Melbourne named world's most liveable city

Melbourne has finally knocked Vancouver off its perch as the best city in the world to live in. Melbourne claimed the title of the world's most liveable city in the Economist Intelligence Unit's latest survey, with Sydney, Perth and Adelaide also making it into the top 10.
Melbourne named world's most liveable city

Four Amazing Freeware Tools for Windows

Some of the most useful and maybe, less-known freeware to make your Windows experience even more worthwhile.
Four Amazing Freeware Tools for Windows

What's important in Australian life?

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) launched a national conversation today, asking:

What do you think is important in Australian life?
What do you think is important in Australia’s society, economy and environment?

To kick start the conversation, we asked Michael Stutchbury, Economics Editor of The Australian, and Richard Aedy, host of Radio National's Life Matters program to share their views.
What's important in Australian life?

Hurricane Irene: Top 5 Online Sources for Weathering the Storm

Now that Hurricane Irene is attacking the East Coast in earnest, it’s time to keep a close eye on current hurricane conditions — that is, if you’re lucky enough to still have some sort of Internet connection.
Hurricane Irene: Top 5 Online Sources for Weathering the Storm

Men and women are both living longer

Women are still living longer than men, but men are closing the gap, according to a new publication released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) today. Over the last ten years life expectancy at birth has increased at a greater rate for men (by 3 years) than for women (by 2 years). However, women continue to have a higher life expectancy at birth (now 84 years for women and 79 years for men).
Men and women are both living longer

Hurricane Irene, as seen from space (video, and snapshot by astronaut)

From 230 miles above the Earth, cameras on the International Space Station captured new views of powerful Hurricane Irene as it churned over the Bahamas at 3:10 p.m. EDT on August 24, 2011. Irene is moving to the northwest as a Category 3 hurricane, packing winds of 120 miles an hour. Irene is expected to strengthen to a Category 4 storm as it heads toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the Eastern Seaboard and the middle Atlantic and New England states.
Hurricane Irene, as seen from space (video, and snapshot by astronaut

How the first image of the whole Earth was taken

The very first image of the whole Earth was made in 1966. It was fax quality, sent back by the Lunar Orbit 1. Most remarkable was the ingenious contraption that took a picture, developed the film, scanned it and transmitted it back, all in analog, with mechanical moving parts, in zero gravity and a total vacuum.
How the first image of the whole Earth was taken

Fukushima technician gives behind-the-scenes look at the cleanup operation

New details about the robotics deployed to help clean up Japan's Fukushima nuclear plant have emerged, thanks to a series of blog posts penned by an anonymous technician.
Fukushima technician gives behind-the-scenes look at the cleanup operation

TravelSIM Lets You Receive Calls Free In 117 Countries

One of the big disincentives to use your mobile phone overseas is the roaming charge double-whammy: not only does the caller pay to ring you, but you get slugged with a charge as well. Roaming SIM provider TravelSIM has eased that pain a little, offering free receipt of calls in 117 countries.
TravelSIM Lets You Receive Calls Free In 117 Countries

Inside Antarctica’s ice caves

Kayla Iacovino is a Ph.D. student who works on Antarctica's Mount Erebus, the southernmost volcano in the world. Ironically, for a volcano, Erebus is also home to some truly stunning ice caves, carved out of nearby ice and snowpack by hot, volcanic gases.
Inside Antarctica’s ice caves

How to Remove Passwords from Adobe PDF Files

Is there a tool available that can remove password protection from PDF files? The answer is obviously yes.
How to Remove Passwords from Adobe PDF Files

A Guide To Facebook Security

Facebook on Thursday has released a security guide aimed at young adults, parents and educators to educate them about security concepts on the social networking site. The 14 pages of the pdf document are packed with information that range from general account protection information to using Facebook’s advanced security settings or recovering a hacked Facebook account.
A Guide To Facebook Security

