Melbourne Cup is the race that stops the nation and many offices across Australia take time out of the work day to let employees join in on the festivities. This usually involve copious amounts of alcohol, and after a few too many sips of liquid courage people can become rowdy and "handsy". As a manager, how do you avoid things getting out out hand?

We love to laugh at people outside of Australia under the mistaken belief that we ride kangaroos to work or keep them around as pets. But it does raise an interesting question: could you keep a kangaroo as a pet? Turns out you can... if you live in one particular state.

Spring is nearly upon us, which means the return of the dreaded Magpie season. Those ruthless swooping demons are extremely aggressive during this time of year as they defend their nests with gusto around gardens, schoolyards and parks. So is it legal to kill one of these angry birds before it pecks an eye out?

If you think companies have grown too bold with their marketing of "healthy" foods for kids, look no further than Heinz — just last Friday, it was ordered to pay a massive $2.25 million to the ACCC for "a misleading health claim" regarding its Little Kids Shredz product line.

Ever since Ruslan Kogan shipped his first container of TVs from China, his company has played the underdog card brilliantly in the company's pitched battle with established retailers like JB HiFi and, in particular, Harvey Norman. But now they are locked in a legal battle with The Catch Group. Catch alleges Kogan has registered domain names and is offering services using domain names that could confuse buyers.

Maybe you've heard someone mention GDPR in passing, but were too embarrassed to ask what those letters actually stood for. Or maybe your friend posted something online about what GDPR means for online data protection. At the very least, you've probably received a few dozen emails from various companies about how their updated their privacy policies comply with the new law.

Super Nintendo was my first ever console and there are games on that system that I still enjoy playing to this day. Unfortunately, my childhood console died over a decade ago and it's not always easy to find a Super Nintendo with all the right bits working. The easiest way to re-live my favourite childhood video games is through ROM (read-only memory) files and emulators. There is a swathe of video game ROMs and emulators floating around on the internet that can be readily downloaded. There are also people who convert their old games into ROM images so they can be backed up and conveniently accessed through emulators. So is any of this legal? Let's find out.

Dear Lifehacker, I have a question about the rights of bottle shop assistants to check IDs. I was at a bottle store a few days ago with a friend buying two bottles of beer. The checkout assistant asked for my ID which was fine and even a bit flattering (I'm almost 30). But then she asked my friend for her ID too.

When in doubt about who the father of a baby is, just do a paternity test. That seems like a no-brainer, especially since DNA testing has come a long way so it can provide quicker and more accurate results. But what if a man doesn't want to find out if he's the father? Is it legal to refuse a paternity test? Let's find out.

Dear Lifehacker, I’m a 25 year old P-plater from NSW who is planning to move to Victoria. If I transfer my license to Victoria, will this subtract a year from my provisional licence? Or do I still need to stay on them for the full 24 months? Which State's set of rules apply?

Dear Lifehacker, I admit it, I sometimes watch those dubious "current affairs" shows, and it has me wondering: can you request a TV crew to stop filming, and are they breaking the law if they don't stop? And what if a cop asks me to stop videoing them?

President Trump's campaign chairmen, Paul Manafort, was indicted yesterday and ordered to surrender to authorities. According to the New York Times, he is charged with funelling "millions of dollars through overseas shell companies and the money to buy luxury cars, real estate, antiques and expensive suits." His associate Rick Gates was also charged. The Times notes that this represents "a significant escalation in a special counsel investigation that has cast a shadow over Mr. Trump's first year in office."

There are two reasons you might find to sleep in your car. One: ROAD TRIP! Two: You've had a bigger night than you expected and now you can't drive home. Cabs are expensive. You're not a fan of Uber. It's too late to catch any form of public transport. You could walk, you think, but a four hour walk in the dark isn't a great plan. So you decide that you need to have a little kip in your automobile and you lay down across the back seat and start to snooze.

But is it actually legal to punch some Z's in your vehicle? Let's find out.

Dear Lifehacker, I recently read about a guy who got a letter from the council saying that he needed to apply for planning approval of a cubby house that he had built in his backyard over 12 months prior. (Apparently it's the same deal as with a shed, requiring council approval.) Why is that the case? Why does anyone building anything on their own property need to ask the council for permission?

A lot of people have strong feelings about flag burning. It's often considered to be the ultimate unpatriotic act or even a precursor to violence. If you really want people to think you hate your country -- burning the flag will usually do it. But regardless of the social and political implications of the act, is flag burning actually illegal?

Now that Game of Thrones is back, we're getting exposed to a whole new season where certain characters enjoy keeping it in the family. Incest may be low-key tolerated in Westeros, but what about here in Australia? Is the whole notion of "kissing cousins" (and a whole lot more), illegal?

Dear Lifehacker, I was reading recently about a guy who crossed the road (not at an intersection) in front of a police car and they fined him for jaywalking. I was wondering what exactly constitutes jaywalking in each state?

Quick straw poll - how many of us actually read the license agreement when we sign on to an online service or install a new app? I'll be honest, I almost never do. And the only times I have is in corporate environments where the lawyers have done it for me.

But this week, it has been revealed that genealogy company Ancestry has been offering DNA testing where they claim perpetual ownership of your DNA.

Australia’s data retention laws became compulsory yesterday, which means all telcos and internet service providers must now retain their customers' metadata for two years. This is supposed to assist law enforcement agencies in their war against homegrown terrorists and other criminals -- but it arguably comes at the expense of normal Australians' privacy. Attempting to avoid these laws and send messages "off the gird" isn't easy, but it remains possible. Dr Philip Branch from the Swinburne University of Technology explains what you need to know.