How to set splitter exactly to half window width in p4merge?

Question: I'm wondering if there is a way to set the splitter in p4merge window exactly to 50% screen width. For instance in Total Commander you can right click on splitter and choose from list but there is nothing like that in p4merge.
Answer: I used Process Monitor from Sysinternals to track where p4merge writes settings.
Appears that settings file resides here

%USERPROFILE%\.p4merge\ApplicationSettings.xml

and it looks like this:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<PropertyList varName="ApplicationSettings" IsManaged="TRUE">
 <String varName="CharSet">utf8-bom</String>
 <PropertyList varName="Connection" IsManaged="TRUE">
  <String varName="ApplicationLanguage">en</String>
 </PropertyList>
 <String varName="DiffOption">dl</String>
 <ByteArray varName="DiffSplitter">AAAA/wAAAAAAAAACAAAA8wAAAUMBAAAAMgEAAAAB</ByteArray>

  <family>Courier</family>
  <pointSize>10</pointSize>
  <weight>Normal</weight>
  <italic>false</italic>

</PropertyList>

My guess was:
<ByteArray varName="DiffSplitter">AAAA/wAAAAAAAAACAAAA8wAAAUMBAAAAMgEAAAAB</ByteArray>

is a place where p4merge stores the splitter position.
I didn't feel like decrypting the value so i just deleted the whole tag and splitter moved to exactly 50% width of window.


Is f-measure synonymous with accuracy?

Question: I understand that f-measure (based on precision and recall) is an estimate of how accurate a classifier is. Also, f-measure is favored over accuracy when we have an unbalanced dataset. I have a simple question (which is more about using correct terminology than about technology). I have an unbalanced dataset and I use f-measure in my experiments. I am about to write a paper which is NOT for a machine learning/ data mining conference. Hence, can I refer to f-measure synonymously with accuracy in this context. For eg, I have a f-measure of 0.82, then can I say my classifier achieves 82% accurate predictions?
Comment: That was a fascinating read, thank you for bringing that to my attention.
Comment: It would be better to introduce the f-measure if you use it. Substituting the two is not correct in my point of view. In your case if your accuracy is 99% you'll achieve 99% accurate predictions not matter what your f-measure is, and it could lead readers into error.
Comment: @AdrienNK: 99% accuracy does not imply 99% correct predictions unless the relative frequencies of the test cases are the same as in the real application situation.
Comment: @cbeleites you're right, I know, but often the test cases are issued from the same distribution (well maybe that's the biased view I have of it because I rarely had to work with data on which that wasn't the case)
Comment: @AdrienNK: I'm analytical chemist working towards medical diagnoses. The prevalence of the disease in question may vary about orders of magnitude between different patient subpopulations. See e.g. the discussion of the different PPVs in the second half of this article: http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110323/full/471428a.html
Comment: Based on their formulae, I would say F-measure and accuracy are different.
Answer: First of all, I find "accuracy" sometimes a bit misleading, as it refers to distinct things:
The term accuracy in general for evaluating systems or methods (I'm analytical chemist) refers to the bias of predictions, i.e. it answers the question how good predictions are on average.
As you know, there are lots of different performance measures that answer different aspects of performance for classifiers. One of them happens to be called accuracy as well. If your paper is not for a machine learning/classification audience, I'recommend to make this distinction very clear. Even for this more specific meaning of accuracy I'd be very explicit of what I call accuracy as again several ways of dealing with class imbalance may occur. Typically, class imbalance is ignored, leading to the well-known $\frac{TP+TN}{all~cases}$ calculation. However, you may also use the average of sensitivity and specificity, which amounts to controlling class imbalance by weighting your average.
The F$_1$-score is often introduced as harmonic mean of precision and recall (or positive predictive value and sensitivity). For your question I think it helpful to spell this out a bit further and simplify it:
$F_1 = \frac{2 \cdot precision \cdot recall}{precision + recall} =
\frac{2 \frac{TP}{all~P} \frac{TP}{all T}}{\frac{TP}{all~P} + \frac{TP}{all T}} = \frac{2 \frac{TP^2}{all~P \cdot all T}}{\frac{TP \cdot all~T}{all~P \cdot all T} + \frac{TP  \cdot all~P}{all~P \cdot all T}} =
\frac{2~TP^2}{TP \cdot all~T + TP  \cdot all~P} =
\frac{2~TP}{all~T + all~P}
$
The last expression is not a fraction of anything that I can think of as a certain group of test cases. In particular, a (heavy) overlap between the TRUE and the POSITIVE cases is expected.
This would keep me from expressing an F-score as percentage as that kind of implies a proportion of cases. Actually, I think I'd warn the reader that F-score does not have such an interpretation.

What makes me particularly uneasy combining these measure is that when we look at sensitivity = precision and specificity on the one hand, and positive and negative predictive values (PPV = recall) at the other hand, they are conditional probabilities, where sensitivity/precision and specificity are conditioned on the true class membership and the predictive values and recall are conditioned on the predicted class membership.
To get the latter from the former, we can use Bayes rule and the prior probabilities of the classes.
So F-score(s) average (by harmonic mean, but my point would stay the same with arithmetic or geometric mean) together figures of merit that are so-to-speak before and after the Bayes rule. I.e., we produce a metric that is neither completely here nor there.
Comment: more specifically this is $F_1$ measure. F-score can be generalized with a separate parameter
Comment: @qwr: thanks, yes, updated.
Answer: Quick Answer:
No, F-measure formula does not consist of TN factor, and it is useful on retrieve problems (doc).
Thus, it's (F-measure) the correct approach to evaluate the imbalanced datasets or in retrieval problems case instead of accuracy and ROC.
Accuracy = (TP+TN) / (TP+FP+FN+TN)

F1_Score = 2*(Recall * Precision) / (Recall + Precision)
# or
F1_Score = 2*TP / (2*TP + FP + FN)

[NOTE]:
Precision = TP / (TP+FP)

Recall = TP / (TP+FN)

Is f-measure synonymous with accuracy?


Is there a short term for "without a date of expiry"?

Question: Is there a short term for lack of a date of expiry when talking about documents? I'm specifically interested in identification document (ID).
Comment: Are you referring to permanent, non-expiring documents, or instead to incomplete / uncompleted forms?
Comment: I'm referring to permanent, non-expiring documents.
Comment: For foods, the term is "stable'. But I don't think that works with documents unless you get people to agree to your use.
Answer: I would simply use the term non-expiring. For example, in Washington state, one can obtain a non-expiring license for child care.
You may also encounter the phrase valid in perpetuity, e.g. Hawaii Rev. Stat. §481B-13 (about electronic gift cards/certificates):

…if the gift certificate does not have an expiration date, it shall be valid in perpetuity.

This phrase is generally used in describing the length of effect of a legal document (like a contract or a constitution) or financial instrument rather than an identification, though, so I would consider it a secondary choice.
Answer: You could say the identification document has lifelong validity.
Answer: You could use NONEXP,  meaning non-expiring.
This is a common 'symbol' used with ink stamps, printed labels, and metadata tags.  Though it is not a formal English word/term, it is a very common 'symbol' used on documents for the exact purpose of the OP's question.
Comment: Hi Tamika, and welcome to EL&U. "Nonexp" doesn't look like an English word. Were you aiming for a contraction of Cameron's "non-expiring"?
Comment: No, i think Tamika is referring to a common document code, which can take the form of a ink-stamp, a printed label, metadata tag, etc. Despite that this answer is so brief, I think it is good — albeit it could use some context.


Android app installation displays error message -insufficient storage- though still 10 GB free space

Question: I use an acer liquid z 4 and a 16 GB SD card as main storage. While trying to install a small cheat sheet for emacs, I got the error message "Error while downloading. There is insufficient space on the device". However under Settings SD card still has 10 GB of free space.
Answer: There are a number of memory areas and Android tries to download the new apps in a particular one.
One good option is to clean out the logs: press phone and select keypad, punch *#9900#. A new menu appears. press the second one down "Delete dumpstate/logcat". And you are good to go download a few more apps.


Stock inventory based in customer group

Question: I need to set up 2 stock level, one per customer group (one for custom and one for wholesale) can someone point me to the right direction plz?
Thanks
Answer: You cannot change stock level or qty attribute for different Customer Group. Qty has Global scope! You cannot change it from Admin Panel. But you can change Scope of Qty attribute from Global to Website, or, Store-view Level programmatically. If you want to manage two different stock inventory, you could use two different store-views in your magento.
Comment: Thanks for your answer, i've just tried to switch from my storeviews and changed the qty field, but every time i change the quantity for a storeview it changes the quantity for all the other store views
Comment: When you are changing the stock qty, what's the scope? [GLOBAL] right? So, that's why it's not changing. You need to change scope of qty programmatically, not from Admin Panel. Custom Module or extension can help you. Like, http://www.aitoc.com/en/magentomods_multi_location_inventory.html
Answer: If someone is looking for something similar I menaged this buying this exstension
https://www.wyomind.com/advanced-inventory-magento.html
It worked really good

Stock inventory based in customer group


Export Message Tracking in Exchange 2003

Question: How can to export message tracking from exchange 2003 for month with user
Answer: There's no mechanism to export message tracking data from Exchange System Manager, unfortunately. Depending on how adventurous you are, the tracking tool is really just a front end for searching the tracking logs that are stored on the Exchange server and these logs are readable by other applications. There are third party tools for analyzing and reporting on this data and I've known folks who have written their own scripts to process them.


Whole House Humidifiers for Ductless Furnaces?

Question: Is there a whole house humidifier that I can attach on my furnace that requires no ductwork? All we have for ductwork, is a galvanized pipe that sits on top of my furnace. There's a blower that blows the air up that one n only pipe,through a floor register. Our house is a 3,000 sq ft. home.
Comment: Does this furnace have a blower in it?
Comment: One thing to be aware of: there is a style of humidifier that sprays a mist of water into the duct and it evaporates into the circulating air.  It's simple to install on almost any shape duct, but minerals in the water form microscopic dust that also gets circulated.  You will find this collecting on surfaces in the house (and you'll be breathing it).  If you add a humidifier, use a style that evaporates water from some type of media.  The media will fill with the minerals and you replace it about once a year depending on how hard your water is.
Answer: Your installation sounds as if your house originally had a coal furnace installed many years ago. Your description sounds like my grand mother's house. That being said, If the supply pipe is a rectangle with a flat surface, and you have a return air duct, almost any bypass type humidifier could be used. If the supply pipe is round, you would have to have a sheet metal shop make you a transition piece that would adapt to the round pipe and give you a flat surface to mount the humidifier on.This may be a lot for the average home owner to do but yes, it can and has been done.


