1. Make sure you select a router that works with all three of the current standards – 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g, and consider models that include the 802.11n for best performance capability. Bear in mind that with 802.11n, your coverage area will be wider, which may or may not be desirable if you want to limit accessibility.
2. Check out DD-WRT.com for open-source Linux-based firmware that offers a boatload of features and makes setting up your hotspot a much simpler task.
3. Determine the coverage area of your planned hotspot. How accessible do you want it to be? Is it going to be a service you’re providing to customers on the premise? This will help decide the location of your router, and whether you choose to limit access, which we’ll discuss a bit later.
4. Choose an ISP whose policies regarding sharing connections are compatible with your own.
5. If your coverage area is relatively small, avoid using an external antenna and stick with the internal antenna of your router.
6. Your router should have a feature that allows you to set up your network using what is known as a Guest Zone. This limits access to your network only, and restricts access to your own private network.
7. If your area coverage does require an external antenna, make sure its placement doesn’t interfere with other nearby hotspots.
8. When setting up your network, choose WPA-2 encryption, as WEP is not as secure and can be hacked more easily.
9. If you’re following manufacturer instructions for router installation (and you should be), remember to change the Admin password and default SSID. These can be easily compromised, and you’ll want to change them to something only you will know – and remember.
10. Make sure the built-in firewall is enabled.  It should be enabled on installation, but can be disabled as well.

Most of your work will be a step-by-step process of following the instructions that accompany your router, and on their website. It can be tedious and appear daunting, but with these few extra tips and some patience, you’ll have a hotspot up and running in short order.

1. Build a Busy Background – Find the most obnoxiously nauseating moving background, with gifs, textures, and an assortment of bold colors. Bonus points if you can obscure the text in the process.
2. Add some Music – Embed an audio file that plays automatically when the page loads – the louder the better. A sure-fire hit in the workplace!
3. Start Off with a Splash – Why take your visitor straight to the informative content straight away when you can get them to click yet another page first which says, “Click Here to Enter”? What fun!
4. Keep those Pop-ups Poppin’ – And not just pop-up ads, but text balloons whenever the visitor mouses over a phrase or image. Then make sure the pop-up stays there, obscuring the content from the reader. Now you’re cooking with gas, my friend.
5. Change Fonts Frequently – Use a different font for every text field and be sure to change the color and size as often as possible. That goes for the backgrounds too. Readers just love to be assaulted with over-the-top graphics.
6. Winning with Widgets – Fill in those borders with an assortment of widgets – embedded videos, news banners, horoscopes, and slide shows of lolcats. Don’t be stingy with the goodies. Fans love ‘em.
7. Use Annoying Cursor Trailers – like this one, to get your visitors into a festive holiday mood. Or try this. It just smacks of dizzying romance, doesn’t it?
8. Monetize Everything! – Link keywords in your text to related ads. Writing an article about raising chickens? Make sure every single instance of the word chicken or chicks is hyper-linked to a full-page KFC ad. Preface every video with a commercial, too.
9. Cloak Your Website – This one will make you popular with both your readers and search engines. You’ll need to build two websites to make this work. The first one will be packed with search phrase-relevant words for the search engine to find when it does a crawl. This will ensure good page ranking results. The second page will be the one that visitors to your site will actually open, which will have absolutely no relevance whatsoever to their search terms.
10. Camouflage Keywords – This one is another beauty. You embed text within your website’s content that is the same color as the page’s background. The camouflaged keywords are found by search engines, but are unseen by visitors to the page.

