genre for serial killer/character transformation

Question: My novel is about women supporting each other through trials and tribulations (character transformation) while at the same we watch a deviant (in parallel) intruding upon their lives.  Their transformation is positive, while his escalates over the years to become that of a serial killer.  I haven't been able to classify it because I can't find anything that resembles the concept. I juxtapose their innocence and positive transition with his evil and negativity.  The protagonist and antagonist interact in the beginning of the novel and the end but their lives are entwined throughout without either realizing it.  I'd like to know what genre I can use when speaking about it.
Comment: I'm getting a Dexter vibe from your question. Perhaps you can investigate the series and see if it has some similarities.
Answer: Typically, any book that features a killer would be a thriller or a crime novel.

Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving viewers heightened feelings of suspense, excitement, surprise, anticipation and anxiety
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thriller_(genre)
Crime fiction is a literary genre that fictionalises crimes, their detection, criminals, and their motives.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_fiction

I don't think the fact that you're focusing on character development is enough to entirely remove it from this categories.  I might go with "literary thriller" or "upmarket crime novel" as your final descriptors.

Literary fiction is a term used in the book-trade to distinguish novels that are regarded as having literary merit.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_fiction
Upmarket: When agents and editors talk about "upmarket" fiction, they are referring to books that appeal to both audiences. They are books that have excellent writing along with a story line that appeals to a mainstream market.
https://thewritingplace.wordpress.com/2009/12/11/what-does-it-mean-upmarket-fiction/
Answer: Stories that illustrate ethical concepts through the actions of characters are called parables.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable

A parable often involves a character who faces a moral dilemma or one who makes a bad decision and then suffers the unintended consequences. Although the meaning of a parable is often not explicitly stated, it is not intended to be hidden or secret but to be quite straightforward and obvious.
The defining characteristic of the parable is the presence of a subtext suggesting how a person should behave or what he should believe. Aside from providing guidance and suggestions for proper conduct in one's life, parables frequently use metaphorical language which allows people to more easily discuss difficult or complex ideas. Parables express an abstract argument by means of using a concrete narrative which is easily understood.


Why Didn't Harry Use The Mirror?

Question: In Order of the Phoenix, when Harry breaks into Umbridge's office to communicate with Sirius after his vision. Why didn't Harry instead use the mirrors that had been given to him by Sirius earlier in the book, specifically for the purpose of "If you ever need me". He thinks of it quickly enough after Sirius' death (I believe he sees a pair of blue eyes when he attempts to contact him). So why didn't he think of it before Sirius died, when he had need for an object which the mirrors fit perfectly?
Answer: Two, related reasons.
He doesn't know what it actually is
Sirius is vague when he gives the mirror to Harry, and it's clear that Harry never opens the package until it's too late:

'I want you to take this,' [Sirius] said quietly, thrusting a badly wrapped package roughly the size of a paperback book into Harry's hands.
'What is it?' Harry asked.
'A way of letting me know if Snape's giving you a hard time. No, don't open it in here!' said Sirius, with a wary look at Mrs. Weasley, who was trying to persuade the twins to wear hand-knitted mittens. 'I doubt Molly would approve - but I want you to use it if you need me, all right?'
'OK,' said Harry, stowing the package away in the inside pocket of his jacket, but he knew he would never use whatever it was.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 24: "Occlumency"

As far as Harry knows, it's some sort of emergency beacon; he doesn't know that it's a general means of communication, and he doesn't care to know.
He'd forgotten about it.
The context in which Harry learns what Sirius gave him makes it clear that he didn't often think about the gift:

Harry pulled some crumpled robes out of the very bottom of his trunk to make way for folded ones and, as he did so, noticed a badly wrapped package lying in a corner of it. He could not think what it was doing there. He bent down, pulled it out from underneath his trainers and examined it.
He realized what it was within seconds. Sirius had given it to him just inside the front door of number twelve Grimmauld Place.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 38: "The Second War Begins"

Harry's been having a pretty rough go of it through OotP, and especially in the hours leading up to needing to contact Sirius. It's perfectly understandable for this unassuming package, which he explicitly told himself not to use, to have slipped his mind.
The Blue Eyes Thing
To correct your misconception, Harry sees nothing when he tries to use the mirror except for his own reflection:

[Harry] looked around to make sure there was nobody else there; the dormitory was quite empty. He looked back at the mirror, raised it in front of his face with trembling hands and said, loudly and clearly, 'Sirius.'
His breath misted the surface of the glass. He held the mirror even closer, excitement flooding through him, but the eyes blinking back at him through the fog were definitely his own.
He wiped the mirror clear again and said, so that every syllable rang clearly through the room:
'Sirius Black!'
Nothing happened. The frustrated face looking back out of the mirror was still, definitely, his own.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Chapter 38: "The Second War Begins"

The blue eyes you remember seeing may be a reference to the movie, since Daniel Radcliffe (in)famously has blue eyes, but it may also be a reference to Deathly Hallows, when Harry periodically stares into a shard of the mirror and occasionally sees Aberforth Dumbledore peering back at him.
Comment: Actually I think the main reason, assuming consistency of the HP world, is that Sirius said "**I doubt Molly would approve**", which is sufficient for Harry to decide that "**he would never use it**". I always felt that it was a mistake on Sirius' part, because it was not immoral in any sense and he should not have said that, giving Harry the wrong impression.
Comment: Huh, what you say sounds about right. I don't have a copy OOTP to confirm this, but I think he was dead set against using it out of fear of having Sirius arrested on his account. The blue eyes were definitely a reference to Deathly Hallows (I haven't watched the film enough to remember that small of a detail). Thanks!
Comment: @Dunka Your comment led me to a brainwave, and I found the passage where Harry receives the mirror. I've updated my answer to include another reason for not using it: he didn't know what *it* was
Answer: Quoting from J K Rowling's old website:

Why did Harry have to forget the mirror he had been given by Sirius in 'Order of the Phoenix'?
I can't give a full answer to this, because it is relevant to books six and seven. However, the short answer is that Harry was determined never to use the mirror, as is clearly stated in chapter 24: 'he knew he would never use whatever it was'. For once in Harry's life, he does not succumb to curiosity, he hides the mirror and the temptation away from himself, and then, when it might have been useful, he has forgotten it.
The mirror might not have helped as much as you think, but on the other hand, will help more than you think. You'll have to read the final books to understand that!

This answer was obviously written before book six came out, but it can shed light on book five, which was your question.
Answer: Harry may have assumed that if Sirius was really in trouble, he might not have the mirror with him. In his mind, he may have assumed that Voldemort might have taken it from Sirius, which would have allowed Voldemort to know that Harry was on his way to help if he used the mirror. If he used the mirror and Voldemort had it, this also would allow Voldemort to become aware of the connection in their minds. Harry didn't know that Voldemort already knew about this connection and was using it as a setup.

Why Didn't Harry Use The Mirror?


Meaning of "Your Point Being?"

Question: I commented on my friend post and the friend replied "Your Point Being?".
But I didn't understand the meaning of "Your Point Being?".
What is the meaning of "Your Point Being?".
Comment: It's a reply to many questions around here:  Your point being?  (Short for "Your point being what?", or, turned around, "What is your point?")
Comment: @HotLicks I had commented "coke is more darker than your dress". So the meaning could be "What is your point?". Am I right?
Comment: Yes. The person is asking "Why are you comparing the color of my dress to Coca-Cola, and why are you pointing out to me that my dress is darker?"
Comment: The expression has a somewhat confrontational connotation.  It's more like "What makes you think that you should be pointing out that my dress is darker?"  A conversation with more than a few iterations of the expression is not going to end well.
Comment: And, of course, using "more darker" is (understatement alert!!) not especially idiomatic.  There could have been a hint about your command of the language compared to hers.
Answer: "Your point being?" is an informal contraction of the odd-sounding, and possibly out-dated*, "Your point being what?", typically interjected in lieu of, "What is your point?",  with the intent of aggravating the other party.
*See this earlier question for a more thorough analysis, "What does 'my point being' mean?"
It is also the title of a book by Graham H. Twelftree.
Comment: I think instead of a contraction, the phrase is expecting you to continue the sentence (as if said second person), so that in speech it would sound like "(And) your point is/being...?", making it sound more tart than "Your point being what?". That's just usually the way I hear it.
Comment: @Tyress, you are right, I probably selected the wrong word. The sentence is a condensed, reconstruction form of the question, "What is your point?", omitting the pronoun "what"; the effect of which you have accurately stated.
Answer: I finally asked the friend.
After the reply, I found that the friend is trying to know about the connection of color of coke and the dress.
So the friend is little bit confusion and want to know more.
So the meaning of "your point being?" is "what is your point or what is the connection between the thing you are saying?".

Meaning of "Your Point Being?"


Accepted conditional offer pending background check, now receiving offer from another company

Question: So I have been looking for a job that offers more remote work. I have signed a conditional offer based on the outcome background check. I was told this process could be anywhere from 4 to 7 weeks. I had another interview scheduled during the same time with a larger company during this same period and now they are wanting to extend an offer. Would it be wrong to back out of the first company's offer to pursue the second?
Comment: You might want to add your location. And it might depend on who the condition was phrased and how you accepted. In Germany, for example, you usually cannot leave an employment contract without serving your notice period and you usually cannot give notice before your actual start day. On the other hand, if you just agreed that the offer itself is okay but that both parties will wait for the outcome of the next step and then sign a final contract, then it is a different story.
Comment: I think you need to do what you think is best for you and your career.
Comment: So let me get that straight. You don't even have a starting date from the first organization? What did you sign exactly? Did they agree to a salary and benefits? What was in the letter? Ethically, I don't think it would be wrong to accept the second job offer (but don't accept until you get a contract first and don't disclose too much to the first company when you reject them, don't even update your LinkedIn). Legally, I don't know if this would be wrong, but it's best to be cautious since we don't know what jurisdiction you're from and what is it exactly that you signed.
Answer:
I was told this process could be anywhere from 4 to 7 weeks.

