@eipxen: I just got the 2011 upgrade today, actually. I'm a fan, but less of a fan of the fact that I can't use Outlook with the Home & Student Edition. Still, Word gets better and better. Now if only NeoOffice could compare...

I added a vote for Word, since Microsoft hides all the options to tweak. Who can waste time with distractions when you can't find anything to distract yourself with?

I like Rhodia pads. The paper is high-quality and it's really no more expensive than a Moleskine. Paper quality is key for fountain pen users and pencil writers.

@levelhalom: Can you recommend a good "how to install" tutorial? I want to use Org-Mode but am stuck on step 1. Their directions expect a little bit more experience customizing emacs than I really have.

@NamelessFragger: Lab fees were news to me, too. I'm in exactly the same boat, which is to say a good one.

@NamelessFragger: I drool over your setup (especially the Model M!) and am amused by the idea of someone carrying a full tower up the hill that leads to academic buildings on my campus.

@Xorlathor: I should have mentioned :) I hear the Windows version is way better. Still, the Mac version worms its way into my heart.

@Xorlathor: I'm using the stable channel on my Mac. The last few updates solved a lot of issues, but I still have some problems where it just kills some pages if I try to load them too quickly one after the other.

@slpk: I use the collar of my shirt. Does that make me a dbag?

Christine O'Donnell makes me sorry I'm from Delaware. Just wanted to get that off my chest.

Amen.

For me, the browsers end up in more or less the same place. I find that Chrome is a bit buggier, but Firefox is a bit slower. I have both, so I just use each for what it works best (for me) for.

VOTE: Google Tasks if we're talking apps.

For me, it depends on the device and my circumstances. At present I live on a college campus with blanket wifi, so wifi-only devices are perfectly fine. For iPods and the like, I'm perfectly happy staying that way, even without my giant network. Pocket-sized devices are easy to carry and keep around, so the…

I've used Evom many times and it has never disappointed. Easily worth the nothing you pay for it. A must for any casual video editor or remixer.

@bonniegrrl: Agreed. At least we have Lifehacker looking out for us.

@idkmybffjamie: A fair point, if you have lab fees. I actually didn't know that such things existed, so I qualify my previous statement with the caveat that it works best if your labs or public terminals are free to use.

My school uses Zimbra, which is a pretty neat open source option with a good desktop and webmail client. Still, it doesn't look very pretty :(

Speaking as a current RA, this is a really awesome article. RAs will try to get to know everyone (or they should), but there are so many people and so little time. We like to help out and make everyone's lives a little bit easier, so say hello :)

I find that Bean is usually just fine for me on my Mac. It does all the editing and enough layout, and is much lighter than OpenOffice or NeoOffice. Major layout can be done at the library, where I print all my papers anyway.