Your skin is your first line of defense against aging and looking beautiful. If you take proper care of it you'll look as though you're ready to set in front of a TV camera - and your friends and family will think you've stopped the calendar.
Getting Enough Sleep
No amount of skin care will compensate for a tired body and one of the first places to reflect this lack of enough zzzzzs is your skin. Most of us need at least 6 hours sleep to function properly. However, the ideal amount of sleep to look wide-eyed, youthful and ready to go is about 8 hours sleep, or more, depending on the individual. To induce a good nights sleep be sure your bedroom is cool enough as a reduced body temperature signals the brain to shift into sleep.
Quit Smoking
Nothing is worst for the skin than the nasty habit of smoking. Not only is it bad for your circulation, cigarettes raise your blood pressure and heart rate and make it more difficult to fall asleep. Many people aren't aware that nicotine is a stimulant and can keep you awake like large doses of caffeine. Smoker's also wake up more in the middle of the night, possibly because of withdrawal symptoms.
Proper Nutrition & Exercise
If you want your skin to glow from within, eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, lean meat, fish and complex carbohydrates. Also, make sure your skin is properly hydrated by drinking plenty of water.
Walking is a great way to keep your skin glowing. If you're walking on a sunny day, be sure to protect your skin with sunscreen and wear a hat to cover your face.
Egg Facials
Facials with egg help smooth and nourish your skin and give you a youthful glow. Try any of these three routines:
1) Using a cotton puff, apply egg white to your face and let it dry for up to 30 minutes. Splash off with lukewarm and then cold water.
2) Beat an egg white until stiff. Add one teaspoon of honey. Stir together. Then fluff onto your face. After 30 minutes, splash off with tepid and cold water.
3) Beat the whites of four eggs with one grain of alum (available at drug stores) until stiff. Now apply all over your face and throat and let remain on for about one hour. Splash off with warm and cold water.
Oily Skin
Skin cells produce a natural oil, called "sebum," which helps retain moisture and keeps the skin youthfully smooth. Your skin also maintains a natural acid-alkaline balance to help you fight infection.
When all these natural functions are running smoothly, you're rewarded with normal, healthy, youthful skin.
But when they're not running smoothly, the results can include a variety of problems that give your skin a prematurely old look. When your skin's oil glands produce too much sebum, pores become clogged. The result can be an outbreak of blackheads, pimples and acne.
Try these steps to solve the problem of oily skin:
Oily Skin
Skin cells produce a natural oil, called "sebum," which helps retain moisture and keeps the skin youthfully smooth. Your skin also maintains a natural acid-alkaline balance to help you fight infection.
When all these natural functions are running smoothly, you're rewarded with normal, healthy, youthful skin.
But when they're not running smoothly, the results can include a variety of problems that give your skin a prematurely old look. When your skin's oil glands produce too much sebum, pores become clogged. The result can be an outbreak of blackheads, pimples and acne.
Try these steps to solve the problem of oily skin:
1) Cleanse your skin with a pH-adjusted lotion or cream. Choose a gentle deep-pore cleanser that removes excess oiliness, fights bacteria and helps heal blemishes.
2) Follow a routine of regular cleansing every morning, every night and once or twice during the day if possible. Carry cleansing tissues with you in your purse for mid-day touchups.
3) Stimulate circulation with a mask product. Use it two to three times a week to help deep-cleanse and rejuvenate your skin tone.
4) Mix a solution of one-half water and one-half apple cider vinegar. Apply to oily spots and let it remain. Repeat this frequently.
5) Combine one tablespoon of plain yogurt with one tablespoon of wheat germ or bran. Smooth this mask over your face. Let it remain 20 minutes, and then splash it off with tepid water.
6) Combine one tablespoon of brewer's yeast with three tablespoons of water. Use this as a mask. Place it on oily areas of your face. Let it dry and leave it on for 20 minutes. Splash it away with warm and then cool water.
Dry Skin
Go easy if your skin is dry or sensitive. If your skin feels dry, rough and flaky when you touch it , it needs extra tender loving care with the following routine:
1) Cream off make-up and dirt with a super-fatted cleansing cream, morning and night. Apply all creams and lotions with an upward motion. It's stimulating to the skin and helps prevent sagging. Note: Vitamin E oil is also known to slow the aging of skin. Dab it on problem areas that show signs of aging.
2) Moisturize in the morning and before bedtime to keep your skin soft and smooth and to protect it against the additional loss of moisture.
3) Take warm, not hot, showers. Lots of hot water can drain moisture out of your skin, leaving it older-looking, itchy and dry. Be sure to use moisturizing lotion after bathing.
