What is the point of the president visiting regions struck by hurricane?

Question: The president is a busy person. What is the point of the president (currently Trump) taking time out of his busy schedule to pose for a few pictures in a city struck by disaster?
Comment: These sort of visits are hardly unique to Trump or the US. I've rephrased your question to be more neutral and less of an opinionated attack on Trump.
Comment: Maybe @StephenG. But it's also a very "hot-button" topic where things tend to get out of hand very fast if you're not careful in how you phrase things. Better to prevent that if possible. I don't think anything about the question was lost by the edit.
Comment: Note that Trump is being criticized not for going, but for not meeting any of the affected citizens: https://twitter.com/2020fight/status/902709019009179648
Comment: To get positive publicity. With his current popular approval rating, he needs to take any opportunity he can get to improve it.
Comment: Because if he doesn't go, his political enemies will accuse him of not caring about those affected.
Comment: While I would expect any president to see first-hand the scope of devastation, in particular Trump has no choice. Where are most of the video and reports coming from? The media. How else is he going to know to what extent the media's reports are fake or real? He certainly can't trust the media as they've thoroughly managed to discredit themselves to the point that it is hard to believe anything they report even when you think they are telling the truth. There's always that nagging feeling of what's their angle on this story that I'm missing?
Comment: Two words: Boost morale. (Although I'm not sure it will have any lasting effect in this regard like: look our house is destroyed but at least the president was there and waived a flag so it's not so bad after all. (This actually applies to all such visits.))
Comment: @Carpetsmoker My reading of the original was that it was not a particular attack on Trump, but contained questions that would generically fit for *any* politicians motives.  I think you over-reacted to that.
Comment: The question is still loaded, even in its revised form. It's not obvious (though possible) that the visits are merely "to pose for a few pictures".
Comment: @AbstractDissonance: [Well, not **all** do it '^.^](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_government_response_to_Hurricane_Katrina#Presidential_role)
Comment: If you dig deep enough you'll come to realize the President doesn't really need to go anywhere except perhaps some high level talks. Everything else is done for personal pleasure or to gather more votes.
Comment: It can also lead to a huge PR problem, another lesson from [Katrina](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Concert_for_Hurricane_Relief#Kanye_West_controversy)
Comment: @Federico Note that someone will find an excuse to criticize any president following a natural disaster.
Comment: A practical possible benefit is acting as a high-profile "social proof" to normalize the idea of actually going there and physically helping. Everyone knows the famous person is typically doing very little actual labour (for good practical reasons) but by being seen "doing it", it is seen as "the thing to do".
Comment: @alephzero I would say it's less a matter of courting positive publicity, and more a matter of avoiding inevitable negative publicity from the opposition. There will be negative publicity _either way_ (if he shows up, it will focus on _how_ he showed up), but it makes the opposition's job far easier if he doesn't even show up. And obviously, this is not a "Trump thing", this is every single head of state in every single country ever. Prime minister Teresa May was heavily criticised recently, for example, in the Grenfell Tower fires, for not speaking to a single resident: http://read.bi/2rAnIES
Answer:
To express that he cares and is taking the emergency seriously.
To see what the area's needs are first hand.
Cynically, to garner votes.

During Katrina, George W. Bush was criticized for not going sooner.
During Sandy, Democrat Barack Obama was effusively praised by Republican New Jersey governor Chris Christie for Obama's show of support.
It is possible for something to be the right thing to do, to give the impression of being the right thing to do, and to be the selfish thing to do all at the same time.  People expect their elected representatives to pay attention when they are suffering.
Donald Trump is going because it is expected of him.  And maybe because he thinks it is helpful.  Or even just to make people feel better.
When the time comes to ask Congress to authorize funds, having been there gives more credence to what he will say.  In and of itself, that may make it worth it.
Perhaps the intelligent thing would be to have someone lower profile do this.  But that wouldn't be nearly as emotionally satisfying to the victims.  And politicians are far more subject to emotional than intellectual reactions.
Comment: Presidents and prime-ministers etc. are pretty much in a "_damned if you do, damned if you don't_" position when a natural (or other) disaster hits... if they _don't_ attend (or don't do so promptly enough) they are slammed by [parts of] the media for "not caring"; if they _do_ attend, they will be slammed for "milking the situation". _NOTE_ this is in no way specific to Trump or the US (I've seen the same in the UK across multiple PMs) – for whoever's in power, the bit of the press that dislikes them will use a disaster as an opportunity to attack them one way or the other.
Comment: @DonBranson It's not clear that Houston would notice the extra disruption right now.
Comment: I guess point 2 would be valid if a visit from the president didn't cause more harm than good. Have you ever had a president visit your town? It's very disruptive. Besides, there are better people to make this assessment, Don't take this as Trump support - that guy is a horse's hairy backside. Points 1 and 3 are probably more on-target.
Comment: I would add one more thing: Its a major morale booster for people on the scene. If you're in a devastated area and perhaps you just lost your home, it is pretty powerful for the leader of the country to come down and say you're doing great.
Comment: You have to realize that virtually no politician has any clue how to really deal with the problems. They are not educated in engineering, physics, technology, or anything that actually matters.  So, it's not like they actually do anything but maybe crack the whip to get others to do things so they don't look bad. That is really all a president is... a modern day pharaoh.
Comment: @DonBranson while I agree that a visit of this kind may be very disruptive at the worst possible moment, it seems that someone told Trump the same thing and that he has avoided visiting the most affected areas: http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/29/politics/trump-texas-harvey/index.html
Comment: Also, if a president is on the ground, and sees something that isn't working, there's a huge mass of red tape that gets cut through, instantly without having to work its way through the bureaucratic chain of command ("We have hundreds of cases of Ensure to feed people in shelters, but no can openers!" "Order a drone-drop of can openers, ASAP, general....")
Comment: You're wrong on most points here, though point 2 touches on it. It said on the news he is going to discuss a budget
Comment: @DavidGrinberg - Good point about the morale boost.
Comment: @AbstractDissonance When 3 Mile Island was going on, America dispatched its nuclear engineer President for trouble shooting.  Jimmy Carter was a kick ass President and he would be the right person to repair the damage caused by Trump - like he did wrt Nixon.
Comment: @emory Trump hasn't caused any real damage (yet), he's only been in office about a year. You need to get off your ignorant biased pigeon stool.  Carter didn't do anything except know that nuclear radiation is a big deal because worked on a nuclear sub.  I doubt he even knows the physics of nuclear radiation and how it works. So, he might have done something there but that doesn't change the fact that he's just as much an idiot as the rest. People elect a representative of who they are... which is sad, because 99% of human beings are morons.
Answer: When a large-scale disaster happens, the head of government is expected to visit the site in person. The intention is to provide emotional support for the disaster relief forces and the victims of the catastrophe by showing that the government is aware of their situation.
Here is Barack Obama visiting the area of the Waldo Canyon Fire:

Here is German Chancellor Angela Merkel visiting soldiers building an improvised dam to contain a flood in 2014:

Here is Theresa May, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, investigating the remains of the Grenfell Tower:
Comment: @Carpetsmoker, a nitpick: In a monarchy, the monarch _is_ the head of state. You were thinking of the head of government.
Comment: @notstoreboughtdirt: Yes. There aren't many photos from 1000 years ago, but here is one of Winston Churchill inspecting the aftermath of a German air raid in 1941: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coventry_Blitz#/media/File:Churchill_CCathedral_H_14250.jpg
Comment: The Queen is the emotional and ceremonial representative of the country. When she makes that sort of visit, she symbolizes the country's concern. She is outside politics, and so not blamed for political failures. Theresa May got booed and was surrounded by security. The Queen mingled with the victims and witnesses.
Comment: I was suggesting making the claim stronger; instead of "everyone does it", "everyone has always done it." You show three modern politicians doing it, but you could have had thousand year old examples. I don't mean you should bother with sourcing some, but I would have noted it.
Comment: Not only that, he is meeting with the governers to discuss an aid budget
Comment: In countries with a monarchy the monarch often does these sort of activities too, e.g. the Grenfell Tower area was visited by Queen Elizabeth as well. Usually the visit from the monarch is considered more "weightly" than the visit from the head of state.
Comment: @Carpetsmoker Probably because the queen has nothing personally to gain (she's still the queen whether or not she does it), so (for whatever reason) her visit might be seen as being more "genuine"
Comment: I would perhaps note the precedent is not recent.
Comment: @notstoreboughtdirt How is that precedent "not recent"? I would find that critique justified if I had posted pictures of Bill Clinton or Helmut Kohl, but these are Trump's direct predecessor and two incumbent heads of governments.
Comment: I think what @notstoreboughtdirt is pointing out is that, even though all your examples are recent, the precedent itself (head of government being expected to visit) is not recent. It is not a critique of your answer ("hey this pictures aren't recent!"); it's a clarification ("in case these pictures lead someone to thinking that it's a recent custom, it is worth pointing out that it goes back a long way").
Comment: @Muzer But the queen has nothing to *give* either. She doesn't have the executive authority to order any recovery measures or the legislative authority to prevent similar disasters in the future.
Answer:
In the military, it's called "leadership function".
Being seen "leading" is important to the people, even if there's no tangible benefit from your presence. At the very least, it doesn't give impression that you are out of touch, hiding, not sure what to do, or any other thing they don't want to see in a leader.
It shows "caring".
Yes, it's for show, but people still feel better when The Leader Of Free World (or just their local Mayor) are seen as taking notice of their problems. It's an emotional boost.
As prior answers said, it's good politics, especially of CYA variety.
People tend to blame officials for Act Of God event downsides (although, as a recent FiveThirtyEight podcast discussed, more of that is aimed at local/state ones than federal ones); so they will blame someone for NOT visiting if anything goes wrong as "out of touch". Whether their visit had any relevance to outcomes is rather irrelevant to that.
Finally, in some cases, it can be personal motivation.
People feel bad about a disaster, and want to do something. Showing up is "doing something", so they want to do that.
Comment: The big thing missing here is it gives them a feel for the actual scope of the disaster.  There is something about being there that no amount of pictures, descriptions, or videos can do to actually give you the feel for the scope of some disasters.
Answer: TL;DR Leadership is about symbolism, not just utility
There are wider issues than the immediate practical needs of the area struck by disaster.
Leadership works on a symbolic level as well as a pragmatic one. A head of government makes decisions about budgets and policy; but he or she is also expected to articulate a response to the hopes and fears of the public. There are practical benefits to visiting the scene of a disaster, as the national leader is able to meet with local officials and survey the damage first-hand; but to a large extent these are secondary to the symbolic effects.
A personal visit symbolises commitment to helping the people affected, and supporting the emergency services. Winston Churchill is remembered for visiting sites of bomb damage during the Second World War:

A speech or press release cannot possibly match the emotional impact of physically embracing the victims:

(source:  at www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu)
In a broader sense, any of us could be caught in a disaster at any time. The government seeks to reassure everyone that it will be ready to protect us. If the head of government doesn't care (or at least seem to care) about people in another city, he or she probably doesn't care about me either. An indifferent response to disaster can have severely negative effects on a government's popularity.
For example, British Prime Minister Theresa May was heavily criticised when she visited the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire, and met with police but not any of the victims:

(source: itv.com)
Comment: @Trilarion: Obviously if symbolic gestures are the *only* response, the government will not be popular. Effective measures on the ground are important; but so is the symbolic element.
Comment: "...he or she is also expected to articulate a response to the hopes and fears of the public." The response to the fear of loosing your existence by a flood is some high ranking official to waive a flag somewhere nearby? I have difficulties believing that this actually works. It's a bit like faith moving mountains.
Answer: The implication of your question is that there is no point, and you may be right.  There may be no practical benefit to a leader being physically present at the site of a disaster.  Their presence may even interfere with rescue efforts.
Other answers have cynically examined the leader's motives, suggesting that it's an attempt to garner votes, etc.  My answer is to cynically examine the motives of the leader's opponents:
If a leader doesn't do this, then despite the dubious value and potential harm of doing it, the media will disingenuously attack them as lacking concern or compassion.  At the extreme, leaders have been attacked for not Tweeting their sympathy and concern within hours of an event, before accurate information is known to the public or possibly even to authorities.
Comment: Yes, he may use this to justify the visit. But it would still mean that the visit did not serve any actually useful purpose.
Answer: In politics, perception is reality.  A president who surveys the damage through the window of Air Force One is perceived as being out of touch, not involved, and uncommitted.  A president who lands on the ground is perceived as being compassionate and in touch.
After Katrina, President Bush wanted to land Air Force One at a nearby air base, and visit the scene first hand.  But the Air Force told him that such a move would mean shutting down the base for three hours, and that meant delaying receiving food, water, medicine, and supplies for three hours.  Bush did the compassionate thing, and kept the base open.  But he released a picture of himself surveying the damage from 10,000 feet in the air.
The press was merciless.  He was portrayed as an incompetent, uncaring president.  To this day, people blame Bush for the fact that recovery from Katrina took years rather than months, and is still going on.  With regard to Harvey, on the other hand, news reporters are already saying that the recovery is going to take years, and they aren't laying the blame for that on president Trump.
As a side note, all of the major news networks sent their anchor down to Houston to report from the scene, in spite of the fact that they might have delivered a better report by staying put,  and obtaining information and video via the digital network.  Intellectually, the public knows that information travels around the globe in seconds.  Emotionally, we still think things are they way they were 70 years ago.
Comment: Whoever thinks politics is ruled by reason hasn't been paying attention for the last 230 years or so.
Comment: Emotionally, we still think things are the way they were 40,000 years ago.
Comment: "Emotionally, we still think things are they way they were 70 years ago." I agree although rationally I think we are clever enough to see through this. We know that a visit of someone will not and cannot undo the damage of a big hurricane to our lives, that needs lots of money and time. Maybe it could do something against the immediate grief, kind of symbolically expressing condolences for the victims as well as support as representative of the whole community. Then it would probably be nice to be there in person (if possible).
Comment: You make a good point about symbolism.  Another answer led off with "Leadership is about symbolism".
Answer: From a purely practical point of view, nothing.
From a sentimental and symbolic point of view, he is showing that he at least pretends to care that the flood is happening and that people are affected. And this reassures the people affected by the flood and people who are doubting Trump's compassion.
Comment: "And this reassures the people affected by the flood and people who are doubting Trump's compassion." This is kind of speculative. We don't know if there is any reassurance effect existing in this case. But the rest is spot on.
Answer: In addition to the other reasons cited, an authorization of certain kinds of disaster relief can be authorized only after one of a small number of very senior political leaders (e.g. a Governor, the President, a few others), personally inspects the affected area and then signs an authorization for disaster relief to be provided.
Answer: He is going to discuss with the State governers a budget for aid and financial support. This, of course, is much more effective if done in person.
Comment: This answer ignores the fact that Trump went out into the streets and posed for pictures. Is there where the meeting with the state governors is going to be held? Also, the state governors usually come **to** Trump.
Comment: Trump was happy to meet his Cabinet at the weekend by teleconference from Camp David. Why couldn't he do that with the Governor of Texas?


Canon multipass c555 printer driver

Question: I have windows 7 in my laptop, i want to use canon multipass c555 printer but there is no driver available to use. while i used driver for mentioned win xp which is not working in win7 . please help how to install my printer in win7 , is any software available
Answer: Vista drivers sometimes work on Windows 7

Canon multipass c555 printer driver


British Person or English Person?

Question: Are there grammatical etiquette guidelines as to whether to refer to a person from Great Britain as a British person or an English person? Is referring to a person as a Brit insulting, even if no insult was intended?
Comment: It's not a matter of grammar. The issue is that Great Britain has three distinct parts: England,  Scotland, and Wales.
Comment: I doubt anyone from the UK will take offence at being called British or a Brit. Calling a Scot, English might cost you a few teeth however so stick to Brit until you know for sure where they are from.
Answer: Grammatically, it's not incorrect if we say a British person or an English person, but such phrases seem a bit awkward. I think it's common and natural if we just say "He is British" if he is from Britain. However, we can say "the British" to mean people from Britain. If a person is from England, the usual word is Englishman.
Answer: The Brits call themselves Brits.
It's just an abbreviation, not a derogatory term.
You could avoid it if being formal, but in everyday conversation it's fine.
You could further sub-divide into English, Scottish [or Scots... never scotch, that's a drink not a person] & Welsh, but you'd need to be certain which they actually were.
It's easier not to guess & just refer to them as British.
Comment: I admit it's a bit 'tabloid', with hints of 'Brits Abroad' & Union Jack swimming trunks - but I've heard its use in everyday conversation for years, & I refer to myself as a Brit with no qualms.
Comment: @Tesujin. Like you, I refer to myself (informally) as a Brit, and have no objection to being referred to as such However, I know several Brits who are not happy with the word.
Comment: Not all Bitish people call themselves Brits, and some dislike the word. See this thread: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/25289/is-it-appropriate-to-call-a-british-person-a-brit
Comment: Not if they are not English - that's the whole point. 'Britain' comprises three countries.
Comment: So, it sounds as if British person & English person are synonymous, although British person is the most widely used. Concerning the use of the term, Brit, some excellent comments are posted. *Joe Dark* doubts anyone would take offense. *Tetsujin* has no objection. *tunny* gives a link that some dislike the word. Conversing with someone with whom I'm on familiar & friendly terms, sure, it would be okay. If in doubt whether the other person would be offended, it would be best to say English person.
Answer: Scots and the Welsh and the Northern Irish are not English, but they are British. Ironically, the Cornish are English but Cornish is not English.:-)
Comment: When you say "Cornish is not English", am I right in assuming that you are referring to the languages?
Comment: That is correct.

British Person or English Person?


Tough spot: updated State/Country fields to picklists but now code coverage is too low!