Does fresh garlic have any specialized uses?

Question: I have some fresh garlic that I have just harvested from the allotment, and am drying out.  I notice that the fresh garlic has a different texture from the shop bought stuff, and I was wondering if there are things that are more suitable for fresh garlic?  Does it slow roast better?  Is it better to use raw?
Answer: I love fresh (also called green) garlic. Some uses:

For a quick, simple and delicious pasta sauce, chop a whole bulb of garlic (with peel and all) and sautee in some olive oil, rosmary and chili peppers. Add some white wine and reduce.
Make a soup
Clean whole bulbs from dirt, remove the external peel, wrap in tinfoil, sprinkle some salt, olive oil and thyme and bake for an hour. The garlic will turn into a paste which you can then squeeze and spread on fresh loaves of bread.
Comment: Upvoted for baked-garlic-paste on fresh bread.
Answer: I find wet garlic (as freshly harvested garlic is sometimes known) makes a nicer garlic butter than its stored counter-part, which you can then keep for "quite a while" without spoiling -- depending on the size of the bulb, I'd normally use about two bulbs and some of the stalks for each pound of butter (or half kilo). I've kept prepared garlic butter in the fridge, and have used it all long before it has spoiled in the past, too.
Answer: chop the tops off a few bulbs and put salt pepper olive oil and balslamic vinigar. Bake at 450 F for 30 mins, peel and eat!


Convert library from using bitbanging to hardware SPI

Question: I'm using a MCP3008 8ch 10bit ADC to expand the Analog Inputs for the project I'm working on. The only library I can find for it is here the library is ported from Adafruit's Raspberry Pi library here. From what I can tell the library uses bitbanging as opposed to hardware SPI in order to communicate. I would like to use hardware SPI, but don't have the skills to write a library to communicate with it myself. Are there any resources for how to write a library like that, or anything I can read about on how to convert a library from bitbanging to hardware SPI?
Comment: What Arduino is this for?
Comment: It's for a PCB I designed based on the Atmega 1284 with hardware support added to the IDE with MightyCore found here: https://github.com/MCUdude/MightyCore
Comment: Typically, the library has a "sendByte" function in which it sends through "software spi" you would only have to re-write that.
Comment: The library uses some weird form of SPI. As it sends only 5 bits, and then reads 12 bits. SPI is normally a multiple of 8 bits.
Answer: The standard AVR library has SPI handling. See, for example: http://www.gammon.com.au/spi
You don't have to write a library if you don't want, just communicate directly using SPI.
The datasheet for the MCP3008 has some tips for using an 8-bit SPI system to communicate with the device. In particular this chart:

You can see from that, that you will need 3 x SPI.transfer. I don't have one here to test with, but the code would look like this:
<code>digitalWrite (SS, LOW);  // select device
int result;
SPI.transfer (0x01);  // start bit
result = SPI.transfer (0b10000000);  // single, ch0
result = (result & 0b11) << 8;  // move to high-order byte
result |= SPI.transfer (0);   // lower order byte
digitalWrite (SS, HIGH);  // deselect
</code>
Untested, but this should be roughly it.
Answer: Turns out my google-fu needs work. I found this that works great using hardware SPI! Thanks everyone!


Pressure on a fluid element

Question: We consider an element in a liquid at hydrostatic equilibrium such that continuum is maintained.
Now to calculate the forces on it we consider body forces and surface force.
Our system is simply a liquid kept in a glass with just gravity as its body force. For surface force we consider just the force due to the weight of the liquid above it. Why don't we consider the force by the movement of liquid molecules due to their thermal energy?
If we don't consider it due to its low value, then just for the sake of rigorous calculation what equations will we write when we consider this.
(If someone says that it will be same in every direction on the element, but still it will create some stress and compression.)
Answer:
Why don't we consider the force by the movement of liquid molecules due to their thermal energy?

This does not change the pressure. Essentially, increased thermal energy will make there be fewer collisions that are individually more energetic.
You can think of a ball bouncing on a floor. Regardless of the energy of the ball the average force is the same and equal to the ball's weight. Similarly, the average force on a fluid molecule in hydrostatic equilibrium is equal to the molecule's weight, irrespective of its energy or temperature.
Answer: In a gas, the pressure on a surface is associated with the momentum change of rebounding molecules.  Extra pressure requires a higher density or temperature in the gas.  In a liquid you must add the contact forces between the molecules.  The total pressure results from a combination of both,  and the upward component must be adequate to support the weight of the fluid above.

Pressure on a fluid element


How many metaphors?

Question: Some of the best books I read have a heap of metaphors, awesomely describing the characters' surroundings or the characters themselves. My creativity appears to be limited in metaphors. I want to avoid clichés, and I want to invent as many of my own metaphors as possible. But how many metaphors should I actually put in my novel?
Answer: 47.
Not seriously, no.
You really should not be thinking about metaphors. Metaphors are very much an ordinary part of speech. You probably use them all the time without realizing or thinking about it. An non-physical objects, metaphors can't actually be placed in heaps. Heaps of metaphors is a metaphor. But I bet you never thought about creating a metaphor when you wrote that sentence.
The very worst writing seems to result from the attempt to create original metaphors. Metaphors work when they are so apt and natural that the reader never pauses to think, "Hey, that was a metaphor". A forced metaphor has just the opposite effect. It tears the reader out of the story and forces them to confront the prose and puzzle at its obscurity. An good original metaphor is created when the force of a story or a scene creates a moment in which a particular image becomes irresistibly apt. You won't know you have created one until you read it back afterwards.
What you really should be doing is making sure that you have fully imagined the scenes you want to portray, and then describe those scenes in the most concrete and vivid language you can. You will probably end up with a bunch of metaphors without even noticing you are doing it. But if you don't, and the scenes are well imagined and vividly described, it won't matter a scrap whether there are a dozen metaphors or none.
Comment: was that 47 intentional or were you [mistaken in you're recollection from *The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/42_(number)#The_Hitchhiker.27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)?
Comment: @Memor-X. Different question; different answer. A good novel has 47 metaphors, 126 similes, and 4 ironies.
Comment: @Memor-X No, it's that 47 is Star Trek's favorite number. It's the answer to life, the universe, and everything... adjusted for inflation.
Comment: A good happy hour has 3 drinks. Barmaid, I'll have another. Please adjust the gin for inflation.
Answer: @MarkBaker is absolutely correct. I'll add that metaphors occur in more than just sentence structure.
Even when you write in a way that doesn't include sentence-level metaphors and similes, your readers might find objects in your story that are metaphors for larger themes. Think of Moby Dick's white whale. The Great Gatsby's green light. A River Runs Through It's river.
So I guess my answer is this: Don't worry about it. Just write your story. Use your own voice. Metaphors might appear or might not, and it doesn't matter much either way.

How many metaphors?


When is the best time to trim cedar hedges?

Question: When is the best time of the year to trim cedar hedges? Importantly, does choosing when to trim have any affect on encouraging growth in areas recovering from small bare spots?
Answer: It is best to prune cedar hedges more than once during the growing season, starting in the spring after the sap is running. This will prevent the plant from excessive dehydration. See here. To encourage growth in the bare spots, you can try cutting out all of the dead wood in the area. Cedars do not often sprout well from old wood, but if the bare spots are mostly superficial, the plants should flush out and fill the gaps.
Comment: Even large ugly spots will fill in with time, if you have the patience
Comment: @kevinsky you and Tim are both from Ottawa, Canada. Funny. But some large dead spots can only fill in if you enlarge the ending size of the plant.


Heat produced by a conductor

Question: I recently got to know about how the heat produced in a conductor. It's due to collision of electrons when drifting due to electric voltage But my question is Why doesn't a non current carrying conductor doesn't heat up due to collision of electrons in it as they are in random motion?
Comment: Do you really expect that, say, a glass of water heat up itself due to the random motion of water molecules?
Comment: I didn't say that! I just have a doubt with the theory that heat is produced in an electric carrying conductor due to collision of electrons with themselves and the atoms of conductor but if it is so, then why doesn't a conductor heat up when electrons IN IT are still randomly moving and colliding with themselves as well as nuclei of the atoms of the conductor;and what's more-the random speed of electrons is much greater than those when they are pulled by a potential difference. Read the question carefully!
Comment: Yes but it is the same as in the water example. Anyway there is an answer ;)
Comment: Absolutely no. I am talking about atoms of the conductor which are there in the conductor but water molecules are not there in the glass. That was the reason I highlighted IN IT in the comment hoping that you'd understand and I would not have to mention the reason and comment!
Comment: User 160598. Why the glass (and/or the water) does heat up to collision(s) of (molecules) in it as they are in random motion?
Comment: They would heat up due to collision of electrons as they it would produce a appreciable amount of heat due to colliding.
Comment: Ok. Sorry to tell you but you are far from having understood the situation as well as the answer provided by Gregor Michalicek.
Comment: I understood the answer I was just rejecting the comment you made to my question!
Comment: Ergo I repeat the same as above. ;)
Comment: Now, let's stop the argument. You win. I am not able to concentrate anywhere due to your nonstop comments. Happy :(
Answer: In the end the energy that is converted to heat has to come from somewhere. In the sketched situation the electron has to be in an excited electron state so that it can relax into an energetically lower lying state due to the scattering event. If there is no net current in the conductor the electronic system is in thermal equilibrium with its environment. The electrons fill up the available states in the conductor according to the Fermi distribution. This means that the scattering event you sketch is just as probable as the opposite, i.e., an electron in a lower lying state gets excited due to its surroundings. If there is a net current in the system we are in a non-equilibrium situation. Electrons have to be in an excited state to contribute to this net current. Now the scattering process in which the electron motion is turned into heat is more probable than the opposite.