1. Loss of Federal aid – As this rule goes into effect many online colleges will risk losing Federal aid in the form of Title IV funds that they count on to survive.
2. Tarnished reputations – Online education is always fighting an image problem, and rules like this only make matters worse. By targeting online colleges, the Federal government implies they are greedy and don’t care about their students.
3. Fewer programs – This new rule also targets specific programs offered by online colleges that don’t meet their gainful employment standards. This will force some programs to be eliminated from online education.
4. Fewer online schools – The lost funding will ultimately result in some online colleges going out of business. This will result in fewer choices for students looking to get an online education.
5. Effects of the job market – The overall job market is ultimately beyond the control of online education, and a poor market will create an unfair burden. Online schools will be at the mercy of the fluctuating economy.
6. Niche programs – Some people take online classes just for their own personal improvement and aren’t looking for a career in their area of study. The Gainful Employment rule will result in many of these niche programs being eliminated.
7. Minorities – There’s been a lot of discussion about the way gainful employment will impact minorities. Many feel this rule will have a harmful effect on low income minorities who don’t have as many educational choices as others.
8. Camel’s nose – Another concern is that this new rule is just the camel’s nose under the tent and that the federal government won’t stop there. By letting this regulation be implemented others may follow that will have an impact on online education.
9. More paperwork – As with any Federal regulation, the Gainful Employment rule will add to the burden of paperwork required by online colleges. They will be forced to prove they’re meeting the new guidelines in order to continue receiving funding.
10. Tracking students – This new rule also mandates the monumental task of tracking students after they receive their degrees. How are these institutions going to know where their former students are employed and how much money they make? There are also student privacy concerns to be considered.

The Gainful Employment rule was intended to protect students, ensure repayment of student loans and improve accountability of online colleges. As with any Federal regulation, the unintended consequences always abound and the argument continues about the role of government in our everyday lives. Does this new regulation cause more harm than good? Are online students too stupid to make competent financial decisions for themselves or do we need the Department of Education making their choices for them?

1. More accepted – Now that intense accreditation procedures weed out inferior institutions an online degree is widely accepted throughout the world. More traditional universities are now expanding to include online courses and degrees.
2. Older students – The online student demographics are trending to include more older or non-traditional students than before. Adults that have already completed many credit hours are seeing the value of a continued online education.
3. Higher GPA’s – These online students also tend to have higher GPA’s than ever before. This shows that people seek on online education because they want to learn opposed to those students who feel an obligation to higher education.
4. More minorities – The trend of online education is appealing to more females and other minority groups. People who live in areas without easy access to traditional colleges are taking advantage of programs and degrees available online.
5. Required by employers – Many companies are now requiring their employees to obtain continued education and find online programs the best way to implement it. Providing online training to their remote locations and affiliates, it’s easier to keep everyone on the same page.
6. Advances in technology – Technological advancement is another interesting trend making it easier for online education to expand and innovate. As the technology improves learning becomes easier and more efficient which contributes to growing enrollment.
7. Lower cost – As more and more colleges compete for online students tuition costs are trending lower. Plus online students around the world have access to educational tools that used to be exclusive to more expensive institutions.
8. Worldwide access – Online education has the ability to reach students in remote rural areas around the world. People in poverty stricken areas now have opportunities for higher education never before possible.
9. Niche programs – People who want access to niche areas of study no longer need to travel to the few places offering expertise in that industry. It’s interesting how this helps level the playing field for individuals and companies worldwide.
10. Used by governments – Many governments of undeveloped countries are seeing the value of online education for their citizens. They can keep their best and brightest within their borders instead of exporting them to developed countries.

The expanding field of online education is growing quickly and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon. As technology and access continue to improve more and more people are turning to their computers for their continued education instead of the more traditional institutions. Go on the internet and see what online education opportunities are available for you.

1. InternetChristianChurch.org – Rick Domaschk founded this internet church website in 2005 to reach out to frequent travelers like salespeople, business travelers, and truckers. As he traveled the country he realized the need for an online church that professional travelers could access with their laptops.
2. TheInternet-Church.com – This online church is modeled after social networking sites like facebook and myspace. The website gives Christians a way to meet people and share fellowship with others.
3. Church-of-Christ.org – An undenominational church with no headquarters or president, this internet ministry provides a website to unify the churches of Christ worldwide. They have online Bibles in many languages and also help host websites for congregations with limited resources.
4. Online-Churches.net – Unlike churches with a physical building, this internet church provides a unique alternative for their congregation knowing that some Christians are disillusioned by the traditional church environment. They also welcome those who are seeking information about the Christian faith.
5. Lifechurch.tv – If you don’t think church is just for Sundays, this internet-only church provides an online church experience 50 times a week. You can also connect on facebook or join their blog.
6. Internetcog.org – The Internet Church of God spreads the Gospel with cybercasts every Sunday. Created by the techies, sound guys and web gals from the Congregational Fellowship of God, this website boldly takes the church into the internet age.
7. InternetChurchofChrist.org – The Internet Church of Christ has this online church for independent, non-denominational Christians with worship services, music and loads of information for those seeking Christ.
8. Churchforall.org – Everyone is welcome to the Church For All internet services, even used-car salesmen. You can receive a daily message via email and any time is worship time.
9. ChurchDotCom – Proclaiming to be the only internet church for God’s people, ChurchDotCom was designed with the web surfer in mind. They don’t have a physical church, but you can attend a once a year pilgrimage to be baptized.
10. Cyber-Church.com – For a “home away from home” church go to Cyber-Church.com to attend an online church where the Bible is believed and where Christ is preached. You can even find a little humor with Pastor Tim’s Clean Laughs.