How to Create a Windows 7 System Backup Image & Repair Disk

Creating a system backup image can be extremely useful. If something goes wrong with your Windows 7 installation, you can’t log in, or files have become damaged and corrupted, you can boot directly from your repair disk to rectify the problem. You should note that when you restore from a system backup image, it is a complete restoration, and you won’t be able to choose individual programs or files. However, if you find yourself with a corrupted disk drive, a complete restoration is probably what you want anyway.
How to Create a Windows 7 System Backup Image & Repair Disk

Download Windows 7 ISOs To Reinstall Without Restoring Your System

If you’ve just bought a new laptop or pre-built desktop running Windows it’s more than likely you do not have a disc with the operating system. You may have a restore disc or hard drive partition that will restore your computer to factory settings, but having an actual disc to install Windows is handy if you need to reinstall just your operating system.
Download Windows 7 ISOs To Reinstall Without Restoring Your System

Fukushima: First photojournalist inside plant captures daily life of cleanup workers

25-year old Kazuma Obara (Twitter), a native of Japan's tsunami-hit Iwate prefecture, is the first photojournalist to enter the Fukushima Daiichi plant and photograph what conditions are like for the cleanup workers.
Fukushima: First photojournalist inside plant captures daily life of cleanup workers

How Can I Start And Shut Down My Computer Automatically Every Morning?

Is there any way I can make my computer start automatically in the morning so it’s ready for me when I get up?
ow Can I Start And Shut Down My Computer Automatically Every Morning?

Introduction to Databases - Stanford University

A bold experiment in distributed education, "Introduction to Databases" will be offered free and online to students worldwide during the fall of 2011. Students will have access to lecture videos, receive regular feedback on progress, and receive answers to questions. When you successfully complete this class, you will also receive a statement of accomplishment. Taught by Professor Jennifer Widom, the curriculum draws from Stanford's popular Introduction to Databases course.
Introduction to Databases - Stanford University

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 16/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 16/2011

Every Hour of TV You Watch May Shorten Your Lifespan By 22 Minutes

In case you needed more proof that watching excessive amounts of TV is bad for your health: new research shows that there is a correlation between the amount of time you spend in front of the TV and how long you live.
Every Hour of TV You Watch May Shorten Your Lifespan By 22 Minutes [STUDY]

Free Whereis iPhone App Offers Turn-By-Turn Navigation

There’s no shortage of GPS apps for the iPhone, but most come with hefty price tags attached. Telstra’s Whereis app is an unusual exception: it offers turn-by-turn directions for Australians, and it’s completely free.
Free Whereis iPhone App Offers Turn-By-Turn Navigation

List of inventors killed by their own inventions

This is a list of inventors whose deaths were in some manner caused by or related to a product, process, procedure, or other innovation that they invented or designed.
List of inventors killed by their own inventions

Personal Computers: A History of the Hardware That Changed the World

On this day in 1981, IBM launched the “Personal Computer.” Revealed at a press conference at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, the 21-pound PC cost $1,565, boasted 16K of memory, and had the ability to connect to a TV set, play games and word process. While IBM wasn’t the first or only company with a personal computer on the market (the Apple II was launched in 1977), it kick-started the home computing revolution. A year later, the personal computer was selected as Time Magazine‘s “Man (or rather, Machine) of the Year.”
Personal Computers: A History of the Hardware That Changed the World

How To Start A Program Automatically When Your Computer Boots

Every time you boot your computer, you probably have a few programs you always start up immediately. Here’s how to set them to start up automatically whenever you turn on your PC.Whether you always seem to have iTunes running, or you want Skype constantly on in the background in case you get a call, most people have one or two programs they want to boot with their computer out of convenience. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to do, both on Windows and Mac OS X. Here’s how.
How To Start A Program Automatically When Your Computer Boots

