The Quad

We've moved!

2009-03-29T23:10:00.000-05:00

Please check out our new home - http://thequadblog.com.

Winter Break: Updates!

2008-12-20T15:48:00.005-06:00

Over the Christmas break The Quad will be moving to a new host and CMS service. Please excuse our dust, we will be back in force at the beginning of spring semester.

Thanks, and have a happy holiday!
Gavin, Doug, and the Quad Team

UI Invents Self-healing Paint

2008-12-16T07:53:00.004-06:00

Researchers in the College of Engineering have recently published a paper outlining a self-healing coasting they have invented.

To make self-repairing coatings, the researchers first encapsulate a catalyst into spheres less than 100 microns in diameter (a micron is 1 millionth of a meter). They also encapsulate a healing agent into similarly sized microcapsules. The microcapsules are then dispersed within the desired coating material and applied to the substrate.

So when the surface of the coating is scratched, the catalyst and healing agent combine and repair the damage.

Now this is cool.

Full Story: New polymer coatings prevent corrosion, even when scratched

Stars Shine

2008-12-15T00:30:00.000-06:00

Check out this unique U of I promotional video while you're avoiding studying this week.

Good luck with final exams!

Dial-a-Carol

2008-12-14T17:00:00.001-06:00

Dial-a-Carol, a service that students in Snyder Hall have been running for over 47 years, is now open. The song playing is now high-tech, with the student operators playing requests from a computer. This begs the question: Why don't we just cut out the middle man, get some Christmas music on our own computers, and play it? Well from 7:00 pm to midnight there will be live performances from the students, which are decidedly much better than pre-recorded professionals.

As in the past, some callers will be able to hear a live version of their requested song. Carrera said last year about one caller in 100 was treated to a live performance.

“We just can’t sing all the tunes,” he said. “Last year, people were losing their voices.”

Still, this year’s ratio of live to recorded songs will be much higher than in 2007. Volunteers will sing to every caller from 7 p.m. to midnight and every fifth caller the rest of the time.

Carols and carolers just a phone call away at the University of Illinois

Amazon MP3 = Free Music

2008-12-13T20:41:00.005-06:00

Amazon.com is one of my favorite websites. They have everything from the latest novel to the latest music release to the latest piece of cutlery. One of Amazon's newest additions is its MP3 download capabilities.

Through the Amazon MP3 Store, you can browse through millions of songs, and purchase completely DRM free music. The music is compatible with any music device and can be directly downloaded to iTunes or Windows Media Player. Using Amazon, you can find almost any song you are looking for. They also have a built in sampler for most music that will provide a 30 sec sample of the song before you download it. Most discs give you the option of purchasing the entire alum in MP3, or just buying a single song. The files can be downloaded without any additional software, but the Amazon MP3 Downloader is highly recommended. Don't worry, this software is very simple and won't try to take over your computer's music. It simply downloads the music, files it on your computer, and does a really good job of doing it.

The best part of this whole site, however, is the Special MP3 Deals page. This page shows, not only special limited time pricing on select downloads, but also offers free music. Yeah, that's right, I said FREE... and it's legal. Check out the rightmost column on the deals page to see all the free music. Most of the specials last only daily, however, so get to it as soon as possible. You can even subscribe to the MP3 of the day through email.

If all this wasn't enough for you, Amazon is currently offering 25 Days of Free Christmas Music:

Every day through December 25, we're unveiling a new holiday song available to download free for a limited time. Check back daily to see what's next.

So, go check it out. You can study later.

Illini Linebacker Hospitalized

2008-12-13T13:00:00.001-06:00

Martez Wilson, one of our best linebackers, was stabbed on Friday. Police are still trying to determine the specifics, but it may have happened at Fubar.

Wilson, 19, was in stable condition at Carle Foundation Hospital on Friday, according to Kent Brown, University of Illinois sports information director ... Wilson, who was on the preseason Butkus Award watch list, finished the season third on the team in tackles. He missed the final season game against Northwestern for violation of team rules.

As a high school senior at Chicago Simeon, Wilson was considered one of the nation’s elite recruits. He picked Illinois over Notre Dame, Southern Cal, Ohio State, Florida and others.

