accounts Secure

With all of the online accounts we all have, it’s easy to get lazy and start using the same password for multiple websites, services, and accounts, for fear of forgetting an important password. However, this can compromise your private information.
The Best Password Tips to Keep Your Accounts Secure

Using Windows “Safe Boot” To Diagnose and Repair Problems

When something goes wrong with Windows it can be very difficult to diagnose or repair, and there are times when booting your computer into Safe Mode just isn’t good enough. Safe Mode, a special diagnostic mode built into Windows strips the OS of all drivers and start-up software and presents you with a very limited version of Windows in which to diagnose what might be causing a problem, and repair it. Many Windows features simply won’t operate in Safe Mode so there’s not very much you can do.
Using Windows “Safe Boot” To Diagnose and Repair Problems

Use a Free, Portable Tool to View your Passwords from Your LastPass Account Offline

LastPass is an online password manager that allows you to securely store all your passwords and access them from anywhere. As the developers of LastPass say, it is the last password you’ll have to remember.
Use a Free, Portable Tool to View your Passwords from Your LastPass Account Offline

A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945

Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto has created a beautiful, undeniably scary time-lapse map of the 2053 nuclear explosions which have taken place between 1945 and 1998, beginning with the Manhattan Project’s “Trinity” test near Los Alamos and concluding with Pakistan’s nuclear tests in May of 1998.
A Time-Lapse Map of Every Nuclear Explosion Since 1945

The Link: Ring in the New Year

Most cultures in recorded history have celebrated the turning of the year, and it is perhaps the most widely-celebrated holiday in the world. However, the sheer variety of dates and customs different cultures have associated with the New Year is amazing.
The Link: Ring in the New Year

Voyager Probes Cruising Towards The Edge of the Solar System

They’ve been cruising through space for the last 34 years and soon, the Voyager probes will be the first man-made objects to exit our solar system.
Voyager Probes Cruising Towards The Edge of the Solar System

Don’t Want To Be Tracked Online? Use TrackerBlock

Most Internet users do not know that every step they make on the Internet is likely tracked by one or multiple companies. Tracking can be loosely divided into a first party and third party group. First party tracking is usually connected to the generation of visitor statistics, and less about the individual user. Third party tracking on the other hand can often be linked to advertising companies who either use the information directly for advertisement or sell user profiles to other organizations and companies.
Don’t Want To Be Tracked Online? Use TrackerBlock

NoCrap Removes Annoyances From Google Search

NoCrap Google Search Bar injects itself on Google Search pages. You will see two search forms on the Google homepage, and only the NoCrap search form on results pages.
NoCrap Removes Annoyances From Google Search

Time-Lapse Video Takes You Around the World in 6,237 Beautiful Photos

This stunning time-lapse video puts you in the passenger seat of one man’s almost year-long adventure across 17 countries. In it, you’ll see 6,237 pictures spliced together to create several beautiful, fast-paced montages that surely will make you want to pack your suitcase and take a trip this year.
Time-Lapse Video Takes You Around the World in 6,237 Beautiful Photos

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 2/2012

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 2/2012

Display Your Internet Connection Speed In Your Taskbar

Sometimes you may want to display information about your Internet connection right on the desktop, for instance to test the speed of a new dedicated server that you just bought, or to make sure that you are uploading or downloading at full speed. Having direct access to realtime stats can also be helpful if you are troubleshooting a particular connection.
Display Your Internet Connection Speed In Your Taskbar

25 Geeky Ideas, Household Tips, and Storage Ideas to Make Your Life Easier

Whether you are trying to keep track of which cords go to specific electronic items or looking for a better way to store leftover wrapping paper, the right idea can make it all a lot easier to deal with. The Daily Buzz blog has put together an awesome post full of ideas and suggestions that can help make your life easier and more streamlined.
25 Geeky Ideas, Household Tips, and Storage Ideas to Make Your Life Easier

