How to Plop Your Hair

If you are looking for way to decrease the drying time of your hair and help enhance waves and curls, plopping is for you! Plopping involves putting your hair up in a cloth, which behaves like an accordion, almost scrunching the hair by itself. This is a different method than just putting your hair up in a towel. You can encourage your natural waves or curls with less time and effort than traditional curling methods.

1

Wash and style your curly hair. Add any mousses or gels to the hair before plopping.

2

Lay your cotton plopping cloth on a flat surface. (You can also use a t-shirt). Good places include the toilet seat (with the lid down!), chairs, and low beds or shelves.

3

Bend over at the waist and position your hair on top of the cloth, near the edge closest to you. Move your head until it is pressed firmly against the surface.

4

Take the far edge of the cloth and drape it over the back of your head.

5

Grab the sections of the towel on either side of your head and twist them tightly away from your face in two "sausage rolls." They don't have hair in them, because your hair is plopped on top of your head, remember? The sausage rolls are just a convenient way to secure the towel.

6

Move up slowly from the bent over position.

7

Twist the sausage rolls to the back of your head near your neck and secure them. You can tie them together with a hair tie, or pin them with clips. If you used a long sleeved t-shirt, or if you have ample fabric, you can simply cross the two rolls and pull them tight.

8

Leave the plop on for as long as you like. If you notice frizzing after you remove the plop, add a little gel to your hair then and try plopping for less time. 15 to 20 minutes is a good amount of time to try.

9

Remove the plop. Let your hair air dry, or blow-dry with a diffuser so as not to disturb the curls. Do not touch the curls while they are wet or they will frizz.

10

Rock those curls!

How to Freewrite

Do you have writers' block? Did you choose a topic or idea to develop, but now you find yourself stuck? Try free writing! This exercise is used by writers to gather their thoughts and ideas before they begin a document, with the result being an endless, non-punctuated, and free-flowing paragraph that'll be immensely helpful in the preliminary writing process.

Sample Freewrites

Doing Your Own Freewrites

1

Set a timer or use the clock on your computer screen. Give yourself 5 to 10 minutes to write continuously. This is so you get going and write quickly. Spend the time writing, not worrying about the time.

2

Select a topic for your free writing. If you've chosen to do focused free writing, write this topic at the top of your page. If you just wish to write without a topic, go ahead without one. You may be surprised at what you write even on days when you begin with "I can't think of anything to write here."

3

Start your timer.

4

Write down whatever comes to mind. It can be in relation to your topic if you have one or if you are doing unfocused free writing because you are trying to come up with an idea or topic, just write down every random thought that crosses your mind as quickly as possible.

5

Continue writing until the designated time has run out. Do not stop until that point.

• Do not pay attention to grammar or typos.
• If there are any incomplete sentences or misspelled words, don't worry. Just keep going.
• If you run into a dead end or draw a blank, keep writing the same word or phrase over and over again until something else pops into your mind. One idea is to take a quick glance around the room and choose one object to describe.
• When the time has run out, look over what you have written and circle or underline ideas that you like or that you think that might be useful for your project.

6

Group your marked ideas and phrases and decide where they lead you in your writing process.

7

Use online tools such as 420fables to make freewriting a regular part of your daily writing discipline.

8

Begin your rough draft. If you have enough to start your paper or document, then begin working on your rough draft. If you do not have enough ideas, free write for another session, or try another informal invention technique such as brainstorming or mind mapping.

How to Hack

Primarily, hacking was used in the "good old days" for learning information about systems and IT in general. In recent years, thanks to a few villain actors, hacking has taken on dark connotations. Conversely, many corporations employ hackers to test the strengths and weaknesses of their own systems. These hackers know when to stop, and the positive trust they build earns them a large salary.

Method 1 of 2: Before You Hack

1

Learn a programming language. You shouldn't limit yourself to any particular language, but there are a few guidelines.

• C is the language the Unix was built with. It (along with assembly language) teaches something that's very important in hacking: how memory works.
• Python or Ruby are high-level, powerful scripting languages that can be used to automate various tasks.
• Perl is a reasonable choice in this field as well, while PHP is worth learning because the majority of web applications use PHP.
• Bash scripting is a must. That is how to easily manipulate Unix/Linux systems—writing scripts, which will do most of the job for you.
• Assembly language is a must-know. It is the basic language that your processor understands, and there are multiple variations of it. At the end of the day, all programs are eventually interpreted as assembly. You can't truly exploit a program if you don't know assembly.

