Why A 3% Pay Rise Isn’t All Bad News
So how much of a pay rise did the typical Aussie get in the last 12 months?

Get Cheap Entry For SME Technology Summit
Free passes up for grabs!

Customising Google’s SafeSearch Options
How to keep sexually explicit material away from your (not so) innocent eyes.

mmKeys.dll Makes Media Keys Work Properly With iTunes
How to make your multimedia PC keyboard work properly with iTunes.

Australians Less Vulnerable To Malware Infection
Find out why we’re way below the average.

What Happens To Your Online Accounts When You Die?
Isn’t it time you talked about what’s important?

Make A Detachable Fish Eye Lens Adaptor On The Cheap
Why buy another lens when you can DIY?

Office 2010 Professional Beta Available For Download
There’s a catch though…

Build A Powerful Boxee Media Centre
And why Boxee’s got the upper hand on XBMC.

Google Tasks Client Puts Tasks (Or Any Google App) On Your Desktop
How to get Google Apps on your desktop.

Five Best Online Backup Tools
And…

You’re Backing Up Your Data The Wrong Way
…how to do it properly.

Bargain Hunters Need Some Common Sense
OK, Dell made a mistake, but exploiting that won’t do you any good.

Create A List Of Files In Windows
A step-by-step guide using DOS commands.

Tape Warranties To Large Items For Easy Retrieval

Online Ticketing Scams On The Rise
Find out what the Australian consumer watchdog is targeting this year.

Optus And Telstra Checking Premium SMS Ads

Polish Your Shoes With A Banana
This is a winner of a headline if I ever saw one

The Gaia Desktop
This is a winner of a desktop, too. Shown above.

Programmer 101: Teach Yourself How To Code

Five Best Antivirus Applications
AVG is Lifehacker’s favourite (mine too).

Stop Paying For Windows Security; Microsoft’s Security Tools Are Good Enough

Google Wave Look And Feel Coming To Gmail, Other Google Apps?

Paint.NET Releases Big Update, Still A Killer Photoshop Alternative

Wire Your House With Ethernet Cable

Power Up Your Windows Home Server Console With Add-Ins

Rumour: Layoffs Hit Krome Studios
Aussie game developers are not having a good year.

Let’s All Play Modern Warfare 2
Wanna play against fellow Aussies? Here’s how.

Vote For Australia’s First Golden Joystick
Have your say by voting for your favourite game and retailer.

Harada: “Fighting Games Aren’t Really Tailored To Online Play”
That horrible online lag in Tekken 6? Mr Tekken knows all about it.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii Review: Go Buy A Wii
Nintendo justifies the time it took to finally kick this one out.

Star Trek Online Preview: Ignoring Regulation
Btw, Jason Chen and I are also very actively begging our way into a press beta. Wish us luck.

LEGO Rock Band Review: Redefining The Rock Block
Spoiler: It’s like every other Rock Band title, but with LEGO.

Avatar: The Navi Side Of The Story
Which will lose more money, the movie or the game?

StarCraft II Expansions, Diablo III Coming in “Next Few Years”
Just like I predicted, Diablo III won’t be here until 2011… at the earliest. Being right can suck.

Modern Warfare 2 Sells Nearly Five Million Copies In A Day
That’s a launch of over $US300 million in revenue.

Borderlands Sequel A “No-Brainer”
My siren is level 28. Frucci’s hunter is like level bajillion.

Oh…and as a little bonus, the worst lines in the history of video games:

[Today's Big Thing]

• eBay pulls car sales protection program
• How to budget if you’re moving overseas
• Internet shaping for beginners
• Community TV gets digital TV spectrum allocation
• Trading Post will start accepting ad submissions via mobile phone
• Hunt down cheap booze in your area with Boozle
• Delta and V Australia get ACCC approval to join forces

• Browser speed test results for Windows 7
• How to really browse without leaving a trace
• How to eat a chicken wing with little to no mess
• The Firefox 3.6 Beta 1 is finally officially available for download and there’s a great guide how it integrates into Windows 7
• The five best application docks
• How to get along with your significant other in a compact home office (For a moment I thought this was also a lesson on a Mac and a PC cohabiting, but alas, both computers are Macs)
• How to build a “beeping thing” and drive your coworkers nutters
• How to use Vicks VaporRub to cure toenail fungus
• Make system rebuilding tear-free by using Allmyapps to bulk-install your favourite applications (Windows/Linux only, but those feeling left out can learn about tear-free onion cutting instead)

• Lean from past problems the TIO has resolved
• Choice singles out Qantas in its Shonky Awards
• How to avoid geographic restrictions on eBooks
• ACCC is cracking down on illegal online warranty policies
• Clive James talks about the value of being skeptics

• Avoid work out injuries by running like a hunter
• Sit properly to stay awake and energised at work

