I found some college/university study tips on a certain American website. These tips are written specifically for college/university students in the US of A but can definitely be applied all around the world. 1. Go to class - I know this one is mind-numbingly obvious but it’s important. Many professors lecture directly from PowerPoint and post the slides to the internet. This makes it tempting to skip class, download the lecture notes, and learn the material on your own. Although you can probably get away with this in easy courses, you’ll face problems in challenging ones. By skipping class, you miss out on a few important things: It’s also important to consider how skipping class affects your reputation. In most classes, grades are somewhat subjective. This means that the grader’s perception of you can make or break your grade. If you frequently miss class, you’ll be perceived as someone who lacks respect for the professor and the subject matter. Why should they give you the benefit of the doubt or round that B+ up to an A-? 2. Sit in the front row - Not only will sitting in the front row build self confidence, it will automatically engage you in the lecture. You’ll appear to be an eager student and highly visible to the teacher. This will help your academic reputation and make it more likely you’ll develop a relationship with the professor. You’ll have a much easier time maintaining focus and will feel more like a participant than a passive observer. By doing a weekly review you’ll gradually memorize everything and will better understand how one concept builds on the next. Putting in small amounts of effort on a consistent basis will drastically reduce the amount of studying you need to do right before the test. 5. Go to office hours - Professors and TA’s usually make themselves available at regular times during the week for students to ask questions about assignments. Do yourself a favor by taking advantage of this opportunity. First, attending office hours will motivate you to get ahead on your work and prepare questions to ask. This will give you a huge edge in understanding problems that aren’t clearly explained in the lectures. Second, it will build your reputation as a high-effort student who deserves high grades. Who you work with also affects your academic reputation. If you associate with students that aren’t interested in learning, teachers and graders will assume you feel the same way. It’s also a great way to connect with people who have similar interests and ambitions.
7 strategies will help you raise your GPA while minimizing stress and overall study time.
3. Take notes by hand - Another unfortunate side effect of the PowerPoint revolution is that it discourages students from taking notes. Taking notes by hand will improve your grades because a) it forces you to pay attention, and b) the physical act of writing aids memorization. If you take notes, you’ll find it much easier to stay engaged. Your notes also provide a point of reference that will help you build a mental link between a written concept and the professor’s verbal explanation. This is key for efficient studying.
4. Do a weekly review - A common problem students encounter is trying to learn an enormous amount of material right before the midterm or final exam. This is practically impossible. You’ll find it much easier if you take a gradual approach to studying. At least once a week, review your notes starting from the beginning of the course. This only needs to take 15 or 20 minutes, just enough time to build familiarity with the material.
6. Find smart people to work with - In courses that involve group work, this is essential. No one wants to get stuck with a bunch slackers, have to do all the work themselves, and end up with a poor grade to show for it. The quality of the your learning experience is directly related to the attitudes of the people you work with. Working with smart people will facilitate discussion. The best way to understand an idea is talking about it with other intelligent people.
7. Avoid all-nighters - Generally, having to pull an all-nighter means that you slacked off all semester and need to fit 3 months of learning into one day. If you use a gradual study strategy this will never be necessary. All-nighters don’t work! Yes, it might be possible to get a good grade if the course is easy, but it’s much more likely that your grade will be significantly lower. All-nighters harm performance because they make you tired and stressed. You’ll also forget most of what you learn right after the test, decreasing the practical value of your education.
P.S: This is a cut and paste post. I'll get something more original up when I have some inspiration.
~multum in parvo~
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The truth is the Windows Media Player (WM Player) is a mediocre piece of junk software.
It can play DVDs, videos and music but really doesn't support most formats. Open source formats are rendered unreadable. Forget about playing any media found on Wikipedia. We video download junkies will also be disappointed by WM Player's rigidity as it cannot play most video formats without a third party plug-in. Even with a plug-in some video files won't play. As for DVDs it only gives fair quality.
