How to Filter Human Speech from an Audio clip?

Question: I'm looking for an open source library to detect Human speech from an audio clip, such as a wav file.
Comment: What your asking for is a very broad problem you need to think of it as, at least, a two step process.

1) Audio Transcription Algorithm (Speech to text)
2) Language Recognition (Text to Language)
Comment: @user1310305 With all due respect, the fact that you are asking for an open source solution leads me to believe that you are seriously underestimating the difficulty of this problem.
Comment: This is not a signal processing question. It is more appropriate for Stack Overflow.
Comment: @Adam I disagree.  Speech to text would be extremely difficult if you have no idea what the language is.  It seems to me that you would have to estimate the language before doing a successful transcription.
Comment: @jim that is exactly what i would, to found the language before. I know that some algorithms work on phonemes, but i don't found anyone
Comment: @jim I think Modular Audio Recognition Framework can help me
Comment: @jim http://sourceforge.net/projects/marf/files/Applications/%5Bg%5D%20LangIdentApp/
Comment: Are you looking to detect the presense of a human voice like signal (voice activity detction) or do you need to do more than this?
Answer: This is not a complete answer, but detection of words from the speech itself is almost always dictionary based - hence one needs to know what words would sound like. If you don't know language, you don't quite know the relation to the sounds. Hence, speech/audio recognition don't quite work.
There can be many primary features to classify:
Reference:
Automatic Language Identification: A Review/Tutorial  by Yeshwant K. Muthusamy , Etienne Barnard , Ronald A. Cole Signal Processing Magazine, IEEE Oct. 1994 Volume: 11,   Issue: 4 pp. 33 - 41
Or related paper of same author.

Phonetics:
Here you should try to look for is that you should try to collect and identify sounds based on primary phonetics. For example - you can use something like International Phonetic Alphabet
Prosodic:
Languages like English, French, German might have very close phonetics. In such case, you can also use Prosodic information which is essentially duration of sound, emphasis or accentuations, pitch and pitch variations.
Phonotactics:
Phonotactics refers to the rules that govern the combinations of the di erent
phones in a language. There is a wide variance in phonotactic rules across languages. For example, the phone cluster /sr/ is very common in the Dravidian language Tamil, whereas it is not a legal cluster in English.
Vocabulary:
If you are successful at this, you can probably make another classification of which phonetic alphabet orders are most likely in particular language. You probably don't have to recognize each word. But based on most likely phonetic symbol sequences, you can probably do language detection.
Answer: As has been mentioned in the comments, you can't just get a transcript without knowing what language is being spoken.  However, you can decode the audio assuming it is of a given language.  Thus I would propose the following system:
You run your speech recognizer N times on your audio, where N is the number of languages you  are identifying, using the respective language model and acoustic model of each language. This will give you N transcripts of the audio, each based on the assumption that the audio is in that language.  However, more significantly, HMM-based speech recognizers (by far the most common type) will also give you an estimate of the log probability of a given utterance, essentially telling you how well the given utterance matches your language and acoustic models.  Once you have the log probabilities for each of the different languages, you just need to do a comparison and pick the best one.
Of course, depending on the differences between the models, there might be some bias in these probabilities.  For example, the English model give higher probabilities than the Chinese model for almost all input utterances, even if they are in Chinese. To fix this, you need to renormalize these values to ranges where they can be compared.  This can only be done by looking at the log probabilities given for large numbers of utterances across a variety of languages, and seeing how they compare between your different languages. You could even see this as a machine learning problem if you wanted to.
I would suggest using CMU Sphinx, an open source recognizer with good performance that has prebuilt language and acoustic models for Enlish, Chinese, French, Spanish, German, Russian, and other lagnuages.  Also, I can confirm that at least for the pocketsphinx recognizer, it will output the log probabilities of hypotheses. (In fact, it will even give you the probabilities of the scores of the best few hypotheses for a given model, additional information that might allow you to guess the language even more accurately).


Is there an idiom or expression saying or implying that gambling is a good thing?

Question: Is there an idiom or expression saying or implying that gambling is a good thing? I am pretty sure there are idioms about gambling, but I am not sure if any of them are "positive".
Comment: I am not going to answer because I do not know a saying that specifically advocates gambling, but there are certainly sayings that advocate enjoying life while it lasts, e,g. *you can't take it with you* and *enjoy it while you can.* The wonderful thing about folk sayings is that they almost always come in contrary pairs so you can find an adage to support any position. I suspect that with reference to gambling there is something similar to *It's better to have loved and lost than never loved at all.*
Comment: I think some context about what you're trying to say would be helpful.
Answer: The following idiom has a positive connotation about taking risks:

Nothing ventured, nothing gained:

If you don't risk anything, you won't gain anything.

(Dictionary.com)
Answer: There is

you've gotta be in it, to win it

idioms
The implication is that you should gamble as that's the only way to win! Lotteries and the like often use this.


Docker - a way to give access to a host USB or serial device?

Question: Last time I checked, Docker didn't have any means to give container access to host serial or USB port. Is there a trick which allows doing that?
Comment: If you're on a Mac here's a link on how to do it: https://dev.to/rubberduck/using-usb-with-docker-for-mac-3fdd
Comment: It's a great article, but unfortunately requires installation of VirtualBox.
Answer: There are a couple of options. You can use the --device flag that use can use to access USB devices without --privileged mode:
docker run -t -i --device=/dev/ttyUSB0 ubuntu bash

Alternatively, assuming your USB device is available with drivers working, etc. on the host in /dev/bus/usb, you can mount this in the container using privileged mode and the volumes option. For example:
docker run -t -i --privileged -v /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb ubuntu bash

Note that as the name implies, --privileged is insecure  and should be handled with care.
Comment: Is there any mechanism like this for the Windows docker client?
Comment: Do not need -v - privileged already means access to all devices
Comment: Still doesn't work if the USB device is connected after Docker is already running.
Comment: I mean, it doesn't map the device under /tty/USBX despite lsusb being able to list it.
Comment: Even tought this is the most upvoted answer and easiest solution, it is not proper for a production environment. For a more secure approach I suggest to check the awesome explanetion of Wout_bb just below.
Comment: Using this solution I don't see devices from a docker container... Here are details http://stackoverflow.com/questions/37213812 of my problem. Appreciate of any help! Thanks.
Comment: You can map USB devices in Windows, since you would most likely be using either VirtualBox or HyperV (Docker Windows) there is a possibility to map the USB device into the Docker host - and then follow the run command in this answer.
Comment: @ben-whaley Your first approach worked for me with Ubuntu 14.04 (already tried mapping /dev/bus/usb and it didn't work), but both methods didn't work on Ubuntu 16.04...
Can anyone help me figuring it out
Comment: You'd need to give a bit more info about the error for anyone to help!
Comment: Using this solution I can see devices from a docker container after 1 more addition step.

First, I did "adb kill-server" in the host machine.
Then, log into the docker I can see my android device with "adb devices"
Comment: [It won't work on macOS](https://stackoverflow.com/a/54331344/55075) as the daemon runs inside a VM.
Comment: Exposing the usb device to a WSL2 VM using USB IP is supported for a while: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/connect-usb
The Docker Desktop for Windows VM was meant to be immutable, so running the usbip piece there may be challenging - I didn't try.
Comment: @Pascal If we're talking about natively with docker desktop not in the least. As saturnus pointed out a usb device can be exposed via usb ip to the underlining wsl hypervisor but in my experiences setting up asterisk pbx, mysticbbs, and even uucp over serial lines one has better luck using ser2net or socat to expose the com port over raw tcp (aka telnet) then run socat in the container to bring the tcp down to a unix domain socket.
Answer: With current versions of Docker, you can use the --device flag to achieve what you want, without needing to give access to all USB devices.
For example, if you wanted to make only /dev/ttyUSB0 accessible within your Docker container, you could do something like:
docker run -t -i --device=/dev/ttyUSB0 ubuntu bash

Comment: using the `--device` flag, how do I determine which `/dev/` is the associated Android device on the host machine, especially when using Docker Quickstart Terminal (VirtualBox Host) for Windows or Mac?
Comment: just note that the device cannot be a symlink at the moment.
https://github.com/docker/docker/issues/13840
Comment: @arturas-m e.g. Lots of sensors are USB these days. Sensors don't need to be plugged out in many usecases IMO.
Comment: @DanCat udev rules can ensure that your device mounts to a static path
Comment: Why would anyone be interested in having access to just one usb device?? Usb devices are meant to be connected qnd disconnected and that needs to be done during the apps runtime. USB is not SATA or something, you can't expect something to always be there... And I don't think people just start apps via docker for single runs and quit them as soon as the usb devices are disconnected, right? I'd imagine more like service type apps, not single run jars... But thanks, indeed that might help some for which that very limited scenario would suit
Comment: This works well if your device name never changes.  But if you are using something dynamic which uses devices within /dev/bus/usb then this won't work because the device name changes when you plug and unplug it.  You'll need the above -v (volumes) solution instead.
Comment: @DanCat both lsusb and dmesg can help here and also check syslog for udev entries. but generally for debian/ubuntu and redhat based systems it's going to be one of /dev/ttyUSB* or /dev/ttyS* where 0 is the first device attached/udev configured.
Comment: --device=/dev/ttyUSB0 only works if the USB device was plugged before Docker started. Even so, if you unplug it doesn't auto detect and crash nodeserial library from node and probably libs in other programming languages.
Comment: how will this work in windows 10? I have usb device that I want to access in docker image
Answer: --device works until your USB device gets unplugged/replugged and then it stops working. You have to use cgroup devices.allow get around it.
You could just use -v /dev:/dev but that's unsafe as it maps all the devices from your host into the container, including raw disk devices and so forth. Basically this allows the container to gain root on the host, which is usually not what you want.
Using the cgroups approach is better in that respect and works on devices that get added after the container as started.
See details here: Accessing USB Devices In Docker without using --privileged
It's a bit hard to paste, but in a nutshell, you need to get the major number for your character device and send that to cgroup:
188 is the major number of /dev/ttyUSB*, which you can get with 'ls -l'. It may be different on your system than on mine:
root@server:~# echo 'c 188:* rwm' > /sys/fs/cgroup/devices/docker/$A*/devices.allow
(A contains the docker containerID)

