Monday, December 12, 2016

5 Youtube Apps And Software You Can Use To Enhance Your Viewing Experience

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YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world after Google. Owned and operated by Google itself, YouTube is a video-sharing website where users can upload, view, comment, and rate videos.

Though YouTube is quite a user-friendly website with a great native app to allow users to use YouTube on mobile devices, there are still some restrictions for using YouTube. Because of this, users may require further facilitation beyond the basic viewing and rating of videos. That’s where the use of other apps come in.

Here are some apps, software, and websites that you can use to improve your YouTube viewing experience:

MyTube

If you are an iPhone or iPad user, MyTube is a free app that can allow you to listen and download videos you watch on YouTube.

The app also allows you to listen the audio in the background. One of the most beneficial aspects of the app is that it can allow you to share videos on various social media sites with airplay support for iPhone too.

Tubemate

Tubemate for Android is a free third-party resource that allows you to download YouTube videos and to even download the sound in mp3 format. YouTube has recently introduced the feature of offline viewing, but it still does not allow you to download the videos and play them on any other device or app, which is where Tubemate comes in.

This app is available on Android-only and it allows you to save YouTube videos on your phone’s SD Card, which also makes it easier to save storage on your device. If you’re looking for an all-in-one app that downloads YouTube video, TubeMate is one of the best free options available to you.

YTMP3

YTMP3 is a free YouTube converter where you can download any video as audio and also convert it to an mp3 format. Mp3 format has the advantage of being played on almost any device with most of the common playback apps available in the market.

This free online YouTube converter is a classic choice for all those music lovers out there who just want to listen to music compressed in smaller files that they can play anywhere and on any portable mp3 player or music-playing device of their choice.

Adblock for YouTube

If you simply do not want to view the YouTube ads that run before, during, and sometimes after most videos you click on, Adblock for YouTube could be your nice and clean option to help you block ads in videos.

Adblock is a famous extension for the Chrome browser that blocks other pop-up ads around the web too. The great thing about this extension is the fact that it does not track your viewing history and without compromising your security or personal information because it is not transmitted to any third party app.

This option is only available to use on PC-based Chrome browsers and would not work on your mobile browsers, but it is essential when trying to enjoy viewing video content without interruption.

Side player

If you like to watch videos while doing other work on your PC, this simple Chrome extension can allow you to do the same.

Side player actually creates a floating YouTube window within your web browser and you can resize or replace the video window anywhere within your browser. The good thing is you can easily watch videos while freeing up your screen to perform other tasks at the same time.

You can easily improve your overall YouTube viewing and listening experience by downloading and using free software. Just make sure you do not violate YouTube’s terms and conditions, as YouTube has placed some restrictions on the use of third party applications. Happy watching!

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5 Best Tools for E-Book Lovers

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Gone are the days when you had to carry around a bunch of heavy books if you wanted to read while you were on the road, at the park, on breaks, etc. Now, all you have to do is open an app, and the books you love are right at your fingertips. E-books are awesome, because they can be downloaded and read anywhere, and pretty much from any device. One of the greatest things about e-books is that if you love to write, this is your chance to be a published author without having to jump through a lot of hoops and spend a ridiculous amount of money for self-publishing. If you are an e-book reader or writer, here are some tools that are going to make you love them even more.

1. FoxyUtils Provides All of the PDF Tools You Will Ever Need.

FoxyUtils tools will make it easier than ever to merge, convert, split, and use any PDF file. It is fast, reliable, and easy to use, and you will enjoy high quality tools. If you choose the Premium Plan, you can connect right through Dropbox and Google Drive, so there is never any need to upload files from your device, so you can keep it free of unnecessary data. All you have to do is log into the cloud and retrieve the books you want to read.

2. Kobo Gives Access to Millions of E-Books.

By using Kobo, you will have access to more than five million e-book titles on both mobile and desktop devices. This app will allow you to search by author, title, and genre, and there are also “best of” lists you can check out if you are looking for something new and interesting to read. This app is available for Android, iOS, Blackberry, Windows, and desktop users. You can even choose day or night mode (to adjust the brightness), font types and sizes, and a whole lot more.

3. Oodles Books is Great for Publishing Your Own Writing.

Maybe you want to get into writing your own e-book. If this is the case, check out Oodles Books, which makes it easy to publish anything you want, and to reach out to new readers and grow your audience. Whatever you write will be published on Oodles Android and iOS apps, and your work will reach an audience of millions. Publish anything from short stories to essays to novels to non-fiction books, and get direct feedback from your readers. Also, you can read stories by other Oodles readers for free.

