7 Tips for Applying for Scholarships

Scholarships can be a great way to pay for your higher education. The cost of tuition at colleges and universities are skyrocketing and the average student can have more than $50,000 of student loans after obtaining a bachelor’s degree. Each year, thousands of scholarships go unclaimed simply because people haven’t applied for them.

1: Create a List

Create a list of all of the different scholarships you qualify for. This is going to take some research and luckily, there are countless sources online that will tell you who is offering scholarships. You want to focus on ones that are within your major, designed for your school, as well as for the ethnic group that you are contained within. There may also be other circumstances that are in your life that would allow you to qualify for scholarships. This includes financial need, merit based, active in the community, child of a military service member, and more. Don’t be afraid to dig through your background and use anything that may help you to get a scholarship.

2: Write the Essays

Often, people see ‘essay’ and move on. Write the essays. Scholarship committees want to see you are willing to make the effort to receive the money. A 500 word essay doesn’t have to take a lot of time, but it does have to come from the heart. Be honest and make sure to follow the instructions. Many scholarships ask you to write the same kind of essay, but sometimes a committee will change things up and ask you to write based upon a given prompt. Don’t go off topic as it could cause your application to get discarded.

3: Participate in Community Service

Volunteering within the community is a great way to get scholarships. Not only can it help you to qualify for the scholarships from such local organizations as the Rotary and the Chamber of Commerce, but also demonstrates that you are a well-rounded person.

4: Write a Resume

Writing a resume is a good thing because it will allow you to apply for more scholarships and complete applications faster. Pretend as though you’re applying for a job and include everything that a scholarship committee should know about you. Include jobs, volunteer work, organizations you have been a part of and everything else. This will ensure you don’t exclude anything during the application process.

5: Branch Out

Don’t be afraid to apply to more than 10 scholarships. With online submissions becoming more common, it likely won’t cost any money to apply for the scholarships, so the only thing that it’s going to cost is time. Branch out and include some of the other aspects of your life. Maybe you have some Native American Indian in your background – this can work to your advantage by exploring scholarships for such individuals. Maybe you took a course in high school that would allow you to apply for a scholarship being offered by an organization. There are millions of scholarships offered and the more you branch out, the easier it is to find out about them all.

6: Go for the Long Shots

Many people look at the scholarships that are worth $500 and $1,000 because they assume they are easier to get. While this may be true, you would need dozens of them to cover all of your educational expenses. The ones that provide $10,000 or more often require you to do more and because they are not awarded to as many people, they are deemed the “long shots”. If many people toss them aside because they are too much work, the committees for said scholarships are not getting that many applicants. You could have a shot at these and it’s worth applying because, although it’s a long shot, you could be the lucky recipient. The money rewarded could be enough to cover a semester’s worth of tuition or even more – and that’s less student loans for you to take out.

7: Don’t Miss Deadlines

One of the biggest reasons people don’t get scholarships is because they miss the deadlines. Every application has a deadline on it. The submissions have to be postmarked or received by the deadline, otherwise they are ignored. This means you could be going through the work of submitting for a scholarship and the committee isn’t even going to place your submission into consideration because you couldn’t follow the smallest of details.

It can be advantageous to add all of the scholarship deadlines to a calendar so you know which ones are the most pressing. It can ensure you don’t miss any deadlines and are in the running for each one that you apply for.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

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send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

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5 Tips for Securing Your Wireless Network

How secure is your wireless network? Is it tough enough to handle a hacker attack, or is it wide-open with no encryption or password, allowing anyone and everyone to get a free ride while you pay the bill? Let's look at some steps you can take to lock down your wireless network.

1. Turn on WPA2 Encryption on Your Wireless Router

If you set up your Wi-Fi network several years ago and haven’t changed any settings since then, chances are, you might be using the outdated Wireless Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption which is easily hackable by even the most novice hacker. Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) is the current standard and is much more hacker-resistant.

Depending on how old your wireless router is, you may need to upgrade its firmware to add WPA2 support. If you can't upgrade your router's firmware to add support for WPA2 then you should consider investing in a new wireless router that supports WPA2 encryption.

