Copyright Math: the best TED Talk you'll watch all year

This may just be the best TED Talk video I've seen: listen.com/Rhapsody founder and extremely funny person (and soon-to-be debut science fiction author) Rob Reid examines the math behind the claims made by the copyright lobby and explains the mindbending awesomeness of the sums used to justify SOPA, PIPA, ACTA and the like.
Copyright Math: the best TED Talk you'll watch all year

10 Futuristic Products in Development Now

Everyone jokes about the flying cars and robot maids we’ve seen in movies and television, but it turns out the “future” we’ve dreamed of is well on its way.
10 Futuristic Products in Development Now

New iPad Teardown: 'It's Really Just a Giant Battery'

You may be busy preparing your line-waiting strategy for a new iPad on Friday morning, or plotting the fastest route to your local Wal-Mart to pick up a new iPad at midnight.

But the guys at iFixIt have trumped us all — by flying to Australia, where the tablet is already on sale, and proceeding to tear one apart.
New iPad Teardown: 'It's Really Just a Giant Battery'

See All of the 2012 Moon Phases Before They Happen

What do you get when you combine a year’s worth of NASA lunar projects into continuous render? You get this awesome video that shows you ever house of every moon phase in all of 2012.
See All of the 2012 Moon Phases Before They Happen

The Internet Remembers the Japan Quake and Tsunami Anniversary

March 11 was the anniversary of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, and citizens worldwide commemorated the event. Not only did news outlets release countless stories assessing Japan’s situation one year later, but people all over the world also shared their thoughts and photos online — including politicians, journalists, celebrities and ordinary citizens.
The Internet Remembers the Japan Quake and Tsunami Anniversary

Japan Quake and Tsunami Anniversary: How to Follow Its Events on Social Media

This Sunday, March 11, marks the one-year anniversary of northern Japan’s threefold devastating disaster — a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, a tsunami that engulfed entire towns and cities, and a nuclear disaster that has since shut down 52 out of 55 commercial reactors in Japan and stirred an international debate about nuclear energy.
Japan Quake and Tsunami Anniversary: How to Follow Its Events on Social Media

Add Encrypt And Other Useful Features To Windows’ Right-Click Menu

Free app Right Click Tweaker adds up to 14 useful features with just a few clicks of your mouse.
Add Encrypt And Other Useful Features To Windows’ Right-Click Menu

Internet Users Flock To Google Search To Learn About 'Pink Slime'

Pink slime, a beef filler sprayed with ammonia, isn’t in a McDonald’s hamburger patty, but it is likely in pre-package ground beef at the grocery store and will soon be on school lunch trays.
Internet Users Flock To Google Search To Learn About 'Pink Slime'

Cutest video you'll see all day of penguins flying on a plane

On a recent Delta Flight, there were 300 or so human passengers and two foot-and-a-half tall penguins, Pete and Penny, who are 6 and 12 years old respectively.
Cutest video you'll see all day of penguins flying on a plane

Largest Solar Storm In Years About to Hit Earth

The most powerful solar storm in half a decade is about to hit our planet Earth, putting electrical systems, satellite navigation and other technology at a slight risk of failure.
Largest Solar Storm In Years About to Hit Earth

What Happens To My Gmail Account When I Die?

You use a handful of web services every day, but perhaps none holds more of your personal information than your Gmail account. So what happens to your Gmail account should you end up in that big archive folder in the sky? The folks from cloud backup service Backupify set out to find out. Here’s what they learned.
What Happens To My Gmail Account When I Die?

