How to keep the spawnchunks loaded without generating the nether or end

Question: I'm on a creative server and I have the ability to use cheats, commandblocks, etc. I want to keep the spawn chunks loaded entity processing when no player is online. All solutions I know of work by transferring entities to the nether, the most common one used in iron farms spits poppies through a nether portal every 15 seconds. I'm searching for a solution that doesn't require generating the nether or end in my world.
Comment: Don't spawn chunks already stay loaded?
Comment: @colorfusion If no players are in the overworld after 15 seconds, update ticks for entities and tile entities will stop being sent (though not all tile entities rely on update ticks, such as command blocks). It's not unloading per-se, but entity processing is requested. The *only* way that the 15-second timer resets (apart from a player existing in the overworld) is if any entity travels to or from the overworld via a nether/end portal, which unfortunately is not what OP is looking for.
Answer: Aha! A video that shows a redstone contraption to keep chunks loaded.

Doesn't even need spawn chunks; the video demonstrates the difference between entity-active chunks and redstone-only active chunks.
UPDATE:
Ok, I've now watched a bunch of videos on chunkloading, and one on chunk unloading.
Turns out that chunk unloading is not "all-at-once", but rather "Unload 100 now, go back and unload more next tick".

Here is the key observation: If a chunk is loaded, and all 24 chunks in a 5x5 around it are also loaded, then that chunk will process both redstone and entities.
Have a 5x5 area? The 1x1 in the middle does both.
Have a 7x7 area? The 3x3 in the middle does both.
Etc.
For chunk unload protection, see this:

Basically, minecraft takes the X and Z chunk location, does an xor hash map, and that becomes the bucket it goes into. If it goes into a late enough bucket, and there are enough chunks loaded, the chunk will live long enough for hoppers to activate adjacent chunks, and force them to load, even if the game was trying to unload them.
So the trick becomes:
1. Have more than 100 chunks that want to be loaded,
2. Find out which chunks are "last" on that unload list hash order,
3. Have those chunks use hoppers to activate other chunks, which then reloads all your chunks.
4. Have a 2-chunk border around any chunk you want entity processing on.
Comment: Can you elaborate on what the video covers? Perhaps paraphrase the mechanics. This way the answer can still remain valid even if the video is deleted
Answer: What the OP requested is impossible to achieve.
I decompiled the minecraft 1.10 code using MCP and I can confirm what Skylinerw said. The only way to have entities processed in a dimension without players in it is by having an entity travel between that dimension and another dimension at least every 15 seconds.
Answer: In 1.14 and abobe this game mechanic had changed. You can`t load chuncks with reddstone or hoppers anymore. You have to fire items trough the nether or force an skeleton to shot arrows to a snow golem. You have to fire items every 15 seconds, if you do so you will charge a 5x5 area.
Is better explained in this Ilmango's video:
Answer: If you are using modded version and can add a mod to the mod list, Mystcraft mod could be used: an island world, with no seas, will look very "empty" (like The End).
Comment: This doesn't answer the question. The OP is not looking for an alternate dimension, they are looking for ways to keep specific chunks loaded


What is the biblical basis for carrying out social justice in opposition to the justice system?

Question: What is the Biblical basis for seeking social justice when such actions are considered illegal, or in opposition to the justice system?
Comment: I cleaned it up a bit to make it more internally consistent – is this what you'd like to know?
Comment: Yes Sir, that is perfect!

@Nathaniel
Answer: The Bible has many examples of carrying out God's commands despite opposition from secular, or even religious authorities.
For example, Daniel and his fellow exiles were ordered not to worship God by those in authority, but continued to do so. In Acts 4, Peter and John were forbidden to preach and heal, yet continued to do so. They specifically said:

"Which is right in God's eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the
  judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and
  heard." (Acts 4:19-20)

Later in response to further orders to stop, Peter says:

"We must obey God rather than human beings! (Acts 5:29)

In a wider context, Christians have frequently disobeyed laws that are unjust, from hiding Jews from the Nazi regime to harbouring runaway slaves in nineteenth century America.
Answer: I was unable to think of any biblical justification for Christians to seek social justice by resorting to civil disobedience and breaking the law of the land.  So I found an article on the subject and present below some Bible examples which MAY be considered by SOME as the basis for opposing those in authority in order to achieve social justice:

In Exodus 1, the Egyptian Pharaoh gave the clear command to two Hebrew midwives that they were to kill all male Jewish babies. An extreme patriot would have carried out the government's order, yet the Bible says the midwives disobeyed Pharaoh and "feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive" (Exodus 1:17). The Bible goes on to say the midwives lied to Pharaoh about why they were letting the children live; yet even though they lied and disobeyed their government, "Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty" (Exodus 1:20–21). God blessed the people because the midwives feared Him.
In Joshua chapter 2, Rahab directly disobeyed a command from the king of Jericho to produce the Israelite spies who had entered the city to gain intelligence for battle. Instead, she let them down via a rope so they could escape. Even though Rahab had received a clear order from the top government official, she resisted the command and was redeemed from the city's destruction when Joshua and the Israeli army destroyed it.
The book of 1 Samuel records a command given by King Saul during a military campaign that no one could eat until Saul had won his battle with the Philistines. However, Saul's son Jonathan, who had not heard the order, ate honey to refresh himself from the hard battle the army had waged. When Saul found out about it, he ordered his son to die. However, the people resisted Saul and his command and saved Jonathan from being put to death (1 Samuel 14:45).
Another example of civil disobedience in keeping with biblical submission is found in 1 Kings 18. That chapter briefly introduces a man named Obadiah who "feared the Lord greatly." When the queen Jezebel was killing God's prophets, Obadiah took a hundred of them and hid them from her so they could live. Such an act was in clear defiance of the ruling authority's wishes.
The only apparently approved revolt against a reigning government official is recorded in 2 Kings. Athaliah, the mother of Ahaziah, began to destroy the royal offspring of the house of Judah. However, Joash the son of Ahaziah was taken by the king's daughter and hidden from Athaliah so that the bloodline would be preserved. Six years later, Jehoiada gathered men around him, declared Joash to be king, and put Athaliah to death.
Daniel records a number of examples of civil disobedience. The first is found in chapter 3 where Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow down to the golden idol in disobedience to King Nebuchadnezzar's command. The second is in chapter 6 where Daniel defies King Darius' decree to not pray to anyone other than the king. In both cases, God rescued His people from the death penalty that was imposed, signalling His approval of their actions.

James 1:27 says pure religion is "to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction" but that does not advocate civil disobedience or breaking the law.  The Bible says "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).  However, the key point is whether our actions are in obedience to God, that we do not compromise our faith when the laws of government go against God's laws.  Some people claim that the ends justify the means, but that is not biblical.  Christian guidelines are to be found in Romans 13:1-7, 1 Timothy 2:1-2 and in 1 Peter 2:13-17.
Source: https://www.gotquestions.org/civil-disobedience.html


Delegated Admin - Can create new fields?

Question: Can a delegated admin create new fields, i know they cannot create new profiles, roles or modify the OWD.but someone please confirm if the delegated admin can create a new field?
Answer: No, they can't.
To create fields they need Customize Application privilege on their profile. But if you add that permission they will be able to the entire setup options.
Comment: Thanks...i was almost positive that they cant, but still wanted to double check. Again thanks for your quick feedback.
Comment: I think if the delegate admin is having access to that object, then he/she can create fields as well even if he/she is not having Customize Application privilege on their profile


Multiple-stage Disable Device rolling on complex, "strung out", non-magical traps with variable-by-means Disable Device DCs

Question: Background: I am workshopping the dungeon from this question, and this answer suggests that I should have the rogue make a Disable Device check up front in order to figure out the trap's workings.  However, the Disable Device DC on these traps is variable, depending on how the rogue elects to go about disarming the trap!  Is it OK to have 2 Disable Device rolls for a single trap at possibly different DCs (and different locations, for that matter), one to determine the workings of the trap and a second to actually disable it?
Answer: It's okay if the players know what's happening
If the DM says, "Make a Disable Device skill check," and the PCs expend resources to make that Disable Device skill check, they'll expect, afterward, a disabled device (or, y'know not, depending on the result). Unless warned beforehand, the PCs won't expect that they'll need a second check (or more) to actually disable the device. That's mean and liable to create hard feelings.
Be up front: "This is a trap like you've read about in rogues' school where the first part is so incredibly complex, even understanding how to disable the device requires a Disable Device skill check," the DM says. "Once you understand this trap, then you can really disable it."
A pair of alternatives
First, instead of making the Disable Device skill the only relevant skill, the DM could have PCs make Knowledge (architecture and engineering) or Craft (trapmaking) skill checks to determine the working of a multistage trap. Success may grant a bonus to the future Disable Device skill check or lead to the party safely to the trap's next stage, while failure means suffering a penalty or triggering a minor trap, a tampering countermeasure.
Second, consider the optional rules for complex skill checks, looking carefully at the specific rules for complex Disable Device skill checks. While I've not used these rules in Dungeons and Dragons 3.5, I have used slightly different iterations of such rules in both first and second edition Spycraft campaigns where the rules work quite well.
Comment: Given my original suggestion was a way for a rogue to realise the trap was disabled remotely, I was kind of thinking that in response to the Disable Trap check you say something like "When you examine the trap, you realise it is almost impossible to disable this trap from here. Based on your knowledge of traps blah blah blah" Giving some kind of information based on how high their check was (tips or ideas if they roll well). And then they go and try and disable the trap itself.

