Mobile Push Demographics data shown multiple device ID for one contact in SFMC

Question: I found that my contact ID in SFMC had shown multiple device ID in Mobile Push Demographics data.
In actual, I only have 2 active device, but why in SFMC shown 4 device ID, and 3 of them are still receiving campaigns.
How can we make sure, we only send to the last active device that those contacts have?
Please advise.
Answer: As mentioned in other answers, the DeviceID is generated by the SDK upon its first initialization.  It does not change and will be transmitted as part of your device registration.  Clearing application data, wiping phone data, doing a factory reset, upgrading your phone to a new device (the SDK does not backup data for future restores after data wipes or device upgrades), or uninstalling/re-installing are the only way for you to end up with multiple DeviceIDs for a given ContactKey.
Also mentioned in other answers, the Feedback Service will notify the Marketing Cloud servers that a device has become invalid/defunct at which time it will be opted-out from receiving future push messages, but the device does remain part of your existing contact.  Also, neither Apple nor Google provide strong definitions as to how/when a device will be flagged that it should be removed.  There is a window in which sends will be attempted to the old/dead device.  This is unavoidable without some other sort of advanced inclusion/exclusion audience list.
Comment: Hi, Bill, thank you for your answers.
So, how do we make advanced exclusion audience list?
Please help.
Comment: See https://developer.salesforce.com/ or talk to your account executive.
Answer: In general, when the device is inactive, sending a Push message will result in an error code which Marketing Cloud uses to set status to inactive (from memory it is something like Service Response as the reason/source of the Opt Out).
Based on that it will then ignore these devices in future.
Likewise, if there are devices which should not receive messages then you will need to opt that device out using the Mobile SDK.
If the Device is inactive (Google/Apple will restrict) or opted out (Marketing Cloud will restrict) you cannot receive messages on the device. It is unclear what you mean by only 2 active, but 3 receive campaigns - maybe provide more details here if this answer does not clarify.
The only sure way to target the last active device is to use an SQL query on the data view PushAddress (Attributes in _PushAddress and _PushTag Data Views) to extract only the last updated device id by contactid but this is technically not supported so I would advise against.
You could alternatively look for devices which have been active in the last x days using mobile lists. This of course would potentially still give duplicates, but it would mean that devices which are stale (haven't reported for an extended period) would be excluded.
Comment: Hi, Doug, thank you for answering this.
Sorry for not being very clear.
What I mean with only 2 active is, currently I have 2 mobile devices (one Android, one iOs).
In Sales Force, my contacts have 3 device ID that still receive campaigns.

How this is happen? Because I have uninstall and reinstall the apps from my iphone.
Hence, Sales Force created another Device ID for my reinstall apps in iphone.

What I would like to do is to make the old device ID of Iphone to be opt-out.
Or, how do we make sure we only send to the newest device ID?
Please help.
Thanks.
Answer: The Device_ID is a GUID value assigned via the SDK. It will be removed from Contact when the related application is removed from the device... A new Device_ID will be assigned when the related application is installed again on the device.
You can have multiple active devices on a specific Contact.
You could use filtered mobile list based on Contact data model:
"MobilePush data" => "MobilePush Demographics" => Choose available system/custom fields
You could create a custom field in "MobilePush Demographics" table and populate one with value that would help you determine which/when the last change occurred and combine this info later with other system fields when creating "Filtered Mobile Push" lists.
Comment: PROCEED WITH CAUTION: If you intend on adding some sort of timedatestamp to an Attribute then you should do so ONLY when you're application's UI is in the foreground (ref. https://salesforce-marketingcloud.github.io/MarketingCloudSDK-Android/sdk-implementation/device-contact-registration.html).
Answer: I found the following regarding push apps on iPhone:
Troubleshooting Push Notifications
https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/technotes/tn2265/_index.html
Issues with Using the Feedback Service
If you remove your app from your device or computer and then send a push notification to it, you would expect to have the device token rejected, and the invalidated device token should appear on the feedback service. However, if this was the last push-enabled app on the device or computer, it will not show up in the feedback service. This is because deleting the last app tears down the persistent connection to the push service before the notice of the deletion can be sent.
You can work around this by leaving at least one push-enabled app on the device or computer in order to keep the persistent connection up. To keep the persistent connection to the production environment up, just install any free push-enabled app from the App Store and you should then be able to delete your app and see it appear in the feedback service.
Recall that each push environment has its own persistent connection. So to keep the persistent connection to the sandbox environment up, install another development push-enabled app.
-> The customer has only 1 app installed on the iPhone, it created DeviceId#1. When you delete the app, because of the statement above, the DeviceId won't get deleted and remains Opted-In. If you install the same app again, it will create DeviceId#2. Customer deleted this app again and DeviceId#2 remains active and opted-in. I asked the customer to install the app again but this time disable push notifications and then open the app. It resulted to DeviceId#3 to be opted out but DeviceId#1 and DeviceId#2 still opted in. Customer is now concerned about usage of SuperMessages as push notification is still being sent to DeviceId#1 and DeviceId#2. Question now is how do you delete these 2 devices?
thanks,
Michael
Comment: Hi, Michael, thank you for adding this thread. My other question also, whether Sales Force will use Super Messages for campaign sent to device that already deleted on the device, but still opt-in in Sales Force contacts. Please help. Thanks.
Comment: Great find Michael.  I can't imagine this being pervasive for real-world users as we all have multiple applications on our devices, many of which have push capabilities contained within.  Not impossible of course, but extremely unlikely that a user would uninstall _all_ apps with push and "our" app as the last one.  This might, however, be seen frequently by QA people or developers with test devices.


What useful information can I get from ASH report which I cannot get from AWR report?

Question: What useful information can I get from ASH report which I cannot get from AWR report?
What are the common scenarios in which its better to get information from ASH than from AWR?
Comment: For example you might help you tell "What happend just before tha database crashed?"
Comment: You might find this site kylehailey.com/ash-masters of use. HTH, Paul...
Comment: @Ivan, yes that is a valid usecase but rare.
Answer: AWR(Automatic Workload Repository Reports) takes snapshots of the database in specified intervals(one hour is default) and stores that data for later analysis. For example continuous improvement of the database work.
ASH(Active Session History) has information about current active sessions, and it gather data every second. If you are experiencing sudden database issues, you should use ASH.
More on this subject
http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E11882_01/server.112/e16638/autostat.htm#PFGRF94186
Answer: AWR report is averages which are misleading.
ASH report gives much more precise information. For example the last section gives a breakdown of activity by time.
ASH report gives the most important breakdown of TOP SQL and SESSIONS because the top list is ranked by activity in the database unlike AWR which ranks things on statistics like most reads, most CPU etc. I/O reads for example can be  quite different if they are taking 0.1ms vs 100ms. ASH report will make it easy to see the difference


Do replies to a tenant have to address every statement they make?

Question: Just had an email exchange with my tenant, in which he made a couple of untrue assertions. I only sent a short email asking for a phone call so we can resolve the issue since I have no intention of fighting. I like to ask though, If I receive an email containing a number of claims which are false. Do I need to point that out? If I send a reply addressing one issue, am I agreeing to the other items in the email? That is, if the reply contains the original sent by the author. I think our relationship is governed by the contract in place, and the landlord tenant laws. Am I right?
Answer: No landlord-tenant laws that I have ever seen impose an obligation on a landlord to give a point by point response to everything in an email from a tenant. However, a tenant probably has the right or obligation to provide a landlord with written notification of a problem requiring remedy. You might then be required by law to provide a specific reply within some time frame, for example "We will fix that tomorrow afternoon", or "We are not required to fix that": it would depend on the jurisdiction and the accusation. Some caution in how you respond is warranted, because your answers can be used against you in a court of law, thus you want to be sure that your response is not misleading, and that you don't accidentally promise to do something that you won't actually do.
There is a concept of "adoptive admission", where silence can be used against you. A typical case is if Smith says to Jones "That was really cold-blooded, the way you murdered Thompson", and Jones does not respond to the accusation – that fact can be introduced as evidence, because there is an assumption that if Jones were really innocent, they would protest the accusation. I don't see any way for "failure to respond to everything" in this manner could constitute an adoptive admission – an "admission" means that you directly or indirectly indicate that you did a thing, which is not the same as ipso facto agreeing to something (for example, not replying to a statement "I'd like my rent reduced by $100 per month" is not an "adoptive agreement").
Comment: perhaps "my rent is X" or "person Y agreed to Z" could prompt a relevant adoptive admission, the question mentions tenant claims.
Comment: Even if adoptive admission was applicable, I wouldn't have thought an email saying "let's talk" would have caused it to come into effect (asking to sort something out by phone is not "ignoring the issue".   If the OP then doesn't touch on the claims in the phone call, then it might be applicable.


Is there GUI software that can show how much bandwidth a user on my home network is using?

Question: Are there any GUI applications I can use to see how much bandwidth a user on my home network is using? I use Ubuntu 16.04.
Answer: You can't (per se) do this from your computer itself without some network topology alterations or similar. As those are complicated and a lot harder to set up and maintain, we can look at your actual SoHo router.
Most modern routers come with very rich GUIs that allow you to access a very large amount of information, including exactly who is using how much bandwidth. Ideally, you can just use this.
To access your router's web interface, open your Network menu in the top right, and select "Connection Information". Select the connection you're working with (if there are even multiple networks), and look for Default Route (in this example, 192.168.0.1). Open your web browser and navigate to http://192.168.0.1 (or whatever it was) and log in. Your default password will be in your router manual, or written on the router itself if you have not already set it.
If your router does not offer bandwidth tracking, you can try to flash custom firmware such as DD-WRT or Advanced Tomato or any similar custom firmware that provides this feature. Note, however, that flashing custom firmware is always rather risky (although it offers amazing rewards) and should only be done with a backup router nearby while carefully following instructions.