If you don’t want to get dressed up and go to church on Sunday you can stay home and worship in your underwear if you like. You don’t even need to wait until Sunday because church is available 24/7 on the internet. Whether you’re looking for a new Christian experience or just need a little Devine inspiration, there’s an internet church only a click away.

1. The convergence of art, science and technology. This niche is so unique that they haven’t quite come up with a name for it yet. In spite of that, it does have a following and a serious print and online journal dedicated to it that is called Leonardo, after the great painter/scientist.
2. Alphabet books. You’ve probably seen lots of these books, but never realized that they had their own little niche in the book world. They are children’s books that take you through the alphabet one letter at a time.
3. Alternate History. These books generally fall somewhere under the science fiction realm. They are fictional stories, usually set in another world environment, but use incidents or portions of earth’s historical facts as the basis for the story. They present ‘what if’ scenarios to historical situations.
4. Oulipo - Ouvroir de Littérature Potentielle is the title given to a group of French writers and mathematicians who determined to discover or invent new literary forms by imposing specific limits to how certain forms could be written.
5. Scottish Highland Time Travel Romances. For some reason, this specific plot line has developed its one little corner in the book world. I guess no one could decide whether to put it with historical romance or science fiction.
6. Sci-fi Westerns – Cowboys, horses, six-shooters and space ships, why not? A limited group of writers fill this niche, but it is there for those of you who can’t decide between historical and futuristic.
7. Gay Mystery-thrillers – As there becomes more literature available that labels itself as ‘gay-lesbian’, we also see specific genres popping up under that label as well. The mystery-thriller category is small but growing.
8. Police Procedural Mystery-thrillers – You may have read some of these and not even realized that they have developed their own specialized niche in the mystery-thriller market. But if you particularly like those stories that detail out the police investigations, you can actually search for this specific genre on Amazon.
9. Prehistoric Romance – Bet you haven’t read any of these! Cavemen (and cave women) trading grunts. I’m sure the guys have to fight off some ferocious dinosaurs and invent exciting things like wheels and fire to light up the eyes of the watching women.
10. Robot Romance – This one shouldn’t surprise you. Wall-E was such a hit with all generations and what was that but a robot romance? Your choices are still a bit limited in this genre, and it may need a little time to grow before you find another Wall-E blockbuster.

This is just a sampling of course. There are all kinds of cross-genre books and super specialized books to fit the unique tastes and needs of our multi-faceted society.

