Stanford will announce today that tuition will be free for students whose families earn less than $100,000, plus a few other things. Damn, girl.

Stanford drops tuition for some students [via SFGate.com via digg]

Dear HackCollege,

I’ve sent my professor three emails, and she hasn’t gotten back to me. Is there any way I can find out if she’s ignoring my emails?

Sincerely,
Wtf

Well, Wtf, some desktop email clients will give you the option of requesting a return receipt when the recipient has received the email. See Thunderbird’s Options here. However, the recipient can select “No” when they get this pop-up. Here’s another way: SpyPig.

Nevermind the cutesy pink and blue background colors. The service is legit, but you’ve only got a minute to set it up. For Gmail and Firefox users, continue reading. For all others, read the Limitations and Requirements listed at the site.

Read on to your heart’s content »

We’ve kind of decided to stop posting random links. This is the most worthy exception there’s ever been. It’s even a worthy reason for me to stop doing all of my very important work right now and share this with you:
SeeqPod Playable Search

This is an extremely powerful search engine that limits its searches to only playable results. That’s: movies, music, presentations, podcasts, interviews, games. It streamlines the results into one flashy player… and streams them. One player.

Here’s what this means, for most people. Go to any computer that has an internet browser and immediately compile a playlist of any music you can possibly imagine. I’m serious. Give it a try. Forget sharing. Forget torrenting.

Read on to your heart’s content »

If your phone is ever stolen or lost or wet or broken or misplaced, please don’t create a Facebook Group about it. Get with Zyb, article here, or visit Facebook’s own Phonebook.

You’ll get a list of all your Friends, complete with their Landline and/or Mobile numbers (should they list them on their Profile). Awesome and easy.

Facebook Phonebook: http://www.facebook.com/mobile/?phonebook

Or if you are interested in syncing your contacts with Facebook, please see our post Twelve Friends on Facebook (Keeping Contacts in-Sync)

Nuonsoft’s ShellEnhancer gives Windows several features found pre-installed in several versions of Linux and Mac: Always On Top, Transparency, Rollup, Minimize to Tray, Mouse Gestures, and more.

Always On Top is a feature that allows you to click through the Internet while keeping, for example, a Word .doc window always on top –helpful if you’re browsing Wikipedia and taking notes. No longer will you have to mouse down to your Taskbar to Restore a Minimized Window over and over and over and over again. No more!

After install, simply right-click on the Menu Bar of any window.

Download ShellEnhancer.

Everyone should have had a problem with the video version of the podcast. It’s fixed now, so download it again.

In a weird twist of fate just a week after LMU’s emergency system failed, a shooting occurred yesterday at Northern Illinois University. Six people died, including the shooter.

A HackCollege reader from NIU Kellie wrote in a comment yesterday:

It’s a weird time to be a student. Two major school shootings in less than a one year period. Tragedy is inevitable, but why does it have to happen at schools? Why does if have to be so senseless?

We’ve been covering the failure of emergency notification systems, but the New York Times reports that the NIU’s system worked well and was used quickly: “At 3:20 p.m. [about 15 minutes after the shooting], he said, the university posted an alert on its Web site, through its e-mail system and through another campus alarm system: ‘There has been a report of a possible gunman on campus. Get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear. Avoid the King Commons and all buildings in that vicinity.’” Within an hour after the shooting, school officials posted a message that there was no longer a threat. We’re glad that at least everyone at NIU was kept informed.

Our hearts are again with NIU during this week and into the future. As Kellie said, we’re all Huskies.

If you’re hosting a party this President’s Day Weekend, you may want to check out CO-ED Magazine’s article on some good double-duty ice-breaking games. Check it out:

5 Drinking Games to Break the Ice [CO-ED Magazine]

Earlier today, an unidentified gunman opened fired inside a lecture hall, injuring as many as 16 and killing as many as four before killing himself. Northern Illinois University reports there is no longer a threat. Their emergency system reported the incident within 15 minutes, according to the Washington Post. Our hearts are with NIU.

Gunman Opens Fire at Northern Illinois University [Washington Post]

We’re aware that the latest episode of the podcast is not playing properly. The metadata tags got messed up when we were changing them. We’re working on the problem right now and expect a working episode up tonight.