Alternatively, you can set this up on your home computer, but this only will work if the following conditions are met:

You have a decently fast computer
You are willing to leave this computer at home and on 24/7
You have some way to broadcast WiFi that's not your computer (like a WAP)

If all of these conditions are met, congratulations! You effectively are going to set up a server that hosts DHCP, DNS, acts as the firewall, and does all the routing-related stuff. This is complicated and painful, but you'll be able to get whatever reporting metrics you want. However, Ubuntu isn't exactly suited to being a router (as opposed to specialized software like pfSense), so you might have performance issues. Plus, you'll need at least two network cards and an Ethernet switch.
Comment: Thank you Kaz Wolfe for such an amazing informative answer, greatly appreciated. I have a Netgear CG3000-2STAUS DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem supplied by my ISP. I had a look around the Netgear Genie and found the QoS tab, so I am looking into maybe setting it up. Seems like it may do what I need. If I run into any problems, I can post back under a new post, I presume. Thanks again.
Comment: No worries, @NeilB! I'm glad you like Ask Ubuntu so far. I would recommend you actually read our [tour], just to get a better idea of how to use this site to its fullest potential. Similarly, if this answer solved your issue, you can click that grey checkmark near the vote section to the left of the post. This will mark the answer as the "solution" and will make it easier for others to find in the future. Also, it gives you a tiny bit of reputation.


Convert JavaScript AJAX to HttpWebRequest code

Question: I need imitate AJAX call to web service in my console application. Is there any way to do this with HttpWebRequest?
Source request:

var webRequest = Sys.Net.WebServiceProxy.invoke('http://webserver.com/WS_Message.asmx', 'MyMethod', false, {p1:aa,p2:bb,p3:123}, onSuccess, onFailure, userContext, timeout, enableJsonp, jsonpCallbackParameter);

Sample that doesn't work:
<code>HttpWebRequest request = (HttpWebRequest) WebRequest.Create("http://webserver.com/WS_Message.asmx/MyMethod");
request.Method = "POST";
request.ContentType = "application/json; charset=utf-8";

byte[] _bytes= Encoding.UTF8.GetBytes("{p1:aa,p2:bb,p3:123}");

request.ContentLength = _bytes.Length;

Stream stream = request.GetRequestStream();
stream.Write(_bytes, 0, _bytes.Length);
stream.Close();

HttpWebResponse response = (HttpWebResponse) request.GetResponse();

using (StreamReader reader = new StreamReader(response.GetResponseStream()))
{
    Console.WriteLine(reader.ReadToEnd());
}
</code>
Comment: Could you post some more information about what you expecting and what you are currently getting back?
Comment: Already solved my issue. Was related to incorrect headers.
Answer: It looks like you were calling into a (.NET based) web service in javascript. Why not simply add a web reference to your console app, and call it that way ?
It will be much less work than trying to replicate the web service call manually through an HttpWebRequest.
Answer: I had to use Chrome Developer Console to see correct http headers. My issue was related to incorrect JSON string format.

@"{""p1"": ""aa"", ""p2"": ""bb"", ""p3"": 123}"


System error resolving - Device or resource busy, cannot apt-get and no internet after I moved - VirtualBox

Question: I use Ubuntu 18.04 64bit in Oracle VirtualBox, on a Windows 10 PC. I moved with my PC to a different flat. Both before and now I connect to the internet via wifi but of course now I have a different provider. Before I had zero issue with connecting but now I cannot connect (Chrome says "DNS_PROBE_FINISHED_NO_INTERNET"). Wifi works fine in Windows and every other Windows and Android device in the flat, only my virtual Ubuntu is acting up.
When I try anything with apt-get I get these errors:
System error resolving "domainname", (Domain or resource busy)
The after it says "Reading package lists...", the following:
W: Failed to fetch
and then the same "System error resolving"
It finishes with a message "W: Some index files failed to download."
The following I tried:

Added "nameserver 184.108.40.206" and "126.96.36.199" to the resolv.conf file. Doesn't work, not even temporarily and of course disappears after reboot.
Added the same IPs to the etc/network/interfaces file, it looks like this:

auto lo
iface lo inet loopback
dns-nameservers 126.96.36.199 18.104.22.168 127.X.Y.Z

with the last line being manually added by me, and of course the IP starting with 127. with actual number, the same IP that is in my resolv.conf by default.

Opened Networks in the Settings window, went to IPv4 and added the following IPs under DNS: 22.214.171.124, 18.104.22.168, 22.214.171.124. After I did this, and in the previous ones in god-knows-what order and how many times, apt-get update and upgrade worked once but I get the same exact errors after reboot.
cannot run "resolvconf", it says Command not found, and of course I cannot install it with apt.

Note, getting a wifi connection in itself was quite labourous, I had to add the USB adapter in VirtualBox  to my system, and when I boot Ubuntu sometimes it disconnects it automatically and I have to plug the USB out and back to regain Wifi connection. In the list it does say it's connected to the Wifi, but the browser cannot load web pages and apt-get doesn't work.
As for pings:
188.8.131.52 and the likes do not ping, it says "Destination Net Unreachable".
The 127.X.Y.Z IP does ping.
Oh, and additional sprinkles: when I boot, I get an *ERROR* Failed to send long, I wonder if it's connected...
I know this is a mess and I already made it worse by trying so many different things, but I feel like I haven't found the solution to my exact problem. Sorry for the long question, I'm very new here and to Ubuntu in general. Thanks in advance.
Answer: Turns out this was a completely different issue than I expected and had to do with the fact that this is a virtual machine. I use a USB wireless adapter for the PC and I had to uncheck the adapter from the list of USBs in the virtual machine's Configure window, and instead choose bridge adapter in Network and choose the adapter itself from the drop-down list.
Thankfully, all my messing with the .conf files haven't ruined my connection.


How to fix CSRF vulnerability alert on a website with no user authentication, If it is caused by an external Mailchimp signup form embed

Question: A Website with no authentication has an mailchimp signup form embed. Vulnerability tools are reporting CSRF issues on the hosted website. Who can become victim in this case and how to prevent it and eliminate the security alert? Is this something mailchimp need to provide a fix for?
Comment: Not every finding by an automated tool is going to be legitimate.
Comment: does your website do anything, or just serve static pages? if it's all static, there's no risk. If there's active server processing, it _may_ have a problem. I would not worry about a major provider like mailchimp causing a problem for you; that will be on mailchimp to address.
Comment: Did you enabled recaptcha?
https://mailchimp.com/help/about-recaptcha-for-signup-forms/
Comment: it is asp.net mvc website. Mailchimp form embed with 2 fields is just for newletter subscription. we don't have recaptcha. the alert is for CSRF. we are looking for a mailchimp embed fix like this: https://craftcms.stackexchange.com/questions/22139/enabling-csrf-protection-for-mailchimp-subscribe-plugin-and-other-forms
Answer: One of the pre-requisites for a successful CSRF attack is that the user should be authenticated already. From your question, it doesn't seem like the user is authenticated on that page.
In CSRF you forge an authenticated users request to submit some form data to make state change in the application.
There is a special case of CSRF on login pages, which is Login CSRF. In this, you make the user login with your own credentials to track the users activities. Suppose you are trying to attack an e-commerce application, you can make the user to login using your own dummy username and password. When the user later on pays for something online, they may unknowingly add their credit card to your/attacker's account. This case may be applicable to you.
In any case, the fix should be at 'mailchimps' end as they are the ones validating login info. Hence, embedding and validating the CSRF token should be performed by them.
It would be helpful to answer more accurately if you can provide details on the features that your application provides.


Python classes clarification

Question: I saw this below piece of code in a book and would like to know how it works..I tried to understand myself but get stuck in few places..I know its more like a teaching question but hopefully in the forum will help me..
Code:
import os
import re

class Wiki:
    "A class representing a wiki as a whole."
    HOME_PAGE_NAME = "HomePage"
    def __init__(self, base):
        "Initializes a wiki that uses the provided base directory."
        self.base = base
        if not os.path.exists(self.base):
            os.makedirs(self.base)
        elif not os.path.isdir(self.base):
            raise IOError('Wiki base "%s" is not a directory!' % self.base)
    def getPage(self, name=None):
        """Retrieves the given page for this wiki, which may or may not
        currently exist."""
        if not name:
            name = self.HOME_PAGE_NAME
        return Page(self, name)

class Page:
    """A class representing one page of a wiki, containing all the
    logic necessary to manipulate that page and to determine which other
    pages it references."""
    #We consider a WikiWord any word beginning with a capital letter,
    #containing at least one other capital letter, and containing only
    #alphanumerics.
    WIKI_WORD_MATCH = "(([A-Z][a-z0-9]*){2,})"
    WIKI_WORD = re.compile(WIKI_WORD_MATCH)
    WIKI_WORD_ALONE = re.compile('^%s$' % WIKI_WORD_MATCH)
    def __init__(self, wiki, name):
        """Initializes the page for the given wiki with the given
        name, making sure the name is valid. The page may or may not
        actually exist right now in the wiki."""
        #WIKI_WORD matches a WikiWord anywhere in the string. We want to make
        #sure the page is a WikiWord and nothing else.
        if not self.WIKI_WORD_ALONE.match(name):
            raise(NotWikiWord, name)
        self.wiki = wiki
        self.name = name
        self.path = os.path.join(self.wiki.base, name)
    def exists(self):
        "Returns true if there's a page for the wiki with this name."
        return os.path.isfile(self.path)
    def load(self):
        "Loads this page from disk, if it exists."
        if not hasattr(self, 'text'):
            self.text = ''
            if self.exists():
                self.text = open(self.path, 'r').read()
    def save(self):
        "Saves this page. If it didn't exist before, it does now."
        if not hasattr(self, 'text'):
            self.text = ''
        out = open(self.path, 'w')
        out.write(self.text)
        out.close()
    def delete(self):
        "Deletes this page, assuming it currently exists."
        if self.exists():
            os.remove(self.path)
    def getText(self):
        "Returns the raw text of this page."
        self.load()
        return self.text

class NotWikiWord(Exception):
    """Exception thrown when someone tries to pass off a non-WikiWord
     as a WikiWord."""
    pass

In Python shell:
 >  >  >  from BittyWiki import Wiki
 >  >  >  wiki = Wiki("localwiki")
 >  >  >  homePage = wiki.getPage()
 >  >  >  homePage.text = "Here ' s the home page.\n\nIt links to PageTwo and
PageThree."
 >  >  >  homePage.save()

This is my understanding.

2 classes are created a) Wiki and b)Page
Page classes stores all the information related to a page.

Questions:

We create a method object -homepage but how does the homepage.save() works..homepage is a object of Wiki and save() is a method of page object. how come it works?