That way they don't assume the trap is disabled when it isn't. Unless they roll like, a 1 or something.
Comment: @MichaelCampbell But if you tell the players *after* a Disable Device roll's made that the device *can't* be disabled from here, they very well may've spent their resources to attempt that intermediate check rather saving them for the final check when they'll need those resources. Hence being honest about the check's nature initially.
Comment: True, but there is a difference between being "honest upfront" and "giving them information they don't have a way of knowing". I mean, until they try and disable the trap, how do they know anything about it? Unless they specify they are examining it before they try and disable it, and not many players do that (in my experience at least).
Comment: @MichaelCampbell A Search skill check usually only reveals the presence or absence of a trap and nothing more, but could, perhaps, more information be revealed if the Search check's result is exceptional?


Using central heating pipe to detect neutral line with a multimeter

Question: I'm exploring the capabilities of my cheap Aneng SZ08 multimiter, which I've recently purchased. I have a question related to the detection of a neutral line in the wall socket using a multimiter. What are the ways of doing this? I've seen a video of a Russian guy on the YouTube who connects one of the probes to his central heating pipe (which goes down to the Earth ground), and he plugs the other probe to one of the outlets of the socket. If the meter reads 220v, it is phase, otherwise it is neutral. Does this method work and is it safe?
Answer: As you were told in answers to your other question on the cheap Aneng SZ08 multimeter, it is unsafe to use it to measure mains voltage. It is unlikely to be properly rated to handle mains voltage safely, whatever the CAT classification on the front of it says.
That said, if you had a suitably rated meter, then measuring between an earth, of which a central heating pipe ought to be a good example, and a socket terminal, would be a satisfactory way of telling which terminal was live and which neutral. You would not be surprised to find a few volts on neutral with respect to earth.
Answer: General disclaimer: Call an electrician if you are in any doubt. Mains electricity is lethal and not to be played around with.
I use the same method if grounded outlets are not available. With the advent of PEX pipes (plastic) allowed for installation in some countries (at least for water supply), it's no longer guaranteed. If you know what you are doing and you measure 230 V between one socket in your wall outlet and 0 V on the other with respect to your central heating pipe, I would switch over to resistance measurement and check resistance between heating pipe and your assumed neutral. If low ohmic, you are good.
You can probably encounter edge cases where your central heating pipe is only close to zero volt compared to earth. I have tripped my RCB by measuring the current between the ~1 V central heating and outlet neutral.
Mains outlet checkers are available commercially which will tell you which is live and which is neutral with basically you as earth reference, bleeding say 1 uA though you.
Here is one example. Since it does not detect neutral/earth swap, I don't think its smart enough to use you as external reference.

Image curtesy of Conrad.
Comment: @Gog Assuming your multimeter isn't an unsafe piece of garbage and you use the V outlet in it, then yes. Your multimeter should be 1 Mohm or more.
Comment: So, as I understand, touching your central heating pipe with one of the probes while other is in the outlet is safe and it won't energise the pipe?
Comment: alright, I got it that I'd better not try it.
Comment: Please buy a proper multimeter. You will have use for it for the rest of your life.


Is there a way to test an individual Monit control file?

Question: I've created a Monit control file, but it doesn't seem to be working. It would be nice to have a way to test Monitor control files other than by just letting them run and seeing if they work. Anyone have any way to do this?
Answer: There are several levels at which one could "test Monitor control files," the lowest level of which is validating that everything about it is syntactically correct. Have you started with the validation check?
<code>monit -t -c <path_to_control_file>/monitrc
</code>
Answer: Its been awhile since I used this product but isn't there an http port that monit provides (or can be configured) that you can use a web browser to look at this type of thing?


Specifying DNS: Router or PrefPane?

Question: OSX Lion (10.7.5). Network preferences has an option to set up (and order) DNS adresses. My router (Bell Connection Hub - Bell Canda) also has an option for specifying DNS addresses. Which takes precedence in ordinary, vanilla browser requests? In other requests? Are there special situations/considerations? Thanks!
Answer: If you specify DNS entries in your router's configuration, then any DHCP client of that router will receive those DNS addresses and perform lookups against them.
If you only specify DNS entries on your own Mac, then your lookup requests will be handled in the order listed.
You might want to consider running the excellent and free namebench to find the best DNS entries for your location and Internet connection.
Comment: Yes, but if (for the sake of discussion) you specify OpenDNS at the router but Google on your Mac, which will it use?
Answer: If you manually enter DNS server(s) in the Network preferences, they'll take precedence over the DHCP-supplied DNS server(s). And I don't mean it'll try the manual DNS server first and if that doesn't work it'll fail over to the DHCP-supplied server, I mean it'll ignore the DHCP-supplied server(s) entirely. There are, however, some complications:

If you have multiple network interfaces ("services") connected (e.g. both Ethernet and Wi-Fi), it'll use the DNS settings from the "primary" service (i.e. the one listed first in the Network preferences sidebar). So if Ethernet is the primary service, and you enter manual DNS servers for the Wi-Fi interface, they'll be ignored in favor of the DNS servers associated with the Ethernet service (but manual DNS server entries on the Ethernet service will override those supplied by the Ethernet DHCP config).
OS X's DNS "resolver" actually consists of a bunch of resolvers for different types of lookups. In addition to the default resolver (configured based on the network settings/DHCP/whatever) there are some built-in resolvers that ignore the regular DNS settings and do something else instead. Mainly, they are for things like names ending in ".local" that get resolved by local multicast lookup (mDNS). So, for example, if you try to connect to "something.local", it won't ask the regular DNS server for the address, it'll send out a "hey, is something.local here? If so, send me your address..." to the local network(s). You can get a full list of these (as well as see exactly what server(s) are being used for regular DNS), with the command scutil --dns.
Programs that do their own DNS resolution... will do whatever they please. But mostly we're talking about programs like nslookup, dig, and host, which are specialized DNS query tools. General-purpose programs (like browsers) should all use the system resolver. (And BTW, nslookup, dig, and host all actually look at /etc/resolv.conf, which is set to the same policy as the default resolver, ... so they wind up following mostly the same policy, just without the multicast stuff.)

Specifying DNS: Router or PrefPane?


Idealism and Brain Lesion Research

Question: How do idealists explain the predictable loss of function involved in brain lesion studies, or similarly, the predictable functions caused by stimulation of specific brain regions?
Comment: The same way they explain hunger causing bad mood, it is not like idealists think that material world has no effect on mind.
Comment: matter is mind.
Comment: Welcome to philosophy stack exchange!  It is always a good idea for new members to visit our help center, to get a better understanding of how to write good questions and answers.  https://philosophy.stackexchange.com/help
Answer: There are a range of views called "idealism".  The most common in philosophy thru the early 1900s was phenomenalism -- that phenomenal experience was what we really knew, and any inferred matter was secondary, at least from a knowledge perspective. This form of "idealism" is compatible with ontologic materialism, dualism, or idealism, and is entirely compatible with brain trauma affecting our consciousness.
Of more relevance to your questions are ontological idealisms, like the Perennial Philosophy view that a Mind at Large is what is responsible for all reality, and we are in delusion in our belief we are separate from it. In these idealisms, if matter is created by consciousness, at least at first blush, it appears that consciousness should not be affected by mere material events.
Your question imports a Popperian "critical test case to refute a theory" approach from philosophy of science into general philosophy, in order to test metaphysical theories.
Note that while Popper's approach is highly useful in science, it is not nearly as definitive as he initially asserted. Most science theories continue to be accepted, even when they fail critical test cases. A good example is the Big Bang Theory, which for many decades was predicting that the universe was older than the oldest stars in our galaxy, but which was accepted none the less.  Another philosopher, Imre Lakatos, offered an alternative view, that of Research Programmes, in which a theory is a family of views, which can be amended and tweaked to accommodate contrary observations, and a theory is maintained so long as it is "progressive" -- IE it helps to make useful predictions guiding further investigation. A theory is discarded when it becomes "regressive" because the tweaks and special assumptions make it predictively nearly useless.  http://people.loyno.edu/~folse/Lakatos.html
Popper and Lakatos would both endorse the application of their methods to metaphysics claims, so that part of your approach is fine.
The strong idealist worldviews all are aware of examples of matter affecting mind, and all have deployed, methods to explain this data.  The Vedic inspired idealisms resort to variants on delusion -- Maya.  We falsely THINK that matter is constraining on mind, similar to all of our other Maya illusions, so we LET matter constrain our minds.  Christian Science uses similar reasoning around insufficient faith.  And New Age idealism often blames the negative or fear-based mindset of the victim.
Some idealist thinking in the New Age and Pagan traditions avoids this victim blaming, by asserting that the mind creating physical reality is a collaborative process -- that the physical constraints on the mental are basically the effect of multiple OTHER minds forcing the injured to experience physical constraints on their mental.  The idea of a collectively created reality is why some New Age thinking seeks to change the world by changing widespread attitudes about our world.  "Visualize World Peace" is a slogan attempting to create world peace by changing our collective expectations, and thus changing the actual world.  This "collective reality" idealism has no issues with injuries harming consciousness.
It is not just idealist worldviews that face evidential challenges from brain lesions.  Most dualist models do too.  A common dualist model of mind/brain is of drone operator, and drone processor/sensor set.  Injuries to a drone/body per this model should lead to reduced inputs to the operator, and reduced outputs received by the drone, but should not affect the operator's thinking.  This model is not compatible with the personality changes seen in many lesions.
The application of Latakian methodology to metaphysics models, using mind data to guide the evaluation, is not widely practiced.  I offer two examples of attempting to do so, in two book reviews:
https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Afterlife-against-After-Death/dp/0810886774?ref=pf_vv_at_pdctrvw_dp
https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RZY1A4EL2JOZ4?ref=pf_vv_at_pdctrvw_srp

