10 Tornado Facts That May Save Your Life

You don’t need a meteorology degree to understand that tornadoes are serious business. In Arkansas and Alabama this week, violent weather accompanied by tornadoes killed seven people and damaged the property of countless others. Fewer than two weeks earlier, 21 people were killed in North Carolina as dozens of tornadoes wreaked havoc on the area. In order to avoid falling victim to such a disaster, you should be able to anticipate when, where and how one will strike. Hopefully, the following facts (obvious to some) will help you do just that, enhancing your chances of weathering a twister.

1. Tornadoes travel an average speed of 30 mph, but they can reach 70 mph: In other words, you may have time to take cover once a tornado warning has been issued — note the difference between a tornado watch and tornado warning — but if you encounter one that’s fast approaching, then you better have a plan in place. If you’re at home, find a small, low-lying center room without windows, preferably a basement, and find a safe and sturdy area in which to sit. Cover yourself with thick padding, such as a mattress, in order to avoid falling debris.
2. The average tornado alert time is 13 minutes: With the use of more advanced technology — such as a NEXRAD, a system of 159 Doppler radars used by the National Weather Service — the average tornado lead time has increased from just a few minutes to 13 minutes, giving people in harm’s way a more legitimate chance to find safety than before. Research has shown that NEXRAD has reduced deaths caused by tornadoes by 45 percent. So when the weather turns sour, stay tuned.
3. Several signs indicate the development of a tornado: The signs of a developing tornado are fairly obvious and you may already be familiar with them, but it’s important for you to be observant when a watch is issued. Look for a strong rotation in the cloud base, whirling dust and debris beneath the cloud base, an eerie green-colored sky during the daytime, a low-pitched persistent rumble, heavy rain or hail followed by complete calm, and bright blue-green to white flashes at ground level near the storm.
4. Violent tornadoes cause 70 percent of tornado deaths: Although they only comprise two percent of all tornados, violent tornadoes strike each year, changing and even ending the lives of their unsuspecting victims. With winds exceeding 205 mph and lifetimes exceeding an hour, their paths of destruction are quite extensive. In 1953, for example, a violent tornado ripped through Waco, Texas, killing 114 people and causing severe damage to 600 businesses, 850 homes and 2,000 cars. Today, even with modern preparations, dozens — and sometimes more than 100 — people are killed each year by tornadoes, and many, many more lose their homes. If you live in an area in which violent tornadoes occur, take extreme preparations from the start. For example, choose to live in a low-cost apartment instead of an always-fragile mobile home.
5. Tornadoes typically occur from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.: Fortunately, most tornadoes don’t occur in the dead of night when you’re least prepared. Because they often occur in the afternoon, you’ll have to time to take precautions before one potentially strikes. Consider your usual locations during those times — such as home or work — and, as previously mentioned, devise a plan. If you’re in your car for a significant period time in the afternoon — rush hour occurs during that time — find an exit strategy that would enhance your chances of finding safety.
6. Most tornadoes strike in May: An average of 180 tornadoes strike the U.S. each May, making it the most active month. In May 2003, a record 543 tornadoes were confirmed. April, too, gets its fair share of twisters, as evidenced by the 292 confirmed this year, so we can only imagine what this May will bring. Tornadoes frequently form during the spring because cold air from the Rockies overrides the warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico. It’s the only season in which both warm air and cold air are present, which explains why fewer tornadoes are formed during the winter.
7. Tornadoes can strike during any time of year: While you should remain on heightened alert during the spring, you shouldn’t completely let your guard down during the rest of the year. In December 2010, for example, 44 tornadoes were documented nationwide, 18 of which struck Missouri and Arkansas on New Year’s Eve, killing six people. A couple of those rated as threes (severe) on the 5-point Fujita Scale, boasting winds from 136 to 165 mph. The December record for tornadoes in Missouri is 28, a large number given that it’s a relatively inactive month.
8. Florida is the state with the most annual tornadoes per 10,000 square miles: Historically, Texas has the most tornadoes annually because of its size — Tornado Alley encompasses much of the state’s central portion and basically its entire northern portion including the panhandle. A more effective measure of how prone a state is to tornadoes, however, is annual tornadoes by square miles. On that chart, Florida comes in first, followed by Oklahoma, Indiana, Iowa and Kansas. Of course, three of the latter four are in tornado alley while Florida is on the warm waters of the Atlantic, where tropical storms and hurricanes are common. Although the Sunshine State’s tornadoes are typically of the weaker variety, residents should always be prepared.
9. Oklahoma City is the city that has endured the most tornadoes: Located in the heart of Tornado Alley, Oklahoma City has endured more than 100 tornadoes since residents began taking count. The figure is inexact because reporting practices and the city limits have changed, but the frequency at which they strike is certainly high. For example, five were spotted during the infamous 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak that included 66 tornadoes over Oklahoma and Kansas between May 3 and 6. Most notably, one of the five was a violent F5 with winds measured at 300 mph, the fastest ever recorded. It caused 36 direct fatalities (41 indirect fatalities) and 583 direct injuries, and destroyed 1,800 homes. Live in a tornado-prone city like OKC? Make sure you home is as safe as possible, practice drills with your family and take the threat seriously.
10. Tornadoes are often accompanied by flash floods, lightning, damaging winds and hail: It’s common sense, but such occurrences can be forgotten once a tornado warning has been issued. Keep in mind that flash floods are considered the deadliest severe form weather, causing 146 deaths per year. Additionally, lightning kills 75 to 100 people each year and hail causes hundreds of millions of dollars in damages to property and crops each year. Don’t use all of your resources for hurricane preparations when there are other potentially life-altering and deadly dangers.