Question: I recently went through the process of updating my state and country fields to picklists using the standard Salesforce tools. Perhaps foolishly I completed this update directly in production.
However this update--which forces a value for [Country] on new object creation (Lead, Account, etc.) has caused a number of errors in the Apex test classes in my org which didn't have a [Country] field because it wasn't required before this update.
Normally I would just make edits to the test classes and call it good but most of the Apex in my org is in the form of managed packages which I can't edit.
So now I'm in a position where my code coverage isn't high enough to import new code AND I can't edit the existing code to bring the code coverage above 75% because I don't have access to the managed packages.
Any suggestions on where to go from here?
Comment: This tool would help is this exact situation (for the classes you can edit) and would not require you to update your test methods if you use its framework. Good app: https://appexchange.salesforce.com/listingDetail?listingId=a0N3000000B5WBZEA3
Answer: Managed Package code coverage should not affect your own deployment of code in your org's namespace: Unit Test Code Coverage and Managed Packages
You should be able to bring your own code coverage up to above 75% without manage package test classes passing.
Comment: Sorry, another clarification: the **un**managed package code is in **your** namespace, so you will have to analyze the unmanaged package code and update it to get it passing for code coverage.  Only managed package code is excluded from the code coverage requirements.
Comment: Hmmm...OK so then it must be in the code I can access. I only see two errors on classes from unmanaged packages, but that must be enough! Part of the problem still remains, i.e. how do I make the necessary changes to the Apex when I can't deploy those changes to production because the code coverage is too low. Seems like a catch-22? (since I can't simply "turn off" the picklist update I did).
Comment: You will need to create a sandbox and make the necessary changes there to get your code passing (only for your namespace).  When you deploy from the sandbox to production, the deployment will only run the test classes in your namespace to verify the 75% coverage.  Not sure if this answers your question.
Answer: It's tough to tell from your post why the tests are failing, but I assume it's because they're inserting state values without country values, going by this:

However this update--which forces a value for [Country] on new object creation (Lead, Account, etc.)

Country values are only required if you're also setting a state value. If the code causing errors is only using states from one country, one workaround would be to set the org's default country to that country.
If the tests are failing because they're inserting unrecognized state and country values into the text fields, you could also add those values to your state and country picklist configuration and uncheck the "visible" option. Invisible state and country picklist values are valid for API inserts, but do not appear in the end-user UI picklists.
I also want to clarify that turning on State and Country Picklists is reversible. You might have to undo updates to metadata like reports and formulas that use the picklists, but turning on State and Country Picklists is not a permanent change.


Is there any kind of adapter to mount v-brakes or cantilevers to a frame that's not designed to accommodate them?

Question: I have an aluminum single-speed frame that was marketed as a fixie. I'm wanting to convert it to a single-speed commuter. (I'm getting older and the fixie doesn't agree with my knees anymore.) It has enough clearance in the rear for 700x35 tires. It has a brake bridge but it doesn't have posts to mount v-brakes or cantilevers. Is there any kind of adapter that could make that work?
Comment: I would not depend on such things, even if they were available. Why do you not want to use caliper brakes? There are models available that can accommodate wide tires. You may have to deflate the tire slightly to get it through the caliper, but thats much better than having some shoddy adapter come off when you are trying to brake hard.
Comment: There are a couple of reasons, more than I can fit into a comment really. But as I said in a comment below, I don't think an adapter would necessarily be "shoddy." I've actually seen frames with movable brake posts so that the frame could be used for 24" or 26" wheels.
Answer: Adapters like this do exist, e.g. http://www.danscomp.com/489051.php?cat=PARTS or http://www.bentechbikes.com/vbrakes.htm (Edit: Links are now dead, but they were basically the same as the one in the photo below. Sourcing one might be even harder now though.)
In fact I used one on my old folding bike - but you can see it looks a bit of a mess, and when I tried it on the front fork, it really wasn't up to the job (I ended up using a chunky long reach caliper brake taken off a BMX bike). (I'd changed wheel size and was using much fatter tyres, so the original brakes wouldn't fit.)
There are also adaptors that bolt around a chainstay: http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=33168&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&start=30
I'm not saying I'd recommend you use them, but the option is there (if sometimes hard to find - the one I used was the last the local store had in stock of a discontinued line).
Comment: Thank you! That one on Danscomp was exactly what I was envisioning. While the one on Ratrodbikes certainly looks better, I'd feel a little nervous about it since the posts could conceivably roll around the chainstays.
Comment: Great find! Most of those look a little sketchy, but the bolt on type shown on ratrodbikes.com actually look like a real option if they fit your frame. No idea they existed. Deleting my answer because it's obviously wrong.
Comment: It was definitely sketchy on the front, but seemed to work okay on the back. Part of that might be that braking force was forcing it into the chainstays but away from the fork (the hose clamps aren't my workaround, they came with it as the manfacturer's recommendation), part just that the front brake does more work when braking hard. Having a "brake booster" type U to stiffen it might have helped on the front too, but then it gets even more of a mess. On a standard bike "swap the forks" is an easier solution.
Answer: I do not think anything bolted on could be good enough. Since it is aluminum frame, brazing or welding the bosses would also be complicated.
But instead of replacing the whole frame, you might just change front fork with one that has bosses. That way on front where it makes more difference you would have V-brake, and on the rear you could have long reach caliper brake.
Comment: true I was not precise. I am not concerned by the bolting per se. What makes me doubt it in this case is the length from the bolt and the place where force is applied.
Comment: I don't see why something bolted on couldn't work. If it bolted onto the existing brake bridge and both seat stays, it'd actually be more secure than the way disc brake calipers bolt onto the frame since the braking force would push the adapter against the frame as opposed to the shear force on the bolts that attach disc brake calipers.
Comment: I was envisioning something shaped like an upside-down U. The bottom of the U would be bolted onto the brake bridge, and open ends of the U would be bolted onto the seat stays just below the brake posts. But if it doesn't exist I guess it doesn't matter.
Answer: There used to be castings that were designed to fit over existing brake studs and stiffen frames that had too much side-to-side flex for the cantis to be effective.  Don't know if they could be adapted to your purpose, though, and don't know if they're still available.
Comment: That sounds like it's probably at least the basic idea of what I was envisioning. I have a shop in town that does a lot of work with older bikes. I'll ask them if they know anything about that. Thanks!
Comment: Yes, brake boosters are still available: http://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-V-Brake-Cantilever-Brake-Booster/dp/B0099HRNI2 but I doubt it would be of use for mounting v-brake on frame without studs
Answer: They are not cheap ($130 front & rear), but Campagnolo makes a lateral pull TT brake that mounts on the center post:
http://www.amazon.com/Campagnolo-TT-Brake-Front-Lateral/dp/B0057P8SFM/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1
But, wouldn't it be easier to mount side-pull caliper brakes? You can buy a pair of good-quality dual pivot side-pull calipers for $40-$60, and they will just mount on the single-bolt brake bridge you already have.
Comment: Standard dual pivots won't clear a 35mm tyre though. BMX calipers might be an option.


Why was Neo different from other Ones?

Question: I know that Neo made different choices when compared to the other Ones. I know that those choices, though uncompromising to a dangerous extent, led to a different turn of events. But what was different about Neo? When he went to the Oracle, he had made the choice but wasn't aware of it. It seemed that the matter of choice here was crucial and Neo unknowingly made the right ones. Now why is that? I mean what is it about him that made him who he was?
Comment: I just need one other reason...
Answer: This segment of dialogue between Neo and The Architect points out one key way Neo differed from his previous incarnations (emphasis added by me):

The Architect: The function of the One is now to return to the source, allowing a temporary dissemination of the code you carry, reinserting the prime program. After which you will be required to select from the matrix 23 individuals, 16 female, 7 male, to rebuild Zion. Failure to comply with this process will result in a cataclysmic system crash killing everyone connected to the matrix, which coupled with the extermination of Zion will ultimately result in the extinction of the entire human race.
Neo: You won't let it happen, you can't. You need human beings to survive.
The Architect: There are levels of survival we are prepared to accept. However, the relevant issue is whether or not you are ready to accept the responsibility for the death of every human being in this world.
The Architect presses a button on a pen that he is holding, and images of people from all over the matrix appear on the monitors.
The Architect: It is interesting reading your reactions. Your five predecessors were by design based on a similar predication, a contingent affirmation that was meant to create a profound attachment to the rest of your species, facilitating the function of the one. While the others experienced this in a very general way, your experience is far more specific. Vis-a-vis, love.

So, one of the key differences between Neo and the previous Ones is his experience with Trinity, falling fully in love with another human being as opposed to simply feeling a "profound attachment" to humanity in general. It was this love for another that led to him making a different choice than the previous Ones, choosing instead to continue resisting the machines and save Trinity as opposed to returning to the source and rebuilding Zion as The Architect designed.
Comment: @MozenRath: We're never really told much about the other Ones, so it's hard to say what other differences there were between them and Neo. The only real insight we get in the movies is from The Architect, and based on his dialogue it appears to be Neo's experience with Trinity that is the key factor which drives him to make a different decision than the previous Ones.
Comment: Considering how the other Ones reacted when the Architect revealed that there had been others, Neo also seemed more self-controlled.  As kaze's answer points out, he said to Morpheus, "I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life."  Which requires self-control if you want it to work.
Comment: Great answer! But I think there have to be other things involved here too!
Comment: love is not the only thing that I think would be responsible for this however, it is a very important factor.
Answer: In addition to his experiences with Trinity (see gnovice's answer), Neo was different from the his predecessors because of how his character was designed by the writers:

"..I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life."

(In response to Morpheus's question about fate in the first movie)
His defiance against his "fate" was further fueled by the following:

Being told that his path ends at the Source (conversation with the Oracle at the park in Reloaded) and that he has to follow it
Being told that "there is no denying purpose" and that he is only "apparently free" (Smith before the brawl in Reloaded)
Being told that "she is going to die and there is nothing you can do to stop it" (Architect in Reloaded)

In his conversation with the Architect, it is revealed that the One is merely another system of control meant to prevent the entire human race from rejecting the programming of the Matrix. Furthermore, the Architect had just told him that HE WAS DESIGNED to have "a profound attachment to the rest of your species, facilitating the function of the One" -- that he was a pawn made to ensure that the Matrix does not break.
He was aware that his predecessors had chosen to let Trinity die, and that his "fate" was to return to the Source, reinsert the prime program, rebuild Zion and repeat the cycle again. Doing so would mean making choices that the machines wanted him to make -- succumbing to his "fate" as an anomaly.
Because he doesn't like the idea that he's not in control of his life** and that doing what he was supposed to do won't end the war between man and machine, he took the door to his left.