Aftermath: Disaster, Resilience & Recovery

Follow stories of resilience and recovery and share your experiences through photos and text. The ABC’s new Aftermath site offers individual accounts of what happens after a disaster, covering the stages from fighting the disaster at its peak to eventually rebuilding.
Aftermath: Disaster, Resilience & Recovery

NASA snaps "amazing" pixs of space station crossing Moon

A NASA photographer has taken a series of pictures of the International Space Station crossing the face of Moon. See the "amazing" composite picture.
NASA snaps "amazing" pixs of space station crossing Moon

10 Stubborn Body Myths Debunked By Science

Hair grows back thicker when you shave it! Reading in dim light turns you blind! Peeing on a jellyfish sting will soothe the pain! The way our bodies work is a bit of a mystery, and our desire to unlock its secrets has led to a vast amount of misinformation. Many of these false notions are more widely believed than the truth. We took our healthy scepticism and a bunch of research to find the truth behind some of the most common myths about our bodies and our health. Here’s what we learned.
10 Stubborn Body Myths Debunked By Science

Motorized Shoes Let You Go for a Spin

For those hoping for flying cars and jetpacks, a new product is launching at the Consumer Electronics Show that is a huge step for personal mobility: motorized skates that let you zip around at up to 10 mph.
Motorized Shoes Let You Go for a Spin

Exhilarating Film Takes You Through 11 Countries in 1 Minute

Take a look at what director Rick Meriki did last summer: a spectacular one-minute video he made with two of his pals as they traveled to 11 countries over 44 days, walking us through a dazzling variety of cultures, locations and images.
Exhilarating Film Takes You Through 11 Countries in 1 Minute

How to Get the Most Out of Google Analytics

Though the data possibilities seem endless, Google Analytics product manager Phil Mui says the design reflects three core metrics: acquisition, engagement and outcome. Let’s take a closer look at what these numbers mean and how you can track them with one of the most widely used web analytics platforms.
How to Get the Most Out of Google Analytics

Happy News Year!

An exhibition of 64 television news programs from across the globe.
Happy News Year!

9 weeks of weather in 3 minutes

There are facts that just aren't apparent from our everyday perspective. Sometimes, in order to really get a scientific concept at the gut level, you have to seek out a different way to view the world. Do that, and you'll find yourself emotionally gobsmacked by well-known concepts you'd long ago accepted intellectually. For instance, watch this video montage of 9 weeks worth of infrared images from NASA’s GOES-East satellite.
9 weeks of weather in 3 minutes

After a diet, your body might be working against you

The New York Times has a fascinating story about the current state of the science on weight loss, including the results of one recent (albeit small) study that suggests that the human body responds to weight loss by actively trying to regain weight—a finding that could help explain why it's so difficult to maintain significant weight loss, even when you are able to shed pounds.
After a diet, your body might be working against you

NASA scientists say 2012 is safe

Ill-informed, "not-very-smart" so-called experts are playing out many disaster scenarios in 2012. However, NASA “debunks” all of these doomsday predictions such as the Mayan calendar, killer asteroids, Planet X, solar storms, and various other unscientific-based ones.
NASA scientists say 2012 is safe

The Top 10 Photoshop Disasters of 2011

Think you have seen some odd or unusual altered images before now? Then you may want to have a look at the interesting collection that the PS Disasters blog has put together. In it you will see a good mix of obvious and not so obvious alterations that will leave you wondering just what it was that the art departments were thinking.
The Top 10 Photoshop Disasters of 2011

How To Avoid Facebook Timeline Profiles

Facebook recently rolled out a new user profile design that the company calls Timeline. These new profiles change the layout and design of user profiles fundamentally. Facebook Timeline is currently an opt-in option, which means that users need to enable the new feature to turn their profiles into timeline profiles.
How To Avoid Facebook Timeline Profiles

