Bright FuturaDon’t Be Stewpid: Professional Proofreading By Kibin
Posted on May 1, 2012
Your terms paper is due on Thursday and guess what it’s worth 50% of your grade. My guess is that you probably want to get that baby proofread. You can ask Larry, your roommate who has been going on a 2 week Minecraft binge OR you can get it proofread by some pros!
Ultimately, it is your choice. If you think Larry the roommate can handle it than be my guest. I personally would prefer using Kibin, especially if the university writing center has an extremely long wait list.
Kibin use to be an editing community where volunteer editors proofread and offered unbiased feedback for free. However, lately they have been getting a lot of press and they have begun to charge.
Kibin’s current rates
The service is really easy to use.
Just upload your (doc, rtf, or txt) file and in the time you’ve specified (24,48,72 hrs) you’ll get your paper returned with edits/comments in the Kibin dashboard.
If you’re in a hurry and need a guarantee that your editing will be done in 24 hours, you can opt to pay the $0.01 per word, but otherwise the service is free.
What does the essay look like when they return it to me?
Interested in editing for Kibin? Ask if they are hiring @kibin
Kibin’s guarantee
“If you ever feel like your paper did not receive the editing or attention it deserves, please contact us immediately. We promise to make it right whether that is refunding your payment, point balance, or having it edited again without charge.” – Kibin website
Related: How To Literally use Literally by the Oatmeal
Related: Play on Facebook with Maximum Stealth
Reason you should always have someone proofread your work
Maximillian Garland: Bright Futura
GroupMe: Kick ass group project tool! [vid]
Posted on April 22, 2012
We’ve all tried, time and time again, to get a study group or group project together. In my experience, it’s a lot email, phone, and Facebook exchanging that result often in one or two barely populated meetings.These meetings are usually comprised of a lot of waiting for people to arrive and excuses as to why people have to leave.
No more lonely group project meetings!
But don’t despair things are about to change. Groupme is a new free group Messaging phone app that works on every phone. Free + Useable on every phone means absolutely no excuses! And it doesn’t have to be limited to just studying. GroupMe has lots of applications and a very easy step.
Related: 10 Ways to Have A Study Sessions Like A Pro
Related: How to Deal With Stress in College
Dashboard
I use Groupme for:
- Family communication
- Staff Meetings at work
- Group projects
- In class chatting with friends
- Party planning
Group Me Review – Tweetheart TV
What do you use Groupme for? Do you know of any other apps that help with studying? Leave your amazing comments below
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8 Must Know Tips For Multiple Choice Tests
Posted on April 12, 2012
Multiple choice exams scary some people however given the right approach they can be your best friend. Below I have outlined 8 Must Know Tips For Multiple Choice Tests. If followed crushing your exam should be a piece of cake.
1. Reading the answers first
See if there are any answers hat just stand out. Then read the question. Sometime you can eliminate answers just by simple reasoning.
2. Eliminate answers you know aren’t right.
Actually crossing out the answers that aren’t correct really helps narrow the answer. Also when going back over your exam you can understand more quickly why you made your choice.
3. If you run out of time. Guess!
If you hit the wall and have no idea what the answer is or if you simply don’t have any time left guess.
Note: This only applies if there isn’t a guessing penalty.
4.Trust your instincts
Don’t keep on changing your answer, usually your first choice is the right one, unless you misread the question.
Related: Top 10 Secrets Of The College Syllabus
Related: How To Ace An In Class Essay
5. Look for words Not, Isn’t, and Least likely
Instructors often phrase questions using negatives for example
Which of the following is least likely to help you be F***ing amazing in college?
c. malevole.com
6. ‘All of the above’ and ‘None of the above’
In a question with an “All of the above” choice, if you see that at least two correct statements, then “All of the above” is probably the answer. In “All of the above” and “None of the above” choices, if you are certain one of the statements is true don’t choose “None of the above” or one of the statements are false don’t choose “All of the above”.
7. Usually the correct answer is the choice with the most information.
Come up with the answer in your head before looking at the possible answers, this way the choices given on the test won’t throw you off or trick you. Then look for the answer that seems the most in depth.
Usually your professor wont spend a large amount of time creating a well written wrong answer.
