Wireless world offers study tools for exams

While technology like smartphones, iPads and the Internet are usually considered to be a distraction from finals studying, there are also ways to use them to your advantage while you’re trying to cram for exams. Whether you’re calculating the grades you need to pass or trying to memorize facts, as always, there’s an app for that.

SelfControl for Mac

This OS X application will block access to certain websites, but still allow you to get to the rest of the Web. For example, you can set the app to block your Facebook, email, Twitter and any other distractions for a certain length of time, such as 30 minutes or three hours. The best — and worst — part: Once you start the timer, there’s no stopping it. Even if you delete the program or turn off your computer, you can’t get to those sites until the time runs out. There’s no turning back!

Flash Card Apps

Flash cards are a key study tool, but carrying them everywhere can be a hassle. Fortunately, there are apps for Mac, iPhone, Android and iPad that provide the usefulness of flash cards with the convenience of constantly having them with you. There are a lot of applications out there for this, both free and with a low cost. Some even allow you to upload premade flash cards from certain websites, along with the option of making your own. The best part is that you can easily review your cards anywhere, from the library to the bus ride to class, without having to deal with the stack of paper.

Content-Specific Apps

There are plenty of applications out there to be your personal tutor in whatever subject you need. Depending on your market, you can download apps for history, physics, psychology and many other topics. Some are better and more specific than others, so reading the reviews before downloading is always a good idea.

iTunes U

This treasure trove is full of podcast lectures on various topics. Although the University does not have much available, there are lectures by professors at other major universities on everything from U.S. history to anatomy to computer programming. This is a useful tool if you’re suddenly realizing that you’ve, ahem, missed a few classes this semester and are looking for a basic overview of the topic. Keep in mind, however, that these podcasts are given by professors teaching other classes and may not be specific to what you need to know for your own exams.

Grade Calculators

If you’re trying to figure out how hard to study for that final in order to pass the class, these apps will make your life easier.

There are plenty available on the markets, and each works differently, but this app will allow you to calculate the exact scores you need to pull off a certain grade in the class.

Basically, you’ll put in the percentages each assignment in a class is worth and keep track of what grades you have received. From there, you can estimate your final exam results to predict a final grade or choose a goal for your final grade and calculate how well you need to do on the exam.

U of I’s GPA Calculator

Luckily for students, the University provides simple ways to calculate and predict your GPA, app-free. Online, the Office of the Registrar gives simple instructions on how to figure out yourGPA for the semester and directions for how to find your cumulative GPA on your transcripts. The advising department also provides a very easy to use GPA calculator online — just type in your cumulative GPA, total graded hours and grade and credit hours for each class you’re taking this semester, and it will compute your semester and cumulative GPA so far.

Tom Brady, New England Patriots still own AFC East, as NY Jets learned in Sunday's loss

For all the lessons that the Jets learned about themselves in the past month, they uncovered the most sobering one under the bright lights on Sunday night:

The AFC East still belongs to the Patriots.

Gang Green’s eternal nemesis delivered an emphatic message with a 37-16 win that smacked Rex Ryan’s team down to earth and severely hampered their chances at winning the division. The Jets’ path to the Super Bowl also became infinitely more difficult with a loss that could sting for a very long time. The Patriots (6-3) hold a one-game lead with the tiebreaker advantage after sweeping the season series against the Jets (5-4), who will likely be fighting with a handful teams for a wildcard spot.

Tom Brady carved up the Jets in the second half to help the Patriots avoid their first three-game losing streak in nine years. The Jets’ three-game winning streak came to a crashing halt thanks, in part, to three second-half turnovers.

Brady threw two second-half touchdowns to hand Gang Green their first home loss of the season.

The Patriots padded their 13-9 halftime lead thanks to a pair of Jets’ turnovers in the third quarter.

Joe McKnight’s muffed punt gave New England great field position that help set up Stephen Gostkowski’s third field goal. McKnight let it slip right through his hands and Donald Strickland couldn’t corral it.

The Patriots’ recovered the ball at the Jets’ 13. Tom Brady appeared to find Rob Gronkowski for a touchdown, but video replays showed that the tight end stepped out of bounds at the back of the end zone before coming back in and catching it. New England settled for Gostkowski’s 27-yard field goal to take a 16-9 with 9:55 to go in the third quarter.

Ryan’s team made their second gaffe of the quarter when Mark Sanchez’s pass bounced off Shonn Greene’s facemask, ricocheted off Jerod Mayo and into Rob Ninkovich’s arms for an easy interception. Brady quickened the tempo on the Patriots’ ensuing 8-play scoring drive capped by his 5-yard strike to Rob Gronkowski to give New England a 23-9 lead with under five minutes to go in the third quarter.

The Jets trailed 13-9 at halftime thanks to a late scoring drive engineered by Brady. The Jets overcame an early 6-0 deficit to take their first lead on Sanchez’s two-yard touchdown run with 1:20 to go before intermission. However, Sanchez made a tactical error right before that play by calling a timeout with too much time on the play clock. Brady was left with ample time to orchestrate an 80-yard march in just over a minute to re-take the lead. He hooked up with tight end Rob Gronkowski three times, including an 18-yard touchdown with nine seconds left in the first half. The Patriots took advantage of Eric Smith’s 15-yard facemask penalty to set up Gronkowski’s score.

Gang Green converted just one third down in the first half against the Patriots’ worst-ranked defense. The Jets’ offensive line had trouble protecting Sanchez for the better part of the first half. The Patriots had only 15 sacks in the first eight games, but sacked Sanchez four times in the first half.