How to Partition and Un-Partition your Hard Drive in Windows

Hard drive partitioning is useful for creating virtual drives and creating disk volumes that can be used for storing particular file types. For example, if you did not want to keep all of your media and documents on Drive (C:), you can create a hard drive partition that will be a new volume separate from (C:). Many users are already familiar with hard drive partitioning, but un-partitioning a hard drive is another issue that some may not be familiar with.
How to Partition and Un-Partition your Hard Drive in Windows

Freaky airplane landing videos

This video shows the approach in to Hong Kong's old Kai Tak airport. Closed in 1998, Kai Tak had one of the most challenging landing approaches in the world.
Freaky airplane landing videos

Top ten top ten top ten lists

In celebration of the new year, David "Everything is Miscellaneous" Weinberger has written up his "Top Ten Top Ten Top Ten list" -- a list of ten great lists of top ten lists. He also includes seven articles about why we like top ten lists.
Top ten top ten top ten lists

30 Best Google Doodles of 2011

This year, more than ever, visiting Google’s homepage became a bit of a surprise. Google Doodles have come a long way from the first one, which showed Burning Man’s iconic logo. It’s now become customary to the search engine’s homepage, and last year, we saw many that were colorful, interactive and crazy.
30 Best Google Doodles of 2011

Top 10 Tech This Week [PICS]

Even though the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day seems like it might be bereft of technological excitement, those of us at Top 10 Tech This Week discovered that is not the case.
Top 10 Tech This Week [PICS]

The Best Windows Software of 2011

This is the third part of the Ghacks best of 2011 series. In this top list, they're going to look at the best software for the Microsoft Windows operating system that they have reviewed in 2011 at Ghacks.
The Best Windows Software of 2011

The 1982 and 1983 Cabinet records

1982 was a difficult year for Malcolm Fraser's Liberal-National Party Coalition government. Like many governments that have survived three elections there was a sense of an ageing ministry that was losing cohesion and determination. Ideological differences were becoming sharpened by personal rivalries and the media reported heated exchanges at some Cabinet meetings. On 8 April tensions between Fraser and Andrew Peacock, who had been Minister for Industrial Relations until his departure from the ministry in April 1981, came to a head. Fraser brought on a vote for the Liberal leadership and defeated Peacock by 54 votes to 27. At the same time John Howard replaced Phillip Lynch as deputy leader.
The 1982 and 1983 Cabinet records

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 1/2012

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 1/2012

8 Amazing Emerging Technologies From 2011

Wi-Fi jammed? It won't be a problem if you're networking through your room lights. You heard right — scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications in Germany worked out a way to transmit data via normal LED light bulbs. Best of all, you can still use them for lighting, since the lights blink on and off too fast for the naked eye to see.
8 Amazing Emerging Technologies From 2011

Lifehacker’s Most Popular Australian Stories Of 2011

Each year, Lifehacker lists the most popular Australian stories from the previous 12 months, and there’s always a surprise or two in there. What tickled your collective fancy this year?
Lifehacker’s Most Popular Australian Stories Of 2011

[How To] Buy a Digital Camera – Beginner’s Guide

DSLR, Point-and-Shoot, Megapixels, Optical Zoom, Digital Zoom, they all might sound gibberish for many of you. In this tutorial, you'll see the different options you have ijavascript:void(0)n buying a digital camera and how not to get confused when your local dealer starts throwing numbers and features at you.
[How To] Buy a Digital Camera – Beginner’s Guide

Infographic: What Happens Online in 60 Seconds?

On the world wide web, things can move at a lightning-fast pace. In just a minute, you can probably read through and compose quite a few tweets and look at dozens of Facebook photos. That said, the Big Picture has put together a pair of infographics that show just how much happens online every 60 seconds.
Infographic: What Happens Online in 60 Seconds?

