If you like to do lots of computing on the go, chances are you’ve considered buying a netbook. These little devices pack a lot of functionality into a portable format, offering travelers, students, and others in need of productivity on the go lots of options for getting things done. Read on, and you’ll find more than 100 excellent resources for learning about, buying, and scooping up one of these tiny wonders.

Introductory Guides

Get a good overview of what netbooks are all about from these resources.

1. Netbook on Wikipedia: Wikipedia’s entry on netbooks explains what these devices are all about.
2. What is a Netbook Computer?: Michael Horowitz explains exactly what netbooks are.
3. What is a Netbook?: This article offers a simple explanation about netbooks.

Articles & Advice

In these articles, you’ll learn about the rise in netbook popularity, buying trends, hacks, and more.

4. Five reasons to seriously consider buying a netbook: Ars Technica takes a look at why netbooks are an appealing option to many buyers.
5. 10 Ways to Trick Out Your Netbook for Free: These tools will help make your netbook just a little more awesome.
6. The rise of the Netbook: In this article, you’ll learn why netbooks have experienced a rise in popularity.
7. Tiny Notes Net Big Gains: This article explains the wide appeal of netbooks.
8. Mini-Notebook Mania: PC World attempts to explain the mania behind mini notebook computers.
9. 5 Resources for Netbook Helps, Hacks, and How-tos: Here you’ll find sites that can offer lots of information about netbooks.
10. The State of the Netbook: This series looks at the history of the netbook.
11. 4 Essential Utilities for Windows Netbooks: Here you’ll learn about a few important tools for Windows netbooks.
12. The Netbook Effect: How Cheap Little Laptops Hit the Big Time: This article explains how netbooks became so popular.
13. Six Ways to Make Your Netbook More Like a Notebook: Juice up your netbook a bit with these tips and resources.
14. How do you use your Netbook: Read this article to find out about some of the possibilities for netbook use.

Buying Guides

Check out these guides to get great advice for purchasing a netbook.

15. Netbooks showdown: The top 10 mini laptops rated: CNET’s coverage takes a look at 10 of the hottest mini laptops on the market.
16. Category: Netbooks: Learn about some of the most popular netbooks in the market in Wikipedia’s category listing.
17. 5 Things to Consider Before Buying a Netbook: Read this article to get a good perspective on your netbook needs before making a purchase.
18. How to Choose: Netbook vs. Ultraportable Laptop: Find out how to make the decision between a netbook and ultraportable.
19. OCZ Neutrino "DIY" Netbook Reviewed: Learn about the details of a DIY netbook here.
20. Ask Engadget: What’s the best netbook out there (redux)?: Check out the comments on this article to get honest opinions on netbooks.
21. Netbook Reviews: Find full reviews of small, low cost laptops here.
22. How to Buy a Netbook: This article explains what you need to know when buying a netbook.
23. Nothing but Netbooks: Six Low-Priced, Fast-Selling Laptops: You’ll be able to learn about six popular netbooks in this article.
24. How to choose a netbook: You’ll learn how to choose the right netbook for your needs from this article.
25. How to find a cheap laptop, netbook, or computer: Follow this guide to learn how to make a good netbook purchase.
26. A Quick Guide to Netbooks: In this guide, you’ll get an overview of netbooks and learn how to choose one.
27. Comparison of netbooks: Here you can learn about the specifications of various netbooks.
28. How to Find the Best Netbook Computer at the Best Price: Using this guide, you can find lots of bang for your netbook buck.
29. How to Find Netbook Reviews: In this guide, you’ll learn how to locate the best reviews on netbooks.
30. Netbook Buyer’s Guide: This guide offers information on buying the perfect netbook.
31. How to choose a netbook: Read this guide to find out the details of choosing a netbook.
32. How to choose your netbook?: Read this forum post to find helpful tips and information for selecting a netbook.
33. Liliputing Netbook Product Database: Liliputing’s database offers great information about various small computers and netbooks.
34. How to: Notebook vs Netbook: Tiger Direct’s video offers a guide to determining whether a netbook or notebook is right for you.
35. Comparison of subnotebooks: Take a look at this comparison chart to learn about subnotebooks on the market.
36. Netbook Prices Are Now Falling: Find out why netbook prices are falling from this informative article.

Information Centers

These forums, blogs, and other information centers offer a wealth of knowledge about netbooks.

36. EeeUser: EeeUser is an Eee PC community with forums, links, and more.
37. NetbookBoards.com: Check out this website to find a blog, reviews, forums, and more, all devoted strictly to netbooks. AspireOneUser: On this site, you’ll find news and forums for the Acer Aspire One netbook.
38. Netbook User: Check out this blog to stay updated on netbook news worldwide.
39. Sammy Netbook: Get the latest news about Samsung netbooks in this blog and community.
40. EEE Journal: The EEE Journal covers netbooks and mini laptops.
41. Liliputing: Brad Linder’s site offers news, hacks, reviews, and much more for small computers and netbooks.
42. MSIWind: Learn the basics and beyond for the MSI Wind on these forums.
43. Amazon Netbook Community: Users post reviews, useful information, and more for netbooks in this buyer’s community.
44. Netbook Reviews: This blog offers news, deals, and reviews of netbooks.
45. jkOnTheRun: This blog offers lots of great news coverage and reviews on small notebooks in the market.

