Use a Beer Can to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal

Image from WikihowWhat do college students use more than internet and beer? Now you can combine the powers of these two great inventions to improve the Wi-Fi signal in your apartment or dorm. Wikihow has the plans for a beer can antenna booster (although I can't imagine it wouldn't work with a soda can too), and it looks awesome.

Basically you'll need to cut open the can to resemble a simple satellite dish, and place your router's antenna through the hole in the top. The design is undoubtedly directional, and probably wouldn't work very well if you were lucky enough to place your router in the middle of an apartment. If it's hidden away in the corner however, or you just want to boost the signal temporarily in a specific direction, there's no reason not to give it a try. Just don't cut yourself!

Unfortunately the router at my house doesn't have an external antenna, so let me know in the comments how well it worked. Once you've improved your antenna, see if the DD-WRT open-source firmware is compatible with your router, and check out Lifehacker's guide on using it to dramatically improve your network's performance. 

[Via The Consumerist]

Replace Your Alarm Clock With These Apps

I'm pretty sure iTunes Alarm lets you think whatever you want, though. Image courtesy of Flickr user murdelta. Licensed under CC BY-NC-2.0If you're not naturally an early riser, you generally have two options for waking up in the morning: a dedicated alarm clock, or a cell phone. Neither of them is ideal. Alarm clocks are bulky, difficult to find outlet space for in a dorm room, and thrown off by dorm power outages. Cell phone alarms can be muted if they slip under a pillow, and are at risk of being shut off due to a dead battery or a force closed alarm app.

So, what's the sleep college student to do? This fall, try using your computer as an alarm clock. It's presumably already plugged in, has a battery in case the power goes off, and is something you'll have to bring with you anyway. Plus, with an alarm clock pulling from your music library, you can wake up to the dulcet sounds of the Beastie Boys.

For OSX users, I recommend iTunes Alarm, a free app that works with your iTunes library. It allows for customized alarms (if you wake up at different times on different days of the week, for example), and allows you to configure alarms to wake up and fall asleep to. Plus, if your laptop is far away from where you sleep, you actually have to get up to turn the noise off, and this increases the likelihood that you'll stay awake. Be sure to double-check the software after iTunes updates, though--your alarm won't go off if you have a new user agreement that you have to check off.

For Windows users, this alarm program seems to provide most of the same functionality, despite being ugly as sin. For some reason, the number of alarm clocks available for Windows seems to be pretty small (or they're well-hidden). However, if you're looking for something to wake you up, it will do the trick. It offers different alarms for different days of the week and customizable music.

For Linux users, this alarm clock application seems to be a good choice. It offers ridiculous scheduling options for the alarms, and has a fairly painless setup procedure. It lets you pick a custom sound for your alarm, so if you have a music file you'd like to play, you're good. The Linux app goes beyond the other two OS's options in that it allows you to schedule alarms months in advance--if you want an alarm for every Monday in January except the 25th, it's doable with this program.

Though all of this software comes highly recommended by folks online, it's always a good idea to test it before you go back to school in case it doesn't work with your computer for some reason. In addition, if you're paranoid (like me), it can be good to run a second alarm on your phone at a five-minute delay for the first week of school. However, that being said, computer alarms can work really well and travel with you in a way traditional alarm clocks can't, without the inconvenience of purchasing a dedicated iSpeakerThing. Plus: Beastie Boys.

Got a favorite alarm clock app we didn't cover? Share it in the comments!

9 Ways to Prepare Leftover Chicken Meat

Chicken is om nom nom good. Photo courtesy of KellyK. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.One of my go-to meals this summer has been buying a rotisserie chicken at the grocery, eating a leg or thigh one night, and then saving the rest of the meat for leftovers for several more days. I've come up with a few easy, yummy alternative ways to fix up your leftover chicken meat so you can eat off your one $7 chicken for more than one night. It's a fantastic college cooking trick.

• Tacos - All you need to do is dice up the leftover chicken, buy some beans, lettuce, cheese, avocados, and tortillas, and you are good to go. This is my particular favorite use of leftover chicken. Mmm.
• Quesadillas - Another Mexican food delicacy. Sandwich some cheese and chicken between two tortillas, add whatever other stuff you want (jalapeños, tomatoes, beans, etc), and you've got yourself a delicious dinner.
• Chicken Sandwich - This is a very simple option, but is still very yummy. If you'd rather have something a little more jazzed up, try the...
• BBQ Chicken Sandwich - Another favorite of mine. I have no idea if this is a very southern thing or not, but BBQ is basically the best thing in the entire world. Mix up your diced chicken in a bowl or plastic bag with some of your favorite BBQ (KC Masterpiece is my favorite), and there you go. 
• Chicken Fettuccini  Alfredo - You can either make your own sauce from scratch or buy a jar of alfredo sauce. Just make the pasta and mix in the sauce and chicken. Voila.
• Spaghetti, Toasted Walnuts, and Chicken - I have yet to try this, but it is seriously on my radar. The premise and preparation are very easy, but just thinking about this makes me happy. To toast walnuts, toss them in a skillet with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat. Stir frequently for about 3-4 minutes. They burn easily, so keep an eye on them.
• Chicken Salad - Every body has their different recipes, and everyone claims theirs is the best. Chances are your family has a pretty tasty one, or else you can search around on the internet for a good alternative. My favorite has raisins and apple in it.
• Chicken Pot Pie - Another personal favorite, this is surprisingly easy to make. Make a white cream sauce (basically flour, butter, and water/milk), stir in the chicken, and serve over a pastry shell, which I usually find in the frozen section of my grocery. An alternative for serving larger groups is to pour the chicken and sauce into a pie crust, add some mixed frozen veggies, and cover with another pie crust. Bake until golden brown.
• King Chicken Ranch Casserole - Again, this might be a southern (or specifically Texan) thing, but I love me some casseroles. They're easy to just throw in the oven and they continue to feed you for days. In other words, college student friendly. King chicken ranch casserole, for you unfortunate souls who haven't heard of it, is a wonderful mixture of chicken, cheese, mushroom soup, and tortilla chips. Click here for a delicious recipe straight from Texas.