**or maybe because he wanted to make another "how about I give you the finger" moment after the Architect tells him he won't be able to save Trinity
Answer: The other ones WERE Neo. I think that this is the most overlooked or rather poorly understood portion of the Architect scene. "Though the process has altered your consciousness, you remain irrevocably human". This means that they have some how kept his mind through each of the Matrix reboots and reinserted it into a body each time when the task of the "one" needs facilitating. His soul was changed through each experience. Also, he loved Trinity in this version and she didn't exist in the other versions of the Matrix.
"He was aware that his predecessors had chosen to let Trinity die."
Negative. Trinity never existed in the other versions of the Matrix or Zion.
Comment: I think you are reading too much into it. The other Ones, were NOT Neo. They were the anomalies of the previous versions of the matrix. during each new version of the matrix, there are certain anomalies. However, its not their soul put into Neo. They are simply people who re-start the human world outside matrix again in Zion.
Comment: This seems a bit too speculative.
Answer: The answer to this question is a simple one.  This Neo ended the war between machines and humans.  The "others" were not able to bring about peace; destroying Zion each time. This "Neo" also enabled the "programs" to experience love, because of his love for Trinity.  It was "love" in the end that brought about the end of the war.
At the end, with the little girl and the Oracle discussing if they would see Neo again, they will, but the next time he appears he will be half-human-half program., not machine. He will be part of the programming of the new matrix; it really was Neo's purpose all along!
He has to be "part" of the matrix to ensure an ever-lasting peace.  But we all know peace does not last forever!
Comment: What are you basing the second paragraph on. Do you have any citations for that claim about Neo?
Comment: Also, I was asking about his character. Not his achievements. I wanted to know why/how he could achieve the things that he did. No offense, but please read the abstract too before answering.

Why was Neo different from other Ones?


How will the people of paradise have 2 wives if they had only one wife in this world?

Question: According to prophet, 70,000 people from his ummah will enter jannah without reckoning, among them each will have 2 wives, what does it mean by 2 wives?? Does it mean that the 70,000 people will be only men not women?? What if a man has only one wife in this world then who will be the second wife??
Comment: Can you cite which hadith you are referring to?
Answer: Al-Bukhaari (6472) states about 70000 who will enter Jannah but there is nothing mentioned about 2 wives.
On other aspect every man in jannah will have many more wives as hoors.
Answer: I am assuming that you are referring to the hadith in Bukhari 3246. The number (70,000) is not mentioned here but it can be assumed, e.g. when combined with Bukhari 3247.
Your first question:
<code>what does it mean by 2 wives?? Does it mean that the 70,000 people
will be only men not women??
</code>
No. Rather it means that the men in paradise will have (at least) two wives each. This is apparent from the version narrated by Abu Sa'eed Al-Khudri :

لكل رجل منهم زوجتان على كل زوجة
Each man among them shall have two wives
— Jami at-Tirmidhi

Also note that if you read it carefully, this does not just apply to the first batch of 70,000, but also to those who come afterwards - it applies to all the men in paradise. In another hadith it says that even the last person to enter paradise shall have two wives (See Muslim 188).
Also note that there are ahadith which mention more than two wives (such as for the martyrs) so two can be understood as the minimum number and some inhabitants might have more according to their status in paradise.
Your second question:
<code> What if a man has only one wife in this world then who will be the second wife??
</code>
These wives are women who would be married to the person in paradise, not necessarily his wives from this world. If a person had no wives or only one wife in this world then this could be resolved in two ways:

He could be married to those human women in paradise who remained unmarried in this life. Or those whose husbands were disbelievers and hence could not enter paradise, leaving these women single. This interpretation is based on the assumption that both of the wives mentioned in this hadith are human (which has been adopted by some scholars).

He could be married to the Hoor al-Ayn, who are women made by Allah solely for the reward of paradise. The more likely interpretation of the hadith is that both of these wives will be Hoors and that they will be in addition to the human wives of the person. A version of the hadith states:

لكل امرئ زوجتان من الحور العين
Everyone will have two wives from the houris
— Bukhari

The marriage in paradise to the Hoor al-Ayn is also mentioned in the Quran:

سندخلهم جنات تجري من تحتها الأنهار خالدين فيها أبدا لهم فيها أزواج مطهرة
We will admit them to gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide forever. For them therein are purified spouses.
— Quran 4:57

وزوجناهم بحور عين
And We will marry them to fair women with large, [beautiful] eyes.
— Quran 44:54

فيهن قاصرات الطرف لم يطمثهن إنس قبلهم ولا جان
In them are women limiting [their] glances, untouched before them by man or jinni -
— Quran 55:56

إنا أنشأناهن إنشاء فجعلناهن أبكارا عربا أترابا
Indeed, We have produced the women of Paradise in a [new] creation. And made them virgins. Devoted [to their husbands] and of equal age.
— Quran 56:35-37


How to correctly dismiss a UINavigationController that's presented as a modal?

Question: In my TabBarViewController, I create a UINavigationController and present it as a modal.
var navController =  UINavigationController()
let messageVC = self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("MessagesViewController") as! MessagesViewController
self.presentViewController(self.navController, animated: false, completion: nil)
self.navController.pushViewController(messageVC, animated: false)

Inside my MessageViewController, this is how I want to dismiss it:
func swipedRightAndUserWantsToDismiss(){
    if self == self.navigationController?.viewControllers[0] {
        self.dismissViewControllerAnimated(true, completion: nil) //doesn't deinit
    }else{
        self.navigationController?.popViewControllerAnimated(true) //deinits correctly
    }
}

deinit{
    print("Deinit MessagesViewController")
}

The problem is that when I get to the root View Controller and try to dismiss both the child and the UINavigationController, my MessagesViewController deinit does not get called.  Something's holding on to it -- most likely UINavigationController
Answer: Your controller hierarchy looks like this:
UITabViewController
    |
    | presents
    |
UINavigationController
    |
    | contains view controllers
    |
[root, MessagesViewController]

Now, if you are inside MessagesViewController, then its navigationController is the one that is being presented and that's the one you should be dismissing but calling dismiss on MessagesViewController should work too.
However, the problem is that dismissing the navigation controller won't remove its view controllers. It seems you are holding to your navigation controller (since you are presenting it using self.navController) so the state will become
UITabViewController
    |
    | self.navController holds a reference to
    |
UINavigationController
    |
    | contains view controllers
    |
[root, MessagesViewController]

To properly destroy MessagesViewController you will have to either let go of the navController or you will have to pop to root (thus removing MessagesViewController from view hierarchy).
The typical solution would be not to save a reference to navController at all. You could always create a new UINavigationController when presenting.
Another solution is using a delegate - instead of dismissing from inside MessagesViewController, let it call back to the presenter, which would call
self.navController.dismiss(animated: true) {
     self.navController = nil
}

Comment: Thanks. If I have many view controllers in the stack, but my delegate calls ```dismissViewControllerAnimated``` and then sets it to nil , will it deinit **all** of the view controllers in the stack?
Comment: When you let go of all references to `navController`, all its view controllers will be destroyed if you are not holding to them somewhere else.
Comment: You also won't be able to dismiss a view controller that has been set as a rootviewcontroller. So, if:
Answer: Try this
func swipedRightAndUserWantsToDismiss(){
    self.navigationController.dismissViewControllerAnimated(false, completion:nil);
}

Answer: You can use the following to correctly dismiss a UINavigationController that's presented as a modal in Swift 4:
self.navigationController?.popViewController(animated: true)

Answer: if you want to just present a viewcontroller, then directly you can present that viewcontroller and no need to take a navigation controller for that particular viewcontroller.
But when we need to navigate from that presented view controller then we need to take a view controller as a root view of navigation controller. So that we can navigate from that presented view controller.
let messageVC = self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("MessagesViewController") as! MessagesViewController
let MynavController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: messageVC)
self.presentViewController(MynavController, animated: true, completion: nil)

and from that presented view controller, you can push to another view controller and also pop from another view controller.
And from presented view controller, here messageVC, we have to dismiss that as
func swipedRightAndUserWantsToDismiss() {
  self.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil)
}

which will dismiss messageVC successfully and come back to origin viewcontroller from where we have presented messageVC.
This is the right flow to perform presentViewController with navigation controller, to continue the navigation between the view controllers.
And for more if you are not sure that messageVC is presented or pushed, then you can check it by this answer.
And the swift version to check that is
func isModal() -> Bool {
    if((self.presentingViewController) != nil) {
        return true
    }

    if(self.presentingViewController?.presentedViewController == self) {
        return true
    }

    if(self.navigationController?.presentingViewController?.presentedViewController == self.navigationController) {
        return true
    }

    if((self.tabBarController?.presentingViewController?.isKindOfClass(UITabBarController)) != nil) {
        return true
    }

    return false
}

So our final action to dismiss is like
func swipedRightAndUserWantsToDismiss() {

            if self.isModal() == true {
                self.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil)
            }
            else {
                self.navigationController?.popViewControllerAnimated(true)
            }