The News-Gazette: Illini linebacker Wilson hospitalized

Removing Majors in Hard Economic Times

2008-12-13T09:30:00.000-06:00

The University of Illinois has not discussed discontinuing any majors, but our sister campus, the University of Illinois at Chicago, is considering cutting The Classics.

It's interesting to see how often these controversial University issues are so political:

Part of the reason the courses might be in the cross hairs is because UIC has just 20 majors in the department of classics and Mediterranean studies ... But supporters of the program noted that other subjects have low numbers of majors, including African-American studies and gender and women's studies, which have 28 combined. Both fields are the dean's areas of study.

Chicago Sun Times: Classics may get axed at UIC

Video Games Good for All Ages

2008-12-11T21:00:00.000-06:00

Well they're probably not good for students during finals week, but a recent University of Illinois study shows that video games improve critical cognitive skills in older adults.

“Older people tend to fare less well on things that are called executive control processes,” Kramer said. “These include things like scheduling, planning, working memory, multitasking and dealing with ambiguity.”

After testing several video games, the researchers selected “Rise of Nations,” which gives gamers points for building cities and “wonders,” feeding and employing their people, maintaining an adequate military and expanding their territory.

Washington Post: Playing Video Games May Boost Older Brains
Illinois News Bureau: Strategic video game improves critical cognitive skills in older adults

Best Study Aid: Naps

2008-12-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

Finals are less than a week away. If there is one thing that all college students enjoy, it's a good nap. While you're dosing-off trying to get those last few pages read, don't worry - take a nap!

"Not only do we need to remember to sleep, but most certainly we sleep to remember," is how Dr. William Fishbein, a cognitive neuroscientist at the City University of New York, put it at a meeting of the Society for Neuroscience last week.

Associated Press: Nap without guilt: It boosts sophisticated memory

Oh No BLA-GO!

2008-12-09T12:05:00.000-06:00

If you haven't heard already, one of the biggest stories of the year... Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been arrested on corruption charges.

U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald says the corruption charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich represents "a truly new low."

At a news conference in Chicago on Tuesday, Fitzgerald called it a sad day for the citizens of Illinois.

Blagojevich was arrested Tuesday on charges that he brazenly conspired to sell or trade the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by President-elect Barack Obama to the highest bidder.

Blagojevich also was charged with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field, according to a federal criminal complaint. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired.

Complete Story from The News-Gazette

Face Lift for Express Mail

2008-12-09T10:57:00.005-06:00

The long-time-coming update to Cites Express Email is finally coming on January 6, 2009.

The new design includes:
Increased accessibility (e.g., for those who use screen readers or other assistance technology to navigate web pages)
Reorganized buttons in your Inbox, making it easier to find the function you need
Search, Logout, Spam Control, and Help features present on either the Login or Inbox windows

The bad thing is that it appears that it is only a new design - essentially the same thing with some added buttons and new colors. I think forwarding email to a modern email interface like Gmail will still be very popular for students even after the "upgrade."
CITES: New CITES Express Email Look Coming Soon

Free Stickers!

2008-12-08T00:05:00.001-06:00

What U of I student doesn't like free stuff? What U of I student doesn't forward their email to Gmail?

If you answered 'none' to both of those questions, we've got quite the news for you:

So how do you get your stickers? We may be all about speedy electronic communication, but this time we're going old school with snail mail. Just send a self-addressed stamped envelope ...

