Are you buying a new computer, or perhaps building one yourself? Either way, while there are many factors that come into play when selecting your new PC or Mac, the most important (other than price) is perhaps the processor. The processor, which determines how fast the machine performs, varies from computer to computer, and in order to get the most bang for your buck here’s what you need to know.

There are two main brands of processors on the market today, Intel and AMD. Like all processors the speed is measured in GHz, or Gigahertz. Intel Brand has three categories of processors out there now, Celeron, Pentium and Core. AMD has Sempron, Athlon and Phenom. Both brands come in single core, or one processor, and multicore, which has between two and typically six cores. The more cores you have, the faster the computing speed. But faster processors produce more heat, which is why you need a proper fan/cooling system built into computer. The last thing you want to do is overheat your processor, which not only slows you down, but may cause you to end up replacing the processor sooner than you would’ve needed to.

Like all technological innovations, processors become outdated as new systems are developed. For Intel, the newer processors are the I3- I7 series. I3 are the cheaper of these three, but they are also slower than the I7. The I5 is considered the standard ‘midrange’ processor for Intel these days, performing faster than the I3 but slower and cheaper than the I7. The second generation of these three processors, referred to as Sandy Bridge perform up to 40% faster than the first generation and have an on board graphics chip, which though not of super high quality, serves the daily use of watching movies on your machine.

AMD processors aren’t as fast, but they are cheap and compatible with most AM3 motherboards, which is important when upgrading processors without losing the computer. Of the three types, AMD Athlon II are the budget processors. These come in a number of varieties indicated by X2, X3, or X4. The number indicates how many cores they have. Athlon II has enough power for basic PC tasks and is relatively cheap for a processor of this caliber.  Phenom is 35% faster, and is comparible to the Intel Core I3 in performance, but the I3 still has 10% more processing speed than the Phenom. Intel I7 is 2X the speed of the Athlon, but almost twice as expensive.

In conclusion, if price is key,  go with the  less expensive AMD Athlon processor, multicore which is cheap and has decent enough computing speed to get by. If you have a bit more money to spend and want better performance, go with the Intel Core series.

-Rachael Maxon, ATS Student Manager

Evernote is a super-cool note-taking/scrapbooking service that syncs anything you add to it with all of your devices (desktop, laptop, tablet, phone) AND a slick web interface.

We’ve already discussed some cool storage and word-processing options in the cloud, specifically Dropbox and GoogleDocs, but what makes Evernote different is the mobile aspect.  It has fantastic apps for plenty of systems, including iOS, Android and Blackberry, in addition to the web interface and desktop application.  You can snap a picture of something cool and record an audio file about it (or add a text note). As an added bonus, Evernote actually runs images through word-recognition software–so you can take a picture of a whiteboard in class or a handout and then search for words from that were on the board or in the handout to find notes quickly and easily without shuffling through a pile of papers.

Evernote also has a couple of browser add-ons which allow you to clip pieces of web pages into notes and store them all easily in one place–so if you find a fantastic recipe, blog post, or tidbit of information, you can quickly and easily add it to your Evernote database–it’ll store just that part of the page (or the whole page, if you so desire) to your notebook, with a link back to the live version.

Check out some additional resources here:

• 7 Ways to Make Use of Evernote
• A Guide to Evernote Trunk
• The Complete Guide to Evernote
• Getting Started with Evernote

RefWorks is an online program to help organize your research.  You can create an account through the library’s homepage, or by following this link.  Using RefWorks, you can easily put citations you find in different academic databases, like Academic Search Premier and JSTOR, into a single, personal RefWorks database.  You can organize your research within RefWorks using folders, and can add notes to different sources.  RefWorks can also help you create a bibliography for your paper–you can select individual references, or a folder full of references and create a bibliography in several different styles (including APA and MLA).  RefWorks also provides some additional tools, RefGrab-It and Write-N-Cite, which help making citations within your papers even easier.

Getting Started with RefWorks

To create an account, simply follow the link to RefWorks on the library’s homepage (or click here).  From the login screen, you can create an individual account.  Once you’ve finished creating your account, you’ll be taken to your new RefWorks database.

RefWorks 2.0

If you’ve just created a new account, it will already be in the newest version.  However, if you already have a RefWorks account, you will have to shift to RefWorks 2.0.  You can access it by selecting ‘RefWorks 2.0′ in the upper right hand corner of the screen.  It’ll ask you to confirm that you want to switch, and then you can get started in the new interface.  (It’s a MUCH friendlier interface than RefWorks Classic, so I would recommend giving it a shot–and you are able to switch back to RefWorks Classic if you’re not a fan).

Once you’ve shifted over to RefWorks 2.0, you’ll notice three buttons near the top of your screen (New Folder, Bibliography, and New Reference) and two tabs below them (References and Organize & Share Folders).  These will be your primary tools for navigating and organizing references.