100 Best Higher Education Blogs

Higher education in America is drastically evolving due to progressions in technology, the current economic climate, changing student demographics, professor salaries and tenure systems, and more. To keep up with all of the news affecting college and graduate schools in this country and beyond, check out these 100 higher education blogs for professors, administrators, students, librarians and more.

News and Trends

These higher education blogs cover all the news, politics, social issues and economics impacting schools and students.

1. Education Nation: Check out this very grounded and informative blog if you’re interested in reading about graduate school, college tips, and higher education news.
2. Unlocking Higher Education: Kaplan’s higher education blog is "passionate about improving our educational system" and welcomes feedback from students, teachers, administrators and more.
3. Reality Check: John V. Lombardi casts a critical eye on the business of higher education.
4. Eduwonk: Eduwonk covers higher education news and adds its own analysis on the side.
5. Open Education This blog promotes "free education for all" and includes insightful posts about lesson plans, student activism, drop out rates, the economy, and more.
6. The Ticker: Learn about all the legal woes and politics affecting colleges, students and graduate schools from The Ticker.
7. Minding the Campus: Bloggers at Minding the Campus want to bring back the best traditions of American liberal education.
8. The Torch: The Torch is the blog from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.
9. Triumvirate Environmental Higher Education Blog: Read about sustainability efforts in the higher education community.
10. Changing Higher Education: Learn how American universities are responding to the drastic economic, social and political changes around the world.
11. The Higher Ed Watch Blog: The New America Foundation blog discusses college accessibility, affordability and more, with a special focus on legislation and more.
12. How the University Works: Also a book by the same name, this blog takes on "the triumph of the corporate university…the tuition gold rush…[and] the collapsing tenure system."
13. Edu in Review: The Edu in Review blog tackles scholarships, college news, commencement addresses, life hacks for students, and plenty more.

Admissions and Rankings

Here you’ll be able to keep up with changing admissions standards, college rankings, financial aid, and what it’s like to work in an admissions office.

