How much to pay sound person?

Question: My band plays events in small and large venues like a bar to a bike night outdoors. We pay for sound at large events which they bring sound equipment to setup and tear down. is paying 30% of our pay is a little high. That would be $210 for a $700 gig with each of the four member making $122.50. Is this a typical fee for bands?
Comment: Think about this: when I do a live sound gig with my own gear, it can be as much as 12 hours of my time (4:00pm to 4:00am). The band might spend half that much time (maybe 8:00pm to 2:00am). The total value in equipment the sound guy is renting to the band may be the same or more than ALL the band's gear combined. I pretty much wouldn't leave my house for less than $200, and I charge what I charge, I don't take a percent or share. If the gig only pays $600, I'll be taking home more than each band member or not showing up at all.
Comment: Max. should be the same as a band member, providing they are good at their job. You still have to buy a p.a. for other gigs, but then you'd have to pay for time for someone to run it, perhaps. So consider an equal split with the personnel. Did they spend as long as you learning to 'play'? Of course not. So less recompense !!
Comment: @Tim I would take exception to that 'of course not', many sound men will take on 3-5 gigs a week, they are handling the maintenance of the PA in between times and often loading in and out long before and after musicians are present. It's a skilled craft honed over years.

My time as a sound tech was working with an experienced tech who had 20 years in the business. Quite often dealing with bands of school age on their first gig. So I'd pretty much guarantee that a good sound tech has put in, and still puts in, much more work than the band.
Comment: Sounds good to me. But I have been in bands where the sound guy is making $300 and each member made $70.00! I'll take you advice and pass it along. thanks!
Comment: @AJFaraday - I speak as having experience from both sides.It took me a heck of a lot longer to become a half decent muso. I used to do the sounds for jazz greats from all over the world. They were quite exacting, but I managed with not a lot of training. Maybe being a player, thus empathetic, helped.Yes, more time at the beginning and end of gigs is spent. Owning the p.a.etc., would put a different perspective on things, too. As a muso, I've found some sound guys are good, some bad. The bad ones seem to know what sound you're after before they even ask you. Telepathic? No, clueless !
Comment: I'm not saying the tech is always more highly trained and valuable. Your exact words were this - "Did they spend as long as you learning to 'play'? Of course not."
Answer: It really depends and most sound guys will tell you what they charge per gig. Personally I would not go for the cheaper option, I would go for the better sound guy as a good sound guy always makes you sound your best.
It may seem strange to pay a sound guy more then a member of your band, but really do a lot for band including:

Setting up and tearing down equipment for you.
Providing a sound check to adjust the sound for the room.
Providing monitors for musicians and being able to adjust them for you while preforming.
Mixing sound live and adding effects like delay and reverb.
Most typically have lights to enhance the the look of your performance.

I would talk to bands in your area to see if they have certain sound guys they would recommend (or avoid). I look at it this way, while you probably can find a cheap sound guy a better sound guy will make you get more gigs and make your overall show better.
Answer: I've been lucky enough to work with monitor and FOH engineers who were being paid multiple thousands of dollars per week. The value they add is ridiculous. Having to go back to standard house engineers or beginners is really painful after that.
Your sound guys are pretty much the most valuable item/thing/asset a touring band can have.
In answer to your question: Pay what you need to if the guy makes you sound great (offstage and onstage).
Answer: The sound guy is not a band member. He may be friendly with a good attitude and have a cool job but: it is a job. He's not part of the musical creation process and unless he's been accompanying you to the studio and on residency for your show, there won't be much creative production on his side either.

He's not a producer (His salary is not dependent on the gigs revenue; as opposite to a manager or a booking agent who make a bet on you).
It's a profession, not a hobby. It's what he pays his bills with
He'll be there long before and after the band members
He works in the dark, not on stage with all the perks and glamour that may bring.

I read somewhere something very interesting: nobody will have trouble hiring a musician who works part-time in a bar. The general public knows how hard it is to make it as a musician. But who will hire a sound engineer working in a restaurant to make ends meet? No one, because he would be seen as unprofessional.
And if you think hiring professionals is expensive, hire an amateur and put him in front of your best customers.
Also, standard rate is a minimum of 250 EUR per gig in Belgium (usually calculated on a 10hr shift) or 300 CAD (obviously in Canada).
Comment: I know 'sound guys' who have bought some gear and a van and make themselves available for gigs the same way a musician does.   Just like  musicians, they come at all levels of competence and professionalism.
Answer: This isn't about 'fair shares', it's about what it costs to hire in sound gear and an operator.  Negotiate the best price you can for what you need.  If this is more than the whole band is making, consider going into the sound-hire business instead!
Answer: I think the problem stems from the fact that most people think the "sound guy" or "Technician" is not part of the band. Just because I'm not on stage and under a spot light doesn't mean I have any less part of creating the picture and vibe of the band. Your instruments don't sound like any recording you'd buy today and my instrument ( Console and Speakers ) doesn't make any sound without you. typically when you're putting together a band you try to get the best players you can because you know it makes a difference. You need to consider the Mixer as part of the equation or part of the band.
Someone in this thread said " the sound guy is NOT the producer". In the traditional sense of the studio that sounds right on the surface, but I am doing this a bit. It's very difficult if not impossible for a musician on a modern stage (especially with IEMs) to be cognizant of every aspect of the sound and music that is happening while they're trying to play. I often will go to the stage and ask if a drum can be retuned to a different pitch or ask a bass player thin out a few notes in a couple bars because its fighting the floor tom part that's being played. I'll ask guitar players to back off reverbs or delays a bit because they're getting lost in the mix. I've had times where I'll tell the band leader a note that the keyboard player is playing is conflicting with a guitar part. Sometimes the band doesn't catch it. I won't do that on the first pass but if it happens a couple times in sound check and its obviously a mistake then I'll speak up.  I have the advantage of a kind of third person perspective listening to the whole picture.
One thing to keep in mind is a lot of the time the band (volume wise) is not appropriate for the venue. This effectively takes away the ability of the mixer to do his job. A second part of that equation is most club systems are not adequate for the job.
What should you pay? What should a pro baseball player get paid? What should a rock star get paid? It's the same question. How good are they, what do they bring to the table? It's a free market.
The idea that any of us is more or less critical to the process is just uninformed.
This is a huge topic and these few words cannot address all the scenarios and nuance it deserves. These are a few things I've learned from doing this for 30 years.
Answer: Wait, you don't have your own sound guy?  That seems a bit reckless to me, whether you set-and-forget for small gigs or hire someone for large ones.  It also teaches bad habits that can drive a sound guy crazy, like sound-checking at less than full volume so you can all turn yourselves up by effectively different amounts during the show and make him scramble to get a good mix back.  A sound guy that can do that seamlessly deserves to be paid more than one that just babysits the equipment.
You really need your own dedicated sound guy and sound system.  They don't need to be particularly good at first, just a consistent place to improve from, and the sound guy needs to act and be treated as the important band member that he is.  He plays the board with sometimes comparable intensity as you play your instruments on stage.  If you hire someone else on occasion, your own guy should still be there to advise the hired guy on your desired sound and to learn what he can.
We'll figure out the wages later.
Comment: My point was, there's no upside for the mix engineer in what you propose, only downsides. So while the band might want a dedicated engineer, generally an engineer doesn't want to be part of a band. If you could get people to work for the band for free (or for wages to be figured out later), it would make more sense to go for the roadies, guitar, bass, and drum techs, vocal coaches, business manager, and driver. But none of those professions make sense as part of the band and neither does a mix engineer. They all want to and deserve to be paid for their **work**.
Comment: As a sound guy, there's not much benefit in hitching your wagon to a band unless they get fairly big. If you're with a band, then you have to go to all of their gigs, which is very likely to mean turning down a booking from a venue that pays more. Below a certain level, venue gigs are better than band gigs, since usually you just show up, maybe get a free meal and/or drink, do the show, get paid, and go home to sleep.
Comment: From a sound guy's perspective, that may be true, but from a band's perspective, and from an overall production perspective, the sound guy (and lighting guy, and video guy, and all the other "guys" you may have) is a member of the band just as much as the people on stage.  Trading him out is like swapping a bassist or drummer for someone who's supposed to be good but you may have never even heard of until you arrive at the venue.  That's the scary part.  And his equipment is like your instruments.  Same deal there.  What you described might be a good deal for a sound guy, but not for the band.
Comment: Now there are times when a band can't use their own sound guy even if they wanted to, like if they're sharing a stage with other bands (playing together or one after another in quick succession).  That's when the band's sound guy should do all he can to politely advise the venue's sound guy on the desired sound for his band and to learn what he can while he's there.
Answer: I bill at $650/ day.  Why on earth would I want to mix your band?  What about your band would make me get out of bed?  Reading these comments its understandable why I was poor for the first 20 years of my career.  I was really good too.  When I mix a band these days, you can be assured its for the fun.  I expect to be paid, but my regular mixing gigs pay as much as you are charging (which is too low btw).  If bands would stop giving it away, DJs would stop giving it away, sound and lighting techs would stop giving it away, we would all be making a living wage doing what we love.  I mix for corporate events which is easier, but not as much fun.  Music is my passion and its why I became a sound engineer.  I am in the top 5-10% of skill level and worth every cent I make.  It took me a lot longer to learn sound than it took you to learn your instrument.  I promise you that.  I noodle at various instruments and have had 3 kids in band.  In school we had our own bands and all picked up instruments never having played them before and had it pretty much figured out in 3-5 years.  There is a lot more to sound than what you get from your typical cheap or free bar soundman.  These days in addition to all the acoustics issues, I also have to know networking!  I'm a dang IT guy.  That's what it takes to get the gear all working.  I have certifications in this area.  I teach a class on calibration of sound systems in acoustic environments.  Sound guys pay $750 to attend this class.  They leave having more questions than they did before they arrived.  Before you can get a good mix you need good sound.  Mixing in a studio is dead easy compared to live.  If you want me to mix your band for $200, I would probably do it, but my conditions are that I be treated with respect as a professional, I get fed (could be a grilled cheese, not fancy), have plenty of water to drink, and your band better be tight.  This was NEVER a hobby for me.
Comment: Those running sound certainly deserve respect and fair compensation, but respect should go both ways. "It took me a lot longer to learn sound than it took you to learn your instrument.... we ... had it pretty much figured out in 3-5 years" is kind of a silly statement. Some of us on this site have been at it for 40 years or more, and are still learning. Anyone who thinks they have it figured out after 5 years, unless they are a bona fide prodigy, is kidding themselves.
Comment: You say " It took me a lot longer to learn sound than it took you to learn your instrument. I promise you that."  How can you make a ridiculous claim like that? You know me and everyone else?