Idealism and Brain Lesion Research


Spike-timing-dependent plasticity versus Homeostatic plasticity

Question: How can spike-timing-dependent plasticity and homeostatic plasticity both be right? If spike-timing-dependent plasticity consistently tries to strengthen connections, but homeostatic plasticity consistently tries to weaken strong connections, wouldn't the two cancel each other out, causing no net plasticity to occur and consequently brains couldn't learn?
I have a pretty good understanding of spike-timing-dependent plasticity, but I just recently came across homeostatic plasticity and I'm trying to understand how both theories can be right. What am I misunderstanding? Can someone help me understand homeostatic plasticity better and how it applies to spike-timing-dependent plasticity?
Answer: Homoestatic plasticity can be used with spike-dependent plasticity given they have two different goals and aren't applied uniformly across neural population. To support this argument, I'm going to use a computation model taken from "Simultaneous unsupervised and supervised learning of cognitive functions in biologically plausible spiking neural networks" by Bekolay et al.
In the model, an ensemble of neurons with input and output weights [1], is trying to learn how to change their output weights to approximate a given function. PES (STDP rule) changes the output weights of the neurons to approximate. The BCM (homeostatic rule) increases the sparsity of the input weights. When used together as hPES, they allow for less parameter sensitivity of the ensemble and a lower overall spiking rate, allowing the group of neurons to conserve energy.
[1] For a visual explanation of what this means, see this blog post.
Comment: I'm sorry, but do you know where I can find a concise and step by step definition of what's really going on during homeostatic plasticity?
Comment: @Scott Weinblatt  If you ask a new question clarifying what you want to know, then I might be able to help.
Answer: The key concept is that STDP is synapse specific, whereas homeostatic plasticity is more global.  (As an aside, it is incorrect to say that STDP strengthens connections.  STDP strengthens connections with pre-before-post spiking relationships, but weakens connections with post-before-pre spiking relationships.  You man be thinking of Hebbian plasticity.  The following explanation applies to either.)  Let's say you have 100 synapses onto your neuron, all of which have a weight of 1.  Let's say 10 of them undergo strengthening through Hebb's rule or STDP to achieve a weight of 10, so the total strength of all synapses into the neuron is now 190.  Then, when homeostatic plasticity is applied so that the total input to the neuron returns to a value of 100, the 10 strengthened synapses will have a new weight of 10*100/190 = 5.3, and the other 90 synapses will have a new weight of 1*100/190 = 0.53.  Therefore, even though the total input to the neuron is held constant, the distribution of those weights changes, so information gained through the initial Hebbian plasticity or STDP is retained.


Hidden achievements on temple run 2

Question: i have completed lvl 10 , feb 2015 , lvl 11 is now open .. No objectives are available but if I go into game centre it shows there are hidden achievements  left to do .. Anyone know what they are ,, I have all the ones listed on the wiki site
Answer: There are a maximum of 20 hidden achievements.You need to keep playing the game. Get started to complete the secret achievements by Jumping for no reason. Doing something unique. Going to long distances etc.
The points of the achievements are listed below :-
4 Achievements - 5 Points
4 Achievements - 6 Points
4 Achievements - 14 Points
1 Achievement  - 15 Points
2 Achievements - 22 Points
1 Achievement  - 23 Points
2 Achievements - 25 Points
1 Achievement  - 27 Points
1 Achievement  - 36 Points
Have a good day!
If I have helped you,Please accept this as an answer!
Comment: You forgot the double spaces. In Arqade, we use markdown (and the proper one, compared to Github). If you want to do a line break, you need to put two spaces (ie. `end of line.  `) before breaking the line (pressing enter). | Paragraphs on the other end can just be defined as per normal (pressing space twice).
Comment: You have edited this aytimothy.So If this is accepted as an answer,Will I get the reputation or you or both?
Comment: Only the original poster will get the reputation. As for <2000 rep people, they'll get 2 reputation for the edit (if approved by higher-up peers).The same logic also applies to upvotes; if I upvoted you - You get the reputation, not me. (You made the post first, I merely edited it) | See [this wiki article](http://gaming.stackexchange.com/help/whats-reputation) for more information.

Hidden achievements on temple run 2


Comment tagging is flaky

Question: Half the time, I type the @ symbol and it doesn't pop up anybody. Also, when I tag somebody and it doesn't autosuggest the user, The tag gets stripped out of the comment...
Answer: If you use the @ to tag the name of the person who posted the question or answer it will be stripped out automatically as it is unnecessary.  They will be notified anyway.
Once you start typing a name after the @ sign  autocomplete depends on how long ago that user was there, I think. Certainly just typing @ shouldn't suggest a name until you start typing it.
Comment: Ohhh you're right. I was trying to tag the person who provided the answer.

Comment tagging is flaky


Efficiency - Cubemap or Raytraced reflection?

Question: I'm an amateur in 3D game development. The thing I want to know is shading related.
For reflection purpose, which will be the efficient way? Either "Realtime render to Cubemap" or "Ray trace based" reflection? In which way I will get better frames per second and my gpu gets less tired? No matter which API I use (e.g. DirectX, GL, GL ES, Metal). And please note my question is out of any game engine.
Comment: Neither. Dual paraboloid depth impostors.
Answer: For games, there are two main reflection techniques.
You mentionned cube maps that is one of them. Cubemaps are good for reflections on arbitrary complex objects (sphere, teapots, ...). One other advantage is that they can also easely handle reflections on normal mapped objects.
In terms of computing poxer needs, you have to be aware that for each reflecting objects, you have to render 6 times you scenes to the cube map. There are several optimisation possible (not render cube map at each frame, use low def render surface, ...) but it remains costly.
The other way is to use "portal" related techniques that are very well described in this question.
The main advantage of this technique is that you will only require one more rendering pass. Another good point is that you can handle mirrors reflecting mirrors in a more complete and easy way than with cube maps (still it is not esay to handle such cases).
The main drawback is that you have to cull objects that are behind the reflective surface. Another drawback is that reflective surface must be a plane.
Raytracing in real time games is, afaik not used because it is too much resource hungry.
Comment: @Bálint Nope, even a simple reflective sphere allows you to see all 6 cubemap sides.
Comment: You only need to render the scene 3 times, because effrctively, you can only see 3 sides of the cube at once.
Answer: Cubemaps are much much faster than realtime (raytraced is realtime) although it does have its disadvantages.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cube_mapping#Advantages

Cube mapping is preferred over other methods of environment mapping because of its relative simplicity. Also, cube mapping produces results that are similar to those obtained by ray tracing, but is much more computationally efficient – the moderate reduction in quality is compensated for by large gains in efficiency.
Comment: Its still possible for cubemaps to be realtime by rendering to texture each face. I think that's what the op is curious about.


Can a pyruvate reaction to acetyl coA be called as acetylation in any way?

Question: Can the oxidation of pyruvate to acetyl coa be called as acetylation in some ways?
Please include credible sources in the answer.
Comment: Acetylation means addition of an acetyl (CH₃CO-) group, not formation of acetate. Pyruvate to Ac-CoA is quite a complex reaction. Please try to do some prior research before asking. The objective of your question is unclear.
Answer: Acetylation is defined as1:

Acetylation (or in IUPAC nomenclature ethanoylation) describes a reaction that introduces an acetyl functional group into a chemical compound.

So, any reaction in which an acetyl (CH3CO-) group adds to another compound is an acetylation reaction. A common example is Friedel-Crafts acetylation reaction:

If the reaction is catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase: In this case, first of all the reaction that you refer to is termed as pyruvate decarboxylation (rather than oxidation, although it won't hurt either). As @WYSIWYG has said in comments, it is not a simple reaction, it involves three steps (+ 2 steps for regeneration of complex), each catalyzed by different enzymes. The name given for the whole complex is pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC)2. The steps involved are3:

The keto carbon of pyruvate reacts with the carbanion of TPP on E1 to yield an addition compound. The electron-pulling positively charged nitrogen of the thiazole ring promotes loss of CO2. What remains is hydroxyethyl-TPP.
The hydroxyethyl carbanion on TPP of E1 reacts with the disulfide of lipoamide on E2. What was the keto carbon of pyruvate is oxidized to a carboxylic acid, as the disulfide of lipoamide is reduced to a dithiol. The acetate formed by oxidation of the hydroxyethyl moiety is linked to one of the thiols of the reduced lipoamide as a thioester.
The acetate is transferred from the thiol of lipoamide to the thiol of coenzyme A, yielding acetyl CoA.