1. 2
   Know your target. The process of gathering information about your target is known as enumeration. The more you know in advance, the fewer surprises you'll have.

Method 2 of 2: Hacking

1. 1
   Use a *nix terminal for commands. Cygwin will help emulate a *nix for Windows users. Nmap in particular uses WinPCap to run on Windows and does not require Cygwin. However, Nmap works poorly on Windows systems due to a lack of raw sockets. You should also consider using Linux or BSD, which are both more flexible, more reliable, and more secure. Most Linux distributions come with many useful tools pre-installed.
2. 2
   Secure your machine first. Make sure you've fully understood all common techniques to protect yourself. Start with the basics — have you found a server hosting a site about illegal or possibly bad activity? Attempt to hack it in any way you can. Don't change the site, just make it yours.
3. 3
   Test the target. Can you reach the remote system? While you can use the ping utility (which is included in most operating systems) to see if the target is active, you can not always trust the results — it relies on the ICMP protocol, which can be easily shut off by paranoid system administrators.
4. 4
   Determine the operating system (OS). Run a scan of the ports, and try pOf, or nmap to run a port scan. This will show you the ports that are open on the machine, the OS, and can even tell you what type of firewall or router they are using so you can plan a course of action. You can activate OS detection in nmap by using the -O switch.
5. 5
   Find a path or open port in the system. Common ports such as FTP (21) and HTTP (80) are often well protected, and possibly only vulnerable to exploits yet to be discovered.
• Try other TCP and UDP ports that may have been forgotten, such as Telnet and various UDP ports left open for LAN gaming.
• An open port 22 is usually evidence of an SSH (secure shell) service running on the target, which can sometimes be brute forced.
6. 6
   Crack the password or authentication process. There are several methods for cracking a password, including brute force. Using brute force on a password is an effort to try every possible password contained within a pre-defined dictionary of brute force software
• Users are often discouraged from using weak passwords, so brute force may take a lot of time. However, there have been major improvements in brute-force techniques.
• Most hashing algorithms are weak, and you can significantly improve the cracking speed by exploiting these weaknesses (like you can cut the MD5 algorithm in 1/4, which will give huge speed boost).
• Newer techniques use the graphics card as another processor — and it's thousands of times faster.
• You may try using Rainbow Tables for the fastest password cracking. Notice that password cracking is a good technique only if you already have the hash of password.
• Trying every possible password while logging to remote machine is not a good idea, as it's easily detected by intrusion detection systems, pollutes system logs, and may take years to complete.
• It's often much easier to find another way into a system than cracking the password.
7. 7
   Get super-user privileges. Try to get root privileges if targeting a *nix machine, or administrator privileges if taking on Windows systems.
• Most information that will be of vital interest is protected and you need a certain level of authentication to get it. To see all the files on a computer you need super-user privileges - a user account that is given the same privileges as the "root" user in Linux and BSD operating systems.
• For routers this is the "admin" account by default (unless it has been changed); for Windows, this is the Administrator account.
• Gaining access to a connection doesn't mean you can access everything. Only a super user, the administrator account, or the root account can do this.
8. 8
   Use various tricks. Often, to gain super-user status you have to use tactics such as creating a buffer overflow, which causes the memory to dump and that allows you to inject a code or perform a task at a higher level than you're normally authorized.
• In unix-like systems this will happen if the bugged software has setuid bit set, so the program will be executed as a different user (super-user for example).
• Only by writing or finding an insecure program that you can execute on their machine will allow you to do this.
9. 9
   Create a backdoor. Once you have gained full control over a machine, it's a good idea to make sure you can come back again. This can be done by backdooring an important system service, such as the SSH server. However, your backdoor may be removed during the next system upgrade. A really experienced hacker would backdoor the compiler itself, so every compiled software would be a potential way to come back.

10

Cover your tracks. Don't let the administrator know that the system is compromised. Don't change the website (if any), and don't create more files than you really need. Do not create any additional users. Act as quickly as possible. If you patched a server like SSHD, make sure it has your secret password hard-coded. If someone tries to log-in with this password, the server should let them in, but shouldn't contain any crucial information.

How to Celebrate Hanukkah

Although often referred to as Jewish Christmas, the holiday of Hanukkah is actually much older than Christmas, and a completely different holiday. Hanukkah is also known as the Jewish festival of lights, as the focus of the festival is on lighting the eight Chanukah candles during the eight days of the festival. Follow a few simple steps to learn how to celebrate this traditional Jewish holiday in all its splendor.

