Let’s talk plastic: did you know that according to the Australian Marine Conservation Society, Aussies throw out over 2.7 million disposable coffee cups every day? Since plastic items can take hundreds of years to decompose, they pose a massive risk to our diverse range of wildlife, particularly those at sea. If submarine divers can find a plastic bag over 10km deep in the Mariana Trench, think of our local beaches!

The good news is that everyone can help make a difference. Thanks to a ban on lightweight plastic bags in most states and territories, plastic bag use has dropped by 80% across the country. As a nation, we’re all getting a lot more conscious about the impact plastic has on the environment, and items such as plastic straws and cutlery are falling out of fashion.

To help you make a change for the better, here’s six simple ideas to reduce the amount of plastic you use in your daily life.

(more…)

Technology changes fast. Twenty years ago, only a handful of adults had a mobile phone – but two decades on the digital time spectrum is equivalent to the Jurassic age and modern-day. Trying to explain dialup to a pre-teen will elicit the same wild-eyed bewilderment as “a stegosaurus was as big as this house”.

So, that leaves parents in 2020 with a conundrum: when do I give my child their first phone? Is it a question of them reaching a certain age, or is it a case of them showing a level of maturity? We can’t go off what our parents did because two tin cans connected by a string isn’t really the same.

Like most aspects of parenting, there are no hard-and-fast rules for when a child is ready for the responsibility of a mobile – but that doesn’t mean you’re without help. We’ve scouted the web to bring you a step-by-step manual for solving this digital dilemma.

(more…)

The Christmas decorations have no doubt been up at the shops for weeks now, but consider this a friendly reminder that it’s November, and Christmas is on the horizon. With more and more shopping getting done online these days, it’s best to beat the rush and get your gifts sorted sooner rather than later.

To help you get some ideas about quirky gifts for your geeky loved ones, here’s some of our top picks from online stores that ship to Australia. Whether you’re shopping for an avid gamer, sci-fi fan or pop culture collector, you’re bound to find something they’ll love – and maybe pick up something for yourself while you’re at it!

(more…)