Beware of Summer
You can still enjoy the summer and keep a youthful skin if you follow these guidelines:
1) Take the sun in small doses. Be sure to use a sunscreen product to screen out harmful rays.
2) Ultraviolet rays are strongest between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., so be especially careful if you're in the sun during those hours.
3) If you're relying on clothing to protect your skin from the sun, be sure it's opaque. If you can see through it, the sun can burn your skin.
4) Wear a sunscreen product on the beach even on cloudy days. Reapply it after swimming.
5) Sensitive areas need special protection. Wear sunglasses. Cover your hair. Use petroleum jelly on your lips for added protection.
6) A great treatment for prickly heat and sunburn: Aloe Vera gel. From ancient times peoples have recognized the ability of Aloe Vera to speed up the healing of wounds & burns while relieving itching and swelling.
Aloe Vera is a cactus-like plant with green dagger-shaped leaves. The leaves are filled with a clear, vicous bitter shining gel made up of 96% water and 4% containing 75 unknown substances.
The Aloe has an amazing ability to rejuvenate and rebuild the skin by helping the process of cell division and discarding dead cell tissue. Additionally it is excellent as a moisturizer by maintaining the natural moisturizing agents in the skin, even drawing moisture from the air around.
Age Spots
These flat, gray, brown or black spots occur on more than 90% of fair-skinned people past the age of 50. Skin formulas containing maximum strength hydroquinone can gently fade darker skin and age spots. Any suspicious looking moles or spots that have an irregular pattern should be checked by your dermatologist to be sure they're not cancerous.
Pimples
Resist the urge to pick at a pimple. Skin that is broken out is already infected with bacteria. Picking breaks down the skin and invites in more bacteria, leading to possible infections or scarring.
Remedies
Apply a product with salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, camphor, or zinc oxide twice a day. A drop or two of Visine on the pimple will reduce redness.
Saturday
Skin Care
10 Ways To Increase Your Traffic
1. Trade links with other web sites. They should be
related to the subject of your web site. Instead of
trading links, you could also trade banner ads, half
page ads, classified ads, etc.
2. Start an e-zine for your web site. When people
read each issue they'll be reminded to revisit your
web site. They'll see your product ad more than
just once which will increase your orders.
3. Form an online community. It could be an online
message board, e-mail discussion list or chat room.
When people get involved in your community they
will regularly return to communicate with others.
4. Write articles and submit them to e-zines, web
sites and magazines that accept article submissions.
Include your business information and web address
at the end of the article.
5. Give away an electronic freebie with your ad on
it. Allow your visitors to also give the freebie away.
This'll increase your ad exposure and attract people
to your web site at the same time.
6. Combine your products or services into one big
package deal with other businesses offerings. You
could share a web site and advertise the package
deal; which means double the traffic.
7. Submit your freebie to the online directories that
list your particular item or service for free. If you're
offering a free e-zine, submit it to all the free e-zine
directories on the internet.
8. Participate on message boards. Post answers to
other people's questions, ask questions and post
appropriate information. Include your signature file
at the end of all your postings.
9. Exchange classified or sponsor ads with other
free e-zine publishers. If there is a huge subscriber
difference between e-zines, one can run more ads
to make up for it.
10. Post your ad on free advertising areas on the
internet. You can post it on free classified ad sites,
free for all links sites, newsgroups that allow ads,
free yellow page directories, etc.
GENERAL CLEANING TIPS
Below is a listing of general tips that should be taken when cleaning any of the components or peripherals of a computer as well as tips to help keep a computer clean.
Never spray or squirt any type of liquid onto any computer component. If a spray is needed spray the liquid onto a cloth and then use that cloth to rub down the component
Users can use a vacuum to suck up dirt, dust, or hair around their computer on the outside case and on their keyboards. However, do not use a vacuum for the inside of your computer as it generates a lot of static electricity that can damage the internal components of your computer. If you need to use a vacuum to clean the inside of your computer use a portable battery powered vacuum designed to do this job.
When cleaning a component and/or the computer turn it off before cleaning.
Never get any component inside the computer or any other circuit board damp or wet.
Be cautions when using any type of cleaning solvents, some individuals may have allergic reactions to chemicals in cleaning solvents and some solvents can even damage the case. Try to always use water or a highly diluted solvent.
When cleaning be careful not to accidentally adjust any knobs or controls. In addition when cleaning the back of the computer if anything is plugged in make sure not to disconnect any of the plugs.
Never eat or drink around the computer.