Then start your container like this:
docker run -v /dev/bus:/dev/bus:ro -v /dev/serial:/dev/serial:ro -i -t --entrypoint /bin/bash debian:amd64

without doing this, any newly plugged or rebooting device after the container started, will get a new bus ID and will not be allowed access in the container.
Comment: To folks who -1'ed this, please help and say what you'd like to be improved. I wrote this page to help others who hit the problem we did. I'll be a bit honest in saying that I'm being turned off from trying to share back and help folks on stackoverflow too :-/
Comment: rrpilot: -v /dev:/dev does give you all of /dev, including /dev/sda and other things you really don't want to expose to a root user in the container.
In other words, your solution does work, but it's unsafe. Mine gets around that problem.
I'll edit my answer to point that out.
Comment: There's a new-ish feature of Docker that makes this slightly simpler: "--device-cgroup-rule" (https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/create/#dealing-with-dynamically-created-devices---device-cgroup-rule)
Comment: The answer could be made better by showing how to get the major number and clarifying that `189` must be replaced. A description of what to send `devices.allow` can be found here: https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/cgroup-v1/devices.txt
Comment: If you read my answer, you'll see that adding the volume '-v /dev:/dev' will give access to dynamically plugged devices.
Comment: Thanks Craig, good point. I have edited my answer accordingly.
Comment: It's probably because your answer does not contain the relevant code snippets, merely a link. Without the contents of that blog, this answer is hardly useful, it appears
Comment: /dev/serial is not a common device, do applaud the note about device magic numbers, but the general rule is serial devices so up as /dev/ttyS* or /dev/ttyUSB* can be detected in syslog (udev), lsusb, or dmesg.
Answer: The Safe and Proper way of accessing tty devices without --privileged mode
Just follow the instruction line by line, all steps are explained
Idea is to configure cgroup rules properly. First of all, lets find cgroup properties of your USB device. Run following command:
$ ls -l /dev/ | grep ttyUSB
crw-rw-rw-  1 root  dialout 188,   0 Mar  1 18:23 ttyUSB0 #Example output

Based on the output you can see that the major group of tty devices is 188 in my case, so I will proceed with that.
You can run docker image allowing access to range of devices with specific major number, docker will add required rules for you in your host machine (this will run docker in detached mode, we will attach to it later):
docker run --device-cgroup-rule='c 188:* rmw' -itd --name my_container ubuntu

Now the idea is to add a script which would be run every time your USB device is plugged in or plugged out. Some explanation about custom rules here and here on passing arguments. On ubuntu, you should create file /etc/udev/rules.d/99-docker-tty.rules as superuser (sudo):
ACTION=="add", SUBSYSTEM=="tty", RUN+="/usr/local/bin/docker_tty.sh 'added' '%E{DEVNAME}' '%M' '%m'"
ACTION=="remove", SUBSYSTEM=="tty", RUN+="/usr/local/bin/docker_tty.sh 'removed' '%E{DEVNAME}' '%M' '%m'"

This file adds new entry to your rules, basically saying: Every time tty device is plugged in - add or plugged out - remove run the provided script and pass some parameters. If you want to be more specific, you can use udevadm info  --name=<device name> to find other parameters by which you can filter devices. You can test the rules as suggested here. To apply those rules:
root@~$ udevadm control --reload

Now we need to create following script in /usr/local/bin/docker_tty.sh also as superuser (sudo). You can see it was set to be run in udev rules we created previously.
#!/usr/bin/env bash

echo "Usb event: $1 $2 $3 $4" >> /tmp/docker_tty.log
if [ ! -z "$(docker ps -qf name=env_dev)" ]
then
if [ "$1" == "added" ]
    then
        docker exec -u 0 env_dev mknod $2 c $3 $4
        docker exec -u 0 env_dev chmod -R 777 $2
        echo "Adding $2 to docker" >> /tmp/docker_tty.log
    else
        docker exec -u 0 env_dev rm $2
        echo "Removing $2 from docker" >> /tmp/docker_tty.log
    fi
fi

This script will create the tty device in your running docker container, or delete it depending if the device was plugged in or plugged out (similar to whats happening with the Ubuntu machine - every time the device is plugged in, you can see it under /dev/ directory). Tip: Check the file /tmp/docker_tty.log for some debug output on your host machine, also, debug bash script as suggested here.
Dont forget to make script executable:
root@~$ chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker_tty.sh

Now attach to the docker and see if the device appears in /dev/ directory when you plug it in and out:
docker exec -it my_container bash

Comment: Awesome answer! Thanks a lot for putting this so clearly
Comment: Should not there be `docker exec -u 0 $id mkdir -p (dirname $usb_path)` before `docker exec -u 0 $id mknod $usb_path c $argv[3] $argv[4]`?
Comment: In 2023 using VSCode dev containers and Linux Mint 21.2, this script is unnecessary. The run looks something like 'docker run -v /run/udev:/run/udev:ro, -v /dev/bus:/dev/bus, --device-cgroup-rule=c 166:* rmw --privileged ... '. It may be possible to do it without privilege, but my patience ran out for that. Someone else wrote -v was redundant, with privileged, it's not, the USB number is not enumerated without sharing /dev/bus/.
Answer: I wanted to extend the answers already given to include support for dynamically connected devices that aren't captured with /dev/bus/usb and how to get this working when using a Windows host along with the boot2docker VM.
If you are working with Windows, you'll need to add any USB rules for devices that you want Docker to access within the VirtualBox manager. To do this you can stop the VM by running:
host:~$ docker-machine stop default

Open the VirtualBox Manager and add USB support with filters as required.
Start the boot2docker VM:
host:~$ docker-machine start default

Since the USB devices are connected to the boot2docker VM, the commands need to be run from that machine. Open up a terminal with the VM and run the docker run command:
host:~$ docker-machine ssh
docker@default:~$ docker run -it --privileged ubuntu bash

Note, when the command is run like this, then only previously connected USB devices will be captures. The volumes flag is only required if you want this to work with devices connected after the container is started. In that case, you can use:
docker@default:~$ docker run -it --privileged -v /dev:/dev ubuntu bash

Note, I had to use /dev instead of /dev/bus/usb in some cases to capture a device like /dev/sg2. I can only assume the same would be true for devices like /dev/ttyACM0 or /dev/ttyUSB0.
The docker run commands will work with a Linux host as well.
Comment: Good point in mounting /dev:/dev instead. That gives more flexibility in terms of capturing other devices, and also helps with the dynamic element.
Comment: and also compromises the security and isolation of the your host machine.
Comment: @Exadra37 It does... and if that matters in your application, you shouldn't use this. However, its important to note there are some applications where you don't care and aren't using docker for its isolation. In my specific case, you get to run a packaged Linux application on Windows.
Comment: nice solution. you just saved my ton of time to figure out how to automatic detect new pluged usb devices.
Answer: If you would like to dynamically access USB devices which can be plugged in while the docker container is already running, for example access a just attached usb webcam at /dev/video0, you can add a cgroup rule when starting the container. This option does not need a --privileged container and only allows access to specific types of hardware.
Step 1
Check the device major number of the type of device you would like to add. You can look it up in the linux kernel documentation. Or you can check it for your device. For example to check the device major number for a webcam connected to /dev/video0, you can do a ls -la /dev/video0. This results in something like:
crw-rw----+ 1 root video 81, 0 Jul  6 10:22 /dev/video0

Where the first number (81) is the device major number. Some common device major numbers:

81: usb webcams
188: usb to serial converters

Step 2
Add rules when you start the docker container:

Add a --device-cgroup-rule='c major_number:* rmw' rule for every type of device you want access to
Add access to udev information so docker containers can get more info on your usb devices with -v /run/udev:/run/udev:ro
Map the /dev volume to your docker container with -v /dev:/dev

Wrap up
So to add all usb webcams and serial2usb devices to your docker container, do:
docker run -it -v /dev:/dev --device-cgroup-rule='c 188:* rmw' --device-cgroup-rule='c 81:* rmw' ubuntu bash

Answer: Another option is to adjust udev, which controls how devices are mounted and with what privileges. Useful to allow non-root access to serial devices. If you have permanently attached devices, the --device option is the best way to go. If you have ephemeral devices, here's what I've been using:
1. Set udev rule
By default, serial devices are mounted so that only root users can access the device. We need to add a udev rule to make them readable by non-root users.
Create a file named /etc/udev/rules.d/99-serial.rules. Add the following line to that file:
KERNEL=="ttyUSB[0-9]*",MODE="0666"
MODE="0666" will give all users read/write (but not execute) permissions to your ttyUSB devices. This is the most permissive option, and you may want to restrict this further depending on your security requirements. You can read up on udev to learn more about controlling what happens when a device is plugged into a Linux gateway.
2. Mount in /dev folder from host to container
Serial devices are often ephemeral (can be plugged and unplugged at any time). Because of this, we can't mount in the direct device or even the /dev/serial folder, because those can disappear when things are unplugged. Even if you plug them back in and the device shows up again, it's technically a different file than what was mounted in, so Docker won't see it. For this reason, we mount the entire /dev folder from the host to the container. You can do this by adding the following volume command to your Docker run command:
-v /dev:/dev
If your device is permanently attached, then using the --device option or a more specific volume mount is likely a better option from a security perspective.
3. Run container in privileged mode
If you did not use the --device option and mounted in the entire /dev folder, you will be required to run the container is privileged mode (I'm going to check out the cgroup stuff mentioned above to see if this can be removed). You can do this by adding the following to your Docker run command:
--privileged
4. Access device from the /dev/serial/by-id folder
If your device can be plugged and unplugged, Linux does not guarantee it will always be mounted at the same ttyUSBxxx location (especially if you have multiple devices). Fortunately, Linux will make a symlink automatically to the device in the /dev/serial/by-id folder. The file in this folder will always be named the same.
This is the quick rundown, I have a blog article that goes into more details.
Answer: It's hard for us to bind a specific USB device to a docker container which is also specific. As you can see, the recommended way to achieve is:
docker run -t -i --privileged -v /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb ubuntu bash

