
Despite the proliferation of laptops and netbooks, the vast majority of students still use their computers like $500 typewriters. Stop working so hard and be a better student by leveraging some clever computer tools to your advantage.
Photo by Brad K..
Every semester I get a new wave of college freshman into my classroom, most of them armed with laptops. For the last several semesters, I have been informally tracking how they use their computers. I always assumed that my students were using their computers to their full potential to help them with school, research, and such, but almost all of them were simply using their laptops as extremely expensive typewriters and instant-messaging terminals.
What good is all the computing power of the pre-1960s world sitting on your lap if you're not using it to make college life easier? The following is a guide for students everywhere that want to spend less time on the tedious stuff, and more time on the things like study and research that actually produce results.
Never Do Anything Yourself That Your Computer Can Do For You

Never, ever, do something the hard way without checking to see if any easy way exists. Applications come in every shape and form to automate tasks on the computer. Never undertake a tedious task on your computer without first visiting a search engine and searching for a method of automating it. Whether you're resizing photos for a class project, renaming files, or crunching numbers in a spreadsheet, check for the simple—and automatic!—way first. Photo by striatic.

File Renamers: Renaming tons of files has to be one of the most boring and grinding tasks you can undertake. Never waste time renaming files. If you're on a PC, check out the powerful Bulk Rename Utility for a dashboard of options and the less-overwhelming but still effective Ken Rename. If you're on a Mac, you can download specialty apps like File List, but it pays to become acquainted with Automator, which can do so much more than simple file renaming.

Text Replacement: Unless you're writing the next great American novel, chances are you type a fair number of things with a high degree of frequency. Your email address, common phrases you use, formatting you find yourself typing over and over again when working on papers or taking notes, and so on, it might not seem like much but you can easily save hours over the course of a semester by using text replacement. How does text replacement work? Each text replacement tool handles things a little bit differently, but nearly all of them have two basic methods: instant replacement and hot keys.
With replacement, you tell your computer to replace every instance of a string with another string—like notes1 becomes your favorite bullet-list format for taking notes, or mymail becomes your full email address.
Hot keys allow you to assign a phrase to a bit of shorthand plus a hotkey. For example, I have a phrase that is XXX+TAB. Typing it takes only four key strokes but it types out a phrase that would require 53 keystrokes if I typed it manually.
If you're on a PC, you can try out our home-grown text replacement tool Texter, or other capable tools like Phrase Express. Mac users should check out TextExpander or become more familiar with the built in text-replacement tools in Snow Leopard, and Linux users can give AutoKey a whirl.
Regardless of what you're trying to do, you'll almost always be able to find a tool online to automate or at least make that task easier. Get in the habit of always asking yourself, no matter what the task, "Could the computer do this faster and with less input from me?". Over time you'll build up a set of tools for quickly completing common tasks.
Keyboard shortcuts

Learn the keyboard shortcuts for everything: your word processor, your note-taking tools, your email client. Slinging the mouse around for tasks that can be accomplished with a keystroke or two is a really inefficient way to work, and far less comfortable. If you're furiously taking down notes in class do you really want to break your stride to dig around in the toolbar or menus for something like a bullet point activation? You can find shortcut lists for every operating system and application under the sun; hit up Google with a search query like "myapplication shortcut list" to find more shortcuts than you knew existed. Photo by John A. Ward.
Take Better Notes

Note taking is an art form, and it is most definitely not simply writing down everything your professor says or that is in bold print in your textbook. How you take notes is a highly personal thing and heavily influenced by your learning style, but everyone can stand to improve their note taking with a tip or two. Photo by D'Arcy Norman.
Study Note-Taking Techniques: We've shared tips with you on how to take more effective notes and how to utilize different note-taking styles and you'll find no shortage of resources elsewhere on the web for being a more effective note-taker. You can further hone your note-taking skills by researching subject-specific note taking techniques—how you take notes in Medieval Literature won't be the same way you take notes in Organic Chemistry.
People who love to take handwritten notes love to take handwritten notes, and we don't expect to dissuade the everything-looks-better-on-a-Moleskin crowd from abandoning their pens. For the rest of you, taking paper notes is, quite literally, so last century. It's 2010, and there is no reason for you not to have dynamic, media-rich, cross-indexed, and always available notes. At the end of the semester, do you really want to pick through a hundred pages of hand written notes looking for specific bits of information? No, you don't. You want to be able to search through your notes quickly and efficiently the same way you use major search engines like Google.
