What are the ethical consequences of a citizen self reporting society?

Question: I read this article about police asking people to tweet pictures of parking violations so that they can accrue fines. Extending the abilities of the policing agents of society through tips by individuals has long been a major part of most societies. However in the past it has been abused the prime example I can think of is communist nation where one never knew if ones neighbors were working for the secret police. What are the ethical and social consequences of a society in which anyone can be a "nark"? What happens when certain citizens are ignored in favor of others? How does this affect the social-contract?
Comment: What's made this question interesting or important to you? What hypotheses have you formed? What has your research uncovered so far?
Comment: @JosephWeissman haha I might get in trouble if I answer those questions because such seems to be the se culture. My hypotheses is that it that bonds form between the rich narks and the lower class police/moderators resulting in unjust implementation of rules and a bully culture of ins and outs like the KGB in Russia. Where governance seems to be an alliance between elements of the lower class tasked with policing and upper class which nark with priority rather than the continuation of civil liberties. The idea being if society complains enough they can kill anyone however unjust it may be.
Comment: Worked well in East Germany. Don't like your neighbor's rose bushes? Report him to the Stasi for having subversive thoughts. Problem solved. Until your other neighbor decides he doesn't like your cat. What do YOU think happens to society? Your question indicates that you already know.
Comment: @user4894 ok you caught me...i admit it...i'm poking fun at the se
Answer: This question ties to another debate on status of citizens journalism and journalist in the emerging new media ecology. While the advantages are many, when citizens take on first hand reporting, I think less attention is paid to the risks involved in citizens reporting. One assumption that runs through this discourse on citizens journalist is that, citizens or 'common people'  can represent the genuine voice of the people. What is ignored is that citizens can be just as motivated as elites to misrepresent social issues. Apart from the psychological trappings of motivated cognition, citizens can seek to resolve their local/personal conflicts through distorted forms of communication. Citizens operating in a social force field ripe with conflicts over space, time, resources etc,are just as liable for biases-conscious as well as unconscious as the members of the establishment. I sense a populist bent when scholars talk about empowering citizens through community media or citizens journalism, without subjecting them to standards that we use to judge mainstream media. The case with police requesting citizens support in providing leads for violations/crimes,is a case fraught with similar risks.
Answer: Haven't we already? Wasn't that a purpose of the Patriot Act?
Comment: haha no oh me no


Why do users misunderstand the recycle bin as archive?

Question: Today I faced yet another user misusing the application's recycle bin as archive. When I offered him to empty it he went angry because he "always did so" and didn't want to lose his mails. The first time this happened to me it was a Windows user with the Windows Recycle Bin, now it is a Thunderbird user with Thunderbirds Recycle Bin. Both users are long-time computer users, but without computer knowledge. Both have studied and are mature (the current one is a 60 years old man). This case happened to me quite rarely, but it makes me wonder anyway:
Is this a more common problem?
What makes people assume that recycle bins are archives? Is there something wrong with the approach to store files before deletion in a thing called "Recycle Bin"? Are there better solutions to delete objects, but have a chance to restore them?
Comment: I think this also has something to do with 'real life' waste: once you throw something into a bin, it's still there until it has been completely emptied.
Comment: I once saw someone use Window's Recycle Bin as a temporary folder for moving files into and from there to where he wanted them. Of course, it was pointless telling him that the files he puts in there can automatically get deleted if they pass a certain size threshold. I think that some people, no matter how clear a UX is to others, will completely misuse it because they are used to doing things wrong based on wrong assumptions that are built on doing other things wrong based on wrong assumptions and so on...
Answer: My understanding was that Google conceived of the trash as a form of archive from the very beginning. As storage space grew people took it for granted that their emails would remain. Furthermore there have been numerous articles over the years that promoted the use of archiving over deleting emails.

The act of archiving an email in Gmail is taking it and placing it in a folder where it will continue to exist but will no longer be cluttering your inbox. The best part about this is that it will still be accessible in the future if needed. Gmail handles this task fantastically as it allows users to quickly and easily archive their emails.
Why you should archive your emails
Now imagine some amount of time in which you would have never needed to look back at that conversation or retrieve information from those emails but for some reason, now you do. If you deleted the email thread, you wouldn't be able to look back ...
https://www.androidcentral.com/difference-between-archiving-and-deleting-gmail
8 Sep 2014