Deal Sites

If you’re in the market for a netbook, be sure to check out these sites to score a good deal.

47. Tiger Direct: Tiger Direct is one of the most popular sites for online electronics deals, including netbooks.
48. Slickdeals: On Slickdeals, you’ll find all kinds of deals, including netbooks-and you can even set up alerts for exactly what you’re looking for.
49. .Netbooks: You’ll find a good comparison of the netbooks on the market today from .Netbooks.
50. FatWallet: Use the FatWallet forums to learn about great deals available on netbooks.
51. Great Netbook Gear and Deals: This blog offers deals, gear, and more for netbooks.
52. Newegg: Check out Newegg to find deals, reviews, and more.
53. DealCatcher: With DealCatcher, you’ll be able to catch the best deals online.
54. Deals.com: Find the best coupons, discounts, and more on netbooks from this site.
55. DealsPlus: This deals site will help you avoid paying retail for your netbook.
56. Netbook Deal: Follow this blog to see some of the most current deals available on netbooks.
57. dealnews: Learn about the latest in tech deals from dealnews.

How Tos

Find out how to hack, modify, and generally improve your netbook once you’ve got one.

58. Four Cool Ways to ‘Mod’ an Acer Aspire Netbook: Get to hacking on your Acer Aspire with these tips and resources.
59. How to turn an MSI Wind netbook into a tablet: Read this guide, and you’ll find out how your MSI Wind can become a tablet.
60. How to Hackintosh a Dell Mini 9 Into the Ultimate OS X Netbook: This guide offers great information for getting OS X on your netbook.
61. How to upgrade an Acer Aspire One netbook’s memory: Using this guide, you’ll be able to upgrade the memory on your Acer Aspire One netbook.
62. How to Install Windows 7 on a Netbook: Get your netbook equipped with the latest version of Windows.
63. Turn Your Netbook Into a Kindle: Follow this hack to make your netbook work as a Kindle.
64. How to: Acer Aspire One External Monitor Setup: Watch this video to learn how to use your netbook like a desktop computer tower.
65. Image editing on your mini-notebook: Find out how to create beautiful images on your netbook.
66. How to install Ubuntu Netbook Remix in Ubuntu 8.10/8.04: Get Ubuntu Netbook Remix by following this guide.
67. 1080P Video on ASUS N10J Netbook: This resource will show you how to get high quality video on an ASUS.
68. How to Make Your Linux Netbook Actually Kick Arse: Check out this video to make your Linux netbook awesome.
69. How to best maximize netbook resolution with Windows XP?: Read this guide to find out how to makeover your netbook.
70. How to Turn a Netbook into a Net Jukebox: Check out this guide to learn how to make your netbook a valuable audio tool.
71. Installing OSX on Windows Netbook: Find out how you can put OSX on your Dell netbook.
72. The Friendly Netbook Desktop: Make Windows XP look better on your netbook’s tiny display using this guide.
73. How to Upgrade the Memory in Your Netbook: Use this guide to find out how to upgrade your netbook’s memory.
74. How to: Become a Linux Netbook Power User: Follow this guide, and you’ll learn how to make the most out of your Linux netbook.
75. How to Multi Task With Your Netbook: This article explains the fine art of multitasking on a netbook.
76. How to Add Memory to MSI Wind Netbook: Give your MSI Wind a little bit more power with better memory.

Tools

These tools are excellent pieces of software that work well with, or are specificially designed for, netbooks.

77. Mesh: With Mesh, you’ll be able to keep your netbook synced up with the rest of your life.
78. BatteryBar: Use BatteryBar to get a useful and accurate battery meter for your Windows netbook.
79. TinyResMeter: Make use of this application to track your system resources.
80. GNOME: GNOME is a popular Linux desktop that is lightweight enough for a netbook.
81. Firefox: Firefox offers a safe, reliable web browser that’s handy for netbooks.
82. Abiword: This small and easy word processor is fully featured and great for netbooks.
83. VLC Media Player: The VLC Media Player is a lightweight, free, and open source media player that makes good use of netbook resources.
84. SyncToy: Using SyncToy, you can keep folders between your netbook and notebook or PC automatically synced.
85. Zoho: Zoho’s suite of online productivity apps is entirely online, saving you precious system resources.
86. Gnumeric: Download this free application to get powerful spreadsheets on your netbook.
87. KDE: Use the K Desktop Environment to get a slick desktop environment with useful applications.
88. FFdshow: With FFdshow, you’ll get all of the codecs you need for just about any audio and video codecs.
89. SharpKeys: Remap the keys on your netbook to exactly where you’d like them to be by using SharpKeys.
90. RocketDock: RocketDock is an animated and easy to use application launcher that’s ideal for netbooks.
91. Photoscape: Photoshop is generally out of the question on netbooks for its large footprint, but the Photoscape image editor offers minimal editing for netbooks.
92. Ubuntu Netbook Remix: Ubuntu Netbook Remix offers an optimized version of Ubuntu, specifically made to work well on netbooks.
93. Eeebuntu: Eeenuntu offers a custom launcher for quick application access in Netbook Remix.
94. OpenOffice: Download this free suite of lightweight but useful office applications.
95. TweakUI: Use TweakUI to customize Windows XP to fit on your small netbook screen.
96. GMABooster: GMABooster offers a bit of a boost for your netbook’s graphics chip without sacrificing too much battery life.
97. PortableApps: Find free and open source apps that are perfect for netbooks with PortableApps.
98. Foxit Reader: Foxit Reader offers a more lightweight PDF reader for netbooks.
99. Virtual Desktop Manager: With the Virtual Desktop Manager, you can create up to four virtual desktops in order to keep things manageable on your small screen.
100. Google Chrome: Download Google’s lightweight browser to get speed and versatility.
101. Meshwrite: Meshwrite is great for netbooks because it uses as much of your screen as possible.
102. LXDE: The Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment will give you a fast, energy saving Linux desktop.
103. Xplorer2: Use this highly configurable file manager to take advantage of your netbook’s small screen and trackpad.