How much to pay sound person?


Best glue for shower bar?

Question: I bought some suction cup handles for my tub/shower walls. One wall is made of smooth tiles, the other less smooth tiles.  The stick-on mirrored circle is supposed to be attached and stay on the wall; the hold-on bar has 2 suction-cups that are flattened by using a lever on each cup, supposedly securing the whole handle to the suction cups on each side. I want the handle to be more securely glued to the tiles AND to the cups. What kind of glue is most likely to work with tile and plastic?
Comment: There's no adhesive I'd trust on plastic to support vulnerable human weight.  Get a proper grab bar and mount it to framing lumber with suitable screws.
Comment: looks like lots agree @isherwood me to +
Answer: Assuming these bars are not used to support the load of a human pulling on them, the typical choice of adhesive in a shower is silicone. As an added benefit, while strong, it is removable by cutting and scraping.
Make sure that both surfaces are clean before gluing and that you have a way to apply pressure (clamping) to the two surfaces.  Painters tape might be an option depending on where they are going.
Answer: I agree not many glues are acceptable and reliable enough for human weight, but remember several grab bars have powerful anchor plates but very insecure and minimal bar attachment plates and screws. Only use bars where the actual bar itself is screwed all the way through to a stud or anchor

Best glue for shower bar?


Hyphenation of "prerequisite"

Question: I'm proofreading my thesis, and found that TeX in its infinite wisdom had decided to hyphenate prerequisite as pre-req-ui-site. I've replaced it with pre-re-qui-si-te, but I'm a bit unsure what the proper hyphenation is and couldn't find any good sources. Anyone know what's the correct hyphenation?
Answer: According to Merriam-Webster, TeX is right. You should (almost) always trust Knuth's brainchild!
Comment: I never would have guessed. I guess I know too much Latin to not see qu as a single unit. =)
Comment: As a native speaker of Portuguese, I appreciate your doubt. English hyphenation is quite different from Romance languages. In Portuguese, for instance, _pré-requisito_ is hyphenated as pré-re-qui-si-to. However, as far as I know, most of the Latin words used in English are hyphenated following the Latin pattern.

Hyphenation of "prerequisite"


What type Mortor should I use?

Question: I am building a fire pit in my backyard. I have poured a 6 inch thick concrete foundation and want to install concrete pavers on top of the concrete base. I have been unable to find any recommendations for the best type mortar to use. What type mortar should be used for laying concrete pavers on a new concrete patio?
Comment: Laying pavers and laying a fire pit are two very different things.
Answer: No Mortar for the pavers, you'd lay the pavers on a 1/2" to 1" bed of sand & sweep either that same sand or the below special Perma-Sand into the paver joints. This, allows for the constant movement & drainage. Mortared or not you'll need a perimeter retainer of, at least, 1/2" tall.
If you insist on Mortaring the pavers, & having cracks, then use a Type-S Mortar, this would also be used for the Fire Pit's red or decorative brick. The Fire Pit needs a Fire Brick interior Mortared with High Heat Cement.

What type Mortor should I use?


How to pull back my paper from conference?

Question: My first year undergraduate teammate submitted our paper to two conferences yesterday. I am afraid that this can lead to self plagiarism. Help me. How do I withdraw our paper? What should I say to conference organizers? This is a deeply concerning problem. Please help.
Comment: "double submission" is probably what OP means. Write to the conference chairs you want to retract, immediately, explain the mistake and people should understand that undergraduates make mistakes out of inexperience.
Comment: What exactly did you do and what do you want to achieve? What is 'double plagiarism'? The question is unclear to me.
Comment: I edited it back. Sorry for bad post previously.
Comment: I just want to emphasize that you should act very quickly. The papers are typically assigned to reviewers within the first 3 to 7 days. Withdrawing the paper when it has not been assigned yet can avoid potential damage for your reputation.
Answer: It depends on which conference you have submitted. There are several interfaces (the most popular one being easychair), and each of them has an option to withdraw paper before notification of acceptance (or rejection).
Just log into the website and click withdraw paper button.
Comment: Hmm. I currently have submissions in three conferences with EasyChair, and none of them has the "Withdraw" button. Maybe it's an option that the conference chairs can switch on and off.
Comment: Or maybe the button is only available in the timeframe between the submission and the moment when the conference is closed for submissions. From then on, you would have to contact the chairs.


How can I secure a loose shower head trim ring?

Question: I am noticing that the shower head escutcheon (right word?) or cap is starting to lift from the wall and was wondering if I should try to caulk around it or get a flat head & remove and replace it?
Comment: Please revise your post title to ask a clear, _specific_ question. See [ask] and take the [tour] for tips.
Comment: Also, please don't disparage your gender by implying that the lack of a husband is a disability.
Answer: You can try to push the escutcheon back in place, but if it has just recently "popped out" there may be an issue behind it .
You should explore to see if there is a needed repair.
This should be done after running the shower for a bit, so if the arm is leaking there will be wetness to be found.
If you can,  pull the escutcheon out further and shine a light in the opening to examine what is there.  If nothing, ( no signs of leaks, no drywall or insulation looking wet, nothing with a bulging appearance) then push it back flush. If needed you can caulk it.
Obviously if there is an issue it should be repaired before replacing the escutcheon.
Answer: Odds are it's just gotten loose from the forces of repeated cycling the shower on and off (maybe the pipe isn't secured quite as well as it should be behind the wall).  Next time you're in the shower, closely observe the escutcheon when you turn on the shower head.  If it moves a little, that's probably your problem.  If so, just tap it back into place and caulk it with some acrylic caulk (allow to cure before using the shower).
Answer: Judging by the wear mark on the nipple there's substantial movement in the plumbing. That's not ideal. The eared fitting into which the nipple is threaded should be rigidly mounted. It's mostly an aesthetic problem, though.
The trim ring has tabs pressed into it which fit snugly against the nipple to hold position. These may have gotten bent a bit. You could remove the shower head, pull the trim ring off, and bend the tabs inward slightly to restore tension.
Or just pick up an new one. It'll be clean and shiny and should fit snugly. You could replace the nipple as well, but that'll need some thread tape to seal properly. That's not a difficult job once you learn a few basics.
If the problem continues, apply some silicone caulk to the nipple behind the trim ring to secure it. Don't caulk the outside of the ring itself. That'll look bad and may result in damage to the wall.


Pasting images from clipboard into Orgmode

Question: I have seen some posts on this but I decided to ask anyway since this is an important feature many users are requesting: the ability to copy an image from eg., Chrome and paste it into Emacs Orgmode buffer. Is this possible in 2022?
Answer: Org-mode files are 'designed' to be plain text files, therefore it is common to insert links to image files, which Emacs 'optionally' can render as an image.
It is possible to insert the image data directly and let it get rendered as an image (see e.g. this thread, and its implementation in sketch-mode) but it becomes messy when the file is viewed as a plain-text file.
With this said, abo-abo's org-download package provides very much what you are asking for. It makes possible to drag-n-drop images from your browser into your org-mode file. Alternatively, using org-download-yank it can insert the image if you provide the link to the image file (in your browser, instead of 'copy image', you choose 'copy image link').
Comment: Some specific examples of how to customize `org-download` for this are discussed in [this github issue](https://github.com/abo-abo/org-download/issues/131).
Answer: Yes, (as mentioned in the other answers) by installing the org-download package.
If you are on doom emacs you can use this configuration that will save the images to a folder in a location relative to the original file when pasting them from a clipboard (with the org-download-clipboard function):
(after! org-download
      (setq org-download-method 'directory)
      (setq org-download-image-dir (concat (file-name-sans-extension (buffer-file-name)) "-img"))
      (setq org-download-image-org-width 600)
      (setq org-download-link-format "[[file:%s]]\n"
        org-download-abbreviate-filename-function #'file-relative-name)
      (setq org-download-link-format-function #'org-download-link-format-function-default))

The last three lines took about 4 hours of debugging (refer to the issue 151)
references:

https://baty.net/2022/configuring-the-org-download-save-directory
https://github.com/abo-abo/org-download/issues/46
https://github.com/abo-abo/org-download/issues/151#issuecomment-1425096926
Answer: There is no built-in way of pasting images from the clipboard directly, but attachments provide decent ways of adding images from other sources.
If you want to copy an image from a browser, you could copy the image url instead of the image itself and use org-attach (C-c C-a) with command u (download and attach a file from url), to attach the image to the current headline. There is also the package org-attach-screenshot to add a screenshot as attachment.
Then as written in this answer, you can set (setq org-attach-store-link-p 'attached) to store a link to the last attached file, and it will be the default suggestion of org-insert-link (C-c C-l). Otherwise just selecting an attachment:-type link would let you chose among the attachments  of the current headline.
You'll then need to use org-display-inline-images to toggle the newly-added links into images.


Should a site that has been hit by Google Penguin penalties update content or create new?

Question: Some time back we created tutorials on a test tool Quality Center which now needs upgrading.
Currently the tool has been renamed to HP ALM.
Our dilemma is whether we should create new pages for the new tutorials or update the existing tutorials itself? To add to our pain, most of the end users still refer the new ALM with its old name Quality Center. Also we here hit by Penguin 2.1 and since then have been very precautions from SEO standpoint.
Answer: I would add HP ALM and Application Lifecycle Management to the meta keywords on the actual Site.
Further I´d add a Banner, which says that the QC got renamed into -> ALM and that they can find the new tutorials under this link.
Then I´d add a new Site for the new Tutorials,(but still add Quality Center, QC etc. to the meta keywords)  with a Banner on it, which says if they are looking for tutorials for older versions they can be found here
I think that solves all your problems.