Privacy nerds pointed out the issues with storing emails indefinitely, but those concerns were overshadowed by the convenience of always being able to retrieve old emails.
Comment: Perhaps I'm too cynical, but I always assumed Gmail encouraged archive over delete so they could continue to mine the data for advertising.
Answer: Wherever people are using trash option they assumed that the deleted files are still there and they have the option to restore their files like in So this is very common practice to use trash as a archive specially in online services like "google drive", "One drive" etc.
I agree that this is wrong perspective but this is how people take it . because mostly services don't push them to delete the files they only intimate that your storage are low please manage your files etc.
but if you want to forcefully delete the files you have to introduce the both "Trash" and "Archive" feature separately so you can easily tackle the situation according to your needs.
Answer: I think this is one of those things where the mental model of a user doesn't align with what designers intended. People associate the trash bin with a tool that stores something until further notice, rather than an instant delete button. Typically, this is caused by the fact that the use of a bin and a delete button are used interchangeably everywhere.
Comment: So are most people not aware that the "bin"s have a maximum size or in some more recent implementations a maximum age and when these maximums are reached things in there will be lost?
Comment: I'd say there are definitely users out there who see the trash bin as a storage unit. My parents are one of those haha. Doesn't matter if you tell them what it is meant for, they are used to using it in a way and it worked up until then.
Comment: Have you tried telling them not to eat out of the trash? :-)
Comment: Hehe. I think the issue started when they figured that things put into the trash bin (on the computer, mind you :-)), where still there months later. They now kind of use it as some weird archive that is sometimes fully cleared, or sometimes just 'moderated'. I haven't caught them eating out of the trash yet, but who knows what they do when I'm not there ;-)
Answer: It's pointing to the fact that in a world of almost infinite online capacity, it makes little sense for users to even think about whether they want to keep something or not.
What they want is a 'done' button for emails which will move them to an existing archive folder.
As creating folders takes a little bit of effort, these users have just repurposed the existing "delete / recycle bin".
Answer: I've had experience of this, but it was more to do with the icons being horribly similar than people misunderstanding what a recycle bin does. This was on the Outlook App for android.
The bin is the one on the left of the set of three icons, the archive is the one in the middle with the small 'handle cutout'. I was happily sending all the emails I wanted deleting to an archive :-)
Answer: Thank you all for your answers and attempts to find the reason. In the meantime I could ask the user himself to get a first-hand answer and like to share it with you.
He has a clean inbox strategy and deletes e-mails with junk or currently no topical assignment regularly. His mental model of Thunderbird's trash is that of a recycle bin in a medium-term meaning: deleted e-mails are kept for recycling for some years until he deletes them eventually.
On the other hand my notion of the recycle bin was that of a trash can: a container to hold e-mails which will be deleted for sure after a short time. This difference was the reason why I could not understand his behavior (a nice example of "You are not the user.")
This user realized that the current strategy didn't allow him to differ between e-mails for possible later recycling and real junk, so his trash folder became really big (which caused periodic Thunderbird freezes). I could help him out by showing him Thunderbirds archive feature which sorts e-mails into one folder per year by one single mouse-click, next to the button to move real junk to the trash folder.


Why is there no regularity condition in case 1 of the master theorem?

Question: In case 3 of the master theorem, which is applicable when most of the work is being done at the top node (roughly speaking), we also need a regularity condition that the work done at the topmost level is greater than that at the bottom levels, in addition to it being greater than work being done at last level. However, in case 1, which is applicable when most of the work is being done at the last level, we assume that it will be greater than all the previous levels. Why is that? Shouldn't there be a regularity condition for case 1 also?
Comment: Note that it's "the master theorem". It's not named after some guy called Professor Master. Also, please state explicitly what version of the theorem you're using. Different people write the theorem different ways and your "case 3" could easily be somebody else's "case b".
Comment: Questions of the form, "why is additional requirement X needed for proving Y?" are not always fruitful. The answer may just be, "because we couldn't make the proof work without it". There may be other proofs.
Comment: @Raphael My answer addresses all these points.
Answer: You are asking why the regularity condition is absent in case 1. What you should be asking instead is why the regularity condition is present in case 3. Let's start with the latter question.
Consider the recursion
$$
T(n) = T(n/2) + f(n), \text{ where } f(n)=n^{1 + (\log_2 n \bmod 2)}.
$$
For simplicity I define the function $f$ only for powers of 2, and it is given by $f(2^{2k}) = 2^{2k}$, $f(2^{2k+1}) = 2^{4k+2}$. You can check that $T(n) = \Theta(n^2)$, and so it is not the case that $T(n) = \Theta(f(n))$ (since for $n = 2^k$, $f(n) = n$).
This shows that some regularity condition is indeed necessary in case 3. The proof shows that this particular regularity condition suffices for the conclusion $T(n) = \Theta(f(n))$ to hold.
In case 1, in contrast, the proof works for every function $f(n)$ satisfying the condition $f(n) = O(n^c)$, where $c$ is strictly smaller than the critical exponent. You can try to concoct an example like the one above, but you will necessary fail, since the master theorem states that the condition $f(n) = O(n^c)$ suffices for the conclusion $T(n) = \Theta(n^{c_{crit}})$ to hold.
You can still ask whether there is some deeper reason that the regularity condition is needed in case 3 but not in case 1. I think that the example above is very suggestive: the reason is that in case 3 the answer involves $f(n)$, whereas in case 1 it doesn't. Therefore if $f(n)$ is not well-behaved then it could show up in case 3, but is irrelevant for case 1.