Best PC Freeware

Welcome to the Gizmo's Freeware Editors' Choice List, where you'll find a collection of the very best freeware from our site. This really is a "best of the best" list. Most of the products in this list have been awarded the coveted "Gizmo's Top" pick award signifying they are the best free product in their class. We've also included some other outstanding products that have impressed our editors with their usefulness and professionalism.
The Editors' Choice List: Our Selection of the Best PC Freeware

Standard & Poor's Credit Rating for each country

..and Moody's, Fitch, Dagong's...Australia going pretty well !
Standard & Poor's Credit Rating for each country

How To Build A Computer From Scratch

How to build your own custom PC, from picking the parts, to putting it together and installing your OS. Here’s the complete guide, along with a printable PDF version that you can use as a reference.
How To Build A Computer From Scratch: The Complete Guide

Boost Your Brain’s Willpower With A Simple Memory Exercise

Some say your willpower is limited and others believe it is as strong as you think it is. Regardless of how much you have, it turns out that you may be able to boost it with a simple brain training exercise.
Boost Your Brain’s Willpower With A Simple Memory Exercise

My Gmail Account got Hacked – What to do and How to Prevent This?

I thought that setting up a password of 50 characters long would be enough, but I have chosen only words and numbers. That’s how I almost got hacked. Another huge mistake that I made was to be logged in all the time.
My Gmail Account got Hacked – What to do and How to Prevent This?

Be part of our history, tick 'Yes' to Question 60

On Census night, 9 August 2011, Australians have an opportunity to ensure their story is preserved in our national history for generations to come.
Be part of our history, tick 'Yes' to Question 60

Color video from Hiroshima

The Nation's Greg Mitchell has a new book out about the strange saga of color video, shot in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the nuclear bomb attacks, which was suppressed for nearly 40 years. You can see a couple of clips from that video in the trailer he's put together for the book.
Color video from Hiroshima

The Hilariously Bad Disguises Of The German Secret Police

Check out these great cold war-era photos of some totally normal East German citizens, who are definitely not members of the secret police! How innocuous they are, these completely non-suspicious-looking gentlemen, who could not possibly be Stasi officers in disguise, especially not the fellow in sunglasses and the enormous fur coat with the upturned collar. Nope, just some regular guys.
The Hilariously Bad Disguises Of The German Secret Police

.net Awards 2011: the top 10 young developers of the year

Another new category in the .net Awards 2011 honours the Young Developer of the Year. Here we profile the top 10 developers under 21 years of age from both sides of the Atlantic that you’ve nominated. Who knows? The next Mark Zuckerberg might be among them.
.net Awards 2011: the top 10 young developers of the year

Direct Google’s Crawl To Your New and Updated Pages

Today, Google launched a new way for site owners to request that specific web pages be crawled. How is this different from the other ways available to let Google know about your pages and when should you use this feature vs. the others? Read on for more.
Direct Google’s Crawl To Your New and Updated Pages

Who Am I, According to Google Ads? Who Am I, According to the Web? Who Do I Want to Be?

The Google ad preferences page. It gives you a limited but nonetheless interesting overview of the various categories and demographic information Google believes reflect your interests (and in a way, your identity, or "who you are" in the eyes of an advertising client). This is all based on a cookie Google places on your browser.
Who Am I, According to Google Ads? Who Am I, According to the Web? Who Do I Want to Be?

Eau Dear: Which City Has Australia’s Worst Drinking Water?

There are ways you can learn to love drinking water, but as Lifehacker reader AJ points out, the taste of water varies widely from city to city. What are your nominations for Australia’s worst-tasting tap water?
Eau Dear: Which City Has Australia’s Worst Drinking Water?

Catholic Priest Advises Engaged Couples: Don’t Use Google Maps

You know it’s rough going when even the clergy can’t recommend your service. That’s what’s happening to Google Maps, which is listing a Catholic church/school in Short Hills, NJ, at the wrong location. The church is located at 50 Short Hills Ave., but when you search Google for that address, it instead shows a similar address — 50 Old Short Hills Rd.
Catholic Priest Advises Engaged Couples: Don’t Use Google Maps

What’s the most iconic scientific image?

