Blackstump Australia Issue 19 - June 18, 2009

The latest issue of new family friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Blackstump Australia Issue 19 - June 18, 2009

Hard stats shed light on bushfire risk

The risk of a house being burnt down in a bushfire in Australia is small and hasn't changed in the past 100 years, say researchers.
Hard stats shed light on bushfire risk

6 Intriguingly Shaped Communities As Seen On Google Maps

The introduction of mapping applications such as Google Maps (undoubtedly the most popular example of all) and their subsequent widespread use around the world has resulted in an enormous amount of people taking up an interest in an interactive view of the world which previously was very difficult to obtain. There are millions of incredibly interesting sights to experience which, when living at ground level as we do, are rarely seen in the flesh.
6 Intriguingly Shaped Communities As Seen On Google Maps

Lifehacker's Firefox Add-On Packs

It used to be a pain to hunt down your favorite extensions every time you reinstall Firefox. Mozilla's recently launched Collections make it easy, so we've assembled a few easy-to-install collections of our favorite Firefox helpers.
Lifehacker's Firefox Add-On Packs

The Future Of GPS Traffic Monitoring In Australia

The Suna traffic-tracking service will cover most of Australia’s key cities within weeks, but what else can we expect from this handy GPS enhancing technology? Lifehacker chatted with Adam Game, CEO of Suna’s parent company Intelematics, to find out.
The Future Of GPS Traffic Monitoring In Australia

Top 10 Social Media Stories of the Week

This week’s social media news was dominated by three stories: the launch of Facebook Usernames, the activation of Twitter Verified Accounts, and the announcement of Apple’s iPhone 3G S. Mashable brought you all this news, including live coverage of the Usernames launch from Facebook HQ.
Top 10 Social Media Stories of the Week

60 Rare and Unusual Vintage Signs

In the U.S., most outdoor signs made between 1890 and and 1950 were constructed of a base of heavy rolled iron, which was die cut into the desired shape, then coated with layers of colored powdered glass and fired in a kiln. This process made them durable and weather-resistant. Signs made this way were known as porcelain enamel signs or simply enamel signs.
60 Rare and Unusual Vintage Signs

Obvious Fail

Yeah, well !
Obvious Fail

Save Time With Excel's Double-Click Tricks

The article runs down a list of double-click actions you can use to save time in Excel—for instance, if you want to resize a number of columns at once you can simply select them and double-click on the separator to make Excel automatically resize those columns to the width of the content.
Save Time With Excel's Double-Click Tricks

Q&A: Is it safe to buy meat when the "sell-by" date is about to expire?

How safe is it to buy beef or fish at a reduced price because the “sell by” date is about to expire? What are signs of bad steak? Does browning around the edges indicate it’s spoiled?
Q&A: Is it safe to buy meat when the "sell-by" date is about to expire?

How to Adjust a Front Bicycle Derailleur

On any bike with gears, the derailleurs need to adjusted periodically to ensure proper shifting. Follow these steps to ensure that your front derailleur is properly adjusted.
How to Adjust a Front Bicycle Derailleur

Oxford English Dictionary Adds New Words

The Oxford English Dictionary has added several new words to their publication. That complete list can be accessed online here.
Oxford English Dictionary Adds New Words

Being Green: 11 Environmentally Friendly Habits

Sending kids outside, household chemicals explained, promiscuous boaters, and more.
Being Green: 11 Environmentally Friendly Habits

The Google Wave Highlight Reel

We haven't been invited to try out Google Wave, but based on the 80-minute demonstration video, we're jazzed about it. Don't have 80 minutes? These eight 30-60 second clips highlight the best parts of Google Wave.
The Google Wave Highlight Reel

Seven things that don't make sense about gravity

It's the force we all know about and think we understand. It keeps our feet firmly on the ground and our world circling the sun.
Yet look a little closer, and the certainties start to float away, revealing gravity as the most puzzling and least understood of the four fundamental forces of nature.
Seven things that don't make sense about gravity

Car Accident Checklist Lessens Post

Even a minor fender bender can make your nerves run amuck. Having an accident checklist on hand can make the situation less stressful so you can get the important information you need.
Car Accident Checklist Lessens Post-Accident Stress

Fotopedia: An Online Encyclopedia for Photos

Fotopedia, a photo encyclopedia site that launches to the public today, hopes to become the Wikipedia (Wikipedia reviews) for photos by centralizing the photo experience around user-created topics and subject matters. The sleek web interface is coupled with a desktop application for a community experience on site or off.
Fotopedia: An Online Encyclopedia for Photos

CIA World Factbook Launches New Web Site

On Monday, June 8, the World Factbook team unveiled its thoroughly redesigned Web site. Presenting a cleaner look, improved navigation, and a host of added features, the new site provides visitors with a more user-friendly experience.
CIA World Factbook Launches New Web Site

Slang Words: Not What You Think

What do you think of when you think of slang? Maybe you think of a bunch of teenagers running around saying “OMG, like, LOL.” The truth is that everyone, not just young people, use slang –sometimes without even realizing it.
Slang Words: Not What You Think

Firefox 3.5 Preview

The Mozilla Firefox team has released a new version of the upcoming Firefox web browser. The version is called Firefox 3.5 Preview by the team and is listed as Firefox 3.5b99 on the Mozilla ftp site and about pages in the web browser. Users who are already working with the Firefox 3.5x branch can update the web browser by going to help > check for updates. This checks if a new version of Firefox is available with the option to download the new version right away.
Firefox 3.5 Preview