        }

Answer: No need to have member for navController. Use following code to present your MessagesViewController.
let messageVC = self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("MessagesViewController") as! MessagesViewController
let pesentingNavigationController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: messageVC)
self.presentViewController(pesentingNavigationController, animated: true, completion: nil)

Your dismiss view controller code will be
func swipedRightAndUserWantsToDismiss() {
  self.navigationController.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil)
}

Answer: I suggest you use the other initializer for your UINavigationController:
let messageVC = self.storyboard?.instantiateViewControllerWithIdentifier("MessagesViewController") as! MessagesViewController
let navController = UINavigationController(rootViewController: messageVC)
self.presentViewController(self.navController, animated: true, completion: nil)

To dimiss, simply do
func swipedRightAndUserWantsToDismiss() {
  self.navigationController.dismissViewControllerAnimated(true, completion: nil)
}

Answer: This is how I solve the problem in Objective C.
You can call dismissViewControllerAnimated:NO on your self.navigationController itself.
Objective C
[self.navigationController dismissViewControllerAnimated:NO completion:nil];

Swift
self.navigationController.dismissViewControllerAnimated(false, completion: nil)

Answer: In Swift 3 this is achieved with:
self.navigationController?.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil)


Excel VBA Adding 'paste special as value' icon to right click menu (cell context menu customization)

Question: I wonder how to add new icon to right click menu using VBA code which will be the shortcut to paste special as value Excel functionality (which can be found in Excel 2010, but not in 2007). Adding icon itself isn't the problem, but is there generic method (not VBA macro) which could be associated with that icon ?
Below code which add icon associated with ToggleCaseMacro macro (which isn't defined here) :
Sub AddToCellMenu()
    Dim ContextMenu As CommandBar
    Dim MySubMenu As CommandBarControl

    ' Delete the controls first to avoid duplicates.
    Call DeleteFromCellMenu

    ' Set ContextMenu to the Cell context menu.
    Set ContextMenu = Application.CommandBars("Cell")

    ' Add one built-in button(Save = 3) to the Cell context menu.
    ContextMenu.Controls.Add Type:=msoControlButton, ID:=3, before:=1

    ' Add one custom button to the Cell context menu.
    With ContextMenu.Controls.Add(Type:=msoControlButton, before:=2)
        .OnAction = "'" & ThisWorkbook.Name & "'!" & "ToggleCaseMacro"
        .FaceId = 59
        .Caption = "Toggle Case Upper/Lower/Proper"
        .Tag = "My_Cell_Control_Tag"
    End With
End Sub

MSDN page with above code
Comment: Here you are: http://www.ozgrid.com/VBA/right-click.htm
Answer: You just need to add:
ContextMenu.Controls.Add Type:=msoControlButton, ID:=370, Before:=2


Law of Segregation (Genetics)

Question: What if the two factors/different factors of a character did not segregate during gametogenesis and blended together?
Comment: Welcome to iology.SE. What do you call a "factor of a character"? If you have a hard time to explain what you have in mind, you may want to try with a (eventually made-up) example.
Comment: When you say "did not segregate", you are thinking of a single event of reproduction where the two loci have not been separated by a recombination event or are you thinking about a case where two loci are perfectly linked?
Comment: According to the law of segregation:- Pair of contrasting factors or genes for a given character, never blend but segregate during gametogenesis. My question is what if the opposite of the above said law happened
Answer: The factors that segregate according segregation law are the two alleles of any gene (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendelian_inheritance). The only way to avoid that two alleles segregate at meiosis is to have them inherited in the same gamete, as shown in the picture below . Thus, if the two alleles would not segregate you will double you number of alleles (and chromosomes) at each generation. The effect on any given allele would depend on the level of dominance (dominant, recessive, additive), but that would be the least, since at each meiosis the offspring would have twice the number of chromosomes compared to the parents.
Comment: 1. Not all genes are bi-allelic unlike implicitly suggested in your first sentence. 2. The law of segregation does not only apply to genes but to any loci 3. Your diagram shows a case of selfing with whole genome duplicate which may be a little confusing.
Comment: 4. `if the two alleles would not segregate you will double you number of alleles` this is simply wrong. You misunderstand the definition of segregation (at least as used in the Law of Segregation). 5. Your comment on dominance is misleading as well.

Law of Segregation (Genetics)


Is it possible to temporarily transfer ownership of a staked token to another wallet address without unstaking,

Question: Is it possible to temporarily transfer ownership of an ERC20 staked token to another wallet address without unstaking, for example if I have wallet address X, and I have staked my tokens with a particular project. However I also have wallet Y and want to transfer ownership of the staked token from Wallet X to Wallet Y without unstaking from the contract or project.
Comment: The staked token is not owned by you, so no.
Comment: Some projects allows transfer of the stake.
Comment: @Ismael for the projects that allows transfer of the stake, do you have an example of a project that allows the transfer of stake
Comment: @ArMoat For example uniswap pools mint an ERC20 token when depositing funds, those tokens can be transferred like any other ERC20 token. The recipient can withdraw the funds from the pool.
Answer: This depends on the staking contract, but most likely the answer is no.
The answer is no UNLESS the staking contract specifically allows for this, which is unlikely.
Answer: No, you have to unstake before being able to transfer ownership.


Ubuntu server burn in test

Question: We've assembled a simple storage server with COTS SATA disks that we're planning to tie together with software raid (Ubuntu Server, mdadm). What burn-in tests can one run to test the system, in particular the disks since they're brand new?
Answer: Use DriveStress to test the drives. See: http://www.roylongbottom.org.uk/linux%20burn-in%20apps.htm#anchor7 for more info

Ubuntu server burn in test


Is-there any good way to make smoked chipotle pepper at home?

Question: I love smoked chipotle peppers and I would love to use them in my sauces. So if any one knows how to make smoked chipotle pepper at home please share. All the best
Comment: I'd like to know too. I tried it once with my little chief smoker with not great results.
Answer: So just to be clear, a chipotle is a smoked red jalepeno, however chipotle is most often used and purchased in Adobo sauce so there are two flavors to this answer. To make the pepper itself, start with ripe jalepenos, by ripe I mean when they are bright red. Red peppers are a lot sweeter and caramelize better than green.
If you don't have a real smoker (I don't mean little smokers that use liquid smoke), then you can use a charcoal grill.
Soak your wood chips for an hour so they don't catch fire. Get your charcoal coals hot and once they've settled down toss some wood chips on top of the coals and close all of the bottom vents. Keep adding presoaked wood chips as necessary for fuel, keeping in mind you need to stay ahead of the fire going out so the wood can dry out and smolder rather put put the fire out. A smoker it better for this because you can manage the coals without moving the peppers out of the way.
Once the peppers have dried completely, they are done.
Then if you want, make Adobo sauce with the peppers which is mostly ketchup and garlic and purée of some of your peppers and adding some more whole. Use whatever Adobo recipe you like, but store the finished product in small containers that can hold only 2 or 3 whole jalepenos plus sauce, that's important. Why I am not sure, but it seems make a huge difference.
Comment: I like your answer, with the exception of soaking your chips.  You might find this interesting: http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/mythbusting_soaking_wood.html
Comment: Well I read the article and although his math is correct, the only thing soaking the chips is meant to do is prevent them from going "poof" into flame which will reduce the smoke because the smoke will get consumed in the combustion processes of the flame. He even goes on to describe other ways to accomplish this such as removing the air from the wood chips so they can gasify "that's the foil wrapping with holes part". Once the wood has a layer of coals on it, it won't burst into flame, it will smolder. Smoldering produces the most and highest quality of smoke.


It won't let me see other peoples comments on my YouTube videos that I post. How do I fix this?

Question: It won't let me see other peoples comments on my YouTube videos that I post. I get the notifications, but when I get on the video the comment isn't there, it says I have comments but nothing is there. How do I fix this? Cause people have been asking me if I want shout outs, but I can't reply or even see their comments.
Comment: do you see the comments in http://youtube.com/comments, perhaps in the "likely spam" tab?
Answer:
Note: As of October 18, 2021, the URL youtube.com/comments leads to a 404, meaning the answer below no longer works.

As Leo Wattenberg suggested, try checking youtube.com/comments.
If YouTube thinks a comment may be of low quality, it will sometimes hold comments for manual review before publicly displaying them on a video. If you've been notified about a comment and you can't find it on your video, it's more than likely being held for review, or was marked as spam.


Running too many appliances needing water on a well system and now no water

Question: My wife did 2 dishwasher loads, a washer load on high, and then took a shower....all of this in about a  time frame of 3 hours. Water comes out slow and weak out of the faucets in the basement and first floor and a trickle from the 2nd floor. I checked the welltron at that time and the psi gauge read 0.  Now, 12 hours later, it reads 15psi. Help!!!
Comment: How long have you been using this well system?  What kind of well system is it?  Do you have a submersible well pump?  Does the well have a flow rating (if so, what)?
Comment: Have you checked the breaker and if your well has a safety controller for running dry? On most of the safety controllers I have worked on there is a Manuel reset to protect the pump when it runs dry some require a power cycle at the breaker box to reset. These would be my first 2 checks.
Answer: It is highly possible to run a well down in level to the point where it is effectively dry. Water is not an endless resource.
As you pump water out of the well casing the level in the casing drops. Depending on the depth of your well, the height of the water table, and the capacity of your well you can pump the casing dry.
Then, water refills the well casing over time and now you have water again. If you are in an area that has experienced low rainfall, overpumping from agriculture or other issues your water level couldn't be extremely low already.
Another issue could be a clogged screen on your pump. Only a well service could help you with this.
Try moderating your water usage and see if that helps.
Good luck!
Answer: If the bladder in the pressure tank is older, it may be getting too weak to reinflate on its own. Rust, iron and other deposits can also weigh heavy on the bladder causing it to weaken.
Comment: Bladders contain the air charge they can rupture and lose pressure but a waterlogged tank would cause rapid cycling of the pump but with faucets open they would run
Comment: Hello, and welcome to Stack Exchange. It's not the bladder's strength which pushes the water in and out; it's the pressure of the air behind the bladder.