20+ Programs That You Should Run Regularly On Your PC

Many PC users do not think about maintenance as long as their system is running as intended. The issue here is that they might be able to resolve future issues, or mitigate them at least, if they would run a set of tools regularly on their PC. The following guide looks at some of the recommended programs – my recommendations – that should be run regularly on a PC. Not all are maintenance related though, you also find security and privacy programs in the list for instance.
20+ Programs That You Should Run Regularly On Your PC

Get Real-Time Search Results from Google with a URL Tweak

Google offers a few preset search filters for time—past hour, day, week, etc.—but if you want much fresher information, you can tweak the URL. This will limit results so see what's happening in more of a near real-time flow of information.
Get Real-Time Search Results from Google with a URL Tweak

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 5/2012

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 5/2012

Man Sues Google Over Street View Photo of Him Peeing

A man in France has sued Google because a Street View photo shows him in his front yard taking a leak. The middle-aged man lives in a small village and says the photo has made him a laughingstock in the community.
Man Sues Google Over Street View Photo of Him Peeing

Windows 8 Consumer Preview arrives

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview was expected in February, and it just scraped in. Good job 2012 is a leap year...
Windows 8 Consumer Preview arrives

The Hidden Meaning Behind Phrases In Job Ads

Help wanted ads and job postings tend to use the same jargon: everyone seems to be looking for “detail-oriented” “team players” who can work in a “fast-paced work environment.” Fortune Magazine suggests these buzzwords can clue you in to secrets about the potential employer.
The Hidden Meaning Behind Phrases In Job Ads

Track Who’s Tracking You With Mozilla Collusion

Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs took the TED stage Tuesday morning to introduce Collusion, a Firefox browser add-on that lets you track who’s tracking you across the web for behavioral targeting purposes.
Track Who’s Tracking You With Mozilla Collusion

Haunting photos from Fukushima, one year later: "Invisible You," by Satoru Niwa

Japanese photographer Satoru Niwa, whose work I blogged in a previous Boing Boing post, has a new series from Fukushima marking the one-year anniversary of the March 11 disaster: Invisible You. Again, beautiful, evocative work. Above: a shot from the town of Namie, which is some 40 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.
Haunting photos from Fukushima, one year later: "Invisible You," by Satoru Niwa

The problem with body mass index

The Body Mass Index is a popular way to measure and assess whether someone is overweight or underweight. Basically, it's just your weight divided by your height. BMI is a simple system, but it does have some flaws. Over at the Obesity Panacea blog, Peter Janiszewski (who has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology) has a nice post explaining why BMI is sometimes useful, and also why it's not a great measurement of individual health.
The problem with body mass index

The Top 3 Essential Computer Security Tips

When you write down all the computer security tips that come to your mind, you probably end up with a long list. If you analyze that list then, you may realize that most of these tips can be broken down into categories. This guide concentrates on what most users can agree on when it comes to security.
The Top 3 Essential Computer Security Tips

Top 10 Ways To Make The Best Of An Old PC

Despite everyone’s assumptions, we geeks are not always privy to the latest and greatest technology. If you’re stuck with an old, slow, crappy computer, there are a few things you can do to make the best of a bad situation. Here are our top 10 favourites.
Top 10 Ways To Make The Best Of An Old PC

Watch How Terrifying It Is To Fly Stunt Airplanes

When man created GoPro cameras, this is what he intended them to be used for. This video shows the amazing Black Diamond Jet Team in training — and if you’re scared of flying, it might be best not to watch it.
Watch How Terrifying It Is To Fly Stunt Airplanes

How To Stop Everyone Tracking You On The Web

It’s no secret that there’s big money to be made in violating your privacy. Companies will pay big bucks to learn more about you, and service providers on the web are eager to get their hands on as much information about you as possible. So what do you do? How do you keep your information out of everyone else’s hands? Here’s a guide to surfing the web while keeping your privacy intact.
How To Stop Everyone Tracking You On The Web

Telstra Lost The Internet, Not Sure Why

Telstra is Australia’s biggest internet service provider (ISP), so when its connection stops working, lots of people notice. An as yet unidentified problem with its network knocked out most customers for at least half an hour today and impacted other providers. Story developing: we’ve got further comment from Telstra and iiNet — and confirmation of Dodo’s involvement.
Telstra Lost The Internet, Not Sure Why

Think You Need Eight Hours Sleep? You’re Wrong

The notion that eight hours sleep is essential to health is widely repeated, but — as we’ve noted before — fails to take into account that individual requirements vary. Something else you probably didn’t know: the idea that we need a long continuous period of sleep is a relatively modern innovation.
Think You Need Eight Hours Sleep? You’re Wrong