Term for the period between planet alignments?

Question: Is there an established astronomical term for the period of time between alignments of pairs of planets?  For example, Mars, Earth, and the Sun roughly align ever 780 Earth days.  In my writing, I've variously call this period the 'alignment cycle' or 'conjunction cycle' or 'opposition cycle', but I'd like to know if there's a correct term for this.
Answer: The time between oppositions of Mars (or another planet) is called its synodic period. That is the length of time it takes for Mars to be in the same position in Earth's sky relative to the sun, and is about 780 days.
It contrasts with the sidereal period, which is the length of time the planet takes to orbit the sun.
There isn't a fixed number of days between conjunctions, so I don't think this has a name.
Comment: I think this is a close to a proper term as you can get, but I feel it should be pointed out that the term "synodic period" is not specific to conjunction alignments. You could consider any alignment and the time to cycle back to that alignment would be a synodic period.


How can I calculate the speed at which a gas flows from one volume to another?

Question: Suppose that there are two rigid Volumes A and B. Each of these contains a gas with know properties (pressure, temperature, number of moles, volume, composition). Suppose also that there is a pipe with a valve that connects the two Volumes.
How can I calculate the speed at which gas goes from one volume to the other. Using the ideal gas laws, I can calculate the final properties of the gases in each volume, but that isn't what I'm looking for.
I'd imagine that the rate of flow is dependent on the difference of pressure in the two volumes or the ratio of pressure; in real life, when a high pressure volume is punctured, gases flow out of it quickly, and when a volume at room temperature is punctured, the gases flow out of it more slowly.
Answer: The key to making this calculations is to get the pressure-drop-flow-rate relationship for the piping system between the two tanks.  The form of the Bernoulli equation based purely on the Euler equation (alluded to by AtmosphericPrisonEscapade) is inadequate for this purpose because it neglects the typically dominant effects of viscous friction in piping, valves, and fittings.  However, a methodology for including this within the general framework of the Bernoulli equation does exist.  This approach is discussed in detail in Transport Phenomena by Bird, Stewart, and Lightfoot (as well, of course, in many other books on fluid mechanics).  In straight sections of piping, the behavior is captured by the Darcy-Weisbach friction factor correlation (which includes the effects of turbulence and and pipe roughness), and the resistance of valves and fittings is described by equivalent velocity head loss factors.
If the piping is insulated, the change in enthalpy per unit mass of fluid passing through the piping network is equal to zero.  In the limit of ideal gas behavior, this means that the flow will be isothermal so that the gas viscosity can be considered constant.
If the gas flow rate through the piping system is low enough (and the tanks are insulated and the mass holdup in the piping is negligible compared to the tanks), the gas expansion in the higher pressure tank can be regarded as adiabatic and reversible.  Therefore, for any specified decrease in the mass of gas in the tank, one can determine the temperature and pressure in the tank (both of which will be decreasing as time progresses).  Application of the first law of thermodynamics to the overall system of tanks and piping can then be used to get the temperature and pressure in the lower pressure tank as a function of time.
So, this is all a doable problem.  But, the calculation isn't simple and will probably need to be done numerically.  And, like I said, the starting point for all this is describing the pressure-drop-flow-rate relationship for the piping system.
Answer: The ideal gas law is
$\mathbf{S}T = n\mathbf{R}T = dPV + PdV$
and you want to know, the flow rate of one volume to another? The rate of change of a volume is found from a derivative
$\mathbf{S}\dot{T} = n\mathbf{R}\dot{T} = \dot{P}V + P\dot{V}$
But I feel like you need more information, like heat flow, perhaps a geometric heat flow (Ricci flow). The Ricci flow is the heat equation for a Riemannian manifold. Here is an article on heat flow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_transfer
and if you are interested to see how that translates into four dimensional space and general relativity, follow my own articles:
https://ricciflow.quora.com/Curvature-Flows
https://ricciflow.quora.com/The-Entropy-of-Heat-Flow
Answer: Ah, in my link provided from my blog, I do have an equation which describes the flow in and out of a system which may prove useful:
$\dot{S}_2 - \dot{S}_1 = \dot{Q}(\frac{1}{T_2} - \frac{1}{T_1}) = \frac{\dot{Q}(T_1 - T_2)}{T_1T_2}$
It only applies to classical systems though. We can state the mass remains constant (m=1) and so the variation can be found by differentiating the velocity, I get
$\dot{S}_2 - \dot{S}_1 = 2v\dot{v}(\frac{1}{T_2} - \frac{1}{T_1}) = 2v\frac{\dot{v}(T_1 - T_2)}{T_1T_2}$
And also take into account we can write
$\frac{\dot{S}}{2}(\frac{1}{v_2} - \frac{1}{v_1}) = \dot{v}(\frac{1}{T_2} - \frac{1}{T_1}) = \frac{\dot{v}(T_1 - T_2)}{T_1T_2}$
Answer: The ideal gas equation of state that you've mentioned or the equation of heat transfer provided in the other 2(!) self-advertising answers don't help in this case. Heat transfer only talks about.. well the heat of the fluid, not its bulk movement.
For your problem, you need a variant of the Euler equations, which control the acceleration of fluid or gas flow under the action of forces, like pressure gradients.
Those equations might look scary, but fortunately for your problem, there is a beautiful simplification of the Euler equations, into just one equation, which is the Bernoulli equation. You're interested in the part about compressible flows.
If you're only interested in plugging in some numbers, then you're already there. Otherwise if you're interested in further reading, I can answer some questions.


