Beyond... The Black Stump

Monday, June 04, 2007

15 years of Native Title

On 3 June Australia commemorates the 15th anniversary of the High Court's landmark Mabo decision - the catalyst for native title in Australia.
Tribunal President Graeme Neate said the anniversary was an opportunity to reflect on what has been achieved since then, and to look forward: ‘There have been 101 registered determinations of native title, 67 that native title exists and 34 that native title does not exist. Most of these determinations have been made by agreement, but much work remains to be done.’
15 years of Native Title

Doctored Magazine Covers

The June/July issue of Men's Fitness enhanced Andy Roddick's bicep muscles -- so much so that Roddick said he stopped in his tracks when he saw the cover while walking through the airport. Eight other celebrity magazine covers are featured, including those of Julia Roberts, Kate Winslet, Brad and Angelina, and OJ Simpson.
Doctored Magazine Covers

I-SPY Online Snooping

A good read for awareness. Be careful out there.
A Master Class in Online Snooping

Australian National Library to Digitise Newspapers

The National Library of Australia, in collaboration with each Australian state and territory library, has embarked on a plan to digitise out of copyright newspapers.
National Library to digitise newspapers for the nation

Google Street View Gallery

Here are some oddities found on Google Maps’ new Street View feature, via StreetViewr.com (most of these are from San Francisco, as it has the highest resolution panorama photos).
Google Street View Gallery

25 Best Movies You've Never Seen

Forget The Godfather. What we've got here are the overlooked greats, the hidden gems. From Jake Gyllenhaal in a bubble to a murderous Kate Winslet to a pair of violent, avenging Irish "angels" … these are the box-office left-behinds.
25 Best Movies You've Never Seen

Behind the Scenes of Google Rankings

The New York Times has a mighty interesting inside look at Google’s top search algo engineers, most prominently 39-year old Amit Singhal, and their methodologies. Some highlights:

Users expect more: Amit says search moved from “Give me what I typed” to “Give me what I want.” Users expect more and more these days and take good results for granted... if something they’re looking for is not in the top 3 results, something feels broken.

Read on...Behind the Scenes of Google Rankings

Saturday, June 02, 2007

10 Beach Photography Tips

Here in Australia we love to hit the beach.
We’re one big island and most of our population is scattered along the coast line so the beach is a natural place for us to go both on day trips and longer holidays.
Beaches present digital camera owners with a number of wonderful opportunities as they are places of natural beauty, color and interesting light. However they also present a variety of challenges including camera damage, privacy issues and making large open spaces interesting.
10 Beach Photography Tips

Science Podcasts - The Lab

Get caught up in the podcasting frenzy, but in a sciencey way! You can now have the latest ABC Science Online and Radio National science shows to download at your leisure or to have magically delivered when you subscribe via RSS feed.
Science Podcasts - The Lab

Friday, June 01, 2007

Internet Activity, Australia

The Internet Activity Survey (IAS) collects details on aspects of Internet access services provided by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia.
This publication contains results from all ISPs operating in Australia with over 10,000 active subscribers as at 31 March 2007. Growth from September 2006 to March 2007 may be due to the movement of subscribers from smaller ISPs.
Internet Activity, Australia

Top 15 Google Street View Sightings

Google’s Street View feature for Google Maps, which enables users to see certain parts of several big US cities through panoramic images, has caused a new trend: StreetSpotting.
Top 15 Google Street View Sightings

The First Digital Image

The first film photo registered by a computer and recreated in pixels—30,976 to be exact. In 1957, Russell Kirsch, a scientist at what is now the National Institute of Standards and Technology, used a drum scanner connected to the SEAC (Standards Electronic Automatic Computer) to scan an image of his three-month-old son Walden.
The First Digital Image (The World Almanac)

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Travel Advice for Indonesia

We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Indonesia, including Bali, at this time due to the very high threat of terrorist attack. We receive regular reports indicating that terrorists are planning attacks against Western interests against a range of targets, including places frequented by foreigners. If you are in Indonesia, including Bali, and are concerned for your safety you should consider departing.
Travel Advice for Indonesia

31 Of The Worst Predictions

1. “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” — Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.
Read on...
31 Of The Worst Predictions

BitLocker Drive Encryption

Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption is certainly one of the most talked-about features in Windows Vista. However, most people haven’t yet had much opportunity to test BitLocker to find out firsthand
Keys to Protecting Data with BitLocker Drive Encryption

Australian Economic Indicators

A monthly compendium of economic statistics, presenting comprehensive tables, graphs, commentaries, feature articles and technical notes. Primarily a reference document, the publication provides a broad basis for analysis and research on the Australian economy and includes statistics that can be applied to both macro-economic and sectoral analyses. The publication contains statistics under the following headings: national accounts, international accounts, consumption and investment, production, prices, labour force and demography, incomes and labour costs, financial markets, state comparisons and international comparisons.
Australian Economic Indicators, June 2007