Music gets stolen on college campuses. College students are also poor. And Americans will stop at nothing to pay nothing. Music can easily be obtained through theft. Music pirating happens. Whatever your stance is on pirating music, one thing is unquestionably up: the RIAA is up to no good.

To bring you up to speed, very few people have been sued by the RIAA. Rather the RIAA just bullies people into settling out of court for 1/100th of the amount the RIAA claims that a specific pirate “owes” them. The RIAA banks on citizens freaking out and agreeing to pay a few thousand dollars, without the due process of the court.

Until now. The Oregon attorney general is now pursuing the RIAA:

“In the Fight Over Piracy, a Rare Stand for Privacy” [New York Times]

Firefox. Get it at Firefox.com. Now let’s move on to the Add-ons.

Seven Must-Have Add-ons for Firefox

1. Adblock Plus

   Although advertising can arguably be said to run the Internet, Adblock Plus only works for Firefox, and thus only 10% of all Internet users. So I don’t feel too bad.

   Select a filter, depending on where you live, and bam. No more ads covering up half your screen.

2. IE Tab

   Nevertheless, some websites still don’t play nicely with Firefox. IE Tab, previously covered here on HackCollege, allows you to switch to Internet Explorer from within Firefox for just that one unruly website.

3. LeechBlock

   Wasting too much time on the Internet and not completing your essays, projects, etc? Get the LeechBlock Add-on, also previously highlighted here on HackCollege.

4. FaviconizeTab and Aging Tabs

   Together, these two add-ons are great if you frequently have several tabs open at once. FaviconizeTab will allow you to minimize the width of the tab to simply the icon, and Aging Tabs gives slight color to each of your tabs, depending on when you accessed it last. So, if you need to get back to that one tab you just looked at, go to the darkest color. Nice.

5. Always Remember Password

   Some websites will not let Firefox remember your password. Get past this with Always Remember Password, a wonderful add-on if you’re the sole user for your computer.

6. Read on to your heart’s content »

We have already covered the utility of Skype as a foreign language instructor and also just previously when not to use Skype. However, from dorm room security to a lie detector to a simple wake up call, Skype has been my Savior for years. And now it will become yours, too. Let’s begin.

Introduction and Downloading Skype

From Wikipedia:

Skype (IPA: [ska?p], rhymes with type) is a software program created by the entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis. Skype allows users to make telephone calls from their computer to other Skype users free of charge, or to landlines and cell phones for a fee. Additional features include instant messaging, file transfer, short message service, video conferencing and its ability to circumvent firewalls.

After equipping yourself with a microphone and webcam, download the software at skype.com. Choose a name. Take a deep breath. You’re ready and set. Let’s go.

Skype Credit, What?

Right from the download, Skype will let you call any other Skype user for free. Voice, video, file-sharing, instant messaging, and conference calls. Skype also has the ability to call and receive calls from landlines and mobile phones around the world. Not free, but Skype’s prices are definitely the cheapest you’ll find.

After you get some Skype Credit, you can also set up Call Forwarding from the Tools menu. This will allow others to reach you, even if your computer is turned off.

And now…

Let’s Hack!

Similar to Firefox’s many Add-ons, Skype also has many, what they call, Extras. Feel free to browse them on your own time. But while you’re on mine, I’ll just give you a quick top 6:

1. Dorm Security System
   Say you’ll be spending the night at your significant other’s. Say you don’t want your pesky roommate stealing your cds. Get a second Skype account. Now you have Account One (1) and Account Two (2).
   1. On 2, add 1 as your ONLY contact. Log out.
   2. Log back in on 2, go to Tools, Options, and Calls. Be sure to Show Advanced Options. Then check “Automatically answer incoming calls”.
   3. Still in Options, underneath Calls, go to Video Settings. Check “Start my video automatically when I am in a call”.
   4. Keep 2 online.

   Now when you login on 1 and call 2, you will be able to watch streaming, live video of what’s going on in your dorm room. This can be a security measure as well as an act of perversion, so… Use this tip at your own risk.

2. Speak and Chat in Translation

   Unlike AIM, Skype is around the world. It’s likely that you’ll receive a chat request from someone who doesn’t speak English but who is willing to learn. If you find yourself lost, Speak and Translate Chats will help you. Though only if you’re using Windows. Sorry, Mac and Linux users.

3. Read on to your heart’s content »

Firstoff, VoIP = Voice over IP. It means calling on normal from your computer. You probably know it as Skype, but we’ll be covering a few alternate methods as well. It’s day numbero seis of the HackCollege Days of Christmas; here we go.

The Case for VoIP

You have to talk to your parents. Whether your parents are footing your entire college bill or just paying for the occasional Ramen noodles, most students are dependent upon their parents to some degree.