It will bind all the devices to this container. It's unsafe. Every containers were granted to operate all of them.
Another way is binding devices by devpath. It may looks like:
docker run -t -i --privileged -v /dev/bus/usb/001/002:/dev/bus/usb/001/002 ubuntu bash

or --device (better, no privileged):
docker run -t -i --device /dev/bus/usb/001/002 ubuntu bash

Much safer. But actually it is hard to know what the devpath of a specific device is.
I have wrote this repo to solve this problem.
https://github.com/williamfzc/usb2container
After deploying this server, you can easily get all the connected devices' information via HTTP request:
curl 127.0.0.1:9410/api/device

and get:
{
    "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-13": {
        "ACTION": "add",
        "DEVPATH": "/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0/usb1/1-13",
        "DEVTYPE": "usb_device",
        "DRIVER": "usb",
        "ID_BUS": "usb",
        "ID_FOR_SEAT": "xxxxx",
        "ID_MODEL": "xxxxx",
        "ID_MODEL_ID": "xxxxx",
        "ID_PATH": "xxxxx",
        "ID_PATH_TAG": "xxxxx",
        "ID_REVISION": "xxxxx",
        "ID_SERIAL": "xxxxx",
        "ID_SERIAL_SHORT": "xxxxx",
        "ID_USB_INTERFACES": "xxxxx",
        "ID_VENDOR": "xxxxx",
        "ID_VENDOR_ENC": "xxxxx",
        "ID_VENDOR_FROM_DATABASE": "",
        "ID_VENDOR_ID": "xxxxx",
        "INTERFACE": "",
        "MAJOR": "189",
        "MINOR": "119",
        "MODALIAS": "",
        "PRODUCT": "xxxxx",
        "SEQNUM": "xxxxx",
        "SUBSYSTEM": "usb",
        "TAGS": "",
        "TYPE": "0/0/0",
        "USEC_INITIALIZED": "xxxxx",
        "adb_user": "",
        "_empty": false,
        "DEVNAME": "/dev/bus/usb/001/120",
        "BUSNUM": "001",
        "DEVNUM": "120",
        "ID_MODEL_ENC": "xxxxx"
    },
    ...
}

and bind them to your containers. For example, you can see the DEVNAME of this device is /dev/bus/usb/001/120:
docker run -t -i --device /dev/bus/usb/001/120 ubuntu bash

Maybe it will help.
Answer: There is also a simpler way of sharing usb devices without the --privileged flag. To do so:
docker run ... --device=/dev/bus/usb --device=/dev/usb <container>
Answer: With latest versions of docker, this is enough:
docker run -ti --privileged ubuntu bash

It will give access to all system resources (in /dev for instance)
Comment: priviledged is a terrible option to use for security, even though yes, it works.
Comment: If used for programing stuff like Arduino related stuff this solution is good
Comment: But neither the question nor the answer is specific to Arduino, so this is not a good generic answer.
Answer: Adding  to the answers above, for those who want a quick way to use an external USB device (HDD, flash drive) working inside docker, and not using priviledged mode:
Find the devpath to your device on the host:
sudo fdisk -l

You can recognize your drive by it's capacity quite easily from the list. Copy this path (for the following example it is /dev/sda2).
Disque /dev/sda2 : 554,5 Go, 57151488 octets, 111624 secteurs
Unités : secteur de 1 × 512 = 512 octets
Taille de secteur (logique / physique) : 512 octets / 512 octets
taille d'E/S (minimale / optimale) : 512 octets / 512 octets

Mount this devpath (preferable to /media):
sudo mount <drive path> /media/<mount folder name>

You can then use this either as a param to docker run like:
docker run -it -v /media/<mount folder name>:/media/<mount folder name>

or in docker compose under volumes:
services:
  whatevermyserviceis:
    volumes:
      - /media/<mount folder name>:/media/<mount folder name>

And now when you run and enter your container, you should be able to access the drive inside the container at /media/<mount folder name>
DISCLAIMER:

This will probably not work for serial devices such as webcams etc.
I have only tested this for USB storage drives.
If you need to reconnect and disconnect devices regularly, this
method would be annoying, and also would not work unless you reset the mount path and restart the container.
I used docker 17.06 + as prescribed in the docs


Listview in Firemonkey

Question: I would like to display a list of items with columns and bind them to some custom objects of mine. There is no ListView control in Firemonkey, so what is the recommended way of doing this? I'd like the columns to be easily resizable, but don't require editable items.
Comment: Have you tried the TStringGrid?
Answer: I've not used it but the TMS FireMonkey Grid may do what you want http://www.tmssoftware.com/site/blog.asp?post=230

Listview in Firemonkey


Is the word about in this sentence being used as a noun?

Question: I introduced myself in my new job today and I was told to use this phrase to wrap up my presentation "That about covers who I am" What I can understand from this phrase is the "about" part is being used as a noun which is a function I could not find in any dictionary, Am I right?
Answer: It is not being used as a noun, but as an adverb.
Although your parsing of the sentence is not correct, it does make grammatical sense.  A noun could fit into that structure.  Consider:
That summary covers who I am
This still isn't especially idiomatic, but it's definitely syntactically valid.
What's actually going on in this sentence is that about is modifying the verb covers.  Your introduction about covers.
Again, if we swap about with a word that's more obviously an adverb, the structure might become clearer:
That almost covers who I am
That practically covers who I am
That mostly covers who I am
These other sentences have more or less the same meaning as the original.
Comment: I'd just add for clarity, the subject of the sentence is "that", which is being used as a pronoun.
Answer: No, about is not a noun here, and about cannot be used as a noun.  About is being used as an adverb here, to describe how "covers" is being done.
The meaning here is "That roughly or approximately covers who I am."  This is essentially definition 1a at Merriam-Webster:

1 a : reasonably close to
Comment: I didn't know about that meaning, thank you!
Comment: I would say that 'about' used like that is mainly US dialectical (sometimes seen as _'bout_ in some rural or regional speech). Brits might say 'just about'.
Comment: Most Linux programs have an **About** option accessible from a drop-down menu option alongside things like **Help** and **Check for updates**. As the name implies, the **About** option shows things like version number, copyright notices, etc. But I'd be happy to see just the label itself used as a (capitalised) noun: *"This app's About lists all the developers who have ever worked on it!"* As is usually the case with English, just about any word can be forced into just about any Part of Speech!


Best way to implement an ACL on an ESB

Question: I am currently trying to implement an ACL on an ESB (Camel apps on Servicemix) which will enable each service artifact to decide if current user is a valid user and if it has required priviledge to access the service. I have decided to use the RBAC (Please, kindly recommend if there are superior models) model. My actual headache is how to implement the model, service call vs in memory.
Making a network service call for each verification/authentication is definately too much for this as the ACL server (Which has the business logic) will be implement as a service to other artifacts for re-usability. The alternate is to implement locally and verify from database or memory. What are the popular ways this type of problems are being solved?
Answer: I used spring security together with Apache Camel to secure camel apps. Spring security allows to attach to a lot of backends and has nice ways to integrate authentication and authorization into your camel routes and services.
I did an example for Talend where I used role based authorization with annotations on the methods of a service.
See https://github.com/Talend/tif/tree/master/examples/spring-security
The example runs in a web container and in an OSGi container like Karaf and is apache licensed.

Best way to implement an ACL on an ESB


Get author URL from Style.css using php (wordpress)

Question: i have created a wordpress theme and now i want to show author url at the footer. How can i get it by php method from style .I know the simple method but to get it by mean of php just like WordPress gets Theme Name and Description from the comments in Style.
Answer: You can refer to the following function for this: http://codex.wordpress.org/Function_Reference/wp_get_theme
By default you can get the author info you need by using:
<code>$theme_data = wp_get_theme();
$author_name = $theme_data->get( 'Author' );
</code>


SEXTED as a child . Want to repent

Question: Brothers, I am a boy who is 14 and I am a Muslim.  Ever since I turned 13, I've tried to repent. When I was 12, I was in puberty where my hormones were raging and I SEXTED online with a 14-15 yr old girl who I didn't know. I don't know if she was a boy or a girl as I had a doubt that he/she was acting to be a girl. I got sent nude. I blocked her and felt guilty. Am I like the person who does Zina . Am I never going to be pious? Will I be a person in hell?
Comment: Repent, never do it again, Allah will forgive you.
Comment: Never say never and believe that Allah accepts your repentence, but nevertheless fear his punishment to avoid falling in big sins!
Answer: Assalamu Alaikum,
It is good that you know you have committed a crime as per Islamic Law, and you feel guilty for it. If you ask forgiveness from Allah SWT, He will definitely forgive your sins which you have committed openly or privately. In Quran, Allah SWT mentioned many times that He SWT shall forgive whoever is asking for forgiveness.
"إن الله يحب التوابين و يحب المتطهرين" This verse of Quran means "Verily, Allah SWT loves those who repent and He SWT loves the people who purify themselves"
But the sin shouldn't be repeated. You can ask for forgiveness and consider that sin as a sin, you shall do Taubah and never repeat that again.
Please do Taubah! He shall forgive you.
Thank you

SEXTED as a child . Want to repent


Parging foundation in Rain

Question: We are looking to buy a house. The Home Insurance has given us a month to parge the outside foundation in some spots. It is late March and we will get the keys in early April. Is it possible to parge the outside foundation if it is a rainy, wet spring?
Answer: There are no issues if you are using mortar.  In fact medium temps and a little dampness is no big deal and will allow the mortar to cure slower resulting in a stronger bond.  I am not saying that you do this in a heavy rain but no need for tents unless it is monsoon season there.
However if you are using some sort of epoxy the walls need to be very dry and again tents won't help because you would have to keep ground water out too.  Then you would need to do this after 4-5 dry days and sometimes even more - all depends on ground water drainage around house.
Answer: Sure. It may involve building a tent (of sorts, nothing fancy - some wood and plastic to cover the section you are working on until it's cured) to work in, but it can be done.
Take advantage of any good days, when you don't need to be in the tent, of course.