The Jets wasted a good opening drive for the second straight week. Sanchez completed passes of 16, 11 and 27 yards on the first drive and got his team to the Patriots’ 9-yard line before the drive stalled. Then, Nick Folk missed a 24-yard field goal to keep it scoreless. The Jets, who entered the game fourth in the league in red zone touchdown efficiency, attacked the Patriots’ leaky secondary with three-wide receiver formations early.

New England responded with a 9-play drive that gave them an early lead. After Jets’ cornerback Kyle Wilson missed a golden opportunity for an interception, Stephen Gostkowski drilled a 50-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 3-0 edge midway through the first quarter.

The Patriots took advantage of a defensive breakdown on their next drive that resulted in a 53-yard completion to Chad Ochocinco. The Patriots lined up in a bunch formation with three receivers that caught the Jets off guard. Darrelle Revis appeared to be calling for a timeout after recognizing that Gang Green only had two defenders in the area. Donald Strickland came over right before the snap, but Brady found Ochocinco, who got behind the defenders. Gostkowski made a 36-yard field goal to cap the 7-play scoring drive and give the Patriots a 6-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Brady looked shaky at times in the first half even though Gang Green didn’t get much pressure on him. The Jets nearly caught a break on the Patriots’ botched shotgun snap deep in their own territory late in the second quarter. The Patriots, however, weren’t as fortunate on the next play when Jamaal Westerman ran through Danny Woodhead and forced Brady into intentional grounding in the end zone, which resulted in a safety. The Jets took a 9-6 lead on Sanchez’s two-yard touchdown run on their ensuing drive. Sanchez’s designed run on third and goal from the 2-yard line capped a 65-yard scoring drive that gave Gang Green their first lead with 1:20 to go before halftime.

Tom Brady, Wes Welker Connect for 'Awesome' 99-Yard Touchdown Pass

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady found another way to etch his name into the record books.
Brady recognized a glitch in the defense when the Pats stepped to the line with a first-and-10 from their own 1-yard line. He made a check to Wes Welker, who ran through single coverage in the left seam, hauled in the pass, broke off a tackle from cornerback Benny Sapp and raced free for a 99-yard touchdown.

"That was pretty awesome," Brady said. "When I saw him break away, it was awesome. You never know when it's going to go. It was man to man, and Wes ran a great route. I only threw it 25 yards. It's not like I threw it 99 yards. Wes did all the work. I just had to put it out there for him."

It was the 12th 99-yard touchdown pass in NFL history. The first happened in 1939 when Frank Filchock connected with Andy Farkas, and the most recent came in 2008 when Gus Frerotte hit Bernard Berrian.

Welker made sure to note that it was really 99 and a half yards.

"When I saw the coverage as we lined up in the set, I knew there was probably some possibility I could be getting the ball on this play," Welker said. "I just wanted to make the most of the opportunity

Miami Dolphins lose season opener to New England Patriots

All of those questions about Chad Henne’s potential. All of those wonders about this year’s offense. All of those expectations for this Dolphins defense. Turn all of it around. And some of it upside down.
On a night that shredded most every hypothesis about this season — except the one about struggling to cover tight ends — the Dolphins surely managed to spin the heads of a fan base wondering what to take from a 38-24 loss to the Patriots.
Was this version of Henne, often decisive and sharp, the version to expect every week? Is this secondary, the one that gave up more than 500 passing yards, really going to provide this many issues moving forward?
“We didn’t execute well at all today on our side of the ball,” linebacker Karlos Dansby said. “The offense played outstanding — and we let them down.”
This game wasn’t just baffling in many capacities. It was also historical.
Never have two teams combined for more net passing yards (906) than Tom Brady and Henne managed Monday. The game broke a 1986 record when the Dolphins and the Jets combined for 884 passing yards in a Jets 51-45 overtime win.
Unacceptable dayThis time, the outcome also favored the opponent.

“He had how many yards?” cornerback Sean Smith asked about Brady’s career-high numbers, which were the fifth-highest in NFL history. “He had 517? I definitely didn’t know it was like that. I knew they were getting chunk plays, but 517 yards is unacceptable.”
Regardless of the air show both quarterbacks conducted, hundreds of fans were clearly more concerned about the defensive concerns than the offensive success. Many shuffled out of the stadium with 9:49 remaining in the game despite a deficit of only 14 points.
Maybe they knew what was coming next.
Those departed fans managed to miss out on an incomplete pass on fourth down from the 1, when the Dolphins called a failed fade route to receiver Brian Hartline.
Those fans also managed to miss the following play, when the Patriots took over on downs and Brady completed a 99-yard touchdown pass to Wes Welker. As for the remaining fans, they couldn’t get out fast enough.
“They didn’t do anything we didn’t see on tape,” linebacker Kevin Burnett said. “They executed better than we did.”
Brady finished 32 for 48 with four touchdowns and an interception. He shredded the Dolphins with nearly every one of his weapons, but he mostly utilized his tight ends.
The tight end combination of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski combined for 189 yards on 13 catches with three touchdowns, causing continued concern about the Dolphins’ ability to cover a position that has given the team fits for years.
But the coverage of the tight ends wasn’t the only issue. The cornerbacks also struggled, as both Vontae Davis and Sean Smith dealt with cramping issues in the second half. And the pressure on Brady was often also insufficient.
The struggles on defense certainly came as a considerable surprise, given the team returned 10 of 11 starters after ranking sixth in the NFL last season. True, the Patriots are expected to have one of the most powerful offenses in the league. But more than 500 passing yards powerful?
The dismal defensive performance drowned out most of the optimism that Henne managed to muster for the offense. If his Monday performance is any indication, though, the Dolphins should be able to put up far more points this season.