Smartphone Homescreen Week: Sean's Android

Everyone loves Angry Birds. Photo courtesy of author.All this week the HackCollege writers are showing off their phones' home screens and discussing their favorite apps.

As an Android user, I've got the option of using multiple home screens and I do. I've opted to show the home screen that I've loaded the most with apps, and since I'm a cheapskate, they're all free.

Dropbox (Free)

A steady around HackCollege, Dropbox is the best for backing up your desktop. I put all my notable text files, images, documents, and important downloads in my Dropbox so I can have them with me at all times.

Angry Birds (Free)

The ultimate in procrastination, stress relief, and killing time on bus rides around campus. It's a cultural phenomenon at this point.

GetGlue (Free)

Yet another social network that I've joined, thanks to Shark Week. Allows me to gather stickers for whatever entertainment I'm checking in to - music, movies, TV, whatever.

Wells Fargo (Free)

The app that's saved me more than anything else. I remember my times at my hometown Irish pub, Liam Fitpatrick's, or out with the boys at Hooters where I get the waitress to embarass me by telling me I'm out of money. Not so fast, my friend. With the Wells Fargo app, I'm a touch away from transferring more money and knowing my balance at all times.

Double Your Text-Skimming Speed with Three Simple Techniques

Sometimes there's just too much to read. Photo by Flickr user Brewbooks and licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

It doesn't take most students long to realize it's impossible to read every word of every page of every book for every class. There's just too much to cover, and not enough time in the day, especially if you want to run a club, play for a team, or pursue an internship. Here are some of the best ways to scan through text and still pull out the key ideas in the shortest time possible. 

Muzzle Your Inner Monologue with Spreeder

The single biggest restraint on reading speed is your inner voice, or subvocalization. When you read silently, you probably hear your own voice in your head reading the words out to you. This is great when you're trying to dissect meaning from every word, but it prevents you from reading any faster than you can vocalize the words (roughly 200-250 words per minute). Luckily, your brain is capable of processing written words much faster than this, but only if you can circumvent the subvocal bottleneck. 

The trick is to read with your eyes, not with your voice. With practice, your brain will automatically make sense of the words that your eyes absorb, even without "reading" it in your head. Spreeder is a free web-based tool that helps train you to shut up your subvocal self. You simply paste the text you want to read into the app, set your reading speed (I like 600 WPM) and a number of other parameters, then stare at your screen as the text flies by one word at a time. Concentrate on silencing your inner voice, and in no time you'll be able to translate the skill to your non-digital textbooks. 

Read on for two more tricks!

Click to read more ...

Focusing on Details Can Make the Difference for your Career

Focusing in on the smallest details can be the difference in plateauing or climbing higher in life. Photo courtesy of internets_dairy. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.In my last week of my internship here in Austin, I'm going to feature one last piece of advice that I've gained this summer from my boss. One afternoon, we were reviewing a video package edited by one of the editors. She kept replaying certain sections of the video and told me to listen to the audio carefully. After doing this several times, she explained to me that the editor who had made the package had cut a few corners with the audio of the video. To me, the shortcuts were unnoticeable, but to her trained ear, they stuck out like an air horn.

This episode taught me two things. Firstly, I have a lot to learn. Secondly, shortcuts are not worth taking. They may help you in the short run, but they usually bite you in the ass in the long run. Now, perhaps you are now thinking, "Um hello, this is HackCollege. You know, the site that helps you take shortcuts to make life easier." To that I say, no, this is HackCollege, the site where we show you how to work smarter, not harder. Sure, we have some shortcuts to get through tedious, frustrating stuff, but the shortcuts we offer still get you the same result. The shortcuts you shouldn't take are those that leave you with a less complete product.

(For more on what hacking college really means, see Shep's wonderfully worded article here.)

My boss told me to only turn a project in when you are truly proud of what you have accomplished. Go the extra mile on your work, really pay attention to the details because that is the difference between the people in management positions and those who are being managed. If you do just enough to get by, you'll find yourself plateauing in your school work or job. However, if you really make that effort to do the best that you can, you will excel among your peers, come out on top, and be more likely to move up in the ladder.