Parging foundation in Rain


Replacing an old capacitor

Question: I've managed to blow a capacitor while doing maintenance on my 1967 electric organ. It's a 80uf 25V. I've done some searching and found that I can replace it with one that has a higher voltage rating but the same farad value. Is there anything else that I need to know before I buy a replacement? I've read some things about ripple current and resistance? The numbers on the capacitor are:
B41283-s5806-z2
80uf 25V
A 0-507-24
W9
Answer: A 80µF electrolytic capacitor from 1967 could be easily 120uF back then, and 40µF today. It probably had a much higher internal resistance than modern capacitors. I think any good quality 100µF 25V is okay. You may of course use 100µF 35V or higher voltage. If you still prefer 80µF, that is okay, but I really think that 80µF or 100µF does not matter.
Do you know how old tube radios are repaired ? Every capacitor is cut away and replaced, without testing them if they are bad or still a little okay.
Comment: Not just tube radios. This is standard procedure for vintage valve hifi.
Answer: Very likely any 80 µF capacitor you can find today rated at 25 V or more will work fine in this situation.  Such a capacitor from 1967 is electrolytic, so already polarized.  Replacing it with a 80 µF 35 V, for example, modern capacitor should no result in any problems.
Comment: @TonyM: There is some truth to what you say.  Keeping some voltage on electrolytics helps preserve the oxide layer that is the dielectric.  It's not much of a issue with modern capacitors, though.  I only mentioned 35 V since that's a common voltage today.  I would expect a 25 V cap to already be derated properly in the original design.  Changing from 25 to 35 V really shouldn't be any issue.  It's not a large change
Comment: no always better to have at least 20% margin  higher V ratings also tend to have lower ESR
Comment: EE in training, here. Isn't it true that electrolytic perform better around their rated voltage? So he should go with a 25V?
Comment: @BrianDohler, I remember being told that electrolytics should have at least 10% of rated voltage across them but I couldn't find much to back that up when I once read around. So I'd say putting a 35V in should be fine.
Comment: Thanks guys. I'm not sure where I heard that and I couldn't find anything to back it up either.
Comment: Awesome, thanks guys! Any idea where I could purchase one from? The places I found will only sell 50 or 100 at a time
Comment: @Creek: There are plenty of distributors that sell small quantities.  Check out Mouser as one example.
Comment: @OlinLathrop, yes I think you're right and I forgot to say earlier that I've always tried to keep at least 50% of the rated voltage on a smoothing/decoupling electrolytic.

Replacing an old capacitor


A site for life-outside-work issues dedicated to programmers

Question: Is there a SO related site dedicated to issues faced by programmers for life outside work?e.g:
Health/Relationships? if not, maybe create one..
Most of the popular forums dealing with these kind of issues are open to all..and it can be difficult to relate sometimes.
The relationship problems faced by a person working in adult industry is different than that of a programmer.
The health problems of an athlete is different from that of a programmer. etc. etc etc.
Comment: yes, there's a support group for that. it's called a "bar". I hear they serve drinks!
Answer: There are athletic programmers who work in "adult" industries... The truth is, "life" questions from programmers aren't usually all that different from those of other professions.
Yes, the challenges you face in your daily non-work life are considerably different from those of your friend the investment-banking cyclist. Then again, they're probably also considerably different from mine. Many different factors influence our lives, and grouping questions by profession isn't necessarily any more effective than grouping them by age, race, location, or favorite food.
Not that there's anything inherently wrong in carving out a niche... But if you're going to do so on Stack Exchange, there better be enough people firmly dedicated to that niche to sustain it. Trying to get around that by grouping a bunch of mostly-unrelated niche topics together (programmer-HEALTH, programmer-RELATIONSHIPS, programmer-COMPETITIVE ROSE GROWING) just ends up creating a site about anything and nothing at all... and that won't fly. We sorta tried that already...
Stack Exchange isn't a social network or a support group. It's about questions, and their answers. If you can ask a health question in a way that makes it sufficiently unique to the software development profession, it might find a home on this site... Otherwise, you'd be better off asking it on a dedicated health site.
Comment: Love your sarcasm
Comment: 'athletic programmers who work in "adult" industries..' But you wouldn't know the guy's linkedin profile....would you? Because I would sure take a gander
Comment: I do... But I'm not sure he really wants that sort of attention. ;-)
Answer: Victor, have you checked out area51.stackexchange.com?
It's a proposal system for creating new StackExchange sites. It's how Programmers was created.  If you're interested in creating new SE sites that don't match any current sites, in helping to define new sites, or discuss the problems with existing sites (discuss.area51.stackexchange.com), that's the place to be.


Amount of pressure embodied by a pressure wave (sound)?

Question: I'm looking into a way to calculate the pressure by which a sound wave at close proximity to the target object impacts. My research led me to this physics site (http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/Sound/intens.html), and it shows the pressure relative to hearing. Is this valid or other means is available.
Comment: Pressure is force/area and does not need to be referenced to the threshold of human hearing.  This is something we do in musical acoustics and other aero-acoustics studies when going to the log scale.  In the log scale (dB) you must have a reference pressure.  Underwater acoustics uses a different reference so looking up SPL values in one table will not translate to other measurements.  You can use any ref you want but must be consistent and understand what they mean.
Answer:
Is this valid or other means is available.

It is valid for most use cases. Typically sound pressure is referenced against the hearing threshold pressure which is defined as $p_0=20e^{-6}Pa$. Intensity is defined as the product of pressure and particle velocity. In free air these are related by the free field impedance of air which is the product of density and speed of sound. Both are dependent on static pressure and temperature but in normal conditions it's about
$413Ns/m^3$. If you plug in the numbers, the resulting intensity becomes $I_0=0.96e^{-12}W/m^2$ so it's very close.
However that only holds in free air and is not valid if you are close to a sound source or a reflecting surface.
Comment: Close to the source you see the impedance of the source which typically includes a large reactive component. If you want to measure the intensity you need to measure both velocity and pressure. If you just want the pressure, use a pressure microphone. If you just want the velocity, use a velocity microphone.
Comment: What happens when you're so close to the sound source? I assume the closer the target is to the sound source, the more energy/pressure it receives before the sound diffuses too far out. I'll like to maximize the amount of pressure the target receives from the source.


get Centerpoint of Bitmap on an imageView

Question: I draw an Bitmap on an ImageView (and some other stuff).
I don't know if this problem is too trivial, but I did nothing found solving my problem,yet.
So:
I need to get the Centerpoint auf the Bitmap after I manipulated it.
So the Bitmap is rotated,moved and scaled.
How can I still get the CenterPoint of the BitMap on the Screen with an x/y coordinate?
Answer: Try the following,
<code> int width=Bitmap.getWidth();
 int height=Bitmap.getHeight();

 int centerX=width/2;
 int centerY=height/2;
</code>
then centerX and centerY will be the center of the bitmap.


Variance of classification accuracy?

Question: I am using binary classification and at the moment mainly 10-fold crossvalidation. However the result of the crossvalidation is very variable - hence what I was doing recently was to run the 10-fold crossvalidation itself repeatedly, and then average over these classification accuracies (I know that the accuracy of each crossvalidation is already an average of the accuracies for the 10 different test folds). Is this a sensible/common thing to do - and does it make sense to also calculate the variance of these iterations?
Answer: Yes! That is very sensible and common procedure. It is often referred to as Repeated cross-validation in literature. Some reference if you can by-pass the paywall is here : Estimating classification error rate: Repeated cross-validation, repeated hold-out and bootstrap by Ji-Hyun Kim.
As you say your classification is producing variable results, please also do report the variance (or standard deviation) in the final results.
Comment: I don't agree. This is not the same as OP asks. See this article for comparison https://lirias.kuleuven.be/retrieve/186558. There, the authors warn of using the average of k-fold cross-validation and then repeating it $n$ times to reduce the variance.
Comment: While the variance of the repeated cross-validation is not the variance of estimates of the cross-validation accuracy on new datasets of that size for that problem, they are an indication of the variance due to the partitioning of the data to form the cross-validation folds.  If differences in performance of competing models are smaller than the differences due to the formation of the folds, then they are probably not worth getting exited about, so this variance calculation *can* still useful and worth reporting - depending on the purpose of the CV.
Comment: Many many thanks!:) Will read on and possibly ask further questions here @discipulus
Answer:
It is a mistake to equate "common" and "sensible".

As the comment by Dikran Marsupial mentions, such a procedure could give a meaningful answer to a question about the stability of cross validation across multiple partitions, but it is a mistake to think that $100$ iterations of $10$-fold cross validation, averaging the performance across the $10$ folds each of the $100$ times, is equivalent to $1000$ separate out-of-sample tests.

Think of it this way. The random variable of interest, $X$, is the distribution of out-of-sample performance scores. We are interested in $Var(X)$. When we do $10$-fold cross validation and average the performance on the $10$ folds, we get $\bar X$, and $Var(\bar X)=\frac{Var(X)}{10}$. By looking at the $100$ values of $\bar X$, we estimate $Var(\bar X)$ instead of $Var(X)$.
The procedure proposed in the OP will underestimate the true variance and mislead us into thinking there is more stability in the out-of-sample score than there really is.
Comment: good point, thanks!

Variance of classification accuracy?


Windows 10 wifi connection to Iphone hotspot

Question: My laptop (Windows 10) only recognises my iphone hotspot (no problem with other wifi) if I turn off wifi on the laptop, turn the hotspot off and on then turn laptop wifi on. Any suggestions?
Answer: You can connect to the iPhone HotSpot and disconnect from existing wireless in one operation.
Be aware that if existing wireless is working well and iPhone gets wireless from the same point, that this may not work well. I have this here and have tried it.
With the same wireless signal, wireless will not disconnect to connect to iPhone.
You may try connecting your iPhone by USB and connecting that way.
For the most part, iPhone HotSpot is for areas and situations where the computer and iPhone are not competing for the same HotSpot.
This is entirely normal - nothing wrong.

Here is the iPhone connection (iPhone connected by USB to assure connection in spite of same common WiFi signal):


Is there anyway to show nethogs output in conky?