14. Center for College Affordability and Productivity: This blog takes a serious look at financial aid, college rankings, demographics and more.
15. Great College Advice: Montgomery Educational Consulting’s Mark Montgomery blogs about SAT trends, campus visits and more.
16. Allen’s College Admissions Blog: Allen Grove is a first-year experience director at Alfred University and an English professor.
17. Not Your Average Admissions Blog: This is a great resource for students wanting an edge when they apply to school as well as anyone interested in working in college admissions.
18. AdmissionsConsultants College Admissions Blog: The AdmissionsConsultants, Inc. company maintains a blog that reports on admissions news, financial aid trends, rankings, and more.
19. My College Admissions Blog: MyCollegeCalendar hosts this blog that’s full of tips from college admission counselors.
20. The Choice Blog: The New York Times blog The Choice gets to the bottom of all the college admissions and financial aid nuances.
21. The Uncommon Blog: This blog comes from the University of Chicago admissions office, and it’s a great place for learning about selective college admissions tips, first-year experiences and more.
22. Happy Schools Blog: Posts on this blog cover university rankings, grad school admissions, financial aid tips, and more.
23. Scholarships.com Blog: Here you’ll learn about all the news and economic issues impacting scholarships and financial aid for American students.

Professor Blogs

Professors take to blogging to rant about students and their schools’ tenure systems as well as share their own goals and research.

24. The College Puzzle: Dr. Michael W. Krist blogs at stanford.edu about how to achieve college success.
25. University Diaries: An English professor blogs in order to improve university life.
26. Rate Your Students: Rate Your Students is a hilarious, raucous blog for ragging on petty student behavior.
27. Recession Realities in Higher Education: Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Springfield Ray Schroeder blogs about higher ed and the economy.
28. Blogenspiel: Blogenspiel is written by a professor who likes sharing personal anecdotes and insights into typical university life.
29. Burnt-out Adjunct: Learn about the bittersweet life of an adjunct professor from this blog.
30. Disenchanted Youth: This 30-something liberal professor writes about tenure, research in a bad economy, and goal-setting.
31. The Little Professor: Read about working in academia and all things Victorian on The Little Professor.
32. Absurdist Paradise: This professor is a new mom and in her first year "on the tenure track." Read her blog for stories about working in academia, academic publishing, and more.
33. Reassigned Time: "Dr. Crazy" writes about designing curricula, being a popular professor and beyond.
34. The Bitter and the Sweet: A feminist professor of literature writes this blog about life on campus and the "pitfalls of academia."
35. It’s Probably Me : This new academic at a public research university writes about nerves, stress, busy schedules and students.
36. Acadamnit: If you want to know what really pisses professors off, read this blog.
37. The Doctor Isn’t: This is the blog of a young academic who finds out what it’s really like to work in the American educational system.
38. Tomorrow’s Professor Blog: Professors weigh in on the challenges and issues of higher education in this blog for the project between MIT and Stanford University.
39. A Millennial Professor’s View of Higher Education: This professor’s research projects include academic advising, social online networking, student engagement and other current issues.

Academic Librarians

Learn how academic librarians are leading their colleges and universities into the future through innovative technology systems and more.

40. Keywords from a Librarian: Mary W. George is a college librarian who blogs for Inside Higher Ed about teaching and information.
41. Academic Librarian: This blog from Princeton celebrates library history and plenty more.
42. The Kept-Up Academic Librarian: This blogger helps librarians, educators and administrators keep up with all the news about higher education.
43. ACRLog: The Association of College and Research Libraries blogs here.
44. Columbia University Libraries FYI: Learn all sorts of tech tips and tools to use in your library by following this blog.
45. Collectanea: This University of Maryland University College blog covers copyright issues, fair use, academic library trends, and more.
46. Information Wants to Be Free: This young librarian and tech geek at Norwich University shares valuable technology tips and more.
47. WorldCat Blog: This invaluable library resource hosts a blog about technology, WorldCat tips, going mobile, and more.
48. Librarians at the Gate: This blog is for anyone who’s interested in becoming a librarian, particularly an academic librarian.
49. Finding Contexts: Eveline Houtman, a librarian at the University of Toronto, blogs about adult education and more.
50. Library Cloud: Library Cloud is written by several academic librarians in Ohio.
51. Talking in the Library: Kansas State librarians blog about technology, information, and the career culture of an academic librarian.
52. The Medium is the Message Blog: This blog is maintained by Associate Professor Eric Schnell at the Ohio State University Libraries, Prior Health Sciences Library and features posts about technology and more.

Administrators and Departments

Deans and other administrators blog about campus life, college politics and beyond.