Now, pyruvic acid has the formula: $CH_3-CO-COOH$. So, if you look at the step C of reaction, then since CH3CO- has been added to coenzyme A, hence, in a way, it would be considered an acetylation reaction. Pay attention that the complete reaction will not be considered acetylation, only a part of it would be. This is also the reason why calling the complete reaction as oxidation won't hurt, because even decarboxylation is just a part of complete reaction.
If the reaction is not catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase Taking the question out from pyruvate dehydrogenase (as you don't talk specifically about that), there is an enzyme Acetyl-coA synthetase whose job is catalyzing acetylation of coenzyme-A(!)4. The reaction looks like this:
$ATP + acetate + co-A \rightarrow AMP + pyrophosphate + acetyl-coA$
The enzyme is of two types: AMP forming and ADP forming5:

So, as long as the conversion is not one specifically catalyzed by pyruvate dehydrogenase, we can say that Yes, conversion of coenzyme-A to Acetyl-coA is an acetylation reaction.
References:

Acetylation - Wikipedia
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase - Wikipedia
Pyruvate Dehydrogenase and Krebs Cycle - Joyce J. Diwan; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Acetyl-coA synthetase - Wikipedia
Hentchel KL, Escalante-Semerena JC. 15 July 2015. Acylation of biomolecules in prokaryotes: a widespread strategy for the control of biological function and metabolic stress. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev doi:10.1128/MMBR.00020-15
Comment: I would only regard the CoA-SH to A-CoA being the acetylation step. Otherwise the full glycolysis pathway could be called an acetylation reaction - hardly true isn't it?
Comment: @DennisKim I think the right way to think about it is this: most reactions operate on more than one molecule. In the case of pyruvate dehydrogenase, the reaction is decarboxylation of pyruvate and concomitant acetylation of CoA. (The decarboxylation steps is oxidative, so you could also call that part oxidation). Most people focus on what happens to the pyruvate, but as explained by many answers above, you can't have one without the other.
Comment: I (accidentally) wrote the word acetylation while explaining about that reaction in my exam. It's only a part of a part of aquestion but if my instructor marks some of the points off, can I say that "it has acetylation in the process so its technically correct"? Both acetylation and decarboxylation are not stated in my textbook. Can I also say that acetylation IS oxidation? Sorry if it was too personal. I thought it was worthy enough to discuss the aspects here
Comment: @denniskim There is difference between acetylation and oxidation. Also, (assuming you're in high school where this is a single step conversion), you can say that its technically correct. You can discuss general concepts here, but personal exam questions are off-topic here.


Which memory counter best describes the actual physical memory utilized by an application and is there a threshold value in perfmon for memory?

Question: I'm running some performance tests on client machine to capture the Response time and resource utilization by applications, which is the memory counter that i need to look at to get the right physical memory that is utilized by the application? Private bytes/Working set/Working set-Private or should I be looking at? Right now I use Perfmon to capture the Process CPU and memory, the application I'm testing is leaking memory, during the test, the private byte and Working set counter gets maxed at around 4GB and wont capture data beyond 4GB. I'm running this test on Windows 7 and Windows 10 machines and both give me the same result. I use splunk to capture the same data(my machines are live feeding all perfmon data into splunk), there I see the same counters reaching 12-14 GB(physical memory available on the machine is 16 GB). Need advise on why the perfmon data I capture through a powershell script hits the 4 GB threshold and am I looking at the right memory counters to capture the actual physical memory used.
Answer: You are probably looking at the right PowerShell counters, if you see them stopping
at 4 GB.
This came up in another post that I can't locate now.
The conclusion that was arrived-at in this post was that these counters are 32-bit
and so cannot go above 4 GB.
Comment: Thanks Harry! I Today I ran a few more tests and saw the memory (private bytes)count go to 8 GB, I later continued the test and saw the same memory reaching 15 GB. The physical memory on the machine is 16 GB, the point where the private byte count reached 15 GB, the application stopped responding. Some times I see the memory go all the way beyond 4 GB, sometimes it gets restricted at 4GB, I dont understand this behavior of the counters.
Comment: Add to your post more info about what you are doing and how exactly you are getting these numbers and with what results. Your problem is a bit hard to understand.


can a 240 dryer outlet be moved using a junction box?

Question: A dryer was moved and the people put a junction box in its place.  Can I run the new line by attaching to the old one using the junction box.  They just disconnected it and turned off the breaker.  I would like to reuse the line for another item requiring 240 power in my garage. Can this be done and still follow code?
Comment: Can you post photos of the inside of the existing junction box please?  Also, what is this item that requires 240V power?
Comment: Additionally, ask all those questions about the run from the junction box to the new location... BTW - Welcome to [diy.se]! Please [edit] your post to include the answers if you know them. If you're not sure, edit in pictures (click the "mountain" icon above the question [edit] box and upload them from your PC, SE will host them for you and embed them in the post for easier viewing), that show the breaker in question and the wiring inside the box. Get a clear, focused close up shot of the writing on the wiring in the box if at all possible.
Comment: Key questions: What **size** wire from breaker to junction box? How **many** wires? Are the wires in **conduit** or are they a cable?
Comment: I think the wording of your question is confusing, and you might get incomplete answers as a result.  Where you write, *I would like to reuse the line for another item*, that is problematic.  You can only have one receptacle on a 30A 240V circuit.  It sounds to me like you should pull a new home-run circuit to the new dryer location and install a new breaker for it, or not re-purpose the old receptacle/circuit.
Answer: The answer is yes if the conductors meet code.you already turned off,  Remove The receptacle install a clamp in the old box for the new wire to feed the new the receptacle If Romex the putter insulation 1/4" inside the clamp and 6" wire minimum. Use appropriate sized wire-nuts and install a blank cover, put the new box where you want it , bring the wire in make sure to have at least 6" and the putter covering or insulation inside the box by 1/4" reconnect your receptacle and you are ready to plug in.
Electric driers are usually #10 wire on a 30 amp breaker. Can be larger but that is normal.
I usually use 4 square metal boxes with a 30 amp 1/2" raised cover .  The receptacle should be a 4 wire by today's code well and the last few cycles.
Good luck.


Can't do factory reset on Galaxy Tab 2

Question: I can't reset my Galaxy Tab 2 to factory settings. I know that you can when turning it on but the problem is that I installed a sort of ios onto the device and have forgotten the password and it won't let me turn it off without being logged in, but I can't unlock it.
Please help
Answer: According to Verizon, if you cannot perform a factory reset from the Settings app, you can perform one by following these steps:

Power the device off.

Press and hold the Power key.
Select Power off.
Select OK.   Note: If the screen doesn't respond to input, press and hold the Power button for 10-15 seconds.

Press and hold the Volume up key then press and hold the Power key.   Note: USB cable must be disconnected.
When the Samsung logo appears, release the Volume up key and Power key.
From the Android system recovery screen, press the Volume keys to select wipe data / factory reset then press the Power key.
Press the Volume keys to select Yes -- delete all user data then press the Power key.
Press the Volume keys to select reboot system now then press the Power key.
Perform Initial Activation and Setup.

You can read more at the Verizon website (Tab 2 Troubleshooting: Hard Reset).
Answer: You can wipe your phone straight from your computer using Android Device Manager, by going to the Play Store website on your computer, clicking the settings button, and selecting Android Device Manager.  Then, select your phone if it isn't automatically selected, and click wipe.
Comment: What if my device isnt connected to device manager
Comment: If you haven't set it up on your phone, then this won't work, but if you mean that it just isn't connected to WiFi, then once it is connected to a network it will factory reset it.

Can't do factory reset on Galaxy Tab 2


Changed my display manager to lightdm-gtk-greeter. Now I can't login

Question: Last night I edited the default-display-manager file and changed my default display manager from lightdm to lightdm-gtk-greeter. Then I edited the lightdm-gtk-greeter config file and changed the wallpaper. Now, when I reboot the computer I get a whole string of messages where the computer is booting up but it freezes and won't boot into the system. It just hangs there. How do I get back into my system? I'm running Xubuntu 12.04 64-bit.
Comment: If you able to go to recovery console by grub and bypass xinit you could change to gdm or whatever you like. otherwise try CTRL+C and repeat it as often as you could before lightdm displays in a short sequence while booting may be it helps.
Answer: Ok, this is what did the trick for me. I received this advice from someone else. When the system hung up I pressed Ctrl-Alt-F1 and got to a virtual terminal. Then, I issued the command sudo dpkg-reconfigure lightdm. That reset my display manager back to lightdm and I was able to sign in as normal. Everything works fine now.
Answer: You can give it a try, if you are using internet connection using Wired LAN then these may work for you:
Installing GDM (a display manager like lightdm) can fix your problem:
Method 1:

This method works when you are able to go to at least the command line interface.

Press CTRL+ALT+F1 or CTRL+ALT+F2 when your system starts and starts freezing or black screen appears. It will let you to use Command Line Interface. Then login using your username and password, and try following commands:
$ sudo apt-get install gdm
$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm

then selected gdm from the list, and restarted your system:
$ sudo reboot

Your system will be restarted with a login screen which will let you to access your system.
Method 2: If 1st didn't work for you then you can try this method. But it would be very long for you:
Here are the steps how to install using 2nd method

Go to following link and download gdm for Ubuntu 12.04.2 amd64. (chose ubuntu
proposed universe out of three listed there.)
http://pkgs.org/download/gdm
Put the *.deb file just installed to any pendrive.
Then login in save mode or Recovery Mode. After a lot of text displayed in black
screen one window will come which list some options. First go to option Grub, it
will mount your file system in read/write mode. Then chose root option in order
to login as root. Then go to the pendrive where you saved the deb file. The drive
should be listed in in /media. I am assuming that you saved the file in gdm
directory inside pendrive (pendrive is the name of your pendrive)
# cd /media && ls

(which will list your pendrive if you don't get pendrive
 folder then go to Mount Pendrive Section at last, then come back here and continue to next step.)
# cd /media/pendrive/gdm

(go to gdm directory where .deb file is saved.)
# dpkg -i *.deb

(installing gdm)
While installing gdm one window will come which will ask your to chose lightdm or gdm
from the list. Chose gdm. If this window doesn't appear then try following command:
# dpkg-reconfigure lightdm

(chose gdm) Then finally execute following command:
# reboot (reboot your system)

Mount Pendrive Section

Mounting pendrive while working in recovery mode.