Any clarification would be really helpful
Answer:
homepage is a object of Wiki

Incorrect. Wiki.getPage() is a factory method that returns an instance of Page.
Answer: wiki.getPage() returns a Page object, not a wiki. Therefore, homepage does indeed have the necessary method save.

Python classes clarification


How do I feed terms from a gettext dictionary into JavaScript?

Question: I'm trying to develop a website with php and javascript (jquery) that supports multiple languages. I'm trying to obtain something that is:

Efficient: I need to reduce as much as possible the backend processing for this operation.
Expandable: it must be easy and practical adding new strings to the translations

The problem is: my javascript code is generating dynamically various elements in the DOM and needs to print some strings that are in the language files.
My actual solution is, using gettext in php, to print in the document the strings that have to be used by javascript:
<?php
... some kind of gettext initialization ...
?>
<!DOCTYPE html>

    <title><?php echo _("My page Title"); ?></title>
    ...

    ...

Then I'm accessing to the LANG in my js sources, but I don't think that this is the best solution...
My questions are:

What is the correct approach to apply a translations to a javascript file, using the same "database" of php?
How efficient is gettext library? It could be useful to implement some form of caching mechanism on the generated pages?
Answer: gettext is used by many industry-standard apps out there. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with it except that I think it doesn't handle very well (as it tends to depend on locales installed on the system and crap like that).
A more complex, but also more flexible alternative could be Zend_Translate that can be connected to different dictionary backends - .po/mo files like gettext (which are great because you have an entire universe of editing tools for all platforms), but also databases.
The approach you show (feeding the dictionary into JavaScript in the main document) is fine, as you supposedly are supposedly already using PHP to do dynamic processing at that point and the JavaScript file can remain static, which is great.
It might be a bit heavy on the HTML file if you have a huge dictionary, though, as you're transferring all that data on every request. In that case, you should consider an external JavaScript resource after all. You have two options:

Serve a PHP-generated JavaScript file - one that contains all the dictionary definitions. Use some form of If-modified-since caching so you have to re-render the dictionary only when something has actually changed, or send caching headers with looong lifetimes.
or: whenever the dictionary gets updated, run a PHP script (automatically or manually) that generates a static JavaScript file containing all the dictionary definitions. That might be the best of both worlds.
Answer: I use defines, language php files and a session to tell what language to display.
    index.php

    <?php
    session_start();
    if (isset($_SESSION['lang'])){
        require('language/' . $_SESSION['lang'] . '.php');
    }else{
        require('language/english.php');
    }

    <?= HELLO_WORLD ; ?>

then make your language files like this.
    language/english.php

    define("HELLO_WORLD", "Hello world!");

Answer: You should check out Poedit, as far as i know it is the best localization software out there, its used extensively in wordpress etc.. you could also store all the different translations in a db and serve them according to geo location.


Do I need a SMTP server in using the PHP's mail() function

Question: Do I need a SMTP server in using the PHP's mail() function?
p.s. I am on a share hosting account, so I cannot install a SMTP server and they don't provide that.
Answer: PHP's mail() function doesn't need SMTP. It uses a program called sendmail which is generally available on Unix/Linux platforms by default and most web hosts provides this facility for no extra charge.
Answer: PHP on Linux servers relies on a local MTA for the mail() function.
PHP on Windows can be configured to use whatever SMTP server you like.
PEAR::Mail allows you to set which SMTP server you want to use.
http://pear.php.net/manual/en/package.mail.mail.intro.php
With the first parameter as 'smtp', the second param accepts details.
http://pear.php.net/manual/en/package.mail.mail.factory.php
Comment: ORLY? http://uk3.php.net/manual/en/function.mail.php That page only mentions sendmail.


Since those who subscribe to amillennialism don't believe in rapture, how do they interpret Luke 17:30-34

Question:
Luke 17:30-34 It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. 31 On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. 32 Remember Lot's wife! 33 Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.
Comment: I think this question should be migrated to Christianity Stack Exchange.  This site will only give a view about the meaning of the text not an explanation about others' views.
Comment: This text is not much use to people who believe in a secret rapture because the event described is visible to all as explained in Luke 17:24.
Comment: The whole passage is similar to many prophetic utterances. The end of time is seen in the distance, but in the foreground are forthcoming, historic events. It is quite clear that the imminent destruction of Jerusalem is prophesied but in such a way that the final judgment upon the whole earth is also signified. I don't see any problem at all to those who do not subscribe to the idea of a thousand year long rapture.
Comment: To answer this question requires a hermeneutic. Since we are "Biblical Hermeneutics", this is the obvious place to ask this question. Amillennialists typically subscribe to a Preterist, or Partial Presterist Hermeneutic(ie:everything is fulfilled by 70AD). The exception is the Partial Preterists call for the Day of Judgment as being a future event. Neither group ascribes to a "Millennial Reign"(chiliasm), so the question of "pre-trib, mid-trib, or post trib rapture is moot. Do they ascribe to the Resurrection of the Just? Most certainly, but is it a rapture?
Comment: Thank you @Dottard. There is a similar question asked in this community, but it was answered in a rapture perspective
Comment: He was obviously talking about a tsunami
Comment: I agree with you @Dottard (suits better Christianity Stack)
Answer: i am amillenialist and what I believe this passages were in the context of the story of Noah and Lot in Genesis it indicates the main characters were taken out from destructions and the rests left behind to suffer from it. Luke uses both genders men and women to indicate a community and God's judgement is executed equally on them. It is just simply on the day of judgement God will separate the elect and the reprobate. No rapture or snatch away event like in "star trek" movie
will take place.
Comment: Welcome to BH.SE. This site is not a discussion site, so you should remove one of your answers. For the remaining answer, you should include some evidence to support your point of view, otherwise it might be deleted as being "unsupported opinion". Please see the [tour](https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/tour) for a better idea of the purpose of this site.
Answer: Welcome to the S.E. Q&A. I don't identify with any particular group regarding the 1,000 years described in The Revelation, but I'll share what I think.
IMHO, Jesus was talking about the period leading up the destruction of Jerusalem in 70. He was using prophetic hyperbole to instill a sense of how serious that time would be. What he was getting at was that many would be swept up by the Romans and destroyed, and no particular group would be exempt.
Historically, Titus allowed the Jews to pack into Jerusalem for the Passover in 70; he then sealed the city. As people tried to leave the city, he crucified them, one source says 500 people per day. During the summer, his troops broke through the walls, and a vast slaughter took place.
Answer: for premillenialist these verses from Luke are interpreted literally but to a millenialist this is far from literal interpretation. As I observed denominations founded before the 19th century were not dispensasionalists meaning not literal interpreter but adheres to the older interpretations of early church fathers.
Answer: The question is based on an assumption.

"16 For, skilfully devised fables not having followed out, we did make known to you the power and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ, but eye-witnesses having become of his majesty -- 17 for having received from God the Father honour and glory, such a voice being borne to him by the excellent glory: `This is My Son -- the beloved, in whom I was well pleased;'

18 and this voice we -- we did hear, out of heaven borne, being with him in the holy mount. 19 And we have more firm the prophetic word, to which we do well giving heed, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, till day may dawn, and a morning star may arise -- in your hearts;

20 this first knowing, that no prophecy of the Writing doth come of private exposition, 21 for not by will of man did ever prophecy come, but by the Holy Spirit borne on holy men of God spake."  (2 Pet. 1:16-21, YLT)

We are not allowed to make up our own interpretations.  The word "exposition" in Young's, or "interpretation" in the KJV is Strong's Gr 1955 "ἐπίλυσις" transliterated as "epilusis" and means a release, an interpretation, untying knots, unpacking, solving problems based upon sound hermenuetic pinciples. The prefix "epi" means "upon".  The word was used for unraveling, and getting to the bottom of the problem.(1)
That means that the only source for unraveling difficult passages of Scripture are the scriptures themselves.  As 2 Pet. 1:21 makes clear, the author of the scriptures is the Holy Spirit.  And, as He is the author of ALL of the Scriptures, then all "interpretation" or solving of each scripture must be from within the entirety of the scriptures.
In  other words, the solution to God's meaning is within God's word, and only within God's word. No scripture may be used to contradict another verse or passage, or to teach an idea or concept that violates another verse. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33).
The concept that men and women will be lifted into the air from off the earth without first having experienced bodily death contradicts previous scripture.

"and as it is laid up to men once to die, and after this -- judgment," (Heb. 9:27, YLT)

So, the idea taught by dispensationalists that living men and women will literally be  bodily lifted into the air from off the earth without notice at some future judgment day does not agree with the scripture in Hebrews.
All men/women must face bodily death, after which we will face our own judgment.  There is no first article "the" in the original scriptures in Heb. 9:27.  The KJV wrote it in based upon their belief system.
Therefore, as all men/women will be judged at their own physical, corporeal death, then all men/women must first physically die.  We must keep the scriptures in the context in which we find them.
Luke 17:26 begins to speak of past days of judgment.

"26 `And, as it came to pass in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man; 27 they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were given in marriage, till the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the deluge came, and destroyed all;

28 in like manner also, as it came to pass in the days of Lot; they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building; 29 and on the day Lot went forth from Sodom, He rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed all.

30 `According to these things it shall be, in the day the Son of Man is revealed;"  (Luke 17: 26-30, YLT)

The days of Noah - when all were destroyed.  The days of Lot - when all were destroyed.  What was destroyed?  The living people and animals.  All of the earth was not destroyed, just the wicked men and women.
Then we need to keep the same theme, the same motif.  A day of judgment was ahead of the people in the first century AD when this book was written, a day in which the Son of Man would be revealed for who He is.  Luke 17:24, "the Son of Man in his day", the same as saying "the Lord's Day" in Rev. 1:10, the same as saying "a day of the Lord" as used in Isa. 2:12; 13:6, 9; Jer. 46:10; Lam. 2:22; Ezek. 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; Amos 5:18, 20, etc.
Judgment days when the Lord "came" in vengeance against the wicked.