53. Confessions of a Community College Dean: "Dean Dad" has found himself a new calling in academic administration and answers questions about college politics and more.
54. Lesboprof: Lesboprof is written by "a lesbian, an academic, an administrator, and a longtime partner" and features posts about goal setting, research papers, working in academia, and more.
55. Eric Stoller’s Blog: Eric Stoller does it all: he’s an academic affairs professional at Oregon State and also a freelance higher education technology consultant.
56. Getting to Green: G. Rendell is a college administrator who is passionate about finding budget-friendly ways to make his college more green.
57. BizDeansTalk: Business management deans discuss education technology, American business culture, the economy and more on this blog.

International and Study Abroad

These blogs cover higher education issues on a global scale and also address the ever growing study abroad movement.

58. Academic Solutions Blog: This blog is full of information and resources for students interested in study abroad or joining the international education community.
59. Study Abroad Blog and News: Keep up with all of the news and issues affecting study abroad from this blog.
60. Hedda blog: The Hedda blog covers all the news and issues relating to international higher education from the perspective of students, faculty and alumni at the University of Oslo’s Higher Education Development Association.
61. NAFSA Blog: Learn all about international education, study abroad and student exchange programs from the NAFSA Blog.
62. Global Higher Ed: Get higher education news from around the world when you visit this blog.
63. International Higher Education Consulting Blog: Discover how politics and diplomacy impact higher education.

Athletics and Campus Life

If you want to know how college students view the current state of things, check out these blogs that cover campus life, sports, online education, dorm hacks, stress, relationships and beyond.

64. College Candy: College Candy is a hilarious, witty, and sometimes crude blog about student relationships, style, dorm life, study habits and more.
65. Hack College: On this blog, students will find tips for packing, stocking a bar, and studying online.
66. That College Kid: This college students blogs about technology, online education, saving money in school, and more.
67. Tweed: Read about student life and college pop culture from The Chronicle of Higher Education’s Tweed.
68. Grad Student Madness: This blog is all about the crazy, "stress-inducing lives of grad students."
69. The Collegiate Way: This organization blogs about its mission to improve campus life by creating faculty-led residential colleges.
70. College Times: The College Times reports on everything relevant to campus life, including entertainment, news, art, subculture, advice, sports and more.
71. The Paper Trail: U.S. News’ education staff keeps tabs on all the headlines coming from student newspapers and blogs about them here.
72. Everything College Sports: This blog isn’t just about college stats — it’s also a great news source for learning about management trends, career information and more.
73. Surviving College Life: Besides sharing college survival tips, readers will also find posts about finding your own identity, making friends and more.
74. Zen College Life: This blog is great if you want to know what college kids are worried about these days in terms of technology, finances, relationships, health and more.
75. The Quad: New York Times reporters cover the business and dynamics of college sports.
76. College Football by the Numbers: This blog covers rankings, tournaments, college football culture, and more.

Continuing Education and Distance Learning

Learn more about continuing education options and distance learning initiatives from these blogs.

77. Education Trends Blog by Gatlin Education Services: Learn about online education, going back to school, job training programs and more.
78. Online University Lowdown: Get online college rankings and more from Online University Lowdown.
79. Rick Osborn’s Continuing Education Blog: Head to this blog for an ongoing discussion of higher education, adult education and more. Rick Osborn is the president of the Association for Continuing Higher Education.
80. Continuing Education!: Tom Kaun addresses educational technology, study tips and other hacks for adult learners.
81. OnlineEduBlog.com: This blog is a great resource for learning about the types of online education programs and colleges that are available to nontraditional students.
82. E-learning Queen: Susan Smith Nash explores the psychological, social and cultural factors of distance training and education.
83. Edvisors Online Education Blog: Find out why traditional learning is outdated and how online courses and degree programs are taking over.
84. Continuing Education: This blog from Suite 101 writers David R. Wetzel and Lucia Jenkins highlights different degree programs, online education culture, and more.
85. Deb’s Continuing Education Guide: Deb covers non-traditional students, teaching culture, lifelong learning, going back to school and more.