8. Same vs Different
Look for the answer that stands out. If all of the answer are a color and the other is an animal, the animal is likely the obvious wrong choice and can be eliminated or the answer is the correct choice. For example.
The current United States President is from
a. Blue
b. Red
c. Hawaii
d. White
e. All of the above
hint: It isn’t all of the above
Maximillian Garland | Bright Futura Colomnist
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LeechBlock: Save Yourself From Time Sucking Sites Online
Posted on April 5, 2012
Even though that report is due by the end of the day, you spent the last two hours stalking friends on facebook and watching Key and Peele YouTube clips because you are weak and lack self control. Worry not for you are not alone. You much like many of us just can’t help yourself.
So if you regularly find yourself clicking around Facebook, keyboard covered in drool, when you’re supposed to be getting stuff done—or better, going outside—it’s time to break out the big guns.
This post will give you three of the top ways to protect yourself from your addiction. Think of them as a 12 step program.
A Firefox extension called LeechBlock can help.
Here’s how you can save yourself from quicksand web destinations at certain times of the day with LeechBlock.
Step by step Install and Configure of LeechBlock
Using Firefox,
1. Download LeechBlock,
2. Install it
3. Restart your browser.
Now it’s time to get honest.
Which sites do you burn the most unproductive time on?
Examples:
- Tumblr
- Youtube
Bright Futura(Sike! don’t even do it)
Once you’ve got even just one offending site in mind, you’re ready to go.
To set up which sites to block and when,
1. Go to the Firefox’s Tools menu and choose LeechBlock
2. Then options
3. A detailed dialog box will appear, where you will set what sites to block and when.
4. Enter the web site domains in the text area that you want to block, one per line. My first block list looked like this:
ask.metafilter.com flickr.com facebook.com twitter.com
5. Set the time periods LeechBlock should get between you and these sites.
The morning is a good time to slog through the bulk of the day’s work, so let’s say you want to allow yourself recreational browsing only after 3 p.m. in the afternoon on weekdays. In the input box under “Enter the time periods within which to block these sites” use military time to enter time periods.
For example
- To block sites between midnight and 3 p.m., enter 0000-1500.
- Alternately, you can set a number of minutes you’re allowed to visit the sites per hour or day (i.e., I can only check my fantasy football team’s progress for 15 minutes per day.)
6. Last, check off the days of the week LeechBlock should apply.
Then, you can optionally set a “custom name” for your set of sites, like “Social Network Time Suckers,” as shown below.
The advantage to giving a set of sites a custom name is that you can split up your recreational browsing blocks into different categories.
Facebook and Twitter might go into your “Social Network Time Suckers” category.
Wikipedia and Google News might go into the “News Browsing” category,
TMZ and Defamer might go into the “Celebrity Gossip Mongers” category.
Each of these sets can have different block times and rules (all day, certain days, certain times of day, or so many minutes per day.)
Visiting a Blocked Site
Once you’ve saved your settings in LeechBlock, whenever you mindlessly hit that time-wasting bookmark, you’ll see a message in your browser, as shown below.
That’s your cue to get back to work and try again later in your allotted time.
LeechBlock can also keep track of how much time you spend at certain sites and limit it. (For example, if you only want to check your fantasy baseball league for no more than 15 minutes per day. See more examples of LeechBlock usage here.)
Adding Sites to the Block List
Once you’ve got LeechBlock running, you can add another site to its block list as you surf easily using the right-click context menu.
Say you find yourself on Google’s Video site, wasting away minutes of your life watching the skateboarding dog the same way you used to on YouTube.
1. Simply right-click on the page (Command+click for Mac users), and from the context menu,
2. Choose LeechBlock
3. Add this site to [Block Set Name Here].
For example, if you’ve got an “Online Video” set of blocked sites, you could add it there, as shown.
Make It Difficult to Disable LeechBlock
LeechBlock comes with a clever feature built to prevent you persistent procrastinators . In LeechBlock’s options dialog, check off the “Prevent access to options for this block set at times when these sites are blocked.” That means if it’s during blocked YouTube time? You can’t change LeechBlock’s settings to let you in after all.
