Are scientific skeptics always correct?

Question: If scientific skeptics indeed use empirical investigation and the application of the scientific method to determine truth....does that mean we're always right? If so, can this be repeatedly demonstrated?
Comment: A skeptic is unwilling to leap to a conclusion, barring solid empirical evidence.  Saying "I'm not convinced" that case "A" is true does not mean that case "A" is false, is not saying that it is false, and does not preclude being convinced as more evidence is accumulated. I don't feel this accurately encapsulates skepticism.
Comment: An extreme skeptic is like a fundamentalist agnostic.  "I don't know, and you don't either."
Comment: "What is truth?"  Science isn't necessarily true, it's often just close enough to be useful.  E.g. Newtonian mechanics: Einstein showed that it wasn't true, but it's close enough to be useful unless you're really small and/or going really fast.
Comment: As @PoloHoleSet said, skepticism isn't about determining truth, but refuting falsehoods.  An extreme skeptic basically wouldn't believe anything.
Comment: A phrase I like to use is "less wrong". Scientific skepticism isn't a guarantee of infallibility, but it does vastly reduce the number of wrong assumptions you never question.
Comment: An extreme skeptic is not at all agnostic in the sense of "not knowing". Induction is a statistically sound way of knowing, as information accumulates, and the trivial fact that you can't have any pure, abstract certainty without faith does not equate to *not knowing* at all.
Comment: we can't have certain knowledge regarding causal relationships in the real world through purely empirical means (even "je pense, donc je suis" is questionable), so empirical investigation *alone* can never be a guarantee of correctness.
Comment: A real skeptic never comes to a conclusion and no skeptics (including me) are not always correct.
Answer: Scientific skepticism is a process designed to reduce the number of errors made. However, there are copious ways in which scientific skeptics can be lead to provisionally accept incorrect conclusions. I don't believe any prominent skeptics claim that they are always correct because of their skepticism.
(I would argue the more important thing to define skepticism is what happens when the mistake is realised.)
Some error sources include:
Simple errors
Forgetting to "carry the one", missing a logical fallacy, confusing definitions, emotional biases, cultural biases... anyone can make a mistake.
Deliberate Fraud
Ultimately, science is supposed to be able to detect the errors introduced due to fraud when efforts to reproduce the experiments fail. Nonetheless, this can take years, and in the meantime, the false evidence may mislead.
The Piltdown Man is a classic example of this.
New evidence
Science can reveal more details that invalidate earlier models. (Newtonian versus Einsteinian models of physics are frequently cited here, but I've always bristled at the suggestion that Newton was "wrong", as though his model wasn't incredibly close and still very useful.)
A lot of hypotheses are supported by statistical outcomes of experimental models, which are subject to noise. As sample sizes grow and experimental techniques become more accurate, the new data may overturn old conclusions.
Philosophical limitations
Science depends on studying the natural. If there is a malevolent God (or other supernatural being) that is deliberately making the natural world look to skeptics like it follows one set of laws of nature, when it is actually more capricious that that, we should expect to be wrong a lot. Skeptics reject arguments like this as unfalsifiable, but unfalsifiable doesn't mean it is wrong - merely that it is unproductive to discuss and investigate.
Comment: "science depends on induction" - Karl Popper would spin in his grave reading this. Depending on the school of thought (and I think Popper layed the foundation of the current one) falsification is the bedrock of the current scientific method. Induction cannot work as a scientific method as it has significant problems in giving 'truth'. A unfalsifiable question/claim would consequently simply be logged as  a metaphysical question that is as a consequence not scientific in nature.
Comment: +1, especially for getting the philosophical grounding of science and skepticism dead on.
Comment: A better example than Newton may be the cause of K-T boundary extinction
Comment: This is only my intuition, so I might be deadly wrong in here... But, isn't a typical scientific sceptic very vulnerable to any, not necessarily supernatural, attempts to hide evidence? I mean, wouldn't a typical scientific sceptic be, for example, a horrible detective? A scientific sceptic will be disinclined to believe that a seemingly trivial case is, in fact, far more complicated and that there is someone pulling the strings from the back, unless a solid evidence for this is found - but this evidence is very likely to be deliberately hidden by this person who is pulling the strings!
Comment: @gaazkam: The story of [Project Alpha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Alpha) supports your view... but to be fair, if a scientist was assigned as a criminal detective, they might have different priors than they would in a lab, and consider "attempts to hide evidence" as a prosaic hypothesis.
Comment: @gaazkam I would suggest you could do better than what you described in the "horrible detective" example.  I would say a skeptic would be *willing to consider the possibility* that there's something far more complicated and/or a conspiracy.  However, that does not oblige them to exhaust the conspiracy path first.  It merely suggests that they have to come up with self-aware ways of acting which recognize that they never know the full story.
Comment: @Sim: Falsification is the bedrock of science (Thanks Popper!) AND science depends on induction. Is Lead denser than Helium? Yes. How do we know? Because every time we measured it in the past, it has been, and we go around assuming it is still true, because we rely on induction.
Comment: @Oddthinking [Every time I observed a swan it was white, consequenlty all swans are white?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_induction) Popper threw out induction completely in favor of deduction: [Induction, i.e. inference based on many observations, is a myth. It is neither a psychological fact, nor a fact of ordinary life, nor one of scientific procedure.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Problem_of_induction#cite_note-27)
Comment: @Sim: You are right. I should have chosen a better example. Is Lead denser than Helium? We tentatively accept the proposition, as it is "highly falsifiable" and has failed to be falsified. Perhaps I should have gone more meta: Why do we accept Popper's scientific method as the most reliable?
Comment: @Sim: I have been reflecting on this, and I don't think my argument is strong enough. I've edited away that section. Thanks for the feedback. If I can come up with stronger support, I'll edit it back in and ping you for your attention.
Comment: @Oddthinking You are very welcome. Philosophy of science is somewhat of a hobby of mine. I recommend reading "The Logic of Scientific Discovery" by Popper. He is easy to read and understand in his arguments and conclusions as he tries (and succeeds) in keeping a simple but clear writing style that outlines the problems and the proposed solutions.
Answer: Scientific skepticism, in theory, is designed to reduce the amount of incorrectness caused by Type 2 errors - that is a fancy way of saying "believing something is true when it isn't".
In other words, someone practicing scientific skepticism is more likely than someone who is not to correctly identify an invalid claim as being invalid, instead of blindly believing that claim to be true.
That is, of course, just one way of being "correct" - there are also Type 1 errors where you disbelieve a valid claim (which a skeptic is MORE likely to make as an error); as well as simply being wrong for other reasons that @Oddthinking's answer covered in detail.

Side complication: please note that in some narrow circumstances,

... scientific skepticism CAN easily cause one to be on average less correct than absence of one. For example, if proverbial "they" are out to get you, being a paranoic is correct; while being scientific skeptic would likely cause you to err by assuming nobody is out to get you due to absence of proof.
... scientific skepticism CAN be counterproductive in a larger picture. If you're in a savannah, the cost of Type I error is being eaten by a tiger you skeptically rejected as you haven't seen one; whereas the cost of Type II error you didn't make as a skeptic and your un-eaten nonskeptic friend made, is quite low in comparison. In other words, skepticism isn't always a survival trait - which is why human brains work the way Kahneman and co... posited and not the way answers on Skeptics.SE are supposed to.
Comment: I wonder if a Skeptic is more likely to make a type 1 error.  I suppose an extreme skeptic may be, but often by rejecting an incorrect answer it frees you up to accept the less obvious correct one.
Answer: It's quite tempting to divide our knowledge between "correct" and "incorrect" concepts, but I personally find it philosophically problematic. The real world is not built upon correctness and black-and-white categories. Those are human labels which often don't quite match the world.
Scientific skepticism is not about "categorizing" knowledge into two big piles of "right" or "wrong" ideas. It's about understanding the available evidence that supports or refuses such ideas. Is there strong evidence for a claim? Weak evidence? No evidence? Evidence against?
In turn, the most extreme of these cases will correlate with "correct" and "incorrect", but this kind of labeling misses the point, which is a nuanced view on reality which includes accepting there's stuff we don't know, stuff that we accept as true without proper evidence, stuff that we actually know and should stop debating, etcetera.
This kind of nuanced thinking also applies to the concept of temporary truths: the things we accept as true temporarily while we investigate. Do alien UFOs exist? I'd assume not until proven otherwise. Does extraterrestrial life exist? I'd assume yes until proven against. Clearly both of these statements are mostly based on personal assumptions, but are also valid skeptical positions, simply because lack of evidence is a valid skeptical position (often also called null hypothesis). Does this make any of these statements "correct"? Nope, but that's missing the point. There's stuff we accept temporarily without proof and that's OK, as long as we change our minds based on evidence.
Compare this with the opposite of scientific skepticism: absolutist thinking. Stuff is accepted to be "correct" in absolute terms without the very high levels of evidence that skepticism would require. For example, people that strongly believe in a religion will claim that their divinity exists in absolute terms, as a matter of faith, even though there's no credible evidence in favor or against. Whilst this is clearly OK in general terms—everyone can believe in whatever they want—it is not a valid skeptical position. At best a skeptic could accept a divinity as a temporary truth, although most do probably accept it as temporary falsehood.
In conclusion, repeated application of the scientific method leads, over time, to more evidence and more likelihood of repeatability: something that happens reliably might keep on happening. We know that from the fact that science works quite well. One might say this leads us to "correctness", but for the vast majority of ideas the evidence is not very strong either way and we need to honest about it and not categorize them in such strong terms.
Comment: +1 but scientific skepticism isn't just about evidence, but the internal consistency of the argument and consillience with existing knowledge.
Comment: I try to avoid "proves or disproves" - "supports or refutes" is probably better.
Comment: @DikranMarsupial I consider both internal consistency of the argument and agreement with indirect evidence forms of evidence in themselves, albeit "second degree" if you like. Empirical evidence will always "beat" logical arguments and existing evidence, that's how knowledge advances. E.g. a valid, repeated measurement which does not agree with theory disproves existing theories; Bohr's atom was a bad logical explanation for a real phenomenon; etc.
Comment: No, Hume showed you can have no certain knowledge of causality by purely empirical means, some element of theory is always required.  The "validity" of a measurement also depends on theory (especially for non-trivial measurement/experimental apparatus).  Unknown unknowns also affect measurements/observations.  Scientific arguments should be judge on the whole theory/experiment/observation bundle.