"For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, and the year of recompences for the controversy of Zion."  (Isa. 34:8, KJV)

The context is the same - a day of the Lord's vengeance, or the Lord's day, and is the same context as in Luke 21:22,

"22 because these are days of vengeance, to fulfil all things that have been written."  (YLT)

The day of vengeance or judgment that was still ahead of those in the 1st century AD audience who heard Christ's words was the judgment that fell upon Jerusalem in AD 70.  Christ was never speaking about an end-of-the-world scenario, nor the end of all time.
Those of Jerusalem who ignored Christ's warnings and still were trying to preserve their lives physically died in that battle.  The word "taken" in Luke 17:34, 35 is Strong's Gr. 3880 "παραλαμβάνω" transliterated as "paralambanó" and means to receive from, to take away.  Thayer's has it in the passive voice under definition 1. (2)
Who was doing the taking?  Ultimately we may say that the Lord was doing the taking as it was His vengeance being called down upon the wicked, and He was the first cause.  But, the action was carried out by the Romans during the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70.
Those sinful people who had called down God's judgment upon themselves and their children (Matt. 27:25) for crucifying their Messiah were taken against their will, taken by force and were killed or enslaved by the Romans in AD 70.
Those who were "left behind" were those who heard Christ tell them to flee to the mountains (Matt. 24:16), when they saw Jerusalem surrounded (Luke 21:20).  Those who heard and believed Christ fled just as He had warned them to do, and were saved from that judgment destruction.
They lived out their lives, and at the time each one died, they faced their own judgment.  If they died in the Lord (Rev. 14:13), if they were covered by the blood of Christ then the judgment passed over them (Passover), just as it still does for those who are in Christ today.

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."  (John 5:24, KJV)

This carnal body must first die before we can be lifted into the air, and receive our crown of glory, to be translated into our new immortal body and be joined to our Lord in heaven with all of our brothers and sisters in Christ who have passed on before us.  The dispensational teaching of a "rapture" is not according to scripture.
Notes:

Strong's Gr. 1955 - Biblehub

Strong's Gr. 3880 - Biblehub
Answer: Since those who subscribe to amillennialism don't believe in rapture, how do they interpret Luke 17:30-34
Recommend reading.
The coming of the Son of Man  Luke 17:32-37
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+17+%3A22-37&version=NASB;NET;KJV
Jesus is not saying that people in Noah's day and in Lot's day were destroyed simply because they pursued the normal activities of eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting, and building. Even Noah and Lot and their families did these things. But the others went about such daily activities without paying any attention to God's will, and it was for this reason that they were destroyed. For the same reason, people will be destroyed when Christ is revealed during the great tribulation. ( Matthew 24:21, 29 NASB)
Jesus stresses the importance of responding quickly to his coming, and so says (Vs 31) "On that day, the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house must not go down to take them out; and likewise, the one who is in the field must not turn back. (Vs 32) Remember Lot's wife."
When the evidence of Christ's presence appears, people cannot let attachment to their material possessions hinder them from taking prompt action. On her way out of Sodom, Lot's wife apparently looked back longingly for the things left behind, and she became a pillar of salt.
One will be taken and the other will be left.(Vs 34b)
Corresponds to Noah's entering with his family into the ark and the angels' taking Lot and his family out of Sodom. It means salvation or being left behind -suffering destruction.
Answer: First this is a difficult passage. Secondly, the overall context is when the Kingdom of God appears.  Then Jesus says when his day arrives don't go back and get your stuff, don't try and keep your life.  The implication is that you have got to get out of there fast. Yet, if one is being taken (ie raptured) where would the fleeing be, where would the turning back to get your things be. It doesn't seem to make sense. Rather it seems that the one who tarries is likely to be taken.
Thirdly, Jesus does not say who is taken and who is left, nor who takes them, nor where they are taken.
Fourthly the disciples immediately ask "where Lord?" The implication is they are asking where are they taken. It could be argued that they are asking where will this happen, but the lightening analogy seems to answer this already.  Jesus answer is where the corpses are. It sounds like those who are being taken are being taken to destruction, to where the corpses are. All this matches well with the circumstance of encountering a large and powerful enemy. That is when you should flee without turning back. That is when some are taken as slaves or killed and some are left.  Then there are the vultures  or eagles, a possible sign of Rome. The dialogue lacks enough clarity to be certain about anything except the Kingdom is Jesus, it's coming will be clear and we ought to be ready when we see the signs and respond immediately.
Comment: Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer).


Attraction and repulsion of Magnetic materials

Question: Why are diamagnetic materials repelled when placed in magnetic field and why are paramagnetic materials attracted when placed in magnetic field?
Comment: That question asks why materials are diamagnetic. I am asking why are they attracted or repelled in magnetic field. I object that this is being called duplicate
Comment: This is essentially a duplicate of http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/59248/why-is-copper-diamagnetic and http://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/39299/why-are-some-materials-diamagnetic-others-paramagnetic-and-others-ferromagneti
Comment: I think that electromagnetic field photons love to align and hate to waste spacetime going around Faraday cages like electron shells with no net electron orbit.
Answer:
Okay... I write this as an inspiration by Feynman..!

These "WHY?" and "How's such a thing possible?" are quite related in a way that they make the question ambiguous. The question author wouldn't be satisfied for sure, hearing a physicist who try to answer such hating questions. But, truly speaking, these questions are very very good (In fact, +1'd it). But, the physicist can't really provide a satisfying answer. Well, this guy really hates it. He explains what's the problem with "WHY" to the interviewer..!
The reason I say this is because, here's a similar example.

You can ask, why a glass falls down and breaks..? And one says, due to gravity. If someone is satisfied, it's OK. (But, going deeper) into two possibilities -
Why does the glass break? It's brittle (or) Why is this gravity pulling this glass down..? Because it's always attractive. This is also OK. But, if someone goes still deeper...
Why is it brittle? (or) Why is this gravity always attractive..? - The answerer will definitely go nuts trying to put his numbers into you. Because, the physicist knows that it's an observed phenomenon. He can't explain for sure why it's like the way it is..!

This is because the physicists always try to explain something on the way it occurs, or roughly how this can be explained with his numbers and Greek symbols. He can't surely telly "WHY". That totally goes to an omnipotent being (if such a thing exists) which has created these things. Now, this goes philosophical.

But, we can still correct your question by saying, "How does this phenomenon occur?" or "How it's been theorized by our physics fellas?"
To answer this question in a sentence - "All materials are diamagnetic". It's their magnetic permeability $\mu$ (a number) which determines whether their diamagnetic property is thrown out or their paramagnetic property exceeds it. Thanks to quantum mechanics which helped in relating these paramagnetic and diamagnetic properties to electron pairing and especially their spins.
Well, there's a lot and lot more than just that...
Comment: Well, if i shouldn't ask "WHY", you have made it very easy for me then...:) You are right, some questions are not to be asked but it sometimes taunts you that you don't know the answer.
Comment: Hi @MuhammadRafique: I think you've got my answer wrong. There's nothing preventing you that *you shouldn't ask something*. It's just that we can't explain it satisfactorily (for the "why" question). But, we can still provide you a whole list of mechanisms, theories and numbers which you can't understand ;-)
Comment: Yes yes, i understood it. I was just saying that it makes it a lot easier for me to learn my topic....:)
Answer: You can look at the permeability of a material as a factor which scales the "energy" of the magnetic field lines. So if two materials with different permeabilities are placed within an inhomogeneous magnetic field the lowest potential energy can be achieved if the material with the higher permeability would move higher into the magnetic field (denser magnetic field lines) assuming that the two materials would which places (such as air and a solid material like aluminium).
Assuming that these values from wikipedia are correct, then copper surrounded by air would be repelled by a magnet, however it would be attracted if it would be surrounded by water.


What is a Camera used for? can't find this anywhere on Google?

Question: I got a camera (Canon EOS R5 Mirrorless) for christmas, no instruction manual as my Aunty bought it from a friend. When I turn it on the screen is just black, I think its used for taking pictures but i dont know how.
Comment: How would you know it is "Mirrorless" if you know so little about cameras? I don't recall Canon using the term "mirrorless" anywhere in their packaging.
Comment: Perhaps I'm being a bit grinch-y here, but someone knowing enough to ask "I think it's used for taking pictures but..." on a photography-centered board strikes me as a bit cognitively dissonant...
Comment: You could not find information about Canon's currently hottest cam on Google? I am not sure if I should take this seriously. This sounds like trolling.  "Canon R5 manual" yields 1.8 mil. results, the first three are links to the manual.
Comment: This question is too broad.  Searching on Google for the camera model should have pulled up lots of resources, including links to download the manual.
Comment: Hi Reece, Welcome to the site. Can you please tell us what sort of camera it is (brand and model). You should be able to edit these into your question. Did it come with an instruction manual? Have a look at the [help centre](https://photo.stackexchange.com/help) for more information about asking a good question.
Comment: Thanks for the response, Sorry for asking what seems like a really easy question, just very new to technology.
Comment: "What is a Camera used for?" ... "I think its used for taking pictures..." – You can use it as a door stop or paperweight if you like.
Answer: Canon make all the manuals etc for their cameras available on their web site; here's the R5 manuals from the UK site but you should be able to find the ones for your local area as well.
It is perhaps worth noting here that the R5 is pretty much Canon's top end camera right now, and is to some extent designed for people that know what they're doing with a camera; it won't necessarily have all the features for beginners that an entry-level camera would have. It's also something over £4,000, so you need to say a very big thank you to whoever gave it to you for Christmas.
Answer: The Canon EOS R5 is currently the flagship mirrorless from Canon. It can be used for photographing any subject in very high resolution and is capable of recording video in 8K (a few minutes at a time) which is the highest resolution possible for video. It also sports the most capable image-stabilization system which lets you use it in very low light without raising the sensitivity which causes noise.
As pointed out in comments, the camera requires a charge battery inside it to operate. One is always sold with the camera new but if you got it second-hand, make sure you have the batter, it is charged and it is inside the camera. The manual which is available online directly from Canon free of charge indicates all the steps to charge the battery and insert it into the camera. A charger also comes with the camera in the box. If you did not get a charger, buy one, but in the meantime you can charge the R5 via its USB-C port. It is best to charge the battery with a charger since there are fewer chances of knocking the camera or stepping on it accidentally, it does not tie up the camera (assuming another battery is available) and it is usually faster (but I haven't measured with the R5 because I never use USB to charge cameras).
Unless the camera is damaged, you should be seeing something when you turn on the camera. If the screen is black then someone probably switched it to the viewfinder. In the viewfinder (EVF), you will see anything that the camera displays, including the menu. So, if you want to activate the rear screen again, you should use the EVF to invoke the menu and navigate to Settings (Wrench) menu and go down to the Screen/Viewfinder display using a dial or joystick and change it. Auto1 will automatically toggle between the screen being on or off and Auto2 will automatically switch between the screen and EVF. Screen keeps the screen on all the time.
Often such high end cameras are sold without a lens and one is needed to take photos. Even without a lens, it is possible to access the menu system, but you will need to get a lens. Canon makes native lenses for the R5 and those are denoted by RF, for example the RF 28-70mm F/2L USM. All those lenses work directly on the R5. Alternatively, if you have Canon EF lenses, you can buy an EF-to-RF adapter (Canon makes several) to connect EF lenses to the R5.
Comment: It could be a battery issue too - no power = no  screen.