This image, first published by neuroscientist Wilder Penfield in 1950 as a way of illustrating connections between parts of the brain and the physical movements they seemed to control is like a pictorial atlas of the cerebral cortex. It’s called the motor homunculus. And it’s definitely iconic, even if it’s not the kind of iconic that’s liable to turn up on the evening news.
What’s the most iconic scientific image?

How to Convert PDF Files for Easy Ebook Reading

Many ebook readers natively support PDF documents but, unfortunately, not all PDF documents are easy to read on a small ebook reader screen. Let’s take a look at two simple and free ways to convert PDF files for enjoyable reading.
How to Convert PDF Files for Easy Ebook Reading

Using the System File Checker to Repair Windows 7

Microsoft have made available direct downloads for versions of Windows 7 that contain Service Pack 1 integrated into the ISO file. These downloads are more important than you might think, as installing service pack 1 on your Windows 7 effectively breaks one of the most useful and important troubleshooting features of the operating system, the System File Checker.
Using the System File Checker to Repair Windows 7

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 15/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 15/2011

Google Page Speed Service, Website Optimization Service

Google just announced the availability of the webmaster related service Page Speed Service. You may remember that the company started to introduce its Page Speed service about two years ago which provided suggestions to webmasters and developers on how to improve the page loading times of their websites and web services.
Google Page Speed Service, Website Optimization Service

The NYT’s Top 50 Words You Don’t Understand

If you aren’t sure what panegyric, immiscible or Manichaean mean (or if they’re even really English), fear not! Turns out nobody else does either. These literary head-scratchers are among the 50 most obscure words used by the New York Times this year.
The NYT’s Top 50 Words You Don’t Understand

Sports and Physical Recreation: A Statistical Overview, Australia, 2011

Sport and physical recreation play a part in the lives of many Australians. The 2009-10 Multipurpose Household Survey (MPHS) found that, during the 12 months prior to interview, 64% of Australians aged 15 years and over participated in physical activities for recreation, exercise or sport. The survey obtained data about the characteristics of people aged 15 years and over who participated in sport and physical recreation activities as a player, competitor or person who physically undertook the activity.
Sports and Physical Recreation: A Statistical Overview, Australia, 2011

Track any email to its Original Location by Finding the Email IP Address

Millions of emails fly through cyberspace daily, and as is the case for many users, it can be useful to identify the location that the e-mail originated from. Persistent spam and malware attachments abound.
Track any email to its Original Location by Finding the Email IP Address

Experiment shows time travel impossible

Hong Kong physicists say they have proved that a single photon obeys Einstein's theory that nothing can travel faster than the speed of light, demonstrating that time travel is impossible.
Experiment shows time travel impossible

These Australian Waterfalls Are Running Upwards

Winds are now so strong on the southern coast of Australia – 120km/h – that waterfalls are running upwards. The water is just being blown up from the bottom. The situation’s crazy, especially for those commuters in their ferries.
These Australian Waterfalls Are Running Upwards

Norway Terror Attacks: How to Follow the Latest Developments Online

On Friday morning, news of an explosion in an Oslo government building followed by shootings in a nearby island spread quickly across the web. Social media has been serving as a key way for people around the world to send out and receive information. Many of our Twitter followers reported turning to Twitter, Google+ and live streaming news organizations for updates on the story. Most people told us that online news reports were delivering the news faster than television.
Norway Terror Attacks: How to Follow the Latest Developments Online

101 Digital Etiquettes That You Need to Know

Is it considered rude to ignore a friend request on Facebook? If a phone call disconnects, who should ring next? Is is OK to use a family picture for your profile on a public social network? Is it essential to answer every missed call that shows up in your phone log?
101 Digital Etiquettes That You Need to Know

View From Above: First Space View of Shuttle Reentry [PICS]