That is an incredibly long time to expect someone to wait.
At best that can be described as a "plan" ... where they might hire you in two months or so.
Because it is so incredibly long ... of course it would be absolutely normal that you pursue other opportunities.
Please consider this: let's say, for some reason or another, they did not hire you two months from now.  (This could happen for a hundred reasons - the company could go bankrupt, sales of the product involved could go down, a key employee on the project could die, management could change - any number of reasons.) If that happened then ... if anything ... you'd get anautomatic email alerting you that the position is no longer available.

Would it be wrong to [ pursue the other offer ]?

No matter how you interpret "wrong" it is absolutely not wrong in any way.
What they have told you so far is, simply, "we might give you a job in two months if we want to".
Note too that in the question above, it reads: would it be wrong to "back out of the first company's offer" ...  you are not "backing out of" anything!!
You have literally been told "we might hire you in two months if we want to".
Put it another way. Say someone said to you

"Wait one hour while we check something and you're hired"

If during that hour you cheekily took a different job, sure, that would be a bit sharp, a bit aggressive.
But if someone says

"Wait a couple months while we check something and you're hired"

it would be completely normal if at some point in there you sent them an email "You may remember me, John Smith, I'm pursuing other opportunities, thanks."
Answer: It probably depends on how the offer letter is written but the vast majority of offer letters that I've seen do not obligate you to work for them. They elaborate on the companies obligations to you (to pay you, to provide insurance, to offer x vacation days, etc), but they don't obligate you to the company.
That said, it might not be a bad idea to tell the hiring manager or recruiter or whatever for this new company about your conditional offer and see if they foresee any problems arising from that.
Answer: First, my company does "contingent upon successful background check" offers because the City of Austin requires a signed offer before background can be run, not because we want to bind a candidate to our company. For locations that don't have such requirements, we offer the background check to the prospective employee long before the offer is made, sometimes even before the first in person (or now in-video) interview happens.
From experience, especially in the Austin job market, I am surprised if the prospective employee hasn't received another offer before the 5-10 day background has completed. For every five candidates I present offers to, I only expect about three to actually still come aboard once the background has completed.
Analogy time - No compete clauses are often not upheld or even pursued in court for jr. to mid level employees because it can inhibit the livelihood of the individual. Even if there was a clause in the offer letter that said you are bound to this position if you pass background, I can't imagine it being upheld, especially with a ridiculous time frame like that.
Finally, as a hiring manager with my current company for 14 years, I wouldn't want to work for a company that binds, or even looks down upon, candidates that take other positions before your own bureaucratic process is finished.
Answer: "Looks like you have a decision to make!"
Answer: I think the "wrong" in your question is/should be "unprofessional".  So, I will consider it as such and say that I think most professions would not consider rejecting a previously accepted contingent offer before the contingency has happened as unprofessional.  Typical contingencies are there in order to protect the employer (visa, background, internal expansion, end of hiring freeze), but the employer should understand that by putting the contingency in place they are placing an extra burden on the prospective employee and thus an increased chance that something will happen that will cause the employee to reconsider.
Would this cause a hiring manager to reject the applicant at a different employer in the future?  Not a manager that I would be interested in working for.
On a more legal and less professional note, acceptance of a conditional contract (such as pending background check), might not be considered acceptance of the contract.


How can Linux run on different microprocessors?

Question: How can Linux run on different microprocessors? Is the Linux kernel being compiled at installation each time?
Answer: Each compiled/installed kernel image is built for one specific microprocessor (or microprocessor family usually).
The source code is partly hardware-independent (= many drivers, schedulers, ...) and partly platform specific (= low-level interaction with hardware, ...), but the resulting binary is always specific for one architecture.
Answer: Linux kernel is, as each compiled program, platform dependent.
Kernel hackers are very skilled coders, so a huge part of the kernel code is written in a platform-aware way (by the use ho pre-processor macro for example), the remaining part has to be architecture dependent either for performance issues or because is is bounded to some hardware feature not present on other archs, and so on.
This is not generally a limit in the ability of compiling a kernel on arch A and produce a kernel that will run on arch B, this process is known as cross-compilation, and is made by means of a cross-compiler
So the answer is that it has not to be compiled at installation time, because it can be compiled or cross-compiled by your distro vendor.  You could re-compile it on your own machine if you need to customize it, of couse.
Answer: Usual steps to get linux working on particular platform:

Download kernel sources
Download specific platform patches (for example, for Atmel's AT91RM9200 ARM CPU)
Apply official/non-official/your patches
Download crosstool-ng or similar tool & build your crosscompiler/libraries
Build your kernel
Assembly/update/build your root manually or using scripts/toolies
Transfer your kernel & root FS to your platform using either bootloader/JTAG/copying/other methods.
Done

Repeat for each platform.
Comment: Clarification: this isn't something that would be done by the end user, but by someone porting Linux to a new kind of system.
Answer: It is normally compiled before installing. But yes it's compiled for each platform separately.
Comment: Actually, it's *always* compiled before installing. How would you install it without compiling it ;-) ?


How does the EVM internally revert the contract to the initial state when exceptions are present?

Question: In error handling, assert and require statements revert the state of the contract to the initial state and then the transaction passes or fails depending on the code. I'm trying to understand how this happens internally?
Answer: Of course, this situation would only happen when calling a function which does change the state, seeing as view functions require no gas/dont modify the state.
So, let's say you as msg.sender call a function within a deployed contract. Now, if that function is designed to modify the state, the EVM will evaluate the subsequent data change and require permission for you to validate this transaction - pay for the gas fees, essentially - and modify storage slots (the state). Once you have paid, the transaction goes through and the state(s) is changed.
In this instance, whilst the EVM is evaluating the subsequent data change, if an assertion fails, you will be thrown an error before any authorisation can be made. As such, these statements 'revert' the contract to its initial state in memory before storage slots are modified and miners are required to validate any of these 'transactions'.
Comment: suppose that the assert/require statement which would eventually fail the transaction comes somewhere in the middle of the contract and prior to that some state variables have already been changed and gas has been used. Are those state changes also reverted back their initial state?
Comment: permanent 'state changes' as you mention are made **only** when a transaction is mined. To be mined, gas must have been paid. If gas has been paid, any code contained within the function responsible for state change has been fully executed. So, unless the assertion is omitted by something like a try/catch condition; yes, those state changes are reverted.
Answer: this is implemented in core/vm/evm.go file in case you want to check.
first you will see this line:
snapshot := evm.StateDB.Snapshot()

this is how the EVM marks the start of all the state changes (add/remove balance, etc) your contract is doing.
then it calls your contract:
ret, err = evm.interpreter.Run(contract, input, false)

and this is how the exceptions are handled when your contract ends:
// When an error was returned by the EVM or when setting the creation code
// above we revert to the snapshot and consume any gas remaining. Additionally
// when we're in homestead this also counts for code storage gas errors.
if err != nil {
    evm.StateDB.RevertToSnapshot(snapshot)
    if err != ErrExecutionReverted {
        gas = 0
    }
    // TODO: consider clearing up unused snapshots:
    //} else {
    //  evm.StateDB.DiscardSnapshot(snapshot)
}

your contract call may call another 20 contracts internally and if the last contract returns an error (the err variable) then it the functionRevertToSnapshot() will be called and all state changes will be reverted back as nothing happened. The snapshot is basically a transaction log, all changes to balances are tracked using a "journal", for example this is how it works (in file core/state/state_object.go)
func (s *stateObject) SetBalance(amount *big.Int) {
    s.db.journal.append(balanceChange{
        account: &s.address,
        prev:    new(big.Int).Set(s.data.Balance),
    })
    s.setBalance(amount) }

as you can see, before it changes the balance, the value is stored in a journal. This is how it knows how to revert all the changes to the beginning of your transaction in case an error happens. RevertToSnapshot() function will sequentially rollback all the changes
Now if you have a good eye, you might note that your reminding gas is cleared to 0:
gas = 0

this is actually gas "robbery" because you will have some remaining gas there, but it is hardcoded to disappear in case your transaction reverts. I don't know why your reminding gas is taken, but this is how it works, so be careful when you specify too much gas, it will disappear on any REVERT


Beaches in St Petersburg

Question: How are beaches in St Petersburg new Finnish gulf?
Are there areas available for swimming?
Are there also sports like skiing, etc there?
I've heard also there are beaches in Moscow
How are beaches in St Petersburg in comparison with Moscow?
Answer: I want to note that the St. Petersburg is located in Neva's river delta, and only small part of it is near the Finnish Gulf. So there are two types for the beaches here:

city beachs: most famous one is near the Petro-Pavloskaya fortress, people are getting the sun baths from February.

other ones are located accross the city parks and recreation zones, such as Krestovsky ostrov and Central Culture and Rest Park. For such beachs you can only get some rest on the sun, without swimming. Beaches are relatively small.

outdoor beaches. Such beaches are all accross the Finnish Gulf and lakes and rivers system also known as Vuoksi river and lake. Such beaches are numerous and, in general, aren't clean, but wild, and this is the best fit for a company, not for the individual. One of the most popular (and most organized) is Kavgolovo (link in Russian), but it's very crowded there.

As about the swimming, it's for certain prohibited to swim in Neva, and nearly all of the lakes and rivers are prohibited to swim into. Lakes and rivers available for swim are listed on the officials sites and some media sites (link in Russian). Small lakes inside the forest are, in general, safe to swim, if you are cautios and are exploring the lake before the swimming.
If you want to simply walk around the water, you can go to the Peterhof or some other small cities near the St. Petersburg.
Comment: @Noldor130884 Polluted water with some bacteria into it. Some beaches can contain bacterias even in sand, not only in water.
Comment: And what about beaches in Moscow?
Comment: @ReZa That would be an entirely different question.
Comment: @Jan I've mentioned this in my question. Comparison of Moscow and St Petersburg beaches...
Comment: Locals often prefer to swim outside of the dam area, because they believe that water quality is better outside. But that means an hour of driving from the city cetnre.
Comment: @ReZa I suggest you to create another question about the Moscow. I can't say much about it.
Comment: @zespri we do not **believe**, it's measured with medical officials
Comment: @VMAtm care to elaborate a bit on *why* the lakes and rivers are prohibited to swim into? Danger of what?
Answer: Best place aviable to swimming there - common pools :-) .
In Moscow summmer people usualy go away from Moscow city ( more than 100-150 km) for beach on river. In city no beaches at all ( a really bad).

