Lifehacker Australia

His, Hers And The Media Centre: A Compact Home Office

Jason Fitzpatrick — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +1100

Today’s featured office manages to pack in a lot of functionality into a rather small room. Check out how two workstations, a media centre and storage space all squeezed into a 3m x 3.7m room. (more…)

Use Work Breaks To Keep Up Connections

Whitson Gordon — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 06:30:00 +1100

We all know that taking breaks from work is beneficial to productivity, but that doesn’t mean that your breaks themselves can’t be productive. Career weblog WorkAwesome suggests a few tips for keeping breaks productive without focusing on work. (more…)

DIY Hi-Low Beam Bike Headlights From Hardware Store Parts

Sarah Rae Trover — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:30:00 +1100

Increasing numbers of bicycle enthusiasts on the road have translated into more riders on the road after dark. Try whipping up a pair of these hi-low beam headlights to keep the world around you bright at night. (more…)

Browser Speed Tests: The Windows 7 Results

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 04:00:00 +1100

Firefox 3.6 Beta 1, like every other browser, makes a claim to being “faster”. We took Firefox and all the other latest browsers, put them on Windows 7, and ran them through our human-measured speed tests to vet the bragging. (more…)

Do You Skip Television Commercials Or Let Them Roll?

Sarah Rae Trover — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:30:00 +1100

Nielsen has recently reported that 46 per cent of viewers aren’t skipping commercials in shows recorded on their personal video recorders (PVRs). That number seemed ridiculously high to us, so we’re asking you: Do you watch, skip, or run to the kitchen on commercials? (more…)

Google Adds Thumbnailed Results With Page Previews

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:00:00 +1100

If you’re looking for a particular web page rather than a particular result, Google has added “Page Previews” to the left-hand search options sidebar to make that feat much easier. (more…)

Boot OS X, XP And Ubuntu From A Mac

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:00:00 +1100

If you’re particularly indecisive about your regular operating system, or just want access to all three for testing purposes, Wired’s How-To Wiki has the details on getting a triple-boot system (or beyond) working with free software tools. (more…)

Tabberwocky Supercharges Your Firefox Tabs

Jason Fitzpatrick — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 01:30:00 +1100

Firefox only: If you love tabbed browsing in Firefox but want more control over the appearance and functionality of the tabs, you’ll definitely want to check out Tabberwocky to super charge your tabbed browsing. (more…)

Brush Your iPhone’s Bezel To Hide Scuffs And Scratches

Kevin Purdy — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:30:00 +1100

If the shiny metal bezel around your iPhone has seen better days, and that nags at your perfectionist instincts, a quick protective taping and smooth back-and-forth with a rough-sided sponge can give it a more consistent, brushed look. (more…)

Google Chrome Beta Adds Bookmark Sync, Speed Boost

Kevin Purdy — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:30:00 +1100

Windows: The latest beta release of Google’s Chrome browser ups its dynamic page building speed by quite a bit. What users are really going to notice, however, is the built-in bookmark syncing, a feature previously available in bleeding-edge development builds. (more…)

When The Cloud Helps To Get Things Done

Angus Kidman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:00:00 +1100

Getting Things Done creator David Allen is a familiar figure on the Lifehacker landscape for his approach to keeping yourself organised. Turns out he’s also something of an enthusiast for cloud computing, another frequent topic round these parts. (more…)

How To Remove Your Bike Chain

Angus Kidman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:30:31 +1100

Being able to remove your bike chain is one of those things anyone who owns a bike should be able to do. Blog OzSoapbox details how to go about it in a chatty, experience-filled post. (more…)

Trading Post To Allow Ad Submissions Via Mobile

Angus Kidman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:00:22 +1100

The print edition of the Trading Post is dead and buried, so Telstra is focusing all its attention on making the online version profitable. Next step in that process? Letting people place advertisements directly from their mobile phones. (more…)

From The Tips Box: Password Security, Fungus, Firefox Taskbar Issues

Whitson Gordon — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +1100

Readers offer their best tips for safely writing down passwords, getting rid of pesky toenail fungus, and fixing taskbar problems with the Firefox 3.6 beta. (more…)

Photo Design Mailbox Brightens Up Your Post

Angus Kidman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:30:53 +1100

Email overload aside, everyone needs an actual mailbox. Coming up with something that looks more attractive than the three models in your local hardware store can be challenging, but this photo-covered design is pretty impressive. (more…)

Boozle Hunts Down Cheap Drinks In Your Area

Angus Kidman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:46 +1100

Throwing a party but don’t want to spend a fortune on alcohol? Boozle lets you search by location to find the cheapest provider of a given beer, spirit or premix in your area. (more…)

SnowChecker Checks If Your Apps Are Snow-Leopard Compatible

Adam Pash — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +1100

Mac OS X only: Free application SnowChecker runs a scan of your installed applications and tells you which may have problems in running in Snow Leopard. (more…)

The Complete Guide To Google Wave Is Available Now

Adam Pash — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +1100

Got an interest in Google Wave but have absolutely no idea where to get started? Try out The Complete Guide to Google Wave, a new (free) book written and edited by my pal and Lifehacker emeritus Gina Trapani and yours truly. (more…)

Delta/V Australia Tie-Up Gets Provisional ACCC Approval

Angus Kidman — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:30:26 +1100

Air travel from Australia to the US is more competitive than ever, but that doesn’t mean that it is any more profitable for the carriers. Delta and V Australia have been looking to operate their trans-Pacific flights as a joint venture, and that move is looking more likely with the ACCC giving provisional approval for the deal. (more…)

ADVERTISEMENT: Nokia 6710 Navigator Zooms To All The Good Things

Advertisement — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:30:13 +1100

GPS phones are definitely all the rage these days, but that doesn’t mean they actually make navigating easy. The Nokia 6710 Navigator does, though. And it’s all thanks to the touch-sensitive zoom bar. (more…)

The Illustrated Guide To The New Firefox 3.6 Windows 7 Integration

The How-To Geek — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +1100

The latest Firefox beta integrates much more fully into Windows 7, adding support for Aero Peek-enabled tabs, an enhanced Ctrl+Tab, and more. We’ll show you how they work, and how to enable or disable them. (more…)

Build A DIY Light-Up Camera Level

Sarah Rae Trover — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:30:00 +1100

Some of the newest digital cameras have built in levels to help you ace your straight-on shots, but if your camera or tripod isn’t equipped with a level, this simple led DIY will help you make your own lighted camera level. (more…)

Supplement Your Language Learning By Using Common Sites In A Foreign Language

Adam Pash — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 +1100

Ask anyone who’s achieved proficiency in a second language and they’ll tell you submersion is key. While most of us can’t pick up and move to another country just for our language-learning benefit, you can submerse yourself on the web easily enough. (more…)

Illegal Downloaders Spend More On Music

Adam Pash — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 05:35:00 +1100

According to a poll conducted in the UK, people who admit to illegally downloading music also spend more money on music every year than those who don’t. (more…)

How To Really Browse Without Leaving A Trace

The How-To Geek — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:30:00 +1100

Think that your browser’s private mode keeps your browsing completely private? Not so! More often than not, you’re still leaving traces of your browsing session behind, and today we’ll tell you how to get rid of them for truly private browsing. (more…)