Soon after the space shuttle Atlantis pulled away from the International Space Station for the last time, the space station crew took this first-of-a-kind shot of the shuttle’s fiery reentry.
View From Above: First Space View of Shuttle Reentry [PICS]:

A Short List Of Handy Free Microsoft Outlook Downloads

This article offers a short but handy list of Microsoft Outlook downloads that put the messaging software to the next level. The following seven programs are partially third party tools and partially add-ins. I have added a short description to each listing, a screenshot, a link to a previous review here on Ghacks and a link to the developer website.
A Short List Of Handy Free Microsoft Outlook Downloads

How To Email Photos From Your iPhone, iPod Touch And iPad

You’ve got an iPhone and you’ve taken some great pictures with its camera that you want to send to friends and family, but you don’t know how. Fortunately it’s a really simple process. Here’s a look at what to do.
How To Email Photos From Your iPhone, iPod Touch And iPad

Google Introduces Its Official URL Shortener, G.co

For quite a while, Google has been using its own goo.gl shortener to compress long links. No more; as of today, the big G is using a different shortener, g.co, for its own link-shortening needs.
Google Introduces Its Official URL Shortener, G.co

19 Essential Google+ Resources

Google+ hit the news feeds like a strategic and popular ton of bricks. But we haven’t stopped there. In addition to breaking news, Mashable has provided how-tos and tools for maximizing your Google+ experience. We’ve sourced reviews from some of the network’s early adopters, and we’ve also welcomed your input as you navigate one of the most buzzworthy social outlets of the year.
19 Essential Google+ Resources

Google+: The Complete Guide

Google+: It’s the hot social network on the block. In just three weeks, Google’s competitor to Facebook and Twitter has amassed more than 10 million users, and its users are sharing more than 1 billion pieces of content daily. It’s become a hotbed for early adopters, tech luminaries, marketers and businesses around the world.
Google+: The Complete Guide

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 14/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 14/2011

Southern Lights Captured from Space

This panoramic view, photographed from the International Space Station, looking past the docked space shuttle Atlantis' cargo bay and part of the station including a solar array panel toward Earth, was taken on July 14 as the joint complex passed over the southern hemisphere. Aurora Australis or the Southern Lights can be seen on Earth's horizon and a number of stars are visible also.
Southern Lights Captured from Space

DIY Stain Removal Infographic Is A Quick Reference For Cleaning Common Stains

Despite how careful you are, stains happen. This handy infographic notes the most useful household items for removing common clothing stains.
DIY Stain Removal Infographic Is A Quick Reference For Cleaning Common Stains

Ten Tech Innovations From NASA's Space Shuttle That Trickled Down to Non-Astronauts

Tech designed for the space shuttle program have permeated just about every aspect of our lives. Here are ten you may not know about.
Ten Tech Innovations From NASA's Space Shuttle That Trickled Down to Non-Astronauts

Owl leaves imprint on Kendal woman's window

A woman returned to her Cumbrian home to find a near perfect imprint of an owl on her window. The bird had apparently crashed into the window of Sally Arnold's Kendal home, leaving the bizarre image - complete with eyes, beak and feathers.
Owl leaves imprint on Kendal woman's window

Setup SSH on Your Router for Secure Web Access from Anywhere

Connecting to the internet from Wi-Fi hotspots, at work, or anywhere else away from home, exposes your data to unnecessary risks. You can easily configure your router to support a secure tunnel and shield your remote browser traffic—read on to see how.
Setup SSH on Your Router for Secure Web Access from Anywhere

PhotoFilmStrip - Ken-Burns Slideshows in Full-HD

PhotoFilmStrip creates movies out of your pictures in just 3 steps. First select your photos, customize the motion path and render the video. There are several output possibilities for VCD, SVCD, DVD up to FULL-HD. The effect of the slideshow is known as "Ken Burns". Comments of the pictures are generated into a subtitle file. Furthermore an audio file can be specified to setup the background musice for the slide show.
PhotoFilmStrip - Ken-Burns Slideshows in Full-HD

How will the carbon price affect you?

