Lifehacker Australia

Lifehacker is hiring: PHP developers, tech manager, adops manager

Lifehacker Australia — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:05:33 +1100

Love Lifehacker, media, the web and PHP development or advertising operations? We want to hear from you!

eBay Promises Compensation For Search Stuffup

Angus Kidman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:00:44 +1100

eBay’s search function went into meltdown over the weekend, meaning many searches returned no results and a number of specialised search functions remain switched off while the auction giant’s boffins try and fix the problem. Lousy timing with Christmas looming. eBay has promised it will compensate sellers affected by the problem, though details haven’t yet emerged. [eBay]

ADVERTISEMENT: Manage It All With A Telstra Windows® Phone

Advertisement — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:45:13 +1100

As clichéd as it sounds, we’re a pretty busy bunch, these days. Work and play, friends and family, schedules and to-dos, emails and photos, the list is endless. But with a Windows® phone, it’s easier to manage it all. (more…)

Tax Bills Start Falling Due This Week

Angus Kidman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:00:37 +1100

If you submitted your tax return on time (and especially if you used e-Tax), chances are you’ve already gotten a refund by now. But if you’re in the less fortunate category of owing the tax office money, those bills start falling due this week. (more…)

Four Airlines In One Day

Angus Kidman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:00:14 +1100

Australia has four major airlines competing on interstate routes, with offerings from bare-bones budget to full service. But price aside, how do Jetstar, Qantas, Tiger and Virgin Blue really measure up? To find out, this Wednesday I’m going to fly on all four of them in a course of a single day. (more…)

White Space And LEDs

Jason Fitzpatrick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +1100

Today’s featured workspace is an example of how you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a fun and functional workspace with a solid dose of style. (more…)

iView Now Working On PS3

Angus Kidman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:00:55 +1100

It’s been in the works for some time, but numerous Twitter users over the weekend reported that the ABC’s well-regarded and recently redesigned iView service is now working on the PS3. (Sony has a launch event for its PlayTV scheduled this week which will likely promote the iView integration as well.) If you’ve given it a try, tell us how it rolls in the comments.

Last Week’s Best Posts

Angus Kidman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:30:57 +1100

You wanted Office 2010, you wanted backup advice and you wanted to make 000 calls. Kick off your Lifehacker Monday by making sure you didn’t miss any of the biggest posts from last week: (more…)

Workspace Inspiration: Embracing The Door-As-Desk Option

Jason Fitzpatrick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +1100

Although the door-as-desk option is often seen as a workspace solution for broke college kids and startup companies, it’s a great way to get a lot of space cheaply and doesn’t have to be drab or cheap looking. (more…)

Mount A Magnetic Spice Rack To Keep Your Spices Accessible

Jason Fitzpatrick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:00:00 +1100

If you’re short on space in your kitchen, you can save a bit of it by mounting this DIY magnetic spice rack. It gets your spices off your counters and out of your drawers. (more…)

Five Best Screencasting Tools

Jason Fitzpatrick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:00:00 +1100

Thanks to broadband and some excellent screencasting applications, you don’t need to limit yourself to mere static images when you’re trying to show someone how to do something on your computer. Record video, audio and do even more with these screencasting tools. (more…)

Establish A Permanent Toiletries Bag For Easy And Speedy Packing

Jason Fitzpatrick — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 03:00:00 +1100

Last minute packing is a great way to forget something important. Never forget anything in your toiletries bag by establishing a permanent one for easy packing. (more…)

Build Your Own 3D Camera Rig With Two Hacked Canon Cameras

Jason Fitzpatrick — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:00:00 +1100

You don’t need to spend a mint on the new 3D-capable camera from Fuji. You can throw two basic Canon point-and-shoot cameras together with $US20 worth of parts and make your own for 3D fun. (more…)

Use A Spoon To Prevent Milk From Boiling Over

Jason Fitzpatrick — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +1100

You’re boiling milk, you turn your back for a moment, and — boom! — like Godzilla rising out of the bay, the milk is boiling over the pot and all over the stove. Prevent that mess with this simple hack. (more…)

Make A Lighted Christmas Ball

Jason Fitzpatrick — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +1100

If you’re tired of the same old outdoor Christmas decorating routine of simply wrapping a tree in lights, you’ll definitely want to check out these lighted tree balls, a cheap and novel way to brighten your neighbourhood. (more…)

Fishbowl Brings Facebook To Your Desktop

Whitson Gordon — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +1100

Windows only: Fishbowl, the Facebook client demoed at Microsoft’s introduction to Silverlight 4, is now available for download — and it adds quite a few new desktop features to the Facebook experience, including badges, a mini news feed, and more. (more…)

Top 10 Ergonomic Upgrades For Your Workspace

Kevin Purdy — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:00:00 +1100

It’s easy to forget about your body’s needs when you’re deep into your work or the net — until your body offers a painful reminder. Save your physical shell some strain with these cheap, customisable ergonomic workspace upgrades. (more…)

Make A Wine Tote Out Of Your Old Clothes

Lisa Hoover — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:00:00 +1100

Have an old t-shirt or skirt lying around? With little more than a pair of scissors and a sewing machine, you can turn your old clothes into a nifty wine tote for that bottle of Merlot you’re giving to mum. (more…)

From The Tips Box: Gmail Remember The Milk, Repelling Mosquitoes

Whitson Gordon — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 12:00:00 +1100

Readers offer their best tips for updating Remember the Milk with Gmail’s canned responses, avoiding mouse jumps while typing with touchpads, and repelling mosquitoes with Listerine. (more…)

PST Desktop Live Makes Performance Benchmarking Simple

Jason Fitzpatrick — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:00:00 +1100

Linux Live: If you want to put your computer through the paces and get some feedback and benchmarks, you’ll be hard pressed to find a tool more packed with tests than the Phoronix Test Suite Live CD. (more…)

Twitter/Facebook Client Brizzly Open For Sign-Ups

Kevin Purdy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:00:00 +1100

Brizzly, the web-based social-media manager that ranked as one of our readers’ favourite Twitter clients, has dropped the invite code requirement and is available for anyone to log into. It’s still technically in “beta”, but mostly to keep up the fairly rapid pace of feature development. [via TechCrunch]

Windows Surface Scanner Finds Bad Hard-Drive Sectors

Lisa Hoover — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:30:00 +1100

Windows: When your computer starts acting hinky and spitting out error messages, it’s hard to know exactly where to begin to diagnose the problem. Windows Surface Scanner gives you a place to start. (more…)

MinimizeToTray Revived Puts Firefox In Your System Tray

The How-To Geek — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 08:00:00 +1100

Windows only: Firefox extension MinimizeToTray Revived puts Firefox in your system tray, and replaces the popular MinimizeToTray extension that has been abandoned and doesn’t support Firefox 3 or later. (more…)

Give Wireless Charging Mats A Natural Wood Look

Sarah Rae Trover — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:30:00 +1100

Wireless charging mats are a clever way to charge your gadgets without cords or power bricks, but a big black mat can easily stick out in any room. Instructables shows you how to make a more stylish wooden induction charger. (more…)

YouTube Will Soon Block Access From Set-Top Devices

Kevin Purdy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:20:00 +1100

It won’t affect your PS3, Wii, TiVo or other licensed YouTube partners, but Google’s streaming video service will start blocking access to TV-connected devices as of December 2. (more…)