If you’ve been sleeping for the past two years, you might have not realized that it’s possible to make phone calls over the internet. Why would you want to do a silly thing like that? Well, it’s cheap and long distance fees doesn’t exist. If you want to conserve cell minutes, it might be a good idea to shell out the $20 for a Skype computer-to-phone account for the year.

Or just tell your parents to get Skype on their computers as well and talk free PC-to-PC.

What’s a Skype?

Skype is far and away the most popular VoIP client. It’s owned by eBay. Get it here.

All students should have Skype installed. I’ve never called my parents using Skype, but I have done job interviews over Skype. Get it now. It’s straightforward; if you’ve ever used AIM you’ll be able to figure it out easily. PC-to-PC calls on Skype are always free, but PC-to-phone calls will cost you $20 for the year.

When to not use Skype

Skype will be good for about 80% of people’s VoIP needs. Where does it fail?

• It’s costs money to call phones
• Quality can be spotty, depending on the Internet connection

Unfortunately, there’s no real way around problem number two. We’ll try to help you solve problem #1, though. Unless you’re German, the standard way to get free PC-to-phone calls is to nab a competing VoIP client’s promotion. There will almost always be these promotions going on, so you’re in luck.

For example, the one that’s still in business right now is called VoipBuster. It will allow you up to 300 minutes of talk time per week. As always when pursuing the freest, ads, spyware, and whatnot will always be a concern. Our recommendation? Pony up the $20 for a Skype account if you’ve got it. It’ll get you a year’s worth of PC-to-phone goodness and the software is supported across all platforms.

Otherwise if you’re on a mission to be free, google around until you find what a working VoIP client with a company behind it that’s still in business.

And make sure you call your parents when you get back to school. They’d love to hear from you.

As much as I hate to bump down a post on binge drinking, it’s time to get serious about that new year’s resolution. Here’s a goal: a power hour in 20 minutes.

Over at the Keith Ferazzi blog (author of Never Eat Alone), he’s come up with some great resolution solutions:

To be a successful goal-getter, you must first define your goal. It will likely fall into one of the seven aspects of what I call our personal success wheel: health & wellness, spirituality, job & career, intellectual & cultural, financial, deep relationships and giving back. Your goal must be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound.

[never eat alone blog]

He also recommends picking people who are designated “accountability buddies.” If you draw goal-inspiration from this website, they might end up being more like designated drivers.

It’s a great idea, though. You pick a small group of friends and you monitor each other’s progress — offering support when things go well and verbal abuse when you stray. He’s even setup a little Facebook application called Goal Post, to streamline the whole thing.

If you’re into goal-setting and Stasi-style peer support, you might also consider joining 43 Things, who’ve made a social network out of goal-setting (and perhaps passing them on to Amazon.com).

For our fifth day in our Christmas series, we’re going to cover something oft requested and fundamentally American: the Power Hour. Please don’t do five. How could such a simple objective be lifehacked? Well, we’ve covered it before and it’s also one of the more searched for things on HackCollege. We’re going to do it the ultimate justice. If you don’t know what a Power Hour is, here are the steps:

• Drink a shot of beer every minute for one hour.

Words to the wise: only experienced drinkers should participate in Power Hour(s) and be prepared to puke. 60 shots of beer equates to 60 ounces, or 5 cans, but the beer-in-shot form does a number on your stomach. It’s like running a beer mile whilst not running.

Now let’s lifehack it.

Read on to your heart’s content »

If you read this blog or hang out with a few lifehackers, you might hear this word, “Quicksilver” thrown around a lot. Now is a good time to try to understand it. It’s Christmas break and you have nothing better to do. For now, just take my word for it: this program will completely change the way you use your computer if you’ll give it a chance.

The problem with Quicksilver (the only problem with Quicksilver), is it is so outstanding, that a regular user can’t even explain what it is. It’s like trying to explain what a Swiss Army knife does without explaining all the parts. It’s like the Cliff Notes for Atlas Shrugged. It’s like reading a Wikipedia entry instead of the instruction manual. It’s like everything we do at HackCollege…

I’ll get to the point. Read this, and if you’re not interested, I don’t know what else to do:

Quicksilver is a way of running your entire computer right from the keyboard. Those who appreciate keyboard shortcuts will fall in love. But Quicksilver is also much more. Quicksilver enables you to tell your computer your ultimate goal so that it completes all of the intermediary steps for you. And the language that Quicksilver uses is the most intuitive thing I’ve ever seen — right when you think of the task you need to do, you can send your processor off and running. It lets your computer truly become an extension of your mind.

For instance, I want to eject my thumbdrive. Instead of opening a new Finder window or hitting an active corner to reveal the desktop or dragging and dropping or hitting obscure shortcuts – you just type in what you want to do: eject the thumbdrive.

