Mohit Tater's Blog, page 693

Identifying the Right Server for Your Business

Whether your business has just a few PCs or hundreds, they all need to be able to communicate with each other; be that to access shared documents, print wirelessly, or to collaborate in any other way. While it is possible to share data directly between PCs in an organisation, beyond a relatively low number of workstations it becomes much more efficient to employ a dedicated server for these tasks. A server will connect up your network and manage your network’s resources by holding, managing, and processing data – thereby streamlining your computing system and setting you up for success.

Starting Out

Before investing in a server, take some time to think how your business would make use of the server – will you just need it to do basics tasks such as filing and printing, or would it need to provide a shared database and handle email? If the former then you can keep it relatively basic and low spec. Many business owners think introducing a server means significant expense, but if you’ve only got a small number of PCs to connect then that really isn’t the case and will require only a small financial investment. If, however, you’re going to be running more advanced software and using your server for more advanced tasks such as running your database application and your mail server then it’s well worth investing in a machine that’s the highest spec you can afford to ensure maximum possible reliability. Server reliability is crucial because in a client-server network, if the server goes down, the clients (i.e. the PC workstations) may find it difficult to get any work done at all! The more your business relies on the server for day-to-day work, the more robust and powerful it needs to be. Check out Pinnacle Data for a massive range of servers to suit the needs of any business, large or small. Don’t forget that the server hardware is just half of the picture – you’ll also need suitable server software as well and this is typically purchased separately.

Server Types

There are several types of servers, some of which are dedicated to a single function. These are increasingly popular with small business owners as they can be more cost effective than a more all round machine. They come in four main types: file servers, mail servers, print servers, and collaborative workspace servers.

File servers are pretty self-explanatory and allow documents and data files to be shared, secured and backed up from one place. If you’re looking into investing in your first server (for a small network) then this is the one for you.

Print servers link all of the workstations on your network to a single printer – useful but limited.

Mail servers move and store your business’s emails; these have decreased in popularity as single function machines – as almost all multi-function servers will manage email as standard.

Collaborative workspace servers allow your staff to share work more freely, but again these have decreased in popularity due to more small businesses making use of cloud computing.

Why You Should Optimize Your Production Process

It is crucial that businesses dealing with the production process know that they can make significant changes to their company by becoming leaner. To achieve a fully optimized state of production, an independent audit should be scheduled to ascertain which areas are creating delays and which offer the best investment-to-time ratio. From this point, you can then take the necessary steps to decreasing your running costs and improving your inventory management.

Decreasing Running Costs

As companies working in the manufacturing process deal with large volumes of raw materials, that the machinery needed to sort these resources is running at peak condition is critical. Through optimization, you can expect to then minimize the risks of instability and chaos, which could not only cause considerable downtime to your business but also runs the risk of resulting in a major accident amongst your workers.

One of the ways you can do this is by investing in newer, more efficient machinery. In the United Kingdom, emissions from the industrial sector account for around a third of the total greenhouse has emissions the country releases. Electric motors within these settings count for two-thirds of all the energy consumed. Replacing these can be done with either used or new machinery, with the former offering a significant saving on the initial cost of investment. As long as you are switching to improved, more energy efficient solutions, though, you could see drastic results over just a short period of time.

Improve Inventory Management

One of the biggest issues all manufacturers face is streamlining their inventory management. The cost of materials represent a significant investment for any business and the act of reducing this unwanted inventory is one of, if not the, most important processes in manufacturing as you can expect to free up cash flow significantly. From here, you can better invest in other core areas of your business.

By better understanding your inventory, you will also be able to better forecast the materials you do need to effectively meet your consumer’s demands. Whenever you have unused inventory, this represents a costly reminder of a disorganised inventory system. Not only is there the initial cost of the raw materials, but the further cost of continuous storage can then be a consistent drain on your resources.

The larger an operation becomes, the more difficult it is to make any large scale changes. This is why it is critical that those in charge do not procrastinate in fear of their business undergoing some downtime during the initial auditing procedure. Any short-term losses that occur will be outweighed by the long-term gains that result from a better understanding of the way your core area functions.

Action Plan for Protecting Your Retirement Investments

Investing in high-value transactions can become risky sometimes, especially when the market begins to fluctuate all of a sudden. These sudden fluctuations in the market can propel huge losses for people holding IRAs, 401Ks, and other retirement plans.