Twitter is a fun and useful tool that’s not just for student of Twitter, you’ll need to learn the lingo, mechanics, and the ins and outs of interacting with followers. Here, we’ll take a look at 100 tips that can help you do just that.

For Beginners

If you’re just getting started, be sure to follow these tips.

1. Set up your profile: Give people a glimpse beyond what your tweets reveal.
2. Include a picture: Make sure you add a photo of yourself so that your tweets will be more personal.
3. Create a simple and short Twitter name: The longer your Twitter ID, the more space it takes up, and having a complicated name can make it hard for people to respond to or mention you.
4. Just do it: Don’t just lurk-jump into the conversation.
5. Make your profile link something that tells more about you: Share your blog, an about me page, or any other page that offers more information about the person behind the tweets.
6. Share photos: Post your photos on Twitter to shake things up a bit and add some interest to your stream.
7. Use proper grammar: Occasional abbreviations are passable, but make sure that your tweets are readable.
8. Use your real name: Build your personal brand by choosing your real name as your Twitter ID.
9. List your location: Many people use Twitter for local networking, so they’ll be more likely to follow you if they know where you are.
10. Learn the lingo: If you don’t know what DM, @, RT, and other Twitter symbols and words are, look them up or ask.
11. Don’t rush to build your network: Don’t follow hundreds of people right away-allow your following to grow organically.
12. Reply to someone with @: Place an @ sign in front of someone’s name on Twitter to write to them specifically, or simply just mention them-they will be notified that you did so.
13. Shrink your URLs: Use a URL shortener like TinyURL or is.gd to make it easier to fit into 140 characters.
14. Use your mobile device: Tweet from your phone, iPod, or other mobile device to keep your Twitter updated on the go, using the mobile web or text.
15. Find your friends: Use Twitter’s search in order to find your friends, classmates, organizations, and others that you may want to follow on Twitter.
16. Go public: Keep your tweet public so that people can get to know you before deciding to blindly follow.
17. Make it easy for others to find your tweets: Use a hashtag (#) in order to be more a part of a popular conversation.
18. Use abbreviations: Make use of codes like LOL, BRB, and NSFW to save space and reading effort.
19. Remove and/or block problem followers: If you don’t want to follow someone anymore, you can remove them, and if you don’t want your tweets to appear in their timeline, you can block them.
20. Remove irrelevant words: Use only the words that are completely necessary to get your message across.
21. Go private: Make your account private if you don’t want to share your updates with the world.

Finding Friends

In order to really use Twitter, you’ll need to build your own community and find people to follow.

22. Find people with similar interests: Check out Twitter directories to find, classmates, people in your niche and interests, as well as those in your location.
23. Don’t sweat finding followers: Twitter isn’t about quantity, but quality-focus on building good relationships with those you follow.
24. Follow genuine people: Avoid only following people that want to game the system-build relationships with people.
25. Keep an eye on Facebook statuses: Many Facebook users tie their status to Twitter-if you see any @ signs in there, chances are they are on Twitter.
26. Share your passions in life: Discuss your hobbies and interests, and hash tag them so others can find you-and find others this way as well.
27. List yourself in directories: Make sure you’re easy to find by putting your Twitter name in relevant directories.
28. Get out from behind the curtain: Participate in meetups to meet your followers face to face, and get connected with others.
29. Be informative: Share links, video, and more in order to be interesting and valuable to the Twitter conversation.
30. Follow influencers: Follow important people on Twitter and interact with them to get lots of value.
31. Follow the people that you think are interesting: Listen to people that say things you’re interested in hearing.
32. Be funny and interesting: Make your timeline entertaining so that others will want to follow you.
33. Make yourself an authority: Share invaluable knowledge that would be missed if you stopped tweeting.

Keeping Followers

Once you’ve got followers, be sure to keep them by following these guidelines.

34. Don’t spam: Just don’t. Excessive DMs, repeated messages, and constant annoying information will get you unfollowed quickly.
35. Follow back: For goodness sakes, reciprocate. If someone is following you, and they offer some value, go ahead and follow them back-you can always take it back later.
36. Don’t make Twitter an extension of your blog: Twitter about your blog, but go beyond it as well-Twitter isn’t RSS.
37. Take it easy: Don’t tweet incessantly-or you’ll flood the windows of others so much that they’ll want to stop listening.