New tutorials can be found under old Name
Old tutorials can be found under new Name
Search Engines will index the New Page with a Backlink to the Site with the older Tutorials
Search Engines will index the Old Page with a Backlink to the site with the new Tutorials

And don´t forget to tell Google and Bing to Re-Index the site, else it takes like 4-5 Months


Is it possible to set block weight inside template?

Question: I display some blocks using context module and others using template. Is it possible to set block weight inside template?
Answer: Block weight is stored in the database. There are functions to change their weight, but templates aren't the place for manipulating database data, that's where you write the HTML out.
If you want to display context blocks in a different order from the blocks in the system UI, use the "Show row weights" link to set a value that's higher/lower than the value in block admin UI.


will I be able to log into a hidden account on windows 8

Question: I want to make a hidden account so my family doesn't stumble across my code and mess it up, but I also want to be able to access this account through some other means. Is this possible?
Comment: Just use a password; no if can be logged into then it will be listed
Answer: I want to make a hidden account
Use the following procedure.

On bootup, Windows operating systems including Windows 8/7/Vista/XP
  will display a Welcome Screen, with a list of user accounts existing
  on your computer so that user can click and login. If you want to hide
  one of the user accounts at Welcome Screen and protect your privacy,
  here's a complete guide for you. Let's see how can we hide user
  account from Welcome Screen in Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP.
How to Hide User Account from Welcome Screen in Windows 8/7/Vista/XP?

Press WindowsR to open the "Run" dialog, type "regedit" and press Enter.
In the Registery Editor window, navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\Userlist
If the SpecialAccounts key and Userlist keys do not exist then create them.
On the right hand side of Userlist, right-click on any blank space, and select New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name the new DWORD registry value name with the exact user name used at the logon screen.
Double-click on DWORD registry value, and set the value data to 0 in order to hide the account from Welcome Screen. To display the
  user account on Welcome Screen again so that it's visible again,
  delete the registry entry, or set the value data to 1.

Exit the Registry Editor.
Log off or restart to make the change effective.

This trick will prevent the user account from showing up on the
  Welcome Screen or in the Control Panel -> User Accounts area.

On
  Windows XP you can still log into the hidden user account by pressing
  CtrlAltDel two times to display the "Login" dialog and type the
  username and password.
Note that, on Windows 8/7/Vista, pressing
  CtrlAltDel does not bring up the login screen.
If your user account
  is not shown up on the Welcome Screen and you're locked out of your
  computer, the "Reset Windows Password" utility could be used to remove your
  forgotten password or make your user account visible again.

Source Hide User Account from Welcome Screen in Windows 8/7/Vista/XP
For Windows 8.1 see How to hide user accounts from the login screen in Windows 8.1
Answer: After hiding an account like David described you wont be able to log in using the Windows start-screen in Windows 8.x, but if you have a second Windows PC on your network, you can use that hidden account to log in via Remote Desktop.
Your hidden account must be protected by a password and I suggest making it an administrator, so you can unhide it if needed.
Remote Desktop clients are also available for tablets and smartphones.
You can also create two batch files to hide the account:
 reg.exe ADD "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList" /v MagisterTech /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

and unhide it again:
 reg.exe ADD "HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList" /v MagisterTech /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Answer: this worked for me:

start cmd.exe
change the path:
cd C:\Windows\System32
start cmd with your hidden (admin) account:
runas /user:john cmd.exe

... you will be prompted to enter the password of "john"

now run regedit.exe
you can now edit/redo the changes as above described by setting the DWORD value to 1


(X)Ubuntu some graphics only render on 2/3 of screen

Question: Short
On Xubuntu 14.04 running on a Inspiron i3531-1200BK laptop , the xfce log-in screen only renders 2/3s of the screen, but issue is not present for xfce desktop after logging in. Issue also exists with other 3d applications. How can I fix this?
Longer
I'm going to list everything I know about this laptop which is running XUbuntu 14.04 on Dell Inspiron i3531-1200BK.
The log in screen only renders 2/3s of the screen. After log in this fixes itself with a much of random-looking graphics resizing. I thought this was weird, but since it only existed on the log in screen I ignored it at first. This issue has been present since installing Xubuntu.
After about 3 weeks of owning this device, and updating when it xubuntu every update, I found that even with the default install setting (I think LVM was actually also checked if that matters) I could not update the OS because of having less than 1mb of extra space. Since I did the default partitioning, with entire 500gb HDD and still greater than 400gb still free, I was surprised. I then used
dpkg -l linux-* | awk '/^ii/{ print $2}' | grep -v -e `uname -r | cut -f1,2 -d"-"` | grep -e [0-9] | xargs sudo apt-get -y purge

based on askubuntu help (I don't recall which, I just got that from the terminal past commands log) from someone else's Question. This seemed to let the updates go though, but uninstalled g++ and other things which I had to reinstall later. I don't know if this messed stuff up more, but the log in graphics issues predate it.
After installing Oracle VM Virtualbox, I noticed if I use 3D graphics acceleration the same thing happens if I go from FULLSCREEN mode to SCALED mode I get the same issue. Instead of turning to normal scaled mode it takes up 2/3 the screen and cannot seem to be put back to fullscreen mode. Interestingly (and frustratingly) it also looses the ability for the mouse to work. I had thought the machine froze, but noticed I could TAB through stuff on the VM. After pressing the HOST key, and then ALT + TAB , I noticed that the VM was now treated as two programs in addition to the virtualbox config/launcher window.
This seems to be an issue with lots of 3d things.
I'm not sure what you gals/guys need to know more (likely from terminal), but if you let me know, I will run them and update this.
$ uname -a
Linux user 3.13.0-37-generic #64-Ubuntu SMP Mon Sep 22 21:28:38 UTC 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
glxgears seems to run but when I close it using the 'x' button on the window, it crashes
$ glxgears
Running synchronized to the vertical refresh.  The framerate should be
approximately the same as the monitor refresh rate.
XIO:  fatal IO error 11 (Resource temporarily unavailable) on X server ":0.0"
      after 380 requests (380 known processed) with 0 events remaining.

PS This may or may not be useful too:
Only other bug I am aware of is that for some reason the wifi password dialog box only allows for logging into wifi that uses specific number of characters, eg. 6 character passwords grey out the OK button and cannot be used but 5 or 7 character passwords are OK.
Answer: The reason it is saying temporarily unavailable is because you are stopping the process by clicking the [x], when it is running and you let it run for a couple of seconds you see the frame rate in the terminal, right?  When you stop the process then it cannot tell you the frame rate, therefor the resource becomes unavailable, nothing to worry about.
Comment: This does not provide an answer to the question. To critique or request clarification from an author, leave a comment below their post - you can always comment on your own posts, and once you have sufficient [reputation](http://askubuntu.com/help/whats-reputation) you will be able to [comment on any post](http://askubuntu.com/help/privileges/comment).
Comment: @Pilot6 It looks like he is trying to answer the question to me, or at least a part of it.


How does OpenVPN handle previously established connections?

Question: Started using OpenVPN on my desktop computer and monitored the traffic with Microsoft network monitor. What I noticed, is that when the openvpn session is initialized, only connections established after this point are routed through the VPN. That is to say I had to restart Skype to get it to route traffic through OpenVPN. is there a way to make it terminate connections and re-establish them once the tunnel is up?
Answer: OpenVPN creates a new interface for connections to go through, it doesn't override all connections that exist. In other words, it becomes an 'optional' connection. This can be important because you might need to use local network resources without the VPN.


Optimizing the Org

Question: I have been working on an org which have a lot of automation on the objects especially leads. There are more than 10 process builders and triggers each. They all work for different processes and perform different tasks. I am looking for ways by which this system can be more organised.
I had a thought, that I should combine process builders based on when they are run. But I am not sure if that will make any difference. Do suggest me possible ideas or methods using which I can optimize the system.
Thank You.
Comment: Ideally, you should only have one process builder and one trigger per object. If it's a smaller org and the admin is also a developer, I would personally convert the process builders to a trigger as well since triggers are much more efficient. But that all depends how much time you have and how important optimization is to you.
Comment: That does make sense! Thanks
Answer: Organisation is key to optimisation. Here are a few things I would suggest...
Audit & Documentation

Before making changes, document all existing automation. Understand the purpose of each process builder, trigger, workflow, etc. This will help you identify redundancies, conflicts, and areas of improvement.

Reduce Redundancies:

After documenting, identify any overlapping or redundant processes. If two process builders do similar things, consider merging them.

Consolidate automations where possible:

Combining process builders, for example, based on when they run (e.g., all "before insert" or "after update" actions) can help in reducing the number of evaluation cycles. However, ensure that consolidating them doesn't make the process builder too complex or difficult to understand.

Move to Apex Triggers:

If there are complex logic or multiple process builders that can be consolidated, consider moving some of the logic to Apex triggers. Triggers can be more efficient for complex operations and allow for better error handling.

Hope this helps!
Comment: I can't decide if I think this is AI generated or not. At any rate though, if you are using AI to generate answers, that is not allowed on this site.
Comment: I spent ages writing this out, and is based on my own experience of working on a very heavy dependant automation org :(

Optimizing the Org


Error on Geoserver Web Admin Page

Question: When i click on Geoserver Web Admin Page gives Message as 'Bad Request (Invalid Hostname)' in web page. I have already data of on going project in geoserver. I have started Geoserver. My geoserver version 2.1.3. in window Xp operating System. Can any one please guide me to get out of the error and get back Geoserver web Admin Page. Please see the Page result in images below.
Comment: Log files are emply in log folder for the day.
Answer: i think this problem stems from your 8080 port is occupied from another app. if you want to change your GeoServer port follow this way.

find your startup.bat under GeoServer bin folder.

open it startup.bat with notepad++

find  GeoServer serving port geoserver-Djetty.port = 8080 and change it.

restart your GeoServer
i hope it helps you...
Comment: This worked in one system. but other system doesn't not have this geoserver-Djetty.port = 8080. In that case what should i do?. There i can see only "call "C:\Program Files\GeoServer 2.1.3\wrapper.exe" -t wrapper/wrapper.conf" in startup.bat file.
Answer: I had the same problem with 8080 port, I uninstalled the software the reinstalled it, during the installation i changed the port into 8180, the problem remain, i download a file from this link https://github.com/boundlessgeo/gsconfig i run the sutup.py file, then it worked
Comment: That shouldn't have changed anything. That library is for interacting with GeoServer, and installing the library will not affect whether or not you can connect to an instance.

