Tips for Starting Your Own Business

Whether you are just getting started with your business or you are still in the brainstorming process, it can be a pretty scary thing to venture out on your own and start a business. How do you pull it off? What risks are involved? Should you apply for small business loans? These are some things you are probably going to want to find out. Here is a list of tips that could help you as you start off on the exciting adventure of starting your own business.

Experience. It’s probably not the best idea to try and start a business if you have absolutely no work experience. The idea of working for someone else may not appeal to you, and the reality of starting from the bottom to get to the top might disgust you, but the fact is you need some work experience. One way to think of your job is like a research time period. You get to see the ins and outs of different businesses and see what works what doesn’t work and what you would change if you were able. It may also be a good idea to take some classes so that you are able to speak the language of business and finance.

Raise money. Always overestimate how much money you think your start-up business is going to need. Do this so that you do not fail to meet projections. It is harder to raise money after you fail to make projections. This is when you can also go to the bank and try to get a small business loan.

Write out a business plan. Do not keep your business plan in your head. Things get lost and forgotten in our heads and so they are not the best place to keep your business plan. Write out your business plan. Your written plan is also the key to raising money. You can show people what your plans are and that can lure in financers. Your plan should include things like: market data, tests to prove your product is going to sell, sales projections and profits, long term goals, and more.

Create your team. When you are planning out your business and trying to figure out who you are going to involve there are some things you should think about. First what are your strengths and weaknesses? Once you know the areas in which you are more weak you can hire people or partner up with people who will make up for that weakness.

Connect a Laptop or Desktop Computer to a TV Easily

Suppose you wish to watch a movie or share a slide-show of pictures with your family on your PC but have a screen that leaves much to be desired. In such a situation, you can connect your computer to a television screen to allow your entire family to enjoy comfortably.

There are many ways in which you can connect your laptop/ computer to a television. However, the overall video quality will be different for different methods. You can choose which one to use based on the quality or the availability of hardware. The first step is to know what type of ports and connections your TV and computer have. If you already know the type of ports and connections available on your hardware, you can directly jump to Step 2. If not, then the different types of ports are explained in detail below:-

Different types of PC to TV connection ports

1) RCA/Composite: The oldest and the lowest quality connection available. They are the Yellow, Red and White connections most of us are familiar with. Yellow is used for composite video, white for left analog audio and red for right analog audio.

2) S-Video: S-Video or Super Video offers slightly better quality than Composite connections. As it is one of the oldest type of connections available, most televisions and computers have it. There are two types of S-Video ports, one containing 4 pins and the other containing 7 pins. This type of connection is used only for video. So you will need to connect an audio cable from your computer's headphone jack to the red and white audio inputs on your TV if you want audio to work.

3) VGA(Video Graphics Array): Most computers and televisions have a VGA port. It offers much better quality than S-Video and should be preferred if you have a HDTV. Older CRT TVs however, will not have a VGA port and will require a PC to Television converter. Just like S-Video, VGA also does not support audio and will require an additional audio cable.

Different types of connecting cables to connect computers to TVs

4) DVI: Digital Video Interface offers much better quality than VGA connections. Most laptop computers and HD TVs will have these connections. Just as the name suggest, this type of connection can be used only with digital TVs. Also like the previous two, DVI connections also require the use of an audio cable for audio to work.

5) HDMI: The highest quality connections available. Most HD TVs will have this connection, however, chances are that your computer would not. If your computer happens to have a HDMI connection port, this should be preferably used. If your computer doesn't, you can use an HDMI to DVI adapter to convert HDMI to DVI.

Step 2: Once a common type of port between the two devices is recognized, you will need the right connector cable to physically connect them. The different types of connector cables are pictured above. If you do not find two matching types of connection ports, you will need an adapter to make the connections type match.

Step 3: After connecting the two devices, on your TV, select the external input with which your TV is connected to the computer. It may be HDMI1 or AV1 depending on how you have made the connection. This is much similar to how you select input from your DVD player.

If you have followed the steps correctly, your TV should now be displaying your computer's screen.

Important: If your computer is not recognizing the external display, you must connect the TV before starting your computer. If the picture appears distorted, you will need to change the screen resolution of your TV by altering the display settings from your computer. Most older TVs will support only one display resolution while newer TVs will support plenty of them.

How to Deal with Unwanted Phone Calls

Did you know that the most unused feature on a smartphone is the phone itself? We just don’t call each other the way we used to. Instead we text, email, or Facebook to get in touch. This is the reason your phone doesn’t ring very often. When it does, you usually know who is calling you thanks to caller ID. Caller ID allows you to screen every phone call and only answer when you want to talk. If you don’t, you can ignore the call and return it when it’s more convenient to you. But what if just ignoring the call isn’t an option? Or what if you don’t know who is calling and you answer the phone only to find out that it’s someone you really don’t want to talk to? Here are some tips on how you can deal with unwanted phone calls.