Run this command:
    # fdisk -l

Find your device in the list, it is probably something like /dev/sdb1. Then execute other commands one by another:
    # mkdir /media/pendrive

Run this command if your pendrive is formatted in FAT/FAT32.
# mount -t vfat /dev/sdb1 /media/pendrive -o uid=1000,gid=1000,utf8,dmask=027,fmask=137

Or this command if your pendrive is formatted in NTFS
# mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sdb1 /media/pendrive

Hope it will work for you.. For any further assistance please reply..


lubuntu panel does not take on system theme colour

Question: I installed a gtk 2 ambiance like theme on ubuntu 13.10 running the lubuntu desktop and when I set the panel to take the system theme only the indicator applet changed to take on the theme colour. How can I get the rest of the panel to take the theme?
Answer: Go to panel settings (right clikc panel)
choose appearance and solid color with opacity then use the color picker (below the color chooser)  to pick the the theme color you like
Comment: Thanks for your answer, I have done that as a workaround but it's hard to get exactly the right shade!
Answer: I assume that you installed the theme using the OpenBox Configuration Manager ("Menu → Preferences → OpenBox Configuration Manager") and then in the lxpanel settings (Right Click on Panel → Panel Settings) you set "Appearance: Background: System theme".
However: the theme you configure with that OpenBox Configuration Manager is just for the window borders, while "Background: System theme" in lxpanel's "Panel Settings" dialogue refers to the LXDE widget theme and LXDE icon theme [confirmation].
To change the LXDE widget and icon themes:

Install lxappearance if it does not exist yet: sudo apt-get install lxappearance.
Start lxappearance, either by executing the command or via "Menu → Preferences → Customize Look and Feel".
Set values for "Widget" and "Icon Theme".
Click "Apply". Your panel should now have the chosen themes.

Admittedly, the "system theme" working in the panel settings dialogue is misleading. The issue still exists in Lubuntu 15.10, for example when trying to make the LXDE panel dark with bright icons: just doing so in OpenBox Configuration manager has no effect even (the theme name "Lubuntu-dark-panel" there is also misleading, since it has no effects on the panel).


How do I convert imported STL files to 3D images?

Question: After importing a 3D image in STL format, my possibilities in regard to "3D Volumetric Image Processing" seem rather limited. All examples are given with TIFF files. Is there a way to convert from STL to TIFF or work with an STL image in some other way?
Answer: Here is something quick and dirty to convert from a Graphics3D to Image3D (the second argument is sort of a quality knob, the higher the number the more slices are taken):
img3Dify[gr3d_Graphics3D, qu_] := Module[{pr, br, slices},
  pr = PlotRange /. AbsoluteOptions[gr3d, PlotRange];
  br = Map[Norm@Differences[#] &, pr];
  slices = ParallelMap[
    Image[Show[gr3d, ViewPoint -> Top,
       Lighting -> {{"Ambient", White}}, Background -> None,
       PlotRange -> {pr[[1]], pr[[2]], #}]] &,
    Partition[FindDivisions[pr[[3]], qu*2], 2, 1]];
  Image3D[slices, BoxRatios -> br, ColorFunction -> Hue]]

on an example image
spikey = Import["ExampleData/spikey.stl", "Graphics3D"]

img3Dify[spikey, 40]

Comment: Thank you! That was actually just what I needed…!
Answer: I found that with Mathematica 10 one can use the region functions/distance+watershed to achieve something similar but much faster. Something along these lines can generate ~1 million voxels in a couple of seconds in my machine:
voxelify[region_?RegionQ, res_?NumericQ] :=
 Module[{f, bounds, boxsize, voxsize, data, d2},
  f = RegionDistance[region];
  bounds = RegionBounds[region];
  boxsize = -Subtract @@ # & /@ bounds;
  voxsize = Max[boxsize]/res;
  data = ParallelArray[f[{##}] &, Round[boxsize/voxsize], bounds];
  d2 = HeavisideTheta[data - voxsize];
  2 - ReplaceAll[WatershedComponents[Image3D[1 - d2]], {0 -> 2}]
  ]

And then
spikey = Import["ExampleData/spikey.stl", "MeshRegion"];
Image3D[voxelify[spikey, 100]]

Comment: I get this error message (MMA 11.3): ParallelArray::nopar1: Array[f$11729[{##1}]&,{100,95,81},{{-1.54435,1.54435},{-1.46876,1.46876},{-1.2494,1.2494}},List] cannot be parallelized; proceeding with sequential evaluation.
Comment: Actually I get the same error message using ParallelArray in any version of MMA, including 10.0, 10.3 and 11.3.


NHibernate elt field

Question: Does anyone know why NHibernate generates a field named 'elt' of type int for a many to many mapping?
I'm wondering why I need it.
Thanks
Answer: The "elt" field is the foreign key to the element in the many-to-many mapping.  In the join table, you should see two foreign key columns, id (for the parent) and elt (for the element).  You can use different names if you like; these are defaults.
Answer: Thanks, yes you are right with a little more playing I found that if I
don't explicitly name the column it defaults to elt.
<code><bag name="equipment" table="tb_room_equipment" lazy="false">
  <key column="roomID"/>
  <many-to-many class="Equipment" column="equipmentID"/>
</bag>
</code>
Like here, I have now named the column equipmentID; If I don't it will be named elt.
Answer: Just recently found out that the elt field is created if you have used a keyword like User or Role when using the Mapping By Code. This is just an observation, I have not tried using ` (backtick) to force quotes

NHibernate elt field


Machine learning toolkit for Excel

Question: Do you know of any machine learning add-ins that I could use within Excel? For example I would like to be able to select a range of data and use that for training purposes and then use another sheet for getting the results of different learning algorithms.
Comment: Are there any specific reasons to do the analysis inside Excel? Maybe exporting the data to a data science tool is more appropriate.
Comment: Mathematica has some machine learning algorithms and can read Excel spreadsheets directly.
Comment: I basically have Excel spreadsheets where we do a lot of our analysis and fed up of exporting the data to other tools. I just want to do the analysis in Excel.
Comment: If you really want to use an Excel add-in, the XLMiner package is a solid option, although expensive:
http://www.solver.com/xlminer-data-mining
Comment: Take a look at http://www.bettersheet.com This product allows you to do machine learning directly in Excel
Comment: People without any programming experience regularly use Excel. For them a small learning problem rigged in Excel with Solver assisting can be a good motivator to consider using ML, say for forecasting. So if you have never thought of Excel being a useful tool for analysts, visit a broker's house.
Answer: As far as I know, currently there are not that many projects and products that allow you to perform serious machine learning (ML) work from within Excel.
However, the situation seems to be changing rapidly due to active Microsoft's efforts in popularizing its ML cloud platform Azure ML (along with ML Studio). The recent acquisition of R-focused company Revolution Analytics by Microsoft (which appears to me as more of acqui-hiring to a large extent) is an example of the company's aggressive data science market strategy.
In regard to ML toolkits for Excel, as a confirmation that we should expect most Excel-enabled ML projects and products to be Azure ML-focused, consider the following two projects (the latter is an open source):

Excel DataScope (Microsoft Research): https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/video/excel-datascope-overview/
Azure ML Excel Add-In (seems to be Microsoft sponsored): https://azuremlexcel.codeplex.com
Comment: That's what I was asking for.
Comment: @Dimitris: You're welcome. Glad that you like my answer.
Answer: (Most) Machine Learning algorithms are essentially optimization problems where you minimize/maximize an objective function subject to certain constraints. Excel comes with the Solver add-in which is pretty handy for lightweight problems, so it is entirely possible for you to build a Machine Learning model within Excel! (I've done it myself)
If your data size is reasonably small (say <10k rows and not too many columns), it is in fact pretty quick and easy to build certain ML models within Excel. All you need is to learn how to use the Excel Solver, and the built-in matrix functions for vectorized computations.
For example, Neural Networks and Logistic Regressions are particularly easy to build due to the simplicity of their objective function. If you are really inclined to try you could refer to the following link:
http://www.xlpert.com/ebook/Build_Neural_Network_With_MS_Excel_sample.pdf
Now, Excel does has major limitations. There are numerical stability issues, it is tricky to write loops (without VBA), it is a pain to write lengthy functions in Excel and there's no concept of structure so I wouldn't try to build things like Random Forest. That being said, there is still a good amount of algorithms you can implement with Excel for fun.
Of course, for serious analysis, I would still recommend you to use proper tools for that.
Answer: First of all, let me tell you that Excel shouldn't be used for machine learning or any data analysis complicated enough that you wouldn't be comfortable doing it on paper. Why? Here is a list of resources to tell you why:

You shouldn't use a spreadsheet for important work (I mean it)
Destroy Your Data Using Excel With This One Weird Trick!
Using Excel for Statistical Data Analysis - Caveats
Problems with Excel
Spreadsheet Addiction