The introduction of a carbon price will cost households an extra $9.90 per week on average, while average assistance will be $10.10 per week, according to the Federal Government's modelling. The Government says 9 out of 10 households will receive assistance.
How will the carbon price affect you?

Five disturbing things about the Interpol filter

This month, Australia gets its first mandatory Internet filtering scheme, courtesy of a project which is seeing the nation’s largest ISPs Telstra and Optus block their users from visiting a ‘worst of the worst’ list of child pornography sites defined by international agency Interpol. But the project hasn’t exactly come up smelling like roses. Here’s five things we find disturbing about the whole thing.
Five disturbing things about the Interpol filter

How To Securely Tie Anything To Your Car

Last time you moved something in your car that was too large to fit in your trunk, you probably lamely cobbled together a few insecure knots. (Oh wait, that wasn’t you – that was me.) The Trucker’s hitch is a relatively simple knot you can tie with one rope that secures anything with the power of pulleys.
How To Securely Tie Anything To Your Car

How A Parisian Artist Created This Stunning Optical Illusion

An eye-popping optical illusion created by Parisian artist François Abelanet is on display outside Paris City Hall. This work of art looks like a giant grass ball, but it’s actually flat.
How A Parisian Artist Created This Stunning Optical Illusion

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 13/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 13/2011

10 Fascinating Facts About Phone Numbers

You probably dial a few of them every day, but do you ever stop and think about the history behind a phone number? When were the first numbers introduced? How did you end up with a particular area code?
10 Fascinating Facts About Phone Numbers

Following the money: how spammers do their banking

Brian Krebs is continuing to report on the latest research on spammers and scammers, today naming and shaming the banks that process payments for fake anti-virus and rogue pharmacy affiliate networks, and on the system used by scammers to prevent being cut off by Visa and Mastercard.
Following the money: how spammers do their banking

8 secrets about Disneyland

From how to score a cocktail to where to scatter grandma's ashes, this is your ticket to the real Magic Kingdom.
8 secrets about Disneyland

Don’t pay for software you don’t need

Woody Leonhard steps you through a boatload of software that you don’t need if you have Windows 7.
Don’t pay for software you don’t need

BatteryInfoView, Detailed Battery Information, History

One of the things that mobile users constantly need to have an eye on is the battery status of their device. It does not really matter if it is a smartphone, netbook, laptop or tablet PC. All have in common that they run on battery, and will stop working if battery drops below the minimum required level.
BatteryInfoView, Detailed Battery Information, History

[How to] Transfer Your Facebook Photos & Albums to Picasa / Google+

Google+. The service is currently invite only, but is getting a lot of traction from early users. In case you are already on Google Plus and wishing to move all (or selected) Photo albums from Facebook to Google+, you would first need to transfer the photos to your Picasa account and then link them up on your Google+. But wait, you can do the same thing easily in just a couple of clicks using Move2Picasa!
[How to] Transfer Your Facebook Photos & Albums to Picasa / Google+

How to Add a Second Router to an Existing Wireless (Wi-Fi) Network

The wireless range offered by your router will vary depending on which Wi-Fi standard it supports - is it 802.11g or 802.11n compatible? - and whether there are any walls around as that will obstruct the Wi-Fi signal. The 802.11n routers, also known as Wireless N routers, typically have a higher Wi-Fi range but even if you get one of these, the wireless signals may still not reach certain areas of your home - like the corner study or the bedroom on the first floor – as there are just too many obstructions in the form of walls between your laptop and the router.
How to Add a Second Router to an Existing Wireless (Wi-Fi) Network

2010 - 2011: Earth's most extreme weather since 1816?

2010 - 2011: Earth's most extreme weather since 1816?
Wunder Blog : Weather Underground

How Can I Breath New Life Into My Old iPhone?