Innovation and Technology

Technology is a huge part of the evolution of higher education, and these bloggers are experts on the how and why.

86. Blackboard Blogs: The community blogs on Blackboard.com are filled with news, opinions and tips for using Blackboard and other technology tools in higher education.
87. The UK Higher Education Blog: Microsoft’s UK blog focuses on how students and teachers use computer software and applications in class and for cutting edge assignments.
88. The Wired Campus: The Chronicle of Higher Education’s technology blog covers e-books, Twitter and more.
89. eduStyle: This blog shares functional, stylish web design practices for colleges and universities.
90. academHack: Here, academics will find tech tools and tips for staying current.
91. eSchool News: K-20 teachers and beyond will appreciate this blog’s attention to tech news.
92. Teaching College Math: This college math instructor loves playing with technology and blogging about it, too.
93. Serendipity35: Learn all about education and technology from Serendipity35.
94. CollegeWebEditor.com: Teachers and administrators learn about web design, marketing and public relations from this cutting edge blog.

Miscellaneous

From sexual politics at colleges to sustainability projects at universities, find even more top higher education blogs here.

95. Buildings and Grounds: Lawrence Biemiller and Scott Carlson discuss trends and news in campus construction.
96. Dankprofessor’s Weblog: Read all about sexual politics in higher education at Dankprofessor’s Weblog.
97. The Periodic Table: Learn about new studies, gossip and politics from the academic scientific research world.
98. Higher Education and Career Blog: This is a great resource for students wanting to research majors and careers, as well as faculty and administrators who want to keep up with higher ed economy and job news.
99. Scholarly Communications @ Duke: Duke University’s blog covers copyright and publication news and information here.
100. Alumni Futures: Find out how alumni are involved in admissions, athletics, research, social networking and more.

iKnow: 100 Best Reference Tools for Your iPhone

Your iPhone can play games, store loads of contact information, take pictures, play music, and of course make and receive phone calls. But it’s also a valid research and reference tool for students, and when equipped appropriately, can retrieve sports scores, let you make investments, check flight statuses, find restaurants, and even tell you what you’ve got in your pantry. Here’s our list of 100 best reference tools for your iPhone, and ones that you’ll actually use.

General

Students will love these handy apps that let you work and study while on the road.

1. Little Black Book: Store personal contact information and relationship details that can be locked on your iPhone with this app.
2. iRec Voice Recorder: Turn your iPhone into a voice recorder you can reference later with this app.
3. WhosHere: Using this app, you can find friends who are nearby.
4. Britannica Mobile: Access the Britannica Online encyclopedia here.
5. Wiki Tap: Start typing in a topic, and this app finds it for you on Wikipedia. You can also watch videos on the topic, and more.

Sports

Get sports stats, historical moments and more.

6. iSports: Get near real-time sports scores, graphs and more.
7. ESPN iPhone Edition: Get sports news and scores from ESPN for the iPhone.
8. FOX Sports Mobile: Tune in to the sports news and data on FOX Sports Mobile.
9. Sports History: Review the most memorable sports events and records in history.
10. SportsTap: Get world stats and scores for MLB, NFL, NBA, NCAA, NHS, futbol, auto racing, tennis, golf and more.

Directions and GPS

Figure out where you are and how to get home with these tools.

11. Trails: Create your own trail map or hiking guide with this GPS tool.
12. Find Me!: If you’re lost, use Find Me! to learn information about your neighborhood and view maps.
13. Guide.me: View your current location on a map, even during poor GPS reception conditions.

Health and Wellness

Check this list for reference tools that search symptoms, keep you on your diet, and help you find doctors.

14. VegOut: Find vegan, vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly restaurants with your iPhone by using VegOut.
15. Pocket Workout: Practice calisthenic exercises by viewing them on your iPhone.
16. Doctors: Use this app to locate dentists, specialists, doctors and pharmacies.
17. Goal-Tracker: Use this app as a personal reference tool for tracking goals.
18. rubiTrack: Organize and plan out your outdoor fitness activities, like biking, hiking and jogging, with rubiTrack.
19. Weightbot: Record weight loss progress here.
20. WebMD Mobile: Look up symptoms, drugs, treatments, diseases and more.