Limit smoking around the computer.
Friday
Weight Loss Tips
Need some help with your weight loss? Below are some great weight loss tips to help you that extra bit, these weight loss tips offers pointers for pratical, effective weight loss tactics. Tips include healthy eating advice, support, exercise, preparation of food and much more. Enjoy!
1. To make a delicious low fat mayonnaise simply combine one teaspoon Dijon mustard or one teaspoon satay sauce with low fat yoghurt.
2. Avoid skipping meals. Eating increases your matabolism, thus skipping meals can 'trick' your body into slowing down its metabolism in an attempt to conserve calories during a period it perceives as a situation where limited fuel is available.
3. Stuffing vegetables such as capsicum and zucchini with tasty fillings of mince chicken, meat or tuna are easy to do and very healthy and low fat.
4. Pita bread roll ups or wraps with salad fillings, are great for picnics, school lunches or to take to work.
5. Exerise, exercise, exercise! Exercise increases your metabolism and burning off excess fat. When is the best time to exercise? Our metabolism slows down about 8 hours after we wake up, so 30 minutes of exercise in the evening, before dinner will increase your metabolism for about two to three more hours just when it was starting to slow down. This produces a significant increase in fat burned off, even after the exercise is over.
6. Adding alfalfa or mung beans to your salad brings in extra iron.
7. Good cooking and healthy eating begins with learning about nutrition and how to prepare healthy recipes.
8. Plan the week's family menus in advance and just purchase those ingredients at a once weekly shopping trip.
9. Be positive! The more you feel good about yourself the easier and faster it is to lose weight.
10. Learn how to make over family favourite recipes by cutting out fats, salt and sugar. Substitute non fat yoghurt for cream, stir fry minus oil and use herbs and spices instead of salt for flavour.
11. Please consult your doctor before beginning an exercise or weight loss program.
12. Eat slowly and chew each bite completely to decrease your appetite
13. Eat three small meals and two snacks daily instead of two or three huge meals.
14. It's a myth that you need oil to stir fry! Use chicken stock instead and cut down on hidden fat.
15. There is more fat in a plate of toasted muesli than a plate of bacon and eggs! Purchase non-toasted muesli instead.
16. Avoid removing the skins of fruits and vegetables - most of the nutrients are concentrated just under the skin.
17. Hot water with a squeeze of lemon before breakfast get the metabolism going for the day, helps prevent constipation and is excellent for the skin.
18. The best source of vegetable protein is from soya beans or tofu. All legumes provide some protein, so include lentils, lima beans etc into casseroles and soups.
19. Find a weight loss "buddy," club, or support group. This will help you stay with your weight loss program.
20. Though difficult, try not eating 3 hours or more before bed time.
21. I cut up a whole watermelon and leave it in the fridge to snack on over a few days. it is sweet, juicy, yummy and filling. it really has helped me because when i go to the fridge looking for something when i see the watermelon it stops me having something more calorie laden. having it handy so that it is just as easy to eat as a biscuit or whatever makes the world of difference. eating at night time is my downfall too. i cant just not eat at night so i allow for it in my daily eating. i have those 97%fat free rice crackers and/or fruit or air popped popcorn. for me i just cant not eat at night time. i find i dont sleep very well if i go from dinner time to breakfast without anything. although we do eat dinner very early (around 5.30) because we like to eat with the kids. i think it is best to know your weaknesses and try to work around them. also, i dont think it can be said too many times - drinking water makes all the difference.
22. Make pasta your fast food choice - you can prepare a pasta meal and salad in 10-12 minutes.
23. Chilli helps to speed up metabolism - even the milder varieties.
24. Omelettes can be made just using egg whites! A dramatic reduction in fat.
25. Limit salt in cooking. Other names for salt include baking soda, baking powder, MSG and soya sauce.
26. For low fat gravy, drop ice cubes into the baking tray. Fat will stick to the ice cubes and can then be removed.
27. Chew sugarless gum. It speeds up the digestive system, burning more calories, and sometimes kills a craving.
28. Drinking hot water as appose to cold water can increase the speed of your metabolism and burn more calories.
29. Make casseroles the day before use. Refrigerate and skim fat from the top before re heating.
30. Always eat before you go food shopping and always prepare a shopping list. Only purchase food which relates to your weekly menu plan and don't be tempted to buy goodies.
Travelling Tips
Before You Go Tips
Tips about finding information for your trip, money, your health & safety, and leaving your property safe.
Packing Tips
Tips about your luggage, packing your carry-on, dealing with your medications and film, what to take and how to pack it, section includes several packing lists.