Photo Credits: aigledore

The Super Chatty Relative

We all know what it’s like to have a telephone conversation with someone who just won’t shut up. We make polite comments of agreement like, “Mmhmm,” and “I see,” but we aren’t really listening that closely. We’re just thinking about how we can put an end to the conversation politely. Lots of times this super chatty relative is an overbearing mother, and you just don’t want to disrespect her or hurt her feelings.

When you get a phone call from Mom, answer but be prepared to start ending the conversation before it even starts. Say something like, “Hi Mom. I wanted to answer so you know I’m okay, but I really don’t have time to talk right now. Can I call you back?” If you give her a chance to start the conversation, you’ll have no other chance to end it.

The Telemarketer

Those telemarketers really are sneaky. You see an unknown number, and out of curiosity you answer the phone. When they immediately start their sales pitch, you regret not just letting it go to voicemail. In these situations, lots of people are tempted to start cursing or yelling, but that’s the worst way to handle things. The telemarketer is only doing his job, so avoid bad karma and don’t be mean. Politely say, “I’m not interested,” and immediately hang up. That’s that. And to avoid getting more of these calls in the future, register your telephone number with your nation's Do Not Call Registry.

The Stalker

In extreme situations, your unwanted calls may actually be calls of harassment. Whether it be a jilted lover, a vindictive friend, or a total stranger, harassing phone calls should be taken seriously. Try to avoid answering the calls, and do not respond to harassment. Call your phone company and notify them, and they may be able to prevent the number from calling you. If the harassment doesn’t stop or is taking the form of threats, keep a log of all harassing calls, and notify law enforcement to file a report. The police should step in and take action to stop the stalker. You may also need to change your phone number.

Shutdown Your Computer or a Remote PC via Command Prompt

Most of us shutdown our computers using the power button given in the Start menu. Some of us use the physical power button on our machines. Very few people actually use other means of shutting down a computer and even less is the number of people who use the command prompt to shutdown a computer.

A reason for this is that most of us don't know that the command prompt can be used to not only shutdown, restart or log off our computer instantly but also to shutdown a remote computer provided you have administrative access. It can also be used to hibernate a computer and give a comment containing the reason for shutdown. This post will show you how to do all this.

RequiredA computer running Windows (XP, Vista, 7 or 8) with the command prompt working perfectly, i.e. not disabled by a virus.Initial Steps 1) Press Windows Key + R.2) Enter CMD and press Enter.This will start the command prompt. Follow the instructions below depending on what you want to do.Shutdown Local Machine (Your Computer)Type "shutdown -s" without the quotes in the command prompt and press Enter. Shutdown is the command being executed and the switch -s tells the computer to shutdown.Restart your Local Computer Type "shutdown -r" in the command prompt and press Enter. In this case, the command switch -r is telling the computer to restart after shutdown.Log Off the Current UserType "shutdown -l" in the command prompt and press Enter. The -l command switch tells the computer to log off.Shutdown a Remote ComputerType "shutdown -s -m \\name of the computer" in the command prompt and press Enter. Replace \\name of the computer with the actual name of the remote computer you are trying to shutdown. As mentioned earlier, you must have administrative access to the computer you are trying to shutdown. To know if you have administrative access, press Windows key + R and then type the name of the computer and press Enter.Note: If you don't remember the name of the remote computer, you can look for it by opening a list of all the computers you are connected to by executing "net view" in command prompt.If you can connect to the computer, you will be asked to login with your username and password. Upon entering them, a window will display the list of all the directories available to you. This should help you know whether you can or cannot shutdown the remote computer.Hibernate a Local ComputerType in "Rundll32.exe Powrprof.dll,SetSuspendState" without the quotes and press Enter. Your computer should hibernate, if it does not, then you must enable hibernation to do this.Shutdown your or a remote computer after a specific timeType "shutdown -s -t 60" to shutdown your computer after 60 seconds. Upon executing this, a countdown timer displaying a warning message will be shown. This command uses the -t command switch followed by a variable (which is 60 in this case) which represents the number of seconds after which the computer will shutdown.Display a Message containing the reason for shutdownType shutdown -s  -t 500 -c "I am tired. I don't want to work anymore." (with the quotes) in the Command Prompt and press Enter. The -c switch is used in the code to give the reason for shutting down and what is followed in quotes will be displayed in the dialog box as the reason. This can be used to display all sorts of funny messages. One example :-Skynet has become self aware. John Connor did not stop me. You can not use your PC anymore.Stop a System ShutdownType "shutdown -a" and press Enter. This will stop the system from shutting down if the countdown to shut down has not reached 0.

Command Prompt Tricks, Hacks & Codes

Command Prompt is one of the most powerful tools in Windows; but sadly, it is also the most ignored one. Things were not always like this; but with the advent of GUI based operating systems, people started feeling that computing through command based tools was boring. This ultimately lead the command prompt into obscurity.

However, the command prompt is not useless. In fact, it can be pretty useful. This article provides some excellent tricks, secrets and hacks that will make you realize that the Windows Command Prompt is not only useful but also a tool that you should definitely give more respect to.