• Keep your hair flake-free with Aspirin
• Dress up your desktop for Halloween
• Stream classic films for free

• Get more out of the battery in your Windows laptop
• See side-by-side comparisons of promotional hotel images and reality

• Set up Windows Home Server to automate backups and sort out your media
• Make the most detailed accident sketches possible
• Turn your desktop into a Left 4 Dead looking interface

Microsoft:
• Windows 7: A Weekend Install Guide and More
• You Guys Had Some Wild and Crazy Windows 7 Launch Parties
• Japan’s Windows 7 Whopper Is Real, and It’s Horrifying
• Behold! The Saddest Example of Promotional Convergence Ever!
• Microsoft’s First Retail Store Opens (Like Apple Store With More Colours)
• Windows Mobile 7 Screenshots Leak: Where’s the Start Button?
• Surefire Ways (Not) to Make Windows 7 Cooler
• 7 Reasons to Stick with Windows XP
• 27 Takes on Windows 7
• Windows 7 Review: You Can Quit Complaining Now

Apple:
• Apple iMac Review: 27 Inches and Less Chin
• Unibody Apple MacBook Review
• Apple Magic Mouse Review
• Time Capsule and Airport Extreme Grow New Antennas to Get Faster and Stronger
• Mac Mini Updates: Faster Processors, More Memory and a Dual Hard Disk Server
• 10 Things You Need to Know About Apple’s New Stuff

Barnes & Noble
• Exclusive: First Photos of Barnes & Noble’s Double Screen eReader
• Barnes & Noble’s Dual-Screen Nook: $US260, Eats the Kindle’s Lunch
• Barnes & Noble Compares Nook to Kindle 2: Biased But Fair
• Live From Barnes & Noble’s Nook Event
• 8 Reasons You Can Finally Love eBook Readers (Thanks to Nook)
• Barnes & Noble Nook Up Close: Yep, It’s Real Nice

The Rest:
• FCC: We’re Going to Make Net Neutrality the Law
• The Totally Predictable Cable Industry Response to the FCC’s Net Neutrality Plan
• John McCain’s “Internet Freedom Act” Seeks to Block FCC’s Net Neutrality Rules
• Motorola Droid Unexpectedly Appears on Motorola’s Site Ahead of Schedule

The Launch Party

• Live From The Windows 7 Launch Party
• What’s In The Windows 7 Swag Bag?
• Readers’ Windows 7 Launch Parties
• Adam Frucci’s One-Man Launch Party
• Host Your Own Win 7 Torrenting Party
• Microsoft Opens Its All-New Retail Store
• Microsoft’s New Aussie Windows 7 Ads Are Actually Good
• Microsoft’s New Windows 7 Ads
• Apple’s New Windows 7 Ads
• 38 Ways to Put some Sex Into Windows 7
• Saddest Example of Cross-Promotional Convergence Ever

The Steve Ballmer Interview

• Part 1: Ballmer Talks Natal, Says Blu-ray Add-On for Xbox Coming (Update)
• Part 2: Ballmer on the Smartphone Race: “It Doesn’t Matter What the Critics Say”
• Part 3: Ballmer on Zune: Sometimes You Get It Right The Third Time?
• Part 4: Ballmer on Those Crazy Ballmer YouTube Videos
• Part 5: Ballmer Optimistic About Win 7, But Says Vista Is “Very Popular”

Software and Hardware

• Why There’s No Windows 7 Family Pack For Australia
• Our Full Review
• The Best Features and Tips
• Our Complete Windows 7 Guide
• 27 Reviews of Windows 7
• Battlemodo: Thin-and-Light Win 7 Laptops
• HP Envy

More Windows 7 Goodness

• Harvey Norman Plan To Sell The World’s First Copy Of Windows 7
• Windows 7 Laptops On Sale Already
• Windows 7 Student Pricing Is The Way To Go, If You’re A Student
• Lenovo’s New Windows 7 PCs Announced
• How to Install Windows 7 via Boot Camp on a New Mac
• How to virtualise Any OS for Free
• 7 Reasons to Stick to XP
• Amazon Kindle Touchscreen App for Windows 7
• Lifehacker’s Complete Guide to Windows 7
• Win SuperSite: How To Clean Install Win 7 With an Upgrade-Only Disc

Junglist Axed In Good Game Reshuffle
Junglist has made his final appearance on the show.

LAN Planner: Trick Or Treat Yourself To Some Gaming
If you’re in Sydney on Halloween and feel like some gaming, why not head down to LANoWEEN?

Does Xbox 360 Video Marketplace Work In Australia?

Melbourne Developer Ends Transmission

What’s The Story With Borderlands?

PS3 Now Outselling Wii, 360 In Australia; PSP Also Up

Report: PSPgo Flops In Australia
Sony’s new handheld sold fewer than 1000 units in its first week.