Beaches in St Petersburg


Is it possible to delete all contents from a Facebook group?

Question: I'm the administrator of a private group on Facebook and I need to delete all posts and pictures from this year, to start new contents. Is it possible to do it all at once or do I have to do it one by one?
Answer: To delete a group secret or public you have to remove each user one by one. To remove posts too you have to delete individually. IMO there is no other method.
Answer: You have to do it one by one. Or you could delete the group, but that requires removing all users from the group.
Alternatively just create a page. In this way you will have timeline available, and thus have a better way of organizing your stuff.
Comment: This is not true that you have to delete people in a group "one-by-one" I am in the process of deleting thousands and deleting the group. If you're not tech-savvy don't speak as if you are. Nothing is impossible. YOU just don't know how to do it.
Comment: @Anon: If you know how to do it, then please explain it in an answer for the benefit of others.


Partial access MongoDB databases without replication. Is that possible?

Question: Is there any possibility to deploy a structure in case if when one or two mongod(s) in sharded cluster will be unavailable, so we'll be able to read and write partial results in\from remaining shards? But in the current case I don't want to deploy Replicaset structure. Just for the clarification, our sharded structure must be without replicasets.
Thank you.
Answer: You haven't mentioned what driver you will be using, so I can't give you a direct link to the specific option in your language of choice, but yes there is an option to return partial results from a sharded cluster if there are shards down (I still don't advocate running without replica sets, but that's a different discussion).
You can set it in the shell as follows (sample values, will work for findOne also):
db.collection.find({}, {}, 0, 0, 0, DBQuery.Option.partial)

Each of the drivers should have support for setting this option, either directly or similar to the shell via an option.  See the partial option toward the bottom of the node.js cursor documentation for example or the DBCursor setOptions and associated QUERYOPTION_PARTIAL in Java.  For reference, the relevant feature requests to add partial results options are SERVER-2020 and SERVER-4610
Comment: I asked developer, who working on this and he said that we use Spring Mongo. So, as you said, by default I can just disable one or two of my shards and I'll be able to read only information from another (working shards)?
Comment: Spring is a Java framework, so the options I pointed to for Java are available, though you may need to do a little work to get them to work with Spring (sorry, don't know the framework).  You should be ready for it to be slower in the failure scenario of course, since it can be hard to distinguish between a slow shard and a down shard, but at least it will work eventually
Comment: Where should I enable the command **db.collection.find({}, {}, 0, 0, 0, DBQuery.Option.partial)**? I want to be sure that I'm doing everything correctly. Sorry for maybe stupid questions.
Thank you.
Comment: since you are using spring, you want to get the developer to use setOptions and QUERYOPTION_PARTIAL as mentioned in the answer.  The command example is for if you are running a query from the mongo shell, not Java


what shall I do my 12 year old daughter is out of control

Question: My 12 year old daughter has been a nightmare in the past few months. On her good days she is the sweetest most helpful girl but these are becoming very rare. She loves her sporting activities but hates anything to do with school and although I have tried with Homework = Sport but this is not working.  She shouts and screams, she cusses me and tells me that I should die in my sleep. She blames me for everything!! When I try and talk to her when she's calm she begins to cry and then shout at me. She has exams at the end of the month and has not started studying/revising for any subjects even though I have asked her calmly. She also has a private tutor for a few lessons but she I do not see her doing any homework! I have been thinking of taking to a psychologist for behavioural problems and wondered if this will help.
Comment: To add to @reinierpost, sport is a good way to de-stress. So I'd avoid taking her sport away, or making her earn it.
Comment: From my amateur psychology knowledge, it sounds to me like she has some issues to struggle with. Did something happen in the past? Is something happening at school?
Comment: Has she struggled with school before? some kids give up after failing at something.
Comment: She seems to be under a lot of stress. Find the causes with her. Make sure you relieve more stress than you cause. Stress is often caused by not knowing how to do things.
Comment: Maybe get her a therapist or someone she can talk to. She might be being bullied and that's why she doesn't like school. Or she's getting stressed out. Hope this helps.
Answer: "I have been thinking of taking to a psychologist for behavioural problems and wondered if this will help."
My mom sent me to a psycologist when I was 17.  It was a friend of hers, and she kept asking me "what are you going to do about your mom?"
I said "nothing."
Thankfully that ended my visits.
As a mom, my son went to counseling from about 9yo to 12yo, and I attended about 1 in 3 of his apointments, or more if he asked me too.
I'm not suggesting that you would do what my mom did, but I do hope that the contrast between the two situations stands out.  My mom was trying to fix me.  My son was working through some stuff that had happened to him.
If you approach counseling with your daughter as a way for you to work together to uncover what is driving her behavior, you can turn this difficult time into a positive journey of growth for your relationship.
Through counseling you can build a relationship that is respectful to both of you.  You can reinforce that you, as the mom, are in charge, and convey to your daughter the expectations that you have about how she talks to you.


LDAP-Google Apps exclusion list

Question: I'm trying to set-up synchronization between my OpenLDAP server and Google Apps. There are some users accounts already created in Google Apps which are not in my OpenLDAP server. That accounts are suspend every time, when I perform synchronization. According to GADS documentation it's possible to create exclusion list which contains user's account that shouldn't be synchronized. But as I've understood from the documentation exclusion lists should contain only local LDAP user accounts than shouldn't be synchronized with .
Am I wrong or is there any solution for this situation?
Comment: Not to sound mean, but you asked -- you are wrong. :) There are exclusion rules for both the LDAP and Google Apps sides. If you update your question with some more detail, I can probably assist you.
Answer: In GADS, there are sections to both ignore AD accounts (do not create Google Apps Accounts), and ignore Google Apps accounts that don't have a corresponding AD account.  I used this second section to protect administrator and other important accounts from accidental deletion.  Keep fishing around in the settings and you'll find it.
The setting is found in the Google Apps Configuration section. Here is a link in the manual.
Google Apps Exclusion Rules:

AD User Exclusion Rules:
Comment: Here's the link to the section http://www.google.com/support/enterprise/static/gapps/docs/admin/en/gads/admin/config_ga_settings_excl.html. It's in the Google Apps Configuration section
Comment: You may even create OUs in Google Apps to store your "special" users out of scope of normal user policy.
Comment: I've checked it one more time and haven't fount section to exclude Google Apps users ) On "User Accounts" tab there is a section called "Exclusion Rules", but GADS Admin guide says that there I may exclude "Internal users who do not have outside email addresses; Printers, conference rooms, and other non-user resources; Test users on your LDAP directory server; Users who do not want a Google Apps mailbox". But there is no mention about my Google Apps user, that already exist. I've tried to specify Google Apps users there, but they still became suspended after synchronization process.
Comment: I've missed first tab due to my inattention. Thank you very match!

LDAP-Google Apps exclusion list


Is it a good idea to design a database based on the API response data types?

Question: I am trying to design my database, where i have to save some response data given from an external api as a webhook.
This api will return me as well "referenceId" as an identifier, which i will use afterwards to relate with already existing record in database.
So, the question is, is it fine to design databased columns based on the external api, as "referenceId" in this case?
Can it have some downsides in future? If the api after some time either omit or change type, i would need to change it as well… Any other ideas?
Thank you.
Answer: Depends on the size of the project but it's generally not a good idea to design your database based on the data types of an external API. This is because the data types and structure of the API response can change over time, which would require you to make changes to your database schema.
Also, depending on the API, there may be data that is not relevant to your application and does not need to be saved in the database.
A better approach would be to design your database based on the needs of your application and the data that is relevant to it. You can then map the API response data to your database schema as needed. This will allow you to have more control over your database structure and reduce the impact of any changes to the API.
Answer: While it is common to design database schemas around surrogate keys, that is not always appropriate – when your entities have stable natural keys, they might be preferred.
In your scenario, your business domain is the external API. The entities in this domain seem to have a key in the form of the referenceId, so that would be a natural key from your perspective.
A concern with using keys from an external source is that the format or meaning of those keys could change with updates to the API. This could invalidate your database design, which can be difficult to rectify without surrogate keys. If you're storing natural keys for external entities, it could be sensible to express them as URIs. Let's consider URIs for the entity with referenceId=123:

Sometimes, the API might provide a meaningful URI directly in form of a resolvable URL, e.g. https://api.example/v2/some-entity/123.
Otherwise, consider creating your own URIs for this entity. A suitable mechanism for this is the tag URI scheme which provides integrated versioning. E.g. we might describe the entity as tag:your-app.example,2022-12-04:external-api/some-entity/123.

Such approaches can be particularly useful in systems that aggregate entities from multiple systems. But in most cases it will be simpler (and more efficient) to assign surrogate keys in your database instead.
The linked Wikipedia article about surrogate keys has more thorough discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of using surrogate keys.


Symetrical, locked Othello game

Question: This is an unusual ask, but bear with me...
One night back in the 1970's. I was playing Othello with a friend when I realised that, not only were there no more moves with four empty spaces remaining but the board was diagonally symmetrical. Its symmetry was one where the white counter on the one half was mirrored by an reverse counter on the other side. In my opinion creating an immense depth of complexity. We quickly drew a grid on the Othello box and copied the pattern.There was no intent by either of us to create this situation by a planned strategy of symmetrical positioning or a tit for tat, like for like play. We were utterly bewildered how this happened and that it was at all possible.
 The trillions of possible positions and our non intentional game play make a repetition of this possible but not very likely in the short term. Can anyone place pieces on an Othello board to reproduce this situation, not by playing the game just placing the pieces, and not necessarily the same pattern but one with a symmetry that has the play locked?
Kudos to anyone that can!
Comment: A diagonal symmetry with white on one side and black on the other side would require some very special pieces on the main diagonal that serves as the symmetry axis.
Comment: Presumably, the axis of symmetry is allowed free choice of counters.
Comment: @Lawrence possibly that, or maybe OP actually meant some other kind of symmetry. I'll be waiting for the clarification.
Comment: @Bass Hmm. You have unearthed a fundamental flaw in my recollection. I have now to consider where unless I can give fairly exacting details of its symmetry my puzzle seems pointless........On reflection, it must have been symmetrical on another axis as symmetrical it most definitely was.
Comment: Possibly related: https://boardgames.stackexchange.com/questions/20539/is-it-possible-for-an-othello-reversi-game-to-end-without-the-board-being-fill
Answer: The diagonal symmetry with opposing colours on opposing sides of the axis isn't really possible because there are pieces on the symmetry axis too.
Since OP agreed that this observation presents a problem, here's the "most symmetrical" finished position with 4 empty spots I could find.