Heat produced by a conductor


Kubuntu session switching shut down window manager

Question: I'm new to Kubuntu. I created a new user account and wanted to start a new session for that user. Under switch session I selected "unused" and somehow ended up with the window manager completely shut down and at a login prompt (black screen, white text, no graphics). I've gone down this road before by mistake.  Why did this happen, and is there a way to get back without rebooting and losing everyone's sessions?
Answer: Ctrl-Alt-F2 got me back to normal, though I'm not quite sure what the purpose of "unused" is as a session option.


Projective description of a bidual of a Fréchet space

Question: Let $X=\operatorname{proj}_nX_n$ be a Fréchet space. What is the relation between $\operatorname{proj}_nX_n''$ and $X''$? This should be known but I cannot find the reference.
Answer: There is of course a canonical map $X''\to$ proj $X_n''$ which however need not be surjective if $X$ is a non-distinguished Fréchet space because then the inductive limit topology on $X'=$ ind $X_n'$ is strictly finer than the strong topology on $X'$. Examples are due to Köthe and Grothendieck and as far as I remember you should find one in the last chapter of Köthe's book.
Answer: I assume that you mean one of the essentially equivalent representatios of the space as a projective limit of a sequence of Banach spaces. Your object of enquiry is then not in general the bidual in the sense of lcs's but the dual of $X'$ provided with its natural bornology, i.e., it is the space of linear functionals on $X'$ which are bounded on the equicontinuous subsets. This can be larger than the lcs bidual though it coincides with it in many cases.  At the moment I have no access to the literature and so cannot give precise references but would refer you to Grothendieck on $DF$-spaces (in particular, his book on lcs's) and the monographs of Hogbe-Nlend on convex bornological spaces.


What are the piece values in chess.com's four player chess?

Question: In chess.com's four-player chess, they evaluate the bishop and rook as an equal 5 points. But the geometry of the board is far more diagonal, perhaps making the bishop actually worth more than the rook. Is there a rough piece value analysis for chess.com's four player chess?
Answer: Just like in a normal chess game, it all depends on the positions. In the opening the Bishops are far more valuable than the Rooks because of their additional mobility through the pawns and their range. But if the game reaches the endgame, the Rook becomes stronger because of its pawn-stopping ability. You cannot really assign a precise value to a piece because the value of a piece is always relative to the position and the number values people assign them are just a general guide. That being said, I would argue that the Bishop and the Rook both being valued at 5 is a reasonable estimate of their strengths, but that when deciding whether to take or not you should be considering the positions of the pieces more than anything else. A strong Bishop shouldn't be traded for a passive Rook or vice versa.


Cassandra query stopped working after compaction

Question: I'm running Cassandra-2.0.4 using CQL3.
Before a recent compaction, I was able to query the following columnfamily with a WHERE clause on accountid_name. Suddenly that stopped returning results and after inserting a new row (with the same accountid_name I was querying before) it displays just the row that was added. Querying the entire table works as expected and displays all of the data.
Logs aren't showing any errors, the system has free memory, and the disk isn't full.
I'm running all of my test queries in cqlsh. Any ideas?
Relevant parts of the table follows:
CREATE TABLE segments (
  email text,
  accountid_name text,
  PRIMARY KEY (email, accountid_name)
) WITH
  bloom_filter_fp_chance=0.010000 AND
  caching='KEYS_ONLY' AND
  comment='' AND
  dclocal_read_repair_chance=0.000000 AND
  gc_grace_seconds=864000 AND
  index_interval=128 AND
  read_repair_chance=0.100000 AND
  replicate_on_write='true' AND
  populate_io_cache_on_flush='false' AND
  default_time_to_live=0 AND
  speculative_retry='99.0PERCENTILE' AND
  memtable_flush_period_in_ms=0 AND
  compaction={'class': 'SizeTieredCompactionStrategy'} AND
  compression={'sstable_compression': 'LZ4Compressor'};

CREATE INDEX segments_accountid_name_idx ON segments (accountid_name);

Answer: nodetool rebuild_index [keyspace] [columnfamily] [index_name]
Although -- according to a chat on IRC, losing the secondary index data is a bug, so hopefully this will be fixed soon.


Trapezoid problem

Question: A trapezoid in which the lengths of the two sides that are not parallel are equal. The length of the longer parallel side is $5$ times the length of the shorter parallel side, and the distance between the two parallel side is $3$ times the length of the shorter parallel side. The perimeter of the trapezoid is $135$ meters. Approximately what is the length, in meters, of the shorter parallel side?
I'm stuck on this question, not sure what I missed.
I can let the shorter side equal to $x$ so the longer side is $5x$ and two equal side is $2y$, sum up
$$6x + 2y = 135$$
not sure what I can do from here to go further, and the area is obviously
$$\frac{6x \times 3x}{2} = 9x^2 $$
The answer is $10$, any suggestions to help me to approach would be highly appreciated.
Answer: Can you show that $$y = \sqrt{13}x$$ and solve for $x?$
Draw a perpendicular to the longer side from one end of the shorter side and consider the right angled triangle formed. It has two shorter sides of length $3x$ and $2x$. Hence the length of the hypotenuse $y$ must be $\sqrt{(3x)^2 + (2x^2)} = \sqrt{13}x$

Trapezoid problem


New Unity version copies the settings of previous version

Question: I use Ubuntu 20.04.
When I download a new version of Unity 3D through Unity Hub, this new version automatically takes the settings of the previous version. I have installed Unity 2020.1, and I am facing the same problem. I created a new project, but it written in 2020.1 that I used preview package. I didn't even installed any package in Unity 2020.1. I did install preview package in 2019.4. But I didn't even open the project with 2020.1. I only have one project with 2020.1. The new project I just created. I asking help because I faced this issue when I first installed 2019.1, 2019.2, etc.
How can I flx it? Thanks
Comment: What is the problem to be 'fixed' exactly? Because this sounds like intended, designed behavior...
Comment: Have the Default Unity settings on each newly installed version. New Unity version with new project often shows error log of another project. It must not be like that
Comment: It copies over the previous settings because that's how everyone wants it to work. "Shows error log of another project" does not make any sense. What errors are you seeing?
Comment: Kevin, it is not normal to find error of a project in another new project. It means there is a file open somewhere and every project visit it.
Comment: @Achie1 Perhaps it would help if you told us what the specific error is.
Answer: I also got the preview packages warning when starting my first Unity 2020 project.
Clicking on the drop-down arrow in this warning message allowed me to select the option "Show Preview Packages"
This opened the Package Manager, and showed that the lone preview package was TextMeshPro 3.0.0-preview.10
At the bottom of the window was an option to Update to the current stable version, 3.0.0
Clicking this resolved the warning about preview packages.
I'd recommend following similar steps for any preview packages you have in your project, unless you deliberately want to test out changes only available in the preview.


How come the coffee initially tasted awful

Question: During the part of The Hateful Eight that showed what happened before, I missed the part that explained why the coffee tasted so awful. What did I miss?
Comment: https://web.archive.org/web/20151224052918/http://twcguilds.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/H8_SCRIPT_CleanedUp_Final1.pdf
Answer: There's nothing explicitly stated about the coffee in the movie. However, the fact that it was so bad is a clue to the fact that even though the Mexican fellow was supposedly working in the haberdashery for the past few months, he still doesn't know how to properly make a pot of coffee, thus revealing that he did not in fact work there at all. Of course you'd have to be extremely observant to draw this conclusion based on that alone, so it's more of a 20/20 hindsight type scenario, or foreshadowing that is only revealed as significant once you know the whole story.
Comment: Do we actually know that Bob made the coffee? During their 4 hours of cleanup, any one of the gang could have made it, and it's the British man who knows exactly where the coffee beans and well water are. And sure, the Mexican hasn't been working their for as long as he says, but that doesn't explain why he doesn't know how to make coffee, or why no one in the gang knew how to make a decent pot of coffee.
Answer: Actually, Minnie stated "Stagecoach drivers like it (coffee), passengers not so much" when the coffee was ready and her husband, Sweet Dave, claimed "best coffee on the mountain". Since John was indeed a passenger and he prob has not gotten used to Minnie's Hot, Strong and its *good flavor.
In reality, good* is subjective to a person's taste. That's why there are Breakfast Blend, Medium Roast, Dark Roast, not to mention black or with cream & sugar, etc.


fully operational PLC with old pc using parallel port for inputs and outputs

Question: hey there I am looking all over the internet for something like an OS (operating System) or either a software that can be programmed as we program a PLC. and for inputs and outputs we use parallel port using flipflops we read and write the inputs and outputs either 16bit or 8bit.
Comment: Have you seen the [OpenPLC Project](https://www.openplcproject.com/)?
Comment: Your question is not clear and lacks proper capitalisation and punctuation. Product recommendations are off-topic. Voting to close. Make a major edit if you wish to keep it open.
Comment: Codesys, however you'll find it hard to work with for PC, and it isn't really an "OS".
Comment: @BenMiller-ReinstateMonica That's former Beremiz, isn't it?
Comment: @Transistor be patient. not everyone in this world is natively English speaking. and I thought that was the way to be specific and to the point. someone with common sense and knowledge about my question will understand perfectly what i'm talking about. sorry i had to be rude....
Comment: @BenMiller-ReinstateMonica yes I tried openPLC project but I think you still need the separate processor to run your program like rasberyPI or Arduino etc, Although I've been looking at this article and I cannot figure out the way to work it. [17 Channel Logic Analyzer](https://www.codeproject.com/Articles/75279/17-Channel-Logic-Analyzer)
Comment: @Ahmad: That's fine, but you should state your location and maybe your language in your user profile so we can help you with translation and formatting.
Answer: You need an extension to the OS, c: alled real time kernel. In windows world it's called intervalzero, Linux has many others: RT-Linux, RTAI, preeemption POSIX,...Then you need a software or C code running in the real time kernel. This is Codesys, but also some free source like Matplc (however I don't know if still alive), ClassicLadder,..