Therefore, knowing the different ways of safeguarding your retirement investment plans is the only option left.

Portfolio insurance: One of the most common things suggested by any financial expert is portfolio insurance. This method employs short selling of stock index futures against market risk to ensure that the portfolio does not lose its value. Short selling hinders the gains in this portfolio, but saves the investment portfolio from losing its contents entirely due to market downturns and volatility. There are many financial institutions and firms who employ this method of hedging to safeguard the interest of their customers. This method of protecting a portfolio is generally done in cases where the client holds a large and undiversified amount in a restricted employer stock. Hedging at the right time helps protect the IRAs and 401Ks from short-term shifts and downsides in the financial market.


Diversification: As mentioned earlier, sometimes even diversifying your investment portfolio does not protect you from market fluctuations. However, it is one of the safest options available. When you diversify, you are actually dividing your assets and investment allocation in different places. This allows you to sustain the gains from different places, which can be used to protect other investments that are dependent on market shifts. However, you need to find avenues of investment, which will rise when the market goes down, such as real estate, gold, precious metals, and commodities. All these options have a tendency to surge when the financial market suddenly plunges.


Financial advice: If you are not able to understand certain terms and conditions of a particular investment, it is always better to take professional help. There are several financial institutions that have portfolio managers who can help you understand the different investment policies. They can advise you on different protection plans that you will need to employ to safeguard your IRAs and 401Ks. Believe it or not, it is always better to employ the services of a professional when it comes to portfolio management and protection.


Investigate properly: Before you invest in anything, it is recommended to investigate in a proper manner, even if the investment has been suggested by your portfolio manager. Doubts in your mind should be cleared before you put your hard-earned money into something that is too good to be true. If an investment opportunity is promising huge gains with minimum losses, there is no harm in establishing its authenticity. Investment frauds are the biggest nuisance in the financial market. Once you fall prey to an investment fraud, it will be very hard for you to regain your earlier position in the market.


Don’t invest: Sometimes, it is better not to invest at all. If you are a good speculator of the market, then analyzing the different downturns and shifts in the financial market will not be difficult for you. After a proper analysis, if you feel that the market will falter after some time, then not investing will be a good option. When you are not able to analyze the market, then taking advice from your financial consultant is advisable as he will know the market trends and downturns in a better manner.


Pattern of buying and selling: Maintaining a proper selling pattern will help ensure that your investments are protected from market shifts. Sometimes, it will be good to sell the mutual fund or stock that you are holding under Solo 401K or Self-directed IRA, especially if it has reached its price target. Your buying and selling decisions need to always separate and distinct. Even if you do not have anything to buy, you should sell to gain the maximum profit.

Volatility and unpredictability of the financial market propel retirement investors to look for protection for their investment. Employing the above measures will ensure your investments are safe from any downturn in the market.

Essentials for Becoming an Independent Contractor

Many companies are making changes to their workforce. Businesses are hiring more independent contractors and hiring fewer full-time employees. While your work as an independent contractor gives you a great deal of freedom, there are some tax and legal issues involved. To avoid problems, think through the process of becoming an independent contractor.

Hiring company’s role

If a company is considering hiring workers as independent contractors, they should refer to the IRS guidelines. Specifically, businesses need to determine if the worker is an employee or independent contractor.

The IRS guidelines are based on common law rules. Those rules address how much control the company has over the worker. For example, does the company have the right to control what the worker does, and how they do it? Does the business provide the tools and supplies used by the worker? Is the worker provided benefits, such as pension or insurance benefits?

Generally, if the answer to any of these questions is yes, the worker should be considered an employee.

Tax impact

Companies are obligated to withhold several types of taxes for employees. For example, firms must withhold federal and state income taxes from employee payroll. Those taxes are forwarded to the applicable taxing authority. Businesses also withhold and submit the employee’s share of payroll taxes for FICA and Medicare.

Payroll taxes have a component that is an expense for the employer. This additional cost can be significant for the firm. This is one reason why companies are shifting to independent contractor relationships. An independent contractor is responsible for all of their payroll taxes.

Issues for the independent contractor

If you work as an independent contractor, you are paid the entire gross amount you are owed. No withholdings come out of the payment. Entrepreneurshiplife.com points out that you’re responsible for paying both income tax and payroll tax on your earnings.