FilExile Lets You Delete Files That Refuse To Be Removed

If you are a Windows user you probably came upon quite a few files in the past that you wanted to delete but could not. There are lots of reasons why you may not be able to delete a file in the operating system; from in-use files locked by a process that is still running, to too long paths or cryptic characters of languages that you cannot even identify properly.
FilExile Lets You Delete Files That Refuse To Be Removed

How To Prevent YouTube From Keeping A Record Of The Videos You Watch

When you’re signed into Google or YouTube, a record of all the videos you searched for and watch is logged in your account. You can clear those logs, but up until now you couldn’t disable the logging altogether. Here, finally, is how to keep YouTube from recording your video searches and the videos you watch.
How To Prevent YouTube From Keeping A Record Of The Videos You Watch

Five Reasons to Wait For the iPad 3

It’s been almost a year since Steve Jobs introduced the iPad 2 and rumors are solidifying around a March date for the iPad 3 or who knows, maybe they’ll call it the iPad 2S. There is also some speculation that an iPad 3 announcement event will occur on or around Steve Jobs’ birthday which is February 24th but March 29th is now considered the likely date for it to go on sale. Whenever Apple decides to unveil it and whatever they decide to call it, the new iPad is expected to have some attractive new features that should help it keep pace with the latest batch of Android tablets. Here’s a rundown of what the new iPad is likely to include.
Five Reasons to Wait For the iPad 3

How To Verify That A Browser Extension Is Not Phoning Home

Extensions are little helper programs that make life on the Internet a tad more comfortable for the user. Some change the way we access information on the Internet, others add extra features and functionality to a website, and others help you stay safe and secure online. Most Internet users who use extensions never bother to look at the extension’s source code to verify that it is only doing what it is supposed to do, and nothing else.
How To Verify That A Browser Extension Is Not Phoning Home

Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 4/2012

The latest issue of new Family Friendly sites listed on The Black Stump.
Family Friendly sites listed on Blackstump Australia Issue 4/2012

Review: Woolworths App

Woolworths app for iOS and Android now integrates with the company's online shopping service.
Review: Woolworths App

Best Science Visualizations of the Year

Once a year scientists around the globe submit entries to the International Science & Engineering Visualization Challenge; read on to see the top 12 entries from this year’s competition.
Best Science Visualizations of the Year

Japan earthquake and tsunami: See how the country has rebuilt in 11 months

Japan’s Reconstruction Agency will be inaugurated Friday, almost 11 months after an earthquake and tsunami devastated the country. The agency will streamline the process to help municipalities, set up special reconstruction zones and provide subsidies for disaster-hit local governments. Compare the before and after photos.
Japan earthquake and tsunami: See how the country has rebuilt in 11 months

Do Some Maths If You Have Trouble Falling Asleep

When you’re lying in bed trying desperately to fall asleep, your mind may seem like your worst enemy, keeping you awake. If you keep your mind focused, however, you may fall asleep faster. Redditor JarlOfBacon suggests counting the Fibonacci sequence.
Do Some Maths If You Have Trouble Falling Asleep

3 Simple Ways to Improve Low Resolution Images

It’s not a miracle, but these helpful tips can improve the quality of an image when enlarging from a low-resolution sample. It’s surprisingly simple and quite easy. Fire up Photoshop and check it out for yourself!
3 Simple Ways to Improve Low Resolution Images (and Typography)

Choose The Right Cooking Oil With This Comparison Chart

There are so many cooking oils to choose from. Some are supposedly healthier than others, some are better for cooking at high heat and others better used as dressings. This chart tells you at a glance what you need to know about cooking oils.
Choose The Right Cooking Oil With This Comparison Chart

Study Doesn’t Prove Aussie Cost Of Living Is High

Most Australian news outlets ran stories yesterday and today claiming a new study shows that costs of living in our capital cities are amongst the highest in the world. Lamentably, virtually all of them fundamentally misinterpreted the research.
Study Doesn’t Prove Aussie Cost Of Living Is High