Are scientific skeptics always correct?


Primary bladder neck obstruction treatment or cure

Question: What are primary bladder neck obstruction treatments or cures besides alphablockers or bladder neck incision?
Answer: Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done other than what you have mentioned.
The present guidelines for the management would include watchful waiting, medical (alpha blockers) or surgical (trans urethral bladder neck incision or resection). However, the present literature lack significant amount of randomized controlled trials that would provide reliable evidence regarding the efficacy of these treatment options. Existing reports provide contradicting results as well. Even though there are success stories of complete cure by the trans urethral bladder neck resection, this still remains to be a topic where further exploration needs to be done regarding the natural history of the disease, and possible treatment modalities.
References : Primary Bladder Neck Obstruction in Men and Women


Best size of heat shrink tubing?

Question: I'm attempting to shrink wrap wire connections for the first time and I am wondering what size of heat shrink is needed for i.e. a single 22 AWG wire.  Could it be any heat shrink tubing that fits the wire? Or is there a certain size that it shrinks to so that I must purchase one not too large?  Thanks!
Comment: Do you mean *heat shrink* tubing perhaps?  "Shrink wrap" makes no sense in this context.
Comment: Yes.. *heat* shrink tubing..
Answer: I have some typical 22 AWG wire here and 1/16", 3/32" and 1/8" diameter heat shrink tubing that has a 2:1 shrink ratio. In the not shrunk state each fits over the wire. In the shrunk state the 1/16" and 3/32" grip the wire firmly, but, the 1/8" is just slightly larger in diameter and slips. Don't forget that you may want a fatter solder join or two wires to be under the shrink wrap. For that reason my recommendation is to buy all three sizes. The stuff is not that expensive and it is good to have a good selection around.
You can buy a kit that contains several diameters like this for under $20:

I got mine for $7 when it was on sale.
Comment: Having multiple sizes is a good thing. Sometimes when you're trying to cover something with some pointy bits, the tubing that's small enough to cover the wires will be visibly strained over the pointy places - in which case you can put a 2nd, larger diameter shrink tube over the first one.
Comment: $20?! I buy 4 ft lengths for less than 2 bucks each for 3/8th, smaller sizes are much less. There can't be well over 40 ft. in that package...I would think your nearest electronics wholesaler would have this, and it's probably even cheaper from some web based supplier.
Comment: @mickeyf: You seem to have ignored the price I actually paid, i.e. $7. I gave an approximate price range, why focus on the upper end? Also, The price of things depends on where you live. As a Canadian I always pay much more than what it would cost in the USA. Anyway, you are guessing what is in the pack, in fact there is 53 ft of stuff in here and it is organized well where 4 ft lengths  are hard to organize. If I ignore the fact that you were estimating as you have done with me, your quoted $2 for a 4ft length makes the price $26. Obviously, I expect O_O to shop around for the best price.
Answer: I usually keep an assortment of sizes on hand just go with the snuggest fit. That's the practical technician method.
The formal engineering way is to pick the smallest standard tubing size that fits over whatever you're covering. Then make sure that the recovered diameter of the tube is smaller than the wire bundle coming in on each side to ensure a snug fit.  Most heat shrink has a 2:1 unconstrained shrink ratio, but there is stuff out there that can shrink 4:1 if your application requires it.

Best size of heat shrink tubing?


I am trying to identify this bone I found on the beach at the Delaware Bay in Delaware. It is 2 1/2 inches wide and 1 1/2 tall

Question:
This bone was found at Big Stone beach on the Delaware bay, Delaware. It weighs only 19 grams
Comment: [Trypophobia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trypophobia) warning maybe?
Answer: It's a pharyngeal tooth from a large fish like a drum or a parrot fish.

The pharyngeal jaws are for grinding and also contain a pharyngeal mill, where larger and smaller teeth grind coarser and finer coral pieces. Fish like the Black Drum use similar teeth to grind bivalves and molluscs.

They are ideal for scraping and crushing the tough and calcified materials that make up the parrot fish's diet, coral skeletons and polyps, and algae-covered rocks.
The teeth are typically arranged in several rows, with each row containing multiple tooth plates. The outermost row consists of larger, stronger teeth, while the inner rows may contain smaller and more specialized teeth for further grinding and pulverizing food particles. This multi-row arrangement provides parrot fish with an efficient means of food processing. teeth of that kind are also found in other fish, and they are reinforced to handle high mechanical loads. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1047847720301039
Comment: Thank you for this answer!  mystery solved.


Is this a potato plant?

Question: I planted 12 pieces of potatoes ~2-3 weeks back and see few sprouts but don't know if they are weeds or actually the potato plants. The plants look like this:
Comment: Did you plant 12 potatoes, or, parts of potatoes with eyes? Were they seed potatoes, and how deep did you plant them? What season is it?
Comment: That low lying hairyish leaf in the background on the top picture might be a potato plant.  The other is just a clover.
Comment: @GrahamChiu: I cut 3 potatoes into 12 pieces with their eyes and sprouts intact and then planted them. Officially summer just started. I read in one gardener blog suggesting to dig a hole ~4 inches deep and plant them. I think I dug little too (~5-6 inches) deep.
Comment: You could dig a little to see if they're alive. But I'd half expect at that depth they should be showing now.
Answer: Sorry, neither is a potato plant.
A potato sprout is medium to dark green (sometimes with reddish undertones just when breaking through), looks like a little whirl of wrinkly, thick leaves, then unfolds to the typical compound leaf.

(click to enlarge)
The first plant in your post is probably a wood sorrel or oxalis, the second a clover. Without flowers and more details a precise id is near impossible, but I can at least tell you that these are not your potatos.
Many gardeners would pull them up as weeds immediately, you can enjoy the flowers first, then pull before they go to seed - or use your own judgement.
Comment: The first one is definitely a oxalis, but which kind is difficult to tell without a flower. The second is either Dutch white clover or red clover. It is not one of the taller types, those have different leaves.
Comment: I got one sprout like the phone on the left :)

Is this a potato plant?


Comparing soccer teams name

Question: Which is the best way to compare soccer teams from different sites? For example, one soccer team in a site is named Academica Clinceni and in another FC Clinceni and in  another one is Acs Fc Academica Clinceni.
Moreover, for a team can exist also the female version of the team (eg. Acs Fc Academica Clinceni (W) or Acs Fc Academica Clinceni (F)). Which is the best approach to distinguish these teams? For the first problem I used the Fuzzy String Matching, in your opinion is it right?
Answer: I don't know why your question was voted down! Fuzzy matching is such a common challenge. The best approach I've seen is this one: https://towardsdatascience.com/fuzzy-matching-at-scale-84f2bfd0c536 It gives similar results to something like Levenshtein distance but it's much faster. If you augment the matching approach with hand-coded regex features to spot e.g. female versus male teams, you should be able to match teams pretty well.

Comparing soccer teams name


Given the same diameter and height, which is stronger? A vertical standing cylinder or a vertical standing rectangular?

Question: I am interested in two cases. Case 1: Both are solid. Case 2: Both are hollow with the same wall thickness.
Answer: If you mean a cylinder with the diameter $D$ and a square with a side $X=D$, The square is stronger, solid, or hollow.
If they have the same moment of inertia, I, then they are equally strong only for bending moment, but then the square post has a bit less area and a bit weaker for the axial load. let's see what size square has equal I as a cylinder with diameter D.
$$\begin{align}
I_{cylinder} &= \dfrac{\pi D^4}{64} \\
I_{square} &= \dfrac{X^4}{12} \\
I_{square} &= I_{cylinder} \\
\dfrac{X^4}{12} &= \dfrac{\pi D^4}{64} \\
X^4 &= \dfrac{12\pi D^4}{64} \\
X &= 0.876067D
\end{align}$$
For the above sizes, the two posts can resist the same bending moment.
However the areas are
$$\begin{align}
A_{cylinder} &= \dfrac{\pi D^2}{4} &&= 0.78539D^2 \\
A_{square} &= X^2 &&= 0.76749D^2
\end{align}$$
The area of the square post with equal $I$ is a bit smaller.
Comment: Thank you. Yes, I meant a cylinder with the diameter Dcm and a square with a side A = Dcm. When you stated that the square is stronger, solid or hollow, does it matter the materials used and the height? Given that a square post has smaller area than a cylinder, what does it has to do with the strength? The load is mainly from the top.
Comment: Thanks for the clarification. if the load is from the top and A=Dcm the square is of course stronger to support vertical loads and moment too.
Comment: @questioner, just to clarify: a square of side D will have a ***larger*** area than a circle of diameter D. The square will therefore be stronger than the circle.
Comment: Larger cross-sectional area leads to stronger support makes sense. Why cylinder rather than rectangular column is more often used in architecture to support ceilings? https://letstalkscience.ca/educational-resources/lessons/strong-shapes-cylinders I don't know why on the net, some people said cylinder is the strongest shape. Similarly, some said triangular column is the strongest but others said it is the weakest.
Answer: From the figure below, you shall be able to judge which one is stronger. Note, for both are solid case, simply eliminate d in the formulas.
Comment: Thank you. I am a bit confused. Does larger bending moment corresponds to stronger strength against heavy load? Is bending moment different from moment of inertia (typically represented by I) which indicates how easy or difficult to spin an object?
Comment: @questioner See the updated response. The moment of inertia can be thought as "rigidity" of a cross section, the larger, the more force it can endure, thus stronger.


How to Setting up Amazon EC2 with own OS and DB?