Two extremely popular note-taking tools are Microsoft OneNote and Evernote—so popular, in fact, we faced them off in a reader poll last year. The awesome features of the two applications are beyond the scope of a paragraph, but suffice to say they both have excellent systems for searching (with handwriting recognition!), organizing, and accessing your notes—I use OneNote for everything from graduate school to teaching to writing for Lifehacker. You can check out our overview of OneNote here and Evernote here.
Use the Computer to Network

We're not talking about Facebook-ing everyone in your class. We're talking about actively using online study and collaboration tools to interact with your classmates. Sharing notes, discussing assignments and class topics, and collaborating on group projects are but a few of the ways you can take advantage of the hyper-connectivity the information age has brought about. Photo by krossbow.
Share Your Notes:The first objection I usually hear to the idea of sharing notes is that people don't want to share their hard work and they don't think that other people should benefit from it. Fair enough, how you deal with who participates in your class-centered groups and note sharing sessions is your business but as an instructor I can tell you this: the kind of person who doesn't bother to take their own notes isn't exactly the kind of person you're going to have to fight for the top grade in the class.
You can share notes and collaborate in quite a few ways but it would help your cause to stick with methods that have a low barrier to entry—most people don't want to sign up for a bunch of services just for a class. Google Notebook and Documents are great tools since having a Gmail account is nearly universal. You could also set up your own wiki with free tools like Luminotes or customize MediaWiki into your own personal collaboration server.
Build a Contact Web: Whether it's a group on Facebook, an email list, or a list of phone numbers for text messaging, it's wise to create a way you can quickly communicate with other students. Many times you have a question about an assignment, something that happened in class, or what you missed when you were absent and sending out an email to your fellow students will result in a faster response than waiting to hear back from the professor. It also helps you build a contact list of your peers—not as important in a freshman Psychology 110 course, but by the time you're in at the end of your schooling you'll be taking more focused classes and meeting people in your career path you'll want to stay in contact with.
Backup, Backup, Backup

You have no excuse for not backing up your data—none. The number and methods for backing up data, especially the small volume that constitutes text-based research and class notes, are so numerous that there simply is no excuse for doing something foolish like keeping all your hard work on a single hard disk or flash drive. Photo by Jeff Wilcox.
Dropbox: It's free, the basic account can more than hold a semester's worth of work—short of a film school project—and it syncs to all your computers and to the web. "I accidentally deleted my homework" wasn't a very good excuse ten years ago and it's an unforgivable one now. You can sync your passwords, your OneNote notebooks, and access your favorite portable apps from anywhere.
Online Backup: While Dropbox is great for syncing files, if you want to go all out you'll definitely want to check out some full-fledged computer backup tools like Mozy and Carbonite. Check out our Hive Five on best Windows backup tools to get more information.
How one could imagine that Imam Mahadi and Nabi Isa WILL WIN THE WAR AGAINST MUNAFIQINS AND KAFFIR INCLUDING JEWS later other than TAQWA OF IMAM MAHADI AND NABI ISA and their followers.
Harvard made a research and concluded that what make a person successful is not his intelligent but attitude. Intelligent is just 10%.
GEC also made a study and the conclusion is that one can excel in works due to the following:
70% apprenticeship and sufferings by doing works (hands on experiences)
20% networking, polishing and others
10% training and education such as attending university, IBFIM classes and whatever training he wishes during his life time.
May be the above HARVARD AND GEC researches on talent development explain why people like the late Lim Goh Tong and Loh Boon Siew were successful in life, at least in this world. Don’t forget the Chinese are controlling our economy and just see around you for evidences.
Wallahu Alam.
Extracts of speech by Hafez A.B Mohamed: Director-General, Al Baraka Bank - VE RY INTERESTING!
Extracts of speech by Hafez A.B Mohamed: Director-General, Al Baraka Bank.
Demographics:
o World Jewish Population. 14 million
o Distribution: 7 m in America
5 m in Asia
2 m in Europe
100 thousand in Africa
o World Muslim Population: 1.5 billion
o Distribution: 1 billion in Asia/Mid-East
400 M in Africa
44 M in Europe
6 M in the Americas
o Every fifth human being is a Muslim.
o For every single Hindu there are two Muslims
o For every Buddhist there are two Muslims
o For every Jew there are 107 Muslims
o Yet the 14 million Jews are more powerful than the entire 1.5 billion Muslims
Why?
Here are some of the reasons.
