Beyond... The Black Stump

Sunday, September 23, 2007

5 nutritious habits of the planet's healthiest countries

If you've vacationed in an international destination, you know that learning about its food is one of the best ways to become familiar with a new culture. But lately, there is a greater interest in global cuisine because of health benefits attributed to certain styles of eating.
5 nutritious habits of the planet's healthiest countries

Japanese Vending Machines

PhotoMann has a large 'collection' of images of unique vending machines found around Japan. Over 50 of them can be seen here. The machines are everywhere.
Japanese Vending Machines

Is Your Computer Connecting To Websites Without Your Knowledge

If you are worried that some programs on your PC are secretly making connections to websites in the background, here's a quick tip that uses a simple DOS command to detect and prevent such suspicious activity.
Is Your Computer Connecting To Websites Without Your Knowledge

Do Martians live in Caves?

The NASA 2001 Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor orbital probes have found entrances to seven probable caves (nicknamed “Seven Sisters”) located on the slope of the Martian volcano Arsia Mons.
Do Martians live in caves?

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Is Australia the New China?

Several privacy advocates are in an uproar in response to a bill introduced by Australia’s Parliament, which would grant the country’s federal police the power to control which sites can be accessed by users of the Internet.
Is Australia the New China?

4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit

The Main Problems
So why do most people have trouble making exercise a regular habit? Well, there are probably a number of factors, but here are the main ones as I see it.
4 Simple Steps to Start the Exercise Habit

Real-Time Collection: Flight Tracking with Flight Explorer

As we continue to build our collection of real-time or near real-time data resources on the Internet, we’re adding another service that offers near real-time tracking of aircraft either in or arriving, departing U.S. airspace.
Real-Time Collection: Flight Tracking with Flight Explorer

Testing the People Search Engines

Somehow, a bunch of companies seem to have decided that “searching for people” is one of the great unsolved problems of the Internet. I admit that I do end up searching for information on people now and then, but Google has generally done pretty well for me. Still, Spock, SquidWho, WhoZat?, and Wink are all pitching the notion that they can supply some secret sauce that Google is missing in the people search arena.
Testing the People Search Engines

Friday, September 21, 2007

My Word Mate

"MyWordMate.com" is a project that aims to find as many synonyms as possible for different words.
My Word Mate

SMILEY:25 YEARS OLD AND NEVER LOOKED HAPPIER!

By Scott Fahlman
A lot of people have asked me about this. Yes, I am the inventor of the sideways “smiley face” (sometimes called an “emoticon”) that is commonly used in E-mail, chat, and newsgroup posts. Or at least I’m one of the inventors.
SMILEY:25 YEARS OLD AND NEVER LOOKED HAPPIER!

Laptop or Desktop Computer? - Lifehacker

Blogger Ron Schenone insists that the desktop computer is no longer needed to run heavy software, since laptops are nearly if not just as capable as most desktops on the market. Add to that the portability, small footprint and dramatic price drops for good laptops, and Schenone wonders why any normal user should buy a full desktop computer. So what I'd like to know is: 1) What are you using right now? and 2) Which would you purchase right now?
Laptop or Desktop Computer? - Lifehacker

Armless Artist Questioned In Neighbour's Death

Relatives of Charles Keith Teer, 47, claim he died after the armless man, William Russell Redfren, head-butted and kicked Teer during a fight.
Armless Artist Questioned In Neighbour's Death

10 Technologies That Will Change The World

ABCNews asked weekly columnists Jonathan Blum and Dan Evans to tell us about 10 technologies they believe will change the world. This is what they said.
10 Technologies That Will Change The World

Art of Writing - Writing Tips

As the world becomes increasingly digital, writing becomes more important. This is especially true for non-writers. If you work in an office, the majority of your communications are made with text by email or IM.
Art of Writing - Writing Tips

Oomphy Wordsmithery of the Anglosphere

Today’s an exciting day for OUP, as we launch the sixth edition of the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. If this were a birth announcement, we’d have to give the vitals: Oxford University Press joyfully announces the arrival of twin volumes, weighing a total of 13.6 pounds (6.2 kilograms), with 3,800 pages, 6 million words of text, more than half a million definitions, and 84,000 illustrative quotations.
New Entries in the Shorter OED

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Corrective Services, Australia, June 2007

This publication presents information on persons in custody and community-based corrections. The statistics are derived from information provided to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) from administrative records held by corrective services agencies in each state and territory, and from the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department for details on federal prisoners. Details are provided for each state and territory on: prisoner numbers and imprisonment rates by type of custody (i.e. open or secure custody or periodic detention); prisoner numbers by legal status (sentenced or unsentenced) for all prisoners and for Indigenous prisoners; the number of sentenced receptions into custody; the number of federal prisoners; and the numbers and rates of persons serving community-based corrections orders. Experimental data on the Indigenous status of persons in community-based corrections are also included in the Appendix.
Corrective Services, Australia, June 2007