Error on Geoserver Web Admin Page


Bottom bracket removal Falter 3 speed

Question: I am having issues removing this bottom bracket from a vintage Falter 3 speed bike. For once crank arm removal was super easy, cotter pins came right off. However, struggling with this one. I imagine I need to remove cone but spindle keeps rotating. Perhaps using vise on opposite side
any advice more than welcome
thanks
Comment: All done, reinstalled the opposite crank arm which game me leverage and then unscrewed clockwise. Thanks all
Comment: Have you tried removing the nut on the crank shaft?
Answer: Partly reinstall crank opposite nut.
Remove nut.
Update with new photos as necessary.

Bottom bracket removal Falter 3 speed


Is it possible to recover lost Xbox 360 Achievments?

Question: I was playing some Skyrim earlier when my cat rubbed up against the console and turned off my 360. I left it off and went to run some errands. I returned to continue playing later on and it took me a while to realize my two thousand achievement points were gone. All of them. I checked to make sure I was signed onto MY Xbox Live account and I was. I logged out, logged back in and they were still gone. I restarted my 360 and the same thing. Just before posting this I visited Xbox's site on my account and my account looks like it's been reformatted. Is there anything that can be done about this?
Comment: Ask your cat for them back.
Answer: You're not the only one having this issue, this seems to be a problem with Microsoft, see here. They currently state (on this page):

If you are experiencing issues with zero Achievements and Gamerscores you may need to delete and recover your profile. Details on how to do this can be found here.

Your cat is off the hook then...
Comment: ...for now. Let's not forget that hairball they left on your table and the vomit they left in your shoe.
Comment: @Emerica. they were *gifts!*
Comment: @Alex God bless their kitty souls.
Answer: Microsoft is now saying that they have resolved the issue.
The xbox support twitter account tweeted that you should try signing out and signing back in again, and it should fix the issue. Judging from replies they give to various users, they are looking into resolving specific issues, so if this doesn't solve it, you could try tweeting to them, if you have a twitter account.
If you sign out and sign in again, and that doesn't fix the issue, they suggest redownloading your profile. There is a post on their support pages that explains how to do that.
Also, a post by Mister Fizer on the official xbox forums states the following:

Please note that this will remove any achievements you might have
  earned since the issue began, however, they can be re-earned.

Further to that, Kotaku says that

Microsoft reached out to us this afternoon, saying that "all
  achievements earned during the outage will be resolved within 24
  hours."


How Regex engine parse anchors

Question: Can some explain how Regex engine works when it tries match
<code>  ^4$ to 749\n486\n4
</code>
I am mean how Regex engine parse string While performing match
Comment: have a look at http://stackoverflow.com/questions/525004/short-example-of-regular-expression-converted-to-a-state-machine
Answer: The regexp <code>^4$</code> means match a line that only contains a digit 4
If you apply this regexp to a string that contains newline characters then it will treat the first character of the string as the start of the line and the first newline as the end of the line.  Additional characters after the newline are effectively ignored.  Example in perl
<code>  DB<1> $str="749\n486\n4";
  DB<2> x $str =~ /^4$/
  empty array
</code>
example in python
<code>>>> import re
>>> s="749\n486\n4"
>>> re.search('^4$',s)
</code>
However, regexp implementations have a way of dealing with this.  There is a multiline setting.  In perl
<code>  DB<3> x $str =~ /^4$/m
0  1
</code>
In python
<code>>>> re.search('^4$',s,re.MULTILINE)
<_sre.SRE_Match object at 0x7f446874b030>
</code>
The python docs explain multiline mode like this

re.MULTILINE
  When specified, the pattern character '^' matches at the beginning of the string and at
  the beginning of each line (immediately following
  each newline); and the pattern character '$' matches at the end of the
  string and at the end of each line (immediately preceding each
  newline). By default, '^' matches only at the beginning of the string,
  and '$' only at the end of the string and immediately before the
  newline (if any) at the end of the string.

If in your multiline string you actually wanted to know if it ended in a digit 4 on a single line then there is a syntax feature for this
<code>  DB<4> x $str =~ /^4\z/m
0  1
</code>
See http://perldoc.perl.org/perlre.html especially on the m flag and \a, \z, \Z
or http://docs.python.org/2/library/re.html#regular-expression-objects

How Regex engine parse anchors


Getting thousands of spam comments

Question: I am seeing that in the last 2 months blocked spam comments in Akismet have jumped from around 8k to more than 100k in each of the last two months. Is there any way to stop them being posted in the first place?
Answer: You could make sure users have to be registered and logged in to comment.
You could also add a CAPTCHA plugin so valid users have to type in a code before posting.
At the end of the day though it seems Aksimet is doing it's job and stopping the spam which is surely a good thing?
Comment: yes but I am worried about the effect on server load, would a plugin like Bad Behavior help?
Comment: Definitely worth a try
Answer: You can prevent some hits by blocking bots before akismet catches them, these plugins can be very effective.
Plugins:

Bad Behavior plugin: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/bad-behavior/
Honeypot Traps: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/project-honey-pot-spam-trap/
WP-Hashcash http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-hashcash/
Zig Trap http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/zigtrap/

Stop bots with no user agents from posting and directory browsing (this goes in your .htaccess)
<code>RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_METHOD} POST
RewriteCond %{HTTP_USER_AGENT} ^$
RewriteRule .* - [F]

Options All -Indexes
Options +FollowSymLinks
</code>
If it's still a problem consider contacting your host and using a firewall to block persistant bots or IP ranges ( for instance here is a list of bad bots, http://www.wpsecure.net/bad-bot-list/ ). This is not super effective as is, but an example of what your logs can tell you ( most bad bots use common browser user-agents).
Check out services like Cloudflare.

Getting thousands of spam comments


Naruto's surname confusion

Question: Naruto's father's name is Minato Namikaze, and mother is Kushina Uzumaki.
So, why is Naruto's surname Uzumaki? Shoudn't it be Namikaze?
Comment: My guess, but i'm guessing the third didn't want him growing up as son of the hero that died. Also, if his name was Namikaze Naruto, it would give away that he's the son of the hero that died wouldn't it? ;D Not as interesting that way.
Comment: Oh yes, I remember it now. The third didn't want to know him of his father. That's right. Thanhks @ton yeung
Comment: Wouldn't people think differently of Minato had they known Naruto was his son? Naruto was ostracized in the village because he had the 9 Tails sealed in him so it shows the kind of opinion people had with whoever ended up being the 9 Tails host, and i don't think a "hero" is the kind of person who would force that kind of fate on their own child unless they were an ass, not saying Minato was but his sacrifice may have had a different meaning otherwise
Comment: @Memor-X I don't think it's about 'image' of Minato. In my opinion 3rd wanted treat him like 'normal kid'. Ofcourse he wasn't normal, cause of 9 Tails inside him. Hmmm.. maybe it was said somethere but really remember :(
Comment: It's the trend. Bleach's Kurosaki Ichigo has his family name, Kurosaki, from his mother, not his father.
Answer: In Naruto "Ch.440: A Conversation with the 4th" it is stated that the third Hokage wanted as little information about the Kyuubi out in public as possible and that's why nobody, not even Naruto should know that Minato was his father. Thus he was given the name Uzumaki instead of Namikaze.
Page 5: "If anyone knew you were my son, you'd have been in constant danger"

Naruto's surname confusion


Interpolating time series

Question: what are best ways to interpolate time series? I have three data points(1980, 1990 and 2001) and I need to interpolate them. Using R na.approx doesn't seem to be what I need since the data I need to interpolate is population and it is very unlikely for it to move linearly.
Comment: If you think that linear approximation is not accurate you could use cubic spline interpolation method such as quadratic match sum method as in http://forums.eviews.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=3799 or in SAS http://support.sas.com/rnd/app/ets/proc/ets_expand.html. Hope this helps, I don't know of a function in R that could do this.
Answer: As suggested by @forecaster, you can use spline interpolation. For example, in R:
set.seed(123)
y <- rnorm(3)
ylong <- spline(y = y, x = seq_along(y), xout = seq(1, 3, 0.5))$y
plot(y, type = "n")
lines(seq(1, 3, 0.5), ylong, col = "gray")
points(seq_along(y), y, pch = 16, col = "blue")
points(c(1.5, 2.5), ylong[c(2,4)], pch = 16, col = "red")
legend("topleft", legend = c("observed values", "imputed values"),
  col = c("blue", "red"), pch = c(16, 16), bty = "n")

See ?spline for details and the available types of splines.
Answer: There is surely no definite answer on the basis of the given information. The number of data points is extremely small, which is why your underlying model must be very close to reality in order to give a tiny impression of a reasonable result.
The underlying model, in turn, depends heavily on the kind of population you want to consider. A very basic model for population dynamics is logistic growth: you could fit that in a way that mathematically uneducated people might be convinced -- although I wouldn't because the data is to sparse. Therefore, you could try to fit a quadratic function and hope for the same effect. Finally, and even better, forget all this stuff and take the straight line going through the three (almost collinear) points. All other is nonsense.
EDIT: I read your question again and now think that the numbers you provided, (1980, 1990 and 2001), denote years. I thought they'd denote population size on an equidistant grid -- so they seem to be at least not collinear. Then, fitting a cubic splines corresponds to fitting a simple cubic function ... although I'd rather use a quadratic function. But I think you're satisfied...
Answer: This paper reviews several methods for time series interpolation, and concludes that:

na.interp from the forecast package and na.StructTS from the zoo package showed the best overall results.

