JAXA | KAGUYA (SELENE) Image Taking of Earth-Rise by HDTV

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) have successfully performed the world's first high-definition image taking of an Earth-rise* by the lunar explorer "KAGUYA" (SELENE,) which was injected into a lunar orbit at an altitude of about 100 km on October 18, 2007.
JAXA | KAGUYA (SELENE) Image Taking of Earth-Rise by HDTV

The Art of Punctuation: What your use of quotation marks says about you

Today I’m bringing you an excerpt from our book The Art of Punctuation by Noah Lukeman. Here Lukeman talks about how a feast or famine of quotation marks can say a lot about the kind of writer (and even the kind of person you are). Who knew that a writer’s use of quotations marks could be so revealing?
In many cases a publishing professional need only flip through a manuscript to get an immediate idea of its worth: quotation marks tell the story.
The Art of Punctuation: What your use of quotation marks says about you

Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, Aug 2007

Full-time adult ordinary time earnings rose by 5.2% for males and 4.8% for females in the twelve months to August 2007.
Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, Aug 2007

Australia's election map redrawn

Australia's federal election is on 24 November 2007, and the campaign is well and truly in its final stages. Prime Minister Howard and Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd are adding final details to their policies and making their final appeal for votes.
Australia's election map redrawn

The truth about recycling

As the importance of recycling becomes more apparent, questions about it linger. Is it worth the effort? How does it work? Is recycling waste just going into a landfill in China? Here are some answers.
The truth about recycling

Oddly, Hypocrisy Rooted in High Morals

Morally upstanding people are the do-gooders of society, right? Actually, a new study finds that a sense of moral superiority can lead to unethical acts, such as cheating. In fact, some of the best do-gooders can become the worst cheats.
Stop us if this sounds familiar.
Oddly, Hypocrisy Rooted in High Morals

17 Tips to Be Productive with Instant Messaging

The best way to be productive with instant messaging (or chat)? Don’t do it.
Seriously, IM can take up your entire day if you let it. Those who stay away from it can get a lot more done.
17 Tips to Be Productive with Instant Messaging

Be aware of the threat of hidden keystroke-logging devices

Keystroke loggers are a particularly dangerous security threat because users typically don't realise they're even there.
Be aware of the threat of hidden keystroke-logging devices

How many things can you plug into an electrical outlet before it catches fire?

It seems to happen most around the holidays -- the electrical outlet begins putting on extra weight. There are nine strings of lights for the tree, electric candles, a CD player with holiday music and -- for some reason -- a George Foreman Grill. It seems like just staring at this mess of electrical cords for too long will give it just the extra boost it needs to catch fire.
"How many things can you plug into an electrical outlet before it catches fire?"

Conquering your fear of public speaking

People fear public speaking more than anything else. Anxiety over a simple presentation can be debilitating. Moreover, sufferers are typically embarrassed and reluctant to admit they have a problem. They hide a deep concern about the phobia's affect on their careers in an industry that values presentation skills so highly.
Conquering your fear of public speaking

How to Survive Creative Burnout

The longer you work at creating things, whether it’s software, websites, essays or paintings, the greater the odds you’ll hit a day where you don’t feel like doing it anymore. Up until then, you may have heard others describe burnout, but you just shrugged it off as superstition, or perhaps believed yourself immune.
How to survive creative burnout

Top 25 Craziest Deaths

This is a list of crazy, weird and even funny deaths of prominent people in the last 100 years.
Top 25 Craziest Deaths

Cool Tool: Vinegar

I recently became a vinegar convert after acquiring this book whose intriguing subtitle says it all: Over 400 Various, Versatile, and Very Good Uses You've Probably Never Thought Of.
Cool Tool: Vinegar

Oxford Word Of The Year: Locavore

It’s that time of the year again. The New Oxford American Dictionary is preparing for the holidays by making its biggest announcement of the year. The 2007 Word of the Year is (drum-roll please) locavore.
Oxford Word Of The Year: Locavore

The Downside of Optimism

Optimism, it turns out, is best in moderation.
The Downside of Optimism

Melbourne 'on track to be Australia's biggest city'

New population growth figures show Melbourne is closing the gap on Sydney as Australia's largest city.
Consultancy firm KPMG has found 62,000 people moved to Melbourne last financial year, nearly twice the increase in the population of Sydney.
Melbourne 'on track to be Australia's biggest city'

Hear This: 10 Ways to Become a Better Listener and Change Your Life Forever

Learning to listen — I mean really listen — is the single-most important thing you can do to improve communication in your life. It’s unreal how many varied aspects of our lives are directly and indirectly controlled by our ability (or, most often, inability) to listen.
Our romantic relationships run into communication problems everyday. Friendships can get too one-sided and devolve into arguments about taking too much. Even consumerism is dependent upon listening — advertising and referrals help us determine what to buy and where to buy it.
Hear This: 10 Ways to Become a Better Listener and Change Your Life Forever

World Records day sees snakes, swords and strong ears

The daring, the ditzy and the downright deluded were out in force across the globe on a day of mass attempts to break world records.
A wealth of weird and wacky attempts were scheduled which involved kissing cobras, pulling buses with ears, firewalking, bathing with rattlesnakes, tying bras together and samurai sword assaults on apples.
World Records day sees snakes, swords and strong ears

10 Simple, Sure-fire Ways to Make Today Your Best Day Ever

This morning as I took my kids to school, I was feeling rushed and harried. Stress levels high, my face wore a permanent frown, my mind was in a million different places, and my two youngest kids (3 year old, and 20 months) were quiet in their car seats.
Then I realized: while my mind is elsewhere, I’m missing some prime moments with my kids. And not really enjoying my day.
And so I changed the moment, and in doing so changed my day.
10 Simple, Sure-fire Ways to Make Today Your Best Day Ever

The 7 deadly sins of instant messaging

I heart instant messaging, but I heart it too much. If you’re a chat addict like me, you understand the lure. It’s convenient, connecting you to faraway buddies with little cost. It’s safe, releasing you from the worry of looking pretty or sounding sexy. And its deliciously fun. How can you not love video effects, screensharing, and presentation-hosting in Leopard’s iChat?
Despite the benefits, instant messaging can turn you into a mindless chat drone. Too much chatting replaces real interactions and, soon, people turn into pixels.
The 7 deadly sins of instant messaging