Question: i got my own version of OS and DB
which are window server 2008 Hyper-V R2 and Sql server R2 2008
both in enterprise version
may i know how to configure it up and running ?
with amazon EC2, what other is a must combination to make it run ?
also how could i install the operating system and DNS ?
i never doing server before, but i just need something like VPS to support my development and testing. Amazon Ec2 seem the best and cheapest service due to only $1 per hour.
Answer: You can build a VMware virtual machine locally and then export that image to EC2. VMware will let you install and customize your operating system - so you can install your databases, etc.
With most operating systems you would need to export the virtual machine into a format that EC2 recognizes (either by converting the VMDK to raw and then bundling the image OR by bundling the volume from within the VM)
With Windows server 2008 virtual machines, AWS supports a direct import of the virtual machine. See the AWS VM Import page for details.
You should be able to make additional modifications after the server has been imported if required.
Comment: but the thing is they still charge me although i'm using my own license >.<
Comment: Currently, you will be charged at the Windows instance rate, despite having your own license ( http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/faqs/#When_I_import_a_VM_of_Windows_Server_2008,_who_is_responsible_for_supplying_the_operating_system_license ). AWS did have a pilot program ( http://aws.typepad.com/aws/2010/03/bring_your_own_ea_windows_server_license_to_ec2.html ) (now closed) which would allow you to temporarily transfer your license to them, so it can be expected that in the future they will support it.
Comment: Great =D can't wait to enjoy it ^^
Answer: You could migrate your servers to clouds that allows you to use your own licensing like ElasticHosts or CloudSigma.
Your servers could be uploaded there via scripts they provide or via 3rd party tools like:

CohesiveFT
Racemi Cloudpath
Migrate2iaas

Hope this helps!


Do I need more than 1 Antenna / Comms / Communotron?

Question: What might the reason for taking more than 1 Antenna into orbit / space?
Answer: After a little searching I found an update to this question. Please refer to Antenna / Range table (Commnet) by Toukiedatak at /r/KerbalSpaceProgram.
It seems to be contested, but there is a consensus that more antennae increase the communication range of the craft. I believe the phrase Commnet is the term for KSP 1.2's new communication network simulation capability.
Comment: Heya, and welcome to Arqade. Sadly, this is not a forum and the answer section is only meant for answers. If you don't find the answers satisfactory, you can ask a new question provided it is different enough from this one, or, once you have more reputation, you can place a bounty on this question in order to have it gain more visibility.
Comment: I fixed this please.
Comment: That's actually great, well done.
Comment: Indeed, related to 1.2 update and above.

The question was asked prior to 1.2.
Answer: As far as I can determine, there is no decisive advantage in attaching more than one antenna to a craft in the stock (unmodded) game - it will not increase your transmission speed if you have multiple.
However there are a few cases where it may be desirable:
The most expensive antenna (the Communotron 88-88) is an electricity hog; if a latter stage of your rocket has reduced electrical generation or storage capacity (or you are planning for some accidental damage), it may be prudent to stick an additional cheaper antenna to your vessel so you can safely transmit without running out of power in these situations.
Spares in case a planned landing turns out less than ideal and some parts get destroyed on the process.
If your rocket is designed to launch probes, or otherwise detach a section to investigate science while the main craft does other things; each detachable section will need its own antenna, unless you plan to rendezvous and reattach to the main vessel.
You are OCD about symmetry, and for whatever reason it was not possible/practical to place the antenna on the center of your symmetrical axis. Also, I'll roll "Just for aesthetics" under this.
Comment: Extendable antennas are also ones of the cheapest "flip a rover back onto its wheels" elements, so attaching a couple strategically placed ones to your Mun/Minmus rover may be good.
Comment: I fit into the last category. I need 24 Communitrons for the aesthetics... Also actiongroups to extend all at once.
Comment: @TrentHawkins: Purchase price is the least important factor of "cheapness". What matters is weight, form factor when folded, air drag, durability. These are the real costs which matter in sandbox too.
Comment: @SF. huh, Hadn't thought about that. I'll have to keep it in mind for future rover builds (Although I typically prefer sandbox mode, so cost isn't generally an issue for me)
Comment: @Coomie: Same over here. But I noticed after I transmited real data, the antenna that transmitted it, isn't able anymore to anually extend. Did you come over this aswell or is it a local problem of me?
Answer: For stock KSP - there is no reason. One antenna is enough to transmit science.
Though there are mods that expand antenna usage, e.g. RemoteTech
Also another option is to 'just stick-em on' to future proof your crafts for upcoming 1.1 update with enhancements regarding antenna usage, as mentioned in dev notes here.
Answer: Having more than one antenna allows you to upload more than one science result simultaneously. Your energy use will of course scale accordingly.


Is "bad loser" a valid expression?

Question: Is the expression "(someone is a) bad loser" valid?
If it is valid, is it equal to "sore loser", or does it have a different meaning and/or use?
Comment: Define "*valid*".
Answer: "Sore loser" is a more common idiom to describe someone who acts badly when they don't win.  But "bad loser" can also be used to describe this, and is transparent in meaning.  I have heard "bad loser" from time to time, but "sore loser" is much more common, simply because it is an idiom that has been around a long time.
Comment: Agree with Kosmonaut, plus we have the expression 'poor sport' to denote the same.
Answer: "Bad loser" does indeed mean the same as "sore loser", but I'd suggest that the former is more common in the UK, whereas the latter is more common in the US.
Comment: To my ear (UK-raised, but lived a while in US) there is a slight shade of difference between the two: "bad loser" describes a character trait, whereas "sore loser" more often describes the way someone is currently behaving.  (Like a subtler version of the difference between being *bad-tempered* and being *angry*.)  So I'd be more likely to say "I don't think much of Judy, she's such a bad loser", but "Crikey, Judy's being such a sore loser about those Christmas presents!", or "Stop being such a sore loser!".
Comment: Yes, 'sore loser' isn't idiomatic in the UK.
Answer: "Poor" loser is frequently heard, and to my mind more precise than "sore". Being "sore" is a symptom of being poor at, bad at, ungraceful at, losing. It describes the resulting condition rather than the ability. "Bad" is certainly common.
Answer: Sore loser is a more common expression than bad loser.
You hear and say things like "this fish tastes bad." or "This is a bad idea."
So, bad loser would only make sense if the character was a bad person. I don't believe "bad loser" makes much sense in your case. I would even go so far as to say you're better off using "poor loser." While it may technically be okay to write and use "bad" loser, it doesn't make much sense.
I once  used "bad loser" in a story I was writing and my professor goes "What's bad about him being a loser? What's the backstory, is he a bad person?"
I forget the word he used, but he essentially said something like: "Pork fried rice is bad, a failing grade is bad, being a pervert is bad. Being a loser cannot be defined as 'bad' and is more subjective than anything." Again, this was back when I was in college, so excuse the lack of accuracy, he explained it way better than myself.

The dictionary defines bad as: of poor quality or a low standard.
You're kind of restating the statement twice.
In technical translation, it's like you're saying "He's a bad poor loser." Loser already establishes the fact that, well... he's a loser.
The dictionary defines sore as: extremely; severely. (of a part of one's body) painful or aching.
So in technical translation: "He's painfully stupid; a severe loser."

Essentially, my thought is that you should stick with poor or sore. It's not that "bad loser" cannot be interpreted to mean sore loser, it's just that people don't always look at that the same way.
As an English-focused major in college, I learned that what may be wrong in one place may just sound different, but will not necessarily be wrong somewhere else.
To answer your question: it's valid to say "bad" loser but it may not make sense to a lot of people as it's not common everywhere, definitely not as common as "sore" loser.
Comment: As Steve Melnikoff has said in his answer above _bad loser_ is more common in the UK but _sore loser_ is more common in the US. Your language and your descripton of yourself as an _English-focused major_ show that you are American so you tend not to be exposed to British english as much as we are more exposed to American english via the media. If you are writing for a US audience you should probably use _sore user_ but if you are writing for a British audience  you should use _bad loser_. Which is preferred in other english-speaking countries like Canada or Australia I wouldn't like to say.
Comment: You're absolutely right! Which is what I was trying to say in the last bits of my answer. :-) Thank you for chiming in/clarifying.

Is "bad loser" a valid expression?


What is the name of a repair shop specialized in fixing flat tires?

Question: Here in Brazil we have "borracharias" a repair shop with many tires where they replace or fix flat tires. "Borracha" means rubber. Neither Google Translate nor Wikipedia could help me to find an English translation for "borracharia".
Answer: There is no single English name for a repair shop specializing in fixing flat tires, as Bill points out.
Names for business types, like names for food. are intensely cultural and vary widely from locality to locality, and thus from language to language.
In English one only finds names for businesses that are commonly encountered in Anglophone areas. This is just as local as anywhere else. In Mexico, for instance, to refinish a desk, one buys varnish at a tlapateria but new drawer pulls at a ferreteria; in the U.S. one buys both at a hardware store.
There are stores in Mexico that just don't exist in the U.S, like a refaccionaria, where one buys spare parts (refacciones -- in Mexico; in Guatemala refacciones means 'snacks'). They stock spare parts for just about anything, from cars to kitchen blenders. There's nothing like that in the U.S.
Answer: In the USA, Japan, and Taiwan, four types of shops specialize in fixing flat tires:

Tire stores
  Gasoline stations that also have shops that repair cars or motorcycles
  Auto repair shops
  Motorcycle repair shops

In Japan, though, you usually can't get a flat tire on a motorcycle repaired at an automobile repair shop, and in Taiwan, there are so many motorcycle repair shops that you wouldn't want to take your bike to an auto repair shop to have the tire fixed.
I can't think of a single English word used to describe these places.
Comment: Bill, in the US, none of those four types of shops actually specialize in fixing flat tires.  In every one of them, the main line of work is something else – eg selling tires, selling gasoline, doing engine repairs.  In all of them, repairing flats is a tiny fraction of their work, and not at all something they specialize in
Comment: @jwpat7: True, none of them are like the "sticky tape" tape shops from the original Saturday Night Live. But where else would you go to get a flat tire fixed? Not even the borracharias in Brazil make most of their money from repairing tires but from selling them. Maybe they make a lot of $ from retreading truck tires, though.
Answer: In the UK the general term is garage, which can mean 3 things:
A building next to your house where you keep your car;
What Americans call a gas station, ie a place selling fuel;
Any place where mechanics work repairing and servicing cars.
In the UK tyre repairs are dominated by a few well known national companies so you'd be more likely to say 'I took my car to  - [name of company]. Some of these deal only with tyres, others do other repairs. If you're talking of a small, privately owned repair shop you would probably call it a garage.
And yes, we do spell 'tyre' with a 'y'. 'Tire' is, you know, tired. Zzzzzzz.
Comment: "Tyre repair" firm/company/shop would be the closest in British English, and searching for that term turns up lots of the well known companies alluded to by Mynamite.
Comment: That's true in the US as well, though none of them specialize in fixing flat tires, and some of them will fix any flat tire for free as a device to sell more tires.
Comment: Trevor D's suggestion is the translation offered by the Oxford Spanish-English dictionary for the Spanish equivalent (*vulcanizadora*) of the Portuguese word in the question.