The checkered spots can be any colour you want (as long as they are all filled, and the symmetries are preserved), since the important thing is that

 any straight line ending in one of the empty spots must have pieces of one colour only.

This pattern has

point symmetry through the center
90 degree rotational anti-symmetry (closest thing to a diagonal anti-symmetry I could think of)
equal number of points for both (naturally)
Comment: Ah you beat me. I was going to use exactly the same solution.
Comment: I appreciate the suggestion, the illustration obviously bears out the conditions I vaguely recalled. Whilst being correct, the solution does not look as though it was derived by the game play of Othello, to me, I could be wrong but the central transparent sections are far too simplistic to have appeared at random with both players attempting to thwart the other. The four empty corner squares were definitely occupied.

Symetrical, locked Othello game


What are the Lorenz Equations used for?

Question: In fluid dynamics, I have come across two sets of equations, the Navier-Stokes equation and the Lorenz equations. From what I have read the Navier-Stokes equations always hold. So why do we need the Lorenz equations also? and when would we use them over the Navier-Stokes equations?
Comment: What the Lorenz equations are used for is described in the wiki article you link. And the reason one might use them over the Navier-Stokes equation is that it's much simpler to solve and study (just like we use Newton's second law even though we know the Schroedinger equation).
Comment: What is the similarity between the physical phenomena that Navier-Stokes equation describes and what Lorentz equation describes?
Comment: @lemon he didn't link those, a moderator added the links to the question. Click on "edited Aug 11 at 8:51" to see the history.
Answer: The Navier-Stokes equations are a pretty good description of fluid dynamics, whereas the Lorenz equations are a toy model for the atmosphere.
Like with any toy model, you use the Lorenz equations when you want to model some basic aspect of a real system that you believe is already conveyed by the simplified model. It won't give you realistic results, but might be enough to give you valuable insight into the problem.
Answer: The Lorenz equations are often used to think about Navier-Stokes dynamics from the perspective of "phase space".  To do this, parameters such as distance and time from the Navier-Stokes equations must be de-dimensionalized and normalized such that coefficients in the Lorenz equations are dimensionless and only range from [0,1].
In order to do this, LOTS of assumptions about fluid flows need to be made.
To name only a few:

Fluid flows generate no internal heat (by way of internal friction)
Fluid behaves in a Newtonian way
Fluid conduction obeys Fourier's law (roughly meaning that the thermal flow obeys Netwon's second law, is smooth and doesn't have weird disjunctive thermal boundaries across the body)
...other stuff

Once all that magic happens, you get static and variable coefficients like the Reynolds number, where the idealized dynamics of fluid flow can be examined as a set of state-based relations.
Confusingly, and contrary to what you might infer from looking at the Lorenz equations on Wikipedia, the Lorenz equations don't have to exist in only a single time-based form.  Note the transformation from Navier-Stokes to Lorenz is a transform from a PDE to an ODE.
I found this link to be very helpful and concise at 'splaining the connection between the two equations:
http://www.ub.edu/simba/slides/simba10102018JuanPello.pdf

What are the Lorenz Equations used for?


Play Youtube video in MPMoviePlayerController or play RTSP - 3GP link

Question: I've checked on stackoverflow and searched all over the internet but haven't been able to find a solution to my problem.
In my app I need to have control over the way a youtube video is shown. I need to have control over the MPMoviePlayerController and thereby MPMediaPlayback properties. So actually I have 3 questions:

Is there already a solution for playing youtube videos directly in a MPMoviePlayerController that you create yourself?
Is it somehow possible to play the RTSP - 3GP links youtube has for the mobile site in the MPMoviePlayerController? (Right now it refuses the RTSP format)
Is it possible to have control over the MPMoviePlayerController that starts whenever a youtube video is embedded in a UIWebView?

If only one of these 3 questions can be answered I would be very happy!
Thanks in advance!
Answer:
No
No
No idea - might be worth investigating by checking for NSNotifications


Returning lost property

Question: Suppose I find lost property, and can return it to the owner. Am I required to return the object that was actually lost, or can I give the owner a duplicate? (And why?).
Comment: user6789, welcome to Mi Yodeya and thanks for your question, very often relevant. I hope you stick around and enjoy the site; [you can read more about how it works](http://judaism.stackexchange.com/tour). You may also wish to [give yourself another username](http://judaism.stackexchange.com/users/edit/6789), unless you're attached to the number 6789.
Answer: I am adding an additional assumption that the item has some identifying mark that would more likely obligate you to return it. According to most opinions, an item have no identifiable markings does not need to be returned. However, if you know exactly who the owner is, you MAY need to return it, anyway, in all circumstances.
Having said this, based on what I gleaned from  this jlaw.com article  there is a debate.

However, both Jewish and common law accept that although one does not
  acquire title to the object, one is not completely precluded from
  using it. There are two schools of thought on this topic within Jewish
  law. Most authorities, following the rule of Rabbi Shabtai Meir
  HaCohen, state that in situations where Jewish law precludes the
  finder from taking title and the law states that the "the object
  should reside until Elijah comes," that phrase is properly understood
  to mean "the object should reside in the finder's pocket until Elijah
  comes" - while the user has no ownership rights to the object, it is
  his to use and derive benefit. Should the finder break it or wear it
  out, he owes the owner the value of the object, if the owner comes
  forward and claim it. This seems to be the approach of most
  decisors. Other Jewish law authorities disagree, and rule that in
  situations where the owner does not come forward, the object resides
  in peace, without anyone authorized to use it for his own benefit.
  According to neither of these schools of thought may the possessor
  (who is not the true owner) legally transmit valid title to another.

I have excerpted what I thought was the most relevant paragraph to your question. There are many other factors involved. However, I inferred that if you decided to exchange the lost item, it means that you have possessed ownership of the item.
The article is long, but it is quite interesting reading.
Comment: Yeah: _SA_ 267:15 is pretty clear you have to return the object itself, and :25 extends that to found money.
Answer: The source of the mitzvah is Dvorim 22 (1-3).

You shall not see your brother's ox or sheep straying, and ignore them. [Rather,] you shall return them to your brother.
But if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, you shall bring it into your house, and it shall be with you until your
  brother seeks it out, whereupon you shall return it to him.
So shall you do with his donkey, and so shall you do with his garment, and so shall you do with any lost article of your brother
  which he has lost and you have found. You shall not ignore [it].

Rashi on possuk 2 says

whereupon you shall return it to him: That there shall be something left in it to return, that it should not consume its [whole]
  value in your house, so you should claim it from him [from the owner].
  From here, [the Rabbis] said: Any animal that works and eats, should
  work and eat [the proceeds of its work]; and [any animal] that does
  not work, yet still eats, should be sold [by the finder, and the money
  restored to the owner]. — [B.M. 28b]

So it seems that the ideal is to return the actual object. If the object cannot be returned (in Rashi for economic reasons) then what remains of its value can be returned.
This implies that substitution is not a valid option. But I do not have a source that states that explicitly.
Comment: @AvrohomYitchok - If you can, see if you can glean something more specific from the link in my answer. It appears to be debatable, but I'm not sure how to relate Rashi's comment to anything definitive in that article, either way. Appreciate the effort.
Comment: @DanF I've read much of the article and cannot extract more than you. The critical point is "if you decided to exchange the lost item, it means that you have possessed ownership of the item." It sounds reasonable to me but I'm not an expert in these things. (Please see my second answer.)
Answer: There is a well known principle in Gemoro that: (My translation (and understanding) of the link):

אדם רוצה בקב שלו מתשעה קבין של חבירו See Bovo Metzia
  38a
Man wants his one measure (of produce) more than the nine measures of
  his friend
The gemoro explains that the nature of man is, that he prefers to have
  a single thing created by his pains, than nine measures created by his
  fellow's efforts.
Consider a case where someone deposits fruit with his friend. The
  friend sees the fruit starting to rot or be eaten by mice. This rule
  is presented as a reason why the friend should not sell the fruit.
  For, though in purely economic terms it is better to sell the fruit,
  and with the money he receives he could buy new fruits, we assume the
  depositor wants his measure rather than nine measures which his friend
  might give him.
It should be noted that the principle is an exaggeration, as in the
  Gemara we find that if a certain percentage of fruit rot, a minimum
  ratio of nine to one, then the friend should sell the fruit in Beis
  Din to prevent a loss of depositor.

The principle of "Man wants his one measure (of produce) more than the nine measures of his friend" would exclude giving the owner a duplicate.

Returning lost property


Why don't door rails and stiles split apart?

Question: We all hear the warnings about not going across the grain when fitting together boards, but obviously doors are constructed cross grain, with the grain of the rails going one direction and the stiles going the other. Why don't they split apart as the wood moves?
Answer:
We all hear the warnings about not going across the grain when fitting together boards, but obviously doors are constructed cross grain, with the grain of the rails going one direction and the stiles going the other. Why don't they split apart as the wood moves?

