What Computer for College - 2008 Edition

So every year we get a few requests about "What computer should I buy for college?" Here are some of our thoughts, as well as some specifics that every new computer should have.

Laptop or Desktop (or Tablet)? - I'd say a large majority of college students have laptops, simply because the mobility of a laptop is important to students who are on-the-go. Further, a laptop is simply easier to move around while moving in and out of your dorm room. Laptops are more expensive, however, so this is a trade off decision that you must make yourself.

Tablet PCs are still a specialized category of computer - most students do not get this unless they know that they need a tablet PC. Most of the major online retailers (Dell, HP, Lenovo, Toshiba) have tablet PC options.

PC or Mac? - Most people don't really need to ask this question, as you should just get whatever you've been using before at home or school. Macs do have the reputation of being less buggy, more stylish, and simpler to use than Windows. These things come at a hefty price tag, though, as a PC is often much cheaper than an equivalent Mac laptop or desktop.

Vista or XP? - right after Windows Vista was released, some people were sticking with Windows XP, but now that Vista has been updated significantly, there is no reason that a new computer should be purchased without a copy of the latest, most secure version of Windows - Vista.

Now some idea on specifications (these are more appropriate for Windows laptops)

Screen Size - This defines the overall size of the laptop. A 15" display is the typical average, but some students will get a smaller screen because they want to be more mobile, or a bigger (17 inch) screen if they want a desktop replacement (a computer that they intend to leave on their desk a majority of the time)

RAM/Memory - If you're getting Windows Vista, 2 GB of memory is a must, if not 3 GB.

CPU Speed - Intel Core 2 Duo is important to get if you want a speedy laptop - do not get a Celeron or a Intel Dual Core. 2 GHz is the typical speed, and slight deviations from this (e.g. 2.2 GHz) won't affect overall performance that much.

Hard Drive - A typical hard drive is between 150-250 GB for laptops. This is plenty of space for a decent amount of music and school documents. If you will be doing video editing (which takes up more hard drive space), you may want to get something bigger.

Optical Drive - A standard laptop will come with a CD Burner + DVD Player. This is probably enough for an average student, but a DVD-burner upgrade is nice if you want to burn DVDs of video or for backups.

Video Card - A laptop will probably not play games very well, simply because a top-of-the-line video card cannot fit into the laptop. The standard video card is fine for everyday use.

Wireless - Wireless is essential for school laptops. Upgrades to "802.11 Draft N" or things with "N" are not essential - your school wireless will use the widely standardized 802.11b.

Summer!

Summer is here. Grades are expected to be posted on Friday - so be ready.

Have a great summer. We'll continue to post UIUC news here on a less frequent schedule.

Gas Mileage Tips

As the semester comes to an end, many UIUC students will be driving home and to other parts of the country for summer internships. But the gas prices are quite ridiculous right now, making driving much more costly. Check out some of these videos and websites to maximize your miles per gallon.

Revision3: Gas Prices killing you? We can help you max out your MPG!
Wikipedia: Fuel economy-maximizing behaviors
CleanMPG

Image by cobalt123 under Creative Commons

Send Your Name to the Moon

Before NASA begins manned missions to the moon, they will first send the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) to scout out particular features on the surface. The LRO is scheduled to launch later this year, but NASA has invited people of all ages to take part in the mission now. You can visit the LRO website to submit your name to be brought aboard the spacecraft. The collected names will be stored in a database on a microchip inside the LRO. Participants are encouraged to submit their information at http://lro.jhuapl.edu/NameToMoon/, print a certificate and have their name entered into a database. The deadline for submitting names is June 27, 2008.

"Everyone who sends their name to the moon, like I'm doing, becomes part of the next wave of lunar explorers," said Cathy Peddie, deputy project manager for LRO at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "The LRO mission is the first step in NASA's plans to return humans to the moon by 2020, and your name can reach there first. How cool is that?"

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

One boy, one girl - one dorm room

Interesting story about two students of opposite sexes rooming together in Connecticut's Wesleyan University dorms.

"People are shocked to hear that it's happening and even that it's possible," said Youngdahl, a 20-year-old sophomore. But "once you actually live in it, it doesn't actually turn into a big deal."

CNN: One boy, one girl -- one dorm room

UIUC on Engadget

Very cool to see UIUC on a technology blog ... seems like we don't get as much press as we deserve.

We've already seen a few viruses delivered via hardware, but a group of researchers from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are now warning that we may not have seen anything yet.

Engadget: Researchers design "malicious circuits," warn of potential risk

Reading Day 2008

Well, the semester is officially over. Classes are finished and all that's left is final exams. Today is Reading Day. It's been in debate for years as to what the purpose of this day really is. Do they expect us to read all day? I think it is meant to be a day off, after class and before exams. To those of you who have exams on Friday, today would probably be a great day to study. For those of you who have nothing to study for, or are just too lazy, here are some ideas to fill your day:

Top Ten Things to do on Reading Day:
10. Study for Finals
9. Go outside and enjoy the weather
8. Go home and skip finals
7. Come back to campus when your parents find out you're skipping finals
6. Return your stolen cafeteria items to the "amnesty box"
5. Recycle all your notes (or toss them into a [safe and contained] fire)
4. Browse Facebook (all day)
3. Go to your normal Thursday classes and wonder where everyone is
2. Sleep
1. Read!?! (It is reading day.)

Good luck on your exams!

Compass Grades

Four of my courses this semester use Illinois Compass, two of which use it strictly for publishing grades. Compass should have a feature of emailing me when my grades are updated. They already have the option of emailing you when you have new "Compass Messages," and they display on the front page when any grade is updated, so why can't we just combine the two features?

Seems like something all too obvious.

Facebook

I think it would be interesting to see your Facebook friends sorted by number of mutual friends, and also mutual friends of friends. Does your number of mutual friends define who your closest real-life friends are? I would guess maybe not.

In other Facebook news, Facebook Chat has been enabled for the University of Illinois network. Usage seems to be limited, though, as students already have their normal way of chatting established.

Go Green: It's Earth Day!

According to Wikipedia, Earth Day is celebrated each year on April 22nd and "promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide. Earth Day Network is a driving force steering environmental awareness around the world."

It is important for us as habitants of this planet to protect it and preserve it for the many generations to come. There are many ways we can help "save our planet" that are very easy. One of the easiest things to do is to recycle. Both Champaign and Urbana offer free recycling services for all of its citizens. All it takes is a little effort and you can make a big difference. There are also a number of additional ways you can stay green by using energy efficient appliances, compact florescent light bulbs, and riding a bike or walking instead of driving, just to name a few.

Check out the Earth Day Challenge to calculate your impact on the Earth and see what you can do to change your habits.

Happy Earth Day!