4. Wattpad Online Storytelling Community Enhances Reading and Writing Experience.

Wattpad tool is available through iTunes, and can be used by both iPad and iPhone users. You get a free e-book reader, and all the free e-books you can read, no matter what genre you are into. You can even use Wattpad to write and post your own stories. It is available in several languages, including English, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Polish, Arabic, and many more. Users must be at least 17 years of age to download this app. This is a tool that is going to make your e-book reading and writing experience better than ever.

5. FBReader is a free multi-platform e-book reader that is also free of advertising.

FBReader supports most popular e-book formats, including ePub, fb2, rtf, html, and plain text. It is easy to customize FBReader, and you can choose colors, page turning animations, fonts, bookmarks, dictionaries, and more. You will have access to the most popular network libraries, and download e-books (free and paid). You will enjoy online storage for your e-book library, being able to store e-books in your Google Drive space, organizing books by various criteria, and a whole lot more.

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They Say Money Can't Buy Happiness, It Can Buy Something More Important Though

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Money is construed differently by different people to mean different things. Some see it as a piece of paper. To some, it is synonymous to wealth. But, regardless of the perspective, we have all come to agree that money is a resource that we can use to buy goods and services.

Can Money Buy Happiness?

They say money can’t buy happiness, and to a certain degree that’s true, but poverty doesn’t bring happiness either, does it? Does money bring happiness? Typically, people who say money doesn’t buy happiness are usually the ones who never had money. Hence, why they use the “money can’t buy happiness” motto to rationalize their inability to get out of their financial struggle.

This contradictory line is fast becoming a cliché that plagues our society today. While people seek solace in this line, some even infer that money is the root of all evil. This begs the question: what is poverty? The root of all goodness?

Tell that to a homeless beggar who struggles to have a meal a day or a promising chap who has just dropped out of school all because his parents couldn’t afford to further his education due to a lack of funds, thus, having his hope of a bright future dashed. After all, how many marriages and families have been destroyed due lack of money? How many lives have been lost as a result of abject penury? The answers are countless.

And talking about happiness, it is a myth that we’ve believed in. We are so attached to the idea that happiness is achieved when everything in our life seems perfect, so we actively pursue it every day.

The shocking truth is, the term “happiness” is relative, which makes it hard to define and achieve. What might be a source of happiness for Tom might not be the same for Jim.

In other words, the nature of human needs presents the argument that money can buy happiness as quite a paradoxical one.

If Money Can’t Buy Happiness, It Can Buy Everything Else.

money can't buy happiness

Food, shelter, health care, clothing, education, and to a certain degree, even relationships. If money can get you all of these things at your disposal, what more could you wish for?

In their interesting research paper titled, “If Money Doesn’t Make You Happy, Then You Probably Aren’t Spending Right”, Elizabeth Dunn, Daniel Gilbert, and Timothy Wilson pointed out eight rules to help “buyers” achieve more happiness for their money. Find the summary of the rules below:

Buy more experiences and fewer material goods

Happiness derived from experiences is long-lived and tends to last a lifetime with us, unlike material things that we get used to or bored of quickly and want to replace.

Use your money to benefit others rather than yourself

As humans, our associations with our fellow beings is a contributing factor of our happiness. There is always this happy feeling and contentment that one gets after spending money on others. To help others, you can give back to charity, sponsor scholarship programs, or donate to NGOs.

Booker T. Washington said, “Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.”

Buy small pleasures rather than fewer large ones

The degree that happiness is derived is not necessarily a function of the amount spent on big things. A suit might cost 10 times more than a shirt and a pair of pants, but that doesn’t mean the pleasure or utility derived from such a splurge will be 10 times more.

So why spend so much on a big vacation once a year, when you can spend less on picnics every quarter of the year and get more experiences in the process?

Eschew extended warranties and other forms of overpriced insurance

Buying extended warranties and expensive insurance is a result of the fear of the unknown.

In fact, people who buy too much insurance tend to be unhappier than those who don’t. Buy less, worry less!

Delay consumption

Anticipation of the consumption of a good or service alone can be a source of pleasure. As a matter of fact, this pleasure often overshadows the pleasure derived from the actual consumption.

Consider how peripheral features of your purchases may affect your day-to-day

At times, it is better for consumers to be more realistic in their anticipation for a purchase. Looking beyond the fanciful features often helps prevent any unnecessary unhappiness that may arise in future.

Beware of comparison shopping

Comparison shopping can bring about a misconception in the actual intent of shopping. This is because consumers may get distracted from the qualities of the product that will bring them pleasure and settle for the wrong product. Technically, they end up buying unhappiness with their money.