What are your favorite leftover chicken recipes? Let us know in the comments!

 [via A Lot of Manliness]

The Simple 10-Minute Time Management System

Put time back on your side with the 10-Minute Time Management System. Photo by Earls37a and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

As college students, our lives are incredibly busy and hectic. Our schedules are crammed to the brim with class, reading, homework, club activities, and work. How is it possible to stay on top of everything and not lose your mind?! From Remember the Milk to Evernote, I’m sure that everyone has their own time management/organization system that they’ve been using and find helpful. Unlike everything else out there on the Internet though, I stumbled upon a time management system that’s particularly well suited to college students and is not only effective, but also fast and easy. It takes no more than 10 minutes a day: five minutes in the morning and five at night. It’s also easy in the sense that all it requires is a pen/pencil and scrap paper – no laptop or Smartphone required whatsoever.

I learned about this system from Cal Newport’s How to Win at College (A great read that I highly recommend). Here’s the rundown of how it works:

1. Everyday, you take some scrap paper that you can keep in your pocket and create a T-chart.
2. You can label the top with the day of the week and that day’s date
3. The right column is your to-do list where you mark all the things you want to accomplish that day. It’s okay to list more things than you think you’ll actually accomplish – be ambitious!
4. The left column is your agenda – mark down all the things you plan to do for that day and block out the time you’re going to devote to each item. Do this for all items: Blocking out a specific amount of time for things like studying keeps you focused and accountable to 1) actually going to study and 2) not spending too much time studying if there are more urgent assignments.
5. In the morning, take five minutes to create a new T-chart and fill in the left and right columns with that day’s agenda and to-do list
6. As you complete items throughout the course of the day, mark them off your to-do list
7. Before you go to bed, take an inventory of your day. If you want, this is where you can plug stuff into your Google Calendar/iCal/Remember the Milk/etc. (but this is completely optional). Did you adequately block out enough time for all your tasks? If not, adjust accordingly tomorrow. Were you too ambitious about completing tasks? If so, just move whatever you didn’t finish to the next day’s list.
8. Start a new day with a new T-chart, being sure to transfer whatever items your didn’t complete from yesterday.

 When you're done, it should look something like this.

It’s that simple! Again, it only takes 5 minutes in the morning and 5 minutes in the evening. I’ve found this to be the least time-consuming yet still effective task management method for students. It’s helped me to become more productive by squeezing every last minute of productivity out of my day. If I have a spare 15 minutes for example, I can just look at my list and scan through any readings I can do to get ahead. At the same time, planning your day out in advance helps you by always making sure you’re using your time productively instead of just going on Facebook.

Has this time management system improved your productivity? What systems do you use and what are your thoughts on them? Let us know in the comments!

Wired Campus's Roundtable on Classroom Technology

Yours truly, with a massive case of bedhead. Screenshot of author taken from source video.This past Friday, I was able to participate in a round table with Jeff Young and Jenny Zou from The Chronicle of Higher Education, in addition to fellow students Greg Hausheer from Yale and BookSavr.com and Lydia Hlebasko from Purdue University for Jeff's blog on the Chronicle Wired Campus.

We were able to all get together using a Google+ Hangout, which just shows the rapid pace of consumer technology - though whether or not it was mirrored in the classroom was a different story.

We spoke on what professors do best and do worst when it comes to classroom technology, along with trends with tech in the classroom that should be expanded and others that should be killed.

To watch the roundtable, and for more information, check out the link below.

[Chronicle.com]

300 Words Can Get You Into SXSWi in Austin

South By Southwest Interactive ("South by", to veterans) is essentially a giant trade show for the entire internet held every year in Austin, Texas. The problem is, badges are far too expensive for the average human, let alone a student, to reasonably afford. Luckily, the conference is giving away free interactive badges to five essay contest winners. At 300 words, it shouldn't take you too long to write, so it's worth a shot. 