Independent contractors typically make quarterly estimated payments for federal and state withholdings. If, for example, your accountant estimates a 25% federal tax liability, you would withhold 25% of your payments for federal income taxes.

You are also responsible for your entire payroll tax. You pay both the employee and the employer’s portion. Many independent contractors use Schedule SE of the individual tax return to compute payroll taxes. One-half of your self-employment (payroll) tax is deductible on Schedule SE.

Choosing a business structure

It’s important to speak with an attorney or an accountant to choose a business structure for your independent contractor work. The business structure will help you properly report and pay both income tax and payroll tax. You may choose to work as a sole proprietor, as an LLC, or some other form of business.

Other costs to address

Independent contractors typically use their own supplies, tools and any other work-related equipment for their projects. In addition to a proper legal structure, you’ll need to pay for your own insurance.

Econtractorsinsurance.com explains some of the insurance policies that an independent contractor should consider. Many companies, for example, will require that you be bonded. Bonds ensure that the contractor will comply with local statures and laws, and protect the hiring firm against financial loss.

Working as an independent contractor offers a great deal of work flexibility. Before you start work, make sure that you have the legal and tax structure in place to succeed as a contractor.

Apps Apps Everywhere and Not a Byte to Eat

There are literally millions of apps out there. There are apps for music, movies, television, reading, games, going to concerts, buying stuff, selling stuff, finding stuff, going places…you get the idea. If there is something that you need or want to do or accomplish, there is an app out there that promises to do it for you (or to make it easier). With so many apps to choose from, how do you know which ones are most worth space on your device?

Honestly, it depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. If you want to turn your phone or tablet into a gaming and entertainment device, you’ll want apps like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, and whatever games you most want to play…and that one with the cats because everybody loves that one with the cats.

In this article we’re going to focus on the apps that will help you better run your business. Whether you’re a freelancer, artist or small business CEO, these are the apps (and types of apps) that you need to have at the ready.

Payment Apps

Mobile payment apps are to small businesses, freelancers and artists what point of sale systems were to retailers a decade ago. Mobile payment apps allow you to process any type of payment no matter where or when it comes your way.

Right now the best and most popular mobile payment app is Square. Square is great because you can use it on your phone or tablet. It can be used to process a single payment on the fly or you can set it up in a retail shop to act as a point of sale system. It’s a step up from the average POS, though, because it allows you to accept and process payments through a single account–even if you’re using that account on several devices. It all syncs up instantly.

Square also offers things like inventory tracking, which can be helpful come tax time.

Document Processing (Signature Apps)

Nobody faxes anything anymore. Scanning and emailing is a time-consuming process. This is why more and more companies are turning toward apps that help them digitally sign and process their documents and contracts instantly. For example, CudaSign is an esignature company offers users the ability to digitally sign and submit documents in just a couple of seconds. Most importantly, the digital signatures sent via this company are legally binding. It’s especially helpful for documents that require signatures from a group of people (like a management contract for a band).

Everybody can sign on their own device without your having to print up a bunch of separate copies for everybody to sign and collect.

Note Taking and Productivity Apps

Stop using those little slips of paper! They just get lost before you have a chance to do anything with them (and by the time you remember you lost that piece of paper you’ve definitely forgotten exactly what was on it). Instead, keep track of thoughts and inspirations and reminders with a note taking app. Evernote is by far the most popular of these apps and with good reason. You can sync your notes automatically across a variety of devices, which is helpful for people who switch back and forth. They even have Evernote-compatible notebooks for those of you who just can’t give up the pen and paper method of note taking. Jot down your thoughts in the notebook, snap a pic with your phone and viola! Synced!

Collaboration Apps

Unless you’re running a truly solo enterprise, you likely have to work with other people on a variety of projects. Trying to keep track of who is doing what and when can be a huge headache. This is where apps like Trello come in handy. They allow you to create lists and then moveable and customizable “cards” within those lists so that you can see who exactly is doing what and when they are doing it.

Scheduling Apps

Yes, iCal and Google Calendars are great and, for the most part, easy to use. You can even sync them across devices and users. For most  business owners and freelancers you need more. Timely is an app that allows you to block out time for different tasks and projects as well as for appointments and meetings. It is a great way to map out that to-do list you’ve been keeping in Evernote.