Now, if you really really want to do heavy calculations without exporting your data, I suggest using xlwings. Basically, this allows two-way communication between Excel and Python. Watch the video in the homepage for a quick introduction. In this way, you would be able to use numpy, pandas and scikit-learn (or other machine learning library that you may prefer) without exporting your data first.
Comment: I work with many clients who do a lot of their work in Excel. You can mess up your R scripts like you can mess up in Matlab or anything else. I totally disagree.
Comment: The fact that other people do it doesn't mean it is the right to thing to do. It is not about messing up because as you said, it is quite possible to make mistakes in R or Python. However, the difference is that you are more likely to  mess up in Excel than in other tools more suitable to analytics, statistics or machine learning. I added some more links in case you need convincing.
Comment: I have been using and customising Excel for all sorts of things for the last 15 years. I am sure you can produce 100 links discussing how bad it can be but from personal experience I know you can control it and use all its capabilities without messing up anything. Visual programming which is what Excel offers is a brilliant concept. Just because something is trendy like Python at the moment doesn't necessarily mean is the best option.
Comment: I know I am not messing up anything because I design the entire thing and have control. So far I haven't had any difficult situation in Excel. I guess Microsoft Research looking into using Excel Add-ins says something to you.
Comment: And how do you know you're not messing up anything? People make mistakes precisely because they are not easy to spot. Again, this happens in all sorts of environments, but it is more likely in Excel. However, if you want to keep using Excel for heavy calculations, go ahead.
Answer: Nobody does serious machine learning in Excel; that's not what it's for. Fortunately, you can directly import Excel files into better platforms like python. In particular, there's a great package called pandas, which makes work very pleasant. Here's a demo.
Comment: I guess you haven't had the experience I had with a lot of my clients working in Excel. "Nobody does serious ML in Excel", really??? That's the best you can do?
Comment: I have worked with Pandas and I regularly use R however I cannot dismiss Excel simply because there is a perception out there that its old, cumbersome and must go. I think there is a lot you can do with it and our clients rely on it.
Comment: If you want to make your work difficult, be my guest :) Once I was asked to deliver an ML presentation at a company that used Excel. They liked the content but were initially taken aback by the software. Well, I had better things to do than try to craft a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Give pandas a try; you'll quickly come to like it.
Answer: Weka can import CSV files, and allows you to choose which columns and rows you want to use in your analysis.  It's not an "add-in" for Excel per-se, but it might work for you.
Answer: You can find an Excel and VBA implementation of Random Forest using the open source ALGLIB Library here
Comment: Your library is hidden behind a log-in, what's the name of it?
Comment: No log-in required.
Comment: Yes, there is. Academia.edu requires a log-in if you haven't logged-in there already. Perhaps you're already logged in with a Google account by default, that works too. But you need to log-in one way or another.
Answer: Vortarus Technologies LLC here also have an Excel Add-In that can do various intermediate ML tasks from SVM to Neural Nets to CART etc. The free trial is open ended but has some function limits.
Answer: You should take a look at this link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thyrg2AWyq0
But...be forewarned...as others have  stated, Excel is not really a ML toll, or an AI tool or anything even remotely close.
Answer: I have used Jason Brownlee's excel based demos for understanding basic ML concepts. I dont think they can be extended to be used for real data crunching but here it is:
https://machinelearningmastery.com/master-machine-learning-algorithms/

Machine learning toolkit for Excel


What is the best time to water a house plant?

Question: Is there an ideal time of day to water the average house plant? Does it depend purely on the plant, or are there times of the day (evening for example) when you should avoid watering them?
Answer: Since the humidity doesn't vary much in the house, and you don't need to worry about spray evaporating, it doesn't matter.
Answer: Those plants will probably be screaming at you to water them when necessary.  Just make sure that when you water it is DEEP. I put my indoor plants in the shower once a month.  Not only to water deeply but to clean off the leaves, stems of dust and insects.  I set them outside on a covered porch during the summer to get even more light and nutrition stored in their roots to be able to thrive over the winter.  A splash of water is not enough.  A splash of water every day or every other day is a death sentence.  Except for a cactus...totally soak plants and then allow them to dry out in-between.  Critical methodology for plants...oh, except bonsai...need to be watered everyday, or every other day.  Outdoor plants, indoor plants this generality is important.
Answer: I see this is a rather old question, but the answers don't address the over watering of houseplants problem. My wife has murdered MANY indoor plants, and the reason is very simple, she thinks they are thirsty ALL THE TIME. She believes that they are always thirsty. NOT TRUE!!
Always make sure you water the plant when the soil is DRY to the touch. Also: make sure there is a hole at the bottom of the pot so if you overwater them, the extra water can escape. Most plants sold at stores are put in "presentation" pots and covered in cellophane extra ..  unless you make the effort to remove the presentation wrapping and put a whole into the bottom of the pot, it is going to die. So if you want to keep it, make sure you allow the extra water to "escape" when you water it, otherwise it's going to rot and die.


How can Windows API calls to an application/service be monitored?

Question: My company is looking at implementing a new VPN solution, but require that the connection be maintained programatically by our software. The VPN solution consists of a background service that seems to manage the physical connection and a command line/GUI utilty that initiates the request to connect/disconnect. I am looking for a way to "spy" on the API calls between the front-end utilty and back-end service so that our software can make the same calls to the service. Are there any recommended software solutions or methods to do this?
Answer: Typically, communications between a front-end application and back-end service are done through some form of IPC (sockets, named pipes, etc.) or through custom messages sent through the Service Control Manager. You'll probably need to find out which method this solution uses, and work from there - though if it's encrypted communication over a socket, this could be difficult.
Answer: Like Harper Shelby said, it could be very difficult, but you may start with filemon, which can tell you when certain processes create or write to files, regmon, which can do the same for registry writes and reads, and wireshark to monitor the network traffic. This can get you some data, but even with the data, it may be too difficult to interpret in a manner that would allow you to make the same calls.
Answer: I don't understand why you want to replace the utility, instead of simply running the utility from your application.
Anyway, you can run "dumpbin /imports whatevertheutilitynameis.exe" to see the static list of API function names to which the utility is linked; this doesn't show the sequence in which they're called, nor the parameter values.
You can then use a system debugger (e.g. Winice or whatever its more modern equivalent might be) to set breakpoints on these API, so that you break into the debugger (and can then inspect parameter values) when the utility invokes these APIs.
Comment: Agreed; there are many reasons *not* to reverse-engineer the protocol and implement one side of it yourself...
Answer: You might be able to glean some information using tools such as Spy++ to look at Windows messages.  Debugging/tracing tools (Windbg, or etc.) may allow you to see API calls that are in process.  The Sysinternals tools can show you system information to some degree of detail of usage.
Although I would recommend against this for the most part -- is it possible to contact the solution provider and get documentation?  One reason for that is fragility -- if a vendor is not expecting users to utilize that aspect of the interface, they are more likely to change it without notice.


Leveling old floor for LVP planks

Question: Here is my kitchen rennovation. About 240 sqft, 5/8 plywood subfloor. I Put in almost 500 flooring screws beside the nails, not glued down. 36 year old home, dimentional lumber in Brampton Ontario.
Trying to decide how to proceed to level my floor for 6.5mm SPC vynl plank. I know it just has to be flat at least, if not level.
Plan was to to put floor leveler directly on the subfloor, building up bigger dips with thinner plywood. The manufacture recomends at least 1 ¼" to use the leveler though. Maybe that's for tile? Would the deflection could crack the leveler on 5/8 subfloor?
I'm trying to avoid having a big step up into the kitchen, the other room has ¼ hard wood. Could I grind off maybe 1/8" or so of the high points in the room, laminate with ½ plywood with screws or staples? then self leveler? If there must be a big step up then I'm willing to settle, I just want a solid floor.
I drew a little diagram showing the constuction and deviation of level in the floor. How should I approach!? Having a hard time on how to proceed. Thanks
enter image description here
Comment: a friend of mine used polymeric sand instead of SLC and it's held up well after about 3 years. it was a lot simpler to apply and tweak (not level, but flat) with a 6' level and brooms before misting it up to lock it in place.
Comment: Please [Edit] your question to reattach your diagram.
Comment: Please [edit] your question to include some formatting. It's _very_ difficult to read and parse what you're saying. Also, it seems that there are about 5 questions in here - this site (take the [tour], look at the "how to ask" section in the [help]) work on the "one question per post" principle.
Answer: 1 1/4" is the subfloor thickness of floor recommended for tile by TCNA.  This is primarily to avoid grout cracking overtime due to deflection.
5/8 is fine for LVT or engineered hardwood.  You can sand down high spots particularly high spots over beams but I wouldn't go more than an 1/8 out of the 5/8 and keep it to small portions of the floor.  You don't want the equivalent of 1/2" plywood being your subfloor but generally high spots are small areas.
SLC can generally be applied in feather thin lifts - equal to the width of the leading edge of a feather.  You need the correct primer over plywood ( different than concrete and different than what you use if you are doing multiple lifts ).
SLC is a pain in the butt.  It doesn't self level, you need spike roller, a trowel, and a squeegee.  I've done it a few times but typically need a few lifts.  Worst thing is to add too much and have to grind it back down.  It is pretty soft at first though so I find when pushing it into a corner or wall if there is build up you can use a chisel to sand down the corner build up as long as you do it fairly soon after it initially sets up.
I recommend different techniques depending on the usage of the area.  If this is a hallway it will have lots of traffic and you want it flat.  If this is a large open area then maybe you don't care about certain areas as much since they'll be under furniture or rugs.
If your floor isn't flat you can notice bounce or deflection in the LVP when walking - some people don't mind this too much.  If the SLC cracks and you have the deflection it can lead to the popcorn sound when walking.  Generally underlay - even the attached underlay will tend to absorb this sound either by preventing the cracked SLC from moving or preventing it from contacting a rigid surface and only contacting the underlay.  If your planks are mechanically joined the tongue and grove can separate and break.
I have a laser that shoots out the line 1/8" above the floor surface so you can easily see the high spots once you position it in a low spot - Huepar FL360G - it seems to work well.

Leveling old floor for LVP planks


Can a Sudra be born as a Bramhana in his next birth?

Question: I am not asking about Guna based system. Here 1 and 2 rising in varna hierarchy is mentioned but it says a Sudra will be born as a Vasihya then a Ksatriya and then a Bramhana. Cant a Sudra's next birth be Bramhana?
Comment: I thought Karma had influence on species (human or animal or insect or something else) only. Interesting to know that even varna is affected by karma in previous janams.
Comment: 1 and 2 are the same source & same translation. And "guna based system" is not separate or different from birth system. If Guna is not maintained of Brahmin then he will become Shudra in the same birth.
Answer: The same linked url gives the answer:

By these good acts, again, O goddess, when performed, a Sudra becomes a Brahmana, and a Vaisya becomes a Kshatriya.

...

It is with the aid of these acts, O goddess, that a person who has sprung from a degraded order, viz., a Sudra, may become a Brahmana refined of all stains and possessed of Vedic lore.