Pay close attention to the happiness of others

Sometimes, the true definition of our happiness may lie in the hands of other people. As stated by the authors, “Research suggests that the best way to predict how much we will enjoy an experience is to see how much someone else enjoyed it.”

Money can at least buy us freedom, which is just as important as happiness.

money can't buy happiness

One of the most significant roles that money can play in one’s life is that it makes you less indebted to those who possess it – it brings about independence.

This must be what William Faulkner saw when he decided to resign from the Oxford, Mississippi. With enough cash in hand, you can do what you want, get what you want, and go where you want. Yes, it sounds good, but there is a downside as well.

As much as money can bring liberation, people can still easily be enslaved to it. When people are slaves to their money, they tend to panic about losing their money. They start to worry about futuristic uncertainties (thus, creating problems where there are none). In fact, their relationships with their family and friends begin to go weary.

This has led us to another pertinent question: Who is better between a well-fed slave and a hungry free man?

Albert Camus gave his answer when he said, “It’s better to be a free pauper than a rich slave.” He went further to say, “People want to be rich and free and because of, that they become poor slaves.”

The point is, freedom is not just free. It unavoidably has a price attached to it, but that doesn’t mean you’ll need a million dollars to acquire it. Having money doesn’t necessarily make you happy, but it increases the odds dramatically if you know how to use your money.

With money comes freedom, and with freedom comes happiness.

Before using the all too common line that money can’t buy happiness, you might want to give it a second thought.

Featured photo credit: Getty Images via time.com

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5 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Grow in Wisdom

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The dictionary defines wisdom as the “state of being wise; knowledge of what is true or right coupled with just judgment as to action and having sagacity, discernment, or insight.” Wisdom is also knowledge of what is proper or reasonable, and is gained by having many experiences in life.

The famous King Solomon stated that wisdom is more profitable than silver, yields better returns than gold and is more precious than rubies. Solomon’s perspective of wisdom is my favorite.

Why is wisdom desirable and so valuable? There definitely seems to be a positive correlation between wisdom and wealth, respect as well as fame.

How does one get wisdom? Can it be found in textbooks or taught in schools? Is it found in experiences or is it passed on? Gaining wisdom is a combination of all the above and a little bit more.

Want to get more of this precious entity called wisdom? See these time tested and demonstrable principles of gaining more wisdom.

1. Desire and seek it

This is so obvious that it is often overlooked, but the first step to gaining wisdom is to desire it and see its high value. It is pretty much the same way as a merchant values fine pearls and seeks them out. Desire puts you in the state of mind that propels you to seek wisdom and therefore create an enabling environment for wisdom to thrive. Napoleon Hill rightly said, “Desire is the starting point of all achievement. Not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything.” Desire therefore leads to the right action.

2. Get out of the cave

In the Allegory of the Cave, wisdom is depicted by Plato as getting out of the cave and coming to see things as “they really are.” To gain wisdom, entrepreneurs and businesses must constantly step out of their world and study how people are behaving, and how they respond to various stimuli both in the business field and their personal lives. Observation in all its simplicity is only practiced consistently by a few.

3. Intentional thinking

The more we think, the smarter we get. There is a difference between thinking and worrying. Worrying dwells excessively on the problem and gets stuck in the paralysis of analysis. Thinking puts the problem and the solution on the same path. Deliberate thinking is single minded, highly focused and goal oriented. It is training the mind to put a particular subject or situation under rigorous mental scrutiny. Thinking for it be effective therefore needs to be deliberate and disciplined, with time set aside in our daily routine to just think. Of course, we all occasionally get those “A-ha” moments. However, deliberate thinking produces wisdom and leads to creativity. The more we make thinking a habit, the wiser we get. Edward de Bono said, “Intelligence is something we are born with. Thinking is a skill that must be learned.”

4. Be insanely curious.

This naturally follows from a habit of intentional thinking. Curiosity may have killed the proverbial cat, but it is the fuel of great innovators and brand champions. Leonardo Da Vinci attributed most of his genius to his sense of curiosity. He often roamed the countryside, asking lots of questions and searching for answers to things he did not understand. “These questions and other strange phenomena engaged my thought throughout my life.” Curiosity leads you to asking why, which in turn leads to answers, produces great results and adds to wisdom. Apples have always been falling off trees. However it was only the great and insanely curious English scientist Isaac Newton in 1666 who asked why. Before then, no one had asked any questions. His curiosity and study led to the discovery of the now famous law of gravity.