Set A Password
Along the same lines, you can set a password to get to LeechBlock’s options area. (See the General tab of the Options dialog.) The purpose of the password is to throw up yet another roadblock on your way to procrastinating online. The LeechBlock developer says:
Note that the password feature is not intended for security purposes, but only to make it more difficult to bypass the blocking in haste—to delay you just long enough for your reason/conscience to wrest back control from your baser instincts! So a lengthy but memorable password will be most effective. Suggestion: try ‘antidisestablishmentarianism.’ It works for me!
The following post was originally published in Chapter 5 of our new book, Upgrade Your Life: The Lifehacker Guide to Working Smarter, Faster, Better.
inspired by Lifehacker
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Study Before Bed for Significantly Better Retention
Posted on March 27, 2012
It’s not news that sleep is tied to learning—even a 90-minute nap can significantly help boost your brain power—but if you want to cement new knowledge in your brain, recent sleep research demonstrates that a good night’s sleep shortly following your studies has a significant impact on your ability to retain information.
The study in question asked participants to memorize related word pairs (e.g., circus – clown) and unrelated word pairs (e.g., cactus – brick). Some participants learned the words at 9am, some at 9pm. The 9pm crowd went to sleep shortly after learning the words. The 9am crowd did not.
The results: Sleep made no difference when participants were asked to recall the related words, but when participants were asked to recall unrelated word pairs, the 9pm group—the group that slept right after learning—did significantly better. So where your brain already has a strong semantic roadmap for learning (as is the case with the related word pairs), sleep doesn’t have a major effect. Where it’s forming new connections, sleep makes all the difference.
Stick that in your mind pipe next time you need to do some serious cramming. Photo remixed from Muhammad Rehan.
via Lifehacker
The 8 Stages of Staying Up All Night (College Humor)
Posted on March 17, 2012
We have all had too much to study in not enough time. Which leaves us with only two options, sleep or success. For most BAMFs out there all nighters become our solution. The great people at college humor have decided to illustrate this with a series of hilarious comics. Check some of them out below.
via collegehumor
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5 Ways to Get Work Done without Actually Working
Posted on February 9, 2012
Everyone is aware that our college work habits are vital to our success. But most don’t realize that our non-work habits are as well. Believe it or not, there are a few ways to use your free time to your advantage.
Below are 5 non-work activities that will help you get more work done without actually having to do work.
#1 Socialize
If you’re the type to spend weekends slaving over your latest paper or project instead of going out on the town, then you might want to rethink your choices – not just for the benefit of your social life, but for the benefit of your grades, mental health and business endeavors.
The reason is simple: success gets easier as your network gets bigger.
Many people don’t think hanging out with friends is a prime networking opportunity, but you never know when a friend of a friend will have just the right skill, connection, or opportunity to help take your career goals to the next level.
The more people you meet, the better the odds are that one of them will be able to help you out, whether immediately or years down the road. If not, no worries: friends are a nice thing to have in their own right.
Another Reason to Make Friends
Thanks to Facebook and Twitter, being socially savvy has never been more important. Having an active social life will help you keep with the current trends and make sure you don’t get too socially awkward while typing out your tweets.
#2 Buy a Good Chair
Take notice as you’re reading this. Do you have good posture? Are your elbows bent at 90 degrees as you type? Do you feel comfortable and alert right now?
If not, it may be time to hit up mommy and daddy for a high back ergonomic chair.
Not having a good chair is sort of like being a marathon runner without good shoes.
Whether you’re a gamer, college nerd, internet entrepreneur, or every day college student having a good chair is essential. Not having a good chair is sort of like being a marathon runner without good shoes. It may not seem very important at first, but it will begin to wear on you over time.
You’re probably studying from your desk at least five hours a day. If you’re chair isn’t providing ample back and lumbar support during that time, you’re going to be more tired by the end of your work day than you should be.
While they can be expensive – not any more expensive than a few visits to the chiropractor’s office.
Related: 6 Websites That Will Save Your Academic Life
Related: How Not to Die In College: No Four Year Fears
#3 Have A Couple ‘Go To’ sites
If you’re a book lover, then you know there are few things more enjoyable than getting lost in the pages of a great novel.
