Software to notify me when someone rings my doorbell?

Question: I'm trying to get a notification on my main phone or email when someone rings my doorbell, without changing the doorbell. The sound is loud, so I'm thinking to set a secondary phone next to the intercom speaker, that would notify me once the dB level is higher than a certain threshold. Do you guys have any idea of how I could do this? Cheers!
Comment: Sure! My brother can code so I can get help from him :) @Mawg
Comment: can you code? or are you wiling to learn (maybe just copy some one else's code & modify it)?
Answer: Since you & your brother are able to code, I will offer a software and hardware solution, which could be fun hobby project.
I plan to do this some time soon, with a difference to you (but you might change your mind & do my project ;-)
My Project
I am going to use an ESP32 (kinda like a smaller raspberry Pi, without Linux). They are well supported, with over 100 million sold, cheap, programmable and have both BlueTooth and WIfi.
I really like this one, because LilyGo is a good brand. It costs about $17, which is a snip for something programmable and internet enabled.

It has a camera and an LCD display screen, which means that I can use it for two way communication. Wifi on the board is simple to program, to alert me when the door rings.
There are good code samples to be had, so that you don't need to re-invent too much of the wheel. In fact, if you search for esp32 face recognition, you can even have that if you want.

BUT, since you say

I'm trying to get a notification on my main phone or email when someone rings my doorbell, without changing the doorbell.

Then all you need is a much cheaper ESP32 with no camera or LCD display, just a microphone (they are all internet enabled), which should costs about $5.
You can code them in C or Python, as you prefer; there are plenty of examples and forums. If you are interested, you might want to know about our Internet Of Things sister site.
And, once you can code an ESP32 with a microphone, you can make your own Alexa for five bucks. Just search for esp32 voice recognition (for instance, this).
I may have missed the mark, or I may just have gotten you a new hobby. I know that I got bitten badly :-) Please let me know what you think ...
Answer: An option that one might consider "off-the-shelf" would be If This Then That, a web based service that uses internet connected devices (among other things) to provide responses to physical actions.
Your request could be as simple as a branch off your doorbell circuit that triggers one of the many network-capable devices to signal IFTTT to send a text message or email.
I did a quick search on the site for doorbell and got a bunch of results that may be of value, depending on your technical skill and budget. Even if one is not a perfect match, it may provide a path to a suitable solution.
Another option is called Blynk. It provides similar capability, based primarily on network-capable devices and one's cell phone. I was not able to find a search option in the site and did not sign up to investigate further, but the blog posts I receive from my Kickstarter contribution indicate that this service is also capable of solving your objective.


It doesn't work properly with NAS

Question: I usually work with live versions of Ubuntu. I have a NAS which I use for saving files from computers. When I save files to NAS everything works ok but when I try to recover files from NAS to the computer everything goes wrong.
Using Ubuntu 9.04 and 9.10 it works properly, but from 10.04 on it stops working and you can't take the files from the NAS.
Comment: "Stops working" is a bit imprecise.  What happens -- do you get an error of some kind?
Comment: When you say "can't take files" - how are you trying to do this? Nfs, samba, scp/sftp?
Answer: My guess, based on the little information in your post, is that this is a permissions problem. If you are using NFS to access the NAS from ubuntu, permissions are managed using numeric user identifiers. The NAS tracks these, the client (your desktop) translates the numbers into user names.
Most likely, between the different versions, the user name you are using got assigned a different UID. Probably, it used to be 1000, now it is 1001. (Unless running off a live CD means you are root all the time?)
As a first step to debugging, how are you accessing the NAS, and can you do an ls -l of the problem files? (All we want is the left hand columns, not the file names)

It doesn't work properly with NAS


Short story about two brothers leading an expedition to the prehistoric past, one (Orren? Owen?) is killed and erased from history

Question: I read this story (must have been in an anthology; I didn't read SF/F magazines) when I was a kid, which puts the publication date before 1975. I remember it as being much older than that, though, not Golden Age, maybe the 50s or 60s. In the story, the expedition isn't (I think) to hunt dinosaurs. I remember a savanna, so there was probably hunting of some sort involved. A member of the expedition does something rash or stupid that results in the death of the narrator's brother. I think the last line, or close to, is the brother's name fading on the wind as he's erased from existence. I've been all over the web looking for a reference to this story without finding it, which means it isn't well-known, although I think the author is.
Comment: I know memory can play tricks on people so I'll just ask, is it Bradbury's [A Sound of Thunder](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Sound_of_Thunder)?
Comment: Thanks, good try, but no joy.
Comment: I'm sorry, @Bill, that was a little short. I was in a hurry. Should have waited til I had more time to respond. Actually, I found "A Sound of Thunder" straight away. The movie based on it is even on YouTube (go figure). It was definitely the closest match I could find anywhere, so I was very disappointed when I reread the story and realized it's not the one I'm looking for.
Comment: No worries.  I was just tossing the idea out hoping to get lucky anyway.  I'm sure it was the first thought everyone else had as well.  :)
Answer: The story is Danger: Dinosaurs! by Richard Marsten, 214 pages John C. Winston Company (1953).
Richard Marsten was born Salvatore Lombino. He was a prolific writer, and Richard Marsten was only one of his many pen names. As Evan Hunter, he wrote the best-seller The Blackboard Jungle, as well as the original screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. He also authored the original police procedural series, *The 87th Precinct. He is also know as Ed McBain.
A confirming synopsis can be found on the Winston Science Fiction blog. Many thanks to D.W. Rowlands and the people at the MIT Science Fiction Society for getting this information for us.

This short story was also performed as a radio drama in the mid 1950's, but it was not done on X-1, and I have been unable to find it anywhere. The plot centered around the idea that the two brothers ran time travel safaris for wealthy people to photograph dinosaurs. On this particular trip, the wealthy patron smuggles a gun into the time machine, and, when they arrive starts shooting at dinosaurs. In the ensuing havoc, over the course of several days, various members of the expedition are killed, and, as each one dies, his or her memory is slowly erased in the minds of the survivors, and history is altered to accommodate the fact that these people died millions of years before they were born. Eventually, the patron is killed, and history changes to make his servant, a black man, the eventual patron. (Very unusual for that era.) In the end, as you stated, the older brother is killed, and, in the final scene, the younger brother calls out his name in a futile attempt to retain his memory. it was the best time travel story I've ever run across. I hope you find it and let us all know where it can be located.
It was not on Dimension X or X-1. I have listened to all programs on both series, and have not found this story. I think I have also heard every program broadcast on 2000 Plus. About all I can add is that heard this story on a radio station in Boston, at night, during the school year, most likely during the school week, and, also most likely, between September of 1954 and June of 1956. (The story had to have been published at that time or before. The fact that it was a high quality radio production, does not necessarily mean it was a high quality short story, but, based on the radio production, I would guess that it originally appeared in one of the high quality SF pulps.) Either the name Orren, or Owen, as was mentioned above for the older brother that died, rings true in my memory, as does the idea of a savanna. I also think that the older brother had either a wife or a fiance, (she may or may not have been part of the safari crew), and that the younger brother, who idolized his older brother, was conflicted because of his own feelings for the woman, and that part of the history adjustment that takes place is that, in the end the woman is the younger brother's wife or fiance. He also winds up being the leader of the expedition. A lot of the elements that appear in this story, appear in later time travel stories like A Sound of Thunder. Our local NPR station runs OTR programs from 9pm to midnight six nights a week, and has done so for all of the 25 years I have lived here. In addition to X-1, Dimension X, and 2000 Plus, they run Escape, Suspense, and just about every other adventure and drama series ever broadcast during that era, and I have never heard them broadcast this story.
Comment: I think you can rule out "Dimension X" as well, so it was probably done on an anthology show like "The Whistler" or "Lights Out."  Do you remember anything that might help clue us in to the series this was broadcast on?
Comment: You are right. It was not on Dimension X or X-1. I have listened to all programs on both series, and have not found this story. I think I have also heard every program broadcast on 2000 Plus. About all I can add is that heard this story on a radio station in Boston, at night, during the school year, most likely during the school week, and, also most likely, between September of 1954 and June of 1956. (The story had to have been published at that time or before. The fact that it was a high quality radio production, does not necessarily mean it was a high quality short story, but, based on the r
Comment: Thanks!  I know a lot of the mystery anthology shows from that era tended not to do SF, so that makes it tougher to find.  At first I wondered if it could be "A Gun for Dinosaur," which was on X - 1 and I think was re-done on Dimension X (but I'm not sure about that).  But it looks like that was not it.  Also, it's nice to run into someone else who enjoys OTR.
Comment: Thank you for all the hard work (and thank the MIT people, too)!  I can't find any links (yet) that give us any info about any OTR show with an episode with that title or with his name in the credits.  I'll keep looking on that, but I'm also going to have to order the book from Amazon now so I can read it.
Comment: Welcome to Stack Exchange. This is a [questions and answers](http://scifi.stackexchange.com/about) site, not a discussion forum — please read the [FAQ](http://scifi.stackexchange.com/faq). I've consolidated your posts into one answer. Thanks for digging around and finding the story!
Comment: Oh, my heavens, someone actually found it. @John, THANK YOU for researching this and tracking the book down!
Comment: Ah, a bit more information. The book IS available on Amazon (two copies, $59 and $102) and on eBay (a signed edition for yikes $400). Danger, Dinosaurs! was also one of the books published as the Winston Science Fiction set (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Science_Fiction#Books_in_the_.22Winston_Science_Fiction.22_set).
Comment: @rhanajoy would you mind clicking the checkmark on the left? That rewards John with some Internet points ([yes, really](https://scifi.stackexchange.com/tour)) and shows other users that this is the correct answer.
Comment: Oops! Done. Thanks for the reminder.