Debian 8 jessie wacom tablet

Question: When i try create profile or change settings in Wacom Tablet Settings, it brings up the settings window, along with a notification saying "Graphic Tablet error. Profile Default does not exist". I use now KDE4, GNOME works perfectly, tablet works,but i need change settings for left hand orientation
Answer: Not sure what's up with the KDE4 control center... but a couple of other ways to accomplish it:
If it's OK to do it system-wide (for all users), you can plop it in the Xorg configuration by (as root) creating the file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/55-local-wacom.conf with the contents:
Section "InputClass"
       Identifier "Wacom Left Handed"
       MatchDriver "wacom"
       Option "Rotate" "half"
EndSection

I think there should be an empty xorg.conf.d directory by default, if not, you'll have to mkdir it.
Alternatively, you can also use the xsetwacom command-line tool. For example,
$ xsetwacom list devices
Wacom Bamboo 16FG 6x8 Pen stylus        id: 12  type: STYLUS
Wacom Bamboo 16FG 6x8 Finger touch      id: 13  type: TOUCH
Wacom Bamboo 16FG 6x8 Pad pad           id: 14  type: PAD
Wacom Bamboo 16FG 6x8 Pen eraser        id: 16  type: ERASER

$ xsetwacom set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 6x8 Pen stylus" "Rotate" "half"
$ xsetwacom set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 6x8 Finger touch" "Rotate" "half"
$ xsetwacom set "Wacom Bamboo 16FG 6x8 Pen eraser" "Rotate" "half"

Debian 8 jessie wacom tablet


Why is Stack Overflow's search box only big enough for two or three words?

Question: Why is Stack Overflow's search box only big enough for two or three words? SO is a programming website, after all, isn't it?  Shouldn't we have a big fat multiline text area so users can put log output or code samples in the search area? We should at least make it half as big as Google's input box.
Answer: The search box now expands dynamically when you set focus to it.
Answer: Put the cursor in the search box and hit enter without entering any text.  You get a bit bigger search box on the resulting search page with which to search using Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo.  Alternatively, you can simply go to Google and type site:stackoverflow.com (or whichever of the SE sites you care about) in the Google search box along with the rest of your query.
As far as why the box is small -- searches perform better on keywords than long strings of text.  Even when I have some error output I usually distill that down to just the keywords in the message, omitting all the common words that don't help.  If you feel that you regularly need a very large search box for your search text, you might find that you get better results reducing the amount of search text you use by choosing only the most unique (problem-related) words instead.
Comment: I'm just going to start hitting random buttons while on SO. That's probably the only way I'll learn about some of these features.
Comment: @Jeff - FAQ? TL;DR. Kindly point me to the document that explains how to use all of SO's undocumented features.
Comment: @jon or you could read the http://stackoverflow.com/faq -- it's linked there under the heading **Are there any search options?** Additionally every search result page links there in the sidebar, too
Answer: You're supposed to just use Google instead.
I'm not really a fan of this, but that's the idea here. The "powers that be" figure they can't build a better search than Google, so they don't really try to make the search all that usable.
Note that you can also use https://stackoverflow.com/search.
Comment: Yep, I gave up on SO's search ages ago and just do a site-specific search on google. e.g. compare the results of http://meta.stackoverflow.com/search?q=%22where+is+the+faq%3F%22 to http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Astackoverflow.com+%22where+is+the+faq%3F%22


Communicating with Drupal from Javascript/Jquery (Drupal 7)

Question: I am trying to create a dynamically populated select list field widget.  This widget consists of three Jquery multiple selects.  When the user makes a selection from the first select list I need to dynamically populate the contents of the second select list.  My problem is that I need to access data stored in Drupal about what should be put in the second list based on the first selection and the only way I can think to access this data is through an ajax call to a Drupal endpoint.  Waiting for the return from an ajax call is going to be to slow for a useable widget so I need a better way to access this data stored in Drupal.  How should one go about doing this?
Answer: You can send variables to your JS with drupal_add_js() in the $settings array.
An other way (the dirty one) to do it would be to print your data in a hidden div and read it with your JS. (don't hesitate to ask if you need code to do it)
Have fun !
Answer: There is a variety of ways to do that:
The drupal way would probably be to read a bit on chaos tools and fork the example for the dependent select box.
What I personally use is the great module knows as Views_datasource, that allows you to output view content as a json array.
So the workflow goes like this:
You have the first populated select, that you bind its change event.
You retrieve the value of the select box and submit it via ajax to a view with a contextual filter rendered through views_datasource.
You retrieve the json reply and populate you second select.
Have fun.
Answer: Add the following line in your code/module
drupal_add_js(array('myModule' => array('awesome_cms' => 'Drupal-Seven')), 'setting');

Then from your jquery access Drupal.settings.awesome_cms to get the value Drupal-Seven


Praying in congregation at home

Question: If a person fails to reach the mosque and time of prayer in the mosque is now gone (the congregational prayer has been offered in the mosque), does he have to offer congregation at home or can he pray alone at home?
Comment: Whether a person can or not depends on the view of the schools of jurisprudence. Some regard prayer in congregation as fard, others regard it as fard in a mosque. The most important is that prayer is fard on any Muslim so in worst case you can always pray it alone, it will be valid, however it wouldn't be regarded a properly done.
Answer: Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem
As Salaamu 3laykum,
I hope you are doing well. If the congregation has been completed at the mosque then it would be recommended to just pray with someone else who has not prayed. If you cannot find anyone then to pray by yourself at the mosque. Since it is the house of ALLAH (Glory Be To HIM) so there would be more benefits there then praying at home. But overall there is no obligation to pray alone in the mosque if you have missed the congregation.
Below is the ranking of what we as Muslim men would be obliged to follow if we are in a close enough proximity to the mosque. For more clarification please see here: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/38881/is-it-obligatory-to-pray-jamaaah-in-a-mosque-that-is-far-from-the-house

Ranking Due to Obligation (Provided he is close to enough to the mosque and he is a Muslim male
#1: Congregation Prayer is Required
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever hears the call to prayer and does not respond, his prayer is not valid, except the one who has an excuse."
Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 793; also narrated by al-Daaraqutni and al-Haakim, who classed it as saheeh. It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.
&
The Prophet (SAW) said, "No doubt, I intended to order somebody to pronounce the Iqama of the (compulsory congregational) prayer and then I would go to the houses of those who do not attend the prayer and burn their houses over them." (Bukhari)

#2: Congregation at home / work place / etc.
ALLAH Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The prayer in congregation is twenty seven times superior to the prayer offered by person alone." (Bukhari)

#3: Praying at home / workplace by yourself
"Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish prayer and give Zakah will have their reward with their LORD, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve." (Quran, Chapter 2 verse 277)

Now after saying the above there is a narration I found but I don't know the level of authenticity. However, here is the narration:
Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri:
Prayer in congregation is equivalent to twenty-five prayers (offered alone). If he prays in a jungle, and performs its bowing and prostrations perfectly, it becomes equivalent to fifty prayers (in respect of reward).
Abu Dawud said: 'Abd al-Walid b. Ziyad narrated in his version of this tradition: "Prayer said by a single person in a jungle is more excellent by multiplied degrees than prayer said in congregation." (Abi Dawud)

Conclusion
There is no source I have come across that says it is obligatory to pray in the mosque once you have missed the congregational prayer.
Have a nice day!
Comment: This is a ranking of preferences. I don't see how this answers the question asked.
Comment: @Medi1Saif As Salaamu 3laykum, the answer was already answered in the first part of my answer and the last part of my answer. In between are the ranking of obligation if we are close enough to the masjid. I will modify to add that clarification so there are no further confusions.
Comment: @Medi1Saif JazakaALLAH Khairan for the help. I have made my answer more detailed and clear so that the person asking will get the right answer.

Praying in congregation at home


Make ubuntu server/router part of wifi connections

Question: So I have configured my ubuntu server to be router with dhcp functionalities and I want it to appear on other computers or devices as a choice for a network connection. My ubuntu router is currently connected to a wireless router which provides internet but I want it in a such a way that the ubuntu router is among the list of network connections to be chosen from. How do I do this?
Answer: Plug the output of the Ubuntu box into the input of the wireless router.
Consider the wireless router's broadcasted network a broadcast of the Ubuntu box as any connections made to that network will be served by the Ubuntu computer.
Also, many wireless routers offer the option of either serving DHCP within the network or having DHCP handled outside the router itself so if you have this option, you will have the option to allow the Ubuntu box to serve DHCP as well.


What does the @ prefix do on string literals in C#

Question: I read some C# article to combine a path using Path.Combine(part1,part2).
It uses the following:
string part1 = @"c:\temp";
string part2 = @"assembly.txt";

May I know what is the use of @ in part1 and part2?
Answer: @ is not related to any method.
It means that you don't need to escape special characters in the string following to the symbol:
@"c:\temp"

is equal to
"c:\\temp"

Such string is called 'verbatim' or @-quoted. See MSDN.
Answer: As other have said its one way so that you don't need to escape special characters and very useful in specifying file paths.
string s1 =@"C:\MyFolder\Blue.jpg";

One more usage is when you have large strings and want it to be displayed across multiple lines rather than a long one.
string s2 =@"This could be very large string something like a Select query
which you would want to be shown spanning across multiple lines
rather than scrolling to the right and see what it all reads up";

Answer: As stated in C# Language Specification 4.0:

18.104.22.168 String literals
C# supports two forms of string
  literals: regular string literals and
  verbatim string literals. A regular
  string literal consists of zero or
  more characters enclosed in double
  quotes, as in "hello", and may include
  both simple escape sequences (such as
  \t for the tab character), and
  hexadecimal and Unicode escape
  sequences. A verbatim string literal
  consists of an @ character followed by
  a double-quote character, zero or more
  characters, and a closing double-quote
  character. A simple example is
  @"hello". In a verbatim string
  literal, the characters between the
  delimiters are interpreted verbatim,
  the only exception being a
  quote-escape-sequence. In particular,
  simple escape sequences, and
  hexadecimal and Unicode escape
  sequences are not processed in
  verbatim string literals.
Answer: It denotes a verbatim string literal, and allows you to use certain characters that normally have special meaning, for example \, which is normally an escape character, and new lines. For this reason it's very useful when dealing with Windows paths.
Without using @, the first line of your example would have to be:
string part1 = "c:\\temp";

More information here.
Answer: The @ just indicates a different way of specifying a string such that you do not have to escape characters with . the only caveat is that double quotes need to be "" to represent a single ".
Answer: With @ you dont have to escape special characters.
So you would have to write "c:\\temp" without @
If more presise it is called 'verbatim' strings. You could read here about it:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa691090(v=vs.71).aspx
Comment: If that URL fails, try this one: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/dotnet/csharp/language-reference/tokens/verbatim


Linear regression when Y is bounded and discrete

Question: The question is straightforward: Is it appropriate to use linear regression when Y is bounded and discrete (e.g. the test score 1~100, some pre-defined ranking 1~17)? In this case, is it "not good" to use linear regression, or it's totally wrong to use it?
Answer: When a response or outcome $Y$ is bounded, various questions arise in fitting a model,  including the following:

Any model that could predict values for the response outside those bounds is in principle dubious. Hence a linear model might be problematic as there are no bounds on $\hat Y = Xb$ for predictors $X$ and coefficients $b$ whenever the $X$ are themselves unbounded in one or both directions. However, the relationship might be weak enough for this not to bite and/or predictions might well remain within bounds over the observed or plausible range of the predictors. At one extreme, if the response is some mean $+$ noise it hardly matters which model one fits.
As the response can't exceed its bounds, a nonlinear relationship is often more plausible with predicted responses tailing off to approach bounds asymptotically. Sigmoid curves or surfaces such as those predicted by logit or probit models are attractive in this regard and are now not difficult to fit. A response such as literacy (or fraction adopting any new idea) often shows such a sigmoid curve in time and plausibly with almost any other predictor.
A bounded response can't have the variance properties expected in plain or vanilla regression. Necessarily as the mean response approaches lower and upper bounds, the variance always approaches zero.