1

Learn about the holiday. Hanukkah is about God's protection of the Israelites, and the miracles that occurred on the day.The holiday celebrates the triumph of faith and courage over military might, when a band of Israelites stood up for their right to be Jewish. They were prohibited under penalty of death from studying their sacred texts or performing important mitzvot. Their holy Temple had been defiled, and they were ordered to worship other gods. However, a small band of faithful Israelites, known as the Maccabees, rose up and defeated the invaders, reclaimed the Temple, and rededicated it to God. The eternal flame in the Temple's great menorah (lamp stand) had to be lit. But the sacred olive oil needed to burn in the lamp stand took 8 days to press and purify. The Jews had only a one-day supply of oil. They decided, in faith, to light the flame anyway. And, a great miracle occurred. The jug of oil refilled itself every day with enough oil to relight the Temple's great menorah, and this continued for 7 days, the exact time it took to prepare new oil! It is a common misconception that the oil burned continuously for 8 days. This story is even mentioned by Josephus, the first century Jewish historian.^[1] Since that time, Hanukkah has been celebrated for 8 days to recall the miracle when the menorah burned for 8 days at the Temple. The main miracle of Hanukkah is the victory of the Maccabees against the most powerful army in the world.

2

Get a Hanukkiah. The most basic thing you need to celebrate Hanukkah is a 9-branched candelabra, called a Hanukkiah (or often a Menorah, although technically aMenorah is a 7-branched candelabra), and candles. Eight of the branches represent the eight nights, while the last one (at a different height, usually higher than the rest) is called theshamash or helper candle, and is used to light the rest of the candles. The Hanukkiah is usually lighted at or right after sunset.

• On the first night, the shamash is lit, a blessing is recited, and the first candle is lit. The first candle occupies the rightmost place on the Hanukkiah.
• Candles are placed from right to left, but lit from left to right. The candle that you light first is always the last candle that you placed on the Hanukkiah; likewise, the candle that you light last is always the first candle that you placed on the Hanukkiah.
• On the second night, the shamash plus two candles are lit and so on until the eighth night, when all nine branches contain lit candles.
• Traditionally, the lighted Hanukkiah is placed near a window, so that everyone passing by can remember the miracle of Hanukkah. Some families who set the Hanukkiah near the window place the candles left to right, so that they appear right to left to a passer-by.

3

Recite the blessings when you light the Hanukkiah, or Menora. Blessings are a way of paying respect to God and to Jewish ancestors.

• On the first day of Hanukkah, recite the following blessing^[2]:
  
  Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.
  
  Blessed are You, O Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.
  
  Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'olam, she’asah nisim l’avoteinu, b’yamim haheim bazman hazeh.
  
  Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who made miracles for our forefathers in those days at this time.
  
  Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'olam, shehekheyanu, v’kiyamanu vehegianu lazman hazeh.
  
  Blessed are You, O Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has kept us alive, sustained us and brought us to this season.
• On all subsequent nights of Hanukkah, when you light the Hanukkiah, recite the following blessing:
  
  Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'olam, asher kidshanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu l’hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.
  
  Blessed are You, O Lord Our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to kindle the lights of Hanukkah.
  
  Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech Ha'olam, she’asah nisim l’avoteinu, b’yamim haheim bazman hazeh.
  
  Blessed are You, O Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, Who made miracles for our forefathers in those days at this time.

4

Play dreidel. A four sided top, called a dreidel or sivivon is used to play a gambling game with small candies or nuts. Players get an equal amount of candies, and some are placed into a "pot" in the center. Players take turns spinning the dreidel. Each side of the dreidel bears a letter which tells the players whether to put in or take out candies. The game ends when someone has all the candies, or when the candies have all been eaten (usually the case in homes with small children!)

5

Give small tokens to children. Small gifts of money (gelt) are given to children on each night of Hanukkah. Chocolate coins are also popular as treats and gifts during Hanukkah. Consider giving each child a 5 dollar blank check each night to make out to the charity of their choice.

• Hanukkah gifts may also be given to adults. Although Hanukkah takes place during the Christian holiday season, it is not the "Jewish Christmas," as some have mistaken it for.
• Great Hanukkah gifts for adults include beautiful Hanukkiah candles, nice cooking oil, or a Jewish cook book.

6

Eat foods cooked in oil. Hanukkah just wouldn't be the same without the traditionallatkes and applesauce. Latkes (pancakes made from shredded potatoes, onions, matzoh meal and salt) are fried in oil to crispy gold brown, then served with applesauce (and often sour cream). The frying oil reminds celebrants of the miracle of the oil. Small powdered sugar donuts, called Sufganiyot are also a popular Hanukkah treat, especially in Israel. Fried, oil-rich foods are the theme!