Is vacuum created between the inner engines under Earth's atmosphere that could affect the booster in the early moments of the ascent?

Question:
The booster has a lot more engines than the Starship.
My thoughts are that if there's isn't a pressure relief to the innermost engines they could create a vacuum pulling the hot gasses expelled. I know that the force exerted by the engines is probably negligible to the force created by the vacuum, and that possibly the booster systems balance out the difference in trust (if that's even a thing) so that the engines' output is equal.
Is there any chance that in the early moments of ascent, the vacuum might cause significant inefficiency or distress to the engines or other parts of the booster?
Comment: The phenomenon you describe is real and is called "base drag" or "base force". Here are two older questions discussing it on the site: https://space.stackexchange.com/q/38787/6944 https://space.stackexchange.com/q/38780/6944 Note that at high altitude the direction of the base force can reverse.
Answer:
My thoughts are that if there's isn't a pressure relief to the innermost engines they could create a vacuum

Your thoughts are basically correct, though the effect is probably less dramatic than you have in mind.  Any jet of air with a lower static pressure than the ambient pressure field (i.e. any supersonic jet) will act as an ejector. Here is a diagram of an ejector vacuum pump taken from the Wikipedia link I provided.

These are very neat devices that find application in a wide variety of facilities. They allow systems to maintain vacuum back pressures during operation whereas a normal vacuum reservoir (vacuum tank) would fill up and exhibit increasing back pressure. I am sure there are a number of industrial applications, but the two that come to mind from my experience is first in blow-down type wind tunnels (allowing large and continuous pressure ratios relevant to the starting of supersonic passages and allowing reduced Reynolds number/massflow for the same Mach number in subsonic passages) and second in those public tankless toilets that use a jet of water to drain the bowl (though I am not 100% confident the principle is the same here).
Regarding starship. There are two key factors that will affect the pressure in the region you specify. The first is the rocket nozzle exit pressure. The second is the effective flow areas into and out of the region between the engines.
Let's evaluate the first. The sea-level raptor engines have an expansion ratio of 34.34 and the chamber pressure depends on the throttling condition, but seems to be in the range of 300-350 bar for takeoff conditions. Combining these facts gives a nozzle exit pressure between 0.35 and 0.4 atmospheres.  So indeed there is an opportunity for vacuum to be established between the engines, but it is limited by these exit pressures.
Let's evaluate the second: the effective areas.
Here are two pictures of the booster engines:

Notice in the bottom picture that during launch there is an inflow of those orange clouds. They are getting sucked in between the engines due to the low pressure at the engine exits. Eventually they will become entrained within the jet shear layers and expelled.
A critical piece of information is that (at least qualitatively) the inlet area (being the area below the skirt and between the engines on the side) is smaller than the outlet area (being the area between the nozzle exits on the bottom). If the inflow area was very small, then the pressure in between the engines would be nearly equal to the engine exit pressures. Because it is fairly large, but still smaller than the outflow area, we know that the pressure in between the engines must be less than ambient, but probably not as low as the nozzle exit pressure.
This is evidenced by the fact that we can see the clouds presumably accelerating as they pass through the sides of the engines. This means that the pressure inside must be less than ambient.  There is likely an additional pressure gradient closer to the outflow giving additional acceleration.
Computing the exact pressure distribution is not an easy task, and I won't attempt to do so. There are equation sets for ejector performance that would likely give a reasonable answer, alternatively computational fluid dynamic simulations would give a more accurate distribution. As a definite answer, the pressure in the engine skirt region must be between 0.4 and <1 atmospheres and is likely around 0.7 atmospheres.

the vacuum might cause significant inefficiency or distress to the engines

Let's see what happens if we take the worst case scenario and have the pressure in this region equal to the lowest possible launch engine exit pressure: 0.35 bar.
The thrust of the raptor engine at this pressure condition is (least optimistic) 205 tons (1.81 MN). There are 33 engines on superheavy, giving a total thrust of 6,765 tons (59.73 MN).
What would be the pressure drag? The diameter of superheavy is 29.5 ft (9m) giving a cross-sectional area of 683 square ft (64 square meters). Now, I don't know exactly how the sea-level thrust value of 205 tons was computed, but it necessarily includes the "pressure thrust" term. In this case the net thrust can be computed by subtracting the pressure force as applied to the entire cross-section MINUS the total engine exit area. The exit diameter of a raptor engine is ~4ft (1.3 m) giving an area relevant to pressure drag of 217 square ft (20.2 square meters).
The pressure drag will then be 0.65 bar (the pressure difference) multiplied by the the 217 square ft area. This gives a pressure drag of 148 tons (1.3 MN) or 2% of the total thrust. So in the worst case the booster will have 98% of the expected thrust.
In terms of damage to the components in this region, the flow velocities (especially near the critical components thanks to the skirt) will be low, and the engines are designed to operate within a vacuum, so there is no issue with the low pressure alone. If anything, the added convection around the nozzles will slightly enhance cooling efficacy.
As a final note, operating at higher chamber pressures (like the raptor 3 variant) reduces the pressure drag discussed here by producing higher nozzle exit pressures.
I will also say that this mechanism for induced base pressure drag is a known phenomenon and discussed in the sources used for this answer.


How to tone an image to with a specific color? Like greyscale, but toned

Question: I need this image in a grayscale rgb(82, 82, 74), hex: #52524A:

How can I do this on Fireworks or Photoshop?
Answer:
Is this what your referencing? the #52524A color as the top most of grayscale.
this was achieved via image > adjustments > gradient map. and setting the black to #52524A.
Answer: To make the entire image grayscale: image -> adjustment -> black and white

First, understand that greyscale is a scale of bright-to-dark values that have nothing to do with color. Two very different colors can appear very similar or identical if you simply desaturate the image, because only the color, not the tonal ("grey") value, was providing the contrast.
Here is an example of a color image that clearly shows contrasting colors:

Watch what happens if we simple desaturate the image, apply a simple gradient map or change the layer's Blend Mode to Luminosity with a black, grey or white layer below:

Wait, what? Where did the rectangles go? Although we perceive the colors as different, they have exactly the same greyscale tonal value -- something of vital interest when you want to convert them to greyscale.
Photoshop's Black and White adjustment layer at its default setting does a slightly better job, but not much:

That's not a big improvement, but if we adjust the color sliders a little, we get a result that is a much better representation of how the original looks:

So you're best to use this approach, then add the one additional step that will give you the color value you want.

Add a Black and White adjustment layer.
Use the sliders to adjust the greyscale brightness of different colors in the image until you have matched the appearance of the original as closely as possible.
Then click the "Tint" checkbox (lower left on Mac, like boblet's image, upper left in Windows), set the color to #52524A and you're done.

You now have your greyscale image based on that exact color, and only that color. How you can verify that is a matter for another day. It's not hard, but it takes a while to explain.
Comment: But i want a scale like this shade of grey #52524A
Comment: The confusion comes in when the OP says he wants a "greyscale" (which by definition has no color information) with a fixed RGB value (which is like saying you want a ladder that has only one rung, because brightness is part of the RGB information). I think it's a language issue, or lack of terminology.
Comment: I took your suggestion, but added my expanded answer to this one rather than the other way round. As you observed, it keeps things all in one place. :-)
Comment: That was both practical and very nice of you :)
Answer: You don't actually sound like you want greyscale. You want a toned image.
In Photoshop....

Image > Adjustments > Desaturate
Add a new layer above and fill it with #52524A
Set #52524A layer Blend Mode to color
Add a mask to allow the color to only cover the image area (and leave transparent areas transparent.)

You can do the same exact thing by adding a Color Overlay Layer Style set to color.
Answer: Simple answer: add a Hue/Saturation layer and turn down the saturation slider. Select colorize and adjust the hue to choose your color.
Answer: also, there's
Image > Mode > Duotone: setting one to your color choosen, and one to white or grey
there are a multitude of ways to do what you're asking.


How to open VPN connection by command

Question: For some reason, I need to open my VPN connection in command, who know how to do this, thanks!
Comment: VPN using what? More detail!!!!
Answer: The short answer is it depends.
The long answer is that it depends on what you are using.  For example, from looking at the Cisco VPN documentation, the arguments used at the command line would be something like:
.../vpnclient.exe connect exampleprofile.pcf user  pwd
From here (http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/security/vpn_client/cisco_vpn_client/vpn_client46/administration/guide/vcAch5.html#wp1159280).  Obviously, with different software, you may have to use different arguments.  Try running the program without any arguments or with the "/?" or man  switch or command depending on your operating system.

How to open VPN connection by command


Should stereo speaker cables be elevated to avoid static electricity

Question: I am contemplating a new design for speaker cable stand-offs.  I am unable to find support, only opinions, about static electricity produced by carpet affecting AC current between amplifiers and speakers. Does it affect sound quality or does it endanger electronics used in speaker crossovers?
Comment: Have you ever seen this done? Have you ever heard of static causing a speaker cross over to fail? Have you got any evidence that anything needs to be done?
Comment: I have never heard of convincing evidence of any such problem and half my career has been at the higher quality end of audio.
Comment: This is entirely irrelevant.
Comment: Audiophiles seem to do that. There is no electrical function to it though. Surely the amplifiers are rated to withstand standard static electricity tests or they would not be able to sell those to people with cables snaking over carpets. Speakers have extremely low impedance and rarely an ESD surge would pass in and out of speaker terminals anyway.
Comment: If static could travel through your carpet across the room to your speakers then walking your carpet wouldn't produce static. The whole reason static develops is because the electrons gets trapped and are unable to move a great distance after being rubbed away. You can transfer this trapped charge to a conductor which then easily carry it away, but this isn't your carpet either.
Comment: @BrianDrummond Maybe your ears just aren't good enough :P
Comment: Static is hazardous to IC's because they have a ludicrously thin glass layer internally, made to resist about 5V, and an ESD zap can be in the thousands of volts.  Punch through that layer and kill it immediately.     A crossover does not generally contain such fragile components.   Further it usually has big capacitors, resistors and inductors, that would 'absorb' the ESD zap long before it could deliver any significant voltage to anything.  EE's who buy into audiophile claims are few and far between.   99% of us know it's almost all BS.
Comment: @Justme - I spell it 'audiophools'.
Comment: If you're talking about standard passive speakers, the impedance is low (8-16 ohms) and hence the current level is relatively high.  "Normal" static electricity will have no effect.
Answer: Beware the "audiophile" hi-fi market, there is a lot of very dubious product sold, often at crazy prices, to exploit and generally befuddle the innocent.
In this category, we might include items such as:

speaker cables that claim to have almost magical properties, including but not limited to, directionality. The function of a speaker cable is to make a reliable connection of lowest possible resistance from amplifier to speaker. A few 100pF of capacitance and similarly low inductance is of little concern in any normal living room environment. A piece of heavy duty mains flex, available for a few cents/pence per metre is fine.
equally, line level interconnects which are attributed similar magical properties.
just about anything labelled as "cryogenically treated".
ditto anything that mentions quantum effects for no good reason (and there really is no good reason in audio engineering).
other odd things, like little wooden blocks for keeping cables off carpets.