Replacement for Thyme

Question: Im making a strawberry tart where the sauce is made from boiling thyme, port/tawny and strawberry juice. Is there any replacement for thyme in this?
Comment: Hello and welcome! Can you please give us a little more information? E.g., the reason you want to replace the thyme? Allergy? Dislike thyme? Looking for different flavor? This would help us give you better answers.
Comment: I am kind of surprised you are supposed to boil strawberry juice. When I have cooked strawberries the flavor disappeared completely.
Comment: @Willk, what about strawberry jam? That's not tasteless. Most juice-based sauces need some boiling to activate whatever is used to thicken them.
Answer: The flavour of thyme can't be imitated by substitution. You can either omit it or devise a different sauce. Various herbs (basil for example) are combined with strawberries in various dishes, but the proportions are up to you. You may want to search for recipes using both strawberries and each of the available herbs to help with both selection and quantity.

Replacement for Thyme


Young's modulus and shear modulus relation - temperature effect

Question: Young's modulus and shear modulus are related by $E=2G(1+\nu)$ (for isotropic and homogeneous materials), $E$ is Young's modulus, $G$ is shear modulus and $\nu$ is Poisson's ratio. I can do experiment to measure Young's modulus and shear modulus as a function of temperature (for structural steels). If I use the above relation, can I get Poisson's ratio at that temperature? In other words, does the above relation hold true at elevated temperature too?
Comment: The equation is independent of temperature and applies to all linearly elastic isotropic materials.
Comment: I dont see why it should change, but I'm not sure about it. Here's a link (https://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=139) with measurements of the three variables at different temperatures, maybe you can test the formula by yourself.
Answer:
If I use the above relation, can I get Poisson's ratio at that
  temperature? In other words, does the above relation hold true at elevated temperature too?

Yes, this relation is true for isotropic materials and the relation is independent of temperature, so it is valid at any constant temperature. This is why the experiments find values of $E$ and $G$ at various constant temperatures.
But, it's a relevant question, as argued here since the error induced in experiments that assume Poisson's ratio is constant while the temperature varies is non-negligible in most cases. You can see that in figure 8, for these composites, varying $\nu$ has virtually no effect on the Stress but does greatly effect the width strain and thus effecting the complex modulus.
There have been numerous experiments for various materials. See figures 8 and 9 here, figures 9 and 10 here and the figures here.
Depending on the material in question, the Poisson ratio can either increase or decrease with increasing temperature, however either way it is monotonic.
For more interesting materials, some work has been done to find generalized equations for $E$ and $G$ and then you can use your relation to find the Poisson ratio, i.e. composite materials.
And here's a nice nature article about modern materials and Poisson's ratio.
If you come across a paywall, email me and I can send you a pdf.


Mail: all accounts set to offline but still receive emails

Question: In Mac Mojave, when I want to focus on work then I switch all email accounts in Mail.app to offline mode. I could of course close the application, for better focus, but can not do it since I need to find reference material in some email folders. But the thing is, even in all accounts are set to offline, I am still getting new emails. How can I fix this?
Comment: I can't replicate this.  There's no "online/offline" mode, but you can Enable the account.  I'm assuming you've unticked this box in Accounts.  Instead of doing this - have you tried "Do Not Disturb" in the Notification center?  It will silence notifications so you can focus.  If it's really critical that you be offline - look at the Outlook Mail app.  It has a "Work Offline" feature that you're describing.
Comment: "do not disturb" is useless for me, since I will still be able to see new incoming emails in the inbox.
Comment: You could try to set up a firewall for mail.app when needed ? (under System Preferences -> Security and Privacy -> firewall)
Comment: Can one define a keyboard shortcut for that ?
Answer:
You can define your firewall to block mail.app when activated, then toggling it on/off when needed.

You could also use another app (like Radio Silence) to only block mail.app and keep your firewall running (and I'd personnaly go with that solution). I don't believe Radio Silence has a shortcut but it's really easy to set up & use (literraly launch Radio Silence, drag Mail.app into it and toggle on/off button when needed).

If you prefer to set up an automator script to enable/disable the firewall to block mail.app
First of all set the firewall to block Mail.app:

Go to System Preferences -> Security and Privacy -> Firewall
Click on the lock on the bottom left to make change
Click on "Firewall Option..."
Click on  +  and add "Mail.app", then choose "block incoming connections" (like transmission in the picture below)

After that, you can use this script to toggle the firewall:
(this AppleScript allows a user to turn on or off the built in firewall. The script reads and then displays the current state and then presents an option for changing that status. The change happens immediately but the Systems Preference pane needs to be closed out and reopened in order to visually see that change. I found it here)
set firewallState to do shell script "defaults read /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf globalstate"
if firewallState = "0" then
    set firewallStatus to "The firewall is currently set to off (or allow all incoming connections)"
else if firewallState = "1" then
    set firewallStatus to "The firewall is currently set to allow access for specific services and applications"
else if firewallState = "2" then
    set firewallStatus to "The firewall is currently set to allow only essential services"
end if

#change status of the firewall: 0=off 1=on for specific services and 2=on for essential services

display dialog firewallStatus & return & return & "Do you want to enable the firewall?" buttons {"Cancel", "Turn Firewall Off", "Turn Firewall On"} default button 1 with icon 2
set the userChoice to the button returned of the result

if the userChoice is "Turn Firewall Off" then
    do shell script "defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf globalstate -int 0" with administrator privileges
end if

if the userChoice is "Turn Firewall On" then
    do shell script "defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.alf globalstate -int 1" with administrator privileges
end if

Finally, you can save it into an .command and active it by a click or use terminal with osascript /Users/USERNAME/Desktop/YOURSCRIPT.applescript
Or set up Automator to create a Mac Application that you can double click, add to the dock, etc.:

Open Automator application
Choose "Application" type
Type "run" in the Actions search box
Double click "Run Shell Script"
Click the Run button in upper right corner to test it.
File > Save to create the Application.
Comment: thanks! did you check that when you activate this, and all the accounts are offline, you can browse emails in offline mode and the connection does not go back online as @sf71 commented below?
Comment: You do not need to get your account offline. I believe that you can't browse into disconnected emails account because when you uncheck the box in mail pref (or system pref) mail.app will cut the connection into the mail server and delete all mail to be seen on the computer until connection to the server will be made again.
Comment: But by getting a firewall to block connection, mail.app will still thinks that it's connected to the server and will not erase anything. It will only wait for the server to be back online to receive new mail.
Comment: Ok I see, then I will check all this, thanks
Answer: There is not an offline online mode in apple's own mail app as I know, only if you are not connected or you have a problem with auth, it shows as offline mode.
However, you can use LuLu, a 3rd party utility for this task to cut the connection of Apple Mail to WWW. I prefer this, open-source ftw.
https://objective-see.com/products/lulu.html
I hope this helps you focus :)
Comment: thanks. curiously, this can not "see" the Mail.app
Answer: There seems to be confusion about online/offline -- but i assume you are talking about the options in the top "Mailbox" menu; "Take all accounts online", "Take all accounts offline", and "Online Status".  i am on Catalina so maybe those options are not exactly the same for you, but i'm guessing it's something like that.
Anyway, the bad news is:  it doesn't work.
not the way you would expect.  you can make an account offline but as soon as you try to access any of the imap content, it brings itself back online again without asking.
the only way i have found to avoid this without too much inconvenience -- don't get me wrong, this is still very inconvenient -- is to go to "Mail" > "Accounts..." (or "System Preferences" > "Internet Accounts") and select your account, and un-check "Mail".  this will render the account disabled but you can bring it back without losing anything by re-checking "Mail" for that account when you are ready for it to be active again.
This is yet another disappointing Mail.app bug that will probably never be fixed because no one recognizes that it exists.  but i hope this hacky work-around can help.
EDIT:  after trying this again, now i can not see offline content for the disabled account.  it was still able to view it when i tested this initially but now the account disappears when it is disabled.  i'm thinking it was only working before because Mail was being buggy.  i will keep trying stuff and i'll post back if i come up with anything else.
Comment: thanks a lot, but this is not practical, since I can not read email in "offline" mode


Error generating R file in Netbeans and Eclips on Ubuntu

Question: Hi have tried to set up an IDE to do some Android programming. But the R file isnt being generated. I have tried clean build re-downloading the SDK e.t.c and I still cant work out why the R file isnt being built.
<code>---------
Handling aidl files...
No AIDL files to compile.
----------
Handling RenderScript files...
No RenderScript files to compile.
----------
Handling Resources...
Generating resource IDs...
/home/User/android-sdks/tools/ant/build.xml:560: The following error           occurred  while executing this line:
/home/user/android-sdks/tools/ant/build.xml:589: Execute failed:
java.io.IOException: Cannot run program "/home/User/android-sdks/platform-tools/aapt" (in directory "/home/jakecunningham/NetBeansProjects/tesr"): error=2, No such     file or directory
at java.lang.ProcessBuilder.start(ProcessBuilder.java:1029)
</code>
Comment: your setup seems messed up. The Android Asset Packaging Tool fails with " No such     file or directory" that's why the R file is not generated.
Answer: clean and build the project. maybe it can help you.