• Additionally, dairy is consumed by many people during Hanukkah, as a way to remember the story of Judith. Judith saved her village from a conquering Syrian general by plying him with salty cheese and wine. When he passed out, she took his own sword and beheaded him, the story goes.^[3] For this reason, cheesy latkes and cheesy blintzes are popular during Hanukkah.

7

Practice Tikun Olam. Use the holiday as a chance to talk with children about what they believe in, and what it means to stand up for your beliefs. Find causes that support free speech and religious freedom, and help them to spread those messages centuries after the miracle of Hanukkah. After all, Hanukkah is the story of the Isrealites fighting for religious freedom!

How to Delegate

Whether you're a corporate executive, a retail manager, or a stay at home parent, being able to delegate responsibilities is a critical skill for making the most of your personal effectiveness. Delegating, however, can be somewhat tricky - you have to be firm, yet trusting with the person you're delegating your responsibilities to. This article will help you get over any anxieties you might have about delegating, then walk you through the actual process of delegating work tactfully and respectfully.

Part 1 of 2: Getting in the Right Mindset

1

Set your ego aside. A big mental road block to delegation is that "If you want something done right, then do it yourself." You're not the only person in the world who can do it right. You may be the only person who can do it right at this very moment, but if you take the time to train someone, they'll probably be able to do it right, too. Who knows - they might even do it faster or better than you (gasp!) and this is something you need to not only accept, but invite.

• Think logically and realistically - can you do this work by yourself? Will you have to work yourself to death to balance this work and your normal responsibilities? If so, you should probably be prepared to delegate some of your work. Don't feel ashamed or incompetent because you need help with something - you're actually being a more effective worker by getting help when you need it. 

2

Stop waiting for people to volunteer. If you're reluctant to delegate work, you may have a minor case of martyr syndrome - you're probably overwhelmed, and you often wonder why people don't ever offer to help. Be honest with yourself - when they do, do you turn them down, just to be polite? Do you quietly wonder why they didn't insist? Do you feel that, if your positions were reversed, you'd probably help them in a heartbeat? If you answered "yes," you need to work on taking control of your situation. Get the help you need - don't wait for it to come to you, because it might not.

• Many people are quite oblivious to what others are going through, and there's not much you can do to change them. Let go of any frustration you might have over people not offering a helping hand; remember that it's ultimately your job to communicate your needs.

3

Don't view requests for help negatively. Lots of folks are uncomfortable with asking for help. You may feel guilty, like you're burdening others, or shameful, because you think (for some reason) that you're supposed be able to handle everything on your own. You may just feel proud of your struggle, and see it as proof that you're a noble human being (another manifestation of martyr syndrome). If you see asking for help as some form of weakness, you need to get over that pronto. It's actually the other way around: trying to do everything yourself is a sign of weakness in the sense that it indicates you don't have a realistic view of your abilities.

1. 4
   Learn to trust others. If you're afraid of delegating because you don't think anyone can do as good of job as you can, remember two things: First, that almost anyone can get good at something with enough practice, and second, that you're probably not as universally talented as you think you are. When you delegate work, you're not just freeing time up for yourself - you're also giving your helper a chance to practice a new skill or tackle a new kind of assignment. Be patient - with enough time, your helper will probably be able to do the delegated work about as well as you could have. Unless the work you plan to delegate is very important, it's probably alright for your helper to learn how to do well over time. If the work is very important, think twice before delegating it!
• Even if you are the best at doing the work you plan to delegate, realize that delegating work allows you to do other things with your time. If you're the best person in the office at the relatively monotonous task of assembling hard drives, but you've got an important presentation you need to prepare for, it's O.K. to give the task to an intern. It's much better for you to give difficult, complex tasks priority - don't feel bad about delegating simple, repetitive tasks when you have more important things to do.

Part 2 of 2: Delegating Effectively

1. 1
   Get the ball rolling. The first step is the hardest, but it's the most crucial. You've got to take the plunge and ask someone to help you (or, if you're the boss, tell someone to help you.) Don't feel bad about this - as long as you're polite, kind, and gracious, you're not being rude simply for asking (or telling) someone to help. Try be gracious and considerate while simultaneously maintaining the seriousness of your request.
• If you're unsure of how, specifically, you should ask someone to do some work for you, try keeping things short and sweet. Say something like, "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute? I was wondering if you could help me assemble the big stack of hard drives we just got. I can't do it because I'm out of the office today. Can you help me out?" Don't pressure your helper, but be sure that s/he knows his or her help isneeded.
• Ask and you shall (probably) receive. Don't be afraid to delegate because you may be seen as rude or imposing. Look at it this way - how do you feel when people ask you to do something? Are you hurt and offended? Or are you (usually) perfectly willing to help? Probably the latter!