Airline Tips
Tips about saving on air fares, policies & restrictions, ticket information, documentation, staying safe and avoiding and dealing with problems. Includes airport codes and links to airlines and hundreds of domestic and foreign airports.
Car Rental Tips
Tips about saving money, making reservations, policies & restrictions, payment options, documentation, insurance, renting options and staying safe. Includes links to rental car companies and other resources.
Hotel Tips
Tips about picking the right hotel and room, policies, security, and tipping. Includes links to domestic and foreign hotel chains and other resources.
Cruise Line Tips
Tips about picking the right cruise and cabin, packing, food, activities, ports, shopping, documentation, health, safety and tipping. Includes links to cruise lines, passport information and other resources.
Theme Park Tips
Tips about making your day at the parks fun and getting the best out of them. Includes links to hundreds of U.S. theme parks.
Restaurant Tips
Tips about finding the right restaurant and dealing with the crowds.
Road Trip Tips
Tips about preparing and enjoying a safe trip. Includes links to provide planning and road condition information.
To Go Checklist
5 useful checklists to use for planning your trip from months ahead to things to do the day you leave.
Foreign Travel Tips
Tips about planning your trip abroad, currency, shopping, documentation, health and safety. Includes links to embassies, U.S. Customs, the U.S. State Department and other resources.
Kids Travelling Tips
Tips about finding kid friendly hotels, help on traveling by car, air or cruise line, and keeping the family safe. Includes links to many useful resources.
Nokia Mobile Tips
To check the IMEI (International Mobile Equipment Identity) Type
*#06#
Information you get from the IMEI-
XXXXXX XX XXXXXX X
TAC FAC SNR SP
TAC = Type approval code
FAC = Final assembly code
SNR = Serial number
SP = Spare
To check the phones Software revision Type
*#0000#
Information you get from the Software revision-
V 05.31
18-02-99
NSE-3
1ST Line = Software revision
2ND Line = The date of the software release
3RD Line = Phone type
To enter the service menu type
*#92702689# (*#WAR0ANTY#)
Serial number (IMEI)
Production date (MM/YY)
Purchase date (MM/YY) You can only enter the date once.
Date of last repair (0000=No repair)
Transfer user data to another Nokia phone via Infra-Red
Clock Stopping
To check weather your SIM Card supports clock stopping type-
*#746025625# (*#SIM0CLOCK#)
Revealing the Headphone and Car-Kit menus
Please note that if you do these next tricks, the new menus can't be erased without restoring the factory default settings. To do these tricks you need to short-circuit the pins on the bottom of the phone next to where you plug in you charger.
1. To activate the "Headset" menu, you need to short-circuit pins "3" and "4". After a short time the word "Headset" will be shown in the display. Menu 3-6 is now enabled.
2. To activate the "Car" menu, you need to short-circuit pins "4" and "5". After a short time the word "Car" will be shown in the display. Menu 3-7 is now enabled.
THE REBOOT TRICK
This should work on all software versions of the 6110.
1. Go to the Calendar (Menu-8)
2. Make a note or reminder.
3. Enter some text into the edit box.
4. Hold "Clear" until the whole text is cleared, then press "Back".
5. Press "0". The main screen will now be showing but a space appears on the screen. (you can't see it)
6. Enter 4 digits (e.g. 1234).
7. Use the down arrow to move the cursor to the left side of the numbers and the space (Down arrow twice).
8. Now enter 6 digits and press the call button.
Wait for a few seconds, the screen should start to flash and reboots. It should also work on other menus like the "Profiles" menu.
Search Engine Tricks
Having a hard time finding something online? Does it seem like you type in your search term but don't get anywhere near what you're looking for?
Well, here's a couple tricks that seem (almost) universal between search engines.
Let's say you're looking for sports cars and all you're getting is information on baseball and football (sports). What can you do? Try some of the following:
1. Try:
sports +cars
Most search engines will interpret this as meaning you only want results that have both the word "sports" and "cars" in them. Some search engines let you us the word "and" to do this as well (i.e. sports and cars).
2. You can also try to exclude terms. Let's say you still aren't getting what you want with sports cars (you still keep getting baseball info). Try something like:
sports +cars -baseball
The "-" sign tells most search engines to exclude results that have whatever word it is that has the "-" in front of it. (Don't put a space between the - and the word to be excluded though!)
3. If the above seems too confusing, most search engines have an "advanced search" option that gives you a web-style way to help you accomplish the same thing. Instead of using "+ / -" they use drop down boxes and option buttons. It is usually easier to search this way, although it's probably faster to use steps 1 & 2.