For a quick guide about navigating RefWorks, you can view a video here, or check out this handy .PDF file.

To add references to your RefWorks database, you can enter them manually, by hitting the ‘Add Reference’ button…or you can import them from a database using DirectExport.

For a quick guide about adding references to your RefWorks database via DirectExport, you can view a video here, or check out this handy .PDF file.

Additionally, you can use one of RefWorks’ tools, RefGrab-It, to add items from the web easily.

You can organize your references into folders to make keeping track of what you’ve used in different papers easier–and you can use these folders to quickly create bibliographies.

For a quick guide about using folders in RefWorks to organize your references, you can view a video here, or check out this handy .PDF file.

Finally, RefWorks offers many advanced tools and features to finely hone how your resources are sorted, and to help you get your reference works cited quickly and easily.  Write-N-Cite, for instance, creates a bibliography for you as you write your paper.  Take a look around RefWorks and explore, or stop by the reference desk for help.  We’re happy to show off some of the cool features of RefWorks!  You can also e-mail ColeReference@cornellcollege.edu with questions!

What is a QR Code?

QR code is short for ‘Quick Response’ code.  QR codes are used to link phones to information, typically web sites. Most often, they are used in conjunction with QR code reading ‘apps’ on smart phones, but any phone with a camera can link to QR codes.

Why were they developed?

QR codes were developed in the 1990s by a branch of Toyota to track cars during manufacturing, as an alternative to barcodes.

What are they used for today?

While QR codes continue to be used in the manufacturing process, they are most often seen in advertising and in commercial venues today. As smart phones have become more ubiquitous, companies have begun employing QR codes as a means of overlaying digital information on the real world. The expectation is that if one sees a QR code in the wild, curiosity will provoke the individual to whip out there phone, snap a picture, and load the corresponding website. For some, this all seems like a lot of work, so there is some debate about the effectiveness of QR codes in advertising and marketing. Still, QR codes remain a novel use of technology that more and more people have access to.

How can I use QR codes?

The most obvious use of QR codes would be in advertising an event or product you might be selling to others. But the possibilities for use are endless. In cities, QR codes are used to link to bus route information. In the classroom, instructors might consider linking to important and relevant information, such as a syllabus or assignment description via QR codes. Obviously, one wouldn’t want to make QR codes the primary method of access, but rather as a method of allowing students the choice of how they access important course materials.

Related Links

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGaVFRzTTP4&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3qv2dSXQXk&feature=related

http://www.drewsmarketingminute.com/2011/03/qr-codes-example.html

http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-software/

http://holykaw.alltop.com/whos-scanning-all-these-qr-codes-infographic

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/03/26/BU1LVQQOB.DTL

Have you ever had your USB flash drive fail on you an an inopportune moment–or left it in your dorm room or at home when you need to print or access a document RIGHT NOW?  File storage in the cloud can help prevent these woes.  Here are two online file storage options:

Google Docs

Google Docs is a great alternative to the Microsoft Office Suite of products–Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.  Surprisingly, it’s also a solution for remote file storage.  You can easily upload a variety of files to Docs–it allows you to store images, Word Documents, and PowerPoint presentations, to name a few.  You do have to upload files

to it, but it’s harder to lose track of than a USB flash drive.  The best part?  You already have access to Google Docs via your Cornell Gmail account, so there’s no account creation necessary, and it can be e-mailed to others at the click of a button.  Here’s a quick how-to for getting into GoogleDocs and uploading files:

1. Log into your Cornell e-mail.  At the very top of the screen you should see links for Calendar, Documents, Sites, Groups, and Contacts.  Click on Documents.
2. A new window will open for Google Docs.
3. Select Upload in the top right on the screen.
4. Select ‘File…’ or ‘Folder…’ and a window will open for you to browse your computer for files. Choose a file.  Google will open a prompt asking if you’d like the document to be converted to Docs format or remain in the initial format. Note that converting will allow you to edit your document online within Google Docs, but can cause some formatting issues.
5. Your document will appear in the center pane once uploaded.  You will be able to select the item and download it to a different computer, or print it directly from Google Docs.

Dropbox

Dropbox is kind of like a free virtual USB flash drive.  It is a free filesharing service that allows you to access your files between you computer, phones and the web.   It can also provide you with web-based file storage as a flash drive backup or alternative.  You can install the desktop version on your computer, which will allow you to save files to folders which automatically sync to the web or simply upload files to the website manually.  Why use it?  It’s a great way to back up important documents so that if your computer suddenly dies or your USB drive stops working, you can still retrieve documents.

To get started, go to Dropbox.com.  Sign up for an account and install Dropbox on your computer.  This will automatically create a ‘Dropbox’ folder on your computer that syncs to Dropbox online.  When you save files to that folder, you’ll be able to access them from the Dropbox.com website–so from any computer with an Internet connection!

If you have questions or need help, contact Ian Mason, or stop by the Academic Technology Studio in Cole Library!