Unfortunately even the popular Realplayer has the same problems. Quicktime for Windows is even worse, be ready for that software to wreck your day as it can play almost nothing.
With so much disappointment in store I wonder why those three media players are so popular. Are people just ignorant? Now we know about the major disadvantages of the big three Windows media software, what should we do? Enter the free and excellent GOM Player.
While browsing through Lifehacker I found this gem of a media player called GOM Player. Being able to play almost any media format thrown at it what more do you want. Enough of frustratingly searching for a way to play your files. No more downloading multiple codec packs for your needs. Without codec packs, computer resources will be conserved, giving you more opportunity to multi-task programmes.
GOM player even has a very sleek interface with tonnes of controls to tweak your media experience. Ever thought of buying a pro version of Realplayer for all the controls? Ignore that wish! Why choose Realplayer Pro when I can't play every format out there? Get GOM Player and never regret it.
Something else I noticed is that GOM Player has all the aesthetics and yet makes a small footprint on computer resources. Added to that choppy video performance caused by computer overuse resource will be compensated by GOM.
Previously I was using VLC Player to play "uncommon" media formats. It was decent as it played every format out there. But, being still in beta it had many minor usability issues. Furthermore it didn't have a sleek appearance. VLC player looked like a nerds invention where the person shows no creativity at all. Imagine the fastest car in the world that looked like a bishop's nose. GOM player repaired all of VLC Player's flaws while taking all its advantages.
Get GOM Player by clicking here. To find out more about GOM click here.
With GOM player now I found the holy grail of media players. An ultra-versatile player that looks simply gorgeous. What more will you need? Anyway I don't like to use media players to play my music so I use Winamp for my songs but that's a different subject.....
~multum in parvo~
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;;How to Be The Great Conversationalist You’ve Always Wanted
2 mad rant(s) » Add your own! RANDTed: stmaverick at 3:05:00 AM(this guide was written with the help from several sources: WikiHow, Art of Schmooze, Success Training Inc., AskMen.com, Scott H Young and The Winning Attitude)I originally put this up on my blog, but since I thought it'd be useful for a lot more people, I put it up here on RANDTS as well. =D
Don't we all know the feeling of insecurity that some of us get when we're around people? And when you're finally face-to-face with one person, all by yourselves, you're hit with the ultimate dilemma - you have no idea what to say next!
The problem of not knowing what to say to someone you've just met is more than just an embarrassing silence - it can be a severe confidence-breaker for any person who knows it all too well. If you've had this problem for awhile, isn't it time you started taking steps to change things? Here are some handy tips I've compiled from the Internet (what a useful tool it is!), coupled with my own opinions and experiences, to help you out!
Don't Panic
There's always a first time for everything. Panicking isn't really of any use to you because it doesn't improve the situation, but can do a lot to mess it up. Some people are just so nervous that they'll screw up big time that they fuss over their hair, their clothes, their hands, their food, their drink, whether they're standing too far, too close, are they giving enough attention...
Quit worrying! Go over to them, say "Hi", give your best smile - make sure it's not the kind of smile that'll scare people off with your enthusiasm! - and shake hands firmly. Look them in the eyes and introduce yourself to them.
(For those of you too shy to do so, here's a tip: look at the bridge of their nose, the spot exactly between both their eyes. That way, people will still have the impression that you're looking at them. Just remember not to stare.)
Speak slowly and audibly enough for them to catch what you're saying. You don't want to give people the impression you work on a bullet train for a living.
If there are lulls in the conversation, don't fret! Use the pause to reflect back on your conversation so far. Was there anything interesting in the conversation that you've just had? Did you miss something the other party had said earlier? Then mention it and keep the conversation going.
Don't Get Too Personal
There's always a time and place to tell people about your most heart-wrenching breakup to date, and when you're with new faces, it's never that time. Ask yourself: is that really what people want to hear?