Question: I've searched a lot but I can't find a way to show nethogs in conky. nethogs prints to terminal and there seems to be no way to capture output in real time. This is one thing I have been wanting for conky FOR AGES.
Answer: I don't think so.
nethogs is an interactive process using the ncurses library. It expects to launch in a terminal window and get input from the user.
Conky can run programs using the exec/execi/execp/execpi directives, but these are supposed to be "run once" programs which output text then exit. Conky takes that text and displays it.
Try writing to the nethogs developer and see if he'll add "batched" mode, like the batched mode of the top command. If you could get nethogs to run for a second then display its text and exit, you could use that text output in Conky.
Answer: I've tried to do the same with conky on Ubuntu 12.10. But then i had a better idea:

create a new profile for gnome-terminal (transparent, small font size, whatever you like)
install package devilspie (you can also try the GTK version gdevilspie
create a new config file for devilspie which will help to get rid of the window frame border and menu

e.g. /home/<user>/.devilspie/gnome-terminal.ds
contents:
(if (is (window_role) "borderless")
  (begin
    (undecorate)
    (geometry "-0-0")
    (below)
    (skip_tasklist)
  )
)

(geometry "-0-0") will place the window at the bottom right
When the configuration file gnome-terminal.ds has not been written/changed you have to  create it and stop/restart the devilspie deamon to see any changes. Dont forget to add the daemon to your startup scripts (XFCE: Setting > Session and Startup).
Now we need a startup bash script which you can add to your autostart just like devilspie. Something like this:
#!/bin/bash

if [ $# -lt 1 ]
then
  echo "Usage: `basename $0` <iface>"
  exit 1
fi

killall -9 nethogs 2>/dev/null
sleep 5
`sudo -H -u <username> gnome-terminal -e "/usr/bin/nethogs -d 4 $1" --profile=<profile-name> --role=borderless`

exit 0

You must pass an argument to the script to specify the target device. Notice that there is a sleep command within the script, just to make sure that previous nethogs processes are not running.
Comment: Nicely done. btw conky seems to have an `out_to_ncurses` option but I haven't played with it.


Does mqtt have late delivery feature if no client is subscribed?

Question: Can Mqtt broker forward messages which have not been sent to any client ?
Answer: If a client has been connected and subscribed to a topic (at QOS 1 or 2) then disconnects the broker will queue messages to that topic until the client reconnects (as long as it sets the cleanSession flag to false when it reconnects) and uses the a fixed clientID
There is also the concept of retained messages. This is a flag that can be set on a message when published that means that the broker will remember the last message (retained) on a given topic and deliver this message to any client that subscribes to that topic before any other messages. It is just one message, not any other history.


I have no formal qualifications but want to be an independent researcher

Question: I have no formal qualifications in Structural Engineering but I would like to become an independent researcher. I have self taught myself from university textbooks, found all the relevant professional criteria and from this created my own portfolio of essays, design work, past exam papers I have found online. Do you think it would be worth any of my time trying to break into this area considering I have no qualifications.
Comment: Hi, and welcome to Academia.SE!  Unfortunately, it will be very difficult for strangers on the internet to judge what will be a personally satisfying use of your time.  Is there any more objective question that you could adjust to ask instead?
Answer: Well, you certainly can't work as an engineer...
As a researcher..., as said in other posts, research is 'a world in itself', with its own set of rules. Anybody can publish, as long as the work is good and follows the usual format of the field.
By good I mean relevant and, usually, original. Which is hard to do if you are not familiar with the field. Even worse for the usual format, you would only know that if you had experience in the field.
Usually, that's why advisors exist. They guide the students, using experience earned from several years and degrees in the field. I would say it is tremendously difficult to publish anything worthwhile without experience.
Personally, I would not even consider advising someone that  is not, at the very least, an undergrad student on a related discipline. And in this case, the student would have to be outstanding.
Keep in mind that, while most qualified jobs require some years of high education, professional academic research, on an independent level (without advisor), requires a whole lot of degrees and experience. It is a very skilled profession, with fierce competition, where a good part of the qualified people fail. I'm not saying you can't do it, but it would be a truly herculean task, if possible at all...
UPDATE: Just as a qualifier, engineering degrees usually take 5 years. A very fast phd would take 3-4 years (sometimes more, US for instance). Someone who did that, after these 8 years, would be considered, a 'entry-level' researcher, IF the phd was reasonably done. That's more than 5k hours of dedicated study (my eng. was ~ 3k, I'm rounding off on the phd to 2k, which would be short, mine took way more than that). All these years to be able to start...
Notice that, to work as an engineer, you would only need the first 5 years....
To be honest, what you are asking is almost like: "So, I want to be a heart surgeon, but I didn't go to med school. I read all the books, and did all the stuff, do you think someone would hire me to do a coronary bypass?" Would you trust this surgeon?
Comment: Also, working as an Engineer, a Professional Engineer, requires further testing and apprenticing. Most researchers in engineering don't have a PE license, but most states require such a license to work as a consulting engineer for pay. This is especially important in structural engineering where engineers sign drawings of things that get built in the world and inhabited by humans (roads, bridges, buildings, etc).
Comment: @billbarth I disregarded that because rarely a fresh PhD will work as a de facto independent researcher. Postdoc periods, pretty much the same as the eng. qualifications, are almost mandatory...


httpsession doesn't expires when reverse Ajax is enabled

Question: I have a web application that uses DWR reverse Ajax (pollAndCometEnabled set to true)
In my web.xml i have set a timeout of 30 minutes for the HttpSession.
Since DWR polls the server, the http session is always active and the result is that it never expires, even if the user's interaction is inactive for over 30 minutes.
Does anyone knows how solve this problem?
Answer: I can think of 3 different options for you...
1) keep your comet requests on domain that doesn't use session cookies; as a side benefit, you'll also reduce your request overhead
2) monitor the timeout on the client side. depending on your application setup, this might be a bit more of a chore, but a setTimeout is an incredibly simple solution; downside is, you're not really expiring them, so the session is technically still valid to the server, but the upside is you can easily give them a nice "your session is about to expire" warning.
3) Monitor the activity from the server; since you're using a comet solution, you can monitor the sessions on the server, and when the session is expiring, push a message to the client notifying them that the session has ended. This is the best option if you can't switch domains, because you can trash the session on the server, and let the client know at the same time.


RemoteApp duplicate Session

Question: We have implemented RemoteApp on Windows 2008 R2 to serve out a few programs,everything work fine except one issue,when a user connects to Server a new session opens and a instance of application runs and work correctly but when this session disconnects because of network fault and user reconnects to the server,another instance of app runs in addition of old instance that ran before,so we have to instance of out application that non of them work fine,session hangs and closes automatically,could somebody please help me to solve this problem! I just want to users connect to the existing session and existing instance that they opened before without any new instance
Answer: Assuming the apps themselves have nothing to do with it (shouldn't but still).
You are wanting to look at a couple of settings.  You can set these via GPO as well, but assuming a single RemoteApp server, the GUI is easy enough.
In the Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration right click on RDP-Tcp and choose Properties.
In there click on the Sessions tab and verify the settings are what you want them to be:

Then close that screen but leave Remote Desktop Session Host Configuration open and verify that Restrict each user to a single session is set to Yes
Comment: Thank you TheCleaner but it wont solve my problem because i have tried it before,for solving this problem i assume two solution, first configure GPO to immediately log off the disconnected session, second configure RemoteApp to run application just when a user logs on not when he or she connects to a disconnected session that is log on currently, but i am not sure about second solution and i don't know how can i do this,
Comment: Best I can tell you is that the ABOVE works for every RemoteApp I've deployed.  Users get disconnected, and they get reconnected to the same session.  That's the first thing you need to verify, that they are reconnecting to the same RDP session, not necessarily that they are opening the same app instance.  You can verify this is in the session manager.  Your "2nd question" in your comment just now almost says that the application itself isn't very "Remoteapp" friendly.  Is it a custom written in-house app?
Comment: yes that's true i can verify that users connect to the same RDP session but not the same application instance that they ran before,its a custom application but absolutely not written in-house,it deveoped buy more than 30 programmer and its wildly used national-wide
Comment: Are you certain its the RDP session that gets disconnected and not the app itself?  Meaning, do a normal RDP session, not a remoteapp.  Then launch the app on the desktop.  Now disconnect from the session (hit x and close it, don't logoff).  Now reconnect via normal RDP.  Is the app still running on the desktop?
Comment: yes session disconnect because of temporary link failures on the WAN link between Clients and RemoteApp server,all i need is just a way to tell to windows that just launch the application only and only when a user logs on
Comment: There's nothing within RemoteApp or RDP to do what you are asking though.

RemoteApp duplicate Session


2D Unity (for graphics & ease of use): Flash? Haxe?

Question: I'm planning on making a little game. And I'm looking for an engine. Basically what I want is Unity, but then 2D. It's a very interface heavy game, stylized, so what I need is an engine (or similar) in which it's easy to draw lines, primitives and text (and bitmaps, though that's less important.) The game will have a game world, though you'll never directly see it. All you'll get is a bunch of information about it (text, lines, graphs, ...)
I know you could use Unity to make 2D games, though for what I have in mind it's not optimal and the way objects work in Unity isn't really how I want to structure my game. (I've worked a lot in Unity and absolutely love it, though I don't think it's the right tool for this game.)
What I love about Unity is that you can just build for any platform, with a single click, and it just works. It also already has it's own way of building your gameobjects, and since I'm making something very different, I don't want this. I need more control over the objects and actually only want the engine to draw stuff.
I was thinking about using Flash, ActionScript3. It should be very good at drawing lines and text. And hopefully just as easy to build.
I also checked out HTML5 and javascript, using KineticJS, which can draw lines and primites very easily (pretty much exactly like I want it), though I hate javascript and want more structured code. Maybe it's just me that I can't get javascript to be clean enough for my taste, but well, that's something we'll have to live with then :P
My question now is, since I never used flash. What are your thoughts on this. Is it perfect for this kind of stylized text-based games? Is it easy to build (I'm using FlashDevelop since that's a free way to make flash stuff)? On top of that, can I use a single code base for Windows and Mac (maybe even iOS, Android or other, though that's less important)?
Or maybe you have another suggestion I could check out? (I already checked out a bunch of other question here, though none were really helpful. So yea it's another 'I'm looking for an engine' question, so don't kill me for that. I already did quite a bit of looking around, though would love some more input from others.)
Edit1: I've been looking around some more and found Haxe (http://haxe.org/) seems promising, can anyone recommend this or?
Answer: I think Flash/AC3 would fit perfectly, especially if you're using FlashDevelop.
To comment on Daniel MesSer:

This means that a programmer "never" has to worry about positioning objects and the visual appearance of the game. The programmer only have to provide the functionality for what should happen when stuff happens (buttons are clicked, animations are complete etc).