Starter runs continuously

Question: 2003 Pontiac Vibe 1.8L - Put in new battery and starter. Starter starts running when we hook battery back up. Unhook the battery it stops. Tried fuse replace and if battery is hooked up pull fuse starter stops put fuse in starter engages. Does anyone know what's could be going on and/or how to fix it?
Comment: Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair! I've updated your question a bit. If it doesn't fit what you were trying to say, please edit it accordingly. Strange situation. Hoping someone has some experience with the Vibe and can help you figure it out.
Answer: Could be the relay stuck closed or the starters relay control  driver inside pcm has failed closed. Drivers failing is very common. Usually they fail open but sometimes they do fail closed which would result in what your seeing. (A constant ON command to the starters relay.) Other then that your starter relay has a short to ground on 85 terminal or the starters relay has a short to 12V on 87 terminal.
Pulling the fuse interrupts the supply from relay to the starter so we can safely assume its on the back side of this fuse which should be a relay.
First check relay.
If not relay check terminal 85 in fuse box for the starter relay to see if there is a constant ground signal
If yes, Disconnect pcm.
Now probe 85 terminal again to see if its still shorted to ground.
If yes, find and repair
If no, suspect the pcm.
If 85 signals are good (it should only show ground when cranking),
Check 87 to see if its it has 12V
If yes find and repair short, maybe suspect fuse box.
Answer: There are at least two conditions that can cause this. One being a defective starter where the starter solenoid contacts are closed so unswitched battery power is sent to the starter. You have eliminated this cause by pulling the fuse and shutting off the starter. That leaves the control circuit which goes through the starter relay. In some vehicles the same style of relay is used in more than one position. Check your fuse box or "power center" for a relay marked starter. Look for another relay with identical markings. Swap the relay and see if the starter spins. If it doesn't spin the relay is the problem. The car may not start depending on what the relay you removed controls. But you have isolated it down to being the relay.
Comment: If the relay were bad in the closed position, pulling the fuse to it would not stop power flow to the starter.
Answer: If it was the small relay fuse and not a large solenoid fuse, then the small starter relay is welded closed. Replace it.

Starter runs continuously


Can I renew a driver's licence online ( can I send a photo via email?) in Texas?

Question: The problem is the following. I need to change my driver's license photo, is there still a way to get it done online or I have to fly back to U.S?
Can I send them a photo via email or something?
Answer: I searched online for "renew Texas drivers license." A list of results was presented, including this page from Texas DMV. Midway down the page, "Out of State Renewal" was discussed. Here's the information (copied-and-pasted) from that section:
To renew your TX driver's license by mail, download the Out-of-State or Out-of-Country Packet (Form DL-16P) and submit the documents included:
A completed:

Application for Out of State or Out of Country Renewal/Replacement/Change of Texas Driver License or Identification Card (Form DL-16). Include your Texas address.
Exemption Certification for Class A or B Non-CDL Supplement to Texas Driver License Application (Form CDL-2), if you are renewing a Class A or Class B driver's license.
Explanation for Eye Specialist (Form DL-63), if your last renewal
wasn't done in person.
Payment for your renewal fee. (See the Renewal Fees in TX section
below.)

The page refers to Form DL-16, which is easily downloaded or viewed. This form contains further info about out of state renewal: for example, the applicant must have their "true, fixed, and permanent home (domicile)" in Texas.
However, license photographs are not mentioned, and no provision appears for submitting a new one. That indicates that Texas uses only the photographs taken at Texas DMV offices, and no others.
Thus, the only way to obtain a new drivers license photograph is to personally appear at a Texas DMV office.


Set ImageItem in midp form UNFOCUSABLE

Question: I have a midp form where I am adding ImageItem's and StringItem's
I want to be able to select the StringItem's only. When I click or scroll in the form I don't want the images to be selectable.
Answer: Generally, the answer is no - MIDP 2 does not provide API to force form items to be unfocusable. If you badly need a greater control, consider using canvas instead of form - although in that case you will probably have to write a lot of code for things that are granted in form.
If you're targeting particular phone model(s) you may check device-specific (non-MIDP) API for features like that - though in this case your MIDlet may not work on other devices

Set ImageItem in midp form UNFOCUSABLE


How to Display Translated Content by Language in Drupal Views?

Question: Title: How to Display Translated Content by Language in Drupal Views?
I have a View in Drupal with multiple displays, each configured as follows:
Display 1: Articles

FILTER CRITERIA:

Content: Published (= Yes)
Content: Content type (= Article)

PAGE SETTINGS:

Path: /articles/insights

Display 2: Page

FILTER CRITERIA:

Content: Published (= Yes)
Content: Content type (= Article)
Content: Page Category (= Glossary)

PAGE SETTINGS:

Path: /articles/glossary

Display 3: A-F

FILTER CRITERIA:

Content: Published (= Yes)
Content: Content type (= Article)
Content: Page Category (= Glossary)
Content: Subtitle (regex ^[A-Fa-f].*$)

BLOCK SETTINGS:

Block name: None
Block category: Lists (Views)
Allow settings: Items per page

The first display, "Articles," with the path /articles/insights, shows the article listing, while the second, third, and other similar displays show the Glossary of articles. The Page Category is a field called field_page_category, which can be selected when adding an article.
Now, I have some articles that are translated into Portuguese-Brazil (pt-br) and have the page category as Glossary. I want to display these links when I access /pt-br/articles/glossary. I tried creating a new display for the View with the path /pt-br/articles/glossary, and in the filter criteria, I added:

Content: Translation language (= Portuguese, Brazil)
Content revision: Translation language (= Portuguese, Brazil)

However, it still displays all the links in English. I'm unable to find a Language filter when attempting to add it.
The SQL query I received is:
SELECT "node_field_data"."langcode" AS "node_field_data_langcode", "node__field_subtitle"."field_subtitle_value" AS "node__field_subtitle_field_subtitle_value", "node_field_data"."nid" AS "nid"
FROM
{node_field_data} "node_field_data"
INNER JOIN {node__field_page_category} "node__field_page_category" ON node_field_data.nid = node__field_page_category.entity_id AND node__field_page_category.deleted = '0'
INNER JOIN {node_field_revision} "node_field_revision" ON node_field_data.vid = node_field_revision.vid
LEFT JOIN {node__field_subtitle} "node__field_subtitle" ON node_field_data.nid = node__field_subtitle.entity_id AND (node__field_subtitle.deleted = '0' AND node__field_subtitle.langcode = node_field_data.langcode)
WHERE ((node__field_page_category.field_page_category_value = 'Glossary')) AND (("node_field_data"."status" = '1') AND ("node_field_data"."type" IN ('article')) AND ("node_field_data"."langcode" IN ('pt-br')) AND ("node_field_revision"."langcode" IN ('pt-br')))
ORDER BY "node__field_subtitle_field_subtitle_value" ASC

How can I configure Drupal Views to display content in Portuguese (pt-br) when accessing the /pt-br/articles/glossary URL? I can't seem to find the Language filter to achieve this.
The language filters I already have are as follows:

Title
Category

Delivery Language
Content

Original language
Content

Translation language
Content

Translation source
Content

Original language
Content revision

Original language
Content revision

Translation language
Content revision

Translation source
Content revision
Answer: Happy Coder
Instead of these filters, could you add Content: Default translation filter and select true? and in the Rendering Language select Interface text language selected for page.
Regards,


What's the difference between "flicker" and "twinkle"?

Question: What's the difference between "flicker" and "twinkle"? By dictionary definition, they are almost identical.
Answer: They have different connotations.
A 'twinkling' light references images like Christmas lights or other pretty, cheerful things. For example, the poem Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is where many native English speakers hear the word 'twinkle' for the first time.
A 'flickering' light has neutral or negative connotations. A flickering candle can be neutral, but flickering lights are usually spooky, or at least poorly-maintained.
'Flickering' implies that the light has the potential to go out completely, while 'twinkling' does not. This is why stars twinkle, and candles flicker.
Comment: Things that reflect light can twinkle, but usually only actual light sources can flicker. *Twinkling* evokes *sparkling*, *glittering*. Additionally, I would say twinkling is usually rather constant, whereas a flickering light could be sporadically flashing completely on and completely off again.
Comment: +1 Jofsey, both can mean "to to emit light in intermittent gleams or flashes." There are some contexts in which *twinkle* is idiomatic and some in which *flicker* seems more natural. *Flicker* definitely has a broad range of connotation. *Twinkle* can refer to a light source. Stars twinkle. Eyes usually *twinkle*; they don't really *flicker*, I don't think.
Comment: i find this answer bizarre. to me, twinkling implies quickly varying levels of brightness over time, while flickering is blinking completely off and completely on very quickly (perhaps at irregular intervals). two different things. i also don't think "flickering" itself has any negative connotation whatsoever. "flickering *light*" does, but only because lights themselves are so important to us. "flickering" itself is not negative in the least and also does not imply dimming to me. if you wanted to say that, you would say "flickering and dimming".
Answer: Both twinkle and flicker have the meaning of a variation in intensity of emitted light, however they are different

twinkling is a variation caused by an increase in light
flickering is caused by a decrease in light

An often used reference is to a twinkling star as in the popular children's lullaby. When a star is not twinkling it is already observable, and when it twinkles appears to increase in brightness.  Star twinkling is caused by the distance of star from the observer making them appear to be very small sources of light and atmospheric variations.  Because planets are closer and larger (as a light/image source) they do not twinkle.
Another often used reference is flickering candle.  A candle that is lit will have a constant glow, variation in light output can be caused by slight air movements causing the candle to flicker, in the extreme the candle will flicker before going out.