Tweeting

These are some of the ideas and things you can tweet about.

38. Share your announcements: Let people know about your achievements-shows, interviews, big trips.
39. Tweet useful links: Found something interesting, useful, or funny? Share it with your Twitter network.
40. Have fun: Be social, make connections, and use Twitter for good.
41. Share multimedia: Twitter loves photos, videos, and more, so share good multimedia.
42. Update daily: Update at least once a day so your followers have something to follow along with.

Developing Relationships

These tips explain how to develop good relationships with your Twitter followers.

43. Ask questions, give answers: Help others out, and ask for their opinions to improve relationships.
44. Check your @ replies: Make sure you know who is mentioning you by looking at your @ replies, and responding to them.
45. Collaborate with others: Share information and work closely with others in your niche on Twitter.
46. Show gratitude: If someone’s helped you out, be sure to thank them publicly.
47. Be a human being: Share personal information and show people that you’re a human being.
48. Provide value: Share your knowledge and give people a reason to listen when you tweet.
49. Give shout outs: Mention your Twitter friends and give them the spotlight.
50. Meet off of Twitter: Go to Tweetups and meet other users, or organize your own.
51. Retweet: If someone you’re following offers valuable information, retweet it, and you can simultaneously share it with more people and show the person you retweeted that you appreciate them.
52. Respond to every reply: If someone writes directly to you, be sure to acknowledge them by responding to their tweet.
53. Be genuine: Avoid being false-stay honest and let people see yourself.
54. Keep an eye on your reply ratio: You should keep your ratio or normal tweets to reply tweets in balance in order to stay original while still actively engaging others.
55. Take extended or private conversations to DM: If there’s too much quantity, or a privacy issue involved, don’t Tweet in public-share via DM.

Getting Value

Here we’ll take a look at how you can best get value out of Twitter.

56. Join the conversation: Read what others are doing and reply to what you’re interested in.
57. Ask for help: Use Twitter to get your questions answered and find a lending hand.
58. Keep your tweets short enough to retweet: If you want to be retweeted, make sure to leave extra space for at least "RT @yourname" to be added.
59. Keep up with the Twitter blog: Find out about technical problems, community issues, and more from the Twitter blog.
60. Stay active: Don’t use Twitter passively-be an active user to get the most value from it.
61. Follow the news: Twitter is a great source for breaking news-often beating mainstream media to the punch by hours.
62. Tweet during peak times: People are most likely to see your tweets during US business hours, so time your usage accordingly.
63. Stay on top of your friends: Use Twitter as a service to stay well connected with your real-life friends.
64. Connect with companies for better service: Use connections on Twitter to address your customer complaints.
65. Meet celebrities: You can often have a conversation with celebrities on Twitter, even if it’s one sided.
66. Track mentions of keywords: Set up a service to notify you whenever certain keywords are used on Twitter.

Snafus

These are actions that are best avoided on Twitter.

67. Remember to tweet like your grandma’s listening: Twitter is public, and even if you keep things private, you can never be too careful.
68. Give information about links: Don’t just share links without any explanation-tell your followers why they need to visit.
69. Keep it all to one tweet: You’re limited to 140 characters-keep it that way unless it’s absolutely necessary.
70. Don’t share EVERYTHING you do: Don’t share useless details about your cat or grilled cheese sandwich for lunch-make things a little more interesting.
71. Stop arguing: Debate is fine, but too much tense back and forth will turn followers off.
72. Avoid automatic DMs: Don’t set up your account to send welcome DMs to new followers-it’s considered impersonal and bad form.
73. Make sure your background doesn’t look like an advertisement: Many users choose to customize their background-just be careful not to take it too far.
74. Keep your follow to following ratio fairly even: You should be following about the same amount of people who follow you-too far either way makes you look like a spammer or a snob.
75. Don’t expect unrelated people to follow you back: If your Twitter is all about how you sell real estate in California, someone in Texas with no unifying interests to you is just not likely to want to reciprocate.
76. Don’t be an island: Engage your followers, and show that you’re a part of the community.
77. Don’t make it a following contest: If your main goal on Twitter is to amass as many Twitter followers as possible, you’ll end up turning a lot of followers off.
78. Do not autorespond: Autoresponders take the personality out of Twitter-individually connect instead.
79. Don’t always push your agenda: Twitter is a great marketing tool, but it will backfire on you if you abuse it.

For Business

Follow these tips if you’re a business on Twitter.

80. Don’t automate: Impersonality is the bane of Twitter-you’ll get more attention by engaging others and being genuine.
81. Use a photo instead of a logo: Make your Twitter account more personal with a photo.
82. Share your events: Make things interesting and possibly meet your followers through events.
83. Be personal: Show character and enforce a friendly brand for your company.
84. Share contests: Get followers more interested in what you tweet by holding contests.
85. Create multiple accounts if necessary: Set up an official account and others for individual employees if you’d like.
86. Follow relevant people: Connect with colleagues, journalists, competitors, and people who love your brand.
87. Share your business culture with OHs (overheards): Let people listen in to what’s happening in your office by repeating fun moments and comments.
88. Gather information: Ask Twitter followers what they’d like to see from you, and how you can improve.
89. Monitor your brand: Use alerts to find out what people are saying about your business, and respond to them.
90. Share your media: Link to videos, interviews, and more so followers can learn more about you and your business.
91. Talk back: Engage with those who engage you-and don’t be afraid to start conversations.