This just is not true. If you're work at a company that solely uses Flash CS this might be the case. But with FlashDevelop you've got a fully functional IDE. If you look up some third party libraries like Flixel, Citrus Engine or FlashPunk, you'd find something that could fit perfectly to your needs.
Comment: The engines you mentioned are focussed on sprite-based games right?
Comment: Yeah. I thought it was implied that you wanted a sprite-based game. Pardon the assumption.
Comment: No, no, most of my graphics will be lines, primitives and text. Still thanks for the answer
Answer: I think that for what you want to do, flash would not be an optimal tool. The beauty of flash and what it was designed to do is to separate and combine what a graphical artist does and what a programmer does.
You see, you have Flash as the tool where you align, position and import/draw graphics and do complex animations. And then you export those as assets and work with the graphical resources from ActionScript. This means that a programmer "never" has to worry about positioning objects and the visual appearance of the game. The programmer only have to provide the functionality for what should happen when stuff happens (buttons are clicked, animations are complete etc).
It sounds as if your game are more in the "techy" family, where you will be working alone, and you want to draw primitives yourself and there will be a lot of text on the screen.
Flash was never intended to be a tool to work with loads of text and doing stuff the techy way, it was created to make it easy to work with loads of graphical resources in a structured way where the programmer doesn't have to worry that much about the graphical content.
If my assumptions of what you want to do is correct, you would be better off working with JS. It would be better suited since you are working with few complex graphical assets, are interested in cross platform support and basically wants to work with loads of text.
Comment: Allright I see you point (though Descalon tells me it's not true, but still xD) I have worked quite a bit with JS before, and I find it fine for smaller projects, though when it gets larger I really dislike this as a language. Perhaps you know something else that's not JS? :P
Comment: Kind of hard to suggest something without knowing how you want to work, and what you would like to do (some design drafts or similar stuff). I mean you could use flash and as3, it's a lovely language and easy to work with and customize graphics. I just wouldn't use it for a project centered around texts and primitives. I dont know what else to use if JS doesn't suit you, I would have gone for that and cursed at sucky coding IDEs given the premises :) But then again, I haven't really done anything big and complex in JS. Everything else I think about are centered around graphical assets
Comment: I just found Dart, that seems very promising. Ever used that?
Answer:
I also checked out HTML5 and javascript, using KineticJS, which can draw lines and primites very easily (pretty much exactly like I want it), though I hate javascript and want more structured code.

Write objectoriented javascript :-) I'm a oop-maniac, but I'm starting to find the beauty of js too. It IS possible to write beautiful code even there! ;-)
Regarding flash and AS3, It would be possible, and probably pretty "easy" to use. I started programming using AS2 (well some other stuff before that as well). But personally I dont think flash is the right way to go. Flash have reached it's expiery-date a long time ago.
There are several games coded in HTML5 and KineticJS. You can find some examples on www.kineticjs.com. With HTML5 and kinetic, you'll also be able to make it work for multiple platforms at once.
Hope this helps :-)
Comment: Yea I already write OOjs, though what bugs me the most is no type checking, very annoying :P And there is some kind of workaround, with Google Closure, but that's far from perfect.
And concerning Flash: that's what I was afraid of, expired :(
I also just found Haxe, any idea about that?
Comment: Sorry, I dont have any experience of Haxe. I would go with HTML5 and Kinetic/some other library. Mostly because it's cool ;-)


Can you use a USB to expand the Xbox's storage?

Question: I have an Xbox 360 4GB, and I just bought GTA V, but it needs 8GB.  Can I use a USB or hard drive to use its storage so I don't need to buy a new Xbox?
Comment: You can. But be warned, you cannot allocate more than 32GB or so of usable space on the drive, otherwise the Xbox will not recognize the partition.
Comment: In my personal experience, the XBox formatting is fairly bulky too.  I once tried using a small key to store some XBL Arcade games to make some space on one of my boxes, and after formatting there was basically no space on the key.  I believe it was 1 GB.  After that I just bit the bullet and bought a licensed expansion drive.
Answer: You can expand your storage space.
The stick must be formatted to the xbox file system and can be then only used on the xbox, also the maximum possible size is 32GB. To format the usb stick:

Plug in stick
Press th Guide button and go to Settings tab and select System settings
Select storage
Select USB storage
Click configure now
Move the reserved storage slider you your wanted level, preferably use the
wholestick. Note that 512Mb of your stick is used for xbox system files so
it cannot be used to save game data. (So for gta you should get a 16GB stick,
8GB isn't enough.
All done, you can now save your GTA to the stick

Guide adapted from xbox support
Answer: You can use a 32GB USB stick by just plugging it in and then going to the storage options in the system preference area and formatting it for use with the Xbox. Be warned that after doing this, you can't use it on regular PC's without reformatting it.
Any larger than 32GB and it only allows you to use 32GB for games, and the rest will be allocated to video/image files (or not recognized, I forget).
Furthermore, you don't need to buy a new Xbox if you want to get more storage space. You can just purchase a 320GB hard drive and plug it in on the top (there's either a panel that you can remove if its a slim or the hard drive is connected on top if you own the older white Xboxs). Be warned that if you choose to do this, you will most probably need to do a content transfer which will require an additional cable.
Answer: You can.
But you must format this USB to use it for the XBox. So you can use it only for the XBox.
And the maximum space of the USB is 32GB! So do not use bigger USB's.


Is it safe to assume that there would be no high level languages without existence of compilers/interpreters?

Question: I am relatively new to computer science. There,s been something that i have been thinking now that i am studying how to make actual compilers. We are past the days of programming with binary and assembly language( granted its still around and in use. correct me if i am wrong ). We are told that high level languages made programming easy and so on. I agree, my question is.. is it all thanks to creation of compilers/interpreters? Would there be no high level languages without Compilers, or in other words, suppose if we were to completely discard the use of compilers, will that result in , us going back to assembly , binary days?
Answer: I could answer "You could still use an interpreter" but I suspect you'd consider that to be cheating. So, for the rest of this answer, I'll assume that "compiler" means "compiler or interpreter". (And the question has since been edited to say that. )
Even assembly language requires a compiler but, for historical reasons, we call that an "assembler" instead. Anything that isn't directly writing out the machine instructions in binary needs to be converted into machine instructions. That process is compilation and, without a compiler, any textual format is just a way of describing algorithms, not something that can be used to control an actual computer.
Comment: And even binary machine instructions aren't the end of the road in modern CPUs, who interpret them and execute micro-operations.


Does Happy Street sync between Android and iOS?

Question: I've got an iPad and an Android phone. If I download Happy Street on both will I be able to play the same game, or will it be two different streets?
Comment: Do you have to log in to play? If you don't, then almost certainly not.
Comment: @fredley you can log in via facebook. But cross-platform data sharing is spotty in general. I haven't tried Happy Street but I could try that tonight if no one else knows
Answer: I've played the game for some time and I've never seen any ability to sync your game with the cloud.  I believe your street is tied to your device identity, so GameCenter for iOS and GooglePlay for Android - this does not appear to be something that you can change in game.  You do have the ability to log into Facebook, but it appears to only be used for cross platform friending, resource sharing, and park visits.  As such, with your two devices you could definitely "friend yourself" via Facebook and share items back and forth (though you might need an extra Facebook account to do so).  Given the wait times for some components and the colored crystals which are unique for each street, that might be very beneficial.


IntelliJ IDEA run AngularJS project

Question: How can I run my AngularJS Application in the IntelliJ IDEA? I use the last version of the IntelliJ IDEA and I installed the AngularJS support with the IntelliJ IDEA AngularJS Plugin. I wonder, that I cannot define some Server Run/Debug Configuration (like Tomcat) to run my application.
Is there a  way to do this?
EDIT: Or there is some other way to deploy the application? I cannot find any suitable Run/Debug Configuration to somehow deploy my project locally.
Answer: Well, you need an application server to run the application. I'm using IntelliJ Idea with a local JBoss.
Build your modules and deploy them on the JBoss. You can even use an automated front-end build process with bower and gulp.
If you are only using javascript you don't even need a local server running, js is executed in the the browser. A JBoss, Tomcat or other application server is used for your server logic (e.g. Java code).
Answer: A 'lisa p' says:
You need an application server to run it locally on, such as JBoss.
Unless it's a static application (i.e. no dynamic content) in which case, just open your index.html file in a web-browser.
Ideally, if you wanted to continue to develop more pure AngularJS projects, then use Jetbrains' WebStorm IDE instead of their IntelliJ IDEA IDE.
IntelliJ is for Java Development, WebStorm is for Web and JavaScript Development.
Answer: To run Angular application without Tomcat/JBoss, we need to create a "JavaScript Debug" configuration. To do this,  follow the instructions below.

In intellij menu bar, Choose Run --> Edit Configurations
Click green plus (+) sign and choose "JavaScript Debug"
For the value in URL box, navigate to the index.html file by clicking the little button[...] next to URL field
For the rest of the values in the form, follow the screenshot below

IntelliJ IDEA run AngularJS project


Does being accepted in a PhD program guarantee that my tuition is payed for?