How to clone Ubuntu from HDD to SSD using Windows

Question: I have dual boot windows and Ubuntu 20.10 on HDD. I have installed a SSD in place of DVD player on HP laptop.
I want to know if there is any way I can clone Ubuntu to a partition of new SSD using the Windows.
I have tried using Minitoos which detects the windows OS and clones it to SSD but I want to clone Ubuntu.
Comment: This user cloned his HDD to new SSD and has massive issues of duplicate UUIDs & GUIDs. https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2455446  Note with UEFI and gpt partitioning, it is not as easy to copy a partition as GUID is unique to partition and must match primary partition table & backup partition table. Good time to test that your backups are complete, as new install & restore from backup will show it has everything. But you still have old install, just in case. When hard drive fails & you have to restore from backup, you to not have old install to go back to.
Comment: "using the Windows" ask a windows user :) We are not expected to know how to do that using Windows The contents of what you clone does not matter. Besides that: I consider it a bad idea: reinstalling on the ssd is the better method.
Comment: Maybe there is a way to do it rennin Ubuntu in VirtualBox in Windows. Best to do it from Ubuntu on a Live USB.
Answer: Assuming your SSD is same size as the HDD, use clonezilla, then remove the Windows partition once you boot from SSD, expand Ubuntu to use the storage that was made available when removing Windows partition.
Answer: By cloning your're trying the hardest way. I'm not sure if that's needed. You may backup /home and do fresh installation to SSD. Copy the backup to new /home.
Or you still want to do the hardest way by cloning? You may use CloneZilla
Personally, I don't see a reason why we should take the hardest way. If you have some specific reasons, let us know in comments.
Comment: I've tried fresh install on new SSD. but it's showing boot device failed error message. I've tried boot repair, turned off secure boot and enabled legacy boot but no luck. I have a working Ubuntu boot on old HDD so I thought maybe if I clone this it might work.
Answer: I tried multiple disc cloning software but wasn't able to boot from external SSD. When I replaced the Original HDD with new SSD, I was able to boot from it. Maybe there was some problem with the SSD connection to laptop suing the CD drive.


Does changing pixels to higher in RAW file and saving to TIFF, makes it better for print?

Question: I need to prepare A2 file for print, that consists mainly from pictures, that are shot with Canon EOS 40D and is in 10,1MP quality. When placing picture on A2 file, it shows that effective PPI are 202 and resolution 3888 x 2592 px. But I need at least 300 PPI, so I was thinking - when I open RAW file in Photoshop, when saving file, can I resize it from 10MP to 20MP so it goes for 303 effective PPI, and then save as TIFF file? Is that completely normal to prepare images for print on this A2 size?
Comment: Clarify. Are you printing on a comercial offset print on coated paper? or are you simply using a plotter?
Comment: It will be printed as a proof and then glued to foam cardboard.
Comment: Then it is totally fine to use 202 ppi.
Answer: The required DPI for regular offset printing purposes is derived from the "Halftone Line Screen Frequency" or LPI. The short answer is that the majority of printing can be assumed to be about 150lpi. This used to be considered "high end," where newspapers might be assumed to be 80-100LPI and magazines 100-150LPI.
The trick here is to understand that when the line screen is captured using film or created using digital processes, the images you provide are resampled for 150LPI.
So you don't really need "300dpi," you need 1.5-2 times the line screen (further reading: "nyquist-shannon sampling").
If your plates are at 150LPI for halftone screens, then your images would optimally be 225dpi minimum (150x1.5). Since your effective dpi numbers are pretty close, then I would not worry too much about it. If you are truly concerned, spend 50$ and have your printer pull a proof of a small sample of images at the effective resolution and exact printed size to ease your mind.
Megapixels is merely width x height by the way. Not a good metric.
The best quality possible is always going to be the native capture resolution of the camera without lossy compression. If you resample afterwards either using Photoshop to upsample or merely picking a pixel size larger than the native capture data using a camera RAW tool, you are making up information. If you're only altering size by around maybe .8x to 1.2x then you probably don't even need to think about it. Once you get beyond .5x or 2x then you will notice, even if your audience does not.
Then again, I once accidentally forgot to replace a low-res jpeg stock photo with the proper sized stock photo after a last-minute reworking of a page design. The original was appropriate for 2x2 inches, we went full bleed on 8x8. It looked fine.
Comment: This is a good enough answer. I would just correct PPI instead of DPI.
Comment: Great answer. Thanks a lot! So it seems like I will try to stay as it is - with the file saved originally from RAW to TIFF, with approximately ~ 202 til 216 PPI.


In TI reference design, why the gnd1 and gnd2 of isolater connect with a cap?

Question:
In this circuit, the gnd1 and gnd2 connected with a cap c27, why?
Comment: Where did you get that? The data sheet doesn't show such a capacitor is needed. http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/iso7141cc.pdf
Comment: @Passerby: Its not in datasheet, but I have seen this in most of the isolation based designs, trying to find out the exact reasons, though it is used to couple the ac pulsating noise currents from one ground to another.
Comment: Have you read the app note, and if they mention it? Probably is a capacitive coupling of two grounds, the voltage differnece between them can't be unlimited, perhaps they use this cap to reference the GND2 potential.
Comment: Oddly enough, TI's white sheets on Mixed Signal Grounding also doesn't show them. http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slyt499/slyt499.pdf http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slyt512/slyt512.pdf
Comment: Check the example on page 2 of the app note. http://www.analog.com/media/en/reference-design-documentation/reference-designs/CN0159.pdf
Answer: It's not really to do with the isolator- but you'd typically use a DC-DC converter with such an isolator, and the capacitor is usually needed to conduct switching noise from the switchmode power supply back to the input.
Edit: See the document "Cantrell, Mark. Application Note AN-0971, Recommendations for Control of Radiated Emissions with isoPower Devices. Analog Devices." referenced in the back of the document AKR linked to- they use the term 'stitching capacitance' because it joins ('stitches') together two isolated ground planes for RF. Note that the capacitor is a single point failure for the isolation barrier so it must be a safety-rated type such as Y rated if a breach of the isolation barrier could cause a safety issue.


Difference between traumata and traumas?

Question: Why are there two plural forms of trauma? How do traumas and traumata differ in origin and nature? Is one incorrect?
Comment: I don't think I've ever seen/heard "traumata" used anywhere.
Answer: Traumata (pronounced "TRAW-muh-tuh") is from the Greek plural; traumas was made in English using the English plural suffix -(e)s. Neither is incorrect. Traumata is not commonly used, or even commonly known, although you can find it in some academic works. A Google Ngram Viewer chart comparing them suggests traumas is more commonly used. But neither of the plural forms is particularly frequent compared to the singular form trauma.
There are a number of other words taken from Greek that can be pluralized by changing the -ma in the singular form to -mata, such as stigma, schema, lemma, comma, miasma, teratoma. These words were all neuter in Greek. (Reference: "Latin and Greek endings / plurals v1.1," uploaded to academia.edu by Catherine Ebenezer)
Comment: Of course, Google finds 5,900 uses of "commas" here in EL&U, and a whopping 60 of "commata".
Answer: There are at least hundreds of words with multiple plural forms: staffs and staves, dice and dies, châteaus and châteaux, pike and pikes, cows and kine, millenniums and millenia, phalanxes and phalanges, mongooses and mongeese, and so on and so on. The reasons why multiple forms exist, and the cases in which one form is preferred to another, are widely varied.
In the case of trauma, the rare form traumata reflects Greek pluralization; trauma is a third-declension noun with an -at stem. There are many such words that were brought into English such as schema, stoma, stigma. But the regular traumas also exists.
In very broad terms, the more common the usage, or the more recently it has been popularized, the more likely the Anglicized plural is preferred; the more academic or specialized the usage, the more likely the traditional pluralization will be preferred. Classical pluralizations are also more common in British English than in American English.
Thus, we have philosophical schemata but database schemas, radio antennas but Formica antennae, presidential memorandums and royal memoranda. If you have more than one cherub in the sense of a chubby, rosy-cheeked child, you have cherubs. If you have more than one cherub in the sense of a certain type of four-faced, four-winged angel, you have cherubim.
I doubt you will find much use of traumata nowadays outside of medical or scientific literature, likewise blastomata, carcinomata, hematomata, sarcomata, and many dozens of other words. Before the 1960s, trauma was mostly found in medical or psychological literature; since then, its increase in uses and in the innovation of uses has favored the English, rather than the Greek, plural form.
Comment: @sumelic I thought it was pretty well-established: [formula](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=formulae:eng_us_2012,formulae:eng_gb_2012,formulas:eng_us_2012,formulas:eng_gb_2012&year_start=1800&corpus=15&smoothing=3), [gymnasium](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=gymnasiums:eng_us_2012,gymnasiums:eng_gb_2012,gymnasia:eng_us_2012,gymnasia:eng_gb_2012&year_start=1800&corpus=15&smoothing=3), [index](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=indexes:eng_us_2012,indexes:eng_gb_2012,indices:eng_us_2012,indices:eng_gb_2012&year_start=1800&corpus=15&smoothing=3), etc.
Comment: What is the basis of your saying that classical pluralizations are more common in British English than in American English? I hadn't heard of this.
Comment: Of course, it is a generalization, and as I noted, the more specialized the term, the more conservative the pluralization: [polyhedron](https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=polyhedrons%3Aeng_us_2012%2Cpolyhedrons%3Aeng_gb_2012%2Cpolyhedra%3Aeng_us_2012%2Cpolyhedra%3Aeng_gb_2012&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3)
Comment: Your mention of "mongeese" sent me to the nearest dictionary to check whether this error has really entered the language. I'm delighted to report that, at least according to this one dictionary, it has not.
Comment: @AndreasBlass *Mongeese* grates on my ears as well, but [so goes the language](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mongoose).


I know Galois theory is used to study fields using properties of groups. Is it ever used to study groups using properties of fields?