The 101 Most Useful Websites on the Internet

As we approach the dawn of a new year, here are Digital Inspiration's picks for the 101 most useful websites of the year 2011.
The 101 Most Useful Websites on the Internet

The Web's Most Buzzworthy Questions of 2011

Whether it opens the doors of knowledge or turns us into lazy researchers, the web can instantly gratify most inquiries. So when we wondered which questions weighed heaviest on the minds of Internet users this year, we naturally turned to the same Q&A sites that they did.
The Web's Most Buzzworthy Questions of 2011

The 9 Oddest Job Interview Questions Asked at Tech Companies in 2011

When sitting down for a job interview at a top U.S. tech company, you’d typically expect the interviewer to hammer you with questions testing your abilities, past history and knowledge of the company. You wouldn’t think it was the time or the place to start exploring solutions to world hunger, but that’s exactly what happened to one candidate looking to be a software developer at Amazon.
The 9 Oddest Job Interview Questions Asked at Tech Companies in 2011

How To Use Photoshop To Alter Reality As We Know It

Photoshop is an amazing tool that can take any photo and change it into anything you can imagine. While it can take years of practice to alter reality like a pro, there are a few simple tricks you can employ to reshape the world captured in your photos. Here are five of our favorite techniques and how to use them effectively.
How To Use Photoshop To Alter Reality As We Know I

StumbleUpon's Most Popular Searches and Links of 2011

StumbleUpon, the site that lets you discover the web through its “Stumble!” button, released its Best of StumbleUpon 2011 package, including the below infographic and its most popular links of the year.
StumbleUpon's Most Popular Searches and Links of 2011

What Does ‘Made In Australia’ Really Mean?

Whether or not you make a conscious effort to shop for Australian-made or owned products, when you do decide to go local, you’d expect that “Made in Australia” means exactly what it says. Unfortunately, you’d be surprised what’s actually implied by these three words and how the supermarkets aren’t being as upfront as they could about the origins of the products ...
What Does ‘Made In Australia’ Really Mean?

The best of Wacky Web Week — 2011

When it came to the most popular Wacky Web Week for 2011, it was no contest. The most viewed video showed our churlish baristas dishing out their pointed opinions on how coffee should be consumed. And we thought this was just a Seattle phenomenon! So for 2011′s best of Wacky Web Week, we start you off with “Purchasing the morning brew turns ugly.” We follow with other popular videos and finish off with our own favorite of 2011 — just because we never get tired of watching it. Enjoy!
The best of Wacky Web Week — 2011

Four Ways To Wrap An Oddly-Shaped Gift

Not all gifts are conveniently rectangular. Sometimes the presents you buy your friends and family come in an odd shape, making them harder to wrap. Fortunately, this is a problem people have been dealing with for a long time, so a a variety of good solutions exist. We picked four of the best to help you wrap your oddly shaped gift this holiday.
Four Ways To Wrap An Oddly-Shaped Gift

YouTube - what we watched in 2011

YouTube has released its regular annual listing of what we watched in 2011.
YouTube - what we watched in 2011

Vertical Chess Set

The Vertical Chess Set by Hammacher Schlemmer is a wall-mounted chess set with a vertical chessboard. The playing pieces rest on acrylic shelves. The vertical design keeps the game out of the way, presumably allowing a chess game to go own indefinitely.
Vertical Chess Set

The Top Tech Stories of 2011

2011 was a fantastic year for tech startups with Initial Public Offering’s (IPOs) happening left, right and center, social networks bringing down dictatorships across Africa and the general web experience for users getting better than ever before. On the down side we lost some of the greatest businessmen and innovators of modern times and Google put many legitimate websites out of business due to their Panda updates.
The Top Tech Stories of 2011

How to Create a Bootable Offline Version of Windows Defender

We’ve shown you many methods of removing viruses over the years, but now Microsoft has released a stand-alone version of Windows Defender, their own anti-malware application. Here’s how to make a bootable USB to scan for viruses.
We should point out that you can also scan your PC with a BitDefender boot disk, a Kapersky boot disk, an Avira boot disk, or even an Ubuntu Live CD, but this is one more tool to add into your toolkit.
Note: Windows Defender Offline is still in beta, proceed at your own risk.
How to Create a Bootable Offline Version of Windows Defender