A lit candle does not twinkle, and an unlit candle can not flicker.

In terms of connotation, twinkling has a generally positive meaning: the twinkle in one's eye.
Comment: I disagree that "flickering" has a negative connotation. Why would so many folks be trying to simulate a flickering fire with electric lights if it were a negative thing? If flicker were negative, why would someone say something like ["When we think of our fireplaces, we envision a welcoming, inviting room where we ...enjoy our holidays with family and friends, and **enjoy a warm, flickering fire**. "](http://www.stoneandmasonryspecialists.com/Fireplace.html)
Comment: **can** have a negative connotation, not necessarily **does**.  Do you mean those wonderful holiday gatherings by the end of which one may want to throw their relatives into the **warm, flickering fire**?  Offending portion has been edited.
Comment: -1 show me a dictionary definition that says what you say about the difference between the two words (flicker is an decrease and twinkle is an increase).
Answer: Going strictly by the images that are conjured in my head when I read the two words, it's most often a question of degree.
If I read that a light "flickered", I imagine that it is varying randomly and widely, sometimes almost going out completely.
If I read that a light "twinkled", I picture it varying only slightly and more slowly and regularly.


Launching rmid problem on Ubuntu 12.04

Question: I have
java version "1.6.0_21"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_21-b07)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 17.0-b17, mixed mode)

installed.
When I type rmid in the command line, I get this error:

Activation.main: warning: sun.rmi.activation.execPolicy system
property unspecified and no ExecPermissions/ExecOptionPermissions
granted; subsequent activation attempts may fail due to unsuccessful
ExecPermission/ExecOptionPermission permission checks

For documentation on how to configure rmid security, refer to:

http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/docs/tooldocs/solaris/rmid.html
http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4/docs/tooldocs/win32/rmid.html

Naturally, neither link works.
I need rmid for a remote client/server project I'm working on. Any ideas to why I'm getting this error?
Answer: You might find what you need here: http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/technotes/guides/rmi/index.html

Launching rmid problem on Ubuntu 12.04


Azure Web Job vs SharePoint Designer Workflow

Question: I have a requirement to send an escalation email based on the date difference between two date columns (considering business hours only). Is this accomplishable via SharePoint Designer Workflow or I should use Azure Web Job? which option is better to use?
Comment: you mean date difference considering working days (i.e. weekends are not considered) right?
Comment: Yes weekends are not considered. Five working days in a week 8 am to 5 pm.
Comment: SPD workflows won't help you you can write Azure functions as you will need custom logic to build for your requirement.
Answer: SharePoint Designer workflows make it simple to set up processes that run when an item changes or is added to a list/library. If you want a process to run at a certain time, and then to run for all items in the list (or all items that meet some condition), then SPD workflows aren't the best option.
Webjobs certainly can do the latter, but we have another option as well: azure functions. Azure functions can run on a schedule, and can connect to a SharePoint list/library, and process items as needed.
Another option is Flow. This is similar to SharePoint designer, but is Microsoft's newer, cloud-based workflow tool.


Affordable timelapse motion control

Question: I am looking for a timelapse motion control. So far, the cheapest I have found is the Genie, which is about $1000ish (with accessories). Is there a more affordable alternative?
Comment: What gear do you use? For Canon DSLRs there is the TC-80N3 (wired remote control) which can be "programmed" to perform timelapse shots.
Answer: The entire point of the Genie is that it was to offer a more affordable option then the other products on the market. You are looking for something even more affordable. You are probably best off with a DIY solution that will of course be less flexible, more clunky, error prone, and ugly. But it could end up costing you less.
I have heard of one other competitor that is less expensive but I don't know much about the products: SlideTracked
Comment: I like the idea of the genie, but its still rather expensive for what is essentially a motor and a timer in a box...

Affordable timelapse motion control


Run Full Ubuntu Installation from UEFI Bootable USB stick

Question: Similar to a previous questioner who did not appear to get an appropriate answer (being referred to a page that did not relate to his specific need) I wish to run a full 64bit version of Ubuntu 13.10 from my 64g USB3 stick. OK, I have actually done this, no problem.
But the issue is I would like to be able to boot from this large USB stick onto my UEFI laptop, running Win 8.1, which, of course won't recognise it without me changing the setup in a way that won't let me run Win 8.1 without changing the setup back again. Messy.
I've already created a 'Live' 64bit Ubuntu 64bit 13.10 installation on another USB stick which I definitely know I could use to install Ubuntu onto a new partition on my UEFI - Secure Boot Win 8.1 machine. But I don't want to do that.
I simply want to run full Ubuntu from my large format USB stick on that machine - and I don't know a way of making that stick UEFI bootable at the same time as installing Ubuntu on it again (or diddling with the existing installation, if necessary). The problem is that I'm obliged to create any new installation on this stick via an old non-UEFI computer. I can't do it via my Win 8.1 machine. So I just to not get any option via the 'Something Else' installation method to choose EFI.
Phew!
Anybody know what I can do (apart from take a running jump)?
David
Answer: Not sure why you cannot use Windows UEFI system to create UEFI flash drive. You should still turn off fast boot, and probably turn off secure boot. You then should be able to boot Ubuntu installer and using Something Else install to the second flash drive. You must specify to install grub2's boot loader to that flash drive.
If not you cannot easily create a UEFI bootable device on a BIOS system. You can manually partition with gpt which is required for for UEFI boot. But Ubuntu will also boot in BIOS mode from gpt partitioned drives and Boot-Repair will convert a BIOS install to UEFI by uninstalling grub-pc and installing grub-efi. But that needs to be on a UEFI system.
You can format in advance using gparted, advanced choose gpt not default msdos(MBR) partitioning. Create 200 or 300MB FAT32 partition with boot flag so it is efi partition. If booting initially in BIOS mode create an unformatted 1 or 2MB partition with the bios_grub flag. Then add partitions you want, / (root) and /home or data. If wanting to also share data with Windows, make first partition NTFS, and efi etc after that.
I have not tried it but you may be able to just copy grub's efi boot files into efi partition and add a configfile to get it to find grub.cfg in your install. Or manually boot from grub rescue and reinstall grub.
Comment: Oldfred - who is probably younger than I am - thank you so much. I will need to work on your answers, most of which are above my paygrade, but I suspect you may have helped me enormously. If something in there works for me I shall come back here and post a blow-by-blow account of what I did.


Not understanding instruction execution order in recursive factorial function (MIPS)

Question: I am confused about how this code multiplies n for each n-1 given the order of the sequences. Let me explain how I see what is happening and you can point out where I'm wrong.
If n is less than 0, the comparison is false and the program simply returns 1(if this is the first time it has been called). If not, L1 is called and it gets decremented. Here is where I get confused. It looks like fact is being called again immediately after the decrement and the multiplication function never takes place. In this case, if n = 5, then it would simply decrement until n = 0 and finally multiply 1 x 5 at the very end.
My best guess is that I'm missing something in terms of it pushing/popping the values on and off the stack, but I haven't a clue.
<code> fact: addi $sp, $sp, -8 # adjust stack for 2 items
 sw $ra, 4($sp) # save the return address
 sw $a0, 0($sp) # save the argument n

 slti $t0, $a0, 1 # test for n < 1
 beq $t0, $zero, L1 # if n >= 1, go to L1

 addi $v0, $zero, 1 # return 1
 addi $sp, $sp, 8 # pop 2 items off stack
 jr $ra # return to instruction after jal

 L1: addi $a0, $a0, -1 # n >= 1; argument gets (n – 1)
 jal fact # call fact with (n – 1)

 lw $a0, 0($sp) # return from jal: restore argument n
 lw $ra, 4($sp) # restore the return address
 addi $sp, $sp, 8 # adjust stack pointer to pop 2 items

 mul $v0, $a0, $v0 # return n * fact (n – 1)

 jr $ra # return to the caller
</code>
Edit:
Here is the function in C that is to be taking place here:
<code>int fact (int n)
{
  if (n < 1) return (1);
  else return (n * fact(n – 1));
}
</code>
Comment: The condition could be `if (n <= 1)` to avoid one (useless) recursion.
Answer: Lets say you want 3!. So to start of n = 3.
n < 1 not true
--> return 3 * fact(2)
Back into function with n = 2
n < 1 not true
-> return 2* fact(1)
Back into function with n = 1
again n<1 not true
-> return 1* fact(0)
Back into function with n = 0
now n<1 true
return 1

Recursions starts to unwind
1 replaces fact(0) and function returns 1*1
1 replaces fact(1) in and function returns 2*fact(1) which is 2
2 replaces fact(2) and function returns 3*fact(2) which is 6
Recursion ends.
Answer: "My best guess is that I'm missing something in terms of it pushing/popping the values on and off the stack, but I haven't a clue."
This is exactly it;
You are forgetting to pop out of the stack, once you call down to 4 then 3 then 2 then 1 (here gets the value 1), you return AT $ra ! and the function continues and does the multiplication one by one then popping each stack level one by one till the final $ra which ends the entire function call.


How public key is recovered for signature verification?

Question: I see address everywhere in ethereum but not public key, and I understood that address is Keccak-256 of pubkey, and I do not think it is possible to derive pubkey from address. So, my question is during signature verification does the crypto engine somehow recover the pubkey from somewhere or it is able to verify using address directly?
Answer: The public key is recovered from the signature. The address can then be derived from the recovered public key.
See this post for why that is possible.
Comment: Why ethereum (also bitcoin I think) uses hashed public key as an address instead of directly use public key. This can easily verify signature.
Comment: Most likely for brevity. The address isn't even the hash, it is a hexadecimal string representation of the last 20 bytes of the hash, which is why I assume this is done for brevity. (A system I am working on uses the entire hash, actually, and they are somewhat large, but nothing compared to the DER representation of the entire key.)
Answer: the public key is encrypted in the digital signature, and you can extract(recover) the public key from the signature; you can then use the public key to verify the signature using the msgHash, signature, and the public key.
Note:

for Ethereum, the address is the last 20 bytes of the public key's hash.
You can't generate the public key from the address.