I hope that helps.
EDIT : I guess some technical explanation might support the argument. So let's consider what happens when you walk around, wearing rubber soled shoes on a carpet, then touch (say) the metal radiator, resulting in a loud "crack" of static discharge.
What is going on here is that your body, which is more or less conductive, is very highly insulated from earth by the shoes (we are talking probably hundreds of megohms, maybe more). There is no current path from your body back to earth as you walk. In addition, the carpet and rubber are conspiring to build up an imbalance of charge between you an earth, because of friction. When you touch the radiator, your body is some significant voltage (I have no idea how much) away from the metal, which is very well connected to earth. You discharge very suddenly, possibly dropping your glass of expensive single malt and uttering a loud expletive in the process.
Now let's take the case of the speaker cable trailing across carpet. There are a number of key differences:

The cable doesn't walk around. There is no significant friction. (It also doesn't drink whiskey or swear.)
The cable has a rubber or plastic jacket, but the internal wires connect to the amplifier, which ought to be connected to earth by a fairly low impedance path. The wires are NOT isolated. There is really no possibility for significant charge to build up.

So we see where the idea comes from, but, as usual with this kind of thing, it lacks any form of foundation in reality. If there WERE a problem (there isn't) the logical thing would be to create a good low resistance path to earth - NOT to increase the isolation by using little wooden supports.
It's really a very silly myth designed to part the ignorant from their cash in an efficient manner.
Comment: @aarond the biggest danger in that case would be static damage to the output stage, but unlikely to affect anything other than mosfets, and modern ones are pretty rugged, also the designer ought to protect against such events.
Comment: @danmcb I'm not sure it would even need much protection.  At first glance, the L-C output filter of a switching amp would both absorb a static arc (C) and then impede what remains (L) from hitting the fets so hard.  For a linear output stage, they're always on to some extent, behaving more like resistors than switches, and so the packet of charge flows nicely through them to the power rails.  I guess a slow "error amp" and fast output devices might get it into a state where an output device sees a voltage spike and turns off before the charge is all gone.  *That* I can see as a problem.
Comment: Indeed it's not an issue I've ever seen arise
Comment: I guess if you shuffle on the carpet enough to charge *yourself* up to a few thousand volts while the speaker leads remain actively held at ground potential, and then you touch the speaker leads?  A bit of stretch, I know, and cable standoffs would do absolutely nothing for or against it.  Then there's the passive output filter components of a switching (class-D) amp, or the always-on transistors of a linear one.  Seems like either of those should absorb a few pC just fine.
Comment: So you're saying you don't have speaker cables with 6 cores of mono-crystalline silver, insulated with a double layer of Kapton and PolyEtherEtherKetone, shielded with a dense braid made of mono-crystalline copper silver plated wires with an extra shield made of mono-crystalline gold-plated silver wires hanging well off the floor on antistatic wires?
Answer: For years I struggled with sound that was too bright. I have a medium quality tube amplifier and horn speakers. Accidentally I discovered that nicely separating interlinks from current cables and lifting my mainsblock and cables from the floor on small wooden stands made the sound smoother. Isolating the plugs of interlinks and speaker cable with a bit of foam tube also works. Actually, there's nothing better than grounding your amplifier and cd-player. Putting wraps from Entreq over your plugs also works the treat. It's expensive, but my ears are too sensitive for bad sound (hard hearing and tinnitus). Sceptics beware, hold your jokes and comments, because in my case shielding cables works. I'm a happy audiophile now.
Comment: For an engineered solution you would need to back up your claims with measurements.


PS4 Pro - Fan goes extremely loud, but air is not hot - I've tried everything

Question: I've got a PS4 Pro (launch model) and during certain moments the fan goes berserk. It turn on to the max speed and makes a high pitch noise.
Most of the times this happens during Cod Modern Warefare in the match making menu. Here it goes loudest. During gameplay it turns down a fraction. But still unreasonably loud.
Things I've tried

Cleaned the internals
Cleaned the heatsink with air
Cleaned the fan
Cleaned the processor
Applied new arctic silver cooling paste to the processor.
Applied new arctic thermal pads (the blue one)
Ran a DB initialization

Things I've noticed

When I took it apart it had barely any dust in it to start with. No build up in the fan and heat sink whatsoever.
The original thermal paste was still moist/not dry

Thoughts

I've read something about uncapped fps in menu's? Is there a way for a user to cap?
Would disabling pro boost help?
Would a clean install help?
In retrospective, would sending it to Sony have been a better solution? :)
Isn't this a software issue? Since the Fan changes speed rapidly. If a component is hot, wouldn't it take time to cool down? So the fan would keep in cooling it after the load stops, to gradually cool it down. And not end abruptly.
I haven't tried this with other games. But I did recall it used to be better a few months ago.
puts on silverfoil hat Is Sony bullying me to wards a PS5? :)
Are there newer Pro versions that don't have this issue?

Do you guys have any insights or tips on this matter? I'm getting pretty desperate. I don't want to sell this unit just for it to become someone else it's problem.
I would hope for a solution. I'm about to be kicked to the basements by my GF with the PS4. Since you hear it all across the house and it's WAY louder than a conversation.
--EDIT--

Made a clean OS install. With install from USB. Re-downloaded just COD MW and still the same issue.
Comment: The first models of the PS4 Pro were known for having overheating issues. I would guess that is a problem with the specific model of the console.
Answer: I've moved on and got rid of it. The PS4 is a terrible machine. I've moved over two rooms and my girlfriend still was not able to hear the tv. Plus I could not hear the games with an over-ear headset. Aaaaand no-one wanted to game with me since did did not hear my voice with the mice just 1cm from my mouth, they only heard the jet engine. The machine got to about a whopping 85db. Yes, that's like a pre-corona-disco-level.


How can I apply a fix to a Windows app that makes assumptions about my Region and Language settings?

Question: The software for my Sleeptracker watch expects all AM/PM symbols to be "AM" and "PM". However, on my machine, I use "A" and "P", throwing it into a hizzy. How can I apply a compatibility shim to this program so I don't have to go into the Control Panel and change my AM/PM symbols every time I run the program?
Answer: Under the assumption that this is a Windows question, you could create a second user account that uses AM/PM, then use Fast user switching to switch to that user account and run this one program.
Fast user switching is on by default, but if it is disabled for some reason, then see this article.


Is freeze ray possible?

Question: Set in distant future in order to reverse global warming caused by the depletion of ozone layer, the world no longer release CFC gases into the atmosphere and also vows to repair ice cap in Antarctica. A freeze ray is using either laser or stream of particles to rob the energy of the targeted object in order to greatly reduce the kinetic energy of atoms and molecules in a moment, is such device possible? or do I book an one way ticket to Mars instead?
Comment: Depletion of ozone layer (which has almost fully recovered) is **not** causing Global Warming.
Answer: The problem with a freeze ray is the energy transfer.  Most 'rays' are sending something, particles, light, some imaginary force.  When you 'add' to something you are generally adding energy to it and often as heat.  A freeze ray needs to 'suck the heat out'.
So to make a freeze ray you can try a catalyst that will make something give up it's heat, say making water freeze at a warmer temperature than normal (this of course would have the problem of 'releasing' all that stored energy into the atmosphere, so while the water would freeze, it would actually warm up the planet first.
The other way in general is heat transfer from a warm body to a cold one, the large the difference in heat the faster the transfer.  So if the freeze ray was sending large amounts of matter that was near absolute zero, as the matter mixed with the target, the heat transfer would be fast.  Like dropping a banana into liquid nitrogen.
It is much easier to add heat quickly than take it away...
One other thought occurred to me.  if you find a chemical or physical reaction that absorbs heat/energy leaving less in the end, maybe something that turns energy into mass...?
Comment: keep in mind the different means of heat transfer. If you're trying to freeze a solid object you're pretty much relying on conduction only meaning that the cold temperature can only penetrate towards the core of the object by reducing the temperature of the outer layers, making heat transfer rates and distance limiting factors.
Answer: There is this thing called laser cooling - if you have a simple enough material (like pure helium) and exactly the right kind of laser, you can use the laser to cool the material. Getting it to work with compounds or large amounts of matter (meaning grams) is finicky, but I guess that is as close as we can get to a freeze-ray.
Answer: A jet of liquid nitrogen is a sort of freeze ray.  The wearer would have a pressurized tank on their back.  The liquid is dispensed like a flamethrower.  This is guaranteed to reduce heat energy of the target.  The nitrogen evaporates into the atmosphere pretty soon.
I don't see any way that could prevent global warming, though. It is far to expensive to think about freezing a continent of glaciers that way.  For that, maybe you can mass produce reactants for an endothermic reaction.
Anything that causes that amount of freezing is going to be in the realm of science-fiction.
Answer: Endothermic reactions can absorb heat with some cooling bellow 0c/freezing,so you could potentially have a freeze gun using this effect.
Regarding an energy weapon/ray that freezes
small amounts of heat can be transferred through radiation so having a near zero degree kelvin surface faceing the target  would absobe infrared but would not emit it effectively acting as a very under powered freeze ray.
Another option is useing a lazzer to confine parasitical s stopping them from moving but that's currently difficult on large scales.
Another possible thought if you compress a gas then release it it will transfer some of it's energy as it expands and cool down.
If you could find a way to compress a gas from a distance then release it it would heat up as you compress it then could  cool down bellow it's initial temperature.
finding a way to compressing air from a distance would be hard though.

Is freeze ray possible?