You’ve got several options for speeding up that old iPhone.
How Can I Breath New Life Into My Old iPhone?

What New Rules Do You Need To Know For Your 2011 Tax Return?

Each year, there are new Australian taxation rules that can decrease (or occasionally increase) how much you owe the taxman when the financial year ends. Here are the big changes that may affect you in 2011 (and beyond).
What New Rules Do You Need To Know For Your 2011 Tax Return?

How to Test your Eyes at Home using the Computer

They say that you should get your eyes checked every two years but if haven’t had the chance to see a doctor all this time, you can test your vision on your computer as well.
How to Test your Eyes at Home using the Computer

How To Plan, Organize, and Map Out Your Home Network

Whether you’re setting up a new home network or overhauling the one you’ve got, planning and mapping out your devices and intended uses can save you a lot of headaches.
How To Plan, Organize, and Map Out Your Home Network

Automatically Restart Firefox When Memory Usage Exceeds A Limit

Firefox eats RAM, we all know it and accept it as one of those things we can overlook because the browser and its library of extensions is incredible enough in itself. RAM poaching tolerance is one thing but when it gets to a point where it starts to effect your browsing you have to do something about it. Memory Restart is a Firefox extension that monitors the memory usage by the browser, it lets you set a limit to the memory usage and tells you when the limit has been exceeded. You can restart the browser using the extension to bring memory usage back to normal.
Automatically Restart Firefox When Memory Usage Exceeds A Limit

Australian Government Asked Google For User Data 345 Times In Six Months

Google has been issuing transparency reports detailing government requests to have content removed for a while now. The latest instalment promises more detail, including when governments have asked for individual user data. For Australia, the number of removal requests has dropped, but there were 345 requests for individual user information between July and December 2010, and Google coughed up in around 280 cases.
Australian Government Asked Google For User Data 345 Times In Six Months

Make a Hidden Windows Dropbox Folder

Ever since the days of DOS, every directory has a special folder in it named “nul”. You can use this to create a folder that will sync in Linux but not in Windows. This is because the folder can exist on Linux but not on Windows.
Make a Hidden Windows Dropbox Folder

This Light Switch Texts You Pics Of The Guys Robbing Your House

You’ve just arrived home from the worst business trip ever (to Cleveland, no less) only to find your back door jimmied and your valuables gone. Had you installed this spy light switch, you could have… watched it all happen, live.
This Light Switch Texts You Pics Of The Guys Robbing Your House

Pin Any File to the Windows 7 Taskbar

Robert Jasiński writes in with a clever way to pin any file you want to the task bar. By default if you drag a text document to the taskbar it will pin it to the Notepad executable—the same thing happens with any other file that has an association with an executable. What if you want to pin that specific text file to the taskbar and not to the executable (or any other file for that matter)? Robert shares his method...
Pin Any File to the Windows 7 Taskbar

The Complete Guide To Managing Your Facebook Privacy

Keeping your Facebook info private seems to be getting harder and harder all the time, since Facebook keeps trying to make it public. To help you out, we’ve created a comprehensive guide to keeping your Facebook locked down and in your control.
The Complete Guide To Managing Your Facebook Privacy

Why Red Wine Is So Good For You

We’ve all grown up hearing that red wine is sooo good for us. Was it a lie parents told us so they could drink more? Nope, they were right. So what’s red wine’s little secret?
Why Red Wine Is So Good For You

Here’s Everything Your iPhone Home Button Can Do

Your iPhone’s home button has a whole bunch of uses that vary depending on your location and how many times you press it in succession. Here’s a look at (practically) all of them.
Here’s Everything Your iPhone Home Button Can Do

Do a Security Audit of your Dropbox Account

Something really scary happened at Dropbox yesterday that should worry anyone who have trusted their important files with the service. The Dropbox system was left wide open for about 5-6 hours yesterday and anyone could sign-in to your Dropbox account if all they knew were your email address. They could just type any random characters in the password box and the system would let them in. Scary!
Do a Security Audit of your Dropbox Account