These functions are also very easy to use, just one line if your data is already stored as a time series. They're likely to outperform standard spline interpolation, as they can both detect and apply seasonal patterns.

Interpolating time series


2016 VW Golf won't turn on

Question: I have a 2016 VW Golf that I can't quite turn on. This morning, I stuck my key in the ignition, and the lights on the dash popped up like normal. As soon as I turned the key, everything went off, I heard a "pop" from under the hood, and the engine didn't start. I tried taking my key out and re-inserting, but none of the dash lights came on and the engine didn't start. Thought it was a battery issue so I jumpstarted the car and went to a shop to check. No issue with the battery apparently, but there was a buildup of minerals around one of the battery connections (which the tech thought was causing the issue). He took the battery out and reinstalled it, and my car started up like normal. I drove 30 minutes home, and turned the car off. I tried turning the car back on to double check, and the same problem happened again where I heard a pop, and the lights went out. I can't lock my car using the fob from either inside or outside, and I've changed the battery on my keys. What is causing this?
Comment: Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair!
Answer: Usually when I experience something like this, it turns out to be the connection of the battery terminals to the main cables. I'd suggest you check both end of each (positive and ground) cables. Ensure they are totally clean and tight.

2016 VW Golf won't turn on


How was Cooper confident about landing his Ranger on Miller's planet?

Question: When Cooper enters Miller's planet in Interstellar, how does he know that he can land the ranger on the water surface? Also, when Brand and Doyle hop out of the ranger to collect data, how are they so sure as hell that they can walk and not swim?
Comment: because there are devices called sonar and radar.
Answer: Pelicer already made a good point about the ship probably having some reasonable sensoring technology for analyzing the ground structure. What is interesting is that in the film's script (as published in Interstellar: The Complete Screenplay with Selected Storyboards) there is an additional line from Amelia acknowledging the shallow water (emphasis mine), which was later dropped in the film (together with slightly rearranging the rest of the dialogue in that scene):

INT. COCKPIT, RANGER - CONTINUOUS
The crew peer at SPARKLING WATER, streaking below them -
DOYLE
Just water.
BRAND
The stuff of life ...
CASE
Twelve hundred meters out.
Cooper BANKS sharply, eases down.
BRAND
It's shallow. Feet deep ...
EXT. MILLER'S PLANET - CONTINUOUS
The Ranger is low now, kicking up backwash -

It is still left unclear how Brand knows that. However, seeing how they are still too far from the water to really see the Ranger's effect on it yet, it seems likely that she says that after looking at some kind of sensor data. Cooper's reaction might also suggest that they didn't already know that the water was shallow until Amelia said so.
It is also unclear why this line was removed in the film. But it might very well have been considered superfluous, since it only acknowledged something we already saw and which might have been assumed implicitly anyway.
Comment: Thanks @Napoleon Wilson for an insert from the original script, that really helps :)
Answer: Their space ship is highly advanced. It certainly has some kind of radar. Also, Tars would have alerted them of any danger, as he certainly is too very well equipped.


Default rsync options per remote host

Question: Is there a way to specify default rsync options per remote host? E.g. I have a NAS at 192.168.100.12; its rsync path is /opt/bin/rsync and its SSH port is 2222. It sucks to have to manually specify --rsync-path=/opt/bin/rsync -e 'ssh -p 2222' at every invocation of the rsync command.
Answer: rsync does not have a config file.
You can use an alias in your .bashrc:
alias nassync="rsync --rsync-path=/opt/bin/rsync -e 'ssh -p 2222'"

Answer: SSH Config
You can set any ssh options in ~/.ssh/config:
Host nas
    Hostname my-home-nas.duckdns.org
    Port 2222
    User app

Then whenever you reference nas by a command that uses SSH, those options will be applied:
rsync -avhP --bwlimit=5000 --size-only ./data/ nas:/backup/data/

PATH
On the remote system you can probably set export PATH=/opt/bin/:${PATH} near the top of ~/.profile so that /opt/bin is preferred over /usr/local/bin.
As a Command
If you want the command to be accessible by other users, or by commands that don't have a login profile, you could create a bash script for the rest:
/usr/local/bin/nas-rsync
#!/bin/bash
set -e
set -u

# --size-only so that metadata differences between FAT and EXT3
# or APFS don't cause retransfer

# add --bwlimit=5000 to limit bandwidth to 5MB/s - usefulif you have
# a really dumb switch that won't let other devices communicate when
# one device is maxing out a 100mbps connection

rsync -avhP --size-only -bwlimit=5000 /home/app/data/ nas:/backup/data/

Default rsync options per remote host


Is there a difference between "being selected" and "being pre-selected"?

Question: I am reviewing a document where it is stated that something is part of a set of pre-selected items.
To me that doesn't make sense. Isn't everything selected also pre-selected by definition? I mean being selected, means it happened in the passed, so what does "pre" adds to its meaning?
Comment: If you go to a restaurant, you select your food from a list of pre-selected dishes called a menu
Comment: In many elections, the candidates have been preselected by the political parties
Comment: possible duplicate of [Pre-planning vs planning](http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/165802/pre-planning-vs-planning)
Comment: @medica - I don't believe this question is a duplicate, because the act of planning must always (in practical terms) take place before the activity being planned, whereas the act of selecting need not take place before any other significant activity.
Answer: Preselect and preselection can be used in a number of different ways, which are all compatible with the general meaning of selecting in advance.
The first way of using these words is presented in the already posted answers on this page. Preselection may be the process of narrowing down the list of options to a shorter one, from which the choice is to be made later. The word is typically used in this way when the two stages of the process are performed by different decision makers; the preselection is usually intended to make things easier for those who have to make the final decision.
The second way of using these words is for a selection that takes place earlier than would otherwise be expected. An airline may thus refer to the passengers' selection of seats at the time of booking as 'preselection', because it takes place before checking in, when seat selection has traditionally taken place. That way of using it is unlike the first one, in that there is no expectation of any further selection.
Sometimes preselection is used in a way that is effectively a hybrid of the first two: the preselected options are presented to somebody who has to make the final decision (as in the first way), but that decision maker is expected to merely rubberstamp the preselected options and (as in the second way) not make any further selection out of them.
With respect to all these ways of using the word one may wonder whether preselection is the best term for what is intended. Something like creating a shortlist, although somewhat longer, probably conveys much more clearly what is meant by the first way of using the word. The second way of using it can usually be replaced by selection; the context will usually make it clear when the selection takes place, so pre- is unnecessary (and if the context does not make that clear, pre- doesn't help). Preselection can be misleading when used in the third way; something like selection, subject to so-and-so's approval is likely to be much clearer.
Answer: A pre-selection is the stage before the main selection. In your case they made a pre-selection of items, out of which a final selection will be made.
Answer: Pre-selected items are already selected items.
Answer: I am not a native English speaker. In my mind, the term pre-selected, aside from its implicit implying that the selection process is a multistage one, gently stresses that the selection in the first round is not a definitive result, while if the term selection is used instead any act of selection is definitive and irreversible.
Comment: It needs to be explained how this answer is different, if it is, from the one already posted, years ago, by user66974. New answers to old questions are welcome on this site, but only when they add something significant to what is already there.
Answer: Isn't everything selected also pre-selected by definition? Yes.
Where the phrase involves the word 'selected', the event has happened in the past.
However, in this instance it is the act of selecting something which has, for whatever reason, previously been through a process of selection: this previous occasion causes the "pre" to be included.


Using a bass guitar on a guitar amplifier through a bass pre-amplifier?