A model should be chosen according to what works and knowledge of the underlying generating process. Whether the client or audience knows about particular model families may also guide practice.
Note that I am deliberately avoiding blanket judgments such as good/not good, appropriate/not appropriate, right/wrong. All models are approximations at best and which approximation appeals, or is good enough for a project, isn't so easy to predict. I typically favour logit models as first choice for bounded responses myself, but even that preference is based partly on habit (e.g. my avoiding probit models for no very good reason) and partly on where I will report results, usually to readerships that are, or should be, statistically well informed.
Your examples of discrete scales are for scores 1-100 (in assignments I mark, 0 is certainly possible!) or rankings 1-17. For scales like that, I would usually think of fitting continuous models to responses scaled to [0, 1]. There are, however, practitioners of ordinal regression models who would happily fit such models to scales with a fairly large number of discrete values. I am happy if they reply if they are so minded.
Answer: I work in health services research. We collect patient-reported outcomes, e.g. physical function or depressive symptoms, and they are frequently scored in the format you mentioned: a 0 to N scale generated by summing up all the individual questions in the scale.
The vast majority of the literature I've reviewed has just used a linear model (or a hierarchical linear model if the data stem from repeat observations). I've yet to see anyone use @NickCox's suggestion for a (fractional) logit model, although it is a perfectly plausible model.
Item response theory strikes me as another plausible statistical model to apply. This is where you assume some latent trait $\theta$ causes responses to the questions using a logistic or ordered logistic model. That inherently handles the issues of boundedness and possible non-linearity that Nick raised.
The graph below stems from my forthcoming dissertation work. This is where I fit a linear model (red) to a depressive symptom question score that's been converted to Z-scores, and an (explanatory) IRT model in blue to the same questions. Basically, the coefficients for both model are on the same scale (i.e. in standard deviations). There's actually a fair bit of agreement in the size of the coefficients. As Nick alluded to, all models are wrong. But the linear model may not be too wrong to use.

That said, a fundamental assumption of almost all current IRT models is that the trait in question is bipolar, i.e. its support is $-\infty$ to $\infty$. That's probably not true of depressive symptoms. Models for unipolar latent traits are still under development, and standard software can't fit them. A lot of the traits in health services research that we're interested in are likely to be unipolar, e.g. depressive symptoms, other aspects of psychopathology, patient satisfaction. So the IRT model may also be wrong as well.
(Note: the model above was fit usint Phil Chalmers' mirt package in R. Graph produced using ggplot2 and ggthemes. Color scheme draws from the Stata default color scheme.)
Comment: Just because linear models are widely used, does not mean they are appropriate. Many people use linear models because that is only what they know or are comfortable with.
Comment: The medical literature is especially rife with poor practice that's propagated by "this is what this field/journal does" type ideaology. As a general rule, I would not use or fail to use something just because of it's appearance, however common, in medical research.
Answer: Take a look at the predicted values and check if they have roughly the same distribution as the original Ys. If this is the case, linear regression is probably fine. and you will gain little by improving your model.
Answer: A linear regression may "adequately" describe such data, but it's unlikely. Many assumptions of linear regression tend to be violated in this type of data to such a degree that linear regression becomes ill-advised. I'll just choose a few assumptions as examples,

Normality - Even ignoring the discreteness of such data, such data tends to exhibit extreme violations of normality because the distributions are "cut off" by the bounds.
Homoscedasticity - This type of data tends to violate homoscedasticity. Variances tend to be larger when the actual mean is towards the center of the range, as compared to the edges.
Linearity - Since the range of Y is bounded, the assumption is automatically violated.

The violations of these assumptions are mitigated if the data tends to fall around the center of the range, away from the edges. But really, linear regression is not the optimal tool for this kind of data. Much better alternatives might be binomial regression, or poisson regression.
Comment: It's hard to see that Poisson regression is a candidate for doubly bounded responses.
Answer: use a cdf (cumulative distribution function from statistics). if your model is y=xb+e, then change it to y=cdf(xb+e). You will need to rescale your dependent variable data to fall between 0 and 1. If it's positive numbers, divide by them max, and take your model predictions and multiply by the same number.
Then go check the fit and see if the bounded predictions improve things.
You probably want to use a canned algorithm to take care of the statistics for you.
Comment: This seems to confuse two facts: (1) bounded responses should be scaled to between 0 and 1 for logit, probit and similar models to apply (2) cdfs also vary between 0 and 1. In treating a fractional response as such, you aren't modelling its cdf.
Answer: If the response only takes a few categories, you may be able to use classification methods or ordinal regression if your response variable is ordinal.
Plain linear regression will neither give you discrete categories nor bounded response variables. The latter can be fixed by using a logit model like in logistic regression. For something like a test score with 100 categories 1-100, you might as well simplify your prediction and use a bounded response variable.


Multivariate Gaussian fitting

Question: When trying to approximate a distribution of random vectors $D$ by using multivariate Gaussian, what properties must we ensure that $D$ has? I.e., what distributions can be estimated by multivariate Gaussian fitting?
Answer: In a multivariate Gaussian distribution different coordinates can be related only in a linear way. Run regression of $X(i)$ on $X(j)$ and $X(j)^2$. If the coefficient of $X(j)^2$ is statistically significant, then the multivariate distribution is not Gaussian. A scatterplot matrix allows one to detect any aberrations informally.
Also, it goes without saying that the marginal distribution of each coordinate $X(i)$ must be "bell-shaped". In other words, it should pass Gaussian goodness-of-fit tests. Such tests are Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Shapiro-Wilk, Jarque-Bera, ...
Multivariate Gaussian distribution is not allowed to be degenerate. In particular, the covariance matrix of the coordinates must have positive determinant. For example, $Y$ can be a Gaussian variable but $(Y, -Y)$ will not be a Gaussian vector since the coordinates are linearly related.

Multivariate Gaussian fitting


Toggle button on a table field

Question: I'm thinking of using a toggle button to publish/unpublish a product in a table field. What is your view on using a toggle button and keeping a field clickable in a table?
Answer: Actions in table's rows are quite common, as each row represents some actionable domain entity.
One thing you should care of is the data in a row provides enough information on taking decision of making an action. So a user shouldn't dive into details to make a decision and turn back to perform an action.
You can see live example of this approach on the following image:

Toggle button on a table field


steam and Parallels Desktop 10?

Question: I am planning on buying a Macbook Pro and Parallels Desktop 10, but I also love PC video games and I want to know if anyone knows how/if Steam games can run easily through Parallels Desktop.  Also if Steam games can run, how well does it run?  Do you think I would be better off getting Boot Camp?
Comment: Sorry to bump an old thread, I have a new Macbook Pro, and run Parallel 12, and have installed Windows 10 and Ubuntu 16.04LTS in their own virtual machines. I have also installed Office 2013, SQL Server 2016 and VS 2015 in Windows 10, and all works great. I just tried to install Steam on Ubuntu running in it's VM. All went well, until I kicked it off to run, and I got a load of Xerrors. It's clear that running Steam on Ubuntu when in a Parallels VM isn't going to happen. I'll try to run Steam in Windows VM next. If anyone has been successful in doing so please let me know. Also, if anyone can
Answer: Parallels is great if you don't need full speed; it's not great for gaming, but it's OK at a push.
I'd go with Boot Camp for gaming, Parallels for less-intensive work.
You can use your Boot Camp drive in Parallels too, for times you just need quick access to Windows, without needing the full-speed setup. The only proviso is that you must shut it down in Parallels each time, rather than Suspend it, or it messes up the boot partition.
You can set your prefs in Parallels to do this automatically, so you don't forget.
From comments…
Windows needs to be purchased separately, for either solution, Boot Camp or Parallels.
This excerpt from Parallels FAQ

Pre-Sales Questions - I want to buy Parallels and need to know…

Does Windows come pre-installed with Parallels Desktop for Mac?

Windows is not included with your purchase of Parallels Desktop 10 for Mac. Windows can be purchased directly from Microsoft or many retail stores. For Windows 8 or 8.1, you can use either the Full Product purchased at retail, or you can purchase the Windows 8 or 8.1 OEM System Builder version (lower price) which has some limitations. Please visit KB9003 for additional information.
Comment: Whichever way you do it, you need to purchase your Windows license separately. Both enable Win etc to be installed, they don't cover the license for you.
Comment: If I get Boot Camp will I need to purchase Windows 8 or does Boot Camp include Windows 8?
Comment: oh, I was under the impression that Parallels covered the license
Comment: 'fraid not - I added more info on that to the answer. I hear Win 10 may be free - depends how long you can hang on...

steam and Parallels Desktop 10?


Can you dodge a grenade attack, or dive for cover?

Question: Assuming a grenade or a fireball hits, and the roll is exactly 3 so it's on-target:
Is there a Reaction+Intuition to "protect yourself"? (like a D&D reflex save)
or do you auto-hit and proceed to soaking damage?
Comment: ouch, that 18p seems pretty nasty if you cant even remove like 3-4 more with a dodge
Answer: Run & Gun adds several interrupt actions and one Edge action that are applicable to defending yourself or others against grenades.