When you're around people whom you've known for quite some time, they listen to you speak about personal matters because they already know you to some extent. When you start to get into matters that concern you around new people, they're likely to be a little apprehensive considering the fact they barely know you yet, and already you're opening yourself up for them.
People don't really learn about you from what you say. The way you say things are much more important. How you speak and carry yourself in the presence of others tells them much more about you than an hour-long narrated autobiography would. Unless you've grown up around Madonna and Elvis Presley your whole life, people aren't really that interested in you - yet.
Of course, since conversation is about two parties interacting, you'd better make sure you're learning from others about them while you're busy teaching others about you. On that note, we move on into:
Let Others Do the Work and Take Credit for It
The art of great conversation is not about doing all the talking and hogging the limelight. The trick is that most great conversationalists get others to do the talking for them. Not 'talk' as in the ventriloquist's puppet; 'talk' as in they get others to speak while they listen!
Let's face it, the most interesting topic everyone loves is the one about 'me, myself, and I'. Everyone can't resist the temptation to talk about their own lives to the whole world! Why else are personal blogs so prolific on the Internet? ;)
To get people to respond more enthusiastically to your questions, try asking more open-ended questions. These kind of questions are basically impossible to answer with just one word (unless the other person wants to come across as being impossibly dumb), and start like:
- What did you think about [blank]?
- How did you [blank]?
- What did you like best about [blank]?
- Tell me about [blank]...
When people answer these kind of questions, they tend to give long, detailed answers rather than simple ones. After that, you can pretty much set the direction of the conversation based on what they have just said. Through this method, you'll also be able to find out the other side's interests, and draw them in to the conversation even more.
Of course, looking for something to fill the [blank] parts would be pretty difficult, wouldn't it? And here's where it's important to:
Pay Attention: Be Observant
Sure, anyone can talk about the weather, but how many people would be interested in taking the conversation in a different direction from where you started? Not many, I can tell you that - not unless you combined the weather cliche with one of the questions I showed you above.
Sometimes, the easiest way to start a conversation is also the simplest. Just pay attention to your surroundings. Look for something that's out-of-the-ordinary and worth talking about. Focus on the person you're talking to; what is he/she wearing? Are there any interesting accessories that he/she's got on?
Ask about them - or better still, compliment it (sincerely, if you please - no one enjoys apple-polishing, even if they're the apple), then ask him/her about it: where it came from, for example. Then follow the steps I've shown you before and take the conversation your way.
The Art of Active Listening
Remember that being observant also means being attentive to the other party. Listening is a very powerful act that builds trust and self-esteem. These two things naturally increase as people talk to you more and more. Of course, since conversations are two-way, what you really need is the art of active listening.
Active listening means showing the other party that you've been paying attention. Listen to what they're saying, then pause momentarily (this is important) before responding to them. One effective response would be to paraphrase their words. Therefore, you'd start off with something like, "So what you're saying is ..." and you'd go on to repeat whatever they said in your own words.
(The pause is crucial because besides buying you time to formulate a reply, it also allows whatever the other party has said to sink in a little deeper so you understand them better. Plus, it shows people that you're taking them seriously and you're not just eager to get a word in for the sake of it. If you find you still don't know what to say, you could ask them to clarify what they've said, and take the conversation from there.)
Also, while they're busy talking, use occasional nods of the head, and say "Yes" or "I see" or "That's interesting". The idea is to show people that you're paying attention to them, and not thinking about something else. It's a ridiculously simple tool to get conversations going and to build new friendships.
Tell Great Stories
Some great conversationalists keep a database of funny and witty anecdotes in their head that they can relate in a conversation to lighten the mood and perk up their other party's attention. However, there's a key to just what you should say and what not to say in order not to wind up with a bored listener (or worse, more) when you're done.
- Make sure your story is interesting. Have at least a few interesting points to share in the course of your talking. Make sure it isn't long, unless you have more than one interesting point to tell. Space the interesting bits out to break the monotony and keep people hooked.