1-Watch ASCII version of the Star Wars Episode IV movie
Surprised yet? You can watch an ASCII version of the full Star Wars Episode IV Movie right in your command prompt window. Just open command prompt, type a small code and the movie will start playing immediately. Read the complete instructions here.

2- Create Matrix falling code effect
Have you watched “The Matrix”? Of course, you have. Then, you already know what I am talking about. In case you still don't know what I mean, take a look at this image! You can create the same effect in command prompt using just a few lines of code. Head over to this post for instructions.

3- Make Folders that you cannot delete
Are you tired of accidentally deleting important folders? Well, if you are, you can learn how to make undeletable folders here.

4- Shutdown your computer giving a funny reason
What if your computer shuts down saying that it is tired and doesn't want to work anymore? It would be fun, wouldn't it? You can do so by reading the instructions here.

5- Know your IP address, DNS Server's address and a lot more about your Internet Connection
Command Prompt can even let you know your IP address. Just type ipconfig/ all in the command prompt and press Enter. Along with your IP address and DNS servers, command prompt will also return a ton of information like your host name, primary DNS suffix, node type, whether IP Routing ,Wins Proxy, and DHCP are enabled, your network adapter's description, your physical (MAC) address etc .

6- Know if your neighbours are stealing your Wifi connection

Command Prompt can let you know if someone is connected to your Local Area Connection and using it. Just follow the steps:-
1) Open your browser and visit http://192.168.1.1 or http://192.168.0.1 depending on your router.
2) Find the tab that mentions “Attached Devices” or something similar.
3) Find the computer name, IP address and MAC Address (sometimes called Physical Address or Hardware Address) of your computer using the previous trick.
4 )Compare it with those displayed by your router in Step 2. If you notice some strange devices, then your neighbour has been sneaking in on your internet connection and it is best to set a password.

7- Know if someone is hacking your computer/ Trace a Hacker

Want to know if someone is hacking your computer? Command Prompt can help you find if someone you don't know is connected to your computer stealing private data. Just execute netstat -a and the command prompt will return a list of computers that your computer is connected to. In the results returned, Proto column gives the type of data transmission taking place (TCP or UDP) , Local address column gives the port with which your computer is connected to an external computer and the Foreign Address column gives the external computer you are connected to along with the port being used for the connection. State gives the state of the connection (whether a connection is actually established, or waiting for transmission or is “Timed Out”).

These tricks work on Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP and all previous versions of Windows.

Watch ASCII Star Wars in Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8

Every one of us has watched Star Wars on television, computer or in a theater. It is the same movie with aliens fighting each other for galaxies and such stuff. There is nothing new in it. But wait, have you watched an ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) version of Star Wars and that too in Windows using telnet? A network protocol known only to computer wizards. Well if you have not, then you must do it now!

There is a complete copy of Star Wars done entirely in ASCII characters that you can watch in the Windows operating system (or any OS that supports telnet). The only thing required to watch it is an internet connection; speed does not matter.

To watch it on Windows XP, Mac OS X and Linux

1. Go to Start, Run. (Only for Windows users)
2. Now type "telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl" without the quotes and press Enter. Users of Mac OS X and Linux can directly execute this code in the terminal window.
   

On Windows 8, Windows 7 and Windows Vista

Telnet is turned off by default in the latest versions of Windows. So, in order to watch star wars, you must first enable telnet by going to Control Panel › Programs › Turn Windows Feature On or Off and ticking both the telnet check boxes. After doing that, follow the steps given below:-

1. Go to Start, Search in Windows Vista and Windows 7. On Windows 8, open the main Start page.
2. Type telnet and press Enter.
3. In the following command prompt window, type "o" without quotes and press Enter.
4. Now type "towel.blinkenlights.nl" without the quotes and press Enter.

If you do not need telnet anymore, you can turn it off.

A command prompt window like the one in the image will open with the movie being played in it. See the movie yourself. Did you enjoy watching this new version of Star Wars? Well, I did and know it for sure that you would have too.

Block USB ports on Windows PC via Registry

With this trick, you can disable access to your USB(Universal Serial Bus) ports in your Windows based PC to prevent people from taking out data from your personal computer without permission or spreading viruses through the use of USB(pen and flash) drives.

To use this trick to disable USB ports, follow the steps given below:-

1. Click on Start.
2. Click on Run. If you cannot find RUN, type it in the search box.
3. Type "regedit" without quotes. This will launch the Registry Editor.
4. Navigate to  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\usbstor.
5. In the work area, double click on Start.
6. In the Value Data box, enter 4.
7. Click on OK.
8. Close Registry Editor and refresh your desktop.
9. To re-enable access to your USB ports, enter 3 in the Value Data box in Step 6.

Try it yourself to make your PC invulnerable from data theft and malware which spread through USB ports. This works on Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8.

Note: This trick also disables access to your USB connected peripheral devices. So, do not use it if you have USB connected keyboard and mouse.