5. Have a mission mindset & sense of purpose

Plato, the first Utopian thinker, wanted to reform society. He created a special school called the Academy with a singular purpose to create not celebrities but great thinkers and ‘guardians’ who would reform and transform society. Steve Jobs wanted to change the way the world used technology, and in the process make “a dent in the universe.” Bill Gates had a vision of putting a computer in every home. Ted Turner was laughed at when he first thought of an all-news TV channel. For such a tiny woman, Mother Teresa had a big vision to change the world, one person at a time, working with poorest of the poor. We all know about Martin Luther King who had a dream that one day.

We all applaud these individuals and credit them with great wisdom. When you have a mission bigger than yourself, a strong sense of purpose and an unflinching reformist agenda, your wisdom level increases. We all live under the same sky, but we don’t all have the same horizon,” said Konrad Adenauer.

Wisdom then is the deep inner knowing. Wisdom is made up of what we know and what we do not know and embracing the gaps in between. We can all grow in wisdom and, with wisdom, we can each create our own special place under the sky.

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It's Finals Season: Study Tips

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We have all reached the end of Fall semester and felt the temptation to start our Christmas shopping. Our motivation to study is further dampened by colder, shorter days, which makes it difficult to stay focused and productive. Yet, we know we must finish off the semester strong! Here are several tips to bring out your inner book worm and get you energized, focused and ready to ace those finals.

1. Plan out your studies

We are all guilty of having books, papers, and supplies scattered all around our rooms and even all over the house, not just driving ourselves crazy, but our families and roommates as well. Prioritizing is extremely important. It is good to keep a journal or calendar, where you can highlight your assignments and the order in which you need to have them done by. Feel free to go crazy and use as many sticky notes, highlighter colors and other organizational supplies to stay on track. The sooner you are organized, the easier it is to dive into your work.

2. Stay focused

Staying focused can be difficult, especially with all the social media we have access to. I personally find it helpful to avoid logging onto social media while working. It is always tempting and can free our minds a bit from the stress of finals, but social media should be what you turn to during your break, not so much while you are working. If you can, keep yourself logged off Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and millions of other applications while you are studying. Yes, knowing how your friends are doing is important, but not while trying to write a twenty page paper or studying for an exam, everyone can wait.

3. Stay energized and hydrated

It is important to stay hydrated and energized while working. If you want to avoid running around the house like a crazy person, I suggest having some water and snacks with you in your study space, so you are able to sit for a while and stay productive. Staying hydrated and eating food will help you focus, think and avoid feeling tired. I do not suggest eating unhealthy snacks, since those take away your energy, but rather some fruits, vegetables, crackers and nuts. Avoid sugary and greasy foods if possible.

4. Study space

It is very important to find a space that works for you. I am the “sit on a pillow on the floor” kind of person, even though my desk is literally a foot away. Everyone works differently, but it is up to you to find out what works best. Depending on whether you enjoy working alone or with others matters in the location you choose. The good thing about libraries is they have quiet study spaces, as well as social ones. The good thing about coffee shops, is they allow you to feel focused with others around you being productive. Space is crucial, so choose wisely.

5. Timing is everything

I personally work better at night. My best work is always written from 9 pm-midnight. Everyone is different, however, and it is up to you to find a time of day where you feel your best ideas kick in. If you are someone who works during the day, but that time period is where your mind is the most energized, find a time during your break to jot down your ideas so you can come home and put them into writing. We all have obligations and cannot always work on school work when we want to, but it is all about the preparation process to get those ideas on paper.

6. Study break

Sitting around a computer or just sitting in general is never healthy. Of course, it is important to focus and not become distracted (as stressed earlier), but it is important to take a brief pause. Instead of staying on the computer, take a walk, listen to music, take a quick nap, anything you would like. It is important to take mini breaks here and there, to avoid fatigue and writers block.

7. Get enough sleep

You are all probably questioning this study tip since finals and sleep do not go together. However, it is crucial to have enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is not only unhealthy but dangerous. I’m not going to go into the science of it, but it is necessary to sleep. It will help you stay focused, work more efficiently and stress less.

8. Take a break

Unlike a study break, I actually mean take a break. Plan some time for yourself to go out or to spend time with family and friends. It is not healthy to keep going and seclude yourself from daily life. You should still make plans to get your mind off your work for a couple hours to a day. There is always something to do, whether it’s a long walk or jog, sharing a meal with someone, leaving town for the day, etc. Make plans and stick to them, do not panic and cancel, because we all deserve time to get out and take a breath of air.

These are my study tips to you. Stay focused, determined and know you got this. Happy studying. And now, if you will excuse me, I have a paper to write!

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