Official Gmail Blog: Get your Gmail stickers

December Christmas Movie Schedule

2008-12-07T09:30:00.004-06:00

Tired of studying? Want an opportunity to waste time? Looking for a holiday movie to get you in the mood? Well, here you have it. A TV guide listing all the holiday classics:

— "A Christmas Carol" (George C. Scott), 9 p.m. Today on AMC
— "Twas the Night Before Christmas," 6 p.m. Monday on ABC Family
— "Cranberry Christmas," 6:30 p.m. Monday on ABC Family. A girl and her grandmother try to save an old man's cranberry bog in an animated special based on a book (and sponsored by Ocean Spray).
— "A Charlie Brown Christmas," 7 p.m. Monday on ABC
— "Santa's Funniest Moments," 8 p.m. Tuesday on MyNetworkTV
— "Mickey's Christmas Carol," 6 p.m. Wednesday on ABC Family
— "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too," 6:30 p.m. Wednesday on ABC Family
— "Little Spirit: Christmas in New York," 7 p.m. Wednesday on NBC. A special features the voices of Danny DeVito, Lucy Liu, Freddy Rodriguez, Brian Williams and Brenda Song.
— "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," 8 p.m. Thursday on ABC Family
— "Greatest Holiday Moments: Songs of the Season Countdown," 7 p.m. Dec. 12 on NBC
— "A Miser Brothers' Christmas," 7 p.m. Dec. 13 on ABC Family
— "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," 8 p.m. Dec. 13 on Hallmark. Henry Winkler and Brooke Burns star.
— "Will You Merry Me?," 8 p.m. Dec. 13 on Lifetime. Wendie Malick and Cynthia Stevenson battle over holiday traditions.
— "Snow 2 Brain Freeze," 7 p.m. Dec. 14 on ABC Family
— "A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa," 7 p.m. Dec. 17 on NBC. Kermit, Fozzie and the rest of the gang mistakenly prevent three letters from making their way to Santa Claus.
— "Christmas in Washington," 7 and 10 p.m. Dec. 17 on TNT
— "Christmas in Wonderland," 7 p.m. Dec. 20 on ABC Family
— "Our First Christmas," 8 p.m. Dec. 20 on Hallmark. Dixie Carter and John Ratzenberger star.
— "A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride," 8 p.m. Dec. 20 on Lifetime. Joanna Garcia and Luke Perry star in a romance about finding love at any age.
— "Hilarious Holiday Home Video Countdown," 7 p.m. Dec. 22 on NBC
— "A Home for the Holidays With Faith Hill," 7 p.m. Dec. 23 on CBS. Inspirational stories about adoption mingle with performances by Hill, Melissa Etheridge, Gavin Rossdale, Jamie Foxx and others.
— "Frosty the Snowman," 7 p.m. Dec. 12 on CBS
— "It's a Wonderful Life," 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and Dec. 24 on NBC
— "Christmas in Connecticut," 3 p.m. Dec. 13, 9 p.m. Dec. 19 and 6:30 a.m. Dec. 24 on TCM
— "Remember the Night," 5 p.m. Dec. 13, 10:15 p.m. Dec. 24 and 5:15 a.m. Dec. 25 on TCM
— "A Christmas Carol" (Patrick Stewart), Dec. 17 and 20 on TNT

— "White Christmas," 8 p.m. Dec. 23 and 11 a.m. Dec. 25 on ABC Family
— "Holiday Affair," 11:45 a.m. Dec. 24 on TCM
— "24 Hours of 'A Christmas Story,'" beginning at 7 p.m. Dec. 24 on TBS

Also note that the Hallmark Channel is stuffing this month with made-for-TV holiday movies, while ABC Family again offers "25 Days of Christmas" and Lifetime revisits "Fa-la-la-la-Lifetime." And many great Christmas films from the past will air this month on Turner Classic Movies.

Thanks to Gail Pennington from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for compiling this list.

Ryan Should Not Be Commuted

2008-12-07T00:05:00.001-06:00

Should the former Governor of our fine state be pardoned by President Bush? A University of Illinois law professor says it would probably send the wrong message.

“He shouldn’t get out early just because he has buddies in high places,” said Adamski, an adjunct professor in the U. of I. College of Law and managing partner of a Chicago law firm that specializes in civil, criminal and appellate litigation.

Illinois News Bureau: Legal expert says Ryan commutation would send wrong message

Put That Education To Use This Summer

2008-12-06T17:00:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year that offers for jobs and summer internships are in full swing. If you have an offer or are still looking for an offer, there are many resources for you on campus.

