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After more than 34 months of active development, and with the contributions of thousands, we’re proud to announce that we’re ready. It is our expectation to ship Firefox 3 this upcoming Tuesday, June 17th.

I’m signed up to download this great new browser, and I’ve been using the Release Candidates since they were released, and it’s the best browser out there, hands down. So speedy and so many features, and remarkably easy to use

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The simple dictionary definition of “Twitter” is “microblogging/social networking platform that places a 140- character limit on each individual post/tweet.” However, describing Twitter thusly would fail to encapsulate the power of this new omnipresent medium. So, instead here are 101 examples of how Twitter members regularly use the service.

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1. Organization

• College Ruled - This site allows you to create a class schedule and a private message board for classmates that you can link to from Facebook.
• Myschoolog - Web 2.0 app that lets students create schedules and organize their school life online.
• 30 Boxes - This easy to use online calendar from 30 Boxes gives you the ability to plot your calendar and track RSS feeds in one spot.
• Groupvine - Great organizing tool for study groups and other campus organizations.
• Backpack - Award-winning web 2.0 app that lets you prepare schedules, calendars, files and information that you can share with other people.

2. Note Taking

• SyncNotes - Create, manage and synchronize your notes with SyncNotes’ free service.
• The Awesome Highlighter - This time-saving web 2.0 app lets you highlight text on web pages, and then generates a link to a new page that shows the same text with highlights.
• Note Mesh - NoteMesh is a web 2.0 app that allows college students in the same classes to share notes online using a wiki set-up.
• mynoteIT - Take notes, upload notes, scan notes, share notes and access notes from your mobile phone with mynoteIT.
• Short Text - Create, share and store notes online with ShortText.com.

3. Homework

• Gradefix - A quick and convenient homework management system from Gradefix.
• Google Docs - Create, upload, share and store documents, spreadsheets and presentations with this beta tool from Google.
• OttoBib - This site will automatically configure your bibliography using one of five styles: APA, Chicago, MLA, BibTeX or Wikipedia.
• Calcoolate - This web 2.0 app is for students who need help calculating complex mathematical equations.
• Flashcard Exchange - Print flashcards, create flashcards and study online with Flashcard Exchange, the world’s largest flashcard library.

4. Research

• Diigo - This web 2.0 app is a research tool, an online highlighter and a knowledge-sharing community.
• Zotero - Zotero is a Firefox extension that allows you to collect, manage and cite your research.
• Scholarpedia - A free encyclopedia written and reviewed by scholars around the world.
• del.icio.us - One of the most popular bookmarking tools on the web, del.icio.us lets you bookmark websites and tag them for easy retrieval.
• WhatsOnMyBookshelf - This site allows you to meet people with similar reading interests and trade books using a simple point system.

5. Networking

• Facebook - Facebook was started for students and is still one of the best social networking sites for students on the web.
• YackPack - YackPack lets you record and store audio messages that only a select group of people can access–a great way to communicate with fellow classmates.
• The Campus Center - This social networking site is great for students who want to connect with other people in their major and create study groups with people around the world.
• Campus Bug - Campus Bug is a social learning network that provides education and social networking tools.
• The Student Center - A networking and student resource site just for students from Student.com.

Microsoft Office Ultimate 2007 for PC for $60 for students

I’ve now heard back from dozens if not hundreds of people about the video I presented to the kids on VIP Day. Joel Hood and Tim Makcen recorded about 20 hours worth of video to make our 17 minute divisional video, and with some of the great bloopers that people made during recording, I didn’t want to let it all go to waste, and so I made up a gag reel, and they encouraged me to finish it up and show it at the banquet. We did, and it was a huge success!

I used a combination of Adobe After Effects for the title sequence, and Adobe Premier for everything else. Total editing time for the below clip was around 10 hours, and it was a much larger success than the divisional video, which only got average response.

Without further ado:

I’ve started using a new online file storage, sharing and backup service. ADrive lets you upload, organize and share (optional) up to 50 GB of data (music, video, photos, documents, etc.) in one place.

Feature Overview

• Store, share and manage up to 50 GB of files online.
• Organize files into folders and share folders with others.
• File size limited to 2gb per request and 1000 files
• File Manager: Move files between folders, rename folders/files, delete files, etc.
• Download stored files back to PC.
• Coming soon: Premium accounts with even more options.

Check out Adrive @ www.adrive.com

Well, you’re looking at the newest Information Technician Specialist for the US Army. Due to my job here at the college, I won’t be reporting to Columbus to start my 19 weeks of Advanced Individual training until May 31st. My recruitment officer promises me I won’t be deployed to Iraq anytime soon, as I’ll initially be in Army Reserve.

I’m really scared and excited about this new venture, but I finally took the plunge. Aaron Perkins and Vince Tyler had both been encouraging me to talk to a recruiter, and I’m glad I did. It’ll help pay off my student loans and give me valuable real-world training on computer systems.

I hope I’ll still be able to be in contact with all of you, and I’ll miss you dearly. I never thought I’d be joining the Army, but… Here I am… Pray for me as I get my house in order.

(continue reading…)

I was in a terrible accident today.

Before I knew it, there were firemen rescuing me with jaws of life pincers, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it out of that vehicle.

But I survived….

(before you panic, click here)

What is woot? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woot.com

Nice technology-oriented one-a-day sales website, and on the rare occasion of a “Woot-Off”, they slash prices even more and sale each item until it sales out before proceeding to the next. I always wind up getting a couple things…

Video: Bill Gates Last Day CES Clip