2. Don't Use a Common Wireless Network Name (SSID)

There is a list that hackers like to refer to that contains the Top 1000 most common SSIDs (wireless network names). If your SSID is on this list, hackers have likely already created a custom Rainbow Table (password hash table) that can be used to crack your network's password (unless you're using a really long network password). Even some implementations of WPA2 may be vulnerable to this type of attack. Check to make sure your network’s name is not on the list. Make your network name as random as possible and avoid using dictionary words.

3. Create a Really Long Wireless Network Password (Pre Shared Key)

In conjunction with creating a strong network name that isn't on the list of the most common SSIDs, you should choose a strong password for your pre shared key. A shorter length password is more likely to be cracked than a longer one. Longer passwords are better because the Rainbow Tables that are used to crack passwords aren't practical after you exceed a certain length of password due to storage limitations.

Consider setting your wireless network's password to a length of 16 or more characters. You have plenty of room to get creative with your Pre Shared Key as the maximum password length for WPA2-PSK is 64 characters. It may seem like a royal pain to type in a super long password, but since most Wi-Fi devices cache this password, you’ll only have to endure this annoyance once per device, which is a small price to pay for the added security it provides.

4. Enable and Test Your Wireless Router's Firewall

Most wireless routers have a built-in firewall that can be used to help keep hackers out of your network. You should consider enabling and configuring the built-in firewall (see your router manufacturer's support site for details). You may also want to enable the firewall's "Stealth Mode" feature to help reduce your network's visibility as a potential target. Once you've enabled your firewall you should periodically test it to ensure that it is doing it's job. Check out our article on How to Test Your Firewall for more information.

5. Turn Off The "Admin Via Wireless" Feature on Your Wireless Router

You can help prevent hackers from taking control of the administrative features of your wireless router by turning off the "admin via wireless" configuration setting. Disabling “Admin Via Wireless” ensures that only someone who is connected to your router via an Ethernet cable can access the administrative functions of your wireless router. This helps prevent them from trying to turn off other security features such as wireless encryption and your firewall.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

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4 Secrets Wireless Hackers Don't Want You to Know

You're using a wireless access point that has encryption so you're safe, right? Wrong! Hackers want you to believe that you are protected so you will remain vulnerable to their attacks. Here are 4 things that wireless hackers hope you won't find out, otherwise they might not be able to break into your network and/or computer:

1. WEP encryption is useless for protecting your wireless network. WEP is easily cracked within minutes and only provides users with a false sense of security.

Even a mediocre hacker can defeat Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP)-based security in a matter of minutes, making it essentially useless as a protection mechanism. Many people set their wireless routers up years ago and have never bothered to change their wireless encryption from WEP to the newer and stronger WPA2 security. Updating your router to WPA2 is a fairly simple process. Visit your wireless router manufacturer's website for instructions.

2. Using your wireless router's MAC filter to prevent unauthorized devices from joining your network is ineffective and easily defeated.

Every piece of IP-based hardware, whether it's a computer, game system, printer, etc, has a unique hard-coded MAC address in its network interface. Many routers will allow you to permit or deny network access based on a device's MAC address. The wireless router inspects the MAC address of the network device requesting access and compares it your list of permitted or denied MACs. This sounds like a great security mechanism but the problem is that hackers can "spoof" or forge a fake MAC address that matches an approved one. All they need to do is use a wireless packet capture program to sniff (eavesdrop) on the wireless traffic and see which MAC addresses are traversing the network. They can then set their MAC address to match one of that is allowed and join the network.

3. Disabling your wireless router's remote administration feature can be a very effective measure to prevent a hacker from taking over your wireless network.

Many wireless routers have a setting that allows you to administer the router via a wireless connection. This means that you can access all of the routers security settings and other features without having to be on a computer that is plugged into the router using an Ethernet cable. While this is convenient for being able to administer the router remotely, it also provides another point of entry for the hacker to get to your security settings and change them to something a little more hacker friendly. Many people never change the factory default admin passwords to their wireless router which makes things even easier for the hacker. I recommend turning the "allow admin via wireless" feature off so only someone with a physical connection to the network can attempt to administer the wireless router settings.