Question: I've read that plugging a bass guitar into a guitar amplifier is not advisable as it can fry the speaker. However, could a pre-amplifier solve this problem (adjusting output power and impedance). I'm aware that sound quality might not be the best as bass guitar output frequencies are lower than those a guitar amplifier is used to get.
Answer: The basic problem with a bass guitar in a guitar amp is that speaker and cabinet are not built for the low frequencies of the bass guitar.
That means that at the low notes, the speaker will convert 99% of the electrical energy put into it into heat rather than 95% (numbers pulled completely out of the hat, but speaker efficiencies are indeed rather low).  Which will prompt the player to ramp the volume up.  So once you are at comfortable, clean playing volume without getting into distortion, the cabinet and speaker bearings get more of a workout than they are used to, and the speaker may, without proper acoustical resistance, hit its linear maximum and/or overheat.
All of the problems have nothing to do with the preamp, and very little with the amp.  It's really a speaker/cabinet problem.
So no, this won't help.
Comment: I'm not an amplifier builder or repairer but, from working on my own, it seems common to find a capacitor in series with the input of the amp that (presumably) acts as a fixed high-pass filter. If that is the case, then surely the fundamental of the notes coming from a bass are creamed off before they hit the speakers?
Comment: Fair enough, I won't be able to escape buying a new amp.
Comment: @ABragg correct, though I wouldn't bet on it that every guitar amp actually puts this low-cut high enough to ensure the speaker isn't damaged with any signals. Most modern-ish amps probably do, however.
Comment: There are a few old fender tweed bassman amps still around that do not have a specially designed box around the speaker, so I'm thinking the real critical aspect of this kind of situation is probably whether the speaker can handle the extra excursion required to reproduce the bass notes.
Answer: @user36187 is right – a preamp will not change anything about the suitability of a guitar amp for amplifying bass. In fact, it would rather exacerbate the problems!
Such preamps are designed to add a bit of colour and possibly distortion to the bass sound. This can make sense if you're plugged straight into a PA or an active monitor speaker, which can otherwise sound dull and/or clinical. OTOH, a guitar amp has already too much such nonlinearities, that's really the reason why it's not so suited for bass. The response curves of preamp and guitar amp may in some small domain cancel to give an overall better result, but in most of the spectrum they will generally add up to something even more nonlinear.
So, forget about the preamp.
That said... you can play bass straight over a guitar amp. And it will in most cases not fry the speakers – modern guitar amps and cabinets are basically designed to be abused with all kinds of overdriven signals, including low-frequency drops. The problem is more that they handle these signals by ruthlessly decimating/clipping the parts that can't be properly reproduced. That's usually ok for guitar, but for bass you really can't use an uneven LF curve with strange distorted resonances. I also don't much like the transient smoothing that guitar amps tend to cause.
Still – many guitar amps actually give a perfectly usable sound when playing bass over them, especially when you're into more of a dirty sound with a lot of overdriven midrange. In fact many great bassists used guitar amps, either alone (early The Who – John Entwistle would crank up Marshall Stacks) or together with proper bass amps / DI (Chris Squire would split out the signals of his pickups; neck pickup to a mostly clean bass amp and bridge pickup to a distorted guitar amp).
Just when you want a straight / clean / round / funky / modern bass sound, guitar amps are not so great. But I wouldn't hesitate to just give it a try. If you're afraid to damage the speakers, just keep the master volume down a bit.
If you cant get the amp to sound as clear/fat as you need, consider plugging straight into a PA. This again can give perfectly satisfying results. It just depends on what sound you want.
Answer: The problem here is that connecting a bass to a guitar amp isn't just about the electrical impedance but also the acoustic properties of a speaker. For obvious reasons a bass generates much lower frequencies than a guitar and lower frequencies are associated with significantly more mechanical power so there is a potential risk that you will physically damage the speaker by trying to drive it at frequencies it is not designed for.
Even if it doesn't do any damage the chances are that it won't sound that great.
It depends a bit on the gear in question as well, a chunky 4x12 cabinet will cope better than a small practice amp but even so bass and guitar speakers and amps are fundamentally different things.
There has been a trend in recent years for bass cabs to get much more compact, or indeed to eliminate them altogether and just go to a PA  via a preamp and/or speaker modeller
Answer: What is the sound you are out for?  A funky, twangy sound, possibly with some level of distortion?  Most of the sound energy will likely be in the range a guitar amp is comfortable with.  A deep rumble shaking the listeners?  The kind of stuff one uses subwoofers and long organ pipes for?  That's not the department of a guitar amp, and when you try taking it there, the speaker will throw in the towel quite earlier in comparison to its maximum rating than a bass cabinet would.
In short: the more you want to feel rather than hear your bass, the more of a mismatch a guitar amp may turn out to be.  More so if the amp is a small one.  Many smaller cabinets are open or semi-open in the back which makes sort of an acoustical short-circuit for notes lower than the ones the cabinet has been designed for.  Turning the volume/bass up to compensate will take the amp closer to its limits earlier.
Answer: I am fairly certain that the first answer is wrong. Bass will obviously sound better through a bass amp capable of produce low frequencies, but, if you read this: Bass effects through guitar amp answer, it seems like there really is no big problem with playing bass through guitar amps and that it is an "urban legend." I have played bass through guitar amps (at fairly high volumes) and they have not spontaneously combusted. You really should be fine, but, bass amps sound better if you don't want distortion.
Answer: I recently picked up a musicman 112rp sixty five. Had an SVP specialist run tests on it and he gave it the all clear for using bass through. Just need to get the right cab for it and I'll feedback. Was thinking of getting a two note captur to run into the desk. Job done?
Answer: I think electronic bass guitar already has an inbuilt pre amp. That is why you can adjust the volume. So adding an external preamp on a guitar amp would not go well. I usually use preamp when I'm connecting directly to mixer just to boost my overall output volume
Comment: While it is correct that many basses have a pre-amp built in (these are called _active_), this is very much not true for all of them – many, especially of the older basses (in particular Fender P- and J-basses) have just passive potis to control volume, i.e. "strips of carbon that can bleed off some the signal through electrical resistance". This is also the case for _almost all_ electric guitars. — Anyway this isn't very relevant to the question: in principle you can also cascade a whole bunch of preamps before a guitar amp.


How to install Scala plugin for IntelliJ

Question: I've installed IntelliJ IDEA and scala on my Windows machine, but those are not integrated and I'm not able to use scala in IntelliJ.
How can I configure and use both?
Comment: Up-voting since this comes pretty high on google and it might be helpful (I fully understand @Mika'il argument though).
Comment: I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's not directly related to a programming problem. It's more about how to follow the instructions to install a plugin for a particular IDE.
Comment: You are right. But I posted this question because I faced this situation and thought these simple instructions might help others.
Is there any other place to post this ?
Answer: Open IntelliJ IDEA, go to File Menu --> Settings -->  [Or directly press Ctrl+Alt+S]

Click on "Plugins", and search "Scala". Select Scala plugin to install it.

If you have Proxy restrictions or any other problems, you may download the plugin to you machine from the below link and choose the option "Install plugin from disk"
https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/?id=1347
P.S. Sometimes the latest versions of plugin won't work. Try with a bit older version.
Comment: neither do Ctrl + Alt + S work nor that File Menu can be found .. try to attach an image to make it you answer to understand
Comment: Yeah, tried to use the latest plugin and had  compatibility issue.
Answer: Alternate Way
Is open IntelliJ IDEA, click on Configure -> Click on Plugins -> Click on Install JetBrains Plugins -> Search for Scala -> Click on install button
Check the images
Click on Plugins
Click on Install JetBrains Plugins
Answer: For IntelliJ Mac / IOS,
Click on IntelliJ IDEA text besides  on top left corner then Preferences->Plugins-Install JetBrains Plugins-> Type Scala->Install
Answer: Click on File - > Settings and select plugins. Then select the Scala from the list provided and click Install. Once installed it will ask to restart the IDE
Answer: For Mac, Click on IntelliJ IDEA -> Preferences -> Plugins.
Select scala and install. Restart the intellji for the changes to take effect.
Answer: Right-click on project > Click Preferences > Expand Plugins
Find "Scala" and click install:
Answer: First time users in IntelliJ IDEA we checked whether Scala Plugin is available or not.
Go to File - > settings -> plugin -> Install -> Restart
Here is complete installations with step by step process with pictures:
http://commandstech.com/how-to-add-scala-plugin-on-intellij-idea-in-ubuntu/


Create a custom list in sharepoint via Visual Studio [without Feature option]

Question: I've created a customlist in Visual Studio 2013 and deployed the same in the SharePoint 2013 server. Its working fine and is showing in the "Site Settings -> Site Features" area of my sharepoint site. This will allow the user to activate/deactivate it. But, my site may be a big one in size and I want to create a lot of lists via VisualStudio. So, Is it possible to avoid listing it in "Site Features" area ? This is not listing for lists available in  SharePoint, when we add it via UI?
Answer: in your feature.xml set the hidden = true; by default its set to false!
<Feature
  ActivateOnDefault = "TRUE" | "FALSE"
  AlwaysForceInstall = "TRUE" | "FALSE"
  AutoActivateInCentralAdmin = "TRUE" | "FALSE"
  Creator = "Text"
  DefaultResourceFile =  "Text"
  Description = "Text"
  Hidden = "TRUE" | "FALSE"
  Id = "Text"
  ImageUrl = "Text"
  ImageUrlAltText = "Text"
  ReceiverAssembly = "Text"
  ReceiverClass = "Text"
  RequireResources = "TRUE" | "FALSE"
  Scope = "Text"
  SolutionId = "Text"
  Title = "Text"
  UIVersion = "Text"
  Version = "Text" >
</Feature>

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms436075.aspx
Answer: when you create list by selecting list template. visual studio auto create site scoped feature if not available in your solution.
so your list will be created depending on your features.
i think it's not possible to avoid listing features in your Site Features area but you can hide it.
Comment: Thanks for your response. I have found a way to hidden the feature listing in Site Features area. There is an option called "Is Hidden" which should be changed to true. This has avoided my list's feature listing.


How Lightning Networks protect itself from 'Selfish Mining'?

Question: It is a well accepted fact that mining pools do engage in 'selfish mining' by not broadcasting a block to the network when they find a PoW solution, but building on top of that block so as to maximize revenue. Now from the point of view of lightning nodes that are creating a HTLC, assume that the blockchain height is 'h'. A HTLC is forwarded by the origin node and each node on the way uses 1 block of CLTV_expiry_delta (say there are 5 intermediary nodes). But soon after the final node reveals the pre-image to its peer, 3 blocks gets relayed simultaneously. Now, it may be the case that even after including a buffer, some nodes along the path can get exposed as its peer can relay the transaction to the blockchain due to timeout. Is there a protocol in place to stop intermediary nodes from getting vulnerable due to selfish mining?
Answer: Your question seems very similar to the 51% attack vector on the lightning network which I described on the lightning dev mailing list. I am not aware of any protocol to prevent this nor do I see any way of preventing what you and what the mailinglist post describe. The timeouts depend on blockheight and the Bitcoin protocol has the consensus rules that the longest proof of work chain wins.
I think it is a generally accepted assumption that Bitcoin will only operate in a secure way if at least 51% of the mining power comes from honest nodes (which are following the rules) on the plus side any secrete mining operation would statistically speaking only be harmful if the operation has at least 51 percent which is hard to achieve and probably also more expensive than the gains from winning such an attack.
Comment: Yeah but timelock are usually more than a couple of blocks. I think the recommendation is 144 blocks per node / hop on a path. Even 9 blocks which is the standard in some implementations is already very unlikely. For example a pool having 40%mining power will statistically only with every 10,000 blocks achieve to secretely mine the largest pow chain of 10 blocks. Compare that with all the list mining rewards. I guess noone has an incentive to do that
Comment: Thanks, I just got myself added to the mailing list (few days back) so I was oblivious that this issue was raised earlier.
Comment: But considering it, over the long term I'm not saying that the blockchain will face a 51% attack, but on short term even say couple of blocks, nodes can get vulnerable
Comment: That is helpful. My question was based on the premise that implementations just use one or two block deltas per hop.