Question: More specifically, are there any results in pure, abstract group theory that are most easily proved using Galois theory?
Comment: The representation theoretic proof that groups of order $p^a q^b$ are solvable uses a bit of Galois theory (at least, the version that I learned did). (It was used in a lemma about averaging roots of unity.)
Answer: Expanding on the comment of AreaMan, I'd say that character theory is a possible, positive answer. Just check the Wikipedia article to see the role played by algebraic integers- they are indeed a key ingredient in the proof of Burnside's $p^{a} q^{b}$ theorem.


improving performance for a limited dataset with noisy images, pattern recognition

Question: I am trying to recognize doodles in noisy images like in this one below. My dataset consists of only 10 000 images and 30 categories I've implemented a CNN but it is giving me a 6% accuracy. I am thinking about removing the noise before feeding the images to my CNN, but I have no idea which methods to use to remove this type of noise and I am not even sure that removing noise improves the NNs performance. Do you have any suggestions about methods to remove the noise or other tips to improve the performance of the model?
Answer: There are some techniques that you can research and apply. My first advice would be decrease the number of the neurons that you implemented already on your hidden layers. You can use some regularization and dropout functions. There are some denoising techniques as well if the problem is exactly this denoising data. I would recommend you to detect the real problem because usually there is a method calls "data augmentation" to overcome overfitting problems which increase the dataset with noisy data in a logical way.
As I mentioned above there are some techniques for denoising. Here is the link that you can look for more details about them. Also there are further techniques to approach this denoising but I highly recommend to detect your exact problem and improve your question.
Maybe it is related to your network modelling because 6% is very low. You should get more useful data at the end with this much dataset.
Comment: Thanks for the tips, I actually had the problem of overfitting but i solved it with data augmentation. I may be wrong but i don't think it's related to the model, because I have similar results with xgboost ans SVM. I will try the denoising techniques described in the article


Can jqBootstrapValidation.js validate selects (dropdown list)?

Question: I'm using the plugin jqBootstrapValidation.js to validate my contact form. I need to have a dropdown list where the visitor needs to select an option from the dropdown list. So if the visitor left the dropdown list in its default state, there needs to be a warning message asking the visitor to select an option.

My question is, can I use the jqBootstrapValidation.js to validate selects? Because I don't see selects under the validators in the documentation: https://reactiveraven.github.io/jqBootstrapValidation/
Or do I need to use the plugin jquery.validate.js? As in this asked question here (the last example with the JSFIDDLE): Bootstrap validator- dropdown list
If I do need to use jquery.validate.js, can I still keep all the codes relating to jqBootstrapValidation.js?
I'm a newbie at contact forms, js, php so I would like to keep everything as simple as possible. Thank you!
Answer: Yes, You can use the jqBootstrapValidation.js to validate selects, this is a way:
You need put value="" required  and $("input,select,textarea").jqBootstrapValidation({...
$("input,select,textarea").jqBootstrapValidation({...

<select id="mydropdown" name="mydropdown"
data-validation-required-message="This Is Required" required >
  <option value="">
  Choose
  </option>
  <option value="One">
  One
  </option>
  <option value="Two">
  Two
  </option>
  <option value="Three">
  Three
  </option>
</select>

Comment: Thank you, will have a look :)


Clickonce redirect

Question: Is it possible to deploy an application (using an existing clickonce deployment URL, such that users update to that version) which changes the deployment URL of the deployed application?
The scenario is that I have a deployed client (A), which is stable and has been in use for over a year, and a new client (B), which is in development and will be used.  However, B and A have different UIDs so that they can both be deployed on the same system together.  At some point in the future, I'd like to automatically migrate users who have been using A to B, but I'd hope that Clickonce is well-designed enough to not upgrade A to B if I place B's install files in A's install directory (because it should be checking those UIDs).
I know that a C# application that's been deployed through clickonce has some access to its own deployment method, and I'm wondering whether I'm able to change the upgrade-location.
I'm hoping to do this quietly without much involvement of the user (and I understand that quiet redirects are heavily frowned upon, for good reasons) and am wondering whether anyone has any experience of trying to modify an installed clickonce's deployment/upgrade information with an update.
Answer: I don't know that you would be able to do it quietly, for obvious reasons, but you might be able to help a user along by assisting with an uninstall and providing directions to a new deployment URL.  You can hook into the ApplicationDeployment and run your own custom installation code during a clickonce upgrade, so you may, with user permission, be able to automate the whole thing.
As far as simply redirecting to a separate deployment URL, I'm going to say that I've never tried, but I don't think it will work.

Clickonce redirect


Is it possible to have the attributes fields already filled from the previous object?

Question: I need to create a lot of points with lots of attributes, but most of the fields are the same, so I don't want to edit all the fields all the time. Is there a "remember previous fields" function available?
Comment: I know of ways to address this in ArcGIS (feature templates, some editing tricks), but not QGIS. The quickest way I know would be to only edit the attributes that are different as you create them, then when you're done open the attribute table, select records that will share a value, and Field Calculate all those records to have the same value for that field. It's a bit more work than having it filled out, but at least you only have to type the value once.
Answer: In QGIS, try Settings -> Options, Digitizing tab:
Feature creation
[x] Reuse last entered attribute values.

This works for newly created objects, but not if you fill in data of already existing objects.
Answer: Could you make use of the Quick Multi Attribute Edit plugin? You can create a number of points first, select a group of them, and bulk edit common attributes using the plugin.
Answer: If you are entering house number points please also try the
house numbering qgis plugin:
https://github.com/marcobra/HouseNumbering


"One or more server hard drives must be checked for errors" Which one?

Question: I see this error since some time. But no details. I run chkdsk on all disks and don't see any problems.
Is there a problem with one of the disks? Which one?
Answer: From the picture there doesn't seem to be any issues. Going into detail though, I would suspect this error being tricked by one of a number of possible factors (from historic experience, I can think of a few).
You wouldn't by any chance use USB harddrives (which show up as fixed disks) from time to time on this system? This can trigger a dirty-bit set detection.
Anyhow - if you want to check the dirty bit status of all your volumes (a dirty bit detected, is ultimately what triggers the event), you can open an administrative powershell prompt, and run the following command:

Diskpart
Type "list vol"
exit

It will display information similar to the following:
PS C:\> diskpart

Microsoft DiskPart version 6.3.9600

Copyright (C) 1999-2013 Microsoft Corporation.
On computer: G-PC

DISKPART> list vol

  Volume ###  Ltr  Label        Fs     Type        Size     Status     Info
  ----------  ---  -----------  -----  ----------  -------  ---------  --------
  Volume 0     E   SSD_DATA     NTFS   Partition    953 GB  Healthy
  Volume 1     R   R_RECOVERY   NTFS   Partition    223 GB  Healthy
  Volume 2     C   C_SYSTEM     NTFS   Partition     99 GB  Healthy    Boot
  Volume 3     D   D_DATA       NTFS   Partition    272 GB  Healthy
  Volume 4         Recovery     NTFS   Partition    300 MB  Healthy    Hidden
  Volume 5                      FAT32  Partition     99 MB  Healthy    System

DISKPART> exit

Leaving DiskPart...
PS C:\>_

You may also use powershell and WMI, however it will not show you the EFI partition, but that one will not have a dirty bit anyway (its FAT):
PS C:\> gwmi win32_volume|ft DirtyBitSet,DriveLetter,Label,FileSystem,DriveType,@{N="CapacityGB";E={"{0:0.00}" -f ($_.Capacity/1GB)}},DeviceID -auto

DirtyBitSet DriveLetter Label      FileSystem DriveType CapacityGB DeviceID
----------- ----------- -----      ---------- --------- ---------- --------
      False E:          SSD_DATA   NTFS               3 953,87     \\?\Volume{7f6ac413-3dac-11e6-824c-806e6f6e6963}\
      False R:          R_RECOVERY NTFS               3 223,44     \\?\Volume{3413706d-6399-434e-a8da-e15040605ade}\
      False C:          C_SYSTEM   NTFS               3 99,48      \\?\Volume{904973b0-8eeb-4964-b69b-446d0ec54fd7}\
      False D:          D_DATA     NTFS               3 272,61     \\?\Volume{76a3823b-2319-4bb5-b604-ceca62d17ffa}\
      False             Recovery   NTFS               3 0,29       \\?\Volume{5c943c90-32ac-4ff6-b5cc-abbe56321078}\
      False             Boxcryptor NTFS               4 953,87     \\?\Volume{998eb5d7-542c-11e8-8354-d017c2d490d4}\

PS C:\>_

If any of the above shows anything else than "Healthy" or DirtyBitSet = False, then you should target the disk containing that volume.
If all is healthy, then you can disregard the event.
Comment: If you have checked all ok according to above instructions, I for one personally wouldn't worry. Seems like an M$ oddity more than anything else.
Comment: Thanks, I tried and all is healthy and fine - but the critical alert still shows. Strange...


How to fix a completely unresponsive MacBook Pro 2018 keyboard?

Question: I have a 2018 Macbook Pro 13" with Touch Bar running MacOS Catalina. Today my keyboard suddenly stopped working after sleep. It simply would not output ANYTHING. I foolishly restarted my computer before even trying to look into some settings. After that I was unable to login, connect a bluetooth keyboard, nothing. I could not even hold the option key to boot into bootcamp. I'm simply in shock right now, as my MacBook really cost a ton and is extremely vital to my studies and hobbies.
Thank you so much for any help!
Comment: Does using a USB keyboard and mouse work?
Comment: yes, they do. By now my theory is that the cables to the trackpad and keyboard may have come loose, broken, or just lost any connection to the motherboard. My system sometimes tells me that it does not detect andy input devices and prompts me to plug them in.
Answer: It's worth taking it to the Apple Store. There have been hardware/manufacturing problems with recent MacBook keyboards, and if it is such a problem, then Apple should fix it free.
Apple currently has a "Keyboard Service Program" for a range of laptops, including yours.


Are [ɪ] and [i] are allophones of the same phoneme in English?