Those warnings generally mean "don't join wide pieces with grain running crosswise without accommodating seasonal movement," not that you can't ever join parts with crosswise grain.
Almost everything about a typical solid-wood exterior door is designed to allow seasonal movement without splitting:

frame and panel construction: Much of the width of the door is made up of panels that float within their frames and have room to expand. The rails are narrow enough (4-10") that they don't move much.
mortise and tenons: Rails are mortised into the stiles, giving a good mechanical connection. If you think about it, mortise and tenon joints always involve cross-grain connections, but they're one of the strongest joints around. Very wide rails will have two tenons instead of one wide one specifically to avoid a large cross-grain glue connection.
finish: A few coats of varnish or primer and paint significantly reduce seasonal movement.
Answer: Normally wood rails are only several inches in width.  The expansion over such a short width is not significant.  As the width increases the overall expansion becomes more significant. Wood expands and contracts at different rates for each species and differently for width and depth.  However, it does not expand in length. The amount of movement will differ between species and the direction of the grain being considered (does the grain run across the width or across the depth). Also note that the width expands and contracts due to temperature and humidity changes.  If the wood is exposed to a constant environment there will be little change.  If the immediate climate changes significantly then the expansion and contraction will be more pronounced.  I would caution you that while the piece may be in a stable environment now, it may not stay there for long, so it is advisable to be conservative in your design. You can find plenty of information on the rates of species online by searching 'Calculating Wood Movement'.
I have not found any reference materials recommending a maximum width for this type of joint, but I would certainly recommend keeping it below 3" (although paneled doors will often have wider pieces in their frame). Once the joint width is is beyond this size, I would recommend other joint options such as breadboard end pieces etc. where wood movement is better accommodated.
Comment: Even so, you'll notice that traditional doors, especially exterior doors, will eventually tear themselves apart right where the rails and stiles meet. That's case in my home, anyway.
Comment: The bottom rail of a traditional door is in the vicinity of 8 inches. Joinery techniques vary, but a fairly common production technique is to use dowels. The trick here is that the dowels aren't 8" apart; they're more like 4 or 5. Alternatives for wide joints where you expect movement are double tenons with a bit of room for movement (preferably haunched) or as noted, breadboards.
Comment: Oh, and since doors are frequently painted or at least varnished, that slows the uptake of moisture seasonally, so expansion/contraction are slower and perhaps less pronounced.
Answer: Why, solid wood frame-and-panel doors do split apart, especially big exterior doors or gates. Usually a stile splits around drawbore pins or there's a crack in the middle of a rail. You don't see it very often though because of climate controlled houses, new materials and sealants, because some cracks are painted over, etc. Also an experienced joiner prefers stable woods and assembles a door in such a way that wide rails can still move a little, very similar to how a wide panel is bread boarded.


OpenStreetMap to Opendrive map format

Question: I am trying to generate opendrive (xodr) files from the OpenStreetMap data.
OpenStreetMap provides nodes and ways. In opendrive I need to compute the length of roads, heading angle, inertial x and y coordinates and the geometry records for the roads. Right now I am using osmnx module to visualize the road network.
Can I get some help regarding the generation of geometry records?
Answer: OSMnx computes the length of streets automatically and saves as the edges' length attribute. Road geometry is the geometry edge attribute. Heading angle is computed using ox.add_edge_bearings and x,y coordinates are attributes of the two nodes incident on each edge.
import osmnx as ox
G = ox.graph_from_place('Piedmont, CA, USA', network_type='drive')
G = ox.add_edge_bearings(G)
gdf_nodes, gdf_edges = ox.graph_to_gdfs(G, fill_edge_geometry=True)

OpenStreetMap to Opendrive map format


Is the Copeland–Erdős constant a random number? How is it normal?

Question: The Champernowne constant is not random. Is the Copeland–Erdős constant random? Also if Copeland–Erdős number is normal, then shouldnt the number of $5$s and even digits be low because they cannot appear in as the last digit of prime numbers? So how is it normal if certain digits occur less?
Answer: I can't tell you it is normal or random (not even sure what random means in this context,) but your argument is not enough to show that it won't be normal, and the Wikipedia article for the number says it is normal in base $10$.
Consider, instead the real number:
$$0.12345678910111213141516171819202122\dots$$
Which is created by concantenating the base $10$ representation of all the natural numbers.
Now, let $C_i(n)$ be defined as number of occurrences of digit $i$ in the first $n$ digits of this number. Since $0$ cannot be the first digit of a natural number, we'd rightly expect that $C_i(n)<\frac{n}{10}$ for most $n$. But that would not prevent $$\lim_{n\to\infty} \frac{C_i(n)}{n} = \frac{1}{10}$$
In your case, while the last digits of primes cannot be $5$ or an even digit, the actual frequency (or density) of last digits is so small that this should have zero effect on the limit.
At heart, any subset of the digits of density $0$ has no effect on normality - we can change them to anything we want and the new number is normal if and only if the old number was normal.
Comment: Thanks. Got it! Appreciate the detailed explanation.
Answer: For addition to the answer above:
Copeland–Erdős constant is not a Martin-Lof random number. It is a computable real number, which means there exists an algorithm to compute all the digits in the number. Computable number is not random (you can't call something random when you know there is a rule to generate it). Most real numbers are uncomputable, but most real numbers we deal with are computable. It is an open question whether there is any "natural phenomenon" leading to an uncomputable real number (or random number).
Comment: Thanks. Then even $\pi$ is not proven to be random by Martin-Lof properties? As it is not yet proved to be normal?
Comment: $\pi$, e, and almost all the real numbers we are interested, such as all algebraic numbers, $sin(1)$,$log_{2}3$ are computable. We can prove $\pi$ is computable by a simple series argument, which allows us to approximate $\pi$ on arbitrary accuracy. It's generally believed that $\pi$ is a normal number in any base, but it's still a open question.


Asset classes: Is a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) considered a bond?

Question: When we think of asset classes, there are 2 types: stocks and bonds. Where does an investment like a GIC fit in? It is not a bond, nor is it a stock.
Comment: There are more than 2 types of asset classes.  You're only mentioning perhaps the *top* 2 that come to mind.  Cash, commodities, real estate, etc. are examples of some others.
Answer: There is a third type of asset that a GIC falls into: Cash.
So while it does share some characteristics of a bond, such as (often) having a fixed interest rate, and having the ability to ladder their maturities, they would generally be considered part of your Cash component of your portfolio.
Comment: in my opinion, cash implies liquidity, and GICs are not necessarily liquid.  Certainly cashable GICs are essentially cash-equivalent, but not when there's an early withdrawal penalty.
Comment: IMHO, I would tend to look at either cashable or short-term GICs (less than 1 year to maturity) as cash-equivalent, and consider the rest as fixed-income.
Answer: Instead of "stocks" I would refer to that asset class as "equity."  Instead of bonds, I would refer to that asset class as "fixed income."  Given that more general terminology, GICs would fit into fixed income.


Hawkes model: significance of coefficients estimated with maximum likelihood

Question: I estimated a Hawkes model using maximum likelihood. How can I estimate the significance of the coefficients?
I'm going to use the standard errors, i.e., the square root of the values on the diagonal of the inverse Hessian matrix. The latter is indeed an estimator of the asymptotic covariance matrix.
Am I correct? I've read some literature but I haven't found an answer to my question, I assume that, being the method maximum likelihood, it goes without saying that the appropriate method is the one I described above.
Another option would be computing the bootstrap standard errors. Is there a most common method?
Answer: The classical way, i.e. by using the observed Fisher information, is by far most common and is justified by Ogata, "The Asymptotic Behaviour of Maximum Likelihood Estimators for Stationary Point Processes" (1978). The assumptions required are basically the usual regularity assumptions for MLE, and they apply to the Hawkes process, at least in the univariate case (Example 4).
A bootstrap approach is also possible, but because of the computational cost it can be quite difficult to implement. A "fixed-intensity" bootstrap method was proposed by Cavaliere et al., "Bootstrap inference for Hawkes and general point processes" (2021) which makes the computational cost less prohibitive by considering the same conditional intensity in each bootstrap draw.


how do me and my friend play minecraft on pc together on my or her world?

Question: me and my friend wants to play Minecraft together on my or her world but we don't know how, we live in different buildings and she cant come over, she has a ps4 with Minecraft and i play Minecraft on a pc.
Answer: You can not cross play PS4 with PC version.  Click Here or here for more information.
Answer: You can host your own server, and send your friend the server ip and play on that server at the same time. If you need help hosting your own server, try reading this: How can I host my own Minecraft server?


Does -OTMS group transfer to a different carbon easily?

Question: In this organic transformation question, (https://imgur.com/a/nr0LHUm) I understand that the intermediate below gets formed, but why does it lead to the final product?
Comment: Provide a better reference than a link to imgur; this link to an *external reference* may stop being functional at any time. Instead, add title and authors of a text book, or primary publication (in the later case, a link/doi is a useful addition). If this means to redraw some of the reaction sequence, but you don't have access to a sketcher like ChemDraw, there is a [test page](https://chemdrawdirect.perkinelmer.cloud/js/sample/index.html) (with reduced functionality) to e.g. copy a screen photo. The drawing needn't be perfect, but share the relevant information in one spot here.
Answer: It is well established 1 that trialkylsilyl groups can undergo alcoholysis i.e. swapping between alcohol groups both inter and intramolecularly and Me3Si-O is particularly labile because of its small steric bulk. Once this happens the cyanohydrin anion that is formed is very labile with respect to loss of cyanide to form the ketone.


What does neural computation mean ?

Question: Does it mean given an input to the neural network an output is produced ? In the recently launched iPhone X there is a neural engine that can perform 600 billion operations in a sec. Are those operations like outputs at the nodes of a neural network ?
Answer: It sounds like "neural computation" is being used here as a buzzword referring to the use of artificial neural nets. I'm not aware of any common technical use of this term in machine learning. It is, however, commonly used in neuroscience to refer to the operation of the brain or biological neural networks, at a computational/algorithmic level of description (rather than a biological/mechanistic one). This is very different from artificial neural nets, which bear only a loose resemblance to their biological counterparts. Describing an iPhone in terms of "neural computation" sounds rather silly and out of place. To interpret the $600 \times 10^9$ ops/s spec, more information would needed about what exactly those operations are.
Comment: Yeah that makes sense. Perhaps, I should have focussed on either asking about neural computation or the neural engine that Apple launched. Thanks
Comment: @GSH Hmm, I hope that wasn't worded too ambiguously. Just to be clear, I wasn't trying to say that *you* sound silly (it's a perfectly reasonable question)...rather, it's funny imagining the term being used in a marketing context to sell iphones

What does neural computation mean ?


What is the probability that a person is the second person to roll a 6 for the first time?