1. 2
   Don't take refusals personally. Sometimes, people aren't going to be able to help you - it's sad, but true. This can be for a variety of reasons - the most common is that the person you ask is already very busy with his or her own work. Don't take this too personally - just because someone can't (or won't) do something for you at the moment doesn't mean s/he hates you. It usually just means that the s/he is either busy or lazy - nothing more.
• If you're refused, consider your options - usually, you can politely but firmly insist that you really need this person to help (which will work especially well if you're a boss or someone else with authority), you can try asking someone else, or you can do the work yourself. If you really need help, don't be afraid to try options one and/or two!

3

Delegate the objective, not the procedure. This is the key to not becoming a nightmare of a micro-manager. Set clear standards for what kind of results you're looking for, and show the person how you do it, but tell them that they can do it any way they want, as long as it's done well and it's completed on time. Give them enough time not only to learn, but also to experiment and innovate. Don't train them like a robot; train them like a human being--someone who can adapt and improve.

• This is also smart because it spares your time and your nerves. You want to be using the time that you've freed up to do something more important, not constantly worrying about how your helper is progressing. Remember, you delegated this work so you'd be less stressed - not more.

1. 4
   Be prepared to train your helper. You should almost always set aside a little time to teach your helper how to do the task you've delegated to him or her, even if it's a fairly simple one. Remember that processes that seem straightforward and simple to you might not be so simple to someone who's never dealt with them before. Be ready not only to walk your helper through the work you've delegated to him or her, but also to patiently field the questions that s/he will probably have.
• Consider the time you spend training a helper to be a wise long-term investment. By spending a little time teaching your helper to do a task correctly, you save time in the future that might have otherwise been spent correcting his or her mistakes.

5

Allocate the resources necessary to complete the task. You may have resources available that are necessary to complete the task but the person given the task may not be able to access them. Things like password protected data, specialized equipment, and certain tools can be vital to the completion of this task, so make sure your helper has whatever s/he needs to succeed.

1. 6
   Understand that your helper can only do one thing at once. When your helper is helping you, s/he isn't doing his or her normal responsibilities. Don't forget that, like you, your helper likely has a tight schedule. Ask yourself - what work will they set aside or delegate in order to complete your task? Be sure you know the answer to this question when you delegate a task to someone.

7

Be patient. The person to whom you delegate will make mistakes while s/he is learning how to do a new task. It's part of the learning process. Plan for it. Don't delegate a task assuming the person will execute it perfectly until they have a proven track record. If a project doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to because your partner wasn't able to do a completely new task you delegated to him or her perfectly, it's your fault, not his or hers. Be a resource for your helper and delegated work can be a learning experience for him or her, rather than something to dread.

• When you train someone to do something, you're making an investment. At first, it'll slow you down, but in the long run, it'll increase productivity by leaps and bound, por you've approached the whole thing with a positive and realistic attitude.

8

Be prepared for likely difficulties. Implement backup plans and stand ready to jump in if things go wrong. Know what will happen if a benchmark or deadline is missed. Obstacles and unexpected challenges pop up all the time, whether you're at work or at home - even technology fails sometimes. Let your delegate trust in the fact that, if something comes up, you will understand and help him or her to meet that deadline - don't just throw them under the bus at the first whiff of trouble.

• Doing this is also smart in a selfish sense - If your delegate fears that s/he will be blamed, far more time will be spent in covering his or her own rear than in actually completing the task.

9

Recognize your helper when it counts. Delegating tasks to someone else is necessary if you are to take on more and more responsibility. However, it's counterproductive when you delegate a task, let your helper work hard on it, and then take all the credit for yourself. Recognize and praise the efforts of others on your behalf.

• Make sure that whenever you're complimented for a job you received help on, you mention your helper by name.

10

Say "Thank You." When someone does something for you, it is important to thank him or her, acknowledge the importance of his or her help, and let the helper know s/he is appreciated. Otherwise, you'll appear ungrateful, even if you're not. Remember that people can't read your mind. People are more likely to offer to help again if they feel appreciated.

• Be gracious. A simple heartfelt acknowledgement like, "I couldn't have done it without you!" can go a long way. If the work that this person did for you was substantial, you may even want to buy him or her a meal, a drink, a thank you card, or a small present.