These are just some of the apps that are great for business. There’s also Shake, which helps you create legally binding contracts quickly, Toggl, which helps you track your time and many more. Before you get overwhelmed, though, try the apps mentioned here. You’ll be surprised by how many needs they meet!

Create A Workplace That Is Consistent With Employee Values

If you want a successful workforce, which will ultimately result in a more successful and productive business, then it’s important to take a look at the workplace values you have in place and how they relate to your employee values. Finding a level of consistency and compromise between the two, could be the difference between having happy and productive staff or demotivated staff and a less successful company. Here we show you how from small beginnings – such as changing printer cartridges or watching how much paper you use – you can create a workplace your employees want to be a part of.

Everyone is different, and this should be recognised

Part of this is recognising the differences between each and every employee and embracing them. Every worker will have their own set of personal and work values and beliefs, so take some time to evaluate the individual values, as well as your business values, and seek out the common threads, which can form the basis of your ethos. A great way to do this is by conducting appraisals or informal interviews, where individuals can express their values in private. Alternatively, you could carry out anonymous surveys or open the floor with a staff meeting where everyone can have their say.

It’s incredibly important for employees to feel valued within an organisation and to feel that their views and beliefs are respected and listened to. By taking the time to seek the opinions and views of your employees and marrying them with the company ethos, you will naturally improve relations within your workforce and in turn, improve motivation and productivity levels too.

From the information collected from your research you should be able to create a unified vision for the future that will be at the core of your business and be consistent with your employee’s values too. Everyone will have had their say, knows the goals for the future and have a good idea of how to achieve them effectively. This could be simple acts such as more team activities beyond working parameters, or regular staff meetings and updates on the company, which are designed to improve employee inclusion, morale, bonding and generate a team spirit.

Ethical issues

Other aspects to consider are people’s ethical beliefs. In a world that is becoming ever more environmentally conscious and more proactive in ‘doing their bit’ to help improve and preserve their environment, it is your responsibility as a business and employer to respect this. Many workplaces are putting measures in place to become ‘greener’, from concepts such as of being paper free to simple acts of being mindful of the resources you use. For example, printers and printer cartridges are an essential part of most businesses, as despite best efforts, there is inevitably occasions where a hardcopy of a document is required. Being more mindful of the volumes of paper you use, as well as the types of printer cartridges, is a start. Most reputable printer supply companies will offer environmentally friendly printer cartridges that are more economical or can be recycled.

Rolling your values and visions out to your team

Once you have decided on your vision and values as an organisation, it’s then time to put them down on paper (or email) and communicate them to your employees. It’s vital to keep the visions and goals clear and distinct, as well as definitive and realistic in terms of achieving them, to ensure maximum take up. A great way to communicate them is as part of a discussion group, which will allow employees to answer questions, as well as give a feeling of inclusion and value. The simple act of being part of something is a great morale booster and will organically help to initiate new concepts and employee buy in, creating a workplace that is consistent with employee values to maximise the effectiveness within the business.

3 Rules to Break to Be a Freelance Writer Extraordinaire

Several misconceptions about getting started hold budding freelance writers back. You may think that to be successful as a freelance writer, you need to attend a popular school of journalism, have a good number of editorial connections, spend a fortune of money on various things including supplies, and do your best to make your way up from the bottom of the editorial barrel. As said earlier, many of these things are misconceptions.

Read the following tips to find out how to get started on the career of freelance writer now- even if your pooch is the only contact you have now.

Rule #1: You need to major in English, or go to a popular journalism college

If that were true, books, magazines and journals would certainly be a lot skinnier. Remember freelance writers come in all sizes, colors, and shapes- and their qualifications do not include a noteworthy degree in journalism or English. Websites like thepensters.com offer incredible writing opportunities to people looking for a career of freelance writer, irrespective of their backgrounds. Who knows, your background in medical science may help you land a real-good writing opportunity (with pensters) to make serious money writing academic papers and research journals for research agency.

Rule #2: You should have editorial connections.

Freelance writing is not for all and you can certainly do well with some connections. Having said that, getting started on the career of freelance writer should not be compared to breaking into Hollywood or something. Some writers see connections as something to gnash their teeth over. Editors look for certain qualities in a potential freelance writer such as professional attitude and timely ideas. If you can sniff opportunities to sell yourself, you are sure to have more connections that you will know how to deal with. Many freelance writers think that a valid connection is someone who serves up 2500-word assignments to them on a trendy platter. Even someone who has rejected your queries all along but asked for your ideas is a connection. Keep in contact with them, and look for more connections.