Track Santa’s Route Across the World on Christmas Eve

The US government just love spying on people, but let’s face it, without them we wouldn’t have all those brilliant cold war thrillers to watch over the holidays. Nobody is safe from the US government’s prying eyes either as even Santa Claus is tracked each and every year by the Pentagon’s North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD). From this secret lair, buried deep within Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado they’ll be tracking his movements as he races across the world tomorrow night, bringing presents for every good girl and boy.
Track Santa’s Route Across the World on Christmas Eve

Science year in review: 2011

It was a year that began with natural disasters and ended with a bevy of discoveries, including Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars and signs that the Higgs boson may actually exist.
Science year in review: 2011

How Computers Work

The Computer...How It Works. Wormholed from the archives of BBG.
How Computers Work

Strange metal sphere that fell from the sky

This 13-pound, 3.6 foot metal ball fell from the sky in the Republic of Namibia in southern Africa last month. Nobody has claimed ownership.
Strange metal sphere that fell from the sky

Listen to and Download Music from blocked Music Services

Some of the best web services may not be available to you if that service is limited to users from a specific region or country of the world. This is for instance the case with Pandora and many other entertainment related services. Your only option to access the service is to use a proxy server or virtual private network to bypass the country restrictions.
It is not often that you come upon an application that provides everything you need to access restricted services. Saver 2 Bundle is a free software collection for Windows that is an all-on one solution providing access to services such as Pandora, Rhapsody Radio, Last.fm, Songza or Meemix.
Listen to and Download Music from blocked Music Services

Dogpile.com Releases Its Top Search Results for 2011

Dogpile, a meta-search engine operated by InfoSpace, Inc. that combines search results from all of the leading search engines, including Google, Yahoo! and Bing, today released its annual list of top search results for 2011.
Dogpile.com Releases Its Top Search Results for 2011

Dup Scout Is A Professional Fast Duplicate File Finder

File duplicates can take up valuable disk space. While that’s usually not an issue on a 2 or 3 Terabyte hard drive, it can be one for Solid State Drives and other hard drives that usually offer lower storage capacities.

Dup Scout, available as a free limited version and a professional version, is a powerful program to locate duplicate files on the system. The free version is limited to scanning 500,000 files and a maximum storage capacity of 2 Terabytes. This should be sufficient for most uses.
Dup Scout Is A Professional Fast Duplicate File Finder

How to Buy a Printer [Guide]

These days, buying a new printer can be a daunting task. You have so many options and lots of specs that make sense mostly for the uber-geeks. In this guide, we will try to explain for the average user the how-to’s in buying a printer.
How to Buy a Printer [Guide]

Image Batch Processor Lets You Convert Images In Bulk

Image batch processors can be useful tools to automate repetitive processes like converting image file types or changing other parameters like image resolutions. Programs like ImBatch save you a lot of time, provided they are easy to use and offer the processing options that you need.
Image Batch Processor Lets You Convert Images In Bulk

Flickr Year in Photos 2011

2011 has been a year of memorable news headlines, from natural disasters to final space shuttle missions to historic deaths. Flickr has pieced together the story of the year in 18 photographs taken around the world by users of the photo-sharing platform.
Flickr Year in Photos 2011

Submit Suspicious Files to Antivirus Companies With X-Ray

We all know that there is not a single antivirus software on the market, either free or commercial, that detects 100% of malicious software. Some users help themselves by adding additional layers of protection to their system. This can be virtualization or sandboxing, or the installation of another security application. Others use online services such as Virus Total to check suspicious files online against more than 30 different antivirus engines.
Submit Suspicious Files to Antivirus Companies With X-Ray

Year in sport 2011

The year in sport: highs and lows of 2011.
Year in sport 2011

2011's biggest scandals in science

The Scientist magazine has put out their list of the top science scandals of 2011. This particular one is interesting because it gives laypeople a peek into some major stories that many non-scientists probably haven't heard much about.
2011's biggest scandals in science