UIview while loading didFinishLaunchingWithOptions

Question: I have an application in which the didFinishLaunchingWithOptions of my app delegate register for push notifications. This registration is taking little time, so at launching the app. i need to wait with a blank screen till it register. This waiting time i need to show a "please wait..." message, how can i do this? I have added a UIView before the registration code in didFinishLaunchingWithOptions but it only shows after registration. Plz help
Answer: Perhaps I'm misinterpreting your question, but it sounds like you're doing some sort of blocking activity in your -[UIApplication didFinishLaunchingWithOptions:] method. You should restructure your code such that you use an asynchronous strategy, so that you don't need to spend a long time waiting inside the didFinishLaunchingWithOptions method. Nothing will be displayed until after that method has completed execution anyway.
When you say your are registering for push notifications, perhaps you could be more specific and post an example of your method implementation? Simply calling -[UIApplication registerForRemoteNotificationTypes:] is non-blocking, so it would not cause the symptom you describe above.
It is important to perform any processing that could take time, such as synchronous network I/O, on a background thread to avoid blocking the main thread, which takes care of the user interface.
Comment: i was able to manage this by calling registration methods in another view controller in which i can give a progress view OR a default image as suggested above...thanks...!!
Answer: The iPhone Human Interface Guidelines suggest providing a default image which looks similar to your first view, which .  Many Apple apps do this.  See here:
Launch Images
I would try this before going so far as to have a "please wait" message.
Answer: Show a UIAlertView and UIActivityIndicatorView and then use performSelector:withObject:afterDelay: with delay 0.0 to invoke your register code. The indicator will be first animating and your register code can run in the same thread. The delay 0.0 allows a little short break for the indicator to start its animation redrawing process first.


Is there any benefit in writing your local judges?

Question: People always say that you should write your local representatives if you want anything done.  Or perhaps you could write to the Governor.  Is there any point in writing to judges?  The real question being, do judges have any power to do anything based upon "casual" written requests of that sort?
Comment: This question seems like it might be appropriate on [Politics.SE](http://politics.stackexchange.com/); you can flag it to request a mod move it there if you think so too.  Otherwise answers are likely to just focus on *amicus curiae* briefs.
Answer:
Is there any benefit in writing your local judges?
do judges have any power to do anything based upon "casual" written
  requests of that sort?

No. Strictly speaking, a judge ought to ignore requests which are not --officially-- part of judicial proceedings. In theory, the idea is to isolate the judiciary from influences that contravene a judge's duty to follow the law. However, the truth is that corrupt judges entertain impermissible requests, and unfortunately those instances are hard to uncover.
Instead, requests to members of the judiciary --and more typically, to the court-- need to be submitted officially. That is done by filing a complaint or suit (for instance, asking for injunctive relief), a motion in an ongoing judicial proceeding, or an Amicus Brief (with its accompanying motion to submit amicus brief) regarding that judicial proceeding.
In motions and Amicus Briefs, the filer or moving party presents arguments premised on principles equity and/or law with the purpose of persuading a court to issue certain ruling. In other words, the purpose is to persuade the court that the proposed ruling is consistent with --or bound by-- enacted statutes and/or legal precedent (aka controlling law) that judges ought to follow.


Is there a way to change AC 120 V @ 60 Hz to AC 120 V @ 40 Hz?

Question: My grandfather has Alzheimer's and I read in a science article that a sound or light "played" at 40 Hz interacts with the waves in your brain to break apart the plaque build-up and reduce memory loss.  My thought was that if I were able to change the frequency of the light sockets (a screw in an attachment that I would build, but I can figure the structure of it up, just not the electrical side of it) then there would constantly be an atmosphere of a pulsing 40 Hz, via the lights. Any help as far as the initial wiring of this device would be amazing. If I can get a start I can probably finish it.  Thanks!
Comment: i am sorry to hear about your grand-father's condition  ..... please provide a link to  the science article
Comment: Cool idea, Elijah - would you mind sharing that article here if you still have a reference for it? I'll poke around a little to see what's out there. How much of the project do you want to build?
Comment: the problem is that incandescent lights may not actually flicker if driven by 40Hz power ..... LED lamps may not even light ...... the easiest thing to use would be LED strips and a controller, such as an Arduino, both powered  by a DC power supply
Comment: I should point out that it is very unwise to attempt to treat brain conditions if you are not a highly trained specialist.  There are other brain problems that are triggered by flashing lights (photo-sensitive epilepsy for instance).
Answer: Here's an article on the subject with some build vs. buy ideas:
https://gammalighttherapy.com/blogs/gammalight/how-to-build-a-gamma-40-hz-led-dimmer
In short, you'll need a circuit that does two separate things:

Rectify the incoming 60 Hz AC to DC and then
Pulse the lights (I'm presuming LEDs will be needed to get the flashing that you will need) on and off using a DC switch at the desired frequency (40Hz) and duty cycle (the ratio of time that the lights are on and off).

Personally, I'd consider buying the AC-DC part (this will make the project safer, too) and then you can build or hack together a simpler DC LED modulator like the one that is shown in the article I linked to, above.
Here is the circuit from the article - it uses a 555 timer and that's a reasonable place to start if you were going to build your own circuit.

If you are up for a bit of programming, an Arduino or an Adafruit Feather board can do the PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) output that you will need to drive an LED light strip.
This isn't the same as modifying an existing light socket but it may be a safer and easier place to start.
Comment: There is no evidence this frequency or effect works or humans. This research was done on mice.  74ALVC14 works better with only 1 IC and Lithium Ion battery.
Comment: Yeah, it is kinda risky , so I think I'll probably wait until they do a little more research specifically on humans, but it takes me forever to build an actual project.  Thanks!
Comment: Fortunately mine is as simple as it gets and you don't have forever
Answer: Therefore changing the AC power from 60 Hz to 40 Hz for a LED dimmer is NOT the SOLUTION.
This is an XY question so I will give the better solution for 40 Hz light flicker on a cap.
The article that shows this research is in my 1st link below;

Tsai, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, says she checked the result; then checked it again. "For the longest time, I didn't believe it," she says. Her team had managed to clear amyloid from part of the brain with a flickering light. The strobe was tuned to 40 hertz and was designed to manipulate the rodents' brainwaves, triggering a host of biological effects that eliminated the plaque-forming proteins.

Recent research was done on Mice with an iPad flashing light App at 40 Hz seems to based on previous research of Trans-Magnetic Stimulation and Transcranial stimulation using impulse currents to electrodes and others using HV coils.
FWIW A simple application 40 Hz LED light is a Li-on battery with a CMOS Schmitt Trigger Oscillator.

( it also much easier than the other proposed solution 3 IC's and a FET and is accomplished using only 1 of 6 CMOS inverters which can drive over 30mA from 2V but is limited to 3.6V max so a silicon diode to drop the Li-Ion battery voltage by 0.7V is needed. One only has to lookup the pin diagrams of this chip and connect the parts as shown with 1 or 2 same white LED types in parallel each using less than their rated current for maximum efficiency. )
Due to 25% tolerances 470K needs to be adjusted if one wants 40 Hz precisely, although the error frequency from 40 Hz ( e.g. +/- 10 ) has yet to be proven or even tested in humans.
If you need a complete DIY assembly kit, ask another question. ( and ignore the -2 lame votes who do not understand )
Comment: Ok, thank you for all of the help, there were certainly lots of  ideas and different ways of doing things. I will take them all into consideration. Thanks!


Movable stall along roads

Question: What do we call the movable food stalls set up on roadsides  more common in India? I usually refer to them as a cart or a food-stall.
Answer: Do you have a link or a picture to describe what you mean?  If it's on wheels we'd probably call it a food cart or possibly a food truck.
Without wheels it would be a food stand, or possibly a food stall, depending on how they are organized.

Movable stall along roads


Crock pot left on high for longer than recipe called for

Question: My recipe said to cook the chicken on high for 1 hour then low for 5-6 hours. I forgot to change to low and it was on high for almost 2 hours. How do I adjust the time on the low setting now?
Comment: You don't. It's done. (Probably) Check it.
Comment: Most crockpot recipes call for 1/2 the time on high as on low ... but both answers so far only subtract 1 hr from the time on low ... you should actually subtract 2 hrs to compensate.  (switch it to low, then check it after ~3 hrs).  So long as the liquid hasn't boiled off, crockpot recipes are pretty forgiving, you just have to worry about things becoming too tender & soft after long cooking.
Answer: Make sure nothing burned onto the sides (scrape it out if necessary), and add extra water if too much has boiled off.
After that, I'd probably check it after 3 hours on low, pretending that the hour on high cooked it twice as much as it would have on low, and see if you think it's done. No harm letting it go the full remaining 4-5 hours if it seems like it needs it, or like it won't hurt.
The recipe probably isn't very sensitive anyway; there's a good chance even if you had followed it exactly you'd think it was fine over a pretty broad time range.
...all that said, a chicken cooked on high for one hour and low for one hour sounds like it'd probably be done to me. I'm not sure why the cooking time is so long, and you could honestly just check it right now.
Comment: I'm not sure this response takes into account it's a Crock-Pot. Liquids rarely dissipate in slow cookers, and it will likely take longer than one hour on high and one hour on low. That's why liquids are used sparingly because liquids usually increase in slow cookers. Unless you are "roasting" chicken in a slow cooker with very little liquid.  I agree that slow cookers are forgiving and times are just estimates. That's the beauty of a slow cooker. I have a Crock-Pot Smart-Pot that switches to "warm" setting after a pre-entered amount of time--love it.
Comment: @TanyaC I did say "**if** too much has boiled off." The lids fit well but not perfectly, and on high it can boil pretty fast, so it's quite possible to lose a decent amount of liquid, and if there wasn't that much in to begin with, it could have even cooked dry. Just depends what the OP is making.
Answer: First, I'd check the insides to make sure that you aren't burning around the edges. Some long cook times on high can evaporate the liquid out (even when covered) and create a very stubborn burn ring around the inside.
That aside, crockpot cooking is not a very sensitive or precise method of cooking. I'd say to reduce the temp to low and ride out the rest of the time. Everything in there is simmering either fast or slow: But it is intended to simmer for the total time, regardless.
So my answer: 2 hours on high, followed by 4-5 hours should be a fine equivalent. And you'll still be right on time!   :-)


Does initiating a maneuver involving a skill check trigger attacks of opportunity?