PC Arkham Asylum Players Play Dress-Up
Batman in a Green Lantern suit just isn’t right.

Let’s Take An Audio Walk Through Akihabara
It’s so easy to get lost looking for a specific shop in Tokyo.

Can You Top This Dragon Ball Halloween Costume?
That last-minute costume you’ve been looking for.

Lost Planet 2 Preview: Let’s Hope This Works

Marvel Super Hero Squad Review: This One Is For The Brats

Borderlands’ Creative Boss Lives Up to His Loot Promises
Borderlands!!!!

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time Review: The Leap, At Last

Take Dragon Ball: Raging Blast For A Spin

The Gears of War Snuggie
You cannot escape the Snuggie.

CNET
“Windows 7 presents a stable platform that can compete comfortably with OS X, while reassuring the world that Microsoft can still turn out a strong, useful operating system.”

PCWorld
“…the final shipping version I test-drove appears to be the worthy successor to Windows XP that Vista never was.”

NYTimes
“[Microsoft's] three-year Windows Vista nightmare is over.”

IT Pro
“Windows 7…is competent and functional due to internal improvements and the user interface is attractive and good for productivity.”

bit-tech
“For want of a better way of describing it, Microsoft has essentially fixed Vista and the result is arguably Microsoft’s best operating system to date.”

Guardian
“Windows 7 is simply the best version of Windows you can get.”

Slate
“Indeed, the new Windows is not only the best operating system that Microsoft has ever produced. It is arguably the fastest, most intuitive, and most useful consumer desktop OS on the market today.”

Maximum PC
“…Windows 7 is unquestionably the best version of Windows that Microsoft has ever released, and is the true successor to Windows XP.”

Tech Radar
“No version of Windows is ever perfect, but Windows 7 really is the best release of Windows yet.”

PC Mag
“It’s far and away the best OS we’ve ever seen from Microsoft.”

Wall Street Journal
“I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced.”

ElectricPig
“With Windows 7, Microsoft wants us to believe that it’s got its OS back on track and for the most part we feel they have.”

Engadget
“Where Vista felt like a sprawling mess, Windows 7 has patched up the holes and feels like a tight, unified mechanism.”

Telegraph
“Windows 7 is the operating system Vista should have been…”

Hexus
“This is the operating system that Windows Vista should have been.”

Digital Trends
“…Microsoft has returned for redemption with Windows 7, otherwise known as “what Vista should have been.”

AP
“Windows 7 [is] a slick, much improved operating system that should go a long way toward erasing the bad impression left by its previous effort, Vista.”

V3
“…Windows 7 is a worthy successor to Windows XP…”

Federal Computer Week
“There is nothing wrong with Windows 7 – and we’ve always thought Vista was a better operating system than its reputation suggested – so if a new system happens to come with it, then you’ll get a fine operating system.”

PC Pro UK
“We like Windows 7 a lot – so much so, that the disappointment that was Windows Vista has already become a distant memory…”

Technodorm
“If you have the money to spend, there is no reason why you shouldn’t upgrade.”

Laptop Mag
“If Vista left you somewhat disillusioned with Windows, we suggest you upgrade to Windows 7.”

Cult of Mac
“I need to go wash my eyes out with bleach.”

The Inquirer
“Windows 7 is as pretty as Apple stuff, just as easy to use, and does not treat you like a moron.”

Computer World
“…it’s finally time to upgrade.”

TechWorld
“Windows 7 feels like an anti-Vista…”

Gizmodo
“…if you’re coming from Windows XP, Windows 7 will totally feel like a revelation from the glossy future. If you’re coming from Vista, you’ll definitely go “Hey, this is much better!” the first time you touch Aero Peek. If you’re coming from a Mac, you’ll — hahahahaha. But seriously, even the Mactards will have to tone down their nasal David Spadian snide, at least a little bit.”

• Exclusive: First Photos of Barnes & Noble’s Double Screen E-Reader: In which we scoop the crap out of BN’s crazy two-screened reader.
• Barnes & Noble’s Dual-Screen Nook: $US260, Eats the Kindle’s Lunch: In which the Nook leaks a few hours early.
• Barnes & Noble Compares Nook to Kindle 2: Biased But Fair: In which BN thoughtfully explains why the Nook whups the Kindle 2’s butt.
• Live From Barnes & Noble’s Nook Event: In which intrepid reporters John Herrman and Matt Buchanan bring you the Nook’s official announcement, live, with bonus Q & A.
• 8 Reasons You Can Finally Love Ebook Readers (Thanks to Nook): In which we explain why the Nook has finally gotten us excited about eBook readers.
• Barnes & Noble Nook Up Close: Yep, It’s Real Nice: In which we go hands-on with the Nook, and like it.

[Barnes & Noble Nook coverage on Giz]