Question: I'm a prospective psychology PhD student, and one of the most intimidating problems was tuition expenses, but I've checked a number of PhD programs (NYU, Carniege-Mellon, Princeton) and they all say something along the lines of "anyone accepted into this program has fully funded tuition" and it feels too good to be true. Is it? Are there any expenses as a PhD student or am I studying for free?
Comment: You should not enroll in a PhD program that is not paying you.
Comment: It seems like you are very new to thinking about grad school. If so, [this](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/176908/how-does-the-admissions-process-work-for-ph-d-programs-in-country-x) FAQ, or [this](https://academia.stackexchange.com/questions/38237/how-are-ph-d-applications-evaluated-in-the-us-particularly-for-weak-or-borderl) one, may be useful.
Answer: In the US, most doctoral students are funded, usually with a Teaching Assistantship. Almost all TA positions come with a stipend and waiver of nearly all fees, including tuition.
There might be some exceptions. And there might be some fees, but, compared to tuition, they are low.
In some fields Research Assistantships might also be available, probably grant funded, and also very likely to include tuition waiver.
Of course, this limits the number of students to the funding available. But TAs provide a valuable service to the university in assisting in undergraduate education.
Answer: The first thing to remember is this: "Free is too expensive." Having said that, most universities provide between 2 and 4 years of "soft" (i.e., university or advisor TA and/or RA) funding. The problem with such funding is twofold: (a) too many mouths to feed and (b) too  little consistency in the system. You should consider writing your own grant before starting your PhD program or at least within the first 18 mos of starting your program. This will do a number of things for you, including; (a) focusing your research, (b) building a reputation, and (c) reducing your reliance on others.
Cheers,
Comment: I'll guess that in the US there are _very_ few grants open to people before they finish a doctorate. Can you give some examples that might be readily available? Most TA positions are not limited to 2 years. I've never heard of such a thing in US.
Comment: Note that outside funding (personal or an external grant) would  need to be about $60,000/year or more to be equivalent to a TA with tuition forgiveness. And if medical is included, then more, maybe much more. Are there funders who will risk that on an unproven researcher?


How to re-install Software Center?

Question: I've had a problem with Software Center for a few weeks, where it has just refused to delete a removed PPA from its "All Software" and "Installed Software" drop-down menus. I've tried many suggested solutions, none have worked, so I've finally decided to re-install Software Center if its possible. How do you do this and is it risky to your computer (i.e. will re-installing it cause all sorts of issues)?
Comment: In similar questions regarding PPA removal, I've seen `ppa-purge` package recommended (and marked as an answer). Have your tried it?
Comment: Yep, already done all of that, trust me. This is my last resort.
Answer: You can reinstall the Software Center with a fresh start to all its systemwide configuration files by issuing this command in the Terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T):
<code>sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get --purge --reinstall install software-center software-properties-common software-properties-gtk
</code>
(You can copy that whole thing to the clipboard, paste it into the Terminal, and press enter. If you enter it manually--which I recommend against--then please take note to only press enter at the end; there is no line break in the middle, it's just too long to be displayed on one line.)
That command is written so that it also completely reinstalls the packages that provide the Software Sources window, which is at least as likely to be responsible for any problems relating to disabling a PPA as is the Software Center itself.
Comment: So all I have to do is copy and paste the code you gave above and it'll re-install Software Center, right? Will it remove the custom PPAs that I currently have in my Software Sources, like ones for various dev builds for programs and that sort of thing?
Comment: @Icedrake Pasting the command from my answer that starts with `sudo` and ends with `-gtk` will do that, yes, but that will *not*, by itself, result in the configured software sources (including PPA's) being changed in any way. I've edited my post to include more details about this. @WarriorIng64 I've also edited my post to include information about this method of making pasted text into a code block--thanks!
Comment: Thank you so much! Your code fixed the problems that I was having, after nothing else could for so long. Thank you!

How to re-install Software Center?


How to solve for the sides of a rectangle whose sides are natural numbers given its area is a known natural number?

Question: This may not be the best way to formulate the question but I am looking for a method to solve the following equation $d \cdot n'=n$ where $d, n', n \in \mathbb{N}$ and $n \neq1$ is known. How should I approach this problem? Are there guaranteed solutions?
Comment: You have basically asked if it is possible to find a factorization of $n$. If you forbid the trivial factorization of $1\cdot n = n$, then this problem is at least as hard as determining if $n$ is prime, and probably not harder than breaking the (multiprime) RSA encryption scheme.
Answer: They would be any two factors of $n$.

If $n$ is prime, then the numbers are $1,n$.
If $n=1$, $d=n'=1$.
If $n$ is composite, take any two factors $d, n'$ of $n$ such that $dn' = n$.

Solutions are indeed guaranteed for all $n \in \mathbb{N}$.
This follows from the facts that by definition the factors of a natural number are in turn also natural numbers, and that all numbers are prime, composite, or $1$.
Comment: Should you not mention that your final claim is the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_theorem_of_arithmetic


Classical (non-quantum) explanation for the transparency of glass?

Question: Is there a classical explanation for the transparency of glass? How did physicists explain the transparency of glass before quantum mechanics?
Answer: As you point out, the nature of interaction between matter and light was first addressed by Niels Bohr, when he proposed the Bohr atom
Why does each element have a specific spectrum associated with it? Because for each element the energy levels of the electrons around the nucleus come out differently.
The development of quantum mechanics gave scientists the means to address the nature of transparency of substances.
The point is: when you don't have the means to address a question you may try, but without the means what you are doing isn't science.
Part of being a scientist has been and will always be that you choose your battles with care.
I happened to come across a striking historical example of that just a few days ago. Wikisource has a transcript of Maxwell's On physical lines of force
In the introduction Maxwell mentions that while a lot is known about electricity and magnetism, it is not known whether flow of current is a single flow (either positive or negative carriers of charge) or that it is always the case that both positive and negative carriers of charger participate in current flow.
In Maxwell's time the means were not available to address that issue, so Maxwell didn't.
Instead Maxwell directed his efforts to questions he could address with the means available.
As we know, Maxwell's unification of theories of Electricity, Magnetism and Light is one of the greatest achievements in the history of science.
Transparency
Before the development of quantum mechanics I don't think that physicists even considered addressing the question of transparency.
If you cannot formulate a theory then whatever ideas you offer on the subject is speculation. Speculation isn't in itself wrong, but when you are speculating you don't know whether you are making any progress.


Flavor components of high end vodka?

Question: I always thought vodka was just alcohol and water, and that the ideal vodka was one lacking all flavor components characteristic of the grain or potato mash that it was distilled from. I once saw a vodka process diagram showing multiple distillation and charcoal filtration steps--suggesting an effort to remove all flavor components. But looking at the prices being charged for high end vodkas, I am wondering what the draw is. Are there flavor components in these high end vodkas that make them that much more desirable than pure alcohol that people pay more than $50 a bottle for them?
Comment: a good (not hi-end) vodka is made using specially threated water, sometimes mineral or artesian water. This is worth some extra money. No idea about hi-end vodka, though.
Comment: The New York Times ran a [blind taste test](http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/26/dining/a-humble-old-label-ices-its-rivals.html) in 2005 which declared Smirnoff to be hands-down the best vodka. Based on that I'd be skeptical about there being something special about a "high-end" vodka's flavor that makes it worth paying for. However, the article did note that different vodkas do have distinct flavor profiles, so there *is* some taste difference between different vodkas.
Answer: High end vodka is primarily good vodka+branding. You pay extra to get that designed bottle. Perhaps the manufacturer also does something extra that they claim makes the vodka special. Whether it actually does depends on what they have done.
Good vodka has most flavours removed. Some flavours - specifically those that both have a boiling point close to that of alcohol and the ability to pass through an active carbon filter will remain.

Flavor components of high end vodka?


Trouble exporting in correct file format

Question: I'm having trouble with exporting my animation. I'm trying to do a water simulation and export it as an image sequence but when it finishes all of the files are textedit files. I've gone to the output settings tab and changed it jpeg and pdf but both times it still ends up in textedit.
What am I doing wrong? Help!?
Answer: Blender will never generate text files for images, it cannot do that. This is a user error and improper configuration in blender or the OS
What might be happening is that the option to add the proper extension to the file name has been disabled and the OS does not know what kind of file it is dealing with. If you are using windows the computer cannot guess what to do with files that do not have the 3 letter extension at the end of the file name (like *.jpg)
Options to fix the issue: on the already rendered images just add the proper extension to the file for exmaple: image01.jpg (if the image is a jpg file).
For future renders enable the File extensions box on the output settings.

If your OS is still trying to open files with the .jpg extension as text, then you need to configure it to use a different deafult app. In which case it is not an issue with blender and will require you to learn how to use your computer and set the default app to open image files.


banging sound rear underneath of the car

Question: my hyundai i20 2012 model is making a banging sound when im driving is either underneath the sparewheel carrier or the seats a banging sound like hitting an empty steel drum while driving sometimes sound occurs when i stopped and i stepped on the brakes or pulled the handbrake just after stopping. I have change suspension bushings and shocks. Pls help
Comment: It may not even be a mechanical issue, you may have just collected some foreign debris from the road. I had a similar sound a couple months ago, poked around and found a surprisingly large branch tangled around my driveshaft. Another time I watched a large sheet of industrial plastic fly off a truck on the freeway, disappear under my wheels, and never saw it come out behind me, turns out it too had wrapped around my driveshaft.
Answer: A common problem with the i20 is a knocking noise at the rear which also disappears with increased speed. Many forums with no answer. I can help many owners. I replaced shocks at about 150,000 km with Monroes as I had a slight knock from rear. Knock got worse. No noise if shock taken out and replaced. After a few kms noise returned. Hyundai could not resolve. After 17 months I was desperate. Replaced with new Monroes. Still the same. Wide awake Speedys guy reported similar problem with other vehicles. Replaced with KYB shocks (genuine product too expensive). Noise gone. Like new car. Bottom bracket on shock on axle on other shocks had SIDE PLAY and were knocking against side of bolt. KYB's have sleeve inside bolt mounting which prevents horizontal play.
Answer: What you are describing could be any number of things. It sounds like something may be banging against the body or frame, which transfers audible sound to the interior of the car. It could be anything...bad motor mount, loose exhaust pipe, rough running engine, transmission mount, etc.
You will need safely jack the car up, or put it on a lift, to inspect the components under the car. It could be as simple as a heat shield touching an exhaust pipe after being bent from road debris.
Don't rule out motor mounts by sound alone. A weak motor mount can allow the engine, when revved, to twist enough that something touches causing noise.
Comment: I agree with @SolarMike, before jacking the car it would make sense to make sure the spare tire, jack, etc are secured. A simple look underneath might find the culprit, even without a jack
Comment: Or something loose in the wheel well, or side pocket in the rear...
Answer: Hi there I have a brand new 2018 Hyundai Tucson that he's doing exactly the same thing with only 515 miles on it. It happens mainly when I hit bumps in the road. After further investigation we found out that the tools that are used to change the tire that are placed inside the spare were not secured and so whenever you hit a bump they bang on the bottom of the car.
You may want to look to see if your tools are secured or not; it's such a simple thing to check and may save you some time and money. Also check inside the spare wheel well to see if there is anything in there that is loose that could be causing a knocking noise when you hit bumps or take corners or brake and accelerate.


