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Get productive when class is back in session with StudyRails, a webapp that tracks your time and notifies you of upcoming course assignments via email or text message. When you receive new class assignments, enter them into StudyRails and designate slots of time to study for the assignments. The webapp will notify you prior to the assignment via email or SMS. Additionally, StudyRails can send mentors (and even parents) your classes and upcoming assignments for added motivation. Finally, when you’re in the middle of studying, StudyRails will block distracting web sites and applications so that you can focus on the required tasks at hand.

Add An Assignment

If you have an assignment, you can either click on the class time that the assignment is due or click on “New Assignment” to update the information. In this area, you can designate the amount of time that you estimate it will take to complete the assignment and add milestones if necessary.

Study Time

With StudyRails, you can either set aside blocks of time for completing a particular assignment or for studying for a particular quiz or exam. If you plan on studying for three hours on Tuesday night for four upcoming assignments, StudyRails will do the math and figure out how to best allocate your time. Simply drag your mouse over a block of time and StudyRails will do the rest.

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iPhone only: Inventive iPhone app Direct Line navigates automated phone systems to get you directly to an operator without having to sift through menu options yourself. To use it, just launch the app, tell it who you want to call (it supports hundreds of searchable companies), and let it take care of the rest. You can simply turn on your speakerphone and let Direct Line do its work. When the operator answers, you’re ready to go.

A lot of the time it appears to just stick with the old hit-zero-until-it-goes-to-a-human trick, but in most of my tests it worked really well. Aside from the convenience of going straight to the operator, it’s also just a nice repository of phone numbers for your utilities. The biggest downside: Direct Line will set you back $.99 from the App Store—so it’s not free, but it is definitely cool.

Stained glass adds a hard-to-replicate ambiance to any room, but the stuff sure isn’t cheap. One Instructables user has detailed a method for making faux stained glass with a hot glue gun, acrylic glass (also known by its trademark Plexiglas), and whatever paint colors you plan to use.

As the commenters at Instructables have noted, it’s not a perfect simulation, but the faux stuff can serve as a stand-in for frames missing some glass, or for trying out rough sketches (or goofier ideas) to see how they look as stained glass. While you’re at the store, consider adding your own $16 DIY privacy frosting.