To end with, keep in mind this quote from Hall of Fame basketball player/coach John Wooden: "If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?"

How has being detail-oriented helped you in classwork or at your job? Let us know in the comments!

[via Lifehacker]

Start Reworking Your Sleep Schedule Now

You'll need more than catnaps to function during the school year. Image courtesy of Flickr user bundu. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0I love sleep more than just about anything. So, during the last school year, I slept as late as I could--8:30, on the weekdays. However, I started to notice something funny: on the days that I had to get up at an ungodly hour (or 7:30) to proctor exams for my boss, I felt refreshed. Bouncy, even. It turns out that for whatever reason, I function best on about seven and a half hours of sleep. I would never have known that had I not been forced to get up earlier.

I've begun to experiment with my sleep schedule as a side project during a summer spent in summer school, and it turns out that there's a sweet spot for waking up energized and refreshed. Because this is actually less sleep that I would have thought I needed, it's left me with an extra 45 minutes in the morning to do work or mess with Twitter.

If you're attracted to the idea of having more energy in the morning during the school year in order to knock out more of your work early in the day, now's the time to start experimenting with your sleep schedule. Start going to bed at whatever hour you usually hit the hay during school, and start setting a timer--begin at 8 hours, and work you way back each night in 15 minute increments. You'll find the time that works bet for you within a week or two.

If you find that the time you're waking up is later than you need to be for classes, figure out a new bedtime before the school year starts, and adjust your sleep schedule accordingly. It may seem kind of silly to have a set time to go to bed as a college student, but it ensures that you won't be a zombie once school starts--which means that you'll have an easier time getting your work done early in the day, in order to have more time for enjoyable things in the evening.

By starting your sleep schedule readjustment now, you'll avoid having to deal with it once you're actually expected to be functional during school. This will give you a leg up on your classmates, and will make talking about daily schedules with your roommate easier, if you have one.

Do you have any other preemptive lifehacks that you'll be looking into this summer? Let us know in the comments!

[Sleep scheduling tip adapted from Lifehacker]

Kitchen Necessities for College Cooks

Do you have everything you need in your kitchen? If not, consider investing in miniature utensils that attach creepily to your fingers. Photo courtesy of Robbert van der Steeg. Licensed under CC BY-2.0.

I expect many of you are growing tired of how excited I am that I learned to cook for myself over this summer. But hey, learning to cook for yourself is a big growing moment in your young adult life. It's another big step you're taking towards independence. Plus, it's fun to show off the your edible creations.

This summer, I subleased one of my friend's apartments and so I was using her kitchen equipment and stuff to cook. However, as I began to cook more, I realized that there were several very important things missing. Say, for instance, a measuring cup. Or a pot with a lid. When using my kitchen at home, I took for granted things that my mother had collected over years and years of cooking. With this in mind, I thought it would be useful to make a quick list of things that I think are necessary to have in the kitchen if you are planning on feeding yourself.

• Silverware-- This includes your basic set of fork, spoons, and knives, but make sure you also have some sharper knives for cutting meat or veggies.
• Plates (duh)
• Glasses (duh again)
• Pots with lids-- Having the lids with pots makes for faster boiling water and sometimes recipes actually call for covered cooking (i.e. rice). Also, make sure you have a larger pot for when you are cooking larger things.
• Skillet with a lid-- Lids with skillets aren't always necessary, but I've already cooked things that needed to cook in a covered skillet
• Measuring cups-- I use a Pyrex single measuring cup that measures up to two cups, but you could also buy a collection plastic measuring cups, each with different sizes.
• Measuring spoons
• Spatula-- There are different kids of spatulas, so it depends on what you are planning on cooking. I'd recommend your basic plastic/metal spatula for everyone since you flip things on the stove or in the oven pretty regularly (chicken breasts, fish, etc). If you are baking things, a spatula with a rubber end is helpful to scrape batter out of a bowl
• Stirring Utensil-- Get something to stir your stuff on the stove. I like to have a wooden spoon and a specialized spaghetti stirrer.
• Cookie Trays-- Even if you're not planning on baking cookies, trays are incredibly versatile and can be used for cooking lots of things, as long as you're sure the juices aren't going to overflow in the oven. If you're cooking something larger, you'll want to buy...
• Baking Pan-- I bought Pyrex baking pans in two sizes to use for baking chicken, oven-baked macaroni and cheese, and brownies (om nom)
• Different Sized Bowls-- You can use these as you mix ingredients together, and it's a good idea to have several different sizes in case you need more or less room
• Cutting Board-- Don't hurt your counters with sharp knives
• Colander
• Whisk--  This is more of an optional thing, but I bake sometimes and since I don't have the money to shell out for a beautiful mixer, I mix my brownies and cupcakes by hand

