Today is Halloween. Just thought we’d remind you. Remain productive.

 

 Episode 7: Dusseldorf: Play Now | Play in Popup

 

 Episode 7: Dusseldorf: Play Now | Play in Popup

In a 180 degree turn in production value, Chris and Kelly are back in Dusseldorf this week podcasting from the Akademie fur Internationale Bildung. While they worry about the dangers of laptops on laps, they discuss:

• Animoto Sponsorship!
• Adult Swim Contest!
• Making the Lifehacker Front Page!
• First Live Show!

This week’s music:

• “Stadiums and Shrines II” by Sunset Rubdown
  
  

HackCollege and Adult Swim are once again bringing loyal readers/watchers/listeners the opportunity to win some stuff and to “hit up” some free concerts.

To win, you must suggest the best post idea for us to write.

For more deets, check out the Adult Swim contest page

 

 Episode 6: Prague: Play Now | Play in Popup

 

 Episode 6: Prague: Play Now | Play in Popup

This week Chris and Kelly are in Prague talking in front of the Charles Bridge where such villains as John Voight and a toxic missile-carrying submarine have been vanquished.

This week’s topics include:

• Don’t Do What Johnny Does
• 30+ Uses for Your Cameraphone
• Ballooning Student Debt

This week’s music:

• “Stadiums and Shrines II” by Sunset Rubdown
  
  

So we got a bag and drew numbers. Congratulations to Michelle Draveski, our grand prize winner!

Susan Smoaks and Dawn Thomas will also be receiving [adult swim] schwag bags. So, you three, check your email for further details.

And thanks for all the comments, guys. It looks like we’ll be running another contest soon.

YTV, Yale’s student-run television station, is apparently trying to mix things up. The YTV website is scheduled for a relaunch, and sophomore Meg Martinez (Yale ‘10) is asking you to… Watch YTV!

During my time at Yale, I actually had a muted YTV on in the background constantly, but I was probably one of the few. This video makes me want to storm a dorm and turn the tv on, though.

Question: How many of you actually watch your college’s student-run television station?

[via the illustrious IvyGate]

Tom… You accepted his friendship blindly, and you’ve probably kept him on your friends list. But is Tom really who you think he is?

Some recent digging has argued that Tom Anderson, everyone’s first “friend”, might be lying about his age. His profile says he’s 32, but how old is he really?

We first heard 40. We dug a little online and came up with nothing. But then we got a senior person at MySpace to talk to us about it off record at the Web 2.0 Summit last week: this person confirmed that he’s really “36 or 37? and that MySpace has been trying to keep this quiet for some time.

But why, Tom? Aren’t friends supposed to be honest with one another?

[via TechCrunch]

Pretty much every key combination on my laptop is likely to perform some sort of fancy function, thanks to Triggers with Quicksilver. Ironically, this article is about how to add another shortcut to disable them all.

For instance, if you use a notebook computer and a real notebook in class (like me) then table space is at a premium. But taking notes on top of my keys will cause a mess and closing my computer makes it sleep. Maybe your computer is at risk of being pounced on by pets, children or transformers. Or, you might find your OCD taking over and a sudden keyboard-cleaning is in order. My friends — these solutions are for you.

Read on to your heart’s content »

I love Linux, specifically Ubuntu. Effectively every six months with Ubuntu a new “Vista” or “Leopard” is released. Last week saw the release of version 7.10 (meaning the October 2007 release) codenamed “Gutsy Gibbon.”

If you’re not already using Linux, you should definitely consider it if you’re up for the task. Linux is perfect for poor students.

Here’s a few things that I’ve noticed from the upgrade:

• The Linux interface is now professional. Between some obvious built in font smoothing and some tightening up of the UI, it no longer feels like I’m using an operating system for kids. It’s great.
• There are some growing pains. For example, Miro has stopped working (implied sad face).
• Ubuntu is undeniably better than Windows. Then again, I wouldn’t know, because I haven’t used Windows for a while.

Is anyone else running Linux and loving it?

It’s been a pretty crazy week around here at HackCollege. Between the Adult Swim Contest and us making the Lifehacker front page, we’ve been keeping busy.

Because of this, I completely forgot to mention a guest post that I wrote over at Cal Newport’s Study Hacks blog. I’m sure all of the readers of HackCollege are also avid readers of Cal’s blog so they already caught it; and if you aren’t an avid reader, then you should be.

Guest Post: How to Use a Laptop in Class [via Study Hacks]