1. Costs – Tuition is a main concern in this area, but it is not the only cost involved with private schools. Make sure you learn what other costs are involved. Is there a cost for books or supplies that you will need? What are the costs for meals and/or uniforms? Are there fees for participation in sports and other activities? What types of payment plans or scholarships are available?
2. Transportation – Will your child be able to use public school transportation to get to and from school, or will transportation be solely your responsibility? Some public school districts have transportation reimbursement funds for parents who send their kids to private schools. Check to see if that is available where you live.
3. Extra-curricular Activities – What types of sports, music and other kinds of extra-curricular activities are available through the school? What kinds of costs are involved for your child’s participation.
4. Curriculum – What kinds of curriculum are used in the school? It will be important for you do some research on these answers to find out the benefits of different types. If your child will be transferring from another school, how will this curriculum fit into the type they have used in the past?
5. Behavioral Standards – What are the rules of conduct for the school and how are they enforced? How much involvement is there for parents in this regard? These are important questions to ask.
6. Religious Teaching – Many private schools are religious based. Ask about the theology of the school and how it is communicated in the activities of the school and the curriculum. Give careful consideration to any differences there may be with what your child is being taught at home or in your own faith association.
7. Teacher Qualifications – Don’t make assumptions about the teacher’s qualifications, be sure to ask. Ask about their experience levels as well, and the student-teacher ratio for the classrooms.
8. Teaching Approach – Some schools use different teaching methods than others. Montessori schools, for example, have a very unique teaching approach that is more geared towards individual learning levels. Other schools may use the traditional ‘desks in a row’ approach. Different teaching methods work better with different types of learning styles. It is important to consider how your child’s personality will respond to the school’s environment.
9. Test Scores – Most private schools are happy to share the overall testing scores of their students. Take note of areas of strengths and weaknesses in these scores. How does the school rank among other schools in the area?
10. Transitions – Few children spend their entire school years in the same school, transitions from private to public schools and vise-versa can be difficult and even traumatic for some children. The emotional climate and the academic structure is often very different. Just one more thing to think through before making your decision.

The choices regarding your child’s schooling will have a large impact on their daily lives and their entire future. It is not a decision to enter into without carefully considering all options.

1. Bleach – This very common household cleaner has more than just a strong smell, it could be quite lethal if you were to drink it. And today, they have even managed to create bottles of liquid bleach that smell nice too. That could make it even more dangerous, since it would make a child more likely to drink it. Make sure you keep it out of the reach of children.
2. Ammonia – This is another common household cleaner. It is often found in glass cleaners and other general purpose cleaners. This is another chemical with a strong odor and bad consequences for those who would inject it.
3. Lighter Fluid – Not as many homes have this item anymore, but it used to be very common when people used it to fill their cigarette lighters. Now it is mostly used for lighting bar-BQ grilles. Never underestimate the tolerance of a child. Children have been known to drink some terrible things, and this one could be deadly.
4. Paint Thinner – Keep the cover tightly sealed on your cans of paint thinner and keep them out of sight and out of reach. The fumes alone can be dangerous from this. Drinking it could definitely endanger your life.
5. Anit-Freeze – This liquid can come in some pretty colors that could attract small children to it. Make sure it is also kept out of sight and out of reach. And don’t underestimate a child’s creativity in finding ways to reach what they want. That’s the reason for keeping dangerous items out of sight, as well as reach.
6. Weed Killer – If it can kill plants, it just makes sense that ingesting enough of this toxin would kill a human being too.
7. Drain Cleaner – This is one of the most caustic substances in your house. Drinking this would be like drinking acid. It would quickly destroy your esophagus and stomach. It would be a very miserable way to end your life.
8. Gasoline – It might take a bit to finally kill you, but I wouldn’t suggest trying to find out how much is too much. It also is quite flammable, so beware of smoking cigarettes and drinking this fluid, at the same time. Actually, this liquid can kill you without being consumed, it can also cause death by burning you from the outside. Handle it carefully.
9. Kerosene – This is another fuel that is highly flammable, just like gasoline. Often it is used in lamps in a home and has been ingested more frequently than you might realize. This is another item to keep safely out of reach of children and away from open flames.
10. Alcoholic Beverages – You may be surprised to see something on the list that is generally considered a normal consumable liquid, which they are. However, if too much alcohol is consumed in too short of time, it can be lethal. ‘Chugging’ contests, and other means of consuming alcoholic beverages quickly, have been the cause of many young deaths. If alcoholic beverages are consumed in your home, be sure to consume them in appropriate moderation and teach your children those practices as well.

With this list fresh in your mind, it might be a good time to take a quick survey of your home and garage. Make sure that all your dangerous liquids are stored safely.