Rule #3: You have to spend a boatload of money

Do you fancy having a colorful business card or a fancy letterhead? Perhaps you think any extra money jingling in your wallet should go towards increasing the stock of fancy supplies. It is time you stopped thinking so. You would have to plug away at your day job to pay for all these items.

What is the bottom line? Save the money you would normally spend on supplies and other fancy stuff, and stash it away in a bank account. It is recommended that entrepreneurs stockpile sufficient cash to meet out their living expenses for at least 3 months. You do not want to hear that sound of your last dollar being debited from your bank account.

These are some rules you need to break to break through. Thepensters.com is one of the best sites to look for if you wish to become a freelance writer. They offer the launch pad you need to get started on the career of freelance writer.

Don’t Paint Investing With A Broad Brush

Everybody has their own ideas of how to live life. Investments are just one of many ways this is shown. For some, day trading and constant reallocation of funds is recreationally and financially satisfying. For others, they like to keep it straightforward and not be in constant flux about their next steps.

As you plan your investments, you need to do a thorough self-survey in these areas. You need to make sure you are following the course for you, not for the big-talking co-worker or relative who claims massive gains.

Evaluate yourself in these key areas before getting tied down with a strategy.

Perceiving Your Tolerance for Risk

Let’s review a basic concept from finance. Say that you have a mortgage at 5.1%, and you owe $120,000 on it. Uncle Fred unexpectedly passes away, and even more unexpectedly, he leaves you $150,000. You begin investigating investment options and find that you can achieve an interest rate of 5.5% while maintaining enough liquidity to satisfy you.

The most logical option would be to continue paying the mortgage even though you have enough money to pay it off, because you are actually 0.4% better off to do so. Yet many people prefer to pay it off anyway, because they like the idea of eliminating that monthly payment more than they like the interest advantage. Are they wrong? No, as long as they fully understand what’s going on. This is where money intersects with value; the homeowner who pays it off is valuing the end of that debt at some amount over 0.4%, because he or she is giving up that amount of money to do so. And if that makes you happy, you should do it.

The endgame of investment is to understand the factors going into your decision and to be certain of your comfort level.

Knowing Your Life Stage

In many situations, there is no single answer that suits every investor. When Al Masah Capital tweets about something breaking with investments, you have the opportunity to take advantage of it. It doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a gold-letter moment, but depending on your tolerance for risk it might be something you’re willing to roll the dice on.

One of the key factors that determine whether you should go Vegas on the suggestion or play it safe is your age. At 25 years old, you can have a much higher tolerance for risk than at 55, because you have time to recover before retirement. The Chrysler Corporation was a perfect example of this during their late 70’s and early 80’s crisis. Young investors saw shares getting down to a couple of bucks and figured the risk was worth it, since one of the Big 3 automakers was highly likely to return to profitability at some point. But those who expected to retire before Reagan’s second term ended were more reserved and knew it might take years for that recovery.

Understanding Upkeep

Some investors just like to keep things simple. They prefer low-maintenance investments that don’t require frequent complex decisions. They just want to sock their money away, achieve a reasonable interest rate, and begin drawing money out at retirement.

Others like to work the room, so to speak. They are intrigued by emerging markets, so an investment company like Al Masah Capital might sound like a great opportunity to them. They utilize complex investment strategies to maximize revenues.

Once again, is either of these investors wrong? No, they are both right. The steady investor has a perspective of investments being important tools for financial security after leaving the workforce. That investor wants to maintain a steady standard of living without having outside employment.

Our high-activity investor achieves satisfaction from the victories he or she achieves in daily or weekly transactions. The returns received aren’t just financial, they’re competitive. And again, as long as both investors understand the repercussions of their courses of action, they are both doing the right thing.

The Number One Mistake Marketers Make With Direct Mail (It’s Not What You Think)

With all of the press around the notion of direct mail being “dead,” you might think that the biggest mistake that marketers make with direct mail is actually doing it in the first place. After all, email, mobile, and social media marketing are the “cool kids” on the marketing block right now, and direct mail seems positively quaint.