Productivity & Organization

These tips will help you keep it all together.

92. Use a client: Whether you’re on a mobile device or your desktop, get some help from clients like TwitterFon, Twirl, or TweetDeck.
93. Don’t feel like you have to read every tweet: You will miss some tweets, and that’s OK.
94. Limit your Twitter time: Check in occasionally, but don’t let Twitter keep you from more important things.
95. Don’t feel pressured to follow everyone back: While you generally should follow those who follow you, if someone offers no value to you, don’t feel guilty about not following them back.

Beyond Twitter

Take things a step further with these tips.

96. Link your Twitter and Facebook: Use the Twitter app on Facebook to automatically update your status whenever you update Twitter.
97. Put your blog posts on Twitter: Share blog post links on Twitter to reach a greater audience.
98. Share your Twitter ID: Put your Twitter ID on your email, business cards, and other social media networks so others will know you’re on the service.
99. Tell others about Twitter: Get people in your real life on Twitter, and you’ll have a great new way to communicate with them.
100. Include a link to tweet blog posts: On your blog, place a link that allows readers to send out a tweet about your post.

Whether you’ve been accepted to a degree program and want to work ahead, already have a degree and want to learn more or just want to delve into the world of computer and information systems, you’ll find plenty to keep you busy through a variety of open courseware offerings. From courses that teach the basics of computer science to those that delve into specialty areas, you’re sure to find something that will help you learn more and gain confidence in the field.

Computer Science Basics

These courses will help teach you some of the fundamental aspects of Introduction to Computer Science and Programming:This course will teach students, even those with little previous knowledge, about the basics of writing small Python programs. [MIT]

• Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs:Give this course a try to learn and apply the basic methods of programming. [MIT]
• Computation Structures: If you want to learn more about the engineering of digital systems, take this free course. You’ll get information in logic gates, combinational and sequential circuits, finite-state machines, and computers. [MIT]
• Computer Graphics: In order to create great user interfaces you’ll need to know a bit about computer graphics. This course will take you through the hardware and software needed to do so. [MIT]
• Essential Coding Theory: Going all the way back to the 1940’s, this course will provide an informative overview of the developments in coding theory. [MIT]
• User Interface Design and Implementation: In this course you’ll learn how to build effective and user-friendly interfaces with a focus on design, implementation and evaluation. [MIT]
• Programming Languages: Here you’ll learn the basics of how common programming languages work and get a chance to apply these lessons to some real examples. [MIT]
• Information Technology Essentials: Covering a wide range of topics, this course is a great introduction to concepts in networks, systems, programming, enterprise applications and much more. [MIT]
• Information Technology I: Through this course, students will learn the essential concepts behind IT and get a sense of where future developments may be taking it. [MIT]
• Academic Strategies for the IT Professional: Those already working in an IT field but who want to go back to school will get a lot out of this course, designed to teach time management and goal setting. [MIT]
• Artificial Intelligence: This course can help students learn how to build computer systems that are smarter and work better with human users. [MIT]
• Computer Language Engineering: From the interaction of theory and practice to real experience with high-level programming languages, this course will be a great asset to boosting your knowledge. [MIT]
• Great Ideas in Theoretical Computer Science: Here you’ll get a great introduction to some of the theoretical ideas that are central to understanding computer science. [MIT]
• Theory of Computation: Take this course to learn more about Automata and Language Theory, Computability Theory, and Complexity Theory. [MIT]
• Program Analysis: This course covers a range of program analysis techniques focusing on the design and implementation of programming tools. [MIT]

Essential Math

Having a strong grasp of mathematical concepts is essential to working with logic-based systems like computers. These courses will provide some help in learning about basic and more advanced math topics.

16. Introduction to Algorithms: Check out this course to better understand the relationship between computer programming and algorithms. [MIT]
17. Introduction to Mathematical Programming: This course will help you learn the math that underlies the basic programming that you’ll do on any development project. [MIT]
18. Mathematics for Computer Science: From proofs and definitions to discrete probability theory, you’ll learn the important stuff in this computer and engineering focused course. [MIT]
19. Street Fighting Mathematics: Take your mathematics skills to the streets with this class that can help you learn how to make great estimations without always having to do the calculations. [MIT]
20. Fundamentals of Probability: If you want to learn more about probability and how to apply it to your computer science studies, check out this free course. [MIT]
21. Quantum Information Science: Those interested in this course will want to have taken some other courses in quantum mechanics, as this course is focused on more advanced topics in the field. [MIT]
22. Distributed Algorithms: Through this course, students will learn about the latest research in distributed algorithms and get a chance to carry out their own experiments as well. [MIT]

Law

These law courses can help you to protect your intellectual property and ensure your work within the law.