Right back at ya! This is an interrupt action that deducts 10 from initiative. You have to pass an Agility (2) test to quickly pick up or intercept the incoming grenade, followed by a Throwing Weapons attack at a -2 penalty to return the grenade to its rightful owner. Page 124.
Run for your life! This is an interrupt action that deducts 5 from initiative. Page 125.
Dive on the grenade! This is an interrupt action that deducts 5 from initiative. Page 125.

If all else fails, there is always Edge.

Lucky Duck, Page 126
A character can spend Edge for a teammate for the purposes of avoiding an incoming attack. It costs two of the character's Edge points, and the teammate must be within range for them to see what is coming and warn their teammate (this includes commlink messages as well as audio and video systems). This ability is used after an attack has been declared to make the attack miss.
Answer: You can't really "dodge" a grenade attack. The attacker isn't really trying to hit you with the grenade. They are trying to make the grenade land some place near you. This is why the threshold for successes is not dependent on the person being attacked.
That being said, it is still possible to mitigate the effects of the grenade before it explodes. There are a couple of ways to accomplish this. As stated by Dyndrilliac already, the Run & Gun sourcebook has several additional interrupt actions that can be used when you are in the face of a grenade attack.
Also, the method of detonation can leave you some options. If the attacker has set the grenade to go off via a timer, then there is a high chance that you will get to act at least one more time before the grenade detonates. This will allow you the opportunity to run. This is dangerous, as the attacker could just as easily be set up to detonate the grenade via wireless link.
In regards to your question about whether or not it is "auto-hit". I wouldn't look at it this way. Again, the attacker is not attacking YOU per se. They are throwing the grenade and when it explodes, your proximity is what determines the effects.


Understanding expansion of the universe

Question: I'm having problems to understand "graphically" what is the expansion of the universe.
Does it mean that if now we have two points A and B separated by 1 meter, in a future those points will be separated by 2 meters, even without any force or movement between them? just because the space between them was expanded?
Comment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=th_9ZR2I0_w&vl=en
Answer: The universe is expanding, but the moon won't get any further from the earth. Gravitationally (or electromagnetically or strongly or weakly) bound systems are exempt, if they are sufficiently bound. I think this passage explains it well. (Source)
The reason for this is subtle, and is related to the fact that the expansion itself isn't a force, but rather a rate. Space is really still expanding on all scales, but the expansion only affects things cumulatively. There's a certain speed that space will expand at between any two points, but if that speed is less than the escape velocity between those two objects -- if there's a force binding them -- there's no increase in the distance between them. And if there's no increase in distance, that impetus to expand has no effect. At any instant, it's more than counteracted, and so it never gets the additive effect that shows up between the unbound objects. As a result, stable, bound objects can survive unchanged for eternity in an expanding Universe.
Answer: this is not correct, 1 meter distance will always stay 1 meter, when we say the universe is expanding it means all galaxy clusters receding from each other because of Hubble constant, however, the Hubble constant itself is too tiny to see its effect in our solar system.
if the space expanded everywhere we would see rotational speed up of compact objects, which we do not observe
Comment: @Enrique space is expanding everywhere, but the only places we see it play out is when other forces cannot counteract this effect. For example in a meter stick the forces between atoms is strong enough to counteract the expansion of space, so the meter stick will not expand. However, on larger scales (like between galaxy clusters) gravity is not strong enough to counter the expansion of space.
Comment: so you are saying the space expands only in some places? what is the reason for that?
Comment: @Enrique Hubble constant has repulsive effect on all matter like antigravity with it being proportional to the distance, the larger the distance the stronger its repulsion, over billions of years the galaxy clusters accumulated a lot of momentum and now are moving away from each other with enormous velocities, and within the clusters the gravitational pull of galaxies was strong enough to counteract this repulsion, which in turn was smaller because the distances were less
Comment: OK, I think it's easier if we think about it like 2 forces then, at small scales the "expansion force / antigravity" is there too, even between protons and neutrons, but the net force is attraction anyway so are never separated, but between galaxies due the weak attraction between them and because there are more spance between them (and hence the "expansion force is stronger) the net effect is repulsion.
Answer: So, let's get some perspective. The figure I got for the rate of expansion is 68 kilometers per second per megaparsec.
68 x 10^3 / 3 × 10^19 = 2.3 x 10^-17 metres per second.
I make that approximately 4.3 x 10^9 years to expand by 1 metre! A billion years! That's a bit more that 4 metres over the age of the Earth.
What non-cosmological effect is going to show that? Electromagnetic and even gravitational energies will counteract this very slow stretching with only minor adjustments.
Except, that the expansion is accelerating, so one day the ratio will change, and we have this to look forward to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rip

Understanding expansion of the universe


How to Create a dropdown list with external data in Sitecore 9.0.2 Forms

Question: Sitecore version: 9.0.2
How can I create a dropdown in Sitecore 9.0.2 form and bind data from external data sources like SQL server?
Comment: Will it work for you? - https://joaoneto.blog/create-a-dropdown-list-with-external-data-in-sitecore-forms/
Answer: You need to create a custom drop-down list for external data in Sitecore forms, to achieve this functionality please follow the below steps and you can customize it as per your requirement:
Create a Field Settings Manager
We will start by creating a class that extends from the interface Sitecore.ExperienceForms.FieldSettings.IFieldSettingsManager. This interface is found in the Sitecore.ExperienceForms assembly is responsible for populating the options in the dropdown list field.
IFieldSettingsManager contains two methods:

GetSettings – Here is where you are going to implement the logic to
populate the options. You might want to call some service to read
information from an external system (e.g. Salesforce) and convert
them into a ListFieldItemCollection
SaveSettings – The OOTB dropdown list field uses this method to create the options as Sitecore items in the Content Tree when the static data source is selected.
Below is the code:

https://github.com/netojoa/blog/blob/master/sitecore/forms/custom-elements/src/Feature/Forms/code/Managers/SalesforceSettingsManager.cs
Create a ViewModel class
Next, we need to create a view model class for the custom dropdown list. This is a really simple class that basically derives from the Sitecore.ExperienceForms.Mvc.Models.Fields.DropDownListViewModel class and overwrites DataSourceSettingsManager property to reuse our own field settings manager class.
Below is the code:
https://github.com/netojoa/blog/blob/master/sitecore/forms/custom-elements/src/Feature/Forms/code/Models/Fields/SalesforceDropdownListViewModel.cs
Tying everything together
Now, in the Content Editor, navigate to /sitecore/system/Settings/Forms/Field Types/Lists and create a new field type (template: /sitecore/templates/System/Forms/Field Type). Give it the name "Salesforce Dropdown list", and enter the following values:

View Path: FieldTemplates/DropDownList. We are reusing the same as the OOTB Dropdown list field
Model Type: Custom.Feature.Forms.Models.Fields.SalesforceDropdownListViewModel, Custom.Feature.Forms. Enter here the full qualified namespace to the view model we have just created.
Property Editor: Property Editor Settings/DropdownList. Let's keep the same as the OOTB dropdown list field for the sake of simplicity. I have created a custom one, however. You can find it in my Github repository.
Field Template: Fields/Dropdown List. We are reusing the same as the OOTB Dropdown list field.
Icon: OfficeWhite/32×32/drop_down_list.png. Or any of your choice.
BackgroundColor: Grass.
With all that done, you should have now a dropdown list getting data from external sources.

Create a List Data Source Provider
We will start by creating a class that extends from the interface Sitecore.ExperienceForms.Mvc.DataSource.IListDataSourceProvider. This interface is found in the Sitecore.ExperienceForms.Mvc assembly and is responsible for populating the options in the dropdown list field in Sitecore 9.0.x.
https://github.com/netojoa/blog/blob/master/sitecore/forms/custom-elements/src/Feature/Forms/code/Providers/SalesforceListDataSourceProvider.cs
Create a View Model Class
Next, we need to create a view model class for the custom dropdown list. This class derives from the Sitecore.ExperienceForms.Mvc.Models.Fields.DropDownListViewModel class and overwrites ListDataSourceProvider property to reuse our own List Data Source Provider class.
https://github.com/netojoa/blog/blob/master/sitecore/forms/custom-elements/src/Feature/Forms/code/Models/Fields/SalesforceDropdownListViewModel.cs
Blog :https://joaoneto.blog/create-a-dropdown-list-with-external-data-in-sitecore-forms/
Github: https://github.com/netojoa/blog/tree/master/sitecore/forms/custom-elements
Answer: You can achieve this by creating a custom Sitecore Form field and creating a List Data Source Provider, that will be responsible to retrieve the data from an external provider.
I used this article to work with an External Data provider by creating a class that get inherits from IListDataSourceProvider
https://joaoneto.blog/create-a-dropdown-list-with-external-data-in-sitecore-forms/
For the custom field, you need to create a class that gets inherited from the OOTB class called DropDownListViewModel.
For the view side, you need to refer to the OOTB dropdown list and change a little bit of cshtml updates as per your needs.
Under that cshtml, you need to bind your Items property with your external data provider and then you bind the dropdown list values like this.
<select id="@Html.IdFor(m => Model.Value)" name="@Html.NameFor(m => Model.Value)" class="@Model.CssClass universalcascadingselectlist-ddn" data-sc-tracking="@Model.IsTrackingEnabled" data-sc-field-name="@Model.Name" @Html.GenerateUnobtrusiveValidationAttributes(m => m.Value)>
    @if (Model.ShowEmptyItem)
    {
        <option label=" "></option>
    }@foreach (var item in Model.Items)
    {
        <option value="@item.Value" selected="@item.Selected">@item.Text</option>
    }
</select>


Blobstore upload with AsiHttpRequest

Question: I'm trying to store a blob with AsiHttpRequest in iOS and something doesn't work well.
when I'm asking the blobstoreserivce to produce an upload link it does the job.
when I'm trying to post to this link it gets back with a 411 error of
"POST requests require a Content-length header"
thats my iOS code
<code>NSData *imageData = [NSData dataWithData:UIImageJPEGRepresentation(img, 0.5)];

self.formData = [ASIFormDataRequest requestWithURL:[NSURL URLWithString:uri]];
[self.formData setData:imageData withFileName:@"gal.jpg" andContentType:@"image/jpg"    forKey:@"myFile"];
[self.formData setDelegate:self];
[self.formData setUploadProgressDelegate:self];
[self.formData setPostFormat:ASIMultipartFormDataPostFormat];
[self.formData startAsynchronous];
</code>
ill be glad for some help
Gal
Answer: You can add a Content-Length header to your request as follows:
<code>[self.formData addRequestHeader:@"Content-Length" value:[NSString stringWithFormat:@"%d", [imageData length]]];
</code>