Can't find fuse in Kia Sedona

Question: My 2006 Kia Sedona Carnival has suddenly stopped locking/unlocking with the remote. Battery in the fob is fine. At the same time the radio doesn't work. Fuse on radio is fine.  Can't find a particular fuse that might feed both. I changed the radio months ago, and both that and the remote worked, so they're probably not integrated. Where might it be located? Or any other bright ideas?
Comment: Radio doesn't work: It doesn't power up and show lights, numbers, words? Or it powers up but you get only static on AM, nothing on FM? Which is it?
Comment: @MTA - Absolutely dead - no display.
Answer: The radio and the remote receiver module may share a power or ground wire in common. You may have disturbed something when you installed the new radio.
Suggest you remove the new radio and take a peek at all the wiring you can see. Look for anything disconnected, look for splices that have come loose, ground points from which the connector has pulled off, etc. Confirm that all connectors that are supposed to snap together actually do snap, and any splices, inline taps or crimp connectors are good.

Can't find fuse in Kia Sedona


Why are the present and the past participles of "submit" spelled with double t?

Question: Why are the present and the past participles of submit spelled with two t's?
Comment: See also [Why do you write "occurred" and "listened"?](http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/2104/why-do-you-write-occurred-and-listened).
Answer: As a rule of thumb:

If the base form is spelt with a
  single final consonant and the final
  syllable is stressed, then the final
  consonant doubles when endings (-ing,
  -ed, -er, -ist etc) are added

Final -l usually always doubles in UK spelling, but generally doesn't in US spelling. There's some variation with "s" (so "busing" or "bussing" are generally both acceptable).
A complication concerns cases where the vowel in the final syllable isn't stressed, but it still carries it's "full" quality (so common candidates are "a" or "i" in a final syllable). So for example, "kidnap" would become "kidnapped". There can be variation in such cases.
Obviously, we're only talking about consonant letters that actually represent consonant sounds (so you wouldn't write "bow" -> "bowwing", for example).
Comment: "Busing" and "buses" drive me nuts. They are so clearly "byoozing" and "byoozez" when I read them, probably due to "fusing" and "fuses." Alas.
Comment: I was just confused over "busing" vs "bussing" last week, and came here to ask if both were acceptable.
Comment: @MatthewFrederick it's because "bus" is etymologically a three syllable word (omnibus), and the double consonant rule doesn't apply to trisyllables. Of course, no one calls it an omnibus anymore, so feel free to double that S!
Answer: Here is a good explanation on Doubling Final Consonants. I am sure others will post the rules from some recognised entity
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/grammar/learnit/learnitv328.shtml
Answer: The general rule is when a verb ends with a consonant, it is doubled when it is preceded by a single vowel. For example, stop becomes stopped/stopping because the final p is preceded by only one vowel. By contrast, peel or reap become peeled/peeling and reaped/reaping because the final consonant is preceded by two vowels. I find that this rule is the easiest to remember.
Comment: That "general rule" won't be much help when it comes to words like *edited, debited, credited*, etc.!
Comment: @FumbleFingers Or axxed. :)


Opening .msg files from sharepoint in Outlook

Question: I'm looking for a way to open .msg-files, that are saved under our sharepoint online, directly with outlook (so I can reply, forward etc.) in stead of opening a preview in the browser (just like our word and Excel files). Does anyone know how to fix this?
Answer: In the new experience of SharePoint Online, it is the expected behavior that show the preview behavior.
If you wish to open the message in Outlook client, then you must download the file first.
Or Return to classic expernience, then you will open email file directly in Outlook client.
You can also submit your requirement about directly opening msg file with Outlook in the modern library (the new SharePoint library UI) via Uservoice.


Wallet advice for users without technical knowledge

Question: I just want to buy £50 worth and forget about it for ten years. I live in the UK, don't have a smartphone, bank online, but can't prove ID easily (because I rent a room in a block). I don't understand highly technical explanations. What's the best wallet for me?
Answer: When you register to LocalBitcoins you get a free web bitcoin wallet. You can access this with a web browser and protect it with secure paper codes log in.
Also the site allows you to buy bitcoins with cash, so you get two birds with one stone.
Comment: I would advice against online wallets for long time storage. Too risky. OP would be much better off with a wallet on a usb stick.
Comment: I've downloaded bitcoin qt for windows from sourceforge. I'll try following the instructions for storing on flash drives, in "Bitcoin Explained Like You're Five: Part 4 – Securing Your Wallet" on http://chrispacia.wordpress.com/2013/09/29/bitcoin-explained-like-youre-five-part-4-securing-your-wallet/ Please say if I've got something wrong or if there's a better way. I might also get a hardware wallet later as they seem more foolproof.
Comment: You should be good!
Answer: Buying Bitcoins
Use Coinbase or Localbitcoins, more preferably localbitcoins as coinbase has some anti-consumer tactics to get them profit. They mark transactions as "suspicious" 5 days later when bitcoin gains price and process transactions when the price of bitcoin falls, essentially using the customer as an entity that inherits all risk in trading. Be careful with localbitcoin too, use escrow and if you are meeting the person physically make sure it's in a public place like a coffee shop.
Storing Bitcoins
To robustly store bitcoins, get electrum. Write down the seed it gives you when you first make a wallet and make sure you use it with a password. For extra precaution export the wallet onto a usb and if you use a good password you can also just leave a copy of the encrypted wallet on google drive or other computers. This is safe to do as a passworded wallet is encrypted. You can go for a "paper wallet" if you are even more paranoid.
Special Considerations
10 years is a long time, in that time there is a small but not none chance that Bitcoin's cryptographic algorithm may become weak. If your £50 turns into a sizeable amount you will need to be up to date on bitcoin news, don't be those people who are digging through waste dumps for a hard drive full of 10,000 bitcoins.
Answer: Please do not use a web wallet if you are planning on sitting on your coins for 10 years. When you send coins to a web wallet or to any address you did not generate yourself, you are giving the spending power to another person. Just like when you deposit $100 in the bank they will use it for other things and in most certainty return you a different $100 should you go and withdraw it.
Download the original bitcoin-qt client and open it, it will begin to download blocks, but this is not important if you are planning on just sitting on your coin. On the first run the client will also generate some addresses for you, showing you the first one on the "Receive" tab. You can have your newly purchased coins sent to this address.
There are plenty of security steps to safeguard against loss, please read carefully and understand that if you lose access to your coins or if a mischievous person gains access to them, they will likely be gone forever.
It is strongly recommended you encrypt your wallet asap. Please pick a very long passphrase you can remember, at least 6 to 8 words. Be aware that forgetting this passphrase will likely result in the permanent loss of your coins (there is no "Forgot Password" option). If you have strongly encrypted your wallet, then it is pretty safe to put it in as many places as you can, since cracking a random 6 to 8 word password would take an unreasonably long time using traditional password cracking methods.
You can find your wallet file on windows by opening the file explorer and typing %appdata% in the path (where you usually see c:\user\documents, etc), then selecting the folder named "Bitcoin". Inside this folder you will see a file called wallet.dat, this file can be placed in this folder on any other computer, giving this computer the ability to see and spend the coin associated with address on this wallet.
Should you decide not to encrypt your wallet, you can still copy it to a USB and put it in a safety deposit box, or somewhere else secure, but please be aware that any person who has access to an unencrypted wallet.dat can easily load it to their computer and send your bitcoin off into cyber-space.


Cessna 140 1946 TT

Question: Hello I'm first time buyer airplane, I'm buying Cessna 140 1946 and it has TT 12.400
TSMOH  400  , needs anual  and ADSB
I'm I getting in trouble here ? Is too many hrs ? $17,000
Comment: Welcome to the site! If you are asking if you should buy the airplane we can't help you, as that is asking for opinions rather than fact based answers. If you have a specific question then I suggest you edit and ask it instead.
Answer: If this airplane has not been actively flown recently (and the lack of an annual and ADSB indicates not) then I would be cautious.  Has nothing to do w/being an old C-140 and everything to do w/neglected hangar queens.
Another question is will a C-140 bring you joy?  Have flown a two seat tail dragger?  They are more like kites, and a hot or windy day will be a challenge.
Good luck
Answer: The hours aren't really a problem.  Sitting around unused outside is the killer. These airplanes get ruined by corrosion long before they get worn out.  Of course you're going to have the airplane inspected by somebody who knows 140s as a condition of purchase right?
They are bulletproof generally, but there are a couple of areas to watch for, like cracks in the front door post wing attach etc (I believe there is an AD). You have to make sure the airplane is compliant with ADs.  And the engine is a big question mark. You can spend a fortune on the engine if you don't do your due diligence.
Did I mention that you should be having someone expert in 140s go over it for you right?  If you aren't and are just buying it as is, well get ready for possibly 10 or 20k of expenses if the engine is toast or the plane has corrosion.  Times and logs mean little.  What really counts is expert eyes going over it carefully.
If it checks out, 17k is an amazing deal for a solid nice flying 140.  They are delightful airplanes.

Cessna 140 1946 TT


What is the Iddah (waiting period) after Khula for a girl living with her parents for last one year?

Question: My sister is living with my parents for last one year Jan 2014- Jan 2015. She applied for khula from her husband on September 2014. She got Khula on 27th Jan 2015. What will be her iddah period.
Answer: If the marriage was consummated then the husband agreed to give Khula to the wife, the iddah would be one menstrual cycle. This is based on the Khula of the wife of Thabi bin Qais.
If there was no sexual intercourse, then there would be no iddah.
Comment: One menstrual cycle from when?  Separation?  Application for Khula?  Award of Khula?
Comment: " husband agreed to give Khula to the wife...
"


What are the best maps, if any, we have of the convection cells in the Earth's mantle?

Question: As the title states, what maps, if any, do we have of convection currents inside the Earth's mantle, and which would you suggest to be the most detailed and accurate?
Answer: If you're looking for a cool, well detailed map of convection cells that looks like a modern weather map....forget it. What you're looking for has been notoriously difficult to produce, if not impossible. Even the most advanced seismic tomography techniques using seismic wavespeeds can only resolve mantle "features" thousands of kilometers in scale, but really, only in the X-Y plane. These techniques do a poor job of resolving anything in the Z plane.
Even the locations of convection cell boundaries appears harder to find than theory suggests. Currently, the influence of convection boundaries has been mapped from the surface elevations of oceanic plates, but those maps look like odd "heat maps" indicating where oceanic crust has domed up beneath upward mantle flow. No vertical flow lines boundaries are even remotely suggested with these two-dimensional maps. You can read the actual paper published in Nature, 2016 here: Global dynamic topography observations reveal limited influence of large-scale mantle flow
Comment: So we have an idea about where up-flowing convection material is pushing against the underside if the crust(?), but not the vertical path those up-flows took to get there?


