Thursday, September 24, 2009

Six Tips for Coping with the Fact that You've Forgotten Someone's Name

If you’re like me, you sometimes have trouble remembering people’s names, or even how you know them.
Six Tips for Coping with the Fact that You've Forgotten Someone's Name

5 Focus Killers … and How to Beat Them

It doesn’t matter how focused you are, working from your remote office likely entails more than a few distractions. For each of us those distractions will be different (I just had to break my morning’s work to move my goat to a new patch of grass; you may not have to cram this particular commitment into your schedule). And, truth be told, they’re not always unwelcome.
5 Focus Killers … and How to Beat Them

Dust storm chokes Sydney

Sydneysiders are being warned that a huge dust cloud will continue to affect the city through the day, after they woke to an eerie red dawn.
Dust storm chokes Sydney

Amazing video of girl barely missing an out-of-control car

A 6-year-old girl very narrowly misses getting squashed by an out of control car.
Amazing video of girl barely missing an out-of-control car

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

7 ways to fewer wrinkles

Some people are born lucky—but for the rest of us wrinkles are a natural part of aging.
7 ways to fewer wrinkles

Oxford English Dictionary Update

On 10 September 2009 the New Edition was updated with new materials which fall into three main categories: (a) alphabetical series of revised entries based around significant words from across the alphabet; (b) the sequence of revised entries from red to refulgent; (c) a series of new entries and senses from across the alphabet. The table below shows the ranges which were covered, together with some of the more notable entries within them.
Oxford English Dictionary Update

Directory Size Calculator

The best way to free up some hard drive space is to sort the files and folders of that hard drive by size. Windows Explorer is able to sort the files by size but not the folders. It is possible to get the folder size of one folder by right-clicking on that folder and selecting properties but that’s not practicable if there are more than a few on that drive.
Directory Size Calculator

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Last Words

Last week, reports of executions — one postponed in Ohio, one carried out in Texas — punctuated the news more frequently than usual. These reports prompted me to reflect on an archive of executed prisoners’ last words I found on the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Web site while researching parole terms. The archive’s earliest entry dates from Dec. 7, 1982; the most recent was added after Stephen Moody was executed on Wednesday by lethal injection for murder.
Last Words

Monday, September 21, 2009

Fastest PDF File Viewer

Adobe PDF is not the fastest pdf reader that is available these days even with programs like Adobe Reader Speedup which remove some of the unneeded features. There are quite a few popular alternatives like Foxit PDF Reader which provide a similar functionality but offer faster startup and loading times.
Fastest PDF File Viewer

How to Use a Dash in an English Sentence

Do you use a dash a lot? What about a hyphen? Many people can not tell the difference between them. Some people even think they are the same thing. If you are one of them, check this out and master the dash.
How to Use a Dash in an English Sentence

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Swine flu and a new age of social greetings

The swine flu pandemic has wreaked havoc on traditional greetings worldwide. France’s health ministry has recommended that countrymen avoid “la bise,” and Spain has reportedly recommended halting their “besos”—both are the traditional kisses on the cheeks.
Swine flu and a new age of social greetings

Saturday, September 19, 2009

How To Hang Artwork Easily & Precisely

Tutorial on how to hang artwork in a grid "easily and precisely".
How To Hang Artwork Easily

The Best Retirement Calculator - Ever

Have you seen the investment calculator on WolframAlpha? It's amazing. With a few simple inputs like portfolio starting value, age, and other values, you can get a huge amount of data crunching power at your finger tips.
The Best Retirement Calculator - Ever

How to Sample Wine Without Looking like a Clown

Here's some more unpretentious wine instruction from Kathryn Borel Jr.
How to Sample Wine Without Looking like a Clown

Moon is coldest known place in the solar system

Poor Pluto. First it gets kicked out of the planet club, now it's not even the coldest place in the solar system. Dark craters near the moon's south pole have snatched that title – which is good news for the prospects of finding water ice on Earth's companion.
Moon is coldest known place in the solar system

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 28 - September 19, 2009

The latest issue of new family friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 28 - September 19, 2009

Beatles remasters: the Metzger review

The definitive review on the recently-released Beatles remasters.
Beatles remasters: the Metzger review

Friday, September 18, 2009

Unclog a Toilet with Dishwasher Detergent

It's not a clever hack any of us want to have to use, but the Art of Manliness blog has a homebrew fix for the next time your restroom trip ends in disaster.
Unclog a Toilet with Dishwasher Detergent

How to Add 5 Consecutive Numbers Quickly

Bet someone you can add five consecutive numbers faster than they can. You can use this as a bar trick, with your friends, or (if you are a student) impress your teacher!
How to Add 5 Consecutive Numbers Quickly

Underwater Suffering: Do Fish Feel Pain?

Many a seafood fan has parroted the popular idea that fish and crustaceans do not feel pain. New research, however, suggests that they may, revealing that their nervous system may be more complex than we thought—and our own awareness of pain may be much more evolutionarily ancient than suspected.
Underwater Suffering: Do Fish Feel Pain?