4. If you use public hotspots you are an easy target for man-in-the-middle and session hijacking attacks.

Hackers can use tools like Firesheep and AirJack to perform "man-in-the-middle" attacks where they insert themselves into the wireless conversation between sender and receiver. Once they have successfully inserted themselves into the line of communications, they can harvest your account passwords, read your e-mail, view your IMs, etc. They can even use tools such as SSL Strip to obtain passwords for secure websites that you visit. I recommend using a commercial VPN service provider to protect all of your traffic when you are using wi-fi networks. Costs range from $7 and up per month. A secure VPN provides an additional layer of security that is extremely difficult to defeat. Unless the hacker is extremely determined they will most likely move on and try an easier target.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

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The 20 Best Uses for the iPad

1. Surf on the Couch :

Let's start with the most obvious use for the iPad. Have you ever been watching TV and wondered where you'd seen a particular actor before? Having IMDB, Wikipedia and the rest of the web at your fingertips from the comfort of your couch can be a wonderful thing.

2. Mobile Gaming :

The iPad was already a great gaming machine, with the ability to use the gyroscope and accelerometer to take portable gaming to a whole new level. The iPad 2 added to this with the ability to play augmented reality games, which makes gaming a great use for the iPad. And with the iPad 3's Retina Display, the graphics can even compete with console games. The Best Action/Arcade Games for the iPad

3. eReader :

The ability to read eBooks from Apple's iBooks, Amazon's Kindle and Barnes and Noble's Nook certainly makes the iPad one of the most versatile eReaders on the market. But don't forget the great newspaper and magazine content, like The Daily from News Corp., which is hoping to redefine the daily newspaper for the digital age.

4. Recipe Book :

The size and portability of the iPad makes it great for any room in the house, including the kitchen. There are tons of great cooking apps, such as recipes from Epicurious and Whole Foods Market. 

5. Photo Album : 

It's one thing to carry around a bunch of photos on your iPhone, it is a totally different thing when you can display them on a 9.7" screen. You can easily store thousands of photographs on the lowest end iPad, and even display them as a slideshow. How much memory does your iPad need?

6. GPS :

A great use for the iPad 4G model is as a GPS replacement. With an Assisted-GPS chip, the iPad can keep you from ever being lost. And the Maps app introduced in iOS 6.0 includes hands free turn-by-turn directions with data from TomTom.

7. Portable TV : 

This little-known use for the iPad can be great for parents that often find themselves at soccer games and tennis matches but might want to catch up on their television. Through the use of Sling Media's Sling Box, you'll never be without television. Shop for Sling Box

8. Home Stereo :

One of the first things I recommend to new iPad users is to enable Home Sharing on iTunes and their iPad. This will allow you to play all of your music (and movies) on your iPad without actually loading them onto the device. And with the Digital AV Adapter, you can hook your iPad into your TV and get your music through your home theaters speakers. This definitely makes Home Sharing one of the best uses for the iPad.

9. Connect the iPad to Your TV : 

The iPad has a lot of great entertainment value, including the ability to stream HD video and play high-quality games. But what about watching it on the big screen? There a several methods to hook your iPad up to your HDTV, including using AirPlay to wirelessly connect the iPad to Apple TV. And most solutions work with both video and sound, so you can really get the full HD experience. Find out how to connect your iPad to your TV

10. Say Goodbye to Premium Cable :

Have you ever wanted to ditch premium cable? The ability to stream Netflix and Hulu Plus directly to your HDTV means you can replace your premium channels without being forced to watch movies on a smaller screen. And considering the amount of television available on those services, some people could dump cable completely.

11. Family Entertainment :

When you combine Apple's rigorous inspection of each app with the parental controls found in their iOS devices and the thousands of great games and apps on the iPad, you get the perfect family entertainment system. The iPad is great for family vacations when you need to entertain the kids in the backseat. Not only will they get access to movies, they can play games for far cheaper than most portable gaming machines.

12. Business : 

The iPad is increasingly being used in the business, especially for those who must conduct their business while on the move, like nurses and doctors. Between the many different business-related apps in the app store and the ability to hit the web, it is not to hard to find great uses for the iPad in the workplace.