23. Ethics and the Law on the Electronic Frontier: Explore legal issues that have to do with the internet, surveillance, data-mining and more through this course. [MIT]
24. Inventions and Patents: Think you have the next great invention? Learn how you can safeguard your idea with a little guidance from this course. [MIT]
25. Introduction to Copyright Law: From respecting the law in your own work to understanding how copyrights work in peer-to-peer sharing, you’ll get a good foundation of knowledge in this law course. [MIT]

Security

Those hoping to boost their knowledge of how to keep networks and information safe and secure, will find that these courses offer some great free learning opportunities.

26. Network and Computer Security: Through this course, students will learn to create secure multi-computer networks, encrypt data, use security monitoring software, access risk and much more. [MIT]
27. Selected Topics in Cryptography: If you’d like to address some of the more advanced issues in cryptography, this course is an ideal way to do so. [MIT]
28. Cryptography and Cryptanalysis: Check out these courses for a great introduction to the modern uses of cryptography. [MIT]
29. Advanced Topics in Cryptography: Focusing on topics like interactive proofs, zero-knowledge proofs, secure protocols, and two-party secure computation, this course will help you take your cryptography studies to the next level. [MIT]
30. Introduction to Information Security: This course is a very basic introduction to the reasons and methods for securing confidential information. [OpenLearn]
31. Network Security: Beginners can learn the basics of network security through this course. [OpenLearn]
32. Hyper-Encryption by Virtual Satellite: Watch this video lecture to learn about the role satellites may play in encryption and the failings of many present methods. [Harvard@Home]
33. A Worldview through the Computational Lens - Part III: Cryptography: Secrets, Lies, Knowledge, and Trust: Those interested in the role of computers in the modern world will enjoy this lecture that focuses on the benefits and problems associated with digital security. [Princeton]

Networks and Communication

Learn more about building and maintaining networks and working with digital communications through these courses.

34. Data Communication Networks: Learn why networks are structured the way they are and the challenges that face the designers of these networks in the future. [MIT]
35. Communications and Information Policy: This course is an introduction to the technology and policy context of public communications networks both in the present and the past. [MIT]
36. High Speed Communication Circuits and Systems: Check out this course to learn more about the inner workings of wireless and broadband data link applications. [MIT]
37. Computer Networks: This course addresses the ways that the current global network is structured and ways that it can be changed and adapted to meet future needs. [MIT]
38. Principles of Wireless Communications: With virtually everything going wireless these days, it’s essential to know how these networks work. Find out more through this course. [MIT]
39. Principles of Digital Communications I: Some of the topics covered in this two-part course include block diagram level, data compression, Lempel-Ziv algorithm, scalar and vector quantization and much more. [MIT]
40. Principles of Digital Communications II: This course continues on the lessons of Digital Communications I, offering loads of instruction on how to use, program and understand a variety of digital communication channels and coding. [MIT]

Database and Informatics

Those who plan to or already are working with databases can find out more about what it takes through these courses.

41. Database Systems: This course addresses some of the basics of database systems, covering topics like relational algebra and data model, schema normalization, query optimization, and transactions. [MIT]
42. Data Structures and Programming Methodology: Through this course, students will learn how to deal with fundamental data structures, use algorithms and do basic Java programming. [UC Berkeley]
43. Database, Internet, and Systems Integration Technologies: Check out this free course to learn more about software development methods, data modeling and databases, application development, Web standards and development, system integration, security, and data communications. [MIT]
44. The Database Development Life Cycle: Learn how databases are developed step-by-step in this course. [OpenLearn]
45. Introduction to Data and Information: This course provides a very introductory explanation of how to manage data online. [OpenLearn]
46. Communicating with Data: You’re storing and managing all that data for something. This course teaches you how to use the information you have to make informed and educated decisions. [MIT]
47. Effective Ways of Displaying Information: Those working with a lot of numerical data will appreciate this course that can help you better represent information graphically. [OpenLearn]
48. Information Theory: This course focuses on the definition and implications of information entropy, the source coding theorem, and the channel coding theorem. [USU]
49. Transmission of Information: Take this course online to learn about the quantitative theory of information and how it can be practically applied. [MIT]
50. Representing and Manipulating Data in Computers: Beginners in the field will gain knowledge in how to store and use information in a computer system from this course. [OpenLearn]
51. Data and Processing in Computers: Here you’ll learn about the forms of data used on computers and the types of processes most commonly applied to them. [OpenLearn]

Web Development

These courses will help you gain the knowledge you’ll need to program effectively for the Web.

52. Communicating in Cyberspace: This course examines the topics of analysis, design, implementation and testing of various forms of digital communication. [MIT]
53. Software Engineering for Web Applications: Visit this course’s site to learn how to program applications for the web and deal with web-specific challenges. [MIT]
54. Gentle Introduction to Programming Using Python: Students with little or no experience in programming will learn how to use Python in this course. [MIT]
55. Information on the Web: Learn how to effectively navigate information on the Web through this course. [OpenLearn]
56. XML Foundations: This short course will help students learn the basic knowledge required for XML, and creating cascading style sheets and RSS feeds. [UC Berkeley]
57. Creating Home Pages on the World Wide Web: Check out this course to learn how you can implement an internet home page to help your business or professional endeavor. [University of Minnesota]
58. Server-Side Web Development Distributed Lectures: Here you’ll find a wide range of lectures that can help you learn to do everything from using PHP to examining data online. [Indiana U]
59. HTML Basics: HTML is one of the oldest web programming languages and is essential to anyone who wants to engage in web development. [Open UW]
60. Computer Science E-1: Understanding Computers and the Internet: From hardware to security, you’ll get the basics of it all here. [Harvard Extension School]
61. People-centered Design: Learn to better design your webpages and programs to suit the needs and desires of your customers and users. [OpenLearn]
62. Introduction to Software Engineering in Java: Learn to make the most of what Java has to offer by learning the basics from this course. [MIT]

Field Specific

You can learn more about how IT is applied in fields like health care and education through these courses.