Movers of Current History
o Albert Einstein Jewish
o Sigmund Freud Jewish
o Karl Marx Jewish
o Paul Samuelson Jewish
o Milton Friedman Jewish
Medical Milestones
oVaccinating Needle: Benjamin Ruben Jewish
o Polio Vaccine Jonas Salk Jewish
o Leukaemia Drug Gertrude Elion Jewish
o Hepatitis B Baruch Blumberg Jewish
o Syphilis Drug Paul Ehrlich Jewish
o Neuro muscular Elie Metchnikoff Jewish
o Endocrinology Andrew Schally Jewish
o Cognitive therapy. Aaron Beck Jewish
o Contraceptive Pill Gregory Pincus Jewish
o Understanding of Human Eye.G. Wald Jewish
o Embryology. Stanley Cohen Jewish
o Kidney Dialysis Willem Kloffcame Jewish
Nobel Prize Winners
o In the past 105 years, 14 million Jews have won 180 Nobel prizes whilst 1.5 billion Muslims have contributed only 3 Nobel winners
Inventions that changed History
o Micro- Processing Chip. Stanley Mezor Jewish
o Nuclear Chain Reactor Leo Sziland Jewish
o Optical Fibre Cable Peter Schultz Jewish
o Traffic Lights Charles Adler Jewish
o Stainless Steel Benno Strauss Jewish
o Sound Movies Isador Kisee Jewish
o Telephone Microphone Emile Berliner Jewish
o Video Tape Recorder Charles Ginsburg Jewish
Influential Global Business
o Polo Ralph Lauren Jewish
o Coca Cola Jewish
o Levi's Jeans Levi Strauss Jewish
o Sawbuck's Howard Schultz Jewish
o Google Sergey Brin Jewish
o Dell Computers Michael Dell Jewish
o Oracle Larry Ellison Jewish
o DKNY Donna Karan Jewish
o Baskin & Robbins Irv Robbins Jewish
o Dunkin Donuts Bill Rosenberg Jewish
Influential Intellectuals/ Politicians
o Henry Kissinger , US Sec of State Jewish
o Richard Levin, PresidentYaleUniver sity Jewish
o Alan Greenspan , US Federal Reserve Jewish
o Joseph Lieberman Jewish
o Madeleine Albright , US Sec of State Jewish
o CasperWeinberger , US Sec of Defence Jewish
o Maxim Litvinov , USSR Foreign Minister Jewish
o DavidMarshal , Singapore Minister Jewish
o Isaacs Isaacs, Gov-GenAustralia Jewish
o Benjamin Disraeli, British Statesman Jewish
o Yevgeny Primakov, Russian PM Jewish
o Barry Goldwater , US Politician Jewish
o Jorge Sampaio, President Portugal Jewish
o Herb Gray, Canadian Deputy - PM Jewish
o Pierre Mendes, French PM Jewish
o Michael Howard, British Home Sec. Jewish
o Bruno Kriesky, Austrian Chancellor Jewish
o Robert Rubin , US Sec of Treasury Jewish
Global Media Influential
o Wolf Blitzer, CNN Jewish
o Barbara Walters ABC News Jewish
o EugeneMeyer , Washington Post Jewish
o Henry Grunwald, Time Magazine Jewish
o Katherine Graham , Washington Post Jewish
o Joseph Lelyeld, New York Times Jewish
o Max Frankel, New York Times Jewish
Global Philanthropists
o George Soros Jewish
o Walter Annenberg Jewish
Why are they powerful? why are Muslims powerless?
Here's another reason. We have lost the capacity to produce knowledge.
o In the entire Muslim World (57 Muslim Countries) there are only 500 universities.
o In USA alone, 5,758 universities
o In India alone, 8,407 universities
o Not one university in the entire Islamic World features in the Top 500 Ranking Universities of the World
o Literacy in the Christian World 90%
o Literacy in the Muslim World 40%
o 15 Christian majority-countries, literacy rate 100%
o Muslim majority - countries , None
o 98% in Christian countries completed primary
o Only 50% in Muslim countries completed primary.
o 40% in Christian countries attended university
o In Muslim countries a dismal 2% attended.
o Muslim majority countries have 230 scientists per one million Muslims
o The USA has 5000 per million
o The Christian world 1000 technicians per million.
o Entire Arab World only 50 technicians per million.
o Muslim World spends on research/developmen t 0.2% of GDP
o Christian World spends 5 % of GDP
Conclusion.
o The Muslim World lacks the capacity to produce knowledge.
Another way of testing the degree of knowledge is the degree of
diffusing knowledge.
o Pakistan 23 daily newspapers per 1000 citizens
o Singapore460 per 1000 citizens.
o In UK book titles per million is 2000
o In Egypt book titles per million is only 17
Conclusion.
o Muslim World is failing to diffuse knowledge
Applying Knowledge is another such test.
o Exports of high tech products from Pakistan is 0.9% of its exports.
o In Saudi Arabia is 0.2%
o Kuwait , Morocco and Algeria 0.3%
o Singapore alone is 68%
Conclusion.
o Muslim World is failing to apply knowledge.