13. Computer Replacement : 

Between its ability to hit Facebook, read Email and browse the web, the iPad can replace the laptop for many people. Apps like Apple's Pages and Numbers and the ability to hook up a keyboard via Bluetooth makes it a great computer on the go. And now that you can set up an iPad without a PC and use iCloud to make a back up, the iPad can actually replace the home computer for some.

14. Personal Assistant : 

The iPad 3 and iOS 6 adds a brand new use for the iPad: personal assistant. Siri can be a great little assistant, performing tasks from setting setting up meetings on your calender, finding nearby restaurants to eat at and even booking reservations for you. The best part? Reminders. Siri makes it incredibly easy to set a reminder, which is great if you too often find yourself forgetting to do something.

15. Second Monitor : 

Here's a neat trick: using your iPad as a second (or even third) monitor for your laptop or desktop PC. Through apps like DisplayLink and AirDIsplay, you can use your iPad as if it were an extra monitor connected to your PC. These apps work by connecting with a software package you download to your PC and then sending your iPad the video signal over Wi-Fi, and while they might not be quite as good as a real monitor, they actually perform quite well.

16. Wi-Fi Hotspot : 

The 4G version of the iPad 3 on Verizon has a really nice feature for those who like their Internet on the go: free tethering. This means you can use your iPad as a Wi-Fi Hotspot, and because it is 4G, you can get super fast speeds. The one caveat: tiered data plans can get expensive if you download too much data, and streaming HD video will use up the allocated data very quickly.

17. Video Conferencing :

Did you know that FaceTime works on the iPad? In fact, it's actually better on an iPad because you have a bigger display. FaceTime works on the iPad by using your email address as a phone number, allowing anyoen else with an iPhone or iPad to 'call' you.

18. Video Camera :

While the original iPad didn't have a camera, and the iPad 2's back-facing camera wasn't the highest quality, the camera on the iPad 3 is actually pretty good. And not only can you take video with it, there are a number of different apps that will let you edit video, including a version of iMovie for the iPad.

19. Be a Musician :

For musicians, there are a ton of helpful apps that range from a digital piano to a guitar effects processor. You can even turn your iPad into a DJ station. Not a musician but want to be one? You can even use the iPad to learn an instrument thanks to nifty gadgets like ION's Piano Studio.

20. Control a Robot : 

The coolest use for an iPad? Controlling a robot. Double Robotics has created an iPad robot, which is essentially an iPad stand with wheels that you can control remotely.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

send2raheel@engineer.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com

My iPad Is Running Slow

Is your iPad running slow? Does it seem to get bogged down after a few hours? This is not an uncommon problem.  It is usually caused by an app that is running in the background, which can lead to the app taking up too much memory or processing power. Luckily, this is also relatively easy to fix.

First: Purge Apps From Memory

The most common problem for an iPad running slow is being low on memory or having too many apps running in the background. The iPad multitasks by suspending applications that are no longer active, but allowing a portion of the app to keep running. In this way, Pandora can still send music to your speakers even after you've closed it.

To close the application, we need to bring up a list of all running applications. You can do this by double clicking the home button at the bottom of your iPad. (It's the circular button you use to close iPad apps.) When you press it twice in quick succession,  your most recent apps are shown as small windows with their associated icon below it. 

To close an app, touch the window, and while keeping your finger on the screen, swipe toward the top of the screen.  This gesture resembles "flicking" the app off the iPad.   Remember: you touch the app window, not the app icon.

Go ahead and close the first four or five apps and see if that helps. If it doesn't, proceed to step two.

Note: If you have not upgraded to the most recent operating system, you may get a different screen when double-clicking the home button. The old task manager has all of the application icons lined up across the bottom of the screen with no associated windows.

Next: Reboot the iPad

Sometimes closing down apps simply won't do the trick. In this case, rebooting the iPad is the best recourse.  This will flush everything from memory and give your iPad a clean start.  

To reboot the iPad, hold down the sleep/wake button button until instructions appear telling you to slide a button to power off the iPad.

When you slide the button, the tablet will shut down and the iPad's screen will go completely dark.  

Boot the iPad back up by holding down the sleep/wake button again. You will first see the Apple logo on the screen and your iPad should boot up shortly.  Your iPad should run quicker, but if it starts bogging down, keep in mind the apps that are running at the time. Sometimes, a single app can cause the iPad to begin performing poorly.