Strncat causes exception

Question: I am making a program in c to read a file and execute different pieces of code depending on what is in the file. However, when I try to read the file I get an exception:
Exception thrown at 0x7C3306DD (ucrtbased.dll) in MacroTool.exe: 0xC0000005: Access violation reading location 0x00000068.

Here is my code:
#include <stdio.h>
#include <string.h>
#include <limits.h>

int main(int argc, char* argv[]) {
    if (argc < 2) {
        printf("ERR: too few arguments.\n");
        return 1;
    }
    if (argc > 2) {
        printf("ERR: too many arguments.\n");
        return 1;
    }

    FILE* fp = fopen(argv[1], "r");

    if (fp == NULL) {
        printf("ERR: cannot read file.\n");
        return 1;
    }

    char buf[100];

    char c;

    while ((c = fgetc(fp)) != EOF)
        strncat(buf, c, 1);

    fclose(fp);

    return 0;
}

Using multiple search engines to find an answer that is related to this issue led to nothing.
I am using windows 10 and visual studio 2019
Comment: You've probably reached the 99th character in `buf` (100th is `\0`), and attempted to add one more character. You could print `buf` inside the while loop.
Comment: Enable all warnings to save time.  `strncat(buf, c, 1);` --> 2nd parameter is wrong type.
Comment: Ooof! Trying to access memory in the System Reserved memory region is guaranteed to do bad things... `Access violation reading location 0x00000068` Points clearly to a pointer being abused...
Comment: `size_t n = 0; while (n + 1 < 100 && (c = fgetc(fp)) != EOF) { buf[n++] = c; } buf[n] = 0;`
Comment: You should get an error message for `strncat(buf, c, 1);` . If you don't, then immediately stop what you're doing and fix your compiler settings  , it just causes you to waste time trying to run incorrect code.
Answer: You are attempting to use a string-funciton on a buffer that is not nul-terminated resulting in Undefined Behavior. Specifically:
    char buf[100];

    char c;

    while ((c = fgetc(fp)) != EOF)
        strncat(buf, c, 1);

On your first call to strncat, buf in uninitialized resulting in Undefined Behavior due to strncat() replacing the existing nul-terminating character (which doesn't exist) with the new text to be appended. You can initialize buf all zero with:
    char buf[100] = "";

That will fix the immediate Undefined Behavior but will not prevent you later reading beyond the bounds of buf when you read past the 99th character.
Instead, declare a counter and initialize the counter zero, and use that to limit the number of characters read into your buf, as in the comment:
    size_t n = 0;

    while (n + 1 < 100 && (c = fgetc(fp)) != EOF) {
        buf[n++] = c;
    }
    buf[n] = 0;      /* don't forget to nul-terminate buf */

You can put it altogether and avoid using Magic-Numbers (100) as follows:
#include <stdio.h>

#define MAXC 100        /* if you need a constant, #define one (or more) */

int main (int argc, char* argv[]) {

    if (argc < 2) { /* validate one argument given for filename */
        fputs ("error: too few arguments.\n", stderr);
        return 1;
    }
    char buf[MAXC] = "", c;
    size_t n = 0;
    FILE* fp = fopen (argv[1], "r");

    if (fp == NULL) {                   /* validate file open for reading */
        perror ("fopen-argv[1]");       /* on failure, perror() tells why */
        return 1;
    }

    /* while buf not full (saving 1-char for \0), read char */
    while (n + 1 < MAXC && (c = fgetc(fp)) != EOF)
        buf[n++] = c;                   /* assign char to next element in buf */

    buf[n] = 0;                         /* nul-terminate buf */

    puts (buf);                         /* output result */

    fclose(fp);
}

(note: the comparison with n + 1 ensures one-element in buf remains for the nul-terminating character)
Example Use/Output
$ ./bin/read100chars read100chars.c
#include <stdio.h>

#define MAXC 100        /* if you need a constant, #define one (or more) */

in

(note: the first 'n' in int main (... is the 99th character in the file)
Look thing over and let me know if you need further help. (note with VS you will likely need to pass /w4996 to disable the "CRT Secure...." warning.)
Answer: char *strncat(char *dest, const char *src, size_t n);

https://linux.die.net/man/3/strncat

The strcat() function appends the src string to the dest string, overwriting the terminating null byte ('\0') at the end of dest, and then adds a terminating null byte. The strings may not overlap, and the dest string must have enough space for the result. If dest is not large enough, program behavior is unpredictable; buffer overruns are a favorite avenue for attacking secure programs.

Note that strncat will take 2 pointers, first the destination and the second is the source, you're providing a character so it should be strncat(buf, &c, 1);
the strncat will start appending characters at the end of the destination, ie. at the null byte, and since your buffer isn't initialized, it contains noise and may not contain nullbyte '\0' inside. The strncat try searching the \0 starting from buff and it may find somewhere after the array ends and start to append characters there. and that's why you get error Access violation writing location 0x68FB49FC to fix this set the first byte of your buffer to \0
char buf[100];
buf[0] = '\0';

Also you don't check if your buffer has space for the new character, which also leads to access violation that if your source file contains more than 99 characters. you also have to handle that as well

limit your loop by 99 characters (and print an error if it's exceeded)
make your buffer enough like char buf[2048]; or something but still, it'll crash if it's not enough
create a buffer with the size of your source

size_t getFileSize(FILE* _file) {
    fseek(_file, 0, SEEK_END);
    size_t _size = ftell(_file);
    fseek(_file, 0, SEEK_SET);
    return _size;
}

char* buf = malloc(getFileSize(fp)); //< you have to manage the allocated memory

And one more thing
you're trying to read a file into a buffer by strncat this might be in efficient since every time it needs to get the strlen, check the size n and add both character and \0. Instead, I recommend
char* readFile(FILE* _file) {
    size_t file_size = getFileSize(_file);

    char* buf = malloc(file_size + 1);
    size_t read = fread(buf, sizeof(char), file_size, _file);
    buf[read] = '\0';

    return buf;
}

Comment: The fseek/ftell method is only reliable for files opened in binary mode (OP is opening in text mode)

Strncat causes exception


Numerical technique to solve 2nd order PDE

Question: Currently I am trying to numerically solve a linear partial differential equation of the form
$$
\sum_{l=0}^2 \sum_{m=0}^2 \sum_{n=0}^2 C_{lmn} (x,y,\phi) \frac{\partial^l \partial^m \partial^n}{\partial x^l \partial y^m \partial \phi^n } \Psi(x,y,\phi) = 0
$$
with the following domain $ x \geq 0$, $y \geq 0$, and $0 \leq \phi \leq \pi$. $\Psi$ and $C_{lmn}$ are real functions. The boundary conditions are
$$
\Psi(0,y,\phi) = \Psi(x,0,\phi) = \Psi_x(0,y,\phi) = \Psi(x,y,0) = \Psi_\phi(x,y,0) = 0
$$
and
$$
\Psi(x_0,y,\phi) = f(y)
$$
where $x_0$ is a positive constant. I hope the number of boundary conditions are sufficient to make the solution unique. For 1D ODE I can use 4th order Runge-Kutta for instance, I wonder if a similar technique exists for multivariable PDE.
Answer: In the case of ordinary differential equations (ODE), Runge-Kutta methods are appreciated because of their generic nature. However, they are not always a suitable choice. For instance, in the case of stiff systems, it is better to use an adaptative method, such as Rosenbrock methods or backward differentiation formulas (BFD). See e.g. the book [1] for details.
In the case of partial differential equations (PDE), there is no such generic method. The overview given in chapter 20 of [2] states that partial differential equations are classified into three categories, hyperbolic, parabolic, and elliptic, on the basis of their characteristics (curves of information propagation). From a computational point of view, there is also an essential distinction between time-evolution problems and time-independent (static) problems, which gives rise to different numerical methods. Nevertheless, some numerical methods can be adapted to many different PDE problems, in particular the finite-difference method (see e.g. [2, 3]), and the finite element method. For some problems, other methods such as the finite volume method and the discontinuous Galerkin method can be used too.
To go back to the comparison with Runge-Kutta methods, let us consider the case of finite-difference methods (FDM) for PDEs. As we will see with two time-evolution PDEs, the efficiency of a FDM is highly problem-dependent, and such a derivation must be carried out carefully.

Let us consider the one-dimensional heat equation $u_t = \alpha u_{xx}$. An explicit FD method with centered differentiation in space writes
$$
\frac{u_i^{n+1} - u_i^n}{\Delta t} = \alpha \frac{u_{i+1}^n - 2u_{i}^n + u_{i-1}^n}{\Delta x^2} \, ,
$$
i.e.
$$
u_i^{n+1} = \left(1 - 2 \frac{\alpha\Delta t}{\Delta x^2}\right) u_i^n + \frac{\alpha\Delta t}{\Delta x^2} (u_{i+1}^n + u_{i-1}^n) \, .
$$
This method is stable and convergent for $\alpha\Delta t/\Delta x^2 \leq 1/2$.
Now, we consider the first-order linear advection equation $u_t + c u_x = 0$ and we proceed similarly. An explicit FD method with centered differentiation in space writes
$$
\frac{u_i^{n+1} - u_i^n}{\Delta t} + c \frac{u_{i+1}^n - u_{i-1}^n}{2\Delta x} = 0 \, ,
$$
i.e.
$$
u_i^{n+1} = u_i^n - \frac{c\Delta t}{2\Delta x} (u_{i+1}^n - u_{i-1}^n) \, .
$$
Despite its quite natural derivation, this method suffers from severe stability problems and is useless in practice [4].

As shown on these two simple examples, the derivation of convergent FD methods is not generic. Depending on the problem, an approach may be successful, or not.