Why is my Fuji X camera stuck in manual focus?

Question: I have a Fujifilm X series camera with one of the nice prime lenses, and it seems to be stuck in manual focus mode. The switch on the camera is on S, and I flipped it back and forth several times, but to no avail. I've tried everything, including removing and reseating the lens several times. There's no manual focus switch on the lens itself. The contacts appear clean. There's nothing in the menus, either — the quick menu has [MF] in yellow and can't be changed. Does my camera or lens need repair?
Answer: Don't panic! There actually is an autofocus switch on the lens itself. You may have glanced over this in the manual but not paid attention. On many Fujifilm X lenses, the entire focus ring can actually click forward or backwards. When it's back, a distance scale is exposed and the lens is in manual focus mode. When it's forward, autofocus. You must have moved it inadvertently. Push it back again and all will be well.
Comment: For the record, I may have panicked.
Comment: Thanks for the info. I had this problem on a recent holiday to Japan and I am just finding out now what the problem was. Easy when you know how.


What common web exploits should I know about?

Question: I'm pretty green still when it comes to web programming, I've spent most of my time on client applications.  So I'm curious about the common exploits I should fear/test for in my site.
Answer: I'm posting the OWASP Top 2007 abbreviated list here so people don't have to look through to another link and in case the source goes down.
Cross Site Scripting (XSS)

XSS flaws occur whenever an application takes user supplied data and sends it to a web browser without first validating or encoding that content. XSS allows attackers to execute script in the victim's browser which can hijack user sessions, deface web sites, possibly introduce worms, etc.

Injection Flaws

Injection flaws, particularly SQL injection, are common in web applications. Injection occurs when user-supplied data is sent to an interpreter as part of a command or query. The attacker's hostile data tricks the interpreter into executing unintended commands or changing data.

Malicious File Execution

Code vulnerable to remote file inclusion (RFI) allows attackers to include hostile code and data, resulting in devastating attacks, such as total server compromise. Malicious file execution attacks affect PHP, XML and any framework which accepts filenames or files from users.

Insecure Direct Object Reference

A direct object reference occurs when a developer exposes a reference to an internal implementation object, such as a file, directory, database record, or key, as a URL or form parameter. Attackers can manipulate those references to access other objects without authorization.

Cross Site Request Forgery (CSRF)

A CSRF attack forces a logged-on victim's browser to send a pre-authenticated request to a vulnerable web application, which then forces the victim's browser to perform a hostile action to the benefit of the attacker. CSRF can be as powerful as the web application that it attacks.

Information Leakage and Improper Error Handling

Applications can unintentionally leak information about their configuration, internal workings, or violate privacy through a variety of application problems. Attackers use this weakness to steal sensitive data, or conduct more serious attacks.

Broken Authentication and Session Management

Account credentials and session tokens are often not properly protected. Attackers compromise passwords, keys, or authentication tokens to assume other users' identities.

Insecure Cryptographic Storage

Web applications rarely use cryptographic functions properly to protect data and credentials. Attackers use weakly protected data to conduct identity theft and other crimes, such as credit card fraud.

Insecure Communications

Applications frequently fail to encrypt network traffic when it is necessary to protect sensitive communications.

Failure to Restrict URL Access

Frequently, an application only protects sensitive functionality by preventing the display of links or URLs to unauthorized users. Attackers can use this weakness to access and perform unauthorized operations by accessing those URLs directly.

The Open Web Application Security Project
-Adam
Comment: The 2013 edition of the top ten list is here: https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Top_10_2013-Top_10
Answer: OWASP keeps a list of the Top 10 web attacks to watch our for, in addition to a ton of other useful security information for web development.
Answer: These three are the most important:

Cross Site Request Forgery
Cross Site Scripting
SQL injection
Answer: <code>bool UserCredentialsOK(User user)
{

    if (user.Name == "modesty")
        return false;
    else
        // perform other checks
}
</code>
Comment: +1 for funny, yet I don't wanna know how many times I found hard coded authentications in systems...
Comment: In addition, this can open the door to time-based attacks where a valid username with an invalid password would take far less time than an invalid username. A hacker could then figure out a list of user names and work from there.
Answer: Everyone's going to say "SQL Injection", because it's the scariest-sounding vulnerability and the easiest one to get your head around. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is going to come in second place, because it's also easy to understand. "Poor input validation" isn't a vulnerability, but rather an evaluation of a security best practice.
Let's try this from a different perspective. Here are features that, when implemented in a web application, are likely to mess you up:

Dynamic SQL (for instance, UI query builders). By now, you probably know that the only reliably safe way to use SQL in a web app is to use parameterized queries, where you explicitly bind each parameter in the query to a variable. The places where I see web apps most frequently break this rule is when the malicious input isn't an obvious parameter (like a name), but rather a query attribute. An obvious example are the iTunes-like "Smart Playlist" query builders you see on search sites, where things like where-clause operators are passed directly to the backend. Another great rock to turn over are table column sorts, where you'll see things like DESC exposed in HTTP parameters.
File upload. File upload messes people up because file pathnames look suspiciously like URL pathnames, and because web servers make it easy to implement the "download" part just by aiming URLs at directories on the filesystem. 7 out of 10 upload handlers we test allow attackers to access arbitrary files on the server, because the app developers assumed the same permissions were applied to the filesystem "open()" call as are applied to queries.
Password storage. If your application can mail me back my raw password when I lose it, you fail. There's a single safe reliable answer for password storage, which is bcrypt; if you're using PHP, you probably want PHPpass.
Random number generation. A classic attack on web apps: reset another user's password, and, because the app is using the system's "rand()" function, which is not crypto-strong, the password is predictable. This also applies anywhere you're doing cryptography. Which, by the way, you shouldn't be doing: if you're relying on crypto anywhere, you're very likely vulnerable.
Dynamic output. People put too much faith in input validation. Your chances of scrubbing user inputs of all possible metacharacters, especially in the real world, where metacharacters are necessary parts of user input, are low. A much better approach is to have a consistent regime of filtering database outputs and transforming them into HTML entities, like quot, gt, and lt. Rails will do this for you automatically.
Email. Plenty of applications implement some sort of outbound mail capability that enable an attacker to either create an anonymous account, or use no account at all, to send attacker-controlled email to arbitrary email addresses.

Beyond these features, the #1 mistake you are likely to make in your application is to expose a database row ID somewhere, so that user X can see data for user Y simply by changing a number from "5" to "6".
Answer: SQL INJECTION ATTACKS. They are easy to avoid but all too common.
NEVER EVER EVER EVER (did I mention "ever"?) trust user information passed to you from form elements. If your data is not vetted before being passed into other logical layers of your application, you might as well give the keys to your site to a stranger on the street.
You do not mention what platform you are on but if on ASP.NET get a start with good ol' Scott Guthrie and his article "Tip/Trick: Guard Against SQL Injection Attacks".
After that you need to consider what type of data you will permit users to submit into and eventually out of your database. If you permit HTML to be inserted and then later presented you are wide-open for Cross Site Scripting attacks (known as XSS).
Those are the two that come to mind for me, but our very own Jeff Atwood had a good article at Coding Horror with a review of the book "19 Deadly Sins of Software Security".
Answer: Most people here have mentioned SQL Injection and XSS, which is kind of correct, but don't be fooled - the most important things you need to worry about as a web developer is INPUT VALIDATION, which is where XSS and SQL Injection stem from.
For instance, if you have a form field that will only ever accept integers, make sure you're implementing something at both the client-side AND the server-side to sanitise the data.
Check and double check any input data especially if it's going to end up in an SQL query. I suggest building an escaper function and wrap it around anything going into a query. For instance:
<code>$query = "SELECT field1, field2 FROM table1 WHERE field1 = '" . myescapefunc($userinput) . "'";
</code>
Likewise, if you're going to display any user-inputted information onto a webpage, make sure you've stripped any <script> tags or anything else that might result in Javascript execution (such as onLoad= onMouseOver= etc. attributes on tags).
Answer: This is also a short little presentation on security by one of wordpress's core developers.
Security in wordpress
it covers all of the basic security problems in web apps.
Answer: The most common are probably database injection attacks and cross-site scripting attacks; mainly because those are the easiest to accomplish (that's likely because those are the ones programmers are laziest about).
Answer: You can see even on this site that the most damaging things you'll be looking after involve code injection into your application, so XSS (Cross Site Scripting) and SQL injection (@Patrick's suggestions) are your biggest concerns.
Basically you're going to want to make sure that if your application allows for a user to inject any code whatsoever, it's regulated and tested to be sure that only things you're sure you want to allow (an html link, image, etc) are passed, and nothing else is executed.
Answer: SQL Injection.  Cross Site Scripting.
Answer: Using stored procedures and/or parameterized queries will go a long way in protecting you from sql injection. Also do NOT have your web app access the database as sa or dbo - set a up a standard user account and set the permissions.
AS for XSS (cross site scripting) ASP.NET has some built in protections. The best thing is to filter input using validation controls and Regex.
Answer: I'm no expert, but from what I learned so far the golden rule is not to trust any user data (GET, POST, COOKIE). Common attack types and how to save yourself:

SQL Injection Attack: Use prepared queries
Cross Site Scripting: Send no user data to browser without filtering/escaping first. This also includes user data stored in database, which originally came from users.