Blobstore upload with AsiHttpRequest


just god rays, without shadows or anything? (Blender Internal)

Question: I want to cast some light rays from the sky in my scene. As far as I know only way in Blender Internal is to use Spot Lights with Halo enabled.
But I don't want the light to actually illuminate the scene, nor have the obstacle which creates the rays to be visible. Can I do this?
Answer: You could

Uncheck 'Specular' and 'Diffuse' illumination options in your spot lamp and only check 'Halo' (+ adjust 'Size', 'Intensity', etc. as you like)

To get some more defined and realistic rays you can add a so called cookie ("stencil") object (e.g. a plane with some holes cut in it). To make it just cast shadows and not show up in the render itself you have set up the "Shadow" section of its material as follows (main part being the "Cast Only" setting):

Use the Compositor node 'Filter'->'Sun Beams' to get the effect in post
Comment: When I disable Specular and Diffuse but have Halo enabled, besides getting the volumetric rays, I also get a visible volumetric spot light beam. If I create a "stencil" object so just some beams will pass through, then the stencil object gets rendered too. If I set it to not render, the Spotlight ignores it too. I there a workaround to this?
Comment: Yes, there is. You can apply a cast only material to your "stencil" object.


Custom ServiceHost in wcf configuration file?

Question: i wonder if there is a way to specifiy a custom ServiceHost (i.e. a ServiceHost derived class) in configuration?
thanks
Answer: I don't think you need to specify anything in a config file in order to use a custom ServiceHost.  I haven't tried to do that before, but I see nothing in the config file that would specify information about the ServiceHost.
Here's a web page on MSDN titled "Custom Service Host."
Hopefully some of that helps!
Answer: Yes we have just come across this pain too, we wanted to have different endpoints on the ServiceHost, which on the client side is dead simply you just pass in the Endpoint you want when creating the ChannelFactory, however on the server side this is not so simple.
I agree the above you need to create a Custom Service Host and override the ApplyConfiguration() method.
There is an excellent example of doing this here : http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/forums/en-US/wcf/thread/3af366c1-3b11-42e6-85a4-ea63cd48be18/
Hope it helps


new starter in 74 pontiac with 350 turns over and fires but won't stay running

Question: My starter went on my 74 Pontiac with a chev 350 (Canadian). It first was not starting sporadically and I would have to crawl under and tap on it to get it going. I got a new starter and now it will turn over and fire but as soon as you stop cranking it quits. any help greatly appreciated
Answer: I believe there are two circuits which can run the vehicle: one when starting; one when running. IIRC, the starting circuit provides full voltage to the coil which gives a bit more juice for extra power when starting. As soon as you allow the key to go back from start to run, this circuit is disconnected. This leaves the run circuit. If you don't have power through this circuit, the engine will quit right after you allow the key to go back to the run position. I don't have access to a wiring diagram at the moment, but I believe there should be two power leads going to you coil (as long as it's the old barrel style coil and not HEI). One of the leads will be coming from the starter (the full voltage) and the other will be the low voltage "run" lead. Check the power here with the key in the run position. If you don't get power there, you'll need to trace it back to figure out where the issue is. If you can find a wiring diagram, it will probably help you tremendously.


Remote connection to Time Capsule

Question: I've found the link below which provides useful info on how to configure Time Capsule for remote connection.  I've followed this and am able to connect to remotely manage the TC (via Airport utility) but still cannot connect in order to access files.  I'm trying from a Windows PC.
How can I access my Time Capsule remotely?
Answer: The first thing to check is if the Time Capsule was told explicitly to share the files over the internet using bonjour or simply sharing to the WAN.
Have you verified that the active profile on the Airport is set to allow this?

My example has these turned off (you can see them under the guest access control)
Answer: Make sure that you have a clear path to the Internet in terms of firewalls, and ensure that TCP port 5354 and UDP ports 4500 and 5353 are open and unrestricted.
Once you've done that, make sure you are logged into iCloud on your computer, and that the remote Time Capsule is on (also making sure those ports are unblocked on that end). Your disk should now be available via FTP and AFP.
If you have access to a Mac, try these steps from the Apple Support Article about troubleshooting Back to My Mac.

Update all your Macs to OS X Lion v10.7.3 or later (OS X Lion v10.7.4 or later is recommended).
Choose System Preferences from the Apple () menu. Open iCloud System Preferences and check that Back to My Mac is enabled. See if any diagnostic messages are provided under the Back to My Mac section to assist you with troubleshooting and resolving any connection issue.
Toggle Back To My Mac off and back on by deselecting and then reselecting Back To My Mac in iCloud System Preferences.
Make sure the computer you are trying to connect to is not sleeping and is set to Wake on Demand. For more information about Wake on Demand, see this article.

If you are using an AirPort base station, make sure your firmware is up-to-date (open AirPort Utility 6.0 or later).
Check your network for a multiple NAT setup and reconfigure your network as needed.
Make sure NAT-PMP or UPnP is enabled (if you are using an AirPort Extreme Gigabit Ethernet base station, click here for information about AirPort Extreme Gigabit Ethernet and NAT PMP).
Ensure TCP port 5354 and UDP ports 4500 and 5353 are open on your firewall. To learn more about ports used by Apple products, click here.

Note: Perform these steps only if you've verified the information in the previously listed troubleshooting section is configured correctly.

Open Keychain Access located in /Applications/Utilities.
Choose the System Keychain in the Keychains list on the left.
Sort the Keychain list by Kind.
Select all keys listing the "Back to My Mac Key."
Delete the selected keys. You will be prompted for your machine's administrator password.
Quit Keychain Access.
Choose System Preferences from the Apple () menu. Open iCloud System Preferences.
Toggle Back to My Mac off and back on again by deselecting (if still selected) and selecting the checkbox.
Once Back to My Mac connects, quit System Preferences.

Remote connection to Time Capsule


How do t-lymphocytes become mature if thymus has lost its function?

Question: The development of t-lymphocytes are done by thymus and we also know that the thymus degenerates before puberty and we also know the maximum lifespan of WBC's is 15 days. So, how do t-lymphocytes become mature if thymus has lost his function?
Answer: A few points, I'll expand on this later and add references if I have time:

The thymus starts degenerating at puberty but continues to function in thymocyte maturation for decades, albeit at a lower level
Many mature T cells can live for years
Through homeostatic proliferation, peripheral T cells maintain their population size
Immune surveillance generally decreases with age

Note that extended lifespans and homeostatic proliferation (points 2 and 3) don't contribute to TCR diversity but only maintain the existing repertoire.
Answer: The key thing is this: yes, the thymus involutes at puberty but that doesn't halt  thymopoiesis. The thymus continues to produce naive T lymphocytes throughout our lives (even up to 70 years of age-see references) albeit at a very reduced rate. This mechanism is very important for example in HIV-infected individuals who are still able to repopulate their immune cells through a combination of peripheral T cell division and thymic production of naive T cells.
References: Reference_1, Reference_2, Reference_3


Publishing a Theoretical Article in Urban Planning

Question: Is publishing a paper only with theoretical knowledge deemed okay? I was invited by an editor (through a lecture series) to publish a paper in an Urban Planning journal. I wrote two articles and they're published recently. However, I don't feel proud instead I'm self criticising and feeling that my work is not up to the standard ( I mean more research and analysis). A theoretical analysis was done but I'm somehow not convinced that I did a good job. Is this normal? Am I just feeling the imposter syndrome? I'm a Masters Student in the final year and I want to do a PhD and get into academia.
Answer: Actually, if the journals that published your work are reputable, then you are definitely "up to the standard". So, yes, it feels like a bit of imposter syndrome. And maybe the shock of early success (which is far preferable to the opposite).
Talk to an advisor about how "theoretical" work is accepted in your field. The journals who welcome it might be different from those with a more practical focus.
If you don't already know about the quality of the journals you've published in then a local professor can give you advice on that as well. But from a distance, all seems good.
Answer: From my experience, it is difficult for a master's student to evaluate the quality of academic journals and of the articles published in them (including their own). I echo Buffy's recommendation that you should talk to a professor to get their assessment.
However, I would add the strong emphasis that it is usually (though not only) researchers who actively publish themselves who are able to give you a reputable assessment of the quality of the journals in which you have published. So, I would recommend that you search a researcher's research record first on Google Scholar to make sure that they are themselves actively publishing researchers in the field of Urban Planning. When you have verified that this is the case, then you can ask such a researcher their honest assessment of the quality of the journals in which you have published. (And even better, if they have the time to give you, they could even take a look at your articles to assess their specific quality.)
My implication is that if you ask a professor who is an inactive researcher about the journals, they might say that it is great just because they themselves do not actively publish that much.


Garage remodel: can I leave garage door in and put an insulated wall in front?