The Best How-To Geek Guides of 2011

How-To Geek teaches you all kinds of useful and interesting things. Sometimes they publish special How-To Guides, which are detailed articles about how to do something. Here are the best ones that they published in 2011.
The Best How-To Geek Guides of 2011

SUPERAntiSpyware.com

Detect and Remove Spyware, Adware and Remove Malware, Trojans, Dialers, Worms, KeyLoggers, HiJackers, Parasites, Rootkits, Rogue Security Products and many other types of threats.
SUPERAntiSpyware.com

X-ray of two-headed snake

This is an X-ray of a two-headed albino Honduran milk snake that recently hatched at the home of University of Central Florida biologist Daniel Parker, proprietor of Sunshine Serpents.
X-ray of two-headed snake

Zeitgeist 2011: How the world searched

This year marks Google's 11th annual look back at the searches that compose the year’s Zeitgeist—the spirit of the time. With Zeitgeist, they look at the most popular and the fastest rising terms—the terms with the highest growth in 2011—in many categories across many countries around the world.
Zeitgeist 2011: How the world searched

The Best Video of Earth From Space Ever Made

This stunning timelapse video is a series of photographs taken from the International Space Station between August and October. Astronaut/photographer Ron Garan captures many amazing sights of the planet including the aurora (both Borealis and Australis), pinprick cities, and lightning storms that appear like firecrackers.
The Best Video of Earth From Space Ever Made

How to Cancel or Delete a Stuck Print Job in the Windows Print Queue

If you tried to print, but the job just got stuck in the queue without being able to cancel it, you’re experiencing a stuck print job. There’s a simple way to clear out the print queue, but it’s not always the most obvious thing. Here’s how to do it.
How to Cancel or Delete a Stuck Print Job in the Windows Print Queue

Setting up a temporary ‘ad hoc’ network

When you need a quick way to share files between two Windows PCs that aren’t normally connected, an ad hoc wireless network is the way to go. Everything you need is already built into Windows 7, Vista, and XP. Here’s how to set up an ad hoc network on wireless PCs.
Setting up a temporary ‘ad hoc’ network

Seven Key Facts About What Aussies Do Online

The annual Communications Report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority offers a wealth of statistics about how we get online and what we do when we get there. Here are the seven which stuck out for us.
Seven Key Facts About What Aussies Do Online

The 10 Most Overused LinkedIn Profile Buzzwords of 2011

Do you describe yourself as professionally creative and motivated? Then a new list from LinkedIn suggests another descriptor for you too: Unimaginative.
The 10 Most Overused LinkedIn Profile Buzzwords of 2011

Experience the tsunami-affected areas of Japan through Street View

Back in July, we announced our initiative to digitally archive the areas of Northeastern Japan affected by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Today, we’re making good on that promise—after driving more than 44,000 kilometers through the affected regions, 360-degree panoramic imagery of those areas is now available through the Street View feature in Google Maps. The images can also be viewed via a special website called “Build the Memory,” where you can easily compare before and after shots of the towns changed by these events.
Experience the tsunami-affected areas of Japan through Street View

How Have Australian Dietary Guidelines Changed?

New draft versions of the Australian Dietary Guidelines have been released by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). How do these differ from previous versions? We’ve highlighted the key differences (start throwing out those soft drink cans now).
How Have Australian Dietary Guidelines Changed?

What the World’s Biggest Websites Looked Like at Launch

Since the rise of the Internet in the ’90s, the web has shown no signs of slowing down. We’ve watched the birth and evolution of social media, e-commerce and online video entertainment.
What the World’s Biggest Websites Looked Like at Launch

Learn How Stuff Works With the Best How-To Geek Explainers for 2011

How-To Geek is a great place to learn all kinds of things, and some of their articles are in-depth explanations of how something works. Thry call these explainer topics, and here’s the best ones that they published in 2011.
Learn How Stuff Works With the Best How-To Geek Explainers for 2011

Best Photography Tips, Tricks And Hacks Of 2011

This was a great year for all things photography, with posts to help you behind the camera, in front of it, when you’re shooting and when you’re editing. Here’s a look back at our most popular photography tips, tricks and hacks of 2011.
Best Photography Tips, Tricks And Hacks Of 2011

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 22/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 22/2011

What's Your Greatest 'Words With Friends' Achievement?