Clear Storage Space

If you are running desperately low on storage space, clearing up a little extra elbow room for the iPad can sometimes improve performance. This can be accomplished by deleting apps that you no longer use, especially games that you don't play anymore.

You can also speed up Safari by deleting your cookies and web history, though this will cause you to log back into any websites that have saved your login information. How to Clear Cookies and Web History in the iPad's Safari Browser.

Make Sure You Are Running the Current Version of iOS

iOS is the operating system running on the iPad. While sometimes a major update will actually slow the iPad down a little, it is always a good idea to run the latest operating system.  Not only will this ensure that you have the most recent performance tweaks, it also ensures that you have the latest fixes for any security issues.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com

5 FREE APPS TO KEEP YOUR ANDROID DEVICE VIRUS AND MALWARE FREE

Protecting your phone from harmful software is paramount especially when you have important information on your Android device. With several options on the play store you can always find something for your Android phone or tablet — but few of these are free. While some give free features, most leave the more important features at a premium or subscription basis.

But does your Android device need a virus scanner anyway? This is still an ongoing endless debate but for now and we’re going to look at 5 apps that are available in the Google Play Store for free. Most of the virus and malware scanning apps are multi -purpose, you can also use them as app managers, app locks, privacy controls, phone finder, remote wipe and more.

1. Bitdefender Antivirus Freebitdefender

This is name is no stranger to desktop PC users, Bitdefender brought its renown antivirus to Android with Bitdefender Antivirus Free. You will not need to configure this app, just install and you are good to go. Using the same  scanning software as Bitdefender Mobile Security, the app gives you confidence that your phone will be protected 24/7. Unlike other apps, this won’t slow down your device since much of the work is done in the cloud.

With the free version, features like find my phone, browser protection and remote lock, are missing but if you feel you need them, you could opt for the paid version.

2. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware

This is a simple app that offers a great set of tools that will keep your Android device protected from malware and other infected apps. Scanning via the app will alert you to malware, spyware, trojans, and other malicious code, and alert you so you can act accordingly.

It is also a good privacy manager that shows a breakdown of your installed application’s privileges as well as a security audit that shows any vulnerabilities on your device.

3. Comodo Security & AntivirusComodo Security & Antivirus

When used with its basics,  Comodo Security & Antivirus will protect your device from viruses and unsafe apps — but it also offers a set of tweaks to help you boost your device’s speed. The app has the ability to scan your device 27/4 thanks to its “always on” mode hence protecting it from viruses. You can also use it for Privacy Protection, as a Privacy Advisor to notify you on app permissions, SMS and Call Blocking, Traffic Monitoring, Backup and more.

If your device is stolen or lost, Comodo helps you set up Anti-Theft codes which allow you to perform actions on your device remotely. You can activate the codes via SMS to do things like locate your device, sound an alarm, take a photo, or even wipe your device. How cool is that? I think this is a must have security app.

4. CM Security Antivirus AppLock

This is not only antivirus protection app, but also an AppLock feature for securing your apps, settings, and media files. You can also use it as a phone booster, it also has anti-theft features like find my phone, and safe browsing to protect you from malicious web pages.

With the AppLock feature, you can lock specific apps from preying eyes so apps like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or Viber will be secure. As a bonus you can also lock settings on your device, or protect media files like photos and video with the CM security app.

5. 360 Security – Antivirus Boost360 Security - Antivirus Boost

The last app that I will recommend, is the 360 Security – Antivirus Boost that comes with a lot of functionality. Apart from offering real-time virus protection, it also cleans and speed up your device to keep it running in tip-top shape. All installed apps, new apps and memory card content are scanned— to make sure you don’t install any harmful software. It can also help you cleans out junk files (large and unused files) and frees up memory with just one tap.

360security also has built-in anti-theft features like find my phone, alarm, remote lock and more, should your device be lost or stolen.

Thanks & Regards,

"Remember Me When You Raise Your Hand For Dua"

Raheel Ahmed Khan

System Engineer

send2raheel@yahoo.com

sirraheel@gmail.com

send2raheel (skype id)

My Blog Spot 

http://raheel-mydreamz.blogspot.com