How to Opt out of Facial Recognition on Facebook

Facebook recently enabled facial recognition technology, so when your friend uploads a new photo, Facebook recognises it as you and suggests to your friend to tag you in the photo. Don't want to be tagged automatically in others' photos in Facebook? Just follow these steps to learn how to opt out.
How to Opt out of Facial Recognition on Facebook

The world is full of fake sounds

The ATM machine doesn't actually go, "whhrrrrrrrrr." The satisfying "clunk" of a car door wouldn't happen without careful engineering. Humans Invent explains the stories behind these, and three other everyday sounds that aren't as real as we've been led to believe.
The world is full of fake sounds

Ask How-To Geek: Unmountable Boot Volumes, Opening Word Files in Works, and Removing Bootloaders

Looking at unmountable Windows volumes, opening Word files in Works, and removing a haywire bootloader.
Ask How-To Geek: Unmountable Boot Volumes, Opening Word Files in Works, and Removing Bootloaders

3 Options To Analyze Past Computer Usage

Operating systems and applications often save loads and loads of information, often without the user knowing about it. This can have privacy implications, considering that it may be possible to recover files, bookmarks or visited web pages easily.
3 Options To Analyze Past Computer Usage

Top of the Flops: 10 Tech Products Ahead of Their Time [VIDEOS]

It’s a sad truth: Not every great idea translates into commercial success. Some products launch “ahead of their time,” either because the tech can’t support the concept, or because the public isn’t ready to invest in such a radical idea. From an early interactive television to Nokia’s infamous N-Gage phone, we’ve taken a look at 10 such gadgets that the market just wasn’t ripe to receive, but the principles of which have since borne fruit for other brands.
Top of the Flops: 10 Tech Products Ahead of Their Time [VIDEOS]

The CSI effect: fact vs. fiction

Some key differences between forensic science on TV and forensic science in real life.
The CSI effect: fact vs. fiction

The Coffee Lover’s Guide To Tea

Coffee is great, but even die-hard coffee lovers might want to give tea a chance. The other beloved warm beverage, tea imparts to its drinkers some formidable health benefits, an extra boost of alertness without the same caffeine slump of coffee, and more variety. Here’s how to get started enjoying the best possible tea.
The Coffee Lover’s Guide To Tea

7 Ingenious Resumes That Will Make You Rethink Your CV

After clicking through the collection of resumes, were you inspired? What works for you in your industry? Do you already use any of the tactics employed in these resumes to promote yourself and your skills?
7 Ingenious Resumes That Will Make You Rethink Your CV

RPV: Win7′s least-known data-protection system

You deleted a file yesterday; now you really need it back. Your Windows recycle bin is empty — what now? Your next-best option is the Restore Previous Versions tool — a truly great, automatic data-protection feature buried in Win7.
RPV: Win7′s least-known data-protection system

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 12/2011

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 12/2011

10 Widespread Myths about Happiness -- Do You Believe Any of These?

This Wednesday: 10 myths about happiness -- which do you believe?
10 Widespread Myths about Happiness -- Do You Believe Any of These?

How to Clean Up the Right-Click (Context) Menu in Windows

The context menu in Windows, the thing that pops-ups when you right-click anywhere on your desktop or inside Windows Explorer, is often misused by software vendors. They keep adding useless options to that menu without asking and the more programs you install on your machine, the more confusing your context menu will become. Fortunately, there are several free utilities that you may use to clean up your Windows Context Menu by removing all the unnecessary entries that you no longer need.
How to Clean Up the Right-Click (Context) Menu in Windows

Shazam Adds Lyrics -- It's Spontaneous Karaoke Time

Ever had a spirited argument over song lyrics while at a bar? Well, music recognition service Shazam aims to stop such bloodsport with a new feature called Shazam LyricPlay.
Shazam Adds Lyrics -- It's Spontaneous Karaoke Time