Question: I am leaning towards no, but would like confirmation and perhaps an example to illustrate.
Answer: The short answer is no. In English, the phones [ɪ] and [i] are not just allophones of a single phoneme.
There are many minimal pairs like "bit-beat", "shit-sheet", "bitch-beach" that establish that [ɪ] and [i] (in a usual English accent) are not always allophones of the same phoneme. To account for the contrasts between these words, we need to define at least two separate phonemes, /ɪ/ and /i/.
However, there are certain specific phonological contexts in which the phonemic contrast between /ɪ/ and /i/ can be analyzed as "neutralized", and for some speakers, there may be allophonic variation of some kind between the phones [ɪ] and [i] in these circumstances.
How to analyze neutralization is a notorious problem for phonological analyses that make use of phonemes, but we could say that in these specific neutralization contexts [ɪ] and [i] are both allophones of some single phoneme, which we could identify as either /ɪ/ and /i/ (or if you use the concept of "archiphonemes", /I/).
A well-known example in English of a vowel that can be analyzed as the neutralization of /ɪ/ and /i/ is the "happy" vowel: in a specific phonological context (word-finally or before another vowel, in a fully unstressed syllable) we can have either [ɪ] or [i], with no contrast. The "happy" vowel is actually not a great example of allophony per se because many contemporary accents only allow it to be realized as the phone [i]. It's more of an example of "diaphonemic" analysis. That said, I have read that there are some British accents, current or historical, where individual speakers show some type of free or conditioned variation between [ɪ] or [i] for the "happy" vowel, which would qualify as actual allophony.
In certain specific North American accents, in particular, there are other contexts where [ɪ] and [i] could be considered to be allophones.

Before /ŋ/, there is no contrast between [ɪ] and [i]. Most accents of English only have [ɪ] in this context, but some North American accents allow (or perhaps even require) [i] instead. Phonetically intermediate realizations of the vowel are also known to exist. So [i] and [ɪ] could be said to be allophones of the same phoneme in this particular position for English speakers.
There have been a number of questions about this topic asked earlier on this site; I linked to some beneath Why is /ɪŋk/ used with "ink" words when the actual pronunciation is /ijŋk/?
Before /r/, many (I think most) North American English speakers have merged /ɪ/ and /i/ to a single vowel phoneme, the realization of which is variable and can range between [ɪ] and [i]. So for speakers with this merger, [ɪ] and [i] could be called "allophones" in this context.
Comment: Thank you, this really cleared it up for me. I was not certain due to some edge cases such as ones you have listed.
Comment: Right. It's the edge cases that refine the definition, and its limits of usefulness. That's why syntacticians (a word, btw, that ELU spellcheck disapproves of) are always looking for ungrammatical sentences; they set the boundary conditions.


Is it possible for a person to become so evil that they lose their soul? Like is it possible for a person to be missing their soul?

Question: Occasionally, you hear people talk about people who commit horribly evil acts. They say things like "they have no soul", or "they're so rotten they literally gave away their soul". That made me wonder: is it possible for a person to actually lose their soul while being alive or even be born without a soul? Moreover, is it possible for someone to become so corrupt and evil that they literally are born with a soul but lose it in the process?
Comment: The Alter Rebbe in Tanya (chapters 1-2) explains tha we have an G-dly sould and an animal one. Could we ever lose our G-dly one?
Comment: Without the soul, the body is a lifeless clump of inanimate matter, as we learn in Bereshit. I think those phrases "sold his soul" etc are used to imply that someone has let another entity take over their soul, or they have agreed to go to hell in order to gain some benefit now. Those phrases are non-Jewish in origin, however one can possibly draw parallels with those ideas with Torah concepts, such as Ibur and Dybbuk for the former, and "stealing one's reward from one's portion in the world to come" for the latter, perhaps?
Answer:
Moreover, is it possible for someone to become so corrupt and evil
that they literally are born with a soul but lose it in the process?

Difficult question to be honest.
The Alter Rebbe, in his magnus opus, Tanya, explains that we possess both an G-dly and an animal soul (chapter 1 and 2). In Chapter 11, the Alter Rebbe explains that there are persons, G-d forbid, in which the animal soul prevail:

There is also the person in whom the wickedness prevails more strongly, and all three garments of evil clothe themselves in him, causing him to commit more heinous and frequent sins. But intermittently he suffers remorse, and thoughts of repentance enter his mind, from the quality of good that is in his soul, that gathers strength now and then. However, he has not enough strength to vanquish the evil so as to rid himself entirely of his sins and be as one who confesses and abandons [his evil ways, once and for all].Concerning such a person, the Rabbis, of blessed memory, have said, "The wicked are full of remorse." These represent the majority of the wicked, in whose soul still lingers some good.

The Alter Rebbe explains that there are also people in which's soul, there isn't good anymore, the evil prevails too much. He calls these people רָשָׁע וְרַע לוֹ - a rasha who knows only evil.
But, the most important thing the Alter Rebbe teaches is that after all, a person still has a G-dly soul within him. The רָשָׁע וְרַע לוֹ also has it, but it might be buried deep(er) within his soul, but it is there, according to the Alter Rebbe.

Yet, since he still possesses good, albeit as a makif, for after all, he possesses a divine soul—


Does stackoverflow.com-Posts.7 in March 2017 Stack Exchange data dump contain posts from Jan-Mar'17?

Question: The md5sums of stackoverflow.com-Posts.7z files in Mar'17 Stack Exchange data dump and Dec'16 Stack Exchange data dump are identical (776cab94cd0c2244a9dbe3047e74decc).  The files are of the same size as well (34857919 lines).  So, it seems they are identical.  Is it true?  If so, can Stack Exchange team please upload the updated stackoverflow.com-Posts.7z file for Mar'17 data dump?
Comment: SHAttered??????
Comment: Given the same number of lines and same unpacked file sizes, I doubt if we are observing SHA collision.
Answer: Yes, it I think it does. I haven't downloaded the files to confirm, but the torrent metadata doesn't match your observation.
The March 2017 release (with BitTorrent infohash 586eebe6f3c19db48a5ea471579b96d3bd3ba6e3) includes the following metadata for that file:
{
  "crc32": "60771106",
  "length": 10790576915,
  "md5": "776cab94cd0c2244a9dbe3047e74decc",
  "mtime": "1489559143",
  "path": [
    "stackoverflow.com-Posts.7z"
  ],
  "sha1": "34202070af1eeb7b8234d118f78ce42973d74037"
}

The December 2016 release (with BitTorrent infohash fd86cb81c9ab08bd3a0969d4c700555ec7814328) includes the following metadata for that file:
{
  "crc32": "a914a67d",
  "length": 10320191802,
  "md5": "ba6d673604e2b53b4e194ddb206561c5",
  "mtime": "1481831889",
  "path": [
    "stackoverflow.com-Posts.7z"
  ],
  "sha1": "b50bf3064ef0fd5c93224005202ec6b7b2d921a5"
}

You can see that the March 2017 release is larger, has a later timestamp, and has different hashes.
(The per-file hashes/checksums aren't enforced by the BitTorrent protocol, so those could hypothetically be wrong. However, the file sizes (length) are fundamental and must be correct for the torrent to function.)
Comment: I just checked the contents of Posts.xml and I found some posts from Mar'17 towards the end of the file.  So, I think you are right.  Phew!  I guess some copying issues at my end :)


What is the difference between linear interpolation and piece-wise linear interpolation?

Question: I'm familiar with linear interpolation. I tried to search some details about piece-wise linear interpolation but failed to understand this method. Can someone explain the difference between these two interpolation methods or perhaps offer some references to learn?
Answer: piece-wise models, at least in my field, mean a regression model with where the slope is "broken" into different pieces or sections. This is commonly done in models dealing with repeated measures across time. For example, imagine that you have a time series model with 10 data points. You administered your treatment at data point 4. You would have two "sections" of your regression slope. One before treatment and one after. Comparing the two slopes lets you know things like the difference between the two treatments and the difference in rate of change.
My suggestion is read one of the very handy books on time series modeling. I have no suggestions since the resources I would suggest would assume a background in R which I do not know if you have.
Comment: Great answer, I appreciate the resources you would like to suggest because I do have a background in R.
Comment: I really think that Julian Faraway does a great job of mixing R and statistics well. Look for his book "linear models with R" and "extending the linear model with R". As for a book on time series that I like "Introduction to Time Series Analysis" by Mark Pickup. That's a little book that does a good job explaining.


Leaving the EU without a deal and MFN rules

Question: If the UK left the EU without a trade deal, trade with the EU would continue because it would be illegal to offer the UK worse trade terms than any other third country under WTO most-favoured nation rules. Is this correct?
Answer: https://uktradeforum.net/2017/11/30/what-is-the-most-favoured-nation-clause/
That is correct, the UK will have the same terms that any other non-EU country1.
Member of the World Trade Organization grant the tariffs of MFNs to the other members of the WTO. The UK is a member of the WTO independently of the EU2.
But...

That also means that the EU cannot simply give the UK a better trade deal on its own, because then the other WTO countries would also benefit from it. It also works the other way; the UK cannot privilege just the EU (on account of the Ulster-EIRE border, for example).
It does not include financial services, which are an important part of the UK economy. Moreover, some of EUs Free Trade Agreeements include MFN clauses affecting financial services, so opening up to the UK would also open to those countries.

1 Custom Unions are exempt from the MFN rules; the fact that there are no tariffs between France and Germany does not mean that Germany's MFNs will have no tariffs.
2 The EU as itself is a member of the WTO, but all of its countries are also members on their own.
Answer: Trade could certainly continue under the basic WTO rules. It wouldn't continue under the free trade rules of the single market. Quoting from a WTO webpage explaining the concept of "most-favoured-nation":

Some exceptions are allowed. For example, countries can set up a free trade agreement that applies only to goods traded within the group —   discriminating against goods from outside. Or they can give developing countries special access to their markets. Or a country can raise barriers against products that are considered to be traded unfairly from specific countries. And in services, countries are allowed, in limited circumstances, to discriminate.

The European Single Market is an example of one such group.
Of course, from the point of view of EU-UK trade, firstly the WTO tariff rules are still a fairly stiff trade barrier (and both sides have to apply them, to preserve the most-favoured nation status rules), secondly there is limited coverage of services, which makes up a sizeable proportion of the UK economy.
Comment: @Ben Sorry, that was ambiguous, what I meant indeed was neither side could arbitrarily introduce a sweetheart deal without a proper negotiated free trade agreement.
Comment: @Ben A specific ban on UK products might justify a complaint to the WTO. However, that's not really what's on the cards. EU companies trade as individuals in a market, and if new trade barriers make UK products unattractive, then it's certainly not illegal for their customers to shop elsewhere.
Comment: Thank you. Please can you clarify "both sides need to apply them to preserve the most-favoured nation status"? Surely it is up to each side to decide their own tariffs and apply them consistently to everyone (in the absence of an FTA)?