The fact is, direct mail is alive and well, and still boasts the highest response rate (estimates range from 2 percent to 6 percent per mailing) of any marketing tactic. However, many marketers make the same mistake in direct mail that they do in other forms of marketing, a mistake that torpedoes their results and negatively affects their brand. That mistake? Not putting the customers first, and making it easy for them to respond the way you want them to.

The First Rule of Marketing: Know Your Customer

Anyone who has studied even just the fundamental of marketing understands that the first rule of any type of marketing is to know your customer. This means not only targeting your demographic (such as age group, gender, household income) but also understanding what that demographic wants and needs from you. The most effective marketing campaigns are those targeted toward meeting a specific need or solving a particular problem for your target demographic. Campaigns that make someone stop and say, “Hey, you know, I do have that problem, and this looks like the perfect solution!” are much more effective than campaigns that try to be all things to all people.

The problem with many direct mail campaigns, though, is that the marketer focuses more on demographics and less on needs. They are so focused on reaching as many eyeballs as possible with their pieces that they fail to recognize that not every household in the ZIP code is going to have a need for orthodontic care, or that not every woman of childbearing age is interested in children’s toys. Compounding the problem is that many direct mail pieces are confusing, vague, or pointless, without a clear call to action or value. The result, then, is recycling bins full of junk mail and companies left scratching their heads, wondering why their expensive campaign didn’t work out.

“Why Did They Send Me This?” (and Other Burning Questions)

Almost everyone has received a piece of mail at one point or another and thought, “How on Earth did I get on this list?” Sometimes, the piece is so wildly off topic that it’s almost comical (the 20-something receiving a flyer for a retirement home, for example) but usually it’s more baffling — and wasteful for the person sending it. In some cases, the mistake is easily explainable; for example, perhaps you once ordered a gift for someone from a specialty website, which then sold your information to other related businesses. Those are difficult to avoid, and the only way to avoid getting such mailings is to opt-out.

However, not all seemingly random pieces of mail are so easily explained. Often, the reason is simply that the marketer hasn’t done their homework. And even if you do know exactly who to mail your piece to, if you don’t have a clear, compelling, call-to-action, it’s probably still not going to work.

Avoid the “What were they thinking?” and “What am I supposed to do with this?” questions, by asking these questions before you put a single piece into the mail:

Who am I trying to reach? What is my ideal customer profile? (Note: this is different from a demographic. Give your customer a name, create a persona. You might be surprised that your assumptions haven’t been accurate.)
What are the benefits of my product? After reading this piece, will my customers know how we can make their lives better, or will they just know more about my product?
Does this piece look good? Would I respond to this piece? Can I be more creative?
What am I offering? Is that what my customer wants or needs?
Why should someone respond to this piece? Can they get that from a quick glance?
What do I want prospects to do when they read this? Have I asked them to do that?
Is it easy to respond? Have we created unnecessary barriers to a response?

Asking these questions before you send a direct mail piece allows you to identify potential problems with the piece, and helps ensure that you’re putting the customer first and meeting their needs. When you do that well, it only makes sense that your direct mail campaigns will be successful — and you won’t have to justify your mailings anymore.

4 Creative Life Hacks For College Students

Life hacks are skills or tricks that increase efficiency and productivity. Students have devised many life hacks to help them study. While studying, one gets hungry faster compared to a manual task and students carry snacks to combat this. Some notes can be very boring to go through; therefore, some students prefer listening to recorded lectures. It can save time since the lectures can be played at twice the original speed taking half the time the lecture took.

According to website provides perfect written essays, most students use different colors when taking notes to fire up their visual memory. Notes taken with same color can be boring and discourages students studying compared to colored notes. Senior classes are usually harder than junior classes therefore students do their best to build their GPA in the first semesters when subjects are easier.

To make easy and fast breakfast, students use a coffee mug in the microwave to make scrambled eggs. It takes averagely one and a half minutes for breakfast to be ready. Students who are too lazy when it comes to doing dishes use a tortilla instead of bowl or plate. Many have also invested in laptop locks to combat theft. On a hot day, they hang damp towels over open windows to reduce stuffiness.

Presentations are one of the most challenging moments in a student’s academic life especially the final project. Students, therefore, set up their friends to ask questions that they have well researched so that they can answer to boost confidence. An egg carton is also used to keep the computer cool. This helps keep the computer functioning efficiently and longer.