It’s been an interesting week for Words With Friends. On Monday, Alec Baldwin made news for getting kicked off a flight prior to take-off in Los Angeles because of issues relating to his phone use. Apparently his addiction to the popular Scrabble-like game Words With Friends is what did him in. It’s not entirely clear what happened on the plane – American Airlines released a statement saying the actor was “extremely rude to the crew,” while Baldwin himself published a column in the Huffington Post apologizing while saying he was “singled out.” But one thing is certain – Words With Friends is highly addictive.
What's Your Greatest 'Words With Friends' Achievement?

How To Open Everything When You’re Weak

Sometimes it’s hard to open doors, jars, beers and other things when you have a hard time getting a good grip or you’re just plain weak. Thankfully, there are plenty of good tricks out there to get things open using common household objects.
How To Open Everything When You’re Weak

Hidden iOS 5 Feature Offers Tons of Beautiful Emoticons [PICS]

If you’re tired of embarrassing Auto Correct errors or composing emoticons based on punctuation marks that only make sense if you tilt your head sideways, there’s a somewhat hidden iOS 5 feature you’ll like: Emoji.
Hidden iOS 5 Feature Offers Tons of Beautiful Emoticons

Most hated buzzwords

"Think outside the box" is the most hated buzzword. At the end of the day, however, we have to circle back and touch base with a proactive look at the many other turns of phrase that are no-brainers for inclusion in the list.
Most hated buzzwords

Windows Defender Offline Tool Now Available

The majority of threats that land on a Windows PC can be removed by antivirus software while the operating system is running. Some threats on the other hand cannot be fully removed when the system is running. The only solution in this case is to either boot into a different operating system, restore a previous version of the system from backup, or use bootable security software to remove malicious software this way.
Windows Defender Offline Tool Now Available

Real or Fake? The Texts Behind Damn You Auto Correct

The popular blog Damn You Auto Correct went viral on the Internet again this week, after the site unveiled its funniest auto-corrected text messages of the year.
Real or Fake? The Texts Behind Damn You Auto Correct

Facebook bug can make your private photos public

Nothing is ever 100% completely secure, let’s get this settled from the off. Whatever security anybody or any company ever puts in place there’s either some way to crack it, or some flaw in the system that will allow people to circumvent it. Thus it’s not really a shouting a Facebook moment to discover that such a flaw has been found that allows people to see the private photos of others.
Facebook bug can make your private photos public

List The 100 Largest Windows Files

You have several options when you are running out of storage space. You could consider uninstalling software that you no longer need, run a temporary files cleaner like CCleaner, search for large files to delete them, backup files to restore space or even buy a new hard drive to extend the available space.
List The 100 Largest Windows Files

The How-To Geek Guide to Buying an HDTV

The HDTV market is loaded with high prices, jargon, and more than a few pitfalls for the uneducated consumer. Save your money, spare yourself a headache, and get the best bang for your buck with our detailed HDTV buying guide.
The How-To Geek Guide to Buying an HDTV

How to Search for Text Inside of Any File Using Windows Search

Many of us rely on Windows Search to find files and launch programs, but searching for text within files is limited to specific filetypes by default. Here’s how you can expand your search to include other text based files.
How to Search for Text Inside of Any File Using Windows Search

20 of the Best Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most out of the Windows Command Line

Do you use the command line in Windows to get things done? If you are more comfortable typing commands to accomplish tasks than using the mouse, we have compiled 20 of the best Windows command line tips and tricks to help you become a command line guru.
20 of the Best Tips and Tricks for Getting the Most out of the Windows Command Line