1. Cracking – Whether your pool is constructed of concrete or fiberglass, a crack that results in water leaking into the ground is a major problem. This is more likely to happen in colder climates where the ground freezes, but can happen anywhere and be very expensive to fix.
2. Sealant wear and tear – Another problem that could cause a leak is when the liner or sealant gets worn or fractures. This would also be a very expensive repair.
3. Dirt and sand – No matter how careful you are, dirt and sand will find its way into your pool. If your pump or filter system isn’t working properly, this could start to build up.
4. Dirty water – Nobody can enjoy a pool full of algae. If your water doesn’t have the right chemical balance, algae can build up fast. Even if it isn’t visible, harmful algae and bacteria can be present in the water. You’ll need to test it regularly to make sure the water is clean and safe.
5. Leaves, bugs and junk – Even with a cover, there’s no way of preventing all kinds of crud from getting into the pool. The more trees you have, the worse it gets. You also have to watch out for small animals like lizards and rodents floating on top.
6. Equipment failure – There’s a sophisticated system of pumps, filters, heaters and cleaners to keep the water in your pool clean and fresh. If any one of these malfunctions, you have a problem and another costly repair.
7. Draining and cleaning – Nothing could be less fun than having to drain the pool and clean it. If everything is working properly, it won’t need to be done very often, but may be necessary on occasion. If you’re not up to the task, get out your wallet again.
8. Chemicals – There are a variety of chemicals that need to be added to the water to keep it clean and ph balanced. These can have an adverse affect on your swimwear, skin and hair. It’s also another expense you’ll have to get used to.
9. Maintenance cost – By now you must have realized that the cost of owning a pool doesn’t stop at the installation. Regular maintenance and repair costs can really add up, so keep that in mind and make sure it’s within your budget before you make your decision.
10. Permanent – Once installed, an in-ground pool isn’t going anywhere. You can’t change your mind about its location afterward. If you later decide it was more trouble than its worth, your stuck with it.

While you gaze at your neighbors pool with envy, keep in mind all the problems that come with it, and you may be less jealous. If you still think a pool would be worth it, take the time to research your options. Find out which type will be the most trouble free with the lowest maintenance costs. You may want to consider the pros and cons of an above ground, versus in-ground pool. Make sure you know what you’re getting into before you take the plunge.

1. Social Networking Widgets – If you’re a heavy user of Facebook and Twitter, the Droid apps that put your favorite social websites right there on your home screen make it a heavy favorite over iPhone.
2. Choice – As an open source platform, Android buyers have a lot of options versus the cookie-cutter approach that Apple takes with iPhone. Apple tends to dictate which apps may be used for a given function, and has even banned the use of Adobe Flash on its devices.
3. Call Quality / Coverage – It’s no secret that, for all its fancy apps, capabilities and slick looks, the iPhone simply isn’t much of a phone. Android phones typically have superior antennae and, hence, better signal strength and call quality overall.
4. No Proprietary Restrictions – The beauty of an open source platform is that you can use those apps that you want to use rather than the ones that have been pre-selected for you,whether you like it or not.
5. Drag and Drop Music Files – Unencumbered by the restrictive and temperamental iTunes program, Android music lovers can simply plug their phones into their PC’s and transfer music files with a simple drag and drop.
6. Carriers – At least for the time being, even with Apple’s announcement to offer their iPhone to Verizon customers, there’s more choice in carriers – and therefore coverage – when opting for Android.
7. Multitasking – Because of its use of widgets, Android makes it easy to perform multiple tasks; iPhone typically requires closing one app before opening another.
8. Customization – From wallpaper to widgets, Android gives its users autonomy over how their device both looks and performs. Coupled with a wide selection of phones that operate on Android’s OS, users have a vastly superior array of custom features.
9. Keyboard – Touchscreens are great and serve a worthy purpose, but sometimes you just want to have a physical keyboard. Particularly when you are typing more than just a quick memo, it’s much more convenient to have an optional keyboard available. iPhone doesn’t have one.
10. Memory – Android offers the flexibility, via SD expansion, to increase memory capacity beyond the maximum 32GB that iPhone provides.

Again, there are strengths and weaknesses inherent in both the platforms themselves as well as the marketing and engineering philosophies of both Apple and Google. Your mileage may vary, but we’re still convinced that these are 10 good reasons to choose Android over iPhone.