Do zero weights receive zero gradient in ReLU neural networks?

Question: Suppose I have a deep neural network using the ReLU activation function, that is $\sigma(x) = max(x, 0)$. Suppose some weight $w_i$ becomes exactly $0$ at some point. Am I getting something wrong here, or is it the case that the gradient w.r.t. $w_i$ will be zero at all times and hence $w_i$ won't get any further updates? I feel like I am missing something here.
Answer: The derivative (of a loss function) with respect to $w_i$ can be any value, independent of the value of $w_i$.  (E.g. $f(x)=x$ has derivative 1 everywhere, even at $x=0$.)


Can anyone suggest books detailing the lives and philosophies of various sages?

Question: I'm seeking out books which go into details about the lives and ideas of the various Jewish sages. Obviously, a single book for all is unlikely but any suggestions are welcome.
Comment: I asked a similar question not too long ago: https://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/86430/encyclopedia-of-tzaddikim Perhaps the answer there may help you a little bit.
Answer: This is a very broad question, and it would help if you specified which time period or Sages you are interested in.
Two sets of books covering broad reviews which I really liked are

R Binyamin Lau set of books on Jewish sages (from Koren), vol 1 on Second Temple period, vol 2 on Yavne to Bar Kochba, vol 3 on the Galilean period, vol 4 on the period from the Mishna to the Talmud
R Berel Wein impressive books of Jewish history - they cover more than the sages but bring them in context of the history of their times, vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, see also his site with more material to download

An interesting alternative focused on the ideas of great sages is Books of the People: Revisiting Classic Works of Jewish Thought which summarizes the ideas and contributions of great Sages such as Rav Saadia Gaon, R Judah Halevi, the Rambam, the Maharal, R Shneur Zalman of Liadi, R Samson Raphael Hirsch, R Abraham Isaac Kook, R Joseph B. Soloveitchik and many others.
Finally artscroll has a set of biographies focused on individual Sages.


What does prepayment mean on booking.com?

Question: I booked a hotel through booking.com and it says a prepayment is required the day after I book the reservation but it doesn't say for how much and doesn't explain about it. If the prepayment is let's say $100 and my total was $400 when I get to the hotel to check in will I be charged $400 or $300 since it already took $100 out my account?
Answer: Usually, if nothing else is indicated, prepayment means a 100% prepayment.  If the total costs $400, the entire amount will be charged at the indicated date.  When you arrive at the hotel, there will be nothing more to pay except, if applicable, city tax and extras.  The city tax should normally be mentioned somewhere, possibly in a tiny smallprint.
Comment: +1 This would appear to correctly differentiate "prepayment" & "deposit", which would be a fraction of the total.


Voltmeter measuring electromotive force of a battery

Question: It is known that connecting a voltmeter directly to the terminals(without any other load) of a battery will show you the value of the battery's EMF.However,I don't really undrerstand how this happens.The electomotive force is equal with:E=U+u(E=EMF,u=internal voltage drop,U=external voltage drop).The voltage the battery supplies is U.My question:How does a voltmeter measure EMF of a battery and why doesn't it show the value of U when connected directly to the battery?
Comment: The voltmeter can only ever measure the voltage dropped over its internal impedance, nothing else. The rest is interpretation
Comment: If you can ensure that u = 0, then E = U.  More practically, if the current drawn from the battery is tiny, then u will be as well.
Answer: In your model, the battery is a voltage source with a resistance in series.  When the battery is delivering no current, there is no current thru this internal resistance, and therefore the voltage it drops is 0.  The open circuit voltage of a battery is therefore the same as its internal voltage.  When you put a load on the battery, current flows, the internal resistance drops some voltage, and the external voltage is then less than the internal voltage.
Voltmeters are designed to have high impedance.  They present such a tiny load to the battery that we can ignore it for practical purposes.  The internal and external voltages of the battery are therefore the same for practical purposes when measured with a voltmeter.  Put another way, measuring a battery only with a voltmeter is measuring it under open circuit conditions.
I am referring to the internal voltage as being that produced by the cell directly, and the external voltage as that minus whatever is dropped across the inevitable and unavoidable internal resistance of the battery.
Comment: I know this question has aged a bit,but I am thinking of accepting your answer.Howerver,I don't understand what you referred to with "and the the external voltage is less than the internal voltage" and "The internal and external voltages of the battery are therefore the same for practical purposes".Isn't U always bigger than u?
Comment: @Dan: I was referring to the internal voltage as being that produced by the cell directly, and the external voltage as that minus whatever is dropped across the inevitable and unavoidable internal resistance of the battery.
Comment: You said that "measuring a battery only with a voltmeter is measuring it under open circuit conditions".Wouldn't this mean that the voltmeter always reads 0 volts no matter what battery you test?
Comment: @Dan: No, it means the voltmeter draws 0 Amps from the battery.
Answer: To measure the actual EMF, you measure U when the current supplied from the battery is precisely 0.
To do this, traditionally, you don't use a voltmeter but an ammeter ... and a device for measuring potential - that is, a potentiometer.
This "potentiometer" is fed from some higher (unknown) voltage, and adjusted until the current drawn from the battery is zero, and yields the ratio of two resistances.
That alone isn't very useful, until you also measure the EMF of a standard cell (Daniell or Weston cell) using the same technique, which allows you to calibrate the unknown driving voltage, and finally the EMF of the cell you're testing.
In practice, of course, the current drawn by an ordinary voltmeter is small enough that u is close enough to 0 not to matter, and U = EMF.
Comment: True, but I don't miss taking fifteen minutes to measure a voltage!
Comment: Potentiometer. Weston cell. In a nice wood box. I hate it when test equipment I've used is displayed in a museum setting.


Xcode How to build for a device with iOS 5.0?

Question: I have a device with iOS 5.0, and I am trying to install my app with XCode 4.0, but even the version 4.1 that is on developers.apple mentions that it only supports SDK 4.3 which is what I am developing with at the moment and is the latest version for XCode, how can I build for SDK 5.0?.
Answer: you must accept the "Updated Program License Agreement" and you can then access to the "iOS SDK GM seed" to download XCode 4.2
Answer: You cant build it straight to your device but you can use ad hoc and then install it on your iOS 5 device


Redis service is not run automatically

Question: I installed redis service on Windows Server 2012. It is in task manager but it stopped & I can't run it.
It works if I start redis-server.exe file manually.
What I can do to make it work automatically?
Comment: Here's your answer: http://stackoverflow.com/a/10525215/290343
Comment: @OferZelig yes, if you want a Redis port that is 3 years behind.
Answer: You didn't specify which Windows port of Redis your are running (there is no official one), but MSOpenTech's is by far the most current, and the corresponding RedisWatcher service will keep it up and running. From the RedisWatcher readme:

RedisWatcher is an application that will run one or more instances of
  redis-server. If the redis-server process terminates, then
  RedisWatcher will restart it.
RedisWatcher is installed as a Windows service. It can also run as an
  application by passing 'console' as a command line argument.

For whatever reason, they have not provided binaries for the watcher service in the latest (2.6) branch, but the 2.4 version of the service is compatible, and they have binaries for that. See here for detailed instructions on getting it all up and running.

Redis service is not run automatically


Redundant power supply

Question: I have been hit by my inexperience with power supplies... I bought a Ablecom (SuperMicro) PWS-801-1R redundant power supply. But this is in fact a module, that is not redundant in itself, and must be plugged into ... don't know what ???
So my question is : what is needed to assemble a redundant power supply for a 3U rack, idealy from a PWS-801-1S part ?
Is there any standard ?
Comment: I've given you an answer, though I don't know how good it is since I'm not sure exactly what you're asking. I can tell you for sure that the power supply you purchased must be plugged in to a server (MealstroM listed compatible models), but that's only part of the story...
Answer:
Compatibility for PWS-801-1R

<code>* Supermicro A+ Server 4021M-32R
* Supermicro A+ Server 4021M-T2R+
* Supermicro A+ Server 4021M-82R+
</code>
Answer: I'm not sure what you're asking, so I'll answer the two questions I think you're asking -- let me know if I'm off base:
Q1: What is required to provide redundant power to a server?
You need the following:

A server that supports redundant power supplies.
compatible power supply modules.
Two separate sources of power (different circuits/UPS feeds/etc. that are reasonably independent)

Q2: What is required to provide redundant power to a whole rack?
Way more than just redundant power supplies in the server.  You will need, at a minimum:

Two independent sources of power
(This can be as simple as separate breakers, or infinitely more complex: 2 UPS systems, multiple utility feeds, utility + full-time generator, etc.)
Redundant power distribution
(either a "dual-infeed" CDU or two CDUs/power strips - connected to the 2 sources in (1) via separate circuits)
Redundant power supplies in all servers
(One PSU connected to each distribution unit in (2))

In power, as in all things, true redundancy is expensive.
Comment: My question was about the inside of the server. I have a chassis, and I want to replace the original power supply (600W non redundant) with a redundant 800W power supply. I bought the PWS-801-1R from a web site, but it seems it can not work on its own, it needs to be plugged into something... I'm looking for that something...
Comment: @alci That "something" is a **compatible** server chassis - See MealstroM's answer for a list of them. The device you purchased is a single module: You put two of them into a *compatible* server chassis to provide redundant power.  With this power supply, If you have a compatible server chassis it should literally just slide in to a space in the back of the machine * lock in to place.
Comment: So no way to buy the spare part that makes the chassis compatible, however this spare part is called ? Because I already have the chassis, it has a 600W power supply that can be removed, and I wanted to replace this power supply with a redundant one...
Answer: Supermicro lists them on their store site under 'Server Accessories' and then 'Power Distributors'
I believe this is exactly the piece you were looking for; because it took me ages to find them without being only included in a chassis / etc.
As far as which power supply modules are compatible with which Power Distributors; I have yet to find an effective method.