4. The next thing you might try is being more specific. Instead of just sports cars , maybe use exotic sports cars . Try different combinations of search terms until you get what you're after. (Careful with that word "exotic" though!)
5. Also, you may want to try using quotes. If you type in:
"sports cars"
You should only get results that match that exact phrase in that exact order. Sometimes that can narrow things down considerably.
6. If all else fails, try a different search engine.
Of course the favorite is Google , but there are thousands of search engines out there and not all of them support the tips I have shown you today. If you're having trouble, look for a link for search tips, search help, advanced search, or how to search. Most search engines have lots of information on how to use them successfully.
What is a Web Accelerator ?
Who doesn't want a faster internet connection? Especially those who are still using dial-up. Web accelerators claim to speed up your connection making pages load faster but do they?
Yes and No. There are two kinds of accelerators: software and server accelerators.
With the software type, pages do load faster, but it's just "smoke and mirrors". Most grab all the pages for each link on a page and "prefetches" them. So, since pages are pre-loading behind the scenes, it gives the illusion of a faster internet connection.
A down side is that they clog up your temporary internet files or, if they have their own cache file, they take up space on your computer. If you go to a page with hundreds of links you could end up with a full cache in no time. You'll also end up with more cookies. Some may even cache secure pages that contain passwords and other sensitive data.
High-speed dial up ISP's often use a special server called an "acceleration server". The A.S. uses a fast broadband connection to request the web page for you then caches the page, compresses data, filters out pop-ups, then sends it to you. The software provided by your ISP then uncompressed it. This all makes it seem up to five-times faster.
It's great for text, HTML code, and JavaScript, but secure pages, downloads, and streaming media usually will not be accelerated. A down side is that photos and graphics are usually compressed and when you get them, the quality is diminished if you get them at all (if you are on high-speed dial up and get the dreaded red X where a graphic should be, this may be the reason). The image size may shrink as much as 50% and go from crisp to cruddy.
If you don't mind trading picture quality loss for a faster connection, then go for high-speed dial up. Some do give you the option to control how much graphics are compressed, so check for this feature if you are having problems getting pictures.
Wheel Mouse Tricks
If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel on it, you can do some cool tricks...
Shift & Spin
Ever wonder what happens when you hold down the Shift key on a web page and spin the wheel on your wheel mouse? Explorer goes either back or forward, depending on which direction you spin.
Give it a try. Open up Explorer and follow a few links. Then, hold down your SHIFT key and spin that wheel.
CTRL & Spin
If you are in a web browser (Explorer or Netscape) or reading an email in Outlook Express, hold down your Ctrl key and spin the wheel. It makes the text larger or smaller depending on which way you spin. For Opera users, it magnifies both the images and the text.
Not only does this spinning technique save lots of time, but it has the added bonus of impressing the heck out of any novice computer users in the area during said spin.
Internet Error Codes
Q:
What do all those error codes (like 404) mean?
A:
It happens to all of us. We're surfing along, and up comes an error. What do all those error codes mean? Here's a quick rundown of the most common:
400 - Bad Request - You probably typed in a URL wrong, the server has no clue what you're looking for, or you aren't allowed to have access. Usually, it's a matter of the URL being typing in wrong. Maybe you mixed upper and lowercase letters or something.
401 - Unauthorized Request - you tried to get to something on the web server you're not allowed to play with. In other words, you aren't on the party list.
403 - Forbidden - You can't access the page. You may not have access (it may require a password), or it may be blocked from your domain.
404 - Not Found - The page you were trying to look at was not found on the server. This is probably the most common error you'll come across. What has probably happened is that the web page you were going to has been removed or re-named.
500 - Internal error - Usually caused by a CGI error. You fill out a form, but the script used to process it is not working properly.
503 - Service Unavailable - The server may be overloaded, down, or have other similar problems. Try later.
Stop the Spyware Invasion
Q:
Did you know that you can prevent it from getting to begin with?
A:
I'm talking about a free way to do it, at least with Internet Explorer.
Just head over to Tools / Internet Options then click the "Security" tab and the "Custom Level" button.
You'll see a list of settings, the first of which is "ActiveX Controls and plug-ins". Here you can specify what .dll files you will allow on your system.
Here's a good setup:
"Download signed ActiveX controls" Prompt. You will be asked before a website tries to put Gator, Comet Cursor, or other adware on your system.
"Download unsigned ActiveX controls" Disable. These kind of .dll files don't tell you who they're from and are usually always spyware trying to sneak its way in.
"Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe" DEFINITELY Disable. Duh! This category includes spyware, worms, and other online nastiest. Keep 'em out!
Once done, click OK .
With just a few changes, your web browsing is a whole lot safer.
Top Ten Technical Resume Writing Tips
1.) List your technical knowledge first, in an organized way. Your technical strengths must stand out clearly at the beginning of your resume. Ultimately, your resume is going to be read by a thoughtful human being, but before it gets to that point it often has to be categorized by an administrative clerk, and make its way past various sorts of key word searches. Therefore, you should list as many directly relevant buzz words as you can which reflect your knowledge and experience. List all operating systems and UNIX flavors you know. List all programming languages and platforms with which you're experienced. List all software you are skilled with. Make it obvious at a glance where your strengths lie - whether the glance is from a hiring manager, a clerk, or a machine.
2.) List your qualifications in order of relevance, from most to least. Only list your degree and educational qualifications first if they are truly relevant to the job for which you are applying. If you've already done what you want to do in a new job, by all means, list it first, even if it wasn't your most recent job. Abandon any strict adherence to a chronological ordering of your experience.
3.) Quantify your experience wherever possible. Cite numerical figures, such as monetary budgets/funds saved, time periods/efficiency improved, lines of code written/debugged, numbers of machines administered/fixed, etc. which demonstrate progress or accomplishments due directly to your work.
4.) Begin sentences with action verbs. Portray yourself as someone who is active, uses their brain, and gets things done. Stick with the past tense, even for descriptions of currently held positions, to avoid confusion.
5.) Don't sell yourself short. This is by far the biggest mistake of all resumes, technical and otherwise. Your experiences are worthy for review by hiring managers. Treat your resume as an advertisement for you. Be sure to thoroughly "sell" yourself by highlighting all of your strengths. If you've got a valuable asset which doesn't seem to fit into any existing components of your resume, list it anyway as its own resume segment.
6.) Be concise. As a rule of thumb, resumes reflecting five years or less experience should fit on one page. More extensive experience can justify usage of a second page. Consider three pages (about 15 years or more experience) an absolute limit. Avoid lengthy descriptions of whole projects of which you were only a part. Consolidate action verbs where one task or responsibility encompasses other tasks and duties. Minimize usage of articles (the, an, a) and never use "I" or other pronouns to identify yourself.
7.) Omit needless items. Leave all these things off your resume: social security number, marital status, health, citizenship, age, scholarships, irrelevant awards, irrelevant associations and memberships, irrelevant publications, irrelevant recreational activities, a second mailing address ("permanent address" is confusing and never used), references, reference of references ("available upon request"), travel history, previous pay rates, previous supervisor names, and components of your name which you really never use (i.e. middle names).
8.) Have a trusted friend review your resume. Be sure to pick someone who is attentive to details, can effectively critique your writing, and will give an honest and objective opinion. Seriously consider their advice. Get a third and fourth opinion if you can.
9.) Proofread, proofread, proofread. Be sure to catch all spelling errors, grammatical weaknesses, unusual punctuation, and inconsistent capitalizations. Proofread it numerous times over at least two days to allow a fresh eye to catch any hidden mistakes.
10.)Laser print it on plain, white paper. Handwriting, typing, dot matrix printing, and even ink jet printing look pretty cheesy. Stick with laser prints. Don't waste your money on special bond paper, matching envelopes, or any color deviances away from plain white. Your resume will be photocopied, faxed, and scanned numerous times, defeating any special paper efforts, assuming your original resume doesn't first end up in the circular file
Credit Card Tips
Are u ready for A Credit Card ?
Why do Credit Card Companies Target Students ?
The Advantages of Credit Cards ?
How Credit Cards are Billed ?
So, Are You Ready for a Credit Card ?
Helpful Hints on Using Credit Cards ?
Are u ready for A Credit Card?
You may already have a credit card, but if you don't, you can be sure there will be many opportunities to get one once you arrive on campus.
Many credit companies set up tables in the common areas of college campuses to encourage students to sign up for credit cards. Often, they give away trinkets such as T-shirts, water bottles, frisbees, coffee mugs, etc. in exchange for having you fill out an application. Sound easy? It is, but think twice before you do it.
Unfortunately, many of the credit cards offered on campus may not be a good value for students. According to a study conducted by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), students who obtain credit cards at campus tables have higher unpaid balances than those who do not. Carrying high, unpaid balances is one of the quickest ways to incur too much debt and fall behind in payments.
Why do Credit Card Companies Target Students?