Travel

Download these tools before going on a trip, so that clean bathrooms, hotel reservations, metro maps and currency calculators are always close by.

21. SitorSquat: Find clean bathrooms using this free app.
22. FlightTrack Pro: Use this app to get flight status updates, flight details, tracker maps, a master itinerary of your travel plans, and more.
23. ACT Printer: Store all of your travel documents on your iPhone instead of having to print out messy copies you can lose.
24. Kayak for iPhone: Use this app to find the best deals on airline tickets and hotels. You can also change flights and make reservations last minute.
25. IBE Traveler: Convert currencies, look up area codes, calculate tip amounts, figure out clothing size conversions, and more.
26. WorldView: Check weather conditions and more for anywhere in the world by tapping into web cams for that area.
27. Travelocity TravelTools: With this app, you can look up airport gates, delays, flight schedules and more.
28. Airport Gates: Look up gate information and airport lay-out maps here.
29. Barfly Travel Guide: Find the coolest bars around the world with this app.
30. Metro Paris Subway: More easily navigate the Paris metro system when you have this app.

Finance

Manage your investments, budget, savings and other accounts with these finance tools for the iPhone.

31. Mint.com for iPhone: Track your spending and refer to this app when you have personal budget questions.
32. ATM Hunter: Find the closest MasterCard, Maestro or Cirrus ATM around the world.
33. SenseApp: Track how much you’ve earned through Google AdSense here.
34. Owed: Track IOUs and rentals with this app.
35. iStock Manager: This app works with TD AMERITRADE and gives you account access for trading and more.
36. Bloomberg: With Bloomberg for the iPhone, you can get finance news, stock quotes and a customized stocks list in multiple languages.
37. Financer Lite: This reference tool organizes deposits, withdrawals, and more.
38. iTrade Stock Market Simulator: Learn how to trade and invest on the stock market with this iPhone simulation game before attempting the real thing.
39. Checkbook: Refer to your iPhone checkbook instead of your paper one for more convenient tracking.
40. DailyFinance: AOL’s DailyFinance app brings you real-time stock quotes and financial news, plus interactive charts, watchlists and more.

Local Guides

Get to know your city a little better by using these tools to find new restaurants, special events, traffic jams, business listings and more.

41. NY Traffic Cam: New Yorkers can plan their commutes when they have access to this app.
42. OpenTable: Make free restaurant reservations with this app.
43. WhitePages mobile: Look up people and business listings on this app, which also generates maps based on your location.
44. I’mSoBombed.com: If you live in Madison, WI, you can use this app to calculate your BAC, find drink specials, late night snacking, taxis, liquor stores, and more.
45. Event Finder: With Event Finder, you can find theater, sports, family and music events close by.
46. Yelp: Get ratings and recommendations for local shopping, eating out and entertainment.
47. Where To?: Search nearby businesses by category.
48. Urbanspoon: Look up restaurant information by location, price or type of food.
49. Mashspots: Find the four closest hot spots to your current location using this tool.
50. Rocket Taxi: Find cabs in over 10,000 cities in the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland and more.

Calculators

Here you will find calculators for figuring out mortgage payments, medical formulae and beyond.

51. Tip Ref Chart: Calculate tips with this app.
52. TimeWaste: Figure out how much you’re getting paid to sit around at work to play on your iPhone.
53. FastFigures Finance Calculator: With this app, you can figure out area conversion, percent change, data conversion, markup, cash flows, mortgage payments, and a lot more.
54. Graphing Calculator: Turn your iPhone into a graphing calculator with this reference tool.
55. Tipulator: Tipulator is another fun calculator that supports pounds, USD, euros and more.
56. Loan Calculator Pro: Use this tool to calculate payment options, interest rate and more.
57. Medical Calculator: This tool figures out BMI, real age, cholesterol, pregnancy dates, and lots more.
58. Kitchen Calculator: Look up and convert units and measurements, like tablespoons, pints, cups, liters and more.
59. Periodic Table and Chemistry Calculator: Calculate density, boiling points, melting points, electrical resistance and more in several languages.
60. Scientific Calculator: If you ever need a scientific calculator, you can use this tool on your iPhone.

