Honestly, there is no surprise there. Sydney IS beautiful, even if it would also make it into the Top Ten Most Expensive cities to live.  Compounding Sydney's successful placement is not the only gorgeous Australian city to make it into the top thirty-five cities either. There are four others, making Australia a truly wonderful place to raise your children - as I did, in Melbourne.Melbourne has stayed at seventeenth, as Perth has done, Adelaide improved by one, to hit twentieth ... Read Full Story

Hello everyone,I'd like to offer my sincere apology for the lack of posts or any explanation over the past few weeks.Suffice it to say, that I've been in hospital for some time but hope to be back full time at Now Public and writing here and for my other web site So Opinionated next week.I nearly fell over when I checked my email this morning, only to be met with the pythonic figure of over 8,000 waiting for me.Of course I'd never be able to wade through them all, so I plan to ... Read Full Story

Good afternoon everyone!So here we are at Technology Friday again and I've got a grrrreat lineup for you today!Enjoy!I do hope that you enjoyed the videos - I'll have more for you next Friday!David and I are planning on visiting his brother at (oddly enough) Friday Harbour, which is part of the San Juan Islands, just past Seattle. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend too! ~ Swan Read Full Story

Well it's official - and I predict that it's going to be the ultimate honeymoon destination for very wealthy, adventurous young couples.Ok, so maybe I'm projecting my own fantasies, but if I had the money I'd have bought my ticket long ago.To me, the thought that 'normal people (as opposed to astronauts and 'experts' of one kind or another) are actually able to see our beautiful 'blue marble' from space, is mind-boggling.Such a possibility had been spoken a... Read Full Story

February heralded in the introduction of a successful new Australian company named Arasor International who have partnered with an American company by the name of Novalux.As a result of this lucrative partnership - just when you thought it was safe to go out and buy a new television, it appears that big screen LCD and plasma TVs are possibly on their way - out.David and I had been contemplating purchasing a big screen TV some time this year and now we're both glad we waited!Laser TV is a ... Read Full Story

Good morning everyone!So I'm a day late with Technology Friday - think of it as gaining a day!Immigration Video Game - "ICED"With immigration a hot issue in the upcoming U.S. elections, a new video game has launched called ICED which aims to show hardships faced by legal and undocumented immigrants:Small is Big at NY., Auto ShowSmall is big and green is the scene at the New York International Auto Show.The show unveiled everything from a flying auto to a smashed up car, but smal... Read Full Story

The Defence Advanced Research Project Administraion (DARPA) tasked Boston Dynamics with developing a robot that has the absolute ability to run, maneuver and jump to avoid obstacles.Boston Dynamics have gone not one, but a dozen times better than they're original mandate with the creation of 'Big Dog' - which not only accomplishes all of the above, but is also able to successfully climb through the woods, is able to walk and climb through snow and even recover it's balance if ... Read Full Story

The Defence Advanced Research Project Administration (DARPA) tasked Boston Dynamics with developing a robot that has the absolute ability to run, maneuver and jump to avoid obstacles.Boston Dynamics have gone not one, but a dozen times better than they're original mandate with the creation of 'Big Dog' - which not only accomplishes all of the above, but is also able to successfully climb through the woods.The amazing robot is also able to walk and climb through snow and even recov... Read Full Story

Good morning readers!Because freelance reporting has been taking up so much of my time, I've found that this web site has somewhat suffered and morphed into something different.The site now has a broader technology focus. I will still be doing software reviews from time to time, when time warrants it or when I'm commissioned to test and report on a developer's software product.Introducing:Premier Software Reviews & Technology in the NewsThe name accomplishes exactly what I wa... Read Full Story

This is not the first time we've heard of the Chinese and their "expertise" in this area.   The world is aware of their superior education system and what their students are able to produce as a result of this education. ZHOUSHAN, China (CNN) -- They operate from a bare apartment on a Chinese island. They are intelligent 20-somethings who seem harmless. But they are hard-core hackers who claim to have gained access to the world's most sensitive sites, including... Read Full Story