What do you conclude? no need to tell the figures are speaking themselves very loudly we are unable to listen
Advice:
Please educate yourself and your children. always promote education, don't compromise on it, don't ignore your children's slightest misguidance from education (and please, for God's Sake, don't use your personal contacts or sources to promote your children in their education; if they fail, let them and make them learn to pass; b/c if they can't do it now, they can't ever).
We are World's biggest and strongest nation, all we need is to identify and explore our own selves. Our victory is with our knowledge, our creativity, our literacy...And nothing else. Allah blesses us…
.... Wake up ... ! ! !
Namun, setiap pagi Muhammad Rasulullah SAW mendatanginya dengan membawakan makanan, dan tanpa berucap sepatah kata pun Rasulullah SAW menyuapkan makanan yang dibawanya kepada pengemis itu sedangkan pengemis itu tidak mengetahui bahwa yang menyuapinya itu adalah Rasulullah SAW. Rasulullah SAW melakukan hal ini setiap hari sampai beliau wafat.
Setelah wafatnya Rasulullah SAW, tidak ada lagi orang yang membawakan makanan setiap pagi kepada pengemis Yahudi buta itu. Suatu hari sahabat terdekat Rasulullah SAW yakni Abubakar RA berkunjung ke rumah anaknya Aisyah RA yang tidak lain tidak bukan merupakan isteri Rasulullah SAW dan beliau bertanya kepada anaknya itu,Anakku, adakah kebiasaan kekasihku yang belum aku kerjakan?
Aisyah RA menjawab,Wahai ayah, engkau adalah seorang ahli sunnah dan hampir tidak ada satu kebiasaannya pun yang belum ayah lakukan kecuali satu saja. Apakah Itu?, tanya Abubakar RA. Setiap pagi Rasulullah SAW selalu pergi ke ujung pasar dengan membawakan makanan untuk seorang pengemis Yahudi buta yang ada disana, kata Aisyah RA.
Keesokan harinya Abubakar RA pergi ke pasar dengan membawa makanan untuk diberikan kepada pengemis itu. Abubakar RA mendatangi pengemis itu lalu memberikan makanan itu kepadanya. Ketika Abubakar RA mulai menyuapinya, sipengemis marah sambil menghardik, Siapakah kamu?
Abubakar RA menjawab,Aku orang yang biasa (mendatangi engkau). Bukan! Engkau bukan orang yang biasa mendatangiku, bantah si pengemis buta itu.
Apabila ia datang kepadaku tidak susah tangan ini memegang dan tidak susah mulut ini mengunyah. Orang yang biasa mendatangiku itu selalu menyuapiku, tapi terlebih dahulu dihaluskannya makanan tersebut, setelah itu ia berikan padaku, pengemis itu melanjutkan perkataannya.
Abubakar RA tidak dapat menahan air matanya, ia menangis sambil berkata kepada pengemis itu, Aku memang bukan orang yang biasa datang padamu.. Aku adalah salah seorang dari sahabatnya, orang yang mulia itu telah tiada. Ia adalah Muhammad Rasulullah SAW.
Seketika itu juga pengemis itu pun menangis mendengar penjelasan Abubakar RA, dan kemudian berkata, Benarkah demikian? Selama ini aku selalu menghinanya, memfitnahnya, ia tidak pernah memarahiku sedikitpun, ia mendatangiku dengan membawa makanan setiap pagi, ia begitu mulia....
Pengemis Yahudi buta tersebut akhirnya bersyahadat di hadapan Abubakar RA saat itu juga dan sejak hari itu menjadi muslim.