Woof! Which Dog Breed is Best? Compare Dog Breeds Side by Side

Since prehistoric times, mankind has kept certain animals nearby for companionship, assistance in hunting tasks, and defense. Dogs are probably the most well-known examples of companion animals. This habit has continued to modern times and has resulted in a high number of dog breeds created for a variety of purposes. One modern convention is the concept of dog competitions. With the 2012 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show beginning today (more on this below), we thought this would be a good time to highlight some of the information Wolfram|Alpha has to offer concerning dog breeds:
Woof! Which Dog Breed is Best? Compare Dog Breeds Side by Side

Where's It Hurt? After You Search For A Symptom, New Google Health Search Results Suggest Causes

Roughly 100 million people in the US search for health information on a monthly basis, according to 2011 comScore data. Google has seen these queries up close and recently concluded that it doesn’t do a great job of servicing them. The company is thus introducing improved results that shorten the time from symptom-related search to discovery of potential medical causes and conditions.
Where's It Hurt? After You Search For A Symptom, New Google Health Search Results Suggest Causes

The oldest thing in the world

The oldest living thing on Earth is a massive "meadow" of sea grass growing in the Mediterranean between Spain and Cyprus. It's somewhere between 100,000 and 200,000 years old and reproduces by cloning itself. Also, it's being killed by climate change.
The oldest thing in the world

Five Photography Tricks Everyone Should Know

A camera is only as capable as the person using it, but snapping some awesome images doesn’t require years of training. Here are five photography pro tips that everybody ought to know.
Five Photography Tricks Everyone Should Know

How to do Anonymous Surfing? 5 Simple Tips

Search engines and websites follow your every step. Each and every search made on the web will be recorded into a file. And this recording is being systematized more than ever before in the history of web. Then, how can you maintain privacy by not letting your identity?
How to do Anonymous Surfing? 5 Simple Tips

Recorded Crime - Offenders, 2010–11

This publication presents statistics relating to offenders who were proceeded against by police during the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011, for all states and territories. These statistics describe the characteristics of offenders, including the principal offence for which offenders were proceeded against. Data are also presented on the number of police-initiated court and non-court actions against offenders.
Recorded Crime - Offenders, 2010–11

Not your average visit to the Zoo

The wackiest animal news from 2011.
Not your average visit to the Zoo

Australian Airports To Get Compulsory Body Scans

In a $28 million security upgrade, new “no scan, no fly” laws are expected to be proposed this week for Aussie international airports — removing the option to request a pat down instead. After trials last year, full body scanners (from the same company used in US checkpoints) will roll out in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Gold Coast and Cairns.
Australian Airports To Get Compulsory Body Scans

This Is The Best Way To Tie Your Shoelaces

The clip is a short presentation by Terry Moore at 2005′s TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) conference. Moore runs New York’s Radius Foundation, which I could try to explain, but is better described by the company itself: “[seeking] new ways of exploring and understanding dissimilar conceptual systems or paradigms”. One of those systems appears to be shoelace-tying, which you’ve likely been doing wrong your whole life, according to Moore.
This Is The Best Way To Tie Your Shoelaces

Increase Your Dropbox Space By 4.5 Gigabyte

We have talked about Dropbox’s new camera import feature previously which allows you to import photos from digital cameras that you connect directly to your PC to your Dropbox storage. This can be useful if you use Dropbox to store your photos anyway. Free users may run into space issues pretty soon though, as individual photos these days take up Megabytes of free space.
Increase Your Dropbox Space By 4.5 Gigabyte

A Secret To More Happiness And Energy? Give Yourself A Bedtime

Children have a fixed bedtime; we know they need their allotment of sleep, and we pack them off to bed when it's time. But many adults just go to bed whenever they feel like it.
The problem with this approach is that it's far too easy to stay up too late. The TV, the internet, your email, your book...these distractions keep you alert past the point at which you should head to bed. Many of us know we ought to go to sleep sooner, but we just can't manage to pull it off.
A Secret To More Happiness And Energy? Give Yourself A Bedtime

Dashlane

Dashlane is your Personal Internet Assistant. It offers a comprehensive feature set to facilitate your life on the Internet. Dashlane is Simple, Secure and Trusted.
Dashlane Features