Question: When a martial adept initiates the Tiger Claw maneuver death from above [strike] (Tome of Battle 86–7), does the maneuver's Jump check provoke attacks of opportunity?
Answer: Jump skill checks don't provoke attacks of opportunity; the movement the creature takes as a result of the the jump, however, can provoke attacks of opportunity. Pedantry aside, if what you mean is Does the movement that's part of the maneuver provoke attacks of opportunity? I'd argue...
Death from Above's Movement Doesn't Provoke
The 4th-level Tiger Claw maneuver death from above (strike) reads, in part,

To use this maneuver, you must be adjacent to a foe. As part of this maneuver, you attempt a DC 20 Jump check. If this check succeeds, you can make a single melee attack against an opponent that you were adjacent to when you began this maneuver. This attack occurs in the air as you soar over your opponent, also as part of the maneuver.
  Your attack deals an extra 4d6 points of damage, and your opponent is considered flat-footed against this attack. You then land in any square adjacent to the target of this attack, though no more than 20 feet away from your starting position.

Emphasis mine. The maneuver death from above abstracts precise positioning and trajectory as part of the maneuver's effect, making it impossible to determine exactly which creatures (if any) should get attacks of opportunity versus the initiator.
I suspect that the intent is to permit an attack while the target is flat-footed then allow the attacker to safely get some distance from the target, predicated on a fairly easy skill check, not to have the initiator make the Jump check only for the foe to stab the initiator in mid-leap while attempting to soar over his foe.
A legalistic DM may require the initiator of the maneuver death from above to trace his path up the adjacent creature and then up to 20 ft. away and allow creatures along that path attacks of opportunity if the initiator doesn't somehow avoid them (e.g. a Tumble skill check). However, given that the adjacent creature could be a Colossal primal elemental or a Tiny grig, that first seems unfair, and given that there's no limit on how much travel the initiator can do before he lands up to 20 ft. away, the initiator should feel free to visit the moon, circle the earth, and then return in a safe position, probably avoiding at least some attacks of opportunity.
It'll ultimately be up to the DM if the movement from the maneuver death from above provokes attacks of opportunity, but the DM'll probably agree to let the attacks of opportunity slide if the initiator agrees not to visit outer space.
Comment: I don't think that maneuver gives you distance from the target. It just deals with large targets too.
Comment: Strictly speaking, isn't there a rule that just says "maneuvers don't provoke attacks of opportunity," period?
Comment: @fectin I'm concerned, especially since another user upped your comment. The maneuver says, "You then land in any square adjacent to the target of this attack, though no more than 20 feet away from your starting position." I agree the maneuver doesn't give the adept distance *from the foe*, but the maneuver *does* allow the adept to move some distance from the space he was in when he initiated the maneuver!
Comment: @HeyICanChan okay, same page now. I would always tend to read "get some distance" as referring to the foe in that use.
Answer: According To the Player's Handbook:

Moving out of a threatened square usually provokes an attack of
  opportunity from the threatening opponent. There are two common
  methods of avoiding such an attack—the 5-foot-step and the withdraw
  action. (PH3.5 p. 137)

So any form of movement that brings the player outside a threatened square provokes an attack of opportunity unless specified otherwise. As Hey I Can Chan points out, the description implies that the user never leaves the threatened squares to make the attack.
*I'm Interpreting the word "Usually" as "unless specified otherwise" (E.G. Tumble)
Answer: Death from Above's Movement Does Provoke
The Tome of Battle states:

You do not provoke attacks of opportunity when you initiate a maneuver or stance unless its description explicitly says otherwise. Some maneuvers allow you to move, charge, and take other actions that could provoke attacks of opportunity. Unless the maneuver description specifically says that such actions do not provoke attacks of opportunity, they do. (ToB p.39)

Now let's look at the maneuver in question:

To use this maneuver, you must be adjacent to a foe. As part of this maneuver, you attempt a DC 20 Jump check. If this check succeeds, you can make a single melee attack against an opponent that you were adjacent to when you began this maneuver. This attack occurs in the air as you soar over your opponent, also as part of the maneuver. Your attack deals an extra 4d6 points of damage, and your opponent is considered flat-footed against this attack. You then land in any square adjacent to the target of this attack, though no more than 20 feet away from your starting position.
If your Jump check fails, you remain in the last square you occupied before the Jump check and can make a single attack normally. The maneuver is still considered expended.

Emphasis mine. You attack an adjacent foe as you "soar over him". You attack the foe after a part of your movement. A Tumble check or another means would be needed to avoid provoking. One would also need to take into account other enemies that threaten him.
Seeing that the movement from jumping would provoke an attack of opportunity, the next question should be, "Does this unbalance this maneuver or others like it?" To which the answer is, "no".
Since the Jump check doesn't count against your movement, a DC 15 Tumble (+2 to the DC for each additional enemy that threatens after the first) should be sufficient. This check should be easy for a player to make without much optimization. Besides having a good Tumble score, there are many other ways to avoid attacks of opportunity (magic items, spells, boost maneuvers, etc.).
If you fail the Jump check, you don't move. So therefore you wouldn't provoke.
The GM isn't being overly "legalistic" by enforcing balanced game rules. Like wanting to know the chosen trajectory a jumping character.  If a player tried to go with "there's no limit on how much travel the he can do before he lands up to 20 ft. away". I would tell him, "that is obviously nonsensical and trying to go down that road is ill advised".
Bonus: When converting maneuvers like Death from Above to Pathfinder let the player use the 3.5 Tumble DC for their Acrobatics check. Otherwise it will be unbalancing.
Comment: I don't know what's up with that downvote; I think this answer makes a good case for an alternative reading. However, the maneuver says, "Your attack deals an extra 4d6 points of damage, and your opponent is considered flat-footed against this attack," not that the the foe is *actually* flat-footed, and the foe should probably only get one attack of opportunity, movement during a turn typically being a lone provocation.
Comment: Finally! I can comment (Yea!).  This is why I love this site! I made an error and Hey I Can Chan showed me my error so I can correct it for the good of all. Regardless of the voting mechanism (Which I like BTW). I'm certain my answer is correct, besides the minor error that was corrected. Thanks Chan!
Answer: Death from above dose not threaten Attacks of Opt. from the target because he no longer threatens him as he is considered flat-footed, however the adept must suffer Attacks of Opt. from any other enemy that would be threatening him at the time of this maneuver.


Controlling load order of dynamic AJAX usercontrols

Question: I have built a "portal" that displays "widgets" (server side usercontrols).  The page contains two columns, each containing an updatepanel.  Each widget contains an updatepanel and multiview with the default view showing a "loading" message and the second view contains the actual content.
When a user logs in, I query the database to get a list of widgets the user has access to, along with their column and order number.  During page init, I add all of the widgets to the page's columns in the order indicated.  Once the page loads, a timer on each widget gets fired and the widget's multiview switches from the "loading" view to the content view and sets the content's visibility to true.  This forces the content to load.
Setting up the load this way makes the page load appear faster because it doesn't process any of the widget data until after the initial page load.  This all works fine but I have an issue with the order in which the widgets get loaded.
Currently, the page loads and the widgets will start loading from the top of the left column down to the bottom, then it will start loading the top of the right column.  The page could potentially have many widgets so I end up staring at a bunch of loading messages on the right side while I wait for the full left column to load.  I would really like to be able to load top down across both columns instead of the whole left column and then the right column.  For example, load the first widget in the left column, then the first in the right, and so on.  This way, the user would have something to look at the top instead of staring at a bunch of loading messages and having to scroll down the page while it loads.
Answer: Sounds to me like you need to change the load order in the page_init such that it does:

col 1, widget 1
col 2 widget 1
col 1, widget 2
col 2, widget 2
etc
Comment: I am adding the widgets in whatever order they are returned from the database (ordered by the order number).  I loop through every widget and have a switch statement that checks which column it belongs in and adds it.  So I am basically already doing this.  Just to clarify, when the page loads all of the containers (with loading message) are already displaying on the page.  They then switch one at a time and display the data.  My problem is that they go down the left column one at a time and then move on to the right column. The container insert order doesn't seem to affect this.


Second Moment of Stock Process

Question: I have a stock process which I have decided to model as $$S_T=S_t\exp((r-q-\frac{1}{2}\sigma^2)(T-t)+\sigma(W_T-Wt))-D_T$$ where $D_T$ is a cash dividend at time $T$. This dividend is known. I then calculated its second moment as $$\mathbb{E}(S_T^2)=[S_t\exp((r-q)(T-t))]^2\exp(\sigma^2(T-t))-2D_TS_t\exp((r-q)(T-t))+D_T^2$$ My questions is, how would this expression change if there were say $n$ dividends (all different) between times 0 and T.
Answer: If $D_i$ is dividend paid at time $t_i \in [t, T]$ , then future value of all dividends payments (assuming payments are known in advance), $D$, is:
$$D= \sum_{i=i}^{n} D_i e^{r(T-t_i)}$$
Since all payments are known in advance, $D$ is constant like $D_T$ ( in your example). So, just replace $D$ with $D_T$ in your expression of $\mathbb{E}(S_t^2)$, you will get desired result.

Second Moment of Stock Process


Viewing files and folders in Google Drive

Question: Google drive has a grid view option with which the files are listed as tiles/cards and the folders are represented in a small rectangular box at the top. Why is that approach and is there any other variant for it?
Answer: Mobile first
http://www.themobileplaybook.com/en-us/
Google have been instructed to think first about mobile and fit everything else (e.g desktop) in afterwards.
Folders don't need to be big tiles and on a mobile, if they were, they would take up valuable space.
So, for consistency, and with a mobile-first view-point, they should be smaller than the files. Seeing an image of a file will help you quickly determine which one it is (and makes the app feel nicer) so preferable over just text.
Answer: There is a variant implemented: you can switch to a list view in the horizontal Google Drive menu.
Comment: The options are fine. But in the GRID layout, the view for folders is not similar to that of files. THe folders could have been made as tiles. But they 've gone for a strip which doesn't get much attracted when there are more files than the number of folders in that level