- Put the most interesting point at the end of the story. Your story should build up to the inevitable climax, not degrade gradually till it becomes a boring tale.
- Keep your story personal. Stories about yourself provide a unique insight into your characteristics and personality. Thus, you shouldn't talk about stories that happened to your friends or relatives, i.e. persons whom the people you're talking with wouldn't really know (the world isn't that small - yet). Most people don't really care about people they've never met before. Since you're there in front of them, introduce yourself to them - in a more interesting way.
- Make sure you know your stories well. Pausing to recall a part of your story detracts from the overall mood and doesn't reflect well on your part. Practice reciting these stories, and slowly accustom yourself to get the timing and emphasis right. Have several interesting anecdotes on call that you can use in conversations. One advice: don't grasp for stories. Grasping includes questions like "How was your day?" These questions should be kept as a last resort.
Be Confident!
The most important part about the whole thing? Confidence. Without the courage to go up to a person and put all that you've learned into action, everything goes to waste.
Some things to keep in mind to keep up your self-esteem and boost your confidence:
- Dress up a little. Comb your hair (or muss it up stylishly, whichever you fancy), put on some bling, a little cologne/perfume. You don't have to go overboard on style, just make sure you look good. People tend to react more favorably when they have a good first impression of you. The easiest way to gain that would be to present yourself properly.
- Wear something you're comfortable in. It doesn't matter whether it's a formal or informal event - make sure you wear something that suits you, that you like. Make sure it looks presentable, though!
- Body language is important. Stand straight, smile, and just be yourself. No point putting on airs and trying to be somebody you're not. Not only do people quickly see through this trick, they'll also get the impression that you're someone who isn't comfortable about himself.
The above three things help you to present a better image to the world at large. Also, when you look good (and know it), it helps you a little in being a little more daring, a little more confident. Coupled with the positive reaction from others around you, you'll naturally feel comfortable about yourself - and that helps in getting conversations going.
And When it Ends...
Of course, not everyone is bound to succeed all the time. Hell, I've had my fair share of awkward moments too. But remember, always keep in mind that failure's never a barrier to achieving more. It's only a sign you need more practice, and need to try more!
If you did get a conversation going - even if it was only for a short while - then kudos! You are that much closer to being a great conversationalist. Before you part with your companion, shake hands, smile, and say thank you before moving on. The least you can do is leave politely. Never think you can't do it. Most great conversationalists were not born; they were made.
Conversations with new people shouldn't have to be something arduous, like a chore. It should be something fun that we look forward to, like a challenge to be overcome. The important things to keep in mind are to keep your cool and refrain from talking too much about yourself. Get others interested in you by getting them to do the talking, then listen attentively to them. Share interesting anecdotes with your partners, and dress well to give them a good first impression.
Hope this guide helped you out, and good luck in all your endeavors!
Note from the blogger:
This is my first How-To guide. Comments and feedback from all of you would be really appreciated. Is there anything I could improve on? Do you have any requests or suggestions on other How-To guides you'd like to see? Please comment and help me improve my writing. Thank you! :)
Cheers,
Jared
~verus rara avis~
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;;This was a post a failed to put up yesterday.
Many of you surely use BitTorrent to get your files whether they are TV Shows, music albums, anime, *ahem*, etc. If you are not already using µTorrent as a client you should make the switch A.S.A.P. The main contender clients of µTorrent like BitComet and Azureus pale in comparison. µTorrent is simply magic.
Here is why in my humble and simple opinion that µTorrent is the best BitTorrent client out there.
- µTorrent is the smallest BitTorrent client around taking up only 178kb of space.
- µTorrent doesn't need to be installed. You just download the file from here to your desktop and start µTorrent as soon as your download is finished.
- µTorrent starts as soon as you open it. There's no load time whatsoever.
- µTorrent uses almost no computer resources. You won't even know it's running.
- µTorrent has the simplest and most elegant user interface.
