Angus And Chris Pick Their Favourite Lifehacker Posts From 2014

We’ve already told you what the most popular posts were on Lifehacker in 2014, but sometimes the things that are the most enjoyable to write aren’t the ones that everyone reads. These are our personal favourites from everything we wrote (and there were a lot of posts) in 2014.

We’ve largely concentrated on stuff for Lifehacker, but since we also get the chance to write for our sibling sites Gizmodo and Kotaku when the mood hits, some of those posts make it into the list too.

Angus Kidman

Extreme Commuting: When The Journey To Work Takes Three Hours


I kicked off 2014 with a very strange experiment — travelling to the extremes of the Sydney commuter train network to see what the experience of “extreme commuting” was like. It was good fun, though I still don’t feel inclined to move to Bathurst.


How Netflix Will Deal With Australian VPN Users


Years of speculation about Netflix’s Australian plans ended when the streaming media giant announced plans to launch down under in 2015 — but finding out more about those plans was a bit like pulling teeth.


A Flavour Of Death Games Have Not Sampled


The most personal thing I wrote in 2015, by a very long way.


How David Unaipon (Almost) Changed Our Nation


Retelling the largely-ignored story of the indigenous scientist on the Australian $50 note.


Why Kmart, Target And Big W Are Getting Out Of Video Games


Gamers got very upset when Target and Kmart decided to stop selling Grand Theft Auto V — but the signs of their plans were evident long before the petition that kicked off that controversy. Big-box retailing for games is dying.


Planhacker: Every Australian iPhone 6 And 6 Plus Plan From Optus, Telstra, Virgin Mobile And Vodafone


This was the fiddliest Planhacker I have ever had to assemble — Apple refused to let carriers announce plans in advance, so the only option was to trawl through swamped telco sites at 6pm on a Friday night.


Why Canberra Is Australia’s Official Star Wars Holiday Special Capital


More archival delving, this time into the strange broadcast history of the Star Wars Holiday Special in Australia.


McDiet Conclusion: How Much Weight Did I Lose?


You can lose weight eating nothing but McDonald’s, but I can’t say I recommend it.


HaiTaku 8-Way 8-Bit Extravaganza: The Solution


Because who wouldn’t take the chance to write eight haikus about classic arcade video games?


Shirt Happens: We Test Threadsmiths’ Liquid-Proof Clothing Range


In which Chris and I make a complete exhibit of ourselves in waterproof shirts.

Chris Jager

Taste Test: Is McDonald’s Deluxe Dine-In Burger Worth $30?


This year, the Golden Arches unveiled its first “upmarket” dining experience with fancy burgers, tabled service and a highly customisable touch screen menu. The results were surprisingly impressive and unlike anything McDonald’s has attempted in the past sixty years. Of the myriad fast food stories I covered this year, this was definitely the most interesting.


Top 10 Movies And TV Shows That Are Like Game Of Thrones


As a renowned ASOIAF addict, it would be remiss of me not to include one of my many Game Of Thrones posts of the year. This one proved the most popular with readers. I also stand by what I said about Krull: go watch it immediately!


I’m Graeme Innes, Australia’s Human Rights Commissioner, And This Is How I Work


We’ve interviewed some fascinating people for the How I Work series, but Australia’s then-Disability Discrimination Commissioner was my personal favourite. As a legally blind gadget- and Twitter-addict, Innes taught me a lot about how visual impaired people interact with technology.


Remembering The Alien 3 Joystick: The Best/Worst Game Controller In Existence


Wherefore art thou Casey Pursy? Sigh.


What I Learned From Taking A Mensa IQ Test


Shockingly, it turns out I’m not a certified genius. Meh, whatevs. I’m too good for Mensa anyway.


Top 10 Ways To Be A Horrible Person On Social Media


Ironically, I’m guilty of pretty much all of these. Especially the “duck face”.


In The Belly Of The Beast: How KFC Australia Makes Its Chicken


Did you know KFC uses completely different birds for its leg, breast and wing pieces? Apparently, each body part reaches its optimum size at a different stage in the chicken’s life cycle. The more you know.


The Photographer Behind Windows XP’s Iconic ‘Bliss’ Background Shares His Design Tips


Most of you will be intimately familiar with Window XP’s default background. In this interview, the man behind the iconic photo shares his personal design tips.


Kiki Sucre’s Top 10 Dancing Tips For Amateur Strippers


I had a whale of a time explaining this one to my wife.


How Plants Vs. Zombies 2 Nearly Got Me Butt-Searched By Cops


Self-explanatory really.


The Cheapest NBN 50 Plans

Here are the cheapest plans available for Australia’s most popular NBN speed tier.

At Lifehacker, we independently select and write about stuff we love and think you'll like too. We have affiliate and advertising partnerships, which means we may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. BTW – prices are accurate and items in stock at the time of posting.

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