But reading can also be a great way to make progress with your schooling – and I’m not just talking textbooks and newspapers.
Reading magazines, blogs, books and newspapers will keep you up on what’s current, which will help you stay relevant.
Please note: Reading novels can help spur your imagination and reading biographies will give you day-by-day insight into the way successful people lived their lives.
Of course, reading articles about the 3 Reasons Why You Can Afford An Unpaid Internship on websites like Bright Futura, may be your best resource of all.
Fun Fact: Reading isn’t just about learning more about how to succeed. It also increases your skill with language, which will help you to communicate with customers, clients, and potential investors. Start reading daily and you may start talking your way into closing more deals.
#4 Stop Reinventing The Wheel
Some students are so set on bootstrapping that they try to do everything themselves.
That’s an admirable goal, but it’s not very efficient. Inevitably, they spend a lot of time learning new skills and making first-time mistakes. As Warren Buffett would say, they’ve left their “circle of competence.”
It’s also a huge time commitment. Instead of spending your time brainstorming the best way to write a resume you could just download a template or visit your schools resource center.
There is no need to create your own study guide on material you think will be on the exam if your professor provides you with one. Learning to follow instruction can sometimes be a good thing that can say you lots of time and effort.
#5 Go for a Run
You already know that running can make you healthier and leaner – but it can also be a great way to get work done without working.
If you’ve hit a mental roadblock, staring at your computer screen probably isn’t the best way to overcome it.
If you’ve hit a mental roadblock, staring at your computer screen probably isn’t the best way to overcome it. Getting outside and going for a short run will help your body get into a rhythm and give you a fresh outlook.
It’s a great way to have an idea breakthrough, like thinking of a solution to a nagging problem or finding the right angle to enter a new market.
Go the Distance
“I’m not afraid to die on a treadmill. I will not be out-worked, period.”
Running also reinforces a mindset of commitment. With longer distances especially, it’s necessary that you develop the attitude that you won’t give up no matter what.
This will come in handy when you face roadblocks on your college journey. Very simply, a mindset of commitment is something that you’ll need if you ever want to have real success in anything.
Does Not Working Really Work?
Next time you’ve got some free time, remember these activities.
Instead of reaching for the TV remote, read about the life of a person you admire. Instead of staying in, go out and meet some new people.
You’ll be absolutely surprised with how much of an effect your not work habits have on your work habits.
What are some of your non-work habits?
Maximillian Garland| Bright Futura Columnist
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6 Free Smart Phone Apps: Perfect For Study Breaks
Posted on December 20, 2011
There are a number of great iphone apps for students out there, but as a student that is always studying you may find that sometimes a study break is necessary.
So luck for you, we have put together a list of apps that will do a great job of keeping your mind off of studying, so can get back to the books refreshed and ready to learn.
1. Flying Hamster
There is nothing more suitable for a study break than a flying hamster and a cow with milk shooting udders. Yeah that’s right! You get a cute flying hamster armed with various weapons, that has only one goal and it’s to save your girl! Nothing can top that. (not available for android)
2. Death Worm
Death Worm is goal-based. To gain levels, you have to do things like get 60 kills, or get 30 kills without taking damage. This becomes tricky once trigger happy cops and military dudes start peppering you with bullets the moment your head pops out of the ground, but it adds a thin layer of originality to the proceedings. The graphics are also great, particularly if you have a Retina display device. They’re blindingly detailed, with silky smooth animation. (for Android) Continue Reading
How Not to Die: During Finals ie: FINALGEDDON
Posted on December 8, 2011
No lie, it’s been a long time since I’ve been an undergraduate freshman, but now that I’m a graduate student freshman in a new school and a new state, I’m finding many parallels to then and now. To keep things interesting I will provide some sage-like advice from someone who has already graduated, in my series HOW NOT TO DIE IN COLLEGE (HOW NOT TO DIE INC).
How Not to Die: During Finals ie: FINALGEDDON
Finals are upon us, like the end times of Armageddon. I know time is sparse and everything seems like it’s crumbling around you, but in order to survive the horrors of Finalgeddon here are some tips I have learned to survive by.