Redundant power supply


PCB microstrip antenna

Question: I have a query regarding PCB microstrip antennas.
Most of my antennas have been straightforward with the U.fl being placed close to the RF feed point. Maybe a PI filter is added.
But I have seen many PCBs with unique antenna shapes. Point in case, image attached. How are the parameters for these ascertained?
Comment: Also, in the above image there is no ground pour near the antennas. How come the 3R rule (regarding the spacing of the aground pour from the antenna) does not apply here ?
Answer: Designing (PCB) antennas is a science by itself !
The 3R rule you mention probably applies to a certain type/configuration of antennas only. The fact that there are many uniquely shaped antennas tells you that there are many different solutions.
Usually these antennas are designed by a specialist using 3D Elector-Magnetic simulators like CST or HFSS. This software + some imagination + experience + a little bit of magic can sometimes result in a usable antenna ;-)

PCB microstrip antenna


"Use of unassigned local variable" when trying to pass a struct by reference

Question: I have a VB class library I built from an existing VB class which wraps an unmanaged DLL. The VB class library contains the DLL functions and various structs and types associated with the DLL functions.
I am using the class lib in a C# project and one of the functions in the class lib requires me to pass a struct as an argument. This is where I am running into trouble.
Here is the VB code for the DLL:
Declare Auto Function CtSetVRegister Lib "Ctccom32v2.dll" _
        (ByVal ConnectID As Integer, ByRef Storage As CT_VARIANT) As Integer

Here is the VB struct:
<StructLayout(LayoutKind.Sequential, Pack:=1)> _
Public Structure CT_VARIANT
    Dim vRegister As Integer          'Variant Register desired
    Dim type As Integer               'Format want results returned in
    Dim precision As Integer          'Precision desired for floating point conversions
    Dim flags As Integer              'Specially defined flags, 0 for normal, (indirection, etc.)
    Dim cmd As Integer                'Special commands, 0 for normal operation
    Dim taskHandle As Integer         'Alternate task handle for local task register access, 0 = default public
    Dim slength As Integer            'Length of bytes returned in stringVar, not include null
    Dim indexCol As Integer             'Column (X) selection, base 0
    Dim indexRow As Integer             'Row (X) selection base 0
    Dim IntegerIntVar As Integer         '32 bit signed integer storage
    Dim FloatVar As Single         '32 bit float
    Dim DoubleVar As Double        '64 bit double in Microsoft format
    <MarshalAs(UnmanagedType.ByValArray, SizeConst:=223)> _
    Public stringVar() As Byte         'null terminated ASCII string of bytes (1 to 224)
End Structure

The C# method I am writing requires me to set the necessary values in the struct and then pass those to the DLL function:
private void btnWriteVReg_Click(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
{
        int results;
        CTC_Lib.Ctccom32v2.CT_VARIANT Var;
        Var.vRegister = int.Parse(txtVRegToRead.Text);
        Var.cmd = 0;
        Var.flags = 0;
        Var.FloatVar = 0;
        Var.IntegerIntVar = 0;
        Var.DoubleVar = 0;
        Var.precision = 6;
        writeStatus.Text = "";

        Var.type = CTC_Lib.Ctccom32v2.CT_VARIANT_INTEGER;
        Var.IntegerIntVar = Convert.ToInt32(txtVRegVal.Text);

        Var.taskHandle = 0;
        results = CTC_Lib.Ctccom32v2.CtSetVRegister(CTconnection,ref Var);
        if ((results == SUCCESS))
        {
            writeStatus.Text = "SUCCESS";
        }
        else
        {
            writeStatus.Text = "ERROR";
        }
    }

I get the error:

Use of unassigned local variable 'Var'

I am a bit puzzled as to how to properly pass the struct 'Var' to the VB Class library.
Answer: init variable
CTC_Lib.Ctccom32v2.CT_VARIANT Var = new CTC_Lib.Ctccom32v2.CT_VARIANT();

Comment: Thank you! I was going by the VB code from the project where I got the class library from. noob mistake.
Answer: you must create instance of Var,
CTC_Lib.Ctccom32v2.CT_VARIANT Var = new CTC_Lib.Ctccom32v2.CT_VARIANT();


Will DPM clean up files from SharePoint 2010 RBS

Question: I recently setup RBS in our development SharePoint 2010 site to store large documents or videos.  I found out that when you remove the RBS files from SharePoint, and then run RBS Maintainer to remove files from DB, and file server.    The files are removed from DB, but not from the file server until you run the SQL DB backup and log backup, then the RBS files will be removed from the file server.
Since we are NOT using SQL 2008 R2 to back up our SharePoint 2010 site, instead we are using DPM 2012.
Since we do not have DPM installed in our development environment so we cannot test it out.
My question is Does DPM backup the database and database log?  Will it remove  the RBS files?
Answer: I see this is an old question, but... assuming you are using the RBS FILESTREAM provider by Microsoft...
All backup operations that use the VDI (virtual backup device interface) will work as expected as if RBS FILESTREAM isn't even in place (except that the backups are much bigger than standard SQL backups). However... using DPM uses snapshots - which the RBS FILESTREAM provider does not support.
See this blog post for more: http://blog.sharepoint-recovery.com/2012/03/27/implementing-rbs-for-sharepoint-2010-make-sure-to-consider-backup-and-restore-implications/


testing multiple sessions with integration tests?

Question: Is it possible to simulate multiple "sessions" in a java-ee container with a unit testing framework, such as Arquillian? I have many sessions that interact with each other, and I would like to simulate this happening with tests, in the production container itself. There is also JPA2 database behavior that I would like to test at the same time.
But I also want to make sure that CDI and session-scoped beans are doing what they're supposed to be doing. I don't want to run the server and a couple hours later find out that what I thought was a session-scoped bean is, for whatever reason, being instantiated more than once for that same session.
Many thanks for the help!
EDIT: I found this page about testing contexts using Arquillian and Seam, but I'm having trouble understanding it. Could this approach be used for the above situation?
Answer: I don't know of a way currently, but that would be a great feature request!


What websites provide streaming services for dubbed anime?

Question: I want to know which websites out there provide legal streaming services for dubbed anime. Among the series I'd like to watch are Death Note and Fullmetal Alchemist, but I'd really like to be able to see whole seasons.
Comment: You can try some of the sites listed [here](http://meta.anime.stackexchange.com/questions/922/how-can-i-tell-if-a-site-is-legal/923#923)
Comment: It may be useful to precise where you are living. Services are not always available everywhere and most are country specific.
Answer: The following streaming services provide a combination of subbed and dubbed anime. Most of them will require some sort of subscription to access the content. Availability is indicated by region.
US = United States; CA = Canada; AU = Australia; NZ = New Zealand; FR = France; UK = United Kingdom; IE = Ireland.

Animax for UK/IE
The Anime Network for US
Anime Lab for AU/NZ
Crunchyroll for US/CA
Dybex for FR
Funimation for US/CA
Hulu for US
Neon Alley (Viz) for US/CA
Netflix for US
Wakanim for FR
Comment: You may find some more [here](http://myanimelist.net/featured/1617).
Answer: I believe Cruchyroll.com, netflix, hulu.com (hulu plus), amazon video service, crackle all have dubbed.  They're not always clearly labeled though on what is dubbed and what is not.  Youtube also has legal streaming channels for pay you can watch episodes.


Command from docker image not passed through to pipeline

Question: In my Dockerfile of an image that is based on node:12 I have the following lines to add a self signed certificate
RUN apt-get update && apt-get -yqq install ca-certificates
RUN mkdir -p /usr/local/share/ca-certificates/domain
COPY .docker/cert.crt /usr/local/share/ca-certificates/domain/
RUN update-ca-certificates --fresh

RUN yarn config set cafile /usr/local/share/ca-certificates/domain/cert.crt

When I also add RUN yarn config list I can see that this setting has been added successfully. Afterwards, I built and pushed my image to the registry.
However now, when I use it in my .gitlab-ci.yml and use yarn install I get an error that there's a self-signed certificate in the chain.
When I use yarn config list inside the pipeline, it doesn't show the cafile as if the settings set in the image are not used.
When I add yarn config set cafile /usr/local/share/ca-certificates/domain/cert.crt to the script part of my pipeline it works without problems which means

That my image is built correctly, since it has the cert at the right location and it works if added manually
That somehow the config is not persisted from the image to the pipeline

I checked the Dockerfile https://github.com/nodejs/docker-node/blob/master/12/stretch/Dockerfile and there's no user set which could mean that it runs under different users, does it?
Why does it not work when adding the cert in the image already?
Answer: Commands from the Dockerfile do not affect the host, just the image. If you use this image as your job image, you won't need to set it again.