Vegan Fukuro Shinai

Question: I need a fukuro shinai to practise kenjustu (Kashima no tachi). I'm vegan and Fukuro shinais are typically covered with leather, and I think the shinai itself contains some parts that are made of leather. Is there any version of this weapon that is made without using any animal product? If not, is there any other training weapon that I can use instead?
Comment: I searched for Fukuro Shinai with the keywords "Synthetic" and also with "Faux Leather" and did find at least this - https://www.bujinkanmthelena.com.au/store/p/shinkage-ryu-fukuro-faux-leather-options I'd contact them to see.
Comment: @JohnP Excellent find! Your google skills are better than mine. It looks like they do in fact have vegan fukuro shinai. Even the bindings look vegan, but it must be confirmed. That group is in Australia, I believe.
Answer: It's a pity I didn't write it down, but I do recall there was a place selling non-leather fukuro shinai. But that was probably 25 years ago. And I didn't find anything in a google search just now.
So then the next best thing is to construct your own fukuro shinai, which is actually not that difficult! Here are some links that go over it:
https://content.instructables.com/pdfs/E4I/ZI4O/GRTHT02X/Make-a-Fukuro-Shinai-15th-century-Japanese-traini.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pK46aT3H5YE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz6k1EG-tGA
https://www.e-bogu.com/Specialized-Shinai-s/535.htm
That last link is to a store that sells just the bamboo. So the idea is you buy the bamboo from them or someone else who sells it, and then add your own cover and grip yourself. And if you get raw bamboo instead of fukuro shinai bamboo, then you just need to split it in the way a fukuro shinai would be split. And there are videos on the web showing how to do that.
Now you'll just need to cut a section of vegan leather to use. A video I linked to above shows what to do for normal leather, but you'd just use vegan leather instead. You can find vegan leather at crafts and fabric stores. You can find it for sale on Amazon as well. If it's not called "vegan leather", look for "synthetic leather". Get something that's thick. Probably need something on the order of 2mm thick.
I've seen fukuro shinai with canvas material used on the outside instead of leather, also. To make that kind of shinai, you would first create a cover in vegan leather on the inside, and then cover that in a canvas cover.
There are two methods for stitching the leather, as you can see in the links I gave above. First method is to do it the traditional way which involves punching holes in the leather and stitching leather rope into them to tie it off.
That won't work for vegan leather, because vegan leather is weaker and needs shoe eyelets added to protect the holes from tearing. Because shoe eyelets are made from metal, they would not be allowed on a fukuro shinai.
So the only other option is to stitch the vegan leather in the modern way by using a sewing machine and thread. One of the links above shows that method. You can do it by hand if you don't have a sewing machine, if you're good at that sort of thing.
I think the next step is to then turn the cover inside out and insert the bamboo into the cover. Before you do that, you might want to add some extra padding to the bamboo, by wrapping it in some cotton fabric. Old t-shirts you plan to throw away, for example.
Then once the cover is on, you have to fasten it to the bamboo. The links above go over some methods. The easiest is just to use tape.
And finally, you can use tape or rope to fashion a grip. Some people add a tsuba from a regular kendo shinai (the round shaped one).
If you get the hang of it, you have the possibility of forming your own e-store. You could make these for others. There might be a market for this.
Hope that helps.

Vegan Fukuro Shinai


What's this cable that starts the blade on a Craftsman riding lawnmower called?

Question: I have a craftsman riding lawnmower.  It has a manual gear that I have to push up to get the blade to start.  There is a physical heavy gauge wire going from this gear to something below that snapped in half.  So what is this called, can I fix it myself, and how do you fix it?
Answer: There was a simple cable that rusted and snapped from the "clutch" assembly.  I put clutch in quotes because this just starts the blade.
You cannot really just replace the metal cable because it is closed on both ends and has a mechanism on one side that it needs to be outside of...  So a $3 fix turned to $27 because I had to buy the whole assembly.  I did try to put my own metal chord and cap (and I was 98% sure it wouldn't work but it was free because I had the stuff) and the tension snapped the cap off like a twig.
This seems to be a very very common problem because for my model at a local sears parts center they only had 5-6 parts in stock and about 10 of the clutch assembly... So their design flaw is their profit.
The fix was simple.  Take out the gas tank (2 screws), take out the assembly that moves the blade into gear (4 screws next to steering wheel), put the top part into the matching parts of the blade gear assembly, and then route it through one hole and then put the spring on the bolt and clip it.  Always good to take a pictures but this was a pretty easy fix.
Answer: You visit http://www.searspartsdirect.com/partsdirect/index.action and type in your model number.  You select the schematic that contains your broken part and order a new one.  While viewing the schematic, you could be able to decide if you're capable of doing the repair.
I'm assuming since you're considering the fix, that you have access to a variety of tools and not just a simple, 20 piece, car-trunk variety socket and ratchet set.  You could possibly need torx sockets, allen head sockets, large 1/2 inch drive sockets... its hard to say for sure.
Comment: Your question "What is this called" can be answered by a list of parts on partsdirect.  "can I fix it myself?" How can anyone know that?  "How do I fix it?", we don't even know what it is.  Moreover, this is more of a mechanical question than a gardening question.  If this sort of question is allowed, I should ask what the broken do-hickey on my craftsman snowblower is.  My advice is sound to anyone looking to fix their mower.  It shouldn't be down voted.
Comment: Thanks for your help Randy but even with limited repair skills I already did everything in your answer - which doesn't answer any of my questions.
Comment: I thought I gave a pretty good description of what it is - if you don't know what it is then ask me a question to help figure it out.  I think a person who works on riding lawn mowers would probably understand what this part is.
Comment: I work on mowers.  I fix lots of small engines including mowers, atvs, whatever.  I'm the go-to guy on http://forums.atvconnection.com/ for suzuki quadsport engines and have over 5000 posts there.  That said, there are 1000s of different craftsman mowers in existence and there is simply no way to identify "something below that is snapped in half" from such little info.  You said you viewed the schematics, then you should know the name of the thing which is broken in half.


Copy location keyframe of an object to a specific bone

Question: Basically the title, I have a cube that has several location key frames, and I need it on an unconnected bone that is part of a bigger armature. I tried using the action editor to do this by applying the cube animation onto the armature, but that just applies the animation to the entire armature, I don't know how I can specify a specific bone.
Answer: Well, just after I posted this I figured it out. Turns out you can just Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V all of the keyframes, the trick is to set a single keyframe first on the object/bone you want to paste the animation into, and then Ctrl-V inside the F-Curve editor.
Comment: Can you help me ? If I do this my bone position will be animating to the wring position after keyframe paste.


Copying part of an object in Illustrator

Question: Is there a way to copy a part of an object in illustrator?
I do not know the technical name of the effect I need to do, so I have to describe it. I need to do the effect where you have an image and then you have a square on the image and a couple lines connecting to a zoomed in shot of that square (if there is a name for this effect, that would be helpful too, since I can;t serach for it otherwise).
I have the larger image, but I cannot figure out any way to select a region, copy just that part, and be able to edit it (add features, adjust scale, etc.) to make the detailed view. I cannot find any way to cut up an image at all, in fact. Obviously artboards are not the way to go, since I am trying to make a compound image, not merely restrict the output when I go to JPEG format at the end. How do you do this?
Answer: If I understand your question correctly:

Take the source layer and make a copy of it.
Take the copy and add a mask to it.  This is done from the transparency window.  Doing this will make it disappear temporarily.
From the transparency window, you will click on the "mask".  Now you're in a different set of layers.
Create a white square over the copied layer (where the image was earlier).
Changing the size of the square (the mask) will alter what's viewed.  Clicking back on the thumbnail of the image will take you to the regular layer mode
On the transparency window you will see a chain link, unclick this.  Now you can move/resize the copied layer inside of the mask.
Next, draw lines from the corners to the parts of the image you intend to designate "zoomed in"


finding the functional square root of an even function

Question: This question was asked earlier Question about proving existence of a function $f$ such that $f \circ f = g$ for an odd function $g$ about the functional square root to an odd function. Now consider an even function $g:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow \mathbb{R}$ where $g(x)>0$ for all $x\in\mathbb{R}$. Does there exist a functional square root $f$ such that $f\circ f=g$? Consider $g(x)=1$ then $f=g$ is a solution. But I suspect in general it does not exist, but I can't seem to reason why.
Comment: I was a bit surprised to see the earlier question. On the whole, we do not expect a functional square root of any function to be defined on the whole line; both local extrema and fixpoints cause trouble. A rare exception is $e^x,$  Helmuth Kneser constructed the thing
Comment: @WillJagy Thanks, that's interesting. I still desire a proof of a counter example. Also I don't require continuity of the functional square root.
Answer: Consider this even and strictly-positive function $g$:
$$g(x) = \begin{cases}
2&|x|<1.5\\
1 & |x| \ge 1.5
\end{cases}$$
And assume there exists some $f: \mathbb R\to \mathbb R$, $f(f(x)) = g(x)$ for all $x\in\mathbb R$.
Let $a = f(1)$, then
$$f:1\mapsto a \mapsto 2 \mapsto g(a) \mapsto 1.$$
If $|a| < 1.5$ and $g(a) = 2$, then $f(2)$ is simultaneously equal to both $2$ and $1$.
If $|a| \ge 1.5$ and $g(a) = 1$, then $f(1)$ is simultaneously equal to both $a$ and $1$.
Both cases lead to contradiction, so there is no such $f$ for the function $g$.