Question: Suppose $A$, $B$, and $C$ roll a die in turns. What is the probability that $A$ is the second person to roll a $6$ for the first time?
Comment: Perhaps you could model this as a Bernoulli process and set $T=$ throw number where the second occurance of 6 occurs. Then you would have to consider it $\mod 3$ ...
Answer: Avoiding explicit infinite sums:
Let's try a simpler question: two people X and Y are playing, with X rolling first.  What is the probability $p_x$ that X is the first to get a $6$?
Considering what might happen on the first roll (either X rolls a $6$ and is first to do so or X does not roll a $6$ with Y becoming the first to roll next), you have $p_x = \frac16 + \frac56 p_y$ and $p_y = \frac56 p_x$.  You can solve these simultaneous equations to get  $p_x=\frac6{11}$ and $p_y= \frac5{11}$
Now let's try your question with $p_a, p_b, p_c$ being the respective probabilities of being second to roll a $6$ in the three-player game.  You want to find $p_a$
Again considering what might happen on the first roll,  you  have $p_a = \frac56 p_c$ and $p_b=\frac16 p_x + \frac56 p_a$ and $p_c=\frac16 p_y + \frac56 p_b$.  You can solve these, using the earlier results, to get $p_a=\frac{300}{1001}$, $p_b=\frac{341}{1001}$, $p_c=\frac{360}{1001}$
Answer: So consider A about to succeed at the event.  For some positive integer $k$, everybody has rolled $k$ times.  A has gotten no sixes (which can happen in $5^k$ ways), one of the other players has already rolled one or more sixes (the player can be chosen in 2 ways and their rolls in $6^k-5^k$ ways), and the third player has not yet rolled a 6 (which can happen in $5^k$ ways).  With that set up, A then needs to roll a 6.  The probability of all of this is $$\frac{1}{6}\sum_{k=1}^\infty\frac{5^{2k}\cdot2(6^k-5^k)}{6^{3k}}=\frac{300}{1001}\approx0.2997$$
Answer: Since you only consider the cases where players roll a $6$ or not, you may write each turn as a tripple $(Y,Y,N)$, meaning A rolled a 6, B rolled a 6 but C did not. Your game then becomes a sequence of tripples of the previous form, i.e.,
$$(Y,Y,N), (Y,N,Y),...,(Y,N,N),...$$
Now the probability that A rolls the second 6 for the first time (call this event E) translates to any finite sequence of the form
$$(N,N,N), (N,N,N),...,(N,Y,N),...,(Y,N,N)$$
or
$$(N,N,N), (N,N,Y),...,(N,N,N),...,(Y,N,N)$$
where all but one tripple have the form $(N,N,N)$. You can write this now via a geometric random variable $X_A\sim G(1/6)$, namely
$$P[E] = \sum_{n=2}^{\infty} P[E|Number\;of\;rounds = n]P[Number\;of\;rounds = n]$$
$$\sum_{n=2}^{\infty} P[E|X_A = n]P[X_A = n]$$
Now, assuming independence of the players and the rolls, we can describe the number of $6$ which player B, and analogously C, rolls in $n$ rounds by a binomial $B_n\sim Binom(n,1/6)$, or $C_n\sim Binom(n,1/6)$. The term $P[E|X_A = n]$ has then the form
$$P[E|X_A = n] = P[B_n = 1]P[C_n = 0]+P[B_n = 0]P[C_n = 1] = 2P[B_n = 1]P[C_n = 0].$$
From here, you put everything together in $\sum_{n=2}^{\infty} P[E|X_A = n]P[X_A = n]$ and should arrive at
$$P[E] = \dfrac{2(1/6)^2}{(1-1/6)}\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}n(1-1/6)^{(3n-1)}=\dfrac{2(1/6)^2}{(1-1/6)}\dfrac{(1/6)^2}{(1-(1/6)^3)^2}.$$
Comment: I understood the question like that. A rolling the second $6$ in total but her first 6. My bad, I guess...
Comment: It should work, though, if I just change the $P[B_n = 1]P[C_n = 0]$ to $\sum_{k=1}^{n} P[B_n = k]P[C_n = 0]$. I'll try it later and then adjust the post.Thanks for the remark!


Why is water considered a pure substance instead of a mixture?

Question: Why is water considered a pure substance instead of a mixture?
Wouldn't it, when the hydrogen atoms combine with the oxygen atom, be considered a mixture, because the atoms were combined to form a new molecule?
Answer: A mixture is when two or more substances combine physically together.
However, in water, two hydrogen atoms combine with one oxygen atom chemically, forming a new substance that has properties different from hydrogen alone or oxygen alone.
For example, if you combine iron powder and sulfur powder physically (just mixing them together without applying heat), you can find that the mixture retains the properties of the original components, i.e. you can still use a magnet to attract the iron inside the mixture.
However, if you heat it up, the iron and the sulfur would combine chemically, and a new compound would be formed, which we call "iron sulfur" ($\ce{FeS}$). This is a new compound and loses the properties of the original compounds. For example, it is not attracted by magnets.

Therefore, water is not  a mixture; it is a compound and it is pure.
Answer: A mixture contains different compounds/elements. Pure water only contains 1 type of molecule/compound - H2O, making it a pure substance


Interpretation of conditional expectation as a random variable

Question: I have a couple problems understanding the conditional expectation as a random variable. Consider the fair dice roll as a random variable $X$. Let $C$ be the event that the dice shows a one and consider $A=\sigma(C)$. We have $E[X|C]=1, E[X|C^c]=4$ and thus one version of the expected value of $X$ conditioned on $A$ is $E[X|A]=1\cdot \chi_C+4\cdot\chi_{C^c}$. Now this is a function from $\Omega$ to $\mathbb{R}$. I can't grasp how to interpret $E[X|A](\omega)$, since in general $E[X|A]$ is characterized by having certain integrals over the $\sigma$-field, which defines it up to null sets. Of course, in this case there is no ambiguity, but in a countable setting $E[X|A]$ is an equivalence class. I do understand that $E[X|A]$ is basically averaging of $X$ over $C$ and $C^c$. But how do I interpret $E[X|A](\omega)$ for a specific $\omega$.
Answer: In short, $E(X|\mathcal{A})(\omega)$ is the value of the random variable $E(X|\mathcal{A})$ when outcome $\omega$ occurs.
It sounds like you are specifically looking at sub-$\sigma$-algebras that are generated by partitions of the entire collection of outcomes: $\Omega=\cup A_i$ where the $A_i$ are pair-wise disjoint and $\mathcal{A}=\sigma(A_1,A_2,...)$. To interpret $E(X|\mathcal{A})(\omega)$ in this setting, you simply find the element of the partition $B$ such that $\omega\in B$. Note that there is only one such $B$. Then we get that $E(X|\mathcal{A})(\omega)=E(X|B)$.
Let $\mathcal{A}=\sigma(C)$ for some outcome $C\subset\Omega$. For your example, either $\omega\in C$ or $\omega\in C^c$ since $\Omega=C\cup C^c$. Therefore
$$E(X|\mathcal{A})(\omega)=\left\{
\begin{aligned}
&E(X|C)&\text{if} &\quad \omega\in C\\
&E(X|C^c) &\text{if} &\quad \omega\in C^c.
\end{aligned}
\right. $$
One way to think about it is that, as an observer, you cannot distinguish between the outcomes in event $C$. If $\omega_1$ and $\omega_2$ are both in $C$, then to you, they look identical to you even if $X(\omega_1)\neq X(\omega_2)$. If I tell you that the outcome of the experiment is a particular $\tilde{\omega}\in C$, then what you hear me say is that "event $C$ occurred". Even though I'm speaking the specific outcome name $ `` \tilde{\omega} " $, you hear only $ `` C " $. So you calculate the expectation of $X$ given the information you heard. You know for certain event $C$ has occurred, therefore you calculate $E(X|C)$.
$$E(X|C)=\frac{E(X1_C)}{P(C)}=\frac{1}{P(C)}\int_C X P(d\omega) \quad \text{so long as}\quad P(C)\neq0$$
Example:
Let $X$ be uniform on $\{1,2,3\}$, and
$$\mathcal{A}=\sigma(\{1\})=\{\emptyset,\Omega,\{1\},\{2,3\}\}.$$
(Aside: Just to be careful, we have to remember that $\{1\}=\{\omega\in\Omega : X(\omega)=1\}$.)
We want to examine the random variable $E(X|\mathcal{A})$. Think of this random variable as representing your best estimate of $X$ when your own ability to distinguish between different outcomes of the experiment of checking the (random) value of $X$ is limited by the events in $\mathcal{A}$.
If the value of $X$ is $1$, you can see it perfectly, and you output $$E(X|\mathcal{A})(1)=E(X|\{1\})=1$$ because $\{1\}\in\mathcal{A}$. However, if $X$ takes on the value $2$ or $3$, you cannot distinguish between them so $$E(X|\mathcal{A})(2)=E(X|\mathcal{A})(3)=E(X|\{2,3\})=2.5.$$
Note that $E(X|\mathcal{A})(\omega)= E(X|\{2,3\})$ if $\omega\in\{2\}$ or if $\omega\in\{3\}$.


simple ciphering in java

Question: I'm very new to java and to programing in general and I'm trying to figure out how to get this code to work.
What I need is to input a string then convert it to ascii and have the ascii values of each character shift by the value that was input and then convert it back to characters and print out the coded message. The last part is what I am having trouble with, I cant figure out how to get it back to characters.
P.S. this is my first posting so if I'm putting my code up wrong please let me know.
import java.util.Scanner;

public class
    public static void main(String[] args)
    {
        Scanner stdIn = new Scanner(System.in);

    System.out.println("Please enter text to encrypt");
    String orignalText = stdIn.nextLine();
    System.out.println("Please enter shift value");
    int shiftValue = stdIn.nextInt();

    for (int i=0; i<orignalText.length(); i++)
    {
            char c = orignalText.charAt(i);
            char cUpper = Character.toUpperCase(c);
        System.out.print((cUpper) + shiftValue);

    }

}//end main
}//end class

Answer: System.out.println((char)((int)cUpper + shiftValue));

Answer: You have to cast it back ti a char
replace
    System.out.print((cUpper) + shiftValue);

by
    System.out.print((char)(cUpper + shiftValue));

simple ciphering in java


How does capacitor allow ac current when there is an insulator layer between the plates?