Up/Downgrade iOS on Linux

Question: Is there a way to Up/Downgrade the iOS of my iPod touch 2G under linux (especially debian)?
I have already read about idevicerecovery but this project doesn't seem to be maintained anymore and therfore pretty messed up.
Answer: iTunes can run under Wine, with some difficulty.  Be prepared for it to consume 1GB of Vmem.

Up/Downgrade iOS on Linux


Need to Quickly Add Multiple Layers From Multiple Folders To QGIS Project

Question: I have downloaded several imagery Zip files (content of each is jp2, jpg, jpw, xml, htm, and .dbf, .prj, .sbn, .sbx, .shp, .shx) and would like to quickly add this imagery to my working project in QGIS 2.6.1. I am trying to avoid having to navigate to and add each file separately. Because each file is in a different folder, I have not been able to find a way to add multiple files at once.
Comment: So you have zip files in you folders or you have already extracted the zip files' content? I'm elaborating an answer for the latter case. I'm afraid the former case would require a bit of (Python) scripting.
Comment: I have already extracted content.
Answer: What you need is the QGIS plugin Load Them All. Apart from loading files from several directories at once, you can:

Reflect the directory structure in the QGIS Layer Tree / Table of Contents (by means of nested layer groups).
Apply alphanumeric filters so that you just load layers that match your filter (think of regular expressions).
Load only certain geometry or raster type (e.g., only polygon vectors or Multiband rasters).
Load only certain file extensions (e.g., only .shp files).
Load only layers that lie inside or that intersect a given bounding box.

and more. Have a look at https://github.com/gacarrillor/loadthemall for more details.
Note the plugin can search for / filter sublayers (e.g., inside a GeoPackage file).
Comment: @Germán Carrillo It seems like the perfect plugin for my needs, yet when I try to load the files I get the error: "There are no KML files to load fromt he base directory with this filter. Change those parameters and try again". I'm using QGIS 2.14.2, all filters are turned off and the map I selected contains two maps with one kml file each (just to test, I have a larger dataset to import).
Comment: @HannesLedegen Did you try with the 'Interesects' filter instead of 'Contains'? If that doesn't work, please open a [new issue](https://github.com/gacarrillor/loadthemall/issues) in the GitHub page of the project, describing everything in detail.
Comment: Doesn't seem to work for delimited text files.
Answer: As an alternative to using a plugin, you can give the Add Layer command a semicolon-delimited list of files. You can create such a list in the following manner:
cd /d <Path_to_the_directory_where_your_files_are>
dir *.shp /s /b >All.txt

This gives you a file named All.txt, which contains the paths to all the files with a specific extension (you can use a different mask depending on the files you have), where each file is on a new line.
D:\Data\01\data01_1.shp
D:\Data\01\data01_2.shp
D:\Data\02\data02_1.shp
D:\Data\02\data02_2.shp

Then simply replace all newlines with ; using a text editor (like Notepad++) and paste the result in the Add Vector Layer... dialog.
For Notepad++ you need to change the replace mode to Extended and replace \r\n with ;. You would get a file that looks like this:
D:\Data\01\data01_1.shp;D:\Data\01\data01_2.shp;D:\Data\02\data02_1.shp;D:\Data\02\data02_2.shp

UPDATE: Newer versions of QGIS expect a list of files where each entry is enclosed in double quotes and the entries are separated by a single space instead of a semicolon. So once you have the list of files from the first step, do the following replaces in Regular Expression mode:

Find what
Replace with

^(?<file>(.+))$
"\1"

\r\n
 (space)

If you don't have a regex-capable editor handy, you can replace the start of your path with a double quote and the path (say, D:\Data\ with "D:\Data\) and the extension with the extension and a double quote (say, .shp with .shp").
Comment: I love this solution, but in my case (QGIS 3.14, en-US), I had to enclose each path in double quotes and use spaces instead of `;`. For example:
`"D:\Data\01\data01_1.shp" "D:\Data\01\data01_2.shp"`
Comment: Doesn't seem to work for delimited text files.
Answer: On Linux, you can extract a list of .shp files and feed it directly into the "Import Vector" dialog:
#on the command line
ls /home/yourpath/*/*shp|tr "\n" '@'|sed 's/@/" "/g'|sed 's/^/"/g'

I found this useful under QGIS Docker, beacuse for some reason the "Load Them All" plugin was not showing its dialog.
Answer: Another alternative would be to develop a small Python code to load the files and run it from Python Console on QGIS.
It could be a for loop in which you either have the names of the files in a list and you loop over them, or, if the filenames have a pattern, you can use this pattern to build strings with the files paths and names, and then load them.
In case the layers are rasters, you can load them (in the loop) by using
name_layer= 'name_' + number

raster_layer = QgsRasterLayer(path_to_file, name_layer)

QgsProject.instance().addMapLayers([raster_layer])

Wrap it in a loop and it should work (for rasters).
I coded a snippet to load raster layers. The snippet and a larger explanation of how to use it and adapt it to your case can be found at:
https://www.luisalucchese.com/post/batch-process-load-raster-layers-qgis/


Glue sticks for print bed

Question: I would like to get a green tombow PITS adhesive stick. On Rakuten, it costs \$1 (USD). On my 3d printer's (XYZ) retailer's site, it costs \$20 (USD). Due to the costs and the fact that Rakuten does not ship to my country, I need an alternative. I am currently using Davinci 1.0 for my bed, which I believe is a glass bed. So, my questions are:

What glue is best for PLA plastic?
What glue is best for ABS plastic?
Is there a glue that functions with both types of plastic?
Comment: The glue sticks I saw in use were normal office supply sticks. So probably optimized to glue paper ;-) So I would recommend to use whatever your local office supply store has. You can also try hairspray.
Comment: @LarsPötter hairspray is ok but it sprays (spread) around. paper glue is way better as it can be applied on exact place on the bed.
Comment: @MithunKalan please refrain from using phrases like *What is the best...*. These types of questions typically fall under the category of **[What types of questions should I avoid asking?](http://3dprinting.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask)**. Thank you and welcome to 3D Printing SE!
Answer: As mentioned by Matt - PVA glues work perfect for both filaments.
It works well because it's softening temperature is between 45..85C so it's more or less temperature of HB.
Advantages:

cheap
easy to apply on HB
can be applied on cold as same as on hot HB
sticks model very well
non toxic, no solvent, odorless
easy to wash (from HB) (just wash it under water or scrape with sharp tool)
works very well even with old and dry layer of glue

Disadvantages:

quite hard to detach model (I use paper knife)
first layer is not glass-perfect
after detaching, model is a bit sticky (first layer)

I use Scotch Glue Stick by 3M.
Comment: This answer focuses on one specific type of glue, while there are countless ones that work. A "these types of glues work"-type answer would be significantly more valuable than this answer, which is essentially a product endorsement/review. (Like the one given by Matt, except a bit more detailed).
Comment: @TomvanderZanden you are absolutely right! But isn't it what Mithun Kalan was asking for? I'll edit my answer of course to make it more general.
Answer: I use glue Sticks from Staples. It works. Anything else is over thinking :-)
I use it daily on PLA and ABS on 3 out of 5 printers. Printed 5 lbs this week in plastic so far.
Following my flashforge creator pros use this amazing mat, that even after months of use still work great (so long as I clean it with alcohol every so)
Some use hairspray. Tried it, mix results, got sick of breathing the stuff in. Also it wont work on both plastics as gluesticks do.
Answer: Most PVA glue works well for both (Poly Vinyl Acetate).
There are different brands in every country.
Comment: Are you able to elaborate a bit more on the glue and what makes it a good choice?

Glue sticks for print bed


Why are the strings on paramotors so long?

Question: I don't completely understand why the strings on paraglider/paramotors (connecting the vehicle/person to the parafoil) are so long. Couldn't they be made shorter to reduce the amount of space used? It just seems like an unnecessary feature. Sorry if I'm missing something elementary.
Comment: When you are asking "why isn't it done differently", it helps to explain what problem you are trying to solve.    Paragliders have long cords.  So what?
Comment: @Simon Thanks for the response! I think the main problem is the amount of space having such a large structure takes up. You could make it more compact and still have the same result if you could shorten the cords. This would help if, say, you had lots of people/vehicles mounted to parafoils. I've been thinking about a related concept for a while and shortening the strings would be useful; the parafoils would simply be used for cruising and gliding once in the air, so they wouldn't have to store fuel and so forth.
Comment: @bobthepie, you could reinforce the structure. It's called a [hang glider](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hang_gliding). However, that loses the main advantage of a paraglide—you can no longer pack it into a back-pack small enough for to carry around on your back. And even with the motor it still packs much better than the hang glider.
Comment: I don't understand what you mean by "amount of space".  I don't see how it could be smaller than packed away in a back-pack
Answer: The answer to this is mechanical leverage.
For this, you must understand that the center of mass for a paramotor is usually just above the pilot's head, and that the center of lift is more upwards.

The shorter the strings on a paramotor, the harder that it is to climb, because the length of the effort arm is reduced, requiring a greater power to tilt the paramotor into a climb.
As the motor power increases, you don't actually go much faster. You tip backward, and maintain speed. This is what helps you climb, essentially comboing the wing with the elevator.
The long strings allow for slower, more efficient flight by increasing leverage. This is the same mechanics that are used in most trainer crafts (outside the military) to allow the learner a long, slow flight.
2023 edit
I was reviewing this answer, and realized that I explained the  pitch leverage, but did not explain roll leverage, and the benefit that long strings have in this scenario.
In the spirit of the old answer, consider this front view of a paraglider which is flying.

Ft in this case is the tension force that the pilot feels from the outermost lines. It is made of two components. The horizontal component, Fh, is how much the lines pull outward on the pilot. The lift force, Fl, is the amount of lift force that a pilot feels in flight.
As you can see, Fh is not an especially useful force. While it keeps the glider's shape rigid, which is good, but you're sacrificing lift to do this. by increasing the line length, you can get rid of unneeded  rigidity, and in its place directly increase the lift. There's a balance to be struck here, as with all things aviation.