How many dpi raster text needs to be indistinguishable from vector text

Question: I came across the following question: If I print text that was rasterized with a certain amount of dpi, how much dpi would be necessary such that the printed rasterized text would be indistinguishable from printed vector text? Is this even possible? I assume the answer depends on the font size and on what printer is used?
Comment: Here's a head scratcher... **everything** printed is raster. Everything. There's no such thing as a vector print. It **all** travels through a *Raster Image Processor* (RIP) which rasterizes everything vector or otherwise.
Answer: Nice question, and it is deeper than you think. But let me be more specific about the units.
Simple answer
The resolution in PPI should be the same as the printer's DPI. Yes, they are different units. One is for the image, the other is for the printer.
But the trick is that the file should be 1 bit.

A More complex answer
When you have a grayscale image (for example 8bits), and not a 1-bit one now you need to use the dots of the printer to simulate gray tones. So the pixels can be bigger. This is proportional to the gray levels you expect.
Here is an image in Spanish but where you can see the correlation between the 3 units. PPI LPI and DPI.
I am simulating one printer with

1200 DPI and expecting only 64 (8x8) levels of gray.
So the LPI I would get is 150 LPI
And assuming I would use a 0° screening (which is not correct, only for explanation purposes) I would need a file of 150PPI

One typical resolution for plates for commercial print can have 2400 dpi or more.
Normally these dots are used to output grays for 8-bit images or 256 levels of gray.
To achieve this you can have a grid of 16x16 (16x16=256) so that 2400 DPI are now divided by 16 = 150. This 150 is a new unit called LPI.
A higher-quality print can have 3200 DPI or 200 LPI (3200/200=16)
This process is rasterization done by the prepress where your grayscale image is transformed into a 1-bit image done by the RIP.
(The conversion are not exact, because we normally rotate the angles depending on the color. Using a 0° is to simplify the transformations)

One different approach can be if we can really see the difference. Probably we can go with less resolution, for example, 1200 DPI-PPI 1 bit. on a High-quality printer.
But on a normal office laser printer, where the maximum resolution is around 600PPI the 1-bit image can be just 600PPI 1 bit.
Comment: This jibes pretty well with the basic rule of thumb back when I first learned some of the basics (read: shop class), we still had optical equipment for typesetting but also some low-budget computerized equipment as well, and we pasted up things from various output sources to make the plates. When talking about resolution the "rule" was: line art 1200-2400dpi; B&W photo 600dpi; color (in theory, we only really went 2-color) 300dpi. I recall 600 being low for fonts when emitting stuff for paste up when compared to getting linotronic output from a real shop.
Comment: But you can not match it because the printee driver is abstracted. The font still matches the actual printers native dot grid better due to smarter engine. But by all means if one wants to act as a RIP processor it is possible.
Answer: It would only depend on the resolution of the printer, not the font size.
Prints are always rasterized, even when using computer to plate technology (CTP), such as that used for offset lithography.  In such cases you're probably looking at print resolutions of about 4,800dpi more or less. For home or office laser/inkjet printers that's likely much lower, say around 1200dpi or perhaps less.
Also as @Rafael has already said, needs to be a 1bit image.


When is mechanical energy ever conserved for inelastic collisions?

Question: So as I was taking a test today I encountered an intriguing question, the question came in two parts. The first parts, which I answered quite easily, was about whether or not mechanical energy is conserved in an inelastic collision if the system, consisting of two objects, is closed and isolated on earth. I knew that it was not conserved since some heat is produced following the perfectly inelastic collision of the two objects. However, the second part of the question is what left me uncertain. The second part of the question asked whether or not mechanical energy is conserved if the system is earth and the two objects colliding perfectly inelastically afterwards. I was uncertain of the definition of the term mechanical energy.
Comment: I don't understand your penultimate sentence.  Can you clarify what you mean by "the system is Earth and the two objects".    Are the two objects hitting the ground, or ... ??.    Mechanical energy is kinetic energy and potential energy.  It excludes thermal energy, radiant energy, acoustic energy, etc.
Comment: If I have 2 blocks and a 'perfect-massless' spring: they can collide, compress the spring, lock it, and the collision is inelastic. Yet my imaginary spring has dissipated no energy-it's stored (mechanically) in the spring.
Comment: [link](https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/linear-momentum/elastic-and-inelastic-collisions/a/what-are-elastic-and-inelastic-collisions) see if this helps. :)
Comment: @JEB The act of  locking requires either  external energy or the taking of energy from the objects, so it is not elastic.
Comment: @garyp the scenario is like this, two blocks are sliding on a frictionless ground on earth, they collide and stick together. I am really asking that does the settings of the system change the fact of whether or not mechanical energy is conserved or not.
Answer: Like in this https://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics/linear-momentum/elastic-and-inelastic-collisions/a/what-are-elastic-and-inelastic-collisions, in an inelasatic collision,the particles do not regain their shape and size completely after collision .Some fraction of the mechanical energy is retained by the colliding particles in the form of deformation potential energy.Thus,Kinetic energy of the particles no longer remains conserved anf gets converted into something else which is usually heat.However in absence of external forces,law of conservation of linear momentum still holds good.
Collisions are said to be perfectly elastic if the particles stick together and move with same velocity.Momentum is of course conserved here but maximum kinetic energy is lost in this case.
Like for example take a bullet getting stuck on  a block hanging on a spring.When the bullet hits the block then  the bullet and block would become hot. This is still a form of kinetic energy in reality, but it's now the random jiggling of molecules. This is not considered mechanical energy since it is not easily used for mechanical purposes.
Comment: Thanks for the effort! I understand that the objects do not retain their original shapes after an inelastic collision, however, this is not what I am asking. I am asking whether or not mechanical energy is conserved if the setting of the system changes.
Answer: The loss of mechanical energy is not dependent on the setting.
Total energy is conserved in collisions. In elastic collisions the combined KE of the colliding objects remains unchanged by the collision. In an inelastic collision some of the kinetic energy of the colliding objects is converted into other forms of energy, such as sound and heat, so the KE is reduced.
The sound and heat energy is not classed as mechanical energy, because it is effectively dissipated and can no longer be used to do work.
Answer: Typically, mechanical energy refers to kinetic energy of interacting bodies and does not include the internal energy of the bodies. This comes from the physics mechanics definition of work as a force acting through a distance to produce a change in kinetic energy. Point particles have no internal energy and rigid bodies have constant internal energy (no "heating" effects).  For an inelastic collision between non-rigid bodies the internal energy of the bodies can change and mechanical (total kinetic) energy is not conserved. Bottom line: for inelastic collisions mechanical energy is not conserved because of changes in internal energy.
Thermodynamics defines work as "energy that crosses the boundary between a system and its surroundings without transfer of mass due to an intensive property difference other than temperature".  Heat is "energy that crosses the boundary between a system and its surroundings without transfer of mass solely due to a difference in temperature".  This broader definition of work includes forms other than mechanical work, such as electrical current crossing a boundary.
In general, to evaluate interactions where internal energy is not constant the first law is needed.  For example, the first law is needed to evaluate the change in internal energy of a non-rigid body slipping under friction that "heats up" (increases internal energy) and transfers heat to the surroundings.
Answer:
I was uncertain of the definition of the term mechanical energy.

The mechanical energy is defined as the sum of both the kinetic and potential energy of a system.

The second part of the question asked whether or not mechanical energy is conserved if the system is earth and the two objects colliding perfectly inelastically afterwards.

As you correctly pointed out, after the inelastic collision the kinetic energy transformed into heat energy. If you regard your system as being the Earth and the two colliding objects (which are stuck), there is no energy crossing the system boundary. This means that the energy of the system is conserved.
However, the mechanical energy is not conserved due to the fact that the kinetic energy is not the same before and after the collision. This fact implies that mechanical energy is not the same before and after the collision (I am working with 1D collisions so that potential energy is zero before and after the collision).
Note that KE transformed into heat energy, which is not included into the mechanical energy definition.


How do you put full stacks of items in creative mode?

Question: In this video, he takes a single ender pearl and creates full stacks from it, what's the keyboard command to do this?
Comment: I see you are a Hermitcraft viewer as well.
Answer: Middle-click (depress the mouse wheel) on an item in inventory/container in creative mode to pick a full stack of that item.
Dragging over inventory slots with the wheel depressed puts full stacks of the held item in the slots dragged over, like in the linked video. (dragging with RMB places single items, and with LMB - splits the stack held evenly between the slots)
Additionally, middle-clicking while looking at a block placed in the world, puts a copy of it in a hotbar slot in creative mode, and moves a stack from inventory to current hotbar slot in survival mode (if you have any).
Answer: Shift + Click. This will "select" a full stack of the item you click on.

In the survival inventory tab of the creative inventory, Shift + clicking the X clears the whole inventory. In any other tab, shift + clicking an item puts a stack onto the hotbar

Source
Comment: This will only pick a stack if the stack was there in the first place. If it was a single item, it will remain a single item.