63. Medical Computing: This course offers an analysis of the computational needs of clinical medicine, and reviews systems and approaches that have been used to support those needs. [MIT]
64. Medical Decision Support: Learn how your programs can play a role in the health care field through decision analysis, artificial intelligence and predictive model construction. [MIT]
65. Control of Manufacturing Processes: This course will examine statistical modeling and control in manufacturing and the role computer systems can play. [MIT]
66. Information Technology as an Integrating Force in Manufacturing: Learn more about topics like the Internet, hardware and operating systems, software development tools and processes, relational databases, security and cryptography, enterprise applications, B2B, the semantic web and electronic commerce in this online course. [MIT]
67. Networks for Learning: This course combines theories about how the brain learns with computational topics like computer vision, computer graphics, and database search. [MIT]
68. Biomedical Information Technology: Those interested in the role of IT in the medical field can learn more through this course. [MIT]
69. Information and Communication Technology in Education: Find out how new technologies can be implemented in an educational setting here. [TWB]
70. Information Technology in the Health Care System of the Future: Medical care is changing rapidly with new technology. Learn what the role of the CISS professional may be in this system. [MIT]
71. Introduction to Computers in Public Management II: Students in this course will gain a basic understanding of computing in planning and public management through case studies and hypothetical situations. [MIT]
72. Designing and Sustaining Technology Innovation for Global Health Practice: This course examines health care around the world and the ways technology is connecting and accelerating the quality of health care. [MIT]
73. Engineering Biomedical Information: From Bioinformatics to Biosurveillance: Check out this course for information on technological advances in biomedical informatics and how they’re being used in both computer science and biomedical research. [MIT]

Business and Management

Many CISS professionals will be working in corporate or office settings. These courses will help you to build the necessary business and management skills.

74. Applications of System Dynamics: This course examines how businesses and corporations can use system dynamics to achieve important goals. [MIT]
75. Communicating in Technical Organizations: You may find yourself working in a largely technical organization with a degree in a computer related field. This course will help you to boost your communication skills and make the most of your role within the organization. [MIT]
76. Generating Business Value from Information Technology: Get a look at the business side of information technology with this helpful course. [MIT]
77. IT and Business Transformation: From examining the impact of IT on a business to learning ways to better manage IT, this course is great for managers and technicians alike. [MIT]
78. Practical Information Technology Management: This course can help you understand how to make sound business decisions relating to information systems. [MIT]
79. Advanced Managerial Communication: Give this course a try if you want to learn more about leadership, management and other important issues of working with employees. [MIT]
80. People and Organizations: Here, you’ll learn about this history and the present situations in which scientists, engineers and other professionals work. [MIT]
81. Operations Management: With topics focusing on project management and quality management, this course can be a great way to build up business skills. [MIT]
82. Systems Optimization: Designed with both managers and engineers in mind, this course addresses ways that a system of any kind can be made more efficient. [MIT]
83. Data, Models and Decisions: This course will help you use hard data to make informed business decisions. [MIT]
84. Negotiation and Conflict Management: Within any organization there is bound to be conflict from time to time. This course will teach you how to effectively manage and work through these issues. [MIT]

Systems

Check out these courses to learn more about building and working with systems.

85. Knowledge-Based Applications Systems: This course will address topics like technical issues encountered in building a system, AI techniques and current and future research in the field. [MIT]
86. Principles of Computer Systems: Check out this course to learn the basics of how computer systems are put together. [MIT]
87. Computer System Architecture: Ever wanted to know how a computer works and what part does what? This course will teach you about the process of actually building a computer. [MIT]
88. Dynamic Systems and Control: Learn more about linear, discrete- and continuous-time, and multi-input-output systems in this course. [MIT]
89. Introductory Digital Systems Laboratory: An interest in digital logic is necessary for this course that touches on flipflops, PALs, counters, timing and synchronization. [MIT]
90. Integrating eSystems & Global Information Systems: This course addresses the interconnectivity of the various parts of a business and how each contributes to the success or failure of an enterprise. [MIT]
91. Operating Systems and System Programming: Learn what it takes to program a basic operating system as well as gain skills in other programming applications as well. [UC Berkeley]
92. Advanced System Architecture: This course is definitely not for the newbie and instead is geared towards those with extensive knowledge in engineering systems. [MIT]
93. Computer and Computer Systems: This course offers an introductory look at how computers and their systems work. [OpenLearn]
94. Introducing ICT Systems: Information and communications technologies, or ICTs, are discussed on a basic level in this course. [OpenLearn]
95. Systems Design and Administration: Those interested in systems administration can take advantage of this free course that covers topics like computer hardware selection, user account management, file system optimization, and security.[College of Utah]
96. Theory of Parallel Systems: Here you’ll find a comprehensive introduction to the theoretical basis of parallel computing systems. [MIT]
97. System Identification: This course will teach you how to create mathematical models of systems, create a variety of models and many more practical skills. [MIT]
98. Complex Digital Systems: Geared towards personal work, this course focuses on "designing multi-million-gate CMOS VLSI chips using high-level synthesis tools in conjunction with standard commercial EDA tools." [MIT]

Course Collections

These sites provide several helpful tutorials and courses designed to prepare students for a career in CISS.