Don't take this to mean the conference isn't worth attending without a badge. We've gone the last several years without badges, and haven't missed a beat. Sure you won't be able to check out the (mostly boring) panels, but you can still rub elbows with internet-famous folks like Gina Trapani, Molly Wood, and Kelly Sutton at all the parties and local haunts. 

If your essay isn't picked and you really want a badge though, check out how Kelly got one using nothing but his magical Twitter account. You can also try temping with an exhibitor, or schmoozing the nice people guarding the doors. I know it's a long way off, but are any of you planning on making it to Austin this year? Let us know your plans in the comments. 

Eat Better, Stay Lazy: The 4 Best Pre-Made Foods

Say hello to my little friend. ‪Image courtesy of Flickr user Nelson Pavlosky. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.‬

I've spent most of this summer trying to do as little as humanly possible. This includes cooking. Because I'm too lazy to shop for groceries regularly, I've been relying on pre-prepared foods which won't go bad. Since I'm a vegetarian, this is problematic: all but one flavor of ramen (the alarmingly vague "Oriental" one) contain meat broth. In addition, the noodles are deep fried, and I have a strong desire not to keel over of a heart attack before graduation.

So, I've been exploring the more exotic aisles of the pre-made food section of the grocery store, and I've found that there is a life past ramen. Here are a few of my favorites so far. All of these food lines meet three criteria: they're vegetarian, reasonably cheap, and available at the Publix near my house.

House Foods Tofu Noodles: These are a delightful combination of healthy (they're 20 calories a serving) and bizarre. They are exactly what the name says--noodles made from tofu. The company sells a variety of different kinds of fake pasta, and they really do taste no different than any other weakly-flavored noodle. The texture isn't any different, and unlike normal noodles, they're already "cooked"--you just need to toss them in the microwave to heat them up. If you don't want to deal with boiling pasta, these noodles plus some pasta sauce is an easy meal.

Amy's frozen meals: I'm picking Amy's in particular because I've found them to be the highest-quality frozen foods I've eaten. I have no idea if the organic food in the frozen meals is any better for me than any other frozen food brand, but it is tastier. In part, this is because Amy's limits its microwave meals to things that don't totally suck when prepared in a box, unlike some other frozen food lines--the food is primarily Mexican or Indian. I particularly recommend the enchiladas.

Dr. McDougall's/Nile Spice Cup Meals: Two brands, one concept: a cup full of food which you prepare by dumping boiling water onto it and letting it sit. These are the slightly more diverse versions of cup noodles. However, unlike cup noodles (which taste vaguely carcinogenic), both of these brands offer a variety of foods. The Dr. McDougall's tortilla soup is good, as is the Nile Spice couscous. Each cup is low-calorie (200 calories per cup, generally), and the portions are generous. In addition, both companies package the cup meals in papery cups, rather than Styrofoam, so if you're worried about heated Styrofoam this takes care of it.

Cliff Bars: If you're a meal bar for breakfast kind of person, these are by far my favorite.  Cliff bars come in a variety of flavors that don't have that fake nutrition bar chocolate on them, and they're hefty. Plus, oddly enough, my local hippie grocery sells them for cheap-ish in bulk. Win!

Do you have other favorite pre-prepared foods? Let us know in the comments!

Tips for New College Student Renters

Apartments are rad, but make sure you're prepared when you move in to make everything run smoothly. Photo courtesy of Loozrboy. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.

Many of you will be moving out of the dorms this year and moving into an apartment for college. Some of you might have already been living the apartment life for awhile, but for those who haven't, there are a few tips that you should know as first-time renters. These tips come from HerCampus' article on the subject and are meant more for those who have already chosen an apartment, signed a lease, and are getting ready to move into that new apartment in just a few weeks.

Document Your Apartment Upon Arrival

Just like in the dorms, at the end of your stay, you will be charged a fee if there are damages to your apartment. To avoid conflicts about whether or not that hole in the wall was really there before you moved in, make a note of every imperfection you can see in your apartment when you move in, from wall paint to carpet stains. Better yet, take pictures of them. And even better yet, walk through your apartment with your landlord while you do this. Additionally, print a copy of a Move-In Inspection Report to fill out with your landlord. This way you have visual documentation and as well as a report to prove that you didn't cause any of the previous injuries to your apartment.

Find Out Who To Contact for Repairs and Emergencies

This is especially important now that you are moved into a safe place. In the dorms, it was easy to just call up Physical Plant or whatever department was in charge of plumbing. Now, you'll need to find the best phone number to call for fixing anything that goes awry in your apartment. This might be your landlord, or it might be someone else. Make sure you always have these numbers on hand. Additionally, find out the number to call if there is a more serious emergency, like perhaps the apartment courtesy officer.

Keep Track of All Correspondence Between You and Your Landlord

If there is ever a dispute or misunderstanding about anything financial or otherwise between you and your landlord, it is a very good idea to have all of your emails or other interaction documented so that you can refer back to it to back up whatever it is you are discussing. This will prevent frustration in the future and even possible lawsuits. If you have a verbal conversation, either in person or on the phone, make sure to follow up with an email to get it in writing.

What tips do you have for first-time renters? Let us know in the comments!

[via HerCampus]