Mohd Fazli B. Abdul Aziz (DPA 4)
NAIB PRESIDEN:
Siti Khadijah Bt. Mohd isa (DIA 4)
SETIAUSAHA:
Laila Humaira Bt. Md Khalil(DBS 4)
PENOLONG SETIAUSAHA:
Mohammad Afiq B. Kamaludin (DIA 4)
BENDAHARI:
Ahmad Firdaus B. A. Razak (DBS 4)
EXCO AKADEMIK:
Zulhilmi (DIA 4)
Putri Syaza Amalina (DIIA 4)
Miftahul Jannah Mohamad (DIA 4)
EXCO PENYELIDIKAN & PEMBANGUNAN ICT:
Fatin Elina Bt. Arifuddin (DAIS 4)
Noor Hadila Bt. Ismail (DEE 2)
EXCO INFORMASI & PUBLISITI:
Normadihah Bt. Ali (DIB 4)
Noraidah Bt. Mustafa (DIIA 4)
EXCO KEROHANIAN DAN KEBAJIKAN:
Nurul Fatehah Bt. Ramlan (DFSM 4)
EXCO PEMANTAPAN PELAJAR:
Mohd Hanif Othman (DPA 4)
Tasha (DIA 4)
EXCO PENGURUSAN DAN PENTADBIRAN:
Nur Farha Bt Hashim (DPA 4)
Sarah Syakira Bt. Ahmad (DOMT 4)
Izathul Syafina Bt. Sidek (DCE 3)
EXCO SUKAN DAN REKREASI:
Nadiah Atiqah Mohamad (BOSM)
EXCO KERJAYA DAN PERHUBUNGAN LUAR:
Normah Bt. Kassim (DEE 2)
Kita selalu Bertanya....dan Al-Quran sudah menjawabnya.
KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA AKU DIUJI?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Apakah manusia itu mengira bahawa mereka dibiarkan saja mengatakan; "Kami telah beriman," ("I am full of faith to Allah") sedangkan mereka tidak diuji? Dan sesungguhnya Kami telah menguji org2 yg sebelum mereka, maka sesungguhnya Allah mengetahui org2 yg benar dan, sesungguhnya Dia mengetahui org2 yg dusta."
-Surah Al-Ankabut ayat 2-3
KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA AKU TAK DAPAT APA YG AKU IDAM-IDAMKAN?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Boleh jadi kamu membenci sesuatu padahal ia amat baik bagimu, dan boleh jadi pula kamu menyukai sesuatu, padahal ia amat buruk bagimu, Allah mengetahui sedang kamu tidak mengetahui."
- Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 216
KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA UJIAN SEBERAT INI?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Allah tidak membebani seseorang itu melainkan sesuai dengan kesanggupannya. "
- Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 286
KITA BERTANYA : KENAPA RASA FRUST?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Jgnlah kamu bersikap lemah, dan jgnlah pula kamu bersedih hati, padahal kamulah org2 yg paling tinggi darjatnya, jika kamu org2 yg beriman."
- Surah Al-Imran ayat 139
KITA BERTANYA : BAGAIMANA HARUS AKU MENGHADAPINYA?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Wahai orang-orang yang beriman! Bersabarlah kamu (menghadapi segala kesukaran dalam mengerjakan perkara-perkara yang berkebajikan) , dan kuatkanlah kesabaran kamu lebih daripada kesabaran musuh, di medan perjuangan), dan bersedialah (dengan kekuatan pertahanan di daerah-daerah sempadan) serta bertaqwalah (be fearfull of Allah The Almighty) kamu kepada Allah supaya, kamu berjaya (mencapai kemenangan). "
KITA BERTANYA : BAGAIMANA HARUS AKU MENGHADAPINYA?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Dan mintalah pertolongan (kepada Allah) dengan jalan sabar dan mengerjakan sembahyang; dan sesungguhnya sembahyang itu amatlah berat kecuali kepada orang-orang yang khusyuk"
- Surah Al-Baqarah ayat 45
KITA BERTANYA : APA YANG AKU DAPAT DRPD SEMUA INI?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Sesungguhnya Allah telah membeli dari org2 mu'min, diri, harta mereka dengan memberikan syurga utk mereka... ?
- Surah At-Taubah ayat 111
KITA BERTANYA : KEPADA SIAPA AKU BERHARAP?
QURAN MENJAWAB
"Cukuplah Allah bagiku, tidak ada Tuhan selain dari Nya. Hanya kepadaNya aku bertawakkal. "
- Surah At-Taubah ayat 129
KITA BERKATA : AKU TAK DAPAT TAHAN!!!
QURAN MENJAWAB
"... ..dan jgnlah kamu berputus asa dr rahmat Allah.
Sesungguhnya tiada berputus asa dr rahmat Allah melainkan kaum yg kafir."
- Surah Yusuf ayat 12
Program ‘Masih Ada Sinar Harapan’ (Kursus Pemantapan Pelajar P1 dan P2) anjuran Kelab Cerlang, Pusat Kecemerlangan Akademik, UiTM Terengganu yang diadakan pada:
Tarikh : 26- 28 Julai 2007
Hari : Khamis- Sabtu
Tempat : La Hot Spring Resort, Jerteh
Tujuan program ini diadakan adalah bagi:
-Memberi pendedahan kepada pelajar-pelajar P1 dan P2 mengenai kepentingan kecemerlangan akademik
-Membantu mereka mencari jalan memperbaiki keputusan yang lalu