99. CISSP Essentials Training: Here you’ll find a security training program, taking you through every element of a secure network.
100. Veridon Security Training: This site contains a collection of modules on topics like access control, cryptography and network security.

 President Obama recently named the first ever Chief Technology Officer, or technology czar, in an effort to improve and encourage technology innovation for the purpose of promoting government transparency and data access, inciting efficiency and accuracy in healthcare IT, and an increasing the number and quality of technology resources available in education. Aneesh Chopra was selected as Obama’s CTO, and since he’ll be in charge of developing new technology policies that will ultimately change the way we operate socially and economically, here are 10 things about him that you should know.

1. He is the former Secretary of Technology for Virginia: Aneesh Chopra was chosen to be Obama’s new technology czar partly because of his experience in politics. As the former Secretary of Technology for the state of Virginia, Chopra has implemented many new technology programs for the purpose of making government more efficient, helping education and the health care industries become more cutting-edge and accurate, and supporting technology innovation in general. While other candidates for the federal position had experience in the private sector, Chopra’s government background positioned him as a more unique nominee.
2. He will be responsible for minimizing errors in medical IT: As Chief Technology Officer for the federal government, Chopra will be responsible for designing and implementing a number of changes in how technology is used in government, education and health care. His principal goal in health care is to minimize mistakes in data management and providing care, while "reducing administrative costs…using health IT," according to Tim O’Reilly of the O’Reilly Radar.
3. Chopra is also responsible for inspiring innovation in education technology: Education innovation is also on the short list for Obama, and Chopra will have to generate programs that encourage research and technology development, especially in education. Finding cost-effective strategies and solutions for providing schools with access to leading edge technology systems will be a challenge, but Chopra has already experimented with open source initiatives and other programs to boost productivity, innovation and technology responsibility.
4. He has no ties to Silicon Valley: Some technology leaders from Silicon Valley, the unofficial capital for technology innovation and profit in the U.S., are miffed that Obama did not choose a CTO from their circle. But Chopra’s experience in government should give him an edge when dealing with policy making, assimilating into the unique structure of government, and compromising on funding issues, according to O’Reilly.
5. Virginia was ranked #1 in technology management, under Chopra’s leadership: In 2008, Virginia was ranked in the top spot for information security and technology management, by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers, reports GovTech.com. Under Aneesh Chopra’s leadership, Virginia was praised by Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine for innovation in a "public-private partnership to transform…IT infrastructure." The state was awarded a $1.9 billion grant to pursue the partnership and improve government efficiency, through technology innovation.
6. Chopra is expected to help define technology policy: Besides developing plans to encourage research and make government and health care systems more efficient, Chopra will also contribute to setting up new technology policies. Ars Technica reports that Chopra will hold the "outward-facing" position in the department, inspiring government transparency but also developing "U.S. technology and innovation policy." He will be the go-between for government agencies involved in policy making and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which does not directly answer to the government, as well as for the public.These policies are expected to help define the future of national, economic and social operations by supporting entrepreneurial pursuits, research and the private sector.
7. Virginia published the first officially-approved open source textbook in the country: A testament to his devotion to trying out new technology systems in education, Chopra helped Virginia become the first state to publish the first officially-approved open source textbook. The Physics FlexBook is a searchable book that includes appropriate physics material for grades K-12 and is described as "a collaborative effort to elevate the quality of physics instruction across the Commonwealth." It was designed to be used as a supplement to traditional physics instruction and to explore the potential for open source learning.
8. He has experience with using technology to make government more open and effective: Besides promoting open education avenues, Chopra is committed to developing a more democratic, transparent relation between the public and the government, through technology. His technology initiatives will improve access to government data and records and, as Obama explained, "give all Americans a voice in their government and ensure that they know exactly how we’re spending their money." When the economic stimulus package was first passed, Chopra and his team in Virginia quickly developed a plan to track how that money would be spent, according to techPresident.
9. He has experience working in health care IT: Many in the technology sector and in government believe that Chopra is well-qualifed to improve healthcare IT because he already has extensive experience in the area. He was the co-chair on the Virginia Healthcare IT Council and received an award from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society in 2007. Before working for the state of Virginia, Chopra worked as Managing Director for the healthcare think tank Advisory Board Company.
10. Top 25: Chopra was recently included in Government Technology magazine’s list of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers, an issues "which recognizes the 25 individuals they believe help set the standard for using technology to improve government," according to Virginia.gov.

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