Adafruit Flora V2 use onboard and external NeoPixels

Question: I am working on wearable project using an Adafruit Flora V2, and for this project I need to use the onboard NeoPixel. I also need to use Neopixels that are attached to the D6 pin (is it a pin?). I have a line at the beginning of my program that says #define PIN 6. I found that I can use the onboard NeoPixel by changing this to #define PIN 8. Is there a way to use the onboard NeoPixel and the ones attached to D6. I already have everything wired up, and the rest of my program is written, I just need to use both pins. Thanks for any possible help.
Comment: using Flora v2?
Comment: @ARK Yes, edited
Comment: Do you have external Neopixels attached to **D6**. Because,
Adafruit Flora v2 has only one on-board Neopixel and that is internally attached to **pin 8**?
Comment: Yes, my  external NeoPixels are attached to D6.
Answer: The #define is just letting you use a nice name for the numeric value of the pin.  If you want to use two different pins, you use two different names.
So you might define them at the beginning something like:
#define BOARDLED 8
#define STRIPLED 6

Then you create a NeoPixel object that uses that pin.  In your case, you'll do this twice.
Adafruit_NeoPixel flora_led = Adafruit_NeoPixel(60, BOARDLED, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);
Adafruit_NeoPixel strip = Adafruit_NeoPixel(60, STRIPLED, NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);

And then you call the one you want to set/modify/show/etc.
strip.show();
flora_led.show();

Comment: Ok, I'll try that tomorrow. I don't have my Flora right now, but I will then. Thanks.
Comment: +1 Note that it's covered in AdaFruit's Überguide (https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-neopixel-uberguide/arduino-library) FAQ (second question).


Incorrect mark placement in OpenType font

Question: I am designing an Arabic opentype font.
I use marks for placing Harakat, I have a problem when placing character U+06D6 (small sad with lam ligature) over U+06E4 (arabic small high madda). It is rendered incorrectly and SMALL-SAD-WITH-LAM is placed on an unknown place holder (the circle) instead of sitting on Madda, please check attached shot.
Answer: There are several places where things can go wrong here:

Did you create an OpenType feature that performs this placement?
Does whatever program you use for rendering support the OpenType feature you used to implement this?
Are you using the characters in the right, Unicode-compliant order?
I know next to nothing about Arabic, but it seems to me that the desired output should be a combination of three characters:

U+0628 Arabic letter beh
U+06E4 Arabic small high madda
U+06D6 Arabic small high ligature sad with lam with alef maksura

In the above order (from right to left), i.e. بۤۖ, they render without placeholders on my machine and it looks okay (as far as I can tell).
Comment: @AVEbrahimi: Wasn't Notepad that zero-function text editor that Microsoft hasn't touched since 1990? Why would you expect it to support OpenType? Anyway, it seems like you narrowed down your problem. If it works in some programs, it's probably not your font, but the OpenType support.
Comment: Yes it's rendered correctly in browser but not in apps like notepad. :|
Comment: Sidenote: You can get some makeshift solution for non-OpenType by making your combining characters have zero space and the actual glyph positioned wide before (against the direction of writing) the zero of the *x* axis. However that means the combining character will always be in the same relative position to the base character. But as this can be overridden with OpenType, you only see this makeshift solution when you actually need it.


Bond Future and Bond Yield relation

Question: I recently read, that yield changes during a short time window can be approximated by dividing the returns of futures on the bond by its Duration. Has anybody heard this before and can shed some light on why this works?
Comment: The duration allows you to approximate change in bond price from change in yield and vice versa, based on $\Delta P \approx -P \cdot ModD \cdot \Delta y$. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bond_duration This is why ModD or modified duration is useful in working with bonds. This is not particularly linked to futures.
Comment: For Futures people use the Duration of the bond that will be delivered at futures maturity (the "CTD bond"). That's the most common concept of bond futures duration, there are several posts here on this topic (search for Futures Duration).
Comment: Does that mean you could apply the same formula with the Futures Duration? I intuitively understand Duration as the time it takes to recover the present value of all future cash flows, so I'm having a hard time understanding what the Duration of a Future contract would represent.
Answer: In general it's not a good idea to calculate some sort of delta and then use it to estimate price sensitivity. It's better to calculate
Value 1 @ price 1, then Value 2 @ price 1 + some small price diff
so that delta = Value 2 - Value 1
It's a lot less complicated that understanding how to derive a formula for 1st derivative wrt to price.

Bond Future and Bond Yield relation


File permissions for wp-minify plugin

Question: I am worried on installing Wp-Minify plugin. But it needs 777 permission for the cache directory located inside wp-uploads directory. Isn't it a security issue?
Answer: toscho is right.
So you could probably give a try to another plugin. The Better Wordpress Minify.
This one also uses a folder inside the plugin's folder, BUT. You can change the folder and place it elsewhere. Please have a look at Advanced Customization.
screenshot http://s.wordpress.org/extend/plugins/bwp-minify/screenshot-1.gif
We have been using it without a problem.
Answer: It doesn't need 777. The author recommends it, but you don't have to follow that. The usual file permissions should be good.
The real problem: the plugin wants to write into its own plugin directory.
var $cache_location = 'wp-content/plugins/wp-minify/cache/';

This is bad. After each update, the whole cache will be gone, and if you don't allow write access to the plugin directory by default, the plugin will just not work.
And a hard codet wp-content directory is a rather bold assumption. It should use the constant WP_CONTENT_DIR, because the real name and path of that directory is configurable.

File permissions for wp-minify plugin


How can I run rake with --trace within capistrano?

Question: I want capistrano to invoke rake with --trace so I can figure out why it's failing. How do I do this? set :rake 'rake --trace' doesn't work.
Comment: When you say "doesn't work", what happens?
Answer: The best way I found is:
set :rake, "#{rake} --trace"

This way you don't overwrite the rake variable.
For example if you use bundler this is set before to:
"bundle exec rake"
and after to:
"bundle exec rake --trace"
Answer: The chances are your custom tasks aren't using the rake variables, but instead hard-coding rake, here's an example:
run("rake sass:compile")

This is hard-coded, and won't care about your setting set :rake, 'rake --trace', here's the correct way:
run("#{fetch(:rake)} sass:compile")

Or, shorthand:
run("#{rake} sass:compile")

You can see this in practice in the Capistrano source code, in the one place that the default recipes actually invoke rake, in the migrations task: https://github.com/capistrano/capistrano/blob/master/lib/capistrano/recipes/deploy.rb#L387
Comment: oddly, migrations is where my deploy was failing and wehre i wanted to turn on --trace, so i guess that should have worked...


Dropdown validation

Question: I am having one dropdown option in the form called town. Already fetched values will be available in drop down from the databasetable townId. Now I want to check if the user doesn't select any choice from the dropdown and directly goes to the save button, then it should display "please choose your choice in dropdown" like that. The form is named university
I tried this code here:
  if(Zend_Form_Element_Submit)
        {
            if($$townid=='')
                {   alert("U Must Choose Town Name Here");

                }
            else
                {
                    $submit = new Zend_Form_Element_Submit('Save');
                    $submit->setDecorators($this->submitDecorators)
                    ->setAttrib('class','button slategray');
                }

        }

Inside models->university.php there are some actions for dropdown I didn't get exactly:
public function setOptions(array $options)
{
    $methods = get_class_methods($this);
    foreach ($options as $key => $value) {
        $method = 'set' . ucfirst($key);
        if (in_array($method, $methods)) {
            $this->$method($value);
        }
    }
    return $this;
}

Before I edited form->university (the save code already exits)
$submit = new Zend_Form_Element_Submit('Save');
    $submit->setDecorators($this->submitDecorators)
        ->setAttrib('class','button slategray');
                }

Thanks in advance.
Comment: Approach you are taking is pretty much wrong. You don't do something like `if(Zend_Form_Element_Submit)`. There alredy are functions provided by [zend](http://framework.zend.com/manual/en/zend.form.quickstart.html) called isValid() which allows you to check wether your form is valid or not. For that you will ofcourse have to add validators (something like isRequired() in your case) to form elements. No offense but I really think you should do some research on your own before you ask questions (this is based on your previous question as well). Please see the manual.
Answer: To work properly with Zend Framework's forms I recommand to try this approach:
Create a form by extending the Zend_Form class
class Form_User extends Zend_Form

Which automatically give you access to a container to manage all your elements from this form and give you acces to a isValid() method which allow you to validate all your form elements at once and to a populate() method which allow you to feed data to your form for editing
In your new class (Form_User) you can define all your form properties and elements in the init() method.
public function init()
{
    $this->setName('user')
    ->setAttrib('id', 'user');

    $username = new Zend_Form_Element_Text('username');

    $town = new Zend_Form_Element_Select('town');
    $town->addMultioptions(array(...));

    $submit = new Zend_Form_Element_Select('submit');

    $this->addElements(array($username, $town, $submit));
}

Each of these elements can be customized with a label, a description, some validators, some filters, etc.
If you want to make an element mandatory you can set the Required property to true
$town->setRequired(true);

To validate your form after the submit has been cliqued, you can do it as simply as (assuming you do this in the controller) :
$form = new Form_User();
$postData = $this->getRequest()->getPost();
$form->isValid($postData);

This will check for the required fields as well as execute any validators that you have setted on these diverses elements.
It will return true if everything is ok, and false if there is an error. If you get an error a display the form again, error messages will be shown automatically beside each erroneous fields.
If you want to set options values of your form elements, when you initialize your form, you can pass a configuration array like this :
$form = new Form_User(array('townListOptions' => array(...));

The associated method setTownListOptions will be called automatically and will receive the array (or any other object) you assigned it with.
I could explain even further things about forms but as @Rohan stated in his comment, RTM
Answer: In asp.net
<asp:DropDownList ID="ddlusertype" runat="server" CssClass="dropdown"  ></asp:DropDownList>
<asp:CompareValidator ID="CompareValidator2" runat="server" ControlToValidate="ddlusertype" ErrorMessage="select" Font-Size="XX-Small" Operator="NotEqual" Type="Integer" ValueToCompare="0"></asp:CompareValidator>