Shopping and Classifieds

Use these tools to look up deals, classified listings, product reviews and more.

61. Yowza: Find coupons for stores and deals near your location.
62. iPhoneShopper: Search and shop Amazon.com with this app.
63. Consumer Reports: Use this app to read product reviews, analysis and news before buying anything.
64. CraigSearch: Access Craigslist on your iPhone using this tool.
65. iJobs: This tool searches multiple job sites and lets you filter listings as you choose.
66. iWant: Choose a shopping or errands category, like pharmacy, grocery, dry cleaners, banks, and more, to find local listings.
67. Grocery Gadget: Sync, share and refer to your ongoing grocery lists with this tool.
68. iDeals: Learn about the best deals online.
69. iShopSmart: Research and compare prices are all kinds of products using iShopSmart.
70. Etsy Search: Search Etsy.com from your iPhone here.

Words, Reading and Dictionaries

With these tools you can learn sign language, catch up on classic literature, translate other languages, research the Bible, and more.

71. Classics: Review classic literature like Huckleberry Finn, The Call of the Wild and Paradise Lost through this app.
72. Free Translator: Use this app to translate languages including Chinese, Vietnamese, Italian, Hindi, Danish, German and Russian.
73. Kindle for iPhone: The popular reading tool, Kindle, is now available on the iPhone, letting you read books, magazines and newspapers from your phone.
74. iSign: Learn sign language through your iPhone here.
75. Pocket Translator: Use this tool to translate when you’re traveling or on foreign language websites.
76. eNET Bible: This reference guide comes with over 60,000 translator notes for the Bible.
77. iConjugator: Get help conjugating verbs in five different languages.
78. Make U Sound Smart: This tool pulls some of the best words from the dictionary so that you can sound smart in everyday conversation.
79. txtpedia: With txtpedia, you can look up texting abbreviations like IDK, CYT and more.
80. Scrabble Dictionary: Verify that your Scrabble words are actually words with this tool.

Weather

Learn more about the weather with these tools.

81. WeatherCyclopedia: This tool educates you on meteorology, weather-related terminology, and more.
82. AccuWeather: Get weather maps and five-day forecasts.

News

Keep up with current events, economic news, politics and entertainment by checking these iPhone news resources.

83. Wall Street Journal: Watch WSJ videos, listen to podcats and read WSJ top stories.
84. Google Reader: Organize your news feeds with Google Reader for the iPhone.
85. AP Mobile News: Personalize this news site to watch videos, local broadcasters, world news stories, and more.
86. Huffington Post: Read this popular online news source on your iPhone here.
87. RSS Player Podcast: Subscribe to your favorite podcasts and then organize them using this tool.

Search

These search tools turn your iPhone into a virtual librarian.

88. Peekyou: Peekyou is a people search that finds contacts and addresses around the world.
89. GazoPa: Search for images that match the one you’re currently viewing.
90. AB Search: Search all of your contacts with this tool.
91. FindOut: Find out virtually anything with this tool that searches search engines and other tools online.
92. Flickr on iPhone: Search for photos on Flickr here.

Miscellaneous

This list features even more reference tools for your iPhone, from cooking resources to mileage logs.

93. Survival Check List: Consider this app your emergency preparedness check list.
94. i-COOK Chef Ref: Cooks and chefs can refer to this app to find temperature conversions, weights and measures, cooking temperatures and times, metric conversion, and more.
95. Night Stand: Turn your iPhone into a digital clock with alarm.
96. Milebug Mileage Log: Log mileage for business expense reports and more.
97. Pantry: Use Pantry to keep track of the groceries you already have at home and don’t need to buy when you go grocery shopping.
98. MoMA Audio: Listen to commentary of art works and exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
99. Pocket Informant: Refer to this personal organization tool to find a calendar and schedule support.
100. Gas Cubby: Track vehicle maintenance and gas mileage, as well as gas prices and other car records.