Surprisingly, students are a good credit risk, despite the fact that they often do not have jobs and are also borrowing student loans. Research has shown that student borrowers are valuable customers because they tend to stay loyal to their first card, continuing to make purchases for many years to come.
The Advantages of Credit Cards
Like loans, using credit cards can help you build a positive credit history. This can enhance your ability to receive a private student loan, buy a car, rent an apartment, get a job, and eventually, try to buy a house. Of course, there are other advantages to having a credit card including:
Security in emergencies;
Reduced need to carry cash or checks; and
Enhanced personal responsibility and independence.
However, only one national card like a "Visa" or a "MasterCard" is necessary to receive these benefits.
How Credit Cards are billed?
Unlike repayment on a traditional loan, such as a student or car loan, credit cards do not allow you to spread the amount you owe over a fixed period of time. Instead, you are required to make a minimum monthly payment, which is the smallest amount you can pay and still meet your cardholder agreement (the terms you agree to when signing up for the card).
The minimum payment is usually 2 percent of your outstanding balance. Unfortunately, by paying only the minimum each month instead of paying off your entire balance, your debt will continue to grow. Many credit card companies also charge late fees (usually 2 percent of the outstanding balance), and higher interest rates on cash advances.
So Are U Ready for a Credit Card?
As a student, you will have to decide for yourself if you can handle the responsibility of a credit card. They are easy to get but not so easy to manage, especially if you end up with a high, unpaid balance on which interest is accruing, but payments are not being made. According to the PIRG study, of the 79 percent of surveyed students who use credit cards for multiple purposes, only 13 percent reported limiting credit card use to emergencies.
When making your decision about a credit card, ask yourself the following:
Do I need a credit card?
Can I afford a credit card?
Will I be able to pay off my balance each month?
If you decide to apply for a credit card, be a smart consumer and shop around. Look for a company that offers the following:
Low interest rates or finance charges (combined, they are called APR)
Low or no annual fees
A grace period (time during which no payments are due) before finance charges are posted
Other benefits including purchase warranties, free gas, airline miles, etc.
Helpful Hints on Using Credit Cards
Credit cards can be helpful in emergencies or if you are able to pay off the balance each month, but be wary! Credit cards can also get you into trouble. Here are some helpful hints on using credit cards:
Fees
Watch out for carrying balances. Some cards charge 20% or more in interest. (Interest is usually called "Finance Charges" on your statements.)
Look at your statement carefully and call the company right away if you have any questions.
There is usually a large finance charge for cash advances and interest begins accruing as soon as you take the money out, not after the next statement closing.
Be aware of annual fees. Many times you are charged $50 or more just to have the card.
Watch out for introductory offers! When you receive a credit card offer in the mail with a low rate, it may expire in three or six months. Note when and by how much the rate increases after the "introductory offer" expires. You may not remember when it expires, but the card company will.
Think about your purchases. If you are not able to afford the purchase now, chances are you won't be able to afford it in a month when the credit card bill comes in!
If you get behind
Cut your recreational expenses.
Call your credit card company. They may be willing to work out a repayment schedule with you.
Develop a budget and stick with it! Everyone makes mistakes, but don't prolong yours. Bad credit will follow you and hurt your chances for mortgages or loans down the road.
Look into credit counseling services. Many offer educational programs or individual counseling sessions to help you get back on track.
Disabling Drives in My Computer
To turn off the display of local or networked drives when you click on My Computer:
Start Regedit
Go to HKey_Current_User \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Current Version \ Policies \ Explorer
Add a New DWORD item and name it NoDrives
Give it a value of 3FFFFFF
Now when you click on My Computer, none of your drives will show
Creating a Legal Text Notice before Logon
You can create a banner that will come up just before you logon to the computer:
Start Regedit
Go to HKeyLocalMachine \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Win Logon
Create a new string value called LegalNoticeCaption and give it a value you want to see in the menu bar
Create a new string value called LegalNoticeText and give it a value you want to see in the dialog box
Now before anyone logs into that computer, this banner will come up on the screen.
This can be useful for any legal warnings you want to give regarding the use of the computer.
Changing the Registered Owner
Starting Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion
From there you can edit the name in the Registered Owner key
Adding Items to the Start Button
To add items when you right-click on the Start Button:
Start Regedit
Go to HKey_Classes_Root / Directory / Shell
Right-click on Shell and select New / Key
Type in the name of the key and press the Enter key
In the Default name that shows in the right hand panel, you can add a title with a & character in front of the letter for a shortcut
Right-click on the key you just created and create another key under it called command
For the value of this command, enter the full path and program you want to execute
Now when you right click on the Start Button, your new program will show up. You do not need to reboot first.