An anesthesiologist's view of the human heart

This is a really fascinating entry in The Guardian's multi-video package about heart health and medicine. Bruce Martin, a British anesthesiologist, talks about his job, anesthetizing patients for heart surgery. If this doesn't make your job seem less stressful by comparison, then you're probably a fighter pilot or something.
An anesthesiologist's view of the human heart

Stop Carrier IQ From Tracking Your iPhone

Carrier IQ has made quite a stir with its ability to track everything you do on your Android phone, and it turns out that it comes preinstalled on the iPhone as well — albeit a less dastardly version. Here’s what it can do and how to turn it off.
Stop Carrier IQ From Tracking Your iPhone

Carrier IQ and Your Phone: Everything You Need to Know

There’s a storm of controversy flaring up over Carrier IQ, cellphone software that logs user activity and relays at least some of that information to wireless carriers. The carriers say they’ll use that data to improve their networks. But anything that’s peeking in on what you’re doing on a phone raises a host of privacy concerns, and many users are suspicious.

Carrier IQ is so controversial for a few reasons:

• It’s hidden. Short of rooting, or removing certain software safeguards to obtain “administrator” access to your phone, it’s almost impossible to know if it’s there.


• It’s everywhere. The software reportedly exists on millions of handsets on several carriers, including many Android phones and even some versions of the iPhone.


• It’s not opt-in. Without the user’s explicit approval, the software is enabled and gathering data on the phone.


• It’s voracious. According to Trevor Eckhart, who created the recent explosion of attention on Carrier IQ with a video he posted on YouTube earlier this week, the software logs every keystroke and incoming text message. However, there’s some question about how much of this information is actually sent to the carriers.

Here are the most important things you should know about this previously little-known piece of software:
Carrier IQ and Your Phone: Everything You Need to Know

Dropbox File Synchronization and Online Storage Review [Giveaway]

Cloud hosting, or online hosting in general, is not a new technology. Your emails hosted on your email provider’s server are as much cloud hosting as storing website files on content distribution networks or important documents with the help of a provider like Dropbox.
Dropbox File Synchronization and Online Storage Review [Giveaway]

The Eight Splendid Truths of Happiness.

Each one of these truths sounds fairly obvious and straightforward, but each was the product of tremendous thought. Take the Second Splendid Truth—it’s hard to exaggerate the clarity I gained when I finally managed to put it into words. Here they are:

First Splendid Truth
To be happier, you have to think about feeling good, feeling bad, and feeling right, in an atmosphere of growth.

The Eight Splendid Truths of Happiness.

Facebook Unveils Its Most Shared Stories of 2011

1. Satellite Photos of Japan, Before and After the Earthquake and Tsunami

This Mar. 15 New York Times interactive graphic compares satellite images of the damages of the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Click here to view this gallery.

Facebook has released a list of the 40 most shared stories of 2011 (well, the first 11 months, at least). We’ve collected the top 20 into the gallery above — check it out.

The topics range from sweet (twin baby boys conversing in gibberish) to serious (satellite photos examining the damages of the Japan earthquake).

There were some clear trends. Twelve of the stories relate to parenting or families, while three of the picks are viral videos. Another three are about Steve Jobs.

More suprisingly, all 40 of the stories come from just six online outlets: Yahoo has 13 stories, CNN has 11, the New York Times has 7, The Huffington Post has 7, The Wall Street Journal has one and the Washington Post has one.

Mashable‘s Pete Cashmore wrote the number seven story: You’ll Freak When You See the New Facebook, as one of his regular columns for CNN.

Most of the stories provide unique opinions, such as pieces on “Tiger Moms” and why women remain unmarried. Straight news coverage, however, didn’t fare so well. CNN‘s Steve Jobs, Apple Founder, Dies barely made the list at number 37).

Facebook Unveils Its Most Shared Stories of 2011