Question: I am doing a garage remodel and wondering how best to keep the garage door on facade and still be able to have A/C in the garage?
I live in hot and humid south Texas. Is this a ridiculous solution to cutting cost of new brick facade.
Are there any foreseen code issues or issues in general?
Comment: Depending on the use of the room, there could be issues of sufficient exits if the garage door is inoperable.
Comment: @manassehkatz- Thanks, yeah I was actually wanting to add a door to the side of garage. That will bring it to code as I would need two exits. A window would work but would rather have door. The space will be used as a home school area, and play area for kids mostly. And possibly later an extra sleepover area.
Answer: I had a neighbour whom finished his garage. He built a wall 2ft in front of the garage door and had the whole garage insulated. Garage door still operated by the opener.  That way his garden tools still had a spot to hang up. Probably a bit of framing involved.
Answer: There are kits you can buy to stuff into most traditional garage doors and get a decent amount of R value into the door (not as much as a wall, but not 0).
If you're wanting to block the door and insulate, you might just be able to rig up some 2x4 framing within the doorway, insulate and do something simple like concrete board outside (I'm not sure if there's any code that would prevent this, so check local codes before doing it). Done with screws, it could be dismantled if you change your mind.
I wouldn't brick the door off since removing the garage door in a permanent way like that might impact the resale value later on.
Comment: I would definitely check local codes. In many areas it is a violation to have a door or window blocked or inoperable. The reason being emergency personal could waste time trying to gain access thru a door or window that is boarded shut.
Comment: Oh cool I may look into the kits for insulating garage doors. I like both of your suggestions. I may have to run by wife on the framing in the doorway as I m not sure she would go for the look of it on the outside if it didn't match the brick facade. I also like it because removing the door tracks on ceiling will allow me to build the kids play lofts where I wanted. Hmmm that facade tho... do ya see an issue cutting the track, locking garage door, and putting a framed and insulated wall behind the garage? I could always remove subfloor and wall and replace track to convert back for reselling?
Comment: That's basically what I would suggest. Take down the opener, lock the door and build your wall on the exterior side. You can even remove some of the track (or angle grind it off). My wife and I bypassed several houses that had rendered the garage virtually unusable but YMMV. Not every area needs cars.
Comment: Ok, just in-case , though, if we can't find a way to make that wall look good with the red brick on exterior, do you see an issue with the wall being built on the interior side of door? Code issue maybe?
Answer: I had a similar issue but in a cold climate. I thought about putting an insulated wall inside and under the garage door. making a small space to heat and be completely insulated. In the end, I found it was easier just to insulated the door. you can take off the back panels and spray poly in them. it's not a big job.
The major issue i found was having to build a dropdown ceiling below where the garage door opens and being able to insulate that. Depending on the span of your garage you might need 2x6's or even 2x8's to pass code if you have no support in the middle. maybe some sistered. This is going to be costly and you lose too much space overhead as you are already down under the "ceiling door area".


My UPDATED content ONLY shows when I am signed in.

Question: Good Day, as mentioned in my title, my webpage Lasnersport.com only shows it's updated content when i am signed in. When not signed in it shows context from months ago  as its current.
Comment: Are you using any caching plugins that may be keeping an old version of the page on the live side?
Answer: You are using WP Super Cache. This is serving a page that was generated on January 30. You need to flush your cache, and configure Super Cache correctly, so as to automatically flush when the home page is updated.
Comment: 13 seconds faster :D
Comment: Curses........!
Answer: Your Homepage is cached via WP-Super-Cache.
Adjust the settings in the Plugin's options, as we can see here your Cache has been built on January 30th for the last time:
<code><!-- Dynamic page generated in 0.539 seconds. -->
<!-- Cached page generated by WP-Super-Cache on 2013-01-30 14:16:20 -->
<!-- Compression = gzip -->
</code>
If you deactivate the Plugin, it should also wrk for you.


Showing if $f_n \to f$ uniformly and each $f_n$ has at most $10$ discontinuities, then so does $f$

Question: Suppose that $f_n:[a,b] \to \Bbb R$ and $f_n$ uniformly converges to $f$ as $n$ goes to infinity. How to prove that if each $f_n$ has at most ten discontinuities (the discontinuities for each $f_n$ might be different) then $f$ also has at most ten discontinuities?
Answer: If for some $x_0\in [a,b]$, there is a subsequence of $\{f_n\}$ with elements functions which all continuous at $x_0$, then $f$ is continuous at $x_0$. This is due to the following fact:
If $\{g_n\}$ converges uniformly to $g$, and all the $g_n$'s are continuous at $x_0$, then $g$ is also continuous at $x_0$.
So if $f$ is discontinuous at $x_0$, then all but finitely many $f_n$'s are discontinuous at $x_0$.
Assume now that $f$ is discontinuous at the distinct points $x_1,\ldots x_k$, with $k>10$.
Then for the $x_j$, all but finitely many $f_n$'s are discontinuous at it. Say that for $n\ge n_j$, the $f_n$ is discontinuous at $x_j$. Setting $n_0=\max\{n_1,\ldots,n_k\}$, we have that all the functions $f_n$, for $n\ge n_0$, are discontinuous at $x_1,\ldots,x_k$.
This is a contradiction, since these $f_n$'s are discontinuous to more than $10$ points.
Comment: I see it now. Thanks a lot!
Comment: Can you slow down the editing a bit? Your edits are somewhat flooding the front page at the moment.


Add required custom field only to the business account and not the person account

Question: When I create custom fields(required fields) in the account object, the fields get added to both person account and business account. How do I make those fields only available for the Business account? I know that I can modify the page layouts for person account to not show those fields. But since the new custom fields are 'required' fields,even if I remove them from the person account page layout, I don't think any new person account records can be saved unless the required fields are filled. So removing those fields from person account record page is not a solution.
Answer: You can go for validation rules, like IF Account RecordType is BussinessAccount & RequiredField is null/empty show an error. In this way you can manadate to fill that field if BusinessAccount and for Person Account this validation wont work.
Along with this you can add that field only in Business Layout and remove from Person Account Layout.
Hope this resolves your issue.
Comment: I wanted to use the record type Id of the business account record type instead of the record type name. But I didn't find it in the record types section of the Account object. Where do I get the record type id of business account record type?
Comment: Personally I'd prefer RecordType Name instead of ID --> Anyways you got different ways to arrive a solution

With Name:
AND($RecordType.Name = "The RecType Name",
ISBLANK(TEXT(YourMandatoryField)))

RecordType ID:

AND($RecordType.Id = "012xxxxxxxxxxxx",
ISBLANK(TEXT(YourMandatoryField)))

Why RecordType Name instead of RecordType ID? If you use recordtype id and when things are deployed it has to be changed/updated with relevant record ids in that environment, but if you use a RecordType Name there is no change required after deployments.


Why doesn't the United States have a Professional Women's Baseball League?

Question: Australia is about to start a professional women's baseball league in about 2 years. In the same news report it said that the US doesn't have one. I am amazed. Why?
Comment: Arguably, *any* league (including MLB, if it didn't already exist) would have trouble getting started in the US today. There are too many competing options, and not enough patience from any financial backers for a league to grow organically from a small initial offering.
Answer: Women in the US are usually pushed into softball, for starters. Otherwise, US women professional sports leagues have had a hard time surviving. Women's soccer sees an uptick every time the Women's World Cup rolls around but still trails MLS which fights for its own recognition, the WNBA relies heavily on the NBA propping it up (and even then most players have to also play in Europe to make money) and women's hockey is a mess.
Comment: I'm not sure the *sport* is as iconic (or at least popular) as Major League Baseball (the entity) is. People go to MLB games as much because it is there as because they actually want to watch baseball.
Comment: Americans generally aren't interested in less than top competition. Baseball's minor leagues for the most part only exist because of their affiliation with a major league team paying the players' salaries.
Comment: That's all true. But for a non contact sport that is such an iconic part of American culture, I still struggle to see why.
Answer: There is women's baseball.  However the answer why it will not be a "paid sport" is that it highlights the disparities in the human body between the two sexes.  In simple terms adult women would not only be really really bad compared to men they would be really really bad compared to teenagers.   If women could play this sport at a closer level it would have happened (I am not counting one-offs just to watch women).
Some issues:

the fastest a woman has ever thrown a baseball is 69 mph.  Nolan Ryan was clocked at 108 mph.  That is almost double!   By the same standards the fastest 400 meter dash by a man is 44.5 seconds and a woman is 47.6 seconds.   Pretty close right.   But if you extrapolate the throwing speed and use the 400 meter dash a woman's best time would be about 69 seconds!   Would anyone take that serious?   Just for thought I have a 9 year old that can come pretty damn close to 69 seconds.
swinging the bat hard enough.   In fast pitch softball they still use metal/composite bats because wood bats would need to be swung harder.   This would be multiplied in baseball as you need to hit further distances and would need a bigger bat.
throwing to bases.   This isn't how hard but how far too.   You would have issues with 3B and SS making long throws.   Basically you would see issues with slowly hit balls down the line that are routine outs - super easy outs - this would be analogous to 10u kids baseball.

Example:  When I was in college (D1 school with bigtime basketball) I played a little bit on the practice team - when they had many players hurt.   The summer before my senior year the WNBA had tryouts at our school and the players stayed in the dorms.   There was about 25-30.   I played pickup ball against them for about 2 months with some stragglers at the rec center - so older guys, decent younger players, and a couple like me that got a little practice team time.
In two months any team I played on never lost a game to the all possible-WNBA players (to 21 by 1s and 2s) - zero games.  But there were close games, the girls were rough, and generally kept up.   They simply couldn't stop a hard drive.  If I put my head down and split two players it was a bucket.   But the games were close 21-12ish would be average.   These weren't the WNBA stars but your bench is getting beat by college kids but its close.
Baseball however myself and two teammates were throwing mid 80s in high school.   Probably threw 69 by freshman year.   So the competition level for women's baseball is maybe JV high school boys level.   Where the competition level for WNBA (with their best players) is probably close to DIII college.   That is a huge huge difference.
Comment: These are excellent comments. BUT I still struggle with my OP; in other sports that also have long throws, running and power hitting [e,g cricket] there are Professional women's leagues in many countries [e.g big bash cricket league in Australia that has some superstars like Elise Perry who would be able to play OK in a men's league. Perry would make a medium pace men's bowler in cricket and a great batter].
Comment: @Snack_Food_Termite - I disagree with the cricket example.   Cricket does not need power hitting nor does it require the women to throw as hard/long.   It isn't that the women are bad at these things it is how bad they are compared to other sports where in some they are very equal.   If women were at a small college baseball level there would be leagues.   They aren't.   It is the subtlety in the disparity in baseball compared to other sports as the reason it will never get traction.
Comment: No. Cricket, I can say to you assuredly, having followed cricket since 1980, that it does have power hitting. Indeed, the 20/20 form of the game is ONLY power hitting. The throws also have to be long and accurate. Also, in modern cricket there are cross batted shots such as the hook shot that are similar to baseball. From the youtube videos that I have watched, the main comment bel,ow them is that female baseballers' pitching is much slower. But I have watched the women's baseball world cup and there is complex fielding such as double plays.
Comment: @Snack_Food_Termite - yea I don't think you are getting it.  I know and have played cricket.   Power hitting is great but not needed.   Also the comment on double plays... my 9 year olds baseball team turned two double plays last year.   It still comes down to a women's baseball team would get beat by a group of select 16 year old boys.