Another example: if I need to send an email to a friend, I’d usually have to open a browser, dig up the contact information, open Gmail, open a new message, copy/paste my friend’s information and then type up the email. Instead, with Quicksilver, you literally tell your computer what your ultimate goal is: to send an email to Albert. Moments later, a Gmail window opens up with Albert’s email address right where it should be.

Hopefully that sucked you in if you’ve never heard of Quicksilver. If you gave up on Quicksilver once before, follow my lead, because I think you’ll like it after this. And, even if you’re a regular user, scroll through to the end. I think there’s some things you’d be interested in configuring. First, I’ll explain the installation, then, how it basically works, and finally, a few things especially for students.

Read on to your heart’s content »

This is an easy pitch: imagine having an over-the-internet DVR (Tivo) on your computer for free.

This is Miro (formerly known as the Democracy Player), which combines an RSS aggregator, a Bit Torrent client and a robust media player — that’s three sweet programs in one. When they all operate together, it’s like having a bunch of little men inside your computer who do all sorts of work for you. Yes, believe it or not, even TV-watching can be made easier. Oh yeah, I almost forgot — there’s no commercials either.

For me, Miro is like iTunes, but for video. All the organizing, playing and downloading (perhaps pirating) are all in one place.

Read on to your heart’s content »

Hard drives are more fragile than Santa’s elves’ fingers; lots of small parts constantly working overtime. All it takes is one piece of dust or one sudden jolt to destroy your entire digital library, especially if you’ve got info on an external hard drive. For day 2 of the 12 HackCollege Days of Christmas, we’re going to cover how to back up your stuff on all platforms.

Assess Your Need

For most people, a simple thumbdrive will do. If you’re only backing up Word documents and pdf’s, then a gig or two will do you good. They’re the cheapest and most reliable; they’ve got zero moving parts. And a buyer can’t go wrong with his purchase: all thumbdrives work about the same.

If you’re planning on backing up larger media files (you photographer/videographer, you), we’ll need to bring out the big guns. Get a reliable external hard drive with a decent warranty. If you can afford it, look at something like G-TECH drives. They have a 2-year warranty; compared to all other drives’ 1-year. If you can’t pony up the cash for a G-TECH drive, look at Seagate, Western Digital, or any other hard drive manufacturer that manufactures both the casing and the drive inside. Not trying to brag, I’ve got a 320 GB G-TECH G-RAID drive (for video editing) and a 320 GB Western Digital My Book Premium Edition. I’m satisfied with both.

So get yourself an external drive and let’s get started.

Choose Files for the Lifeboat

Unless you’re using Apple’s new Time Machine (we’ll get to that later), you shouldn’t try to back up your entire system. Your operating system and programs can always be reinstalled in the case of a catastrophe.

Move all of your files into a few folders that will be your backup folders. DSLReports.com recommends the following folders/files/information:

• Address books
• E-Mail
• Calendars and schedules
• Documents
• Projects
• Databases
• Programs that are no longer available
• Web favorites
• Photos
• Settings
• Saved games

If you’re using Google’s suite, you can check off e-mail, calendars, documents, address books, and projects.

Make sure your put everything under the same folder separate from everything else. You’ll need to work out of here from now on to avoid headaches. Once you’ve gotten yourself organized, it’s time to get some backup software and put it to work.

Your Lifeboat Captains

With any backup scheme. You can always just copy the files into a safe location manually. If this suits your purpose, then skip this section. If you’re looking to save some time and make sure you don’t miss anything, read on…

Read on to your heart’s content »

If you’re itching to watch a season of The Partridge Family, you’ll be able to Netflix it. But you’re so bored and you can’t wait that long. Or you’re traveling. Whatcha’ gon’ do? Probably search it out on the Net. Once you search it out and download it, your media player gives you a codec error. Now what? Our advice: reach for a traffic cone

Legal or not, videos downloaded from the Web can be stubborn to downright impossible to play. Whenever I’ve downloaded some obscure video file, I first reach for my trusty-and-never-dusty traffic cone.

“A traffic cone?” you say. Yes, a traffic cone. It’s the icon for the VLC media player. It plays anything. No seriously, anything. Because of of the way proprietary codecs work, no single media player (iTunes, Windows Media Player, what-have-you) can play a file without some finagling. But the folks behind VLC use free decoding libraries and builds all of them right in. What does that mean? It means you only need to install one video program to play all of your video files.

I personally have been using VLC for a little over a year now. Although the program is still in beta, it delivers a user experience of a mature program. Oh, did I mention that it’s available for just about every operating system you can imagine?

A gem like VLC is hard to find, and thus it makes a perfect cornerstone for our 12 HackCollege Days of Christmas feature.

• Get the VLC media player and stop worrying about video formats