The Curious Case of Benford’s Law

When you roll dice, all numbers have the same probability to show up (assuming that the dice aren’t loaded in any way). However, the leading digits of numbers in very large accumulated datasets—for example, the amount you pay for each household bill over the course of a year—follow a very different pattern. In such cases it is much more likely that a given number will start with one, with decreasing probability for each higher digit up to nine. This statistical phenomenon is called Benford’s law.
The Curious Case of Benford’s Law

This Year’s 10 Most Popular YouTube Videos In Under 90 Seconds

What were the 10 most-watched YouTube videos of 2010? If I had my way it would just be the Bed Intruder song on repeat. But! Here’s how it actually played out.
This Year’s 10 Most Popular YouTube Videos In Under 90 Seconds

The Real Da Vinci Code Discovered

This is not part of Dan Brown’s novel. Researcher Silvano Vinceti – chairman of the Italian national committee for cultural heritage – has found a secret code in the Mona Lisa by scanning her eyes. A code that could reveal her mysterious identity.
The Real Da Vinci Code Discovered

Minnesota Dome Collapse Captivates the Web [VIDEO]

When a massive snowstorm dumped tons of the heavy white stuff on Minneapolis over the weekend, Fox, who was in town to broadcast Sunday’s scheduled NFL game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, did something unusual: it trained a camera on the roof of the Metrodome stadium.
Minnesota Dome Collapse Captivates the Web [VIDEO]

FAQ: Compromised Commenting Accounts on Gawker Media

This past weekend Gawker Media's servers were compromised, resulting in a security breach at Lifehacker, Gizmodo, Gawker, Jezebel, io9, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Deadspin, and Fleshbot. If you're a commenter on any of those sites, you probably have several questions.
FAQ: Compromised Commenting Accounts on Gawker Media

Find if your Email Address Got Leaked through Gawker’s Database

The user database of Gawker Media has been hacked and the email addresses, user names (aliases) and encrypted passwords of millions of Gawker commenters have now been posted on the web and are viewable by anyone.
Find if your Email Address Got Leaked through Gawker’s Database

Track Santa in Real Time with Google Maps

Christmas is just a couple of weeks away and Santa must be getting ready buying all the gifts he has promised us! To help all of us track Santa, Google and NORAD are ready with their Santa tracker, using which you can follow Santa once he gets on the move at around 2am EST on December 24 2010.
Track Santa in Real Time with Google Maps

Wire an Old Car Radio for MP3 Input

Just because you've got a sweet classic car doesn't mean you have to go with 1960s-era technology for your tunes. Hacking your radio for MP3 input is a simple DIY electronics project.
Wire an Old Car Radio for MP3 Input

Neil Armstrong Talks About The First Moon Walk

Well, this doesn't happen every day.
Neil Armstrong Talks About The First Moon Walk

Most Popular Photography Tips, Tricks, and Hacks of 2010

Whether it's before, during, or after you shoot, Lifehacker have posted some awesome photography tips, tricks, and hacks this year. Here are the most popular for 2010.
Most Popular Photography Tips, Tricks, and Hacks of 2010

Browser Speed Tests: IE 9, Firefox 4 Beta, Chrome's Crankshaft, and Opera 11 Beta

Google's got a new "Crankshaft" in its bleeding-edge Chrome, Internet Explorer 9 is out to prove its modern mettle, Firefox 4 is nearly complete, and Opera's adding extensions. It's a good time to put these browsers head to head.
Browser Speed Tests: IE 9, Firefox 4 Beta, Chrome's Crankshaft, and Opera 11 Beta

Make Better Choices by Asking Yourself Two Simple Questions

Presumably you want to spend your time here on Earth doing something that matters to you. If you fall into that likely category, there are two questions you ought to be asking yourself to ensure you're making good choices.
Make Better Choices by Asking Yourself Two Simple Questions

The Best, Most Disgruntled Toner Cartridge Description Ever

Sometimes, a man reaches his breaking point. He realises that he’s, say, a copywriter for InkCartridges.uk.com, and that he’s tired of writing boring ink cartridge descriptions all day, and he snaps in hilarious ranting fashion. This is that glorious moment.
The Best, Most Disgruntled Toner Cartridge Description Ever

Disaster zones declared across eastern Australia

Thirty-five council areas in New South Wales and Queensland have been declared natural disaster zones with more areas likely to be announced as floodwaters continue to rise, prompting more evacuations.
Disaster zones declared across eastern Australia

Google’s 2010 Zeitgeist Video is Up!

Google’s 2010 Zeitgeist site is not up yet but they already have a video on YouTube capturing events and moments that the world searched for during 2010.
Google’s 2010 Zeitgeist Video is Up!

The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better

We’re big fans of hacking the Windows Registry around here, and we’ve got one of the biggest collections of registry hacks you’ll find. Don’t believe us? Here’s a list of the top 50 registry hacks that we’ve covered.
The 50 Best Registry Hacks that Make Windows Better

Google top 10 Australian searches for 2010

Aussie users of Google have been super interested in controversial topics for much of the year with Wikileaks, Andy Irons and Andrew Bolt amongst the most popular search terms. Sport’s been big as well with the World Cup with the Dukan Diet also being big topics of interest.
Google top 10 Australian searches for 2010

Top 5 iPhone Apps for Students – Educational Apps

iPhone is not just a smartphone, it’s much more than that. By having a constructive thinking, you can stay up-to the mark and productive with your time. I believe iPhone is the best option for almost everyone, from a master chef to a star business man. What makes iPhone so great? The Apps! That’s right, the apps are very innovative and you can make your iPhone even better with over 300,000 apps from Apple’s App Store.
Top 5 iPhone Apps for Students

Prisoners in Australia, 2010

Contains national information on prisoners who were in custody on 30 June each year. The statistics are derived from information collected by the ABS from corrective services agencies in each state and territory. Details are provided on the number of people in correctional institutions (including people on remand), imprisonment rates, most serious offence and sentence length. A range of information is also presented on prisoner characteristics (age, sex, Indigenous status) and on the type of prisoner (all prisoners, sentenced prisoners, and unsentenced prisoners (remandees).
Prisoners in Australia, 2010

Births, Australia, 2009

Contains statistics on live births and fertility for Australia, states and territories, and sub-state regions, based on calendar year of registration data. Information on characteristics of the child include place of usual residence, sex, Indigenous status, and age, martial status and country of birth of parents.
Births, Australia, 2009