Dropdown validation


cunnilingus vs cunnilinctus

Question: I'm interested in the morphology of these two words. How are they structured and does their structure affect their meaning at all?
Comment: I can't tell you how many times I've had to remind people that there is no letter `t` after either `n` in the first syllable. :)
Answer: Cunnilingus is an actual classical Latin word, used several times by Martial and once in the Priapea. It is formed from cunnus (the vulva, but it is an obscene word), and the verb lingere (to lick), and it means "someone who licks the vulva," or if you want a translation that is more idiomatic English and mirrors the level of speech, a "pussy licker." While interpreted by lexicographers as a masculine noun, it could in theory also be an adjective ("licking the vulva").
The way it is formed is that a second-declension masculine noun was formed from the present stem of the verb. The noun got Latin's usual 'i' binding vowel, that should not be interpreted as a normal noun form. This method of forming words referring to a person or thing doing something -- the result being a first/second-declension adjective or a first or second declension noun -- is not so unusual, compare for example:

lucifugus, -a, -um (lux + fugere): light-shunning
lucifuga, -ae, m: a light-shunner, someone who thrives at night
lucipetus, -a, -um (lux + petere): light-seeking
aquifuga, -ae, c (aqua + fugere): someone who fears water, a sufferer of hydrophobia
lucifer, -a, -um (lux + ferre): light-bringing; as a noun Lucifer: the morning star, i.e., the planet Venus

It seems to me there is a tendency that these words describe a person or thing performing the action habitually or characteristically -- not necessarily right at this moment. Otherwise we would not need a compositum, we would use the present participle. Many of these words are rare or hapax legomena (words that are attested only once in the known literature/inscriptions).
Note: This is the Latin meaning; it is not the meaning of the word when used in English. When "cunnilingus" is used in English, it is refers to the sexual practice of licking the vulva. It is also not obscene, but rather a medical/scientific term. This usage is incorrect from a Latin point of view, but well established and supported by the dictionaries (in fact, I'd say it is the only meaning understood by most English speakers.)
Cunnilinctus is a word I did not know before I came across this question. It is unknown to all Latin dictionaries I consulted. It is very likely completely unattested in all periods of Latin.
What it is supposed to be is not hard to guess: a fourth-declension masculine noun formed from the supine stem of the verb lingere (i.e., linctum), and referring to the act of licking a vulva, not the actor. That is at least my guess, because that is a very common way Latin forms verbal nouns, and many well-known words are of this kind, e.g. status (from stare), exitus (from exire), situs (from sinere), etc.
Why this word was created, and by whom, I do not know, but I did notice on Google Books that it exists not only in English, but also in German, and that it is, among others, used in texts dealing with Roman sexual mores and quoting Latin literature, i.e., by authors who should know what they're doing. I assume the reason for creating this word was to avoid using cunnilingus incorrectly, which some authors, however established it may be, might feel they should avoid. This makes particular sense in works dealing with Latin literature and inscriptions.
Comment: Do I understand this correctly: Cunnilinctus was invented in modern times, probably by people who wanted to express the modern meaning of cunnilingus but objected to using a latin word in a way that doesn't match its latin grammar?
Comment: @Nobody that is a good summary, yes.
Comment: @Evargalo No, to my knowledge there is no dedicated word. See also [Wikipedia's entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_obscenity) on Latin obscenity. You can of course simply say *cunnum lingere*, as e.g. Martial does in Ep. 7,67: *Di mentem tibi dent tuam, Philaeni, cunnum lingere quae putas virile* (freely: "May the gods give you some sense, Philaenis, if you think licking pussy is manly"). The same epigram also offers the nigh untranslatable expression *medias puellas vorare* for the same act...
Comment: Should we understand that there was no word at all in Latin for the act of pussy-licking, or was there some word formed in a totally different way ?

cunnilingus vs cunnilinctus


Behringer U-Phoria UM2

Question: I read a number of posts about installing JACK to use a behringer USB audio interface.  I wanted to post this here because I could not find this information otherwise.  Jack is not necessary to get this working at a basic level with Audacity.  YMMV if you want to do something more complex, like multi-track recording.  But the Behringer U-Phoria UM2 is a single channel (stereo) device - not gonna do much multitrack recording with this.
You'd need this amplified device in order to interface a studio-quality dynamic microphone with your computer.  Without low-noise amplification, your stage type mic won't be at the right levels for the audio input to your computer, and the computer's input is also noisy.
Of course, you may find that you need jack for low-latency recording from this USB input device, however I was unsuccessful in figuring out all the things that need to be connected or whatnot in jack.  After I uninstalled jack, I realized all you have to do to get this Behringer USB device working under Ubuntu 18.04 is to plug it into a USB port.  Ubuntu talks to this device just fine without any further adieu.
TL:DR - Plug it in and go.
Answer: Behringer USB devices appear to work natively with Ubuntu 18.04 - just plug them in.
Comment: I'm not having the same experiencia with LinuxMint 19 (which is based on Ubuntu), alsamixer reports that the card doesn't have recording capabilities.

Behringer U-Phoria UM2


SSMS Application Security idle session locking window

Question: We are running multiple versions of SQL Server Management Studio in our network, I believe from 2000 through 2017. For our security review we need to find out how to set an inactivity timeout in the SSMS application. Not a session timeout between SSMS & SQL Server but an inactivity timeout, and lock screen, for the GUI, if there is one. If there isn't one I need an explanation that I can give to our security folks that they will accept, preferably including a URL for the functionality. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Comment: This seems like a very strange requirement. I don't even know why this would exist in the first place. Don't most places just have inactivity timeouts on the operating systems that make you login again?
Comment: Isn't this a job for the operating system rather than the application?
Comment: Yes it sounds strange to us also but to have it signed off by security we are trying to find an authoritative source to say it is not part of the GUI and it is expected to be managed by the OS. BTW: Our MS Support contract expired and will not be renewed.
Answer: So you want SSMS to lock after a timeout and require the user to unlock it before continuing. All other applications that are open, and access to the OS / desktop UI, remain unlocked?
There isn't such a thing. There never has been such a thing AFAIK. I've worked with SQL Server's GUI tools for near-enough twenty years and I've never seen, heard or read of such a feature. Indeed, I can't think of any Windows desktop applications which does that. (Web apps do it when the OAuth token expires, but that's a different technology.)
You're not going to find documentation that says this feature doesn't exist, either, for the same reason you won't find a URL that says SSMS doesn't make banana smoothies. Software publishers document what their product does do. Unless it's written as a "can" it's a "can't".


Definition of meromorphic differentials

Question: In Diamond, Shurman: A First Course in Modular Forms on p. 77, the meromorphic differentials on an open set $V\subset \mathbb C$ of degree $n$ are defined as
$$\Omega^{\otimes n}(V)=\lbrace f(q)(dq)^n\colon f\text{ meromorphic on }V\rbrace,$$
where $q$ is a variable on $V$. What is the rigorous definition of the RHS above? Can it be defined as a tensor product of something?
Comment: It's a section of the $n$-th symmetric power of the bundle of meromorphic differentials.
Comment: Could the folks voting to close this as "Missing context or other details" please suggest what more context is needed?
Answer: The notation $\Omega$ is used for the cotangent bundle of a complex manifold. Its sections are known as holomorphic differential forms. In the case of $V \subseteq \mathbb{C}$, the tangent bundle is the trivial line bundle.
Therefore, $\Omega = \Omega^1$, the differential $1$-forms, and given a local coordinate $q$, the differential $1$-form $dq$, which is the dual of the vector field (section for the tangent bundle)
$\frac{\partial}{\partial q}$, is a basis for this $1$-dimensional space.
As with any bundle, one may consider its meromorphic sections, i.e. elements $\omega \in \Omega(U)$ where $U$ is an open subset such that $V \setminus U$ consists of isolated points, and $\omega$ has poles in $V \setminus U$.
Note that in this case this is simply $\Omega^{(1)}(V) = \{ f(q) dq \}$ where $f(q)$ is a meromorphic function.
Finally, we can tensor bundles. One can think of $\Omega^{\otimes n}$ as the $n$-power tensor bundle of $\Omega^{(1)}$, or as multilinear maps on $n$-tuples of vector fields. However, in this degenerate case, this is again a trivial line bundle, spanned by the element $(dq)^{\otimes n}$, which is denoted in the book as $(dq)^n$. Its meromorphic sections are once more simply of the form
$f(q) (dq)^{\otimes n}$, where $f$ is a meromorphic function.

Definition of meromorphic differentials


Difference in pronunciation between "won't" and "want"

Question: Which is the difference in pronunciation between "won't" and "want"?
Comment: Remember there is no single right answer here- it varies regionally. [want](http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=want&submit=Submit)   [won't](http://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=won%27t&submit=Submit)
Comment: want rhymes with font, the 'o' of 'won't' is the same as in woe or go.
Answer: The vowels are pronounced differently in these two words.
In American English:

won't:  oʊ (pronounced the same as the letter "O")

oʊ
Lips: very rounded and tense.
Tongue: a bit tense, moves from mid to high position.

want: ɑ (pronounced the same as "o" in "hot") or  ɔ (pronounced the same as "aw" in "saw")

ɑ
Lips: Apart, as if you are yawning. Not rounded.
Tongue: Relaxed, flat at the floor of the mouth.
ɔ
Lips: Apart, very slightly rounded, oval shaper.
Tongue: Slightly tense, down near the floor of the mouth.

while in British English:

won't:  əʊ (pronounced the same as the letter "O")
want: ɒ (pronounced the same as the "o" in hot)

Note:
British "o" in hot(ɒ), has a very different pronunciation compared to the American "o" in hot(ɑ).
Comment: There is [also](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/want) an American pronunciation of *want* where it rhymes with *hunt* (ʌ). And despite what the dictionary says, I believe the most American pronunciation I hear most is the one where it rhymes with *font* (but this may just be in the Northeast).