A Mac For School?

Here’s an article (and a link to another article) to people who think like I do when it comes to Macs and university/college/school (From TUAW). I find the comments in these posts are always useful and give out lots of interesting information. The linked article is also from Digg so expect lots of interesting (and not-so interesting) stuff there!

Direct link

Using a single app for max productivity?

Open Thread: What’s your killer app?

I’m guessing that most students know microsoft word (or an alternative – OpenOffice.org used to be my word processor of choice until I switched to a mac) inside and out and do most of their work in it. Today 43 Folders is asking what their readers “killer app” is – an app in which they do most of their work and know backwards:

So my question for you: What’s your killer app? Is there one place
where 80% or more of your activity takes place (by choice)? Vim? Excel?
Perl? Firefox? Post-it Notes? What’s yours and when did you realize
you’d become a badass at using it?

Unfortunately at this time Flock would be my killer app – unfortunately because it’s an internet browser and I really shouldn’t be using it.

Bored with your course?

Ask the Readers: Be a lifelong learner?

Yesterday LifeHacker asked it’s readers how to be a lifelong learner. If you’re bored with your course or not a student and wish you were then this is a very good way of still learning without the homework, classes and annoying lecturers (not to mention costs!) associated with formal learning. I particularily like this comment from K-Milo:

I have to say that something that motivates me to “keep on learning” is
to read or to know something about the cutting edge on your workfield
or in something that you like. So you can start thinking “how can i use
that in my life, work, family, country…”.

However I find it hard to read non-fiction when I’m at uni. In fact, I read a lot less when I’m at uni so generally I use podcasts (also suggested in the comments) and the internet during semester to learn outside of my formal classes. The number one thing I like to do, however, is to get interested in something – recently I’ve been researching a digital camera to buy for an overseas trip – and this gives me something to learn about that I’m really interested in for a little while. Even when the phase passes I’m left with residual knowledge about something I knew nothing about before.

You guys got any ideas for how to keep up the informal learning while studying?