1. Don’t panic!
Never panic. Yes, some people have 5 finals in one week, some people have 3 finals in one day. The worst think you can do is panic. You won’t be able to study, you won’t be able to concentrate and you just flounder around like a magikarp. Till you use Red Bull and….wait….magikarp is evolving….
2. Hyper Beam Your Life
This is how you should appear to your professor on Exam Day
Gyarados out. Yes, with one can of Red Bull or Five Hour Energy Drinks you too will have enough strength to survive Finalgeddon. Energy drinks aren’t good to use all semester, but for one or two nights of hard work they are life savers. Pull a few all nighters ( I prefer all dayers) to study your notes and study guide.
You have one week left of school go into hyper mode.
3. Talk To Your Professor
Top Secret: Teachers HELP the students who ask for HELP.
Your professor writes the exam so why not talk to them. NEVER be afraid to talk to your professor, they were students once too and they need you to pass.
- If your teacher gave you a study guide, then DO IT. This may be a little unknown college fact: Teachers recycle tests. The study guide is often the test with the questions just worded differently.
- Email the professor. Ask them what’s going to be on the test. Ask them what type of test it is, (written, multiple choice, etc). Teachers HELP the students who ask for HELP.
Related: Want Mind Control Powers: 9 Nonverbal Strategies That Work
4. Rest.
I know friends who stayed up all night studying to the point that they slept through their alarm and didn’t get to take their final and trust me, professors DO NOT do make up finals. It’s called Finals for a reason.
Get your rest, get some sleep, your brain and body have been busy. Have some study breaks with some friends, go out to eat, watch your favorite show, play some video games, basically DISTRACT yourself (Watch this). Allowing your mind to rest is essential!
I hope you enjoyed his study break, work hard during finals. It’s a great way to close the year out nicely.
Leon Langford | Bright Futura Columnist
The Ultimate Showdown: Prezi vs. Powerpoint
Posted on December 3, 2011
What is Prezi? Prezi is a web-based presentation tool. I couldn’t help but compare it to the well-known Microsoft Powerpoint. I can say Prezi does have many aspects that surpass Powerpoint. But is that enough to take home the championship belt?
Round 1: Text or Graphics?
Prezi is eye candy. Prezi focuses a lot on visual graphics and leaves a lasting impression on the audience. Compared to Powerpoint, it is more flashy. The titles are swirlier and the transitions are smoother compared to Powerpoint’s animations. But after using it a few times will the novelty wear off? If your presentation needs to be catchy and is judged more so on appearance than content, Prezi is sure to catch your audience’s eye. It is helpful in creating non-linear presenting approaches with fancy lettering and graphics as I mentioned before. But that is not always the point of a presentation.
I must mention that Powerpoint is more linear in its functions which is also an advantage. You are more than welcome to spend hours spicing up a Powerpoint presentation. If your presentation will be traditional, written and content-focused, I would stick to Powerpoint. Although Prezi and Microsoft Powerpoint are often compared, the key thing to remember is that Prezi and Powerpoint are different tools with both their strengths and weaknesses.
Result: Tie
Round 2: Access.
After presenting with Prezi, your audience can go online to look at the information they missed during your presentation. They can look through and add notes where they find most useful.
You can also give the audience a pre-made Prezi which is accessible online. They can then open it up in front of them and follow along. You can sign up for free and log in from anywhere. Powerpoint does not allow for this. Womp, womp, womp.
Result: Prezi
Round 3: Functionality.
Prezi does not require you to carry around a USB stick. What happens when you need to present the morning you decided to sleep in and run to class in nothing but your pajamas? Your USB is still tucked away in the bottom of your drawer. Prezi requires minimal knowledge and less time to showcase a presentation that looks distinctive.
Result: Prezi
Video of Prezi
Prezi’s collaboration feature makes it easy to edit presentations with other users in real-time.
Presentations made with the startup’s free service will also be available on Prezi’s website for anyone to reuse. To make presentations private, users must purchase the “Enjoy” package for $59 a year, or the “Pro” package for $159 a year. The Pro package also lets them edit Prezis offline.
Prezi was launched in 2009 and now has more than 10 million users. The company has raised $15.5 million in funding, with investments from TED Conferences and Sunstone Capital.
Sabrina Ahmed | Bright Futura Columnist
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