The Career Services website is probably the first place you should check out. This is a resource for all University of Illinois students that includes links to every Career Services office on campus, including Engineering Career Services and The Career Center. On this website there is also a listing of all of the Departmental Job Boards. These are the places you can go to browse the listings that employers post specifically for U of I students - these boards are one of the greatest resources for finding internships and jobs.

As always, be sure to take advantage of all the services that these offices provide, which often include resume reviews, weekly email newsletters, mock interviews, career advice, and negotiation advice.

With all these resources, some advice from others, and a little luck, you should be in the job or internship of your dreams this May.

Drink SKI!

2008-12-04T16:00:00.000-06:00

Looking for that perfect gift? Thirsty for the perfect drink? Wish you could be as cool as me? Well, I have the solution for you.

It's called Ski, a naturally flavored citrus soda that is sure to tickle your taste buds.

Ski has been produced by the Double Cola Company since 1956. It's recipe uses real orange and lemon concentrates to create a perfectly blended drink unlike any other (although many people claim it tastes like Mountain Dew). Ski is distributed in Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. It comes in four flavors: regular, diet, cherry, and caffeine free.

My personal love of this drink spawns from my childhood. My hometown is home of one of the only Ski bottlers in the country. For those of you who have had the privileged to taste it, the bottled Ski is made with pure sugar cane and is the best tasting Ski available.

The good news it that all varieties of Ski (12 ounce can version) have recently been made available at the Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy Wal-Marts. So now you have no excuse but to get to Wal-Mart and quench your thirst. I will warn you, however, that this drink is addicting. Be sure to buy more than once case!

To check out more about Ski, follow these links:

Oh, and in case you're wondering... that's me in front of the Ski display at Wal-Mart.

Welcome Back! Snow!

2008-12-01T00:30:00.004-06:00

The first day back to classes after a week break is always difficult, but welcome back! The first significant snow of the season is here too (although there will be plenty more in the coming months - don't worry about that). We have three more weeks until Winter Break. Time to get studying!

No Email Accounts for Boston College

2008-11-21T21:20:00.010-06:00

Next year, freshmen at Boston College will not get full email accounts - they will get an email forwarding service that will pass along messages to whatever personal e-mail account a student specifies.

From my experience at Illinois, the Express Email interface is so bad that most students forward their email to another account (Gmail) anyway. They can even alias their replies. So, Boston College seems right here - students don't need a webmail client - just give us an address that we can forward to wherever we choose.

Great Value!

2008-11-18T00:15:00.001-06:00

Illinois is a great value! Illinois is ranked 41st on Kiplinger's 100 Best Values in Public Education Rankings for 2009. How are the rankings established?

We narrow the list to about 120 schools based on several measures of academic quality, including:
Percentage of the 2008-09 freshman class scoring 600 or higher on the verbal and math components of the SAT (or scoring 24 or higher on the ACT)
Admission rates
Freshman retention rates
Student-faculty ratios
Four- and six-year graduation rates, which most schools reported for the student cohort entering in 2002
We then rank each school based on cost and financial aid.. We look at ...

The Top 100 At a Glance
Detailed Report

2008 Basketball Season Begins

2008-11-14T09:13:00.002-06:00

The Illini Men's Basketball Team will open their 104th basketball season tonight at 8:30pm against Eastern Washington. The Illini are looking to turn heads this season and recover from their 16-19 record of last year.

This year's highlights:

• Illinois returns three starters on this year's squad in guards Chester Frazier, Demetri McCamey and Trent Meacham.
• Senior Trent Meacham is the Illini's leading returning scorer. Meacham was second on the team in scoring in 2007-08 (10.1 ppg) and led the Illini and ranked 11th in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal percentage (.400). He started 31 games last season, scoring in double figures 18 times, and was the UI's top scorer in eight games on the year.
• Senior Chester Frazier started 29 games last season and led the Illini in minutes, averaging 33.4 mpg. He averaged 4.9 points and led the team in assists, ranking sixth in the Big Ten with 3.6 apg. Frazier is Illinois' top defender and leading returning rebounder after ranking third on the team with an average of 4.9 rebounds last season.
• Sophomore Demetri McCamey came on strong last season as a true-freshman. He started 17 games and was fourth on the team in scoring with an average of 8.2 points. He led the Illini in assists during conference play (3.9 apg) and earned Big Ten All-Tournament Team honors.
• In addition to the three returning starters, Illinois returns seven other letterwinners in senior Calvin Brock, junior C.J. Jackson, and sophomores Bill Cole, Mike Davis, Jeff Jordan, Richard Semrau and Mike Tisdale.
• Illinois has four newcomers on the roster: Junior Dominique Keller, from Lee College in Baytown, Texas, freshman Stan Simpson from Chicago Simeon High School, sophomore Alex Legion, who transferred from Kentucky in January and is sitting out the first half of this season per NCAA rules, and junior walk-on Andrew "Bubba" Chisholm.
• Illinois has played in front of 60 consecutive sellout crowds at the Assembly Hall, a streak that began on Dec. 1, 2004.

Get ready for some basketball... and Go Illini!

Complete 2008 Basketball Schedule

What Went Wrong?

2008-11-13T19:15:00.004-06:00

Our football team is currently 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten with games remaining at home against Ohio State and at Northwestern. With high hopes from last season's Rose Bowl invitation, this season has been particularly tough for Illinois students. What went wrong?

Zook had added another highly rated recruiting class and Illinois appeared ready to build on its success. But the Illini haven't put together consecutive wins since weeks 2 and 3. They lost at home to Minnesota, at Wisconsin, which has suffered four consecutive losses, and against Western Michigan.

"We're all competitors and we lost some games we shouldn't have lost," defensive end Will Davis said. "We lost to teams we felt we could beat, so that hurt. The hardest part is getting it out of your head and getting ready for the next team."

STLToday: What went wrong this season?

Illinois Compass Login Page Update

2008-11-12T12:59:00.002-06:00

The Illinois Compass login page and banner have been updated as part of the Illinois Identity Standards initiative. The updated login page has a new look and feel to it, but all needed resource links should still be within reach. As part of this update, the logout page, error pages, and maintenance page have also been updated. There are no URL changes, and you will still authenticate using your NetID and NetID password.

Check it out... it looks just as cool as the new Illinois.edu... if only it worked as well...

Chief Rally

2008-11-12T06:00:00.001-06:00

"Are you going to the Rally?"

The Students For Chief Illiniwek student group is hosting an event to honor The Chief. The event will be on Saturday at 3:30 pm after the Illini win over Ohio State. Tickets are free to students and can be picked up at the Illini Union Ticket Central or to the Assembly Hall ticket office.

Come to the Assembly Hall on November 15th and celebrate the Illiniwek Tradition! The event will include presentations on the Honorable History of the Illiniwek Tradition, capped off with a performance by Logan Ponce, the 37th portrayer of the Illiniwek tradition! Tickets are free for students and 5 dollars for the general public. Oskee Wow-Wow!

The Facebook event has 872 confirmed guests.

Veteran's Day 2008

2008-11-11T14:18:00.003-06:00

Today is Veteran's Day. This federal holiday honors all military veterans and is celebrated annually on November 11th. Parades, dedications, and celebrations of all types are in progress throughout the country.

One of the newest offerings is at your local Applebee's. The restaurant is offering a complimentary entree to any and all military with proof of service.

Whatever it is that you do to celebrate our veterans, do it today!

History of Veteran's Day According to Wikipedia:

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 12, 1919. The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting the President issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday; "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'."

In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas, shoe store owner named Al King had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who served in World War I. King had been actively involved with the American War Dads during World War II. He began a campaign to turn Armistice Day into "All" Veterans Day. The Emporia Chamber of Commerce took up the cause after determining that 90% of Emporia merchants as well as the Board of Education supported closing their doors on November 11, 1953, to honor veterans. With the help of then-U.S. Rep. Ed Rees, also from Emporia, a bill for the holiday was pushed through Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954.

Congress amended this act on November 8, 1954, replacing "Armistice" with Veterans, and it has been known as Veterans Day since.

The Quad would like to personally thank all veterans and active duty military personal for their dedicated service to this great nation. Thank you!