Question: This might look very fundamental but I am a bit stuck in this. How does the current pass(AC)between the plates when there is an insulator or dielectric between the plates.
Answer:
How does the current pass (AC) between the plates when there is an insulator or dielectric between the plates.

It does and it doesn't. This illustration may help a little.

Figure 1. A water pressure tank of the type used to even out water pressure supply. Image source: Pressure tank comparison on YouTube.
They're all doing the same job but I'll use the diaphragm pressure tank for illustration purposes. In this type of pressure tank a diaphragm separates the air from the water. This is analogous to the insulator in your capacitor. We'll say that the air represents the positive plat and the water represents the negative plate. When the water pressure rises water is pushed into the tank and when it falls the water is pushed out of the tank.
This is very similar to the smoothing capacitor in a DC power supply.

simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab
Figure 2. The capacitor charges up when the voltage is high and discharges (into the load) when the rectifier voltage is low.
Now, how does the water go in and out of the pressure tank when there is no way through the diaphragm? It's because the pressure changes and energy is stored in the tank. In the same way charge can flow in and out of the capacitor because the voltage changes and energy is stored in the electric field of the capacitor.
Answer: It is more philosophical question. One way of thinking this is that current does not pass between plates, but current still needs to go into and out of capacitor terminals to charge it. It's called displacement current. But for all practical purposes, as current does go in and out of capacitor terminals, it may be just be modeled simply by saying that AC current passes through capacitor.
Answer: Until a capacitor is fully charged up, there is current flowing in one plate and out the other plate. That is the current we describe as "flowing".
More exactly:
(1) PLUS charges need to be cancelled by MINUS charges.
(2) more electrons on one plate need to be balanced by less electrons on the other plate.
(3) whenever electrons are added to one plate the same # of electrons have to leave the other plate.
Capacitors across sinusoids (ac power, audio, RF), such as 4*sin(60 * 2pi * Time) have the current being the derivative of the voltage, as 4* (60*2pi)*cos(60*2piT), where the (60*2pi) is 377. Note the 90 degree phaseshift, with voltage being SIN and the current being COSINE
Answer: Quoting "QED" by Richard Feynman: "Maxwell's theory of electricity and magnetism had to be changed to be in accord with the new principles of quantum mechanics that had been developed." Anyone who wants to understand the concept of "displacement current" needs to read Feynman's easy to understand book, "QED". Again quoting:"So now I present to you the three basic actions, from which all the phenomena of light (including RF) and electrons arise. _Action#1: A photon goes from place to place. _Action#2: An electron goes from place to place. _Action#3: An electron emits or absorbs a photon."
Here is how RF energy gets from one plate of a capacitor to the other plate: As the RF energy source rises in potential, it supplies a photon to electron#1 on one capacitor plate thus raising that electron's energy level higher than electron#2 on the other capacitor plate. As the RF energy source falls in potential, electron#1 gives up its photon which transfers its energy directly through the dielectric of the capacitor and is absorbed by electron#2 on the other capacitor plate. Since electrons are basically identical, the effect is the same as if the two electrons had traded places on the capacitor plates. When electron#2 absorbs the photon emitted by electron#1, it becomes identical to electron#1 before electron#1 gave up its photon. Likewise, electron#1 becomes identical to electron#2 before electron#2 absorbed the photon.
Comment: No, nothing to do with entanglement. That simple transfer of photon energy from one electron to another is what allows the very common speed-of-light transfer of energy using the slow-moving free electrons in conductors.
Comment: thanks for your time for explaining this...so is it Quantum entanglement happening between two electrons?
Comment: @ Cecil - W5DXP Yet we can very slowly change the charge on one plate of a capacitor. Does RF apply? Also seems that black paper would absorb the photons, and the displacement current would be ZERO. What am I missing here?
Comment: Low frequency changes just means photons of a very low frequency. RF waves, consisting of photons, go through black paper like it wasn't there. RF is a much lower frequency than visible light. OTOH, gamma rays are a much higher frequency than light and go through almost anything. Fields and waves (photonic energy) have different characteristics depending upon frequency. [img]https://leadertechinc.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Electromagnetic-Spectrum.png[/img]
Comment: The electromagnetic spectrum extends from extremely long wavelengths to extremely short wavelengths. Different wavelengths have different characteristics. Black paper is transparent to RF wavelengths. Please Google "electromagnetic spectrum". I tried to post a URL but it didn't work.


How can I find out in which release my salesforce Organization was created?

Question: Is there any way to find out in which release my Salesforce Organization was created?
Answer: Look at one of the standard objects that are created when an org is first generated. For instance, your Company Information or your System Administrator profile will be generated when the org is created. These objects will have a created date on them. You should then be able to look back through past releases until you find the release your org was generated based on the date one of those were created.
Comment: Murali, he just told you how to find the date. Then you have to do some work (gasp) to find the release. It won't just be handed to you.
Comment: As a rough guide, February is Spring, June is Summer and October is Winter (of next year). This is not always the case, though.
Comment: -How to find release based on Date.. Is there any way to find out it within salesforce
Comment: @Murali I am not aware of a specific location where they have all the release dates. That would take a bit of research.


How open default gallery app

Question: I know it is asked before and I have tried:
Intent intent =  new Intent(Intent.ACTION_PICK);
intent.setType("video/*, images/*");
startActivity(intent);

But in my Samsung S2 it opens the gallery in selection mode (if I click an item it closes the gallery app). I just wish to open the gallery in normal mode so I can click images and videos and watch them and that is it!
I wasted too much hours for this.... Please help me!
Answer: Use
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);

Reason

Activity Action: Display the data to the user. This is the most common
  action performed on data -- it is the generic action you can use on a
  piece of data to get the most reasonable thing to occur. For example,
  when used on a contacts entry it will view the entry; when used on a
  mailto: URI it will bring up a compose window filled with the
  information supplied by the URI; when used with a tel: URI it will
  invoke the dialer.
Output: nothing.
Answer:
I just wish to open the gallery in normal mode so I can click images and videos and watch them and that is it!

There are countless "gallery" apps, both pre-installed on devices and available for download from the Play Store. There is no requirement for any of them to expose some specific Intent to show "normal mode", even assuming that the app has something that would correspond to "normal mode".
In other words, there is no reliable way to do what you seek.
Answer: Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW, Uri.parse(
                  "content://media/internal/images/media"));

Font: https://stackoverflow.com/a/6016311/2652124
Comment: The OP does not want this, he simply wants to view images in the Gallery.
Answer: This works for me:
Intent intent = new Intent(Intent.ACTION_VIEW);
        intent.setDataAndType(Uri.fromFile(file), "application/*");
        startActivity(intent);

Also check this link:
Using Intents to Open Files

How open default gallery app


Why is the voltage more in case of same polarity during a polarity test of induction motor?

Question: I was performing experiment in the lab of my university. The experiment was supposed to be performed on a squirrel cage induction motor. But I performed it on a three phase slip ring I.M with its rotor short circuited. All the voltages used were AC voltages. I applied 100 V across one terminal of phase(A1) and neutral(N) of a star connected stator winding.
When the polarity was same (i.e. the star point was at A2,B2,C2), the voltage across A1 and B1 came out to be 84 V, which is less than 100 V. My question is: Shouldn't it be more than 100 V because the voltages induced in both the windings are additive in nature or am I interpreting anything wrong?
When we change the star point to A2,B1,C2, then the voltage across A1 and B2 comes out to be more than 100 V. In this case, shouldn't it be less than 100 V?
Comment: You would do well to specify whether the voltages are AC or not. In addition a diagram or two would be useful to helping understand your question. Have the diagram include the excitation points and the measurement points.
Comment: @MichaelKaras I've done that, but still I have not got any responses. I don't know why?
Answer:
If the windings in the motor were windings of a transformer, you are probably right - but this is a motor and therefore the two windings in serie are wound in opposite directions and may not be considered as additive.
The windings don't share the same iron core position either so the magnetic fields from the different field windings are not 'in line' as they are in a transformer.
It seems like you are messuring the input voltage + the induced voltage of opposite polarity from the second winding.
Looking forward to any comments
Comment: I measured the applied voltage + the induced voltage. I connected the voltmeter as shown in the diagram.
Answer: Gurpreet,
what you have to remember is, that you diagram of a "Y" connection is only a schematic representation. The windings for phase "A" would physically be 4, or more poles, evenly spaced around the circumference of the stator, each one alternating, N - S - N - S etc. The same would apply to phases "B" & "C", all arranged so that all poles alternate, N - S - N - S, and they "lay alongside" one another.
If you pass a voltage through say phases "A & B", and the two poles are alike, the opposing magnetism will affect the voltage one way.
Passing the voltage through the coils so they attract, will affect the voltage the other way.
Hope this makes sense !


Content-control (web filtering) using machine learning

Question: I'm trying to build a content-control (web filtering) application using machine learning (just for training purposes). For example define gaming sites.  I'm somewhat familiar with machine learning algorithms, but I have almost no idea how to get features from HTML pages. Can anyone suggest any good material? Maybe some resource with training data? I will be glad of any advice!
Answer: You can try WEKA and histogram analysis of your data.
Then, you can use a algorithm for getting the most frequent terms.


How does NetCut work?

Question: NetCut is a software which enables a network admin to turn off the internet connection of any machine in a LAN.
I want to know how it works. It has something to do with spurious ARP packets, however can't seem to find exactly how it works. I am looking for a detailed answer.
Any takers ?
Answer: I'd guess it's using ARP Spoofing. It won't just limit internet traffic, but all traffic trying to get to that machine. Also, there's a requirement that both machines need to be the same broadcast domain. It's really a broken way to limit internet access, though. If you want do to this the right way, do it at the firewall and/or proxy level.
Additionally, if you really want to figure out what it's doing, just fire up Wireshark, and do a packet capture while you're running the software.
Answer: I agree with ErikA's points against the use of things like NetCut (+1 there).
As an additional reference, you might want to look at Anti-NetCut2.
It also has some basics in a link called Lessons.
Other references,

NetCut at arcai
Protect Your Computer Against ARP Poison Attack netCut
Refers AntiARP on a Chinese site (at your risk :)

How does NetCut work?


Good open source iOS games?