SPSS CHAID/CRT Query

Question: Hello I am using SPSS trees - CART functionality for classification. I have a number of classifying variables such as Business_Size, Location, Previous_Record etc. I want to know how do I set configuration so that a particular classification variable is used at only one level of the tree. E.g say at the first level the records were classified using Location then at no subsequent level of the tree, Location should be used. Currently, at the first level sub-trees are getting formed based on location, then on the next level sub-trees are getting formed using Business_Size but on the next level again Location variable is getting used for further classification. Any help on this would be appreciated. My colleague told me that in SAS such a setting is possible. I do not have SAS. So want to know how it can be done in SPSS.
Answer: It is possible with SPSS AnswerTree but I believe this program isn't sold anymore. It had a million times more functionality than the current TREE command so that's kinda strange.
In SPSS Statistics there's Analyze => Classify => Tree which generates the TREE command. This does not have the possibility to "manually" build the tree. Which IMHO renders it completely worthless if it wasn't so already.
Please be aware of the highly subjective nature of such analyses. If your colleague is convinced that different variables should be forced into the tree you may end up in a long but fruitless discussion.
Comment: Hello, thanks for your reply. I hope I got what you are saying. I do not want to build the tree manually. I need algorithm to consider a particular variable only once. So if var A has been used to split the records at the first level then var A should not be used in any of the subsequent sub-trees. Essentially I am trying to show graphically, which variables are more significant in splitting the records.
Comment: Yes, if `var_A` comes up a second/third time, you manually choose a different variable for the split. This discussion kinda moved [here](http://spssx-discussion.1045642.n5.nabble.com/What-happened-to-SPSS-AnswerTree-td5726236.html#a5726238) too.

SPSS CHAID/CRT Query


Fantasy book from the 1980s or 1990s about the rise and fall of empires

Question: I'm trying to remember the name of a series of books I read during the late 90s.  I believed the details of the story were that it spanned hundreds of years and followed the rise and fall of empires that were in part Middle Eastern influenced.  Also I think some of the characters were particularly long lived.  Anyone have any thoughts or possible suggestions?
Comment: rojomoke was able to answer my question.  Thanks.
Answer: This could be Glen Cook's "Dread Empire" series, where two immortals play a very long-term game with the peoples of the world, subtly influencing them in various ways to score points off each other.  One of them causes a desert nomad to become a fanatical Prophet, sparking a whole new militant religion obviously based on Islam.
Comment: Yes, that's it!  I remember now I had just finish reading some of the Black Company and picked up the Dread Empire books because I became a fan of Glen Cook.  Thanks so much!  This has been bugging me for weeks.  You're awesome!
Comment: You're welcome.  Feel free to click on the tick symbol to "accept" my answer.


Hot end temperature varies during print

Question: If I set temperature say 220 °C, printer heats up to it and it only varies +/- 0.5 °C under non operating condition. But if I start a print, there's a shift of +/- 15 °C.
I've already auto tuned PID parameters and when I run M503, the printer shows the updated PID values.

What could be the reason?
Electronics details:

Firmware used:  Marlin
Controller board: Printrboard rev D
Comment: The bed target is `off`, please explain why the bed temperature increased? E.g. did you shut of the bed prior to making the screenshot?
Comment: Hello Athul, I noticed your question has been up for a while now. Have any of the answers below been able to solve your question? If so, would you mind accepting the appropriate answer. If not, what is missing so that we may help you further? Also, if you have figured it out on your own, you can always answer and accept your own solution. Thank you!
Comment: @0scar I have replaced the Heater block, cartridge and Thermistor. I don't know which one of these solved the issue, that's why I haven't updated it as an answer
Comment: what program did you use to get this charting?
Comment: @user25313 OctoPrint
Answer: There could be a number of reasons for that behaviour:
Please check following items:

part blower/fan cools down the nozzle - stop the fan
material is extruded at high speed and takes the heat
loose thermistor (when the move occurs as it moves a bit internally)
the power supply unit voltage varies - so temperature reading varies as well - measure voltage and see if there are significant drops
nozzle heater and thermistor cables can be loose as well (check screw terminals)
bed heater connection cables having not a good connection (check screw terminals)
Comment: I am not using any fan to cool the nozzle.Fan which came with the extruder cools the metal part which holds the nozzle.This is my extruder [link](https://www.robotdigg.com/product/243/MK7-Dual-Stepextruder). Also the heating coil and Thermistor is fastened to the nozzle using grub screws. Thing that confuses me is that, sometimes the hot end temperature stays constant during print (+/- 0.5), but most times it varies drastically.
Comment: Could be the issue of power supply. May be it can't supply enough current to motors and heating coil at the same time.But It's a 30A supply. I was thinking about checking it. Also the power supply s powered  by an Inverter.
Comment: The point is that it could be broken wire (heater or thermistor) so it is not clear to see it. I'm case I replaced heater and got stable temperature
Answer: Dropping hot end temperatures can be caused by the filament cooler blowing too much cold air onto the nozzle, or a too high of a print speed so that the nozzle is cooled by the filament (in combination with a heating element that cannot heat that fast to compensate).
To rule out the PSU you could try measuring the voltage of the PSU before and after powering the heat bed, if it drops dramatically when the heat bed starts change the PSU.
Comment: Yours is more complete! But usually it is one of these.
Comment: nice timing Sir :)
Answer: My problem was like yours and after several test I found bad PID tunning in heated bed disturb hotend temperature process.
Before heated bed PID tunning:

When I fixed PID values for heated bed everything works like a charm :)
Answer: Can you also show a "power output" graph (or something like that, which show PWD duty cycle output to the hot end)?
Have you noted any relation between temperature raise and fall and the printing position?
Looking at graph I can only suggest the heating is suddenly stops and then the same sudden resumes.
It looks like you have a loose wire connection to the heater. When head is starting to move, it makes disturbance for the wiring, so heater occasionally stops to work.
There are usual two weak points: first it is where cable is connected to the board. Check is connector heated? Are any noises/sparks from there?
Another part: it is just at the point where wires going into the hot end. If wires are not secured to the printing head, then during printing those place experiences a lot of bending, which makes it weaker over the time.
Answer: Hello I have had the same issue, fluctuating thermistor temperature, all of them. Discarding the board, and accessories setup (loose the heater, thermistor and so on) the problem was on the PSU. When I have opened the PSU and touched gently all the parts  then closed again and connected it to the printer: temperature readings were stable egain, however just for a time.
Fluctuations of temperature due to heating have in general low frequencies due to the heat transport phenomena in material such as plastic and metals especially if the amount of metal material is of the order of 100 grams.
Changes over the time with supplied power of about 500 watt over 100 grams of metal and plastic flow of a fewer grams per minute, seldom, cant cause temporal fluctuations  in frequencies of the order of electrical fluctuations. It's possible but not in 3D printing case.

Hot end temperature varies during print


What forces to consider on a tracked vehicle?

Question: I'm aware that when calculating the power necessary to move a wheeled vehicle I should consider the rolling resistance, gradient resistance, air resistance and if it's a stopped vehicle the acceleration resistance, but what changes when dealing with tracked vehicles (see beloc)?

If I'm not wrong the equation for wheeled vehicles  goes like this (not taking into account a resting body accelerating):
$$
P = (c_r.m.a_g + m.a_g.sin(\alpha) + \frac{c_d.\rho.v^2.A}{2}).v
$$
where:
$c_r$ is the rolling coefficient; $m$ is the mass of the body; $a_g$ is the acceleration of gravity; $sin(\alpha)$ is the inclination; $c_d$ is the drag coefficient; $\rho$ is the density of the fluid; $v$ is the vehicles velocity; $A$ is the frontal area of the vehicle. (The friction coefficient of the gradient equation is omitted as the body has wheels so the rolling coefficient is taken into account)
Comment: Mass of the track? There are books about track technology.
Comment: Well, book recommendatins are always welcome, since I don't have a clue about this subject.
Comment: Don't have a specific one to hand but now you can find one...
Answer: As many as you want.
Look into NATO mobility model.


Tear subString from within HTML tags with JAVA

Question: let say i have a string like this "neverMindWhat is upneverMind" and I want to take out the What is up using regexp with JAVA. Someone told me that using matcher will be the best. Can anyone show me how to do it using Matcher?
Other solutions are welcome too!
Thanks!
Comment: sorry, the "What is up" is surrounded with the bold tags which is not shown in the question ("","")
Comment: Select that block of text and click the `101 010` button.
Comment: How did you try to solve the problem? Are you asking for ready solution or have tried and haven't succeeded? And why you didn't ask the "someone" who told you that using matcher is the best?
Answer: If your string is simple like this all the time, you could use the java Pattern indeed. But if your strings get more complicated and you want to extract contents from nested structures, you should really use a HTML parser.
For choosing the right parser look at this question: Which HTML parser is best.
If you stay with patterns, your regex will look like this:
Pattern pattern = Pattern.compile( "(.*?)" );
Matcher m = pattern.matcher( "neverMindWhat is upneverMind" );
if( m.find() ) {
    String theStringYouAreLookingFor = m.group( 1 );
}

Answer: If you want it without matcher
        String a="neverMindWhat is upneverMind";
    int index1=a.indexOf(">");
    int index2=a.indexOf("");
    String finalString=a.substring(index1+1, index2);
    System.out.println(finalString);