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Winter Break: Updates!

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

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

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

Good luck with final exams!

Dial-a-Carol

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

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

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

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

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

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