Question: I would like to see how things are done in modern iOS games, I am especially interested in Cocos2D games.
I need a game that will compile (warnings are ok) and since most of the project I have seen fail with errors that I can't fix, I decided to ask here.
Maybe someone knows some?
Answer: There are two books that have complete games for cocos2d in them.  Both books seem to take slightly different but equally valid approaches to game design with cocos2d.
Learn Cocos2d Game Development with iOS 5, by S. Itterheim and A. Low.
Learn Cocos2d: A Hands-on Guide to Building Games with Cocos2d, Box2d, and Chipmunk, but R. Strougo and R. Wenderlich.
Answer: Fabien Sanglard has released an engine/game of his written in C. It's not exactly AAA quality, but it runs and compiles on all major platforms (iOS and Android included). He has quite a few writeups describing various aspects of it, including why he chose C. You can find it here.

Good open source iOS games?


Can a pilot use legal psychoactive cannabinoids?

Question: How do the FAA and airline companies treat pilots using substances like Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol on their down time? Like CBD, Delta-8-THC is a legal derivative from marijuana.
Comment: Taxiway delta 8 is ok though.
Comment: [Related](https://aviation.stackexchange.com/q/59795/62)
Answer: Delta-8-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-8-THC, Δ8-THC) is a cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant. It has psychoactive properties; the effects are less potent but comparable.
Delta 8 THC metabolites trigger many drug tests looking for Delta 9 THC metabolites. These compounds are chemically similar.
Whoever needs to pass a drug test (pilots included) should not take them.
Comment: Yep, if you want to fly, stick to alcohol.  In Canada, pot is legal now, but Transport Canada policy is zero tolerance and will still ground you if you have any THC or THC derivatives in your system.
Comment: I made a mistake of  saying it had no psychoactive properties but I corrected it before there was an answer.
Comment: There was a fatal train crash in London in 1991 when the driver failed to stop in time at a terminal station and the report said the driver may have been using cannabis. An expert witness said that this drug impairs time and distance estimation skills, and, paradoxically, causes the the user to feel that they are improved.


Create dashboard widget for custom theme support

Question: I want to add a dashboard widget that will provide a support form for the clients of my custom theme. Inside the widget I want also to add some links to support files that I'm thinking to embed inside the widget itself. If I create some .php files or .html I can link them inside the dashboard widget as a link and if the user clicks on one of them will get the information he need?
Comment: Hello! I'm not sure what your specific question is, are you asking if this can be done? How to add a dashboard widget? Build a client support form? Narrow your question down so it can be answered, with a clearly stated specific question. Remember, problems are made to be broken down, and you can more questions on the site for each piece
Comment: Hi @TomJNowell ! I need to understand if I can create a `docs` folder inside the theme /plugin directory where I will add the dashboard widget and then use that folder to store some html or php files to display in modal or Iframe if the users needs support for the custom themes I build for them. I'm not sure about this, because wordpress has it's own way to work so I don't think that this can be done?
Comment: I would advise against it, I don't believe it's necessary, and it's not something I've seen documentation plugins do
Answer: Yes, you can link directly from the dashboard to files within a plugin or theme directory. There are PHP and WP functions you can use to make sure you're targeting the correct directory:
Themes:
Let's say you have example.com/wp-content/themes/wpse-theme/example.html, and "wpse-theme" is either the only theme, or the parent theme. You can link to this using:
<a href="<?php echo get_template_directory_uri() . '/example.html'; ?>">Example 1
Or, let's say you have that same example.com/wp-content/themes/wpse-theme/example.html but "wpse-theme" is a child theme. You would use this instead:
<a href="<?php echo get_stylesheet_directory_uri() . '/example.html'; ?>">Example 1
(The only difference is whether you're calling the "template" directory (parent theme) or "stylesheet" directory (child theme).)
Plugins:
Let's say you have example.com/wp-content/plugins/wpse-plugin/example.html. You can link to this using:
<a href="<?php echo __DIR__; ?>/example.html">Example 1
However, this would mean that you're saving static information on individual client websites. Typically, it's more common for themes and plugins link to a single support site instead, so that clients are always seeing the latest information and they're not holding copies of potentially outdated information. There are also a variety of help plugins available, so you might want to look into those if you'd like to use something that already exists.


My landlord is being foreclosed on. Should I confront him?

Question: I just found out that my landlord is being foreclosed on. My lease agreement runs out at the end of this month, but I had, through email, agreed to stay for another year (no new contract was signed). I don't want to go through the hassle of dealing with this and would like to find another place to live (I only have five days but I think I can do it). Should I confront him with the fact that I know he's being foreclosed on? I haven't really signed a new contract; does that mean I can break it (especially since he's being foreclosed on)?
Comment: Welcome John.  What are you wanting to accomplish?  Do you want to stay in the house or do you want to move?  I don't know that email is legally binding (we aren't lawyers here) but your goals are important.  Also, please include your location in the tags.
Comment: @DilipSarwate - Good point.  But I like the question because rent is probably the largest expense in his life.  I think the question could be rewritten to deal with what is happening and how to save the most money.
Comment: This sounds more like a consumer protection or legal question than personal finance, and I think it should be closed.
Comment: Did the current contract automatically convert to month-to-month? Or must a new contract be signed?
Answer: If John signs the lease he is entitled to stay there for the duration of the lease regardless of the foreclosure status.
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/renters-foreclosure-what-are-their-30064.html
I would suggest that signing a year lease (even by email), with the plan to leave as early as possible is a good thing.  The key will be to make sure the penalty for leaving early is nothing.
John doesn't know the status of the foreclosure, how long it will take, who might own afterwards and a lot of other unknowns.  The worst case is to be unsure of where you are living.
Sign the lease, and be secure for one whole year that you know where you will be living.  Spend that year finding a new place to live.
How to handle the payments during foreclosure

Make very sure you get payment receipts for the rent you pay.
If you learn a bank now owns the house, MAKE YOUR PAYMENTS CONSISTENTLY.

If the bank doesn't offer you clear and obvious ways to submit rent, open an account AT THE BANK and deposit the rent there, on time.
You are establishing credibility that you deserve to stay.  You still owe the rent, so pay it.

If the bank doesn't approach you, then approach them and say you will leave for money.  Get enough cash to cover moving expenses and rental deposit for your new place.

They don't want to be your landlord, but don't let a bank bully you around.
Answer: I wouldn't confront him. It's really none of your business what he has done or not done with your money as long as you've been a faithful tenant. Whoever gets the house after the foreclosure wants you to stay. I mean, a faithful tenant paying rent is a whole lot better than no one in the house at all. The new landlord (if it's the bank) probably will leave you alone for the most part. Just take MrChrister's advice and document everything and don't let the bank bully you around. It's not your fault the owner got foreclosed on.
Remember that the foreclosure process takes months so just because papers got served today (hypothetically) doesn't mean next week the bank takes over the house.
Comment: +1.  That new bank doesn't want a tenant, but the law is clear they must obey the current lease.
Answer: Verbal agreements are not legally binding. Unless you have signed a new lease agreement, you are not obligated to continue renting the property - you are free to go.
On the other hand, if you really like the place and want to stay, you should sign another lease agreement. This agreement will be binding on whomever owns the home - whether it is your current landlord, a bank or a new purchaser.  But, if you go this route, make sure that there is not a clause that says the lease agreement is void upon foreclosure (or something similar). This is a standard clause in lease agreements allowing the bank to cancel the lease.
Another option, if you really like the house is to offer to buy the property. If the property is being foreclosed on, you could suggest buying on a short sale. Here is a link to an article I wrote entitled "Buy Instead of Rent: A Recovering Real Estate Market" that discusses the benefits of buying rather than renting.
Comment: Re: *"Verbal agreements are not legally binding"* .. could you support this statement?  I'm under the impression that, in general, an oral contract **is** enforceable, except where the *Statute of Frauds* says it is a kind of contract that must be made in writing.  Refer to [Wikipedia - Statute of Frauds](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_frauds) and [Statute of Frauds legal definition](http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Statute+of+Frauds)
Comment: @ChrisW.Rea - while legally binding, the problem is proving there was a contract.  Without a witness, it is pretty hard.
Comment: I checked with a Virginia attorney's blog.  In part it says: "Even an exchange of e-mails or written proposals without a signature does not necessarily create a binding contract. While some oral agreements are enforceable, it can be extremely difficult to prove the existence of an oral contract and its terms. In addition, under the Statute of Frauds in Virginia, some oral contracts are never enforceable. These include, but are not limited to: ...Agreements to lease real estate for more than 1 year"  [link](http://fairfaxlaw.blogspot.com/2009/06/importance-of-having-written-contract.html)


While building circuitry for a pedal (say) what should i consider Guitar signal to be?

Question: I'm unable to find the info about how to treat a guitar signal. Should i see it as a sine wave or a much complex sawtooth or triangular wave? as i don't have my hands on an oscilloscope i cant see the actual waveform. Plz Help :)
Comment: It's going to be a multi-frequency complex sine, with a lot of harmonics; though I'm pretty sure this question would be better on an electronics site really
Comment: If you're building a pedal, then you should consider that the waveform could be *absolutely anything*, because the previous pedal in the chain could have turned it into absolutely anything!
Comment: Have you googled for "guitar oscilloscope"?  You'll find lots of examples.  Anyway when I've done this I tend to see around 1-2 volts for my highest output pickups.  Shape can vary a huge amount depending on the "tone".  I had one small-bodied electric with poor bass, that on the scope looked almost triangular!
Comment: As Tetsujin said, you will more likely have a better response on electronics stack exchange
Answer: Don't worry so much about what the signal looks like. It will be a combination of sine waves of related and unrelated frequencies.
Of more importance are:

Frequency range (you want to accept roughly 200Hz to 12kHz and if the pedal produces higher harmonics eg a distortion then you may want to output up to 20kHz)
Signal levels (up to about 2 Volts should be expected, so make sure your circuit can accept more than this so it doesn't cause unwanted clipping)
Impedance (high input impedance and low output impedance)
Answer: I think you have to consider the signal as rich in harmonics as possible, since provided the fact signal is not a pure sine wave, it could be represented as a set of infinite harmonics. Of course is not possible to have an infinite bandwith with anything, but as for any other instrument, the large the bandwidth is, the better the result.