[1] J.C. Butcher: Numerical Methods for Ordinary Differential Equations, 2nd ed., John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
[2]  W.H. Press, S.A. Teukolsky, W.T. Vetterling, B.P. Flannery: Numerical Recipes. The Art of Scientific Computing, 3rd ed., Cambridge University Press, 2007.
[3]  A.R. Mitchell, D.F. Griffiths: The Finite Difference Method in Partial Differential Equations, John Wiley & Sons, 1980.
[4] R.J. LeVeque: Numerical Methods for Conservation Laws, Birkhäuser, 1992.
Comment: Thank you for your insightful answer. It seems like FDM still has too much uncertainty around the stability issue. May be for the first try I will try FEM.
Comment: @nougako In case of a generic approach, I would suggest to do so too. If your first FEM trial is unstable, you can still tune the interpolating functions, the integration algorithm, and the mesh. For info, the Comsol software has a build-in FEM tool for custom PDEs.
Answer: You can use finite differences, finite elements or finite columns, all of them are based on discretizing the domain, which is the same idea behind RK. But I guess finite differences is intuitively more similar to RK
Comment: @nougako you're right. Finite elements is perhaps the most suitable method for your problem [this](https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Nonlinear-Finite-Element-Analysis/dp/1441917454) is a good reference
Comment: Thank you. Can you recommend me some references (other than wikipedia)? The closest I have worked with is the finite difference method for 1D where the ODE is transformed to a matrix equation but this method is for eigenvalue problem.


Mexican Index Mutual Funds

Question: I've seen answers here recommend index mutual funds and want to know what are some mutual funds available in my market (Mexico).  I'm interested in funds available on the Mexican stock market (BOLSA) or available in Mexico and holding BOLSA-listed securities.
Comment: Can you clarify: Are you looking for funds that invest in Mexican companies, or funds that are available directly on the Mexican stock market (BOLSA)?  "Mutual fund" usually refers to something that does not trade on *any* stock market, so your question in your last comment is confusing.
Comment: http://www.cnbc.com/id/49003543 provides a partial answer but is from 2012 and it's very, very possible things have changed significantly since then. The ETF referred there, the MSCI Mexico Capped ETF, is still trading.
Comment: Is on the BOLSA?
Comment: On Bolsa.  Mutual fund or other index fund
Answer: The recommendations you read were, very probably, talking about US listed funds in US dollars.
The mexican Bolsa de Valores says that they list over 600 mutual funds
 so "Yes" you can invest in Mexico using Pesos if that is what you want.  You need a Corredor de Bolsa or mexico broker. Here they are.
Most international investors use exchange traded funds ETF because theirs fees are cheaper than mutual funds.  The ETF are mostly listed and traded in us stock exchange. Here they are.
US mutual funds are in dollars and, because you are living in Mexico, you will have a currency risk and probably taxes.  Mexico mutual funds in Pesos do not carry any currency exposure unless the companies involved do business in the United States. You have to think about your currency exposure.
B. Veo

Mexican Index Mutual Funds


How do I set up credentials for bcoin's JSON RPC interface?

Question: I've recently been introduced to bcoin. In the documentation, it's stated that bcoin's RPC interface is similar to that of Bitcoin Core but after syncing my node, I can't find a way to set up a JSON RPC Server on Bcoin to communicate with my app. The documentation clearly does not specify any methods such as rpcuser, rpcbind, rpcpassword values. Is there a way to set this up with bcoin in the bcoin.conf file?
Comment: Right under the introduction paragraph is a section on authentication: https://bcoin.io/api-docs/#authentication, did you try that?
Comment: Yes @Murch, I've tried that. When I try connecting it asks for the user and password after replacing api-key. So I'm really confused!
Answer: See the configuration guide in the bcoin repo: https://github.com/bcoin-org/bcoin/blob/master/docs/configuration.md
bcoin uses an API key for authentication, without username.
Bcoin always runs with an RPC interface, whether or not an api key has been set.
If you have any more questions, join us on telegram: https://t.me/bcoinorg
Example:
<code># start the server
$ bcoin --network=regtest --daemon

# Make an rpc request
$ bcoin-cli --network=regtest rpc getinfo
{
  "version": "2.1.2",
  "protocolversion": 70015,
  "walletversion": 0,
  "balance": 0,
  "blocks": 0,
  "timeoffset": 0,
  "connections": 0,
  "proxy": "",
  "difficulty": 4.6565423739069247e-10,
  "testnet": true,
  "keypoololdest": 0,
  "keypoolsize": 0,
  "unlocked_until": 0,
  "paytxfee": 0.0002,
  "relayfee": 0.00001,
  "errors": ""
}
</code>
Comment: Ok, let me try it out without an api-key.


Optimal Angular Field of View (AFOV)

Question: Given the rather huge price differences between eye pieces at the same focal length. How exactly does the AFOV affect the view seen through the eyepiece?
Are higher / lower AFOV better for certain situations? or is higher always better?
Comment: AFOV = angular field of view
Comment: Actually "AFOV" can stand for "apparent field of view" or "actual field of view," two quite different things. See my answer below.
Answer: Simply, a larger FOV provides a wider hunk of sky in the eyepiece. This is useful for capturing entire objects at higher magnifications than could be obtained with cheaper eye-pieces. It doesn't provide more light, just a wider view. As for better, if you've gone to the expense of buying one for a given focal length, it'll still work just as well as something cheaper so may as well use it.
Comment: So from this answer I can infer two advantages from a larger FOV. 1) seeing entire DSOs at higher magnifications 2) for non-motorized scopes less frequent adjustments due to the object you're observing moving out of the FOV.
Answer: There are actually two different fields of view to consider. The apparent field of view is the apparent view you see in the eyepiece, typically 35° to 110°. The actual field of view is how much of the sky you are actually seeing, typically from a few degrees to a few arc minutes. The actual field of view is the apparent field of view divided by the magnification.
The main advantage of a wide apparent field of view is the feeling of immersion in the view and presenting the object in context. Typically eyepieces with apparent fields of view in excess of 80° are described as giving a "moonwalk" experience. With these eyepieces you usually can't see the edge of the field of view, so it's like sticking your head out a window, rather than seeing the view framed in a window.
A secondary practical advantage of eyepieces with wide apparent field of view is that they are more versatile than eyepieces with a narrower view. A wide angle eyepiece typically takes the place of at least two narrower angle eyepieces, giving you a wide context and fine detail at the same time. I find that I can do most of my observing with only two or three wide angle eyepieces.
Eyepieces with narrow fields survive because they are less expensive, and also because their simpler optical design (fewer lens elements) allows more light throughput and better contrast. Serious planetary observers typcally use orthoscopic or monocentric eyepieces because of their high contrast. Planets are small in angular size, and don't need a wide field of view.

Optimal Angular Field of View (AFOV)


What happens exactly if a company defaults on its bond?

Question: In finance textbooks, when a company defaults on its bond, the investor in the bond simply does not receive its money or recover only a certain percentage. But what happens in reality? Shouldn't the company still be liable to reimburse the investor the investor in totality?
Answer: This depends on whether or not the bond holders think that the company is -- or can be made to be -- a going concern.
The company could:

renegotiate the loans,
go into bankruptcy (liquidation, reorganization, etc)
pay the bond holders what cash it has,
sell parts of itself to other companies.

The major bond holders will be in on this, talking with the banks and -- if they think the company can be salvaged -- possibly forcing a change in the CEO, CFO, COB, etc.
Comment: However, if – at the end of the day – there isn't enough money to pay all bond-holders (who will, at least, be ahead of stock-holders in the queue to be paid) then "no", the company will not be liable (or, at least, _able_) to reimburse the bond-holder. The "limited liability" nature of companies (Inc., Ltd.,, plc., etc. depending on country) means that no one else will be liable for the debt either. This increased risk is what you accept for the (potentially) higher payback of bonds (compared to a simple savings account).
Comment: Yes, but that happens then through a liquidator as the company is actually legally obliged to declare itself as bankrupt if negotiations fail. As such, it is mentioned aboce as item 2.
Comment: @TomTom But it seems to be the ramifications of item 2 that the OP didn't fully appreciate ("_Shouldn't the company still be liable to reimburse the investor in totality_"), which is why I thought it helpful to spell it out in a little more detail.
Answer: The company is bankrupt.
If they can't pay back the bond they're bankrupt and you likely don't see a whole lot of your money again (especially soon). There are a lot of costs associated with bankruptcy which eat a lot of the money that could be paid back. The company will likely hope for a restructure/sale of the company which would (eventually) lead to you getting paid.
If they won't pay back the bond, they'll be bankrupt soon because no one will give them any money and the legal issues of that decision will be quite costly.
So yes, if they default you probably will get pennies on the dollar years down the line.


Average value of function that converges?

Question: I have a function $f$ that converges to a value:
$$
f(x) = 1−s−A \beta ^ x
$$
Where $A \in \mathcal{R}$, and $0< \beta <1 $, $0< A <1 $
I want to get the average value of  for $ x > r$.  Since $ \beta $ is a number between 0 and 1, I know the function converges.  But I don't know how to calculate the integral :(
I would imagine it has something to do with:
$$
\int_r ^\infty 1−s− A \cdot \beta ^ x \partial x
$$
But I have no clue on how to calculate this.
Any help?
Answer: Hint:
$$\int a^x\,dx=\frac1{\ln a}a^x+C$$
What can you say about the convergence?


If I restart Fable 3, do I get to keep any of my weapons or equipment from the previous game?

Question: Since there doesn't seem to be a way to try alterante endings (without restarting and losing my save), do I at least get the benefit from previous run throughs?
Answer: You should find a trustworthy friend to give him the items you want to keep. Then, have him give you back the items with your new character.
Answer: No, your progress on previous games does not give you any direct benefits in a new game. Items you purchased (or obtained for free) from the Sanctuary Shop, like the Yule Costume, are available across all saves, and some statistics are tracked across all your games, and of course your knowledge of quests and areas and the results of your previous decisions will help you in new games, but when you create a new hero, you'll be choosing between a basic sword and a basic hammer and between a basic rifle and a basic pistol.
Answer: No. Each save-file is radically unique.
Create a template primary Key-master, who is your "serious" Hero, and then create several secondary local, non-"Gold"/$ differentiated Gamertag identities or "sub-Heros" in order to be able to effectively conserve and trade what you desire. No trustworthy friend (unlikely in modernity) needed.
Also distinct (local, non-monetary) Gamertag profiles allow collection of all Relic weapons etc. The Key-master can immediately jump into any new Hero game in the Bowerstone Castle garden area and unlock the Relic.