For example, if you wanted WinWord, you would add that as the first key, the default in the right panel would be &WinWord so when you right click on the Start Button, the W would be underlined and you could just press that key. The command would be something like C:\MSOFFICE\WINWORD\WINWORD.EXE
Changing Common Icons
You can change many of the common Windows icons.
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ explorer \ Shell Icons
The default icons are numbered in the right panel from 0-40
Double click on the number of the particular icon you want to change. See the chart below.
Enter the name of the icon file you want to use followed by the number of the icon in that file.
Note: The numbering starts with zero.
If you use a single .ICO file, it should be followed by a 0.
e.g. - filename.dll,4 - This would actually be the 5th icon since it starts with 0.
Make sure you delete the hidden file C:\WINDOWS\SHELLICONCACHE
0-13 Are the Drive and Application Icons
0 - To change the Unknown Application Icon
2 - To change the Default Application Icon
3 - To change the Closed Folder Icon
4 - To change the Open Folder Icon
5 - To change the 5 1/4" Floppy Icon
6 - To change the 3 1/2" Floppy Icon
7 - To change the Removable Disk Icon
8 - To change the Hard Drive Icon
9 - To change the Network Drive Online Icon
10 - To change the Network Drive Offline Icon
11 - To change the CD Drive Icon
12 - To change the Ramdrive Icon
13 - To change the Entire Network Icon
19-27 Are the Start Menu Icons
19 - To change the Programs Icon
20 - To change the Documents Icon
21 - To change the Settings Icon
22 - To change the Find Icon
23 - To change the Help Icon
24 - To change the Run Icon
27 - To change the Shutdown Icon
Other Icons
33 - To change the DUN Folder Icon
34 - To change the Desktop Icon
35 - To change the Control Panel Icon
37 - To change the Printer Folder Icon
40 - To change the Audio CD Icon
43 - To change the Favorites Icon
44 - To change the Logoff Icon
Automatic Screen Refresh
When you make changes to your hard drive and use Explorer, the changes are not usually displayed until you press the F5 key
to make the updates automatic:
Start Regedit
Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / System / CurrentControlSet / Control / UpdateMode
Edit the DWORD value to be between 1 and 7
Restart Windows
Change the Messenger background
You can replace the background-picture in Messenger with any image you like. Just go to "C:\Program Files\Messenger\" and replace the file "lvback.gif".
If you use the MSN add-in, you can change that icon aswell. It's simply called "icon.gif"
Happy tweaking! :)
Change IE Font Size (Easy)
You have to have a mouse with a scroll wheel to do this.
When you are on a page, hold down Ctrl and then scroll in or out with your wheel. The font will change.
If it doesn't, make sure the window is active. This may only work with IE 6.0, I haven't tried with 5.0 or below.
Capture a DOS Print
One of the things I have been driven nuts by is all the DOS programs my clients still must use. As I move more of them to XP I find the issue of sharing a networked printer with a DOS program a bigger deal. We came across the solution the other day.
On the client machine first make sure you have the printer shared you want to use. Next tell the client machine to add a new printer. Make sure you tell it the printer is local and hooked to a local LPT. There should be no actual physcial printer here.
When doing this I find a generic text printer works excellent for this. Most DOS programs only do text anyway. But you can use older printers as well.
Once this pretend local printer is installed go back into the printers and go to properties for this pretend printer. Go to the Ports tab, select the Pool Ports check box and now check the port that points to your networked printer.
Now what will happen is when you tell your DOS program to print to the fictious local printer port it will instead be routed to the network printer you have selected.
I have used this tip on 4 different programs in DOS and all have worked perfect.
Change the warning message on messenger
In a command window you can use the TAB key as "complete" key - like in unix/linux.
Example:
Start a cmd window and go to root (c:\)
type cd - hit TAB key - and you will now scroll the directories, also hidden ones.
Try: cd doc - hit TAB key - You get up "Documents and Settings" - hit enter. in Documents and Settings type cd and hit key several time - and you will scroll through the names of the directories - also the hidden ones.
Change the warning message on messenger
If you would like to change the warning that appears at the top of each new message window that opens in windows messenger you may do this as follows.
Open Regedit (start menu, run and type 'regedit' press enter)
Navigate to the following location
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Messenger Service\Policies
Locate the string value called 'IMWarning' and change its message to what ever you would like to appear at the top of each new conversation window.
Close regedit and open a new conversation and notice the new message! You do not have to reboot for this one to wor
