Sunday, July 08, 2012

Stay Smart Online unsmartly loses user data offline

Stay Smart Online, the Federal Government website designed to educate Australians about cyber security risks, has managed to lose details of a large number of its subscribers.
Stay Smart Online unsmartly loses user data offline

Saturday, July 07, 2012

Are You Comfortable With Airlines Researching You On Google?

According to the London Evening Standard, British Airways is beginning a program in which employees google the faces of passengers for upcoming flights so that they may immediately greet them upon entry to the airport gate/aeroplane.
Are You Comfortable With Airlines Researching You On Google?

Man Interviews His 12-Year Old Self [VIDEO]

What would it be like if you could go back in time and talk to a younger version of yourself? Filmmaker and actor Jeremiah McDonald got to experience that process — in a way — thanks to a video tape he made for his future self back in 1992.
Man Interviews His 12-Year Old Self [VIDEO]

Wimbledon Fan Advises Backhand; Player Agrees, Wins Point [VIDEO]

Can crowdsourcing work at a tennis match? If one piece of shouted advice at Wimbledon is any clue, the answer is yes.
Wimbledon Fan Advises Backhand; Player Agrees, Wins Point [VIDEO]

My stupidest moment as a customer, ever

Reddit thread on stupid customer stories.
My stupidest moment as a customer, ever

Infographics from 1917 on the exciting future of aviation

A page of charts and graphs from the July 7, 1917 issue of The Graphic displays, among other things, Lord Montagu's ideas for how to divvy up airspace, the estimated annual cost of running a London-Paris air route, and the distances covered in one hour by different methods of transportation of the day. Perhaps the most entertaining part is its warning that with the coming age of non-military aviation, 'there may be a revival of smuggling.
Infographics from 1917 on the exciting future of aviation

Friday, July 06, 2012

Thursday, July 05, 2012

When Will You Get Your Tax Refund?

From today, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) begins processing 2011-2012 tax returns. If you have submitted using e-tax, you should get a refund within 12 business days. That’s slower than the ATO promised last year, and there are some caveats.
When Will You Get Your Tax Refund?

Tuesday, July 03, 2012

Know The Effects Of Dehydration To Stop Them Before They Start

In most cases, knowing you’re dehydrated is as simple as feeling thirsty. However, sometimes you might miss that feeling or your body will tell you in other ways. Health blog Greatist breaks down the common signs of dehydration so you can fend it off before it starts.
Know The Effects Of Dehydration To Stop Them Before They Start

Monday, July 02, 2012

Telstra: Oh what a tangled web we weave

It all started with a simple query on Whirlpool from a somewhat perplexed new contributor. We now see Telstra in a world of trouble from the Privacy Commissioner and Telecommunications authorities.
Telstra: Oh what a tangled web we weave

'Leap Second Bug' Causes Glitches for LinkedIn, Reddit, More

After an extra second was added to the clock on Saturday to better align it with the Earth’s rotation schedule, a whole slew of websites from LinkedIn, Foursquare and Reddit to Mozlila, Yelp and Gawker sites experienced technical issues.
'Leap Second Bug' Causes Glitches for LinkedIn, Reddit, More

Sunday, July 01, 2012

This World Map Of Earthquakes Is As Terrifying As It Is Beautiful

Compared to the rest of the world, Australia is quite fortunate when it comes to earthquakes. The worst we’ve had recently was Melbourne’s rumble a few weeks back — a joke really, when you consider the suffering countries like Japan and New Zealand experienced in 2011. The image above, which plots earthquakes of magnitudes 4.0 or greater from 1898 onwards, shows just how active our planet is, especially near the aforementioned hot spots.
This World Map Of Earthquakes Is As Terrifying As It Is Beautiful

Texting and Driving: A Crash Course [INFOGRAPHIC]

Texting and driving a car at the same time is a dangerous and irresponsible combination — but people do it anyway. A series of sparse, haunting public service ads from AT&T provides a spooky reminder that even sending or receiving short messages can lead to death or lifelong crippling injury.
Texting and Driving: A Crash Course [INFOGRAPHIC]

Saturday, June 30, 2012

This Is The Oldest Vinyl Album In The History Of The World

Sometime in 1890, Emile Berliner recorded the first album in the history of the world. Then, that record by the father of the gramophone was destroyed. Today, Patrick Feaster, a sound historian at Indiana University, recreated the album using just a printed photograph of the album. His technique defies belief.
This Is The Oldest Vinyl Album In The History Of The World

Friday, June 29, 2012

Data after a death?

Open question: when a friend dies, what should her loved ones do with the data on her hard-drives?
Data after a death?

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Causes of death: 1900 and 2010

An editorial in the 200th anniversary issue of the New England Journal of Medicine looks at mortality and health through the centuries, and includes this chart of causes of death from the turn of the last century, which makes for quite a comparison. We're doing great on kidneys, but hearts not so much.
Causes of death: 1900 and 2010

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

How to Banish Duplicate Photos with VisiPic

You meant well, you intended to be a good file custodian, but somewhere along the way things got out of hand and you’ve got duplicate photos galore. Don’t be afraid to delete them and lose important photos, read on as we show you how to clean safely.
How to Banish Duplicate Photos with VisiPic

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Facebook Switched Your Email to One You've Probably Never Used

Whether you’ve noticed or not, you have a new primary email address listed as your Facebook contact and most likely, it’s an address you’ve never used.
Facebook Switched Your Email to One You've Probably Never Used

Facebook’s Six Sneakiest Settings (And How To Fix Them)

Facebook’s sneaky change to email settings reminds us that the social networking giant rarely has the interests of its users front and centre. Here are seven sneaky Facebook settings you might have forgotten about.
Facebook’s Six Sneakiest Settings (And How To Fix Them)

Do You Live Near A High Containment Biohazard Laboratory?

The Federation of American Scientists has a very interesting map for all the hypochondriacs and people living in permanent fear of a deadly virus epidemic. Or a zombie outbreak. These are all the (known) Biosafety Level 3 and 4 facilities in the world — high containment laboratories that work with “dangerous and emerging pathogens.” Zoom in the image to see if there’s any near you.
Do You Live Near A High Containment Biohazard Laboratory?