- µTorrent has a simple preferences panel.
- µTorrent has the fastest download speeds I've ever seen. It even beats BitComet the supposed fastest.
~multum in parvo~
P.S: Dumbfounded by BitTorrent? Visit my previous BitTorrent guide here.
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;;Writer's block has infected our bohemian, in-house "photojournalist" and rebel with a cause. Will it be like HIV, the influenza virus or a headache? Nevertheless, unlike biological illnesses, writer's block can be cured with these few pieces of advice.
- Snap a picture and post it up on a blog with a caption. Try pondering on the picture.
- People have writer’s block not because they can’t write, but because they despair of writing eloquently.” Turn the critical brain off. There is a time and place for criticism: it’s called editing. If you don't want to edit post up a draft here on RANDTS and request me to edit your writing.
- Set a blogging schedule. I can blog at least once a day. Maybe you guys could do it once every three days or once a week. Regardless, try to stick to it unless you really cannot.
- If violence is entertaining to you try watching Happy Tree Friends. The violence here is inspiring.
- Read the blogs of your friends to acquire inspiration.
- Write up lame numbered list like this.
- Put up a poll using this site.
- Take each post one at a time. Don't muddle your mind with too much thoughts.
- If you feel down think about cripples like me or the destitute people of Africa.
- Take a walk in the early morning breeze.
- Look at pug pictures (eima's recommendation).
~multum in parvo~
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Simply use Scrape Torrent to search for all your torrents. Scrape Torrent has extensive results for many albums, movies, manga, anime, TV shows etc. Also remember that torrents with full health ensures speedy downloads. I really use this site extensively.
If you are a TV show addict check out EZTV. They have all the American and Canadian TV shows there for downloading pleasure. It's updated on the dot with new episodes of every show. You don't have to worry about torrent health here as this site is the original source of many torrents.
For those still dumbfounded by BitTorrent check out this older post of mine.
~multum in parvo~
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Men, generally perceive women with a traditional (sometimes chauvinistic) mindset and have standard expectations for women to serve and remain submissive to the male's demands. For example, women are expected to cook, serve their family etc. Paradoxically, men also expect women to be outgoing, independent and sexy. These paradoxes lead to the exploitation of women. The hardwired perception of women in society must change. A truly advanced society will treat everyone equally. After all everyone is equal in the eyes of God.
Now let us examine the perception of women by the youth.
How do guys normally perceive women?
How do girls usually perceive themselves?
~multum in parvo~
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Just get it straight, my whole Audio/Visual entertainment collection was amassed through dowloading using the BitTorrent protocol (BitTorrent is not a computer program).
Now let's go on with the guide.
BitTorrent uses torrents (something like download links) to download files hosted on a server somewhere. Almost any kind of file can be downloaded using Bittorrent from entire albums to movies
How do I use torrents?
First of all you will need a BitTorrent client or put simply, a program that opens "torrents” to start the download. It's not that complicated really. There is a huge range of bittorent clients to use.
I would recommend you guys to use µTorrent (click to go to the download page) as it has one of the simplest interface. You can check out the µTorrent website for more extensive information. I personally use Azureus which is feature and resource heavy and not to mention complicated, so I don't recommend it.
With a BitTorrent client now torrents can be used. It's pretty simple, first you search for torrents of files you want. You download these torrents and open them using your BitTorrent client. Your client will then prompt you to specify where to download the file. Once you are finished with that your file will start downloading.
Where do I search for torrents?
Simply use Scrape Torrent to search for all your torrents. Scrape Torrent has extensive results for many albums, movies, manga, anime, TV shows etc. Also remember that torrents with full health ensures speedy downloads.
That's it. Any questions? I'm not a good guide writer so don't bother if my guide is a pain and of course your comments will help me improve my guide writing skill.
By the way, I'm not responsible for any advertisements you encounter. Remember to ignore them and never ever click on them.
Bye-bye
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