What I found in the kitchen I was using this summer was that even though it didn't have a lot of things that I considered a necessity, it did have a bunch of stuff that I thought was absolutely useless. I didn't need 50 spatulas. I didn't need an olive oil jar. So my suggestion would buy what you immediately know you need and use instead of just buying everything in the kitchen department. Your kitchen will be much more organized and useful if you just buy what you need instead of buying what you think maybe might use someday.

Clearly my list is biased, since this is what I use when I cook. For instance, many people include would include a crock pot, or wouldn't include a baking pan. These are just things that I used nearly every week when I cooked. Hopefully this is helpful for you while you decide what things you need to get for your kitchen.

What must-have items are in your kitchen? What would you recommend every college chef buys? Let us know in the comments!

Colleges Stepping Up Social Media Recruiting

Colleges around the world are increasingly turning to social media to connect with students.Brochures and leaflets may soon be replaced by Tweets and wall posts as college admissions offices invest more resources in online social networking.

ReadWriteWeb summarizes a study by the University of Massachusetts that points out the trend. More schools are utilizing blogs with comment systems, almost all are now on Facebook and Twitter, and many are quickly adopting LinkedIn to connect with current and potential students. Almost half are even recording podcasts these days. 

I remember when I came into school I joined an official "Class of 2012" group on Facebook that I later realized was basically an outlet for admissions to keep tabs on us. But in the last three years my school has adopted a number of official Facebook pages and Twitter accounts that are increasingly useful for disseminating information to the student body. 

So what social media does your school use? Do you see it as a helpful outlet for interacting with school officials, or as a malevolent method of surveillance? Let us know in the comments.

Our Top Posts of July

It might still be summer vacation, but it was a big month at HackCollege. Here's a rundown to catch you up on some of our most popular posts from July. 

Insane Battery Life Makes Sony Vaio-S Series Great for Students

Use Air Tran’s Student Fares for Cheap Last-Minute Travel

How to Stop Looking Like A Freshman

Tips on How To Eat Healthy on a Budget

How to Stop Studying Like a Freshman

First Impressions of Google+

Why Students Should Upgrade to Lion

$100 of Mac Apps for Your $100 Back To School iTunes Credit

Watch, Read, Make

Hello again! It's time for another edition of Watch, Read, Make. This week we've got elephants with new fake feet, Shep taking over Lifehacker, and a delicious summer cocktail recipe. Summer's coming to an end, so it's time to pack in the weekend with interesting things.

Watch: The above video shows an elephant who had part of his foot taken off (probably by poachers) getting a new prosthetic foot. From a technology point of view, it's pretty cool (they are putting a fake foot on a very large animal), and from a human point of view, it's an elephant with a prosthetic foot. The video comes via Jezebel, where a little more information about the elephant can be had.

Read: Our very own Shep is Lifehacker's weekend writer for today. You should go read his posts, if you're not a regular Lifehacker reader. The first one is here, talking about a service that lets you put stickynotes on all the webpages you view in Chrome or use a browser extension to sync notes between Chrome installations. If you're looking for a notetaking app, check it out. In non-staff reading, you should check out this summary from Reddit (on BoingBoing) of the debt ceiling, as one might explain it to a five-year-old.

Make: This recipe for a Gin and St. Germian cocktail up at Pink of Perfection looks delicious. Mix one up and drink it on a patio. (If you cannot find a patio, a stoop will also work, or a sunny spot in a dining hall. Play around with it.) Let us know if any of you make up a batch!