...

I have thus told thee a mystery, viz., the manner in which a Sudra may become a Brahmana

Manu 9.335 - If he is pure, attendant upon his superiors, of gentle speech, free from pride, and always dependent upon the Brāhmaṇa,—he attains a higher caste.

Medhatithi's commentary:

He attains a 'higher caste'—such as the Brāhmaṇa and the rest.

Normally people acquire the next higher caste, but if they are really spiritual, then they can be a brahmana next birth.
Comment: If we read both links completely it says, Sudra first becomes Vaishya then Ksatriya then Brahmana. Please open second link and see 1st footnote "The sense seems to be this: a Vaisya ultimately becomes a Brahmana by observing the duties indicated in verses 30 to 33. As the immediate reward, however, of his observance of these duties, he becomes a great Kshatriya. What he should next do in order to become a Brahmana is said in the verses that follow."
Comment: Its beauty of india caste system that makes a person better, good, very good.. birth by birth and finally moksha.. but if one is born in other countries no way to moksha.. they can be in cycles forever one intruging question where there is exception Gajendara elephant his past birth indradyumna pandya but he had performed his moksha sadhana in previous birth as kshatriya.. we have Manu, we have many kings attaind moksha.. Good example king bharat becomes deer and then becomes brahmana to attain moksha, we have Crab which attains brahmana hood by grace sage vyasa
Comment: @SethuSrivatsaKoduru Normally people acquire the next higher caste, but if they are really spiritual, then they can be a brahmana next birth. I edited the answer with this info now.
Answer: If you die a Shudra I think Manusmriti (Chapter 9) gives a way in which you can:

शुचिरुत्कृष्टशुश्रूषुर्मृदुवागनहङ्कृतः ।
ब्राह्मणाद्याश्रयो नित्यमुत्कृष्टां जातिमश्नुते ॥ ३३५ ॥

If he is pure, attendant upon his superiors, of gentle speech, free from pride, and always dependent upon the Brāhmaṇa,—he attains a higher caste.—(335)

Now the words "next life" are not given here. But considering that no other verse in Manusmriti supports Varna change in this birth explicitly, and probably at least more than a hundred verses support caste / varna by birth only - we can assume this also means in the next life. This is also assumption of some translators. For example this translation:

(A Sudra who is) pure, the servant of his betters, gentle in his speech, and free from pride, and always seeks a refuge with Brahmanas, attains (in his next life) a higher caste.

The above is translated by G. Buhler and you can find same thing in hindi translations also. Like this one by pandit GP Dwivedi

.....वह क्रम से उत्तम जाती में जन्म पता है ।

So the word born is used. Although this could also refer to second birth. But there is no indication in Manusmriti that this is possible. Shudra is considered unfit for sacraments. So it has to be next birth. After all, smriti supports birth system !!


Steady Log production

Question: I plan on using the firewood as the primary trading currency, and for this I need logs. Lots of them. But as the seasons progress, I have noticed that a Forester's lodge, which usually produces around 200-300 logs per season (with 4 workers) in the initial stage, reduces to less than 150 in some of the seasons (even though there are a lot of mature trees left in the lodge's range). Is this a bug or am I missing something?
Comment: It's possible you are reaching storage/production capacity.
Answer: There are many factors involved in how efficiently the workers actually perform, including their age, their condition (hungry, cold, etc) and their happiness. They also have to have the right tools, like using iron tools over stone, etc. If you don't have enough stone or iron, they will end up using their hands (or equally ineffective tools) and the production speed will plummet. Personally I've noticed that the tools is one of the biggest factors, although hunger may be a close second.
Make sure they have tools, (and the best ones you can make), and check to make sure your storage facilities have the room.
Comment: How much does their health effect their efficiency? And other than using a Herbalist, how can improve their health? The game that I am currently in, the health is in between 3 and 4. I guess that is not good?
Comment: @Rakesh 3 to 4 is not good.  The Herbalist's job is to make up for a lack of dietary diversity.  Early in the game, use Gatherers.  They produce 3 types of veggies & a fruit and in a forest they are rather efficient.  Hunters in that same forest will contribute Venison and Leather (for clothing).  Keep expanding your dietary choices when you can.  Keep a special eye out for grains (wheat & corn) or sheep (wool; combined with existing supply of leather makes warm clothes, to keep them from traveling home for warmth so often).

Steady Log production


What determines if a "Street Pass" goes to your town?

Question: So I just got my first 3DS and I'm kind of shaky on how it all works, so pardon my terminology. I want to get more workers for my town in Bravely-Default. I got something like 15 "passes" yesterday but no workers were added to my town. Then when I got to my friend's place, he was added to my town but my other friends weren't. I asked if he had ever played the game, or even the demo, and he hadn't even heard of it. Was he jerking my chain and lying to me,  or is there some other criteria that decides if a street pass gets added to my town?
Comment: If it works like other games, they need to have either the demo or the game on their system, and then they need to pass you.
Answer: I'm not currently playing Bravely Default (I played the demo, didn't really like it, and someone bought it for me but I haven't played the actual game yet), so there might be a better answer than mine from someone who actually knows what's going on in Bravely Default, but here's what I know. The Streetpassing page might be helpful, even if I'm not.
When you have the option of saving you file in Bravely Default, you can update your data. (Also the bottom screen should have an update data button.) If someone has the game, but doesn't have Streetpass data set up, then you won't get them as a villager. It seems you have your Streetpass data set up, so... I mean, you should be fine on your end.
For 3DS games, the other people you pass need to be playing the game (or have it transmitting) in order to get their streetpass data. However! Streetpass can be finicky. The issue is that there's a cap on how many titles you can Streetpass on and that might have something to do with how data is being transferred to your system. Say each of the people you passed have 12 games transferring data back and forth-- it's possible, then, that their data won't transfer to Bravely Default if Bravely Default isn't a part of the transmitting games. Even if they check their games and say that Bravely Default is transmitting. It's annoying, but you have to check in Settings > Data Management to know for sure.
On the off chance that the problem isn't that you're not getting villagers, but is that you aren't getting streetpass data from someone who you know has the game... Occasionally the Streetpass system doesn't catch that you've passed someone (my roommate has a 3DS and we sometimes don't "pass" each other, even if we both have the space/haven't passed each other in more than 8 hours. It's weird.) so you might have just had a situation where the system didn't catch you passing them. If you have proof of passing in the Mii Plaza, then I'd say it's the above problem or just that they never had the game or the demo.
If it's easier, imagine that when you pass someone else with a 3DS, your 3DS is sending out a message "I am a 3DS, is there another 3DS out there?" The other person who receives this message will return "I am a 3DS, would you like to Streetpass?" Your 3DS responds, "Yes, I would like to Streetpass". Then your 3DS and the other 3DS do a compatibility check, i.e. they test the connection. But if any of these things fail-- like if your 3DS sends out "I am a DS, is there another 3DS out there?" and gets in return "Yes, I would like to Streetpass"-- then you don't get a connection. In other words, you need to have the conversation in one specific way and if it doesn't happen in that specific way, you don't get Streetpass data. This conversation is taking place in milliseconds and the possibility to mess up is there. In other words, if you and your friends are passing each other but not immediately getting streetpass data or you're not seeing their data at all, this could be why. (There's also a limit to how many times you can pass one person in a set amount of time.) In this case, the answer is to be patient.
Answer: In order for streetpasses to contribute to Norede Village you need to "accept" the streetpasses through the inbox icon above the village icon (you'll notice something like "new" or "full" under it), then go to your village and your population will increase.
The demo and the full game can streetpass each other, as well as a portion of the demo's village being passed onto the full game if you choose to do so.
Answer: You and other players need to meet the following conditions:

Have Bravely Default
Progressed far enough to enable StreetPass
Have their 3DS Wi-Fi turned on
And not have a full BD queue in StreetPass

Get within Wi-Fi range of each other and they will handshake, exchange StreetPass tickets and disconnect looking for more 3DSes to connect to.
I recomend you go to a Nintendo Zone, as that is an easy way of collecting many StreetPasses in one go.


What are floors made of?

Question: When I try to construct a floor in DF, it says that there is no material.  What material do I need?
Comment: You select the material to make the floor out of during the designation process.
Comment: Since you mention specifically that you're trying to build floors, you probably have pathing issues. Dwarves can't build "ceilings", so they need to be able to walk to the top of wherever you want to build. Check your stairways and/or ramps; they're probably disconnected.
Comment: Do you have (non-forbidden) rocks or logs lying around first?
Comment: I don't think you can make a floor out of Lava, but you could make the floor out of Obsidian by completely excavating the area, filling it with lava and water, and then mining out everything but the floor. Of course, this will probably lead to Fun.
Comment: @Alex: No, the floor is *under* the lava. And so is the lever to turn off the magma pumps.
Answer: Floors, like all constructions, can be made from a variety of materials:

stone, resulted from mining through rock
blocks,made from stones (4 blocks result from one boulder), wood (only one, so pretty pointless), metal or glass.
logs, resulted from cutting trees
bars, resulted from... well a lot of places: metal bars from smelting ore, ash bars from burning logs, soap bars are made in a workshop from lye and tallow... and due to game limitations, all of these can be used for building.

Plus, dwarfs need a path to the future construction; if they can't get to it, they can't build it, and the game wisely, or annoyingly in some cases, prevents you from designating.
Comment: Building megastructures out of soap is the opposite of limitation.
Comment: @user1337 It's still a limitation of the game that it can't tell the difference between an ash bar and a gold ingot. And in the mean time, we players exploit the hell out of it.

What are floors made of?


Is there a visible way to turn off this Wedgewood pilot light?

Question: I would like to turn off this pilot light on my 1930's Wedgewood stove, to use less gas. I can't see any obvious way to turn it off; am I missing something? Like I don't know if that nut or what seems to be an airflow controller below it would do anything. Figured I'd ask before trying it, before moving the stove out to look for other valves.
Comment: Follow the gas pipe and thermocouple back to the gas valve and post a picture of that.
Comment: Pilot lights use exceptionally little gas. Turning it off would only matter if you didn't use the stove for long periods of time, in which case you should follow a shutdown procedure (involving extinguishing the pilot anyway). If your goal is to save gas, you won't gain much here...
Comment: How would you use the stove if the pilot is not on. Would you turn on a gas jet and then light it manually? The stove might have controls that prevent that. The rod shaped element on the left of the pilot flame is a sensor that has to be hot to keep the gas on.
Answer: No, there is no valve visible here. On this particular model, after further searching, the valve for the broiler pilot turned out to be where the pilot gas line exits the gas distribution manifold, which is under the cooktop, by the broiler control dial. It looks like a a flathead screw. If you're going to then use it by lighting with a match/striker/lighter, then obviously only do this with a broiler or something else that is simple on-off, not something like an oven that has a thermostat.
Comment: If this stove is in a vacation home so that it has long periods where it is not used, then turn off the gas supply at the wall tap when the house is unoccupied. When the house is reoccupied, turn on the wall tap and go through the procedure for lighting the pilot. If this house is continuously occupied, keep the pilot on and accept this gas use as unavoidable. Does this pilot also supply ignition for the oven and broiler? I can remember from my childhood that  lighting the oven/broiler with a match was often accompanied by an attention-getting whoosh. Who needs that?
Answer: Almost certainly the pilot light has to be on for the stove to supply gas to a burner. This stove was designed in a time when the gas consumption of the pilot was thought to be negligible. In the winter time the pilot in an unvented kitchen stove just adds to be space heating of the house, but in the summer it unfortunately adds to the heat load.
I can remember (late 1940s or early 1950s) gas kitchen stoves being lit with a match so some can be operated that way, but unless you know this one was designed to be operated that way you are risking a gas explosion or gas poisoning. I would NOT use trial and error to see if your Wedgewood stove can operate without the pilot on.
Comment: This does not answer the question.
Comment: Edited answer to add a **NOT** which I left out.


In regards to the addition of hydrogen to alkynes, does the amount of moles of Hydrogen matter?

Question: Is there any difference between having the addition of 1 mole of hydrogen to 2-pentyne with a platinum catalyst compared to the addition of 2 moles of hydrogen(H2). I was under the impression that both would result in an alkane yet I have 2 problems of that nature.
would one only result in a alkene, though I thought that only happens with the poisoned catalyst.
Answer: Your question is not entirely clear, but I think that you ask whether or not an excess of hydrogen gas would interfere with the reduction of an alkyne to an alkane.
This is not the case. A lot of the time hydrogen is just drawn into the reaction flask directly from a large reservoir (20L $\ce{H2}$ gas cylinder under pressure or a simple balloon). When the pressure in the reservoir does not change anymore (in the case of the balloon when it does not shrink anymore) it means that the reaction is finished, i.e. no more hydrogen can be added.
In general over-reduction cannot be prevented by limiting the amount of hydrogen present. It will just result in an awful mixture of products (alkanes/alkenes/alkynes). A poisoned catalyst is required to prevent this (e.g. Lindlar's catalyst).


Cannot connect to a shared network drive even that I am on the same subnet and all the other users can connect

Question: I have an Windows Server 2012. I have shared folders on the Windows Server. The users map them by mapping as a Network Drive.
I do not have problems with any other user/Computer. Usually I access the shared folders through server name or IP Address. But, at a new lap top, I can not access it. I get the error:
PC is not accessible. You might not have permission to use this network resource Contact the administrator of this server to find out if you have access permissions. The computer is on Windows 10 PRO 20H2 Version

I can ping the machine.
I can remote desktop connect to the machine.
The machine is on the same subnet
When I try with my firewall turned off the same happens.
I ensured: "Turn on network discovery" is set.
I uninstalled the antivirus at the client.
the computer is not member of the work domain but even when I connect it there is no difference
When I add the server IP with the username and password for the user at Credential manager,sometimes I am able to connect the network drivers, but after the restart I loose the connection and I have to do point 8 again and sometimes it works sometimes it does not.
I have tried also with other users, but again I have the same results...

What else I should try? Could it be related with the new update of Windows?
It did not happened before this kind of issue...
Looking forward to hear your ideas...
Answer: What it fixed.
I did a reset of the password of the AD user.
I added the server name and server IP with the username and password at Credential Manager.


How to print a brochure on Photoshop CS6 without white borders?

Question: I'm making a tri-fold brochure that will fit on a 8.5 x 11 piece of paper. I would like it to completely fill the paper, however it keeps printing with white borders around it. How can I fix this?
Comment: Have a look at [this](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/a/105676/84899) answer to a similar question.
Answer: At first check, if the printer driver or the printing dialog allows removing the unprinted margins. Obviously it doesn't because you are here.
Get a printer which can print the wanted area. Many printers leave a white border at the edges.There's a good reason: Spraying ink into mechanism or paper path creates a mess.
Or reduce the wanted image size and slice the borders off mechanically after the print has dried.
I have printed sometimes a big area in pieces. The slicing isn't easy, but it's possible with a sharp straight line making quided razor blade type cutter.
If your printer happens to accept bigger papers, use them and scale your image a little bigger than the wanted area to get some tolerance for the mechanical slicing.
That oversize has a pro term = bleed area. Printing houses demand it.


Heat Activated Alarm

Question:

I am working on a project in which I have to simulate a heat activated alarm. I have attached two images. One of which is a Proteus circuit image that i have made. When i start its simulation the speaker attached in the circuit doesn't play any sort of sound. Even if i raise the temperature to 150 degrees. The circuit diagram that i am following for this circuit has also been attached.
I guess there must be some thing that i am missing. Can anyone help ??
Regards,
-Rehan
Comment: What happens if you pull 555's pin 4 to Vcc? Disconnect the transistor's collector first. You effectively disconnect the sensor stage and the 555 should start to oscillate if its configuration is correct.
Comment: @CamilStaps I have disconnected the sensor stage as you said and run the simulation but still the speaker plays no sound.
Comment: You must be talking to @jippie, let me mention him for you.
Comment: Why is there a 8k2 resistor in the Vcc power supply line? Please clean up your Proteus circuit diagram (make it look more like the original diagram). To be honest, it looks a bit like chaos now and is pretty hard to read for us.
Answer: Test the parts separately.
1) Pull the 555 pin 4 to +V with a 1 kilohm resistor. Does the noise start? If not, investigate the 555 in more detail. But assuming yes:
2) Pull the sensor transistor base to 0V (likewise). Does it sound? If not, check the transistor and its connections. If yes:
3) Measure Q1 base voltage at different temperatures. If it increases with temperature, you have the wrong type of thermistor... To fix, interchange the thermistor with the variable resistor.  Find the base voltage at which the sounder starts to work, and adjust R (the variable R) until you get that voltage as you approach the right temperature.
If you're still stuck, add these results to the question...
Answer: For starters: move R3 from pin 8 to pin 7 and connect pin 8 directly to 12VDC.
With the current configuration pin 7 is tied to Vcc and it prevents the 555 from oscillating.
Comment: Could you explain why?
Comment: Because the lower diagram is different in that respect?

Heat Activated Alarm


When installing wood siding, do I need to leave a gap to accommodate expansion?

Question: I'm preparing to put up rhombus shaped wood siding on a shed. It's 148mm x 20mm. I'm concerned about expansion across the grain as the siding gets humid, wet, etc. What is the proper way to install this siding? If I don't leave any gap, how will it react upon expansion? Any recommendation on nails vs. screws?
Comment: Where in the world are you? In Oregon I might not leave any gap but in a desert or really hot area it might be needed. are you installing it horizontally and have a vapor barrier? (May sound silly but I have seen vertical installs I never understood.
Comment: I am in the Czech Republic, temperate. Something like the Northeastern US. I'm installing it horizontally with no vapor barrier; I plan to fasten directly to the frame.
Comment: Even if it's just a shed.....I'd put a vapor barrier up.   Helps keep the moisture out!
Comment: Do the siding boards go up flat against the studs/sheathing with only the beveled edge to direct the water out, or does the "top" board overlap the "bottom" board?
Comment: The siding boards go up flat against the studs, but the rhombus shape allows the top board to overlap the board below it so what any water is directed down due to the sloping edges
Answer: As pointed out by the others, I think it is wise to provide vapor barrier and insulation for your region's concern. THe supplier shall have recommended the method of installation, concerning gap between boards, and naling vs screwing.
The recommendation below is directly copied from the linked article FYI use, https://www.workshopcompanion.com/KnowHow/Design/Nature_of_Wood/2_Wood_Movement/2_Wood_Movement.
"ESTIMATING WOOD MOVEMENT
It's also useful to know how much a board is likely to move. You must anticipate the movement when fitting drawers and doors, inserting panels in frames, and dozens of other operations.
The rule of thumb is that if the board shows mostly flat grain on its face, allow for 1⁄4 inch total wood movement for every 12 inches across the grain. If it shows mostly quarter grain, allow for 1⁄8 inch movement. This will accommodate an annual change of 8 percent moisture content — much more than is common in most areas.
Also consider the time of year. Wood shrinks to its smallest dimension in the winter and swells to its maximum in the summer. The wood in winter projects will expand; the wood in summer projects will contract. In the spring and fall, remember that the wood will expand half your total movement allowance and contract the other half."