Can the fee produced by estimatefee be artificially manipulated?

Question: Could a miner who wanted more transaction fees manipulate the fee produced by estimatefee? If so, what percentage of hashpower would it take, and how long would you need it?
Comment: It's an estimator based on the assumed policy of recently mined blocks, that is, if a large miner has a policy that only takes transactions paying 1BTC per kilobyte then the estimation will naturally rise. I'm not what you would class as manipulation in that versus  `estimatefee` working as intended. Most wallets currently pay a flat fee per kilobyte, so I doubt much research has been done into it thus far anyway.
Comment: @Bitcoin What if the miner used his own money pay transaction fees, to pretend that there were more transactions paying 1 BTC than there really are?
Comment: I don't think that would have much effect but I'll look into it. You would have to be pretty determined to do that, if you attempted a sizable amount of "fake" fees in a block someone can just fork yours out and take the fees for themselves.
Answer: No, estimatefee is calculated locally by bitcoind in function of some statistics done on mempool.
Comment: Ok, but those transactions are received from remote nodes, right?
Comment: ye, but not from a single node. A miner can't change your estimatefee behavior.
Comment: Miners can change your estimatefee behavior. For example, they can accept very low fee transactions.
Comment: In your question you are talking about "a miner", and the answer is no, a single miner cannot do this.


What is Cognitively Stimulating in User Experience goal means?

Question: I am an undergraduate from Computer Science major. Recently my lecturer ask his class to study about specific topic in user experience goals before the class next Monday. I read the ppt online and found that one of the user experience goals is cognitively stimulating. My country doesn't use english as primary language, and I have trouble in understanding what is "cognitively stimulating" means. As far as I search, here is what I conclude : "cognitively stimulating means a software / product must stimulate user brain to thinking and remembering". Is there any problems / mistake with my conclusion? Any help will be appreciated, Thanks before.
edit : added screen shot
Comment: Could you provide a screenshot of that ppt slide?
Comment: edited @MarkBubel
Comment: I think it doesn't make much sense. Cognitive stimulation in Pyschology is a therapy for people with Alzheimer or senile dementia. In terms of pure semiologic meaning, almost anything (good or bad) could be cognitively stimulating. For example, the process of affordance discovery is a cognitive stimulation. If someone jumps to you with a knife in a dark alley, you'll have a hell of a cognitive stimulation as well. So it could mean extremely different things (ambiguity anyone?), but I assume your lecturer means the first option (the affordance example)
Comment: In day to day language it means -  'mentally stimulating'
Answer: Cognition is involved in how we perceive information (visual, auditory, touch), process it, and make decisions based on it how to act.
It involves attention, working memory, long-term memory, decision making etc. So if you use your long-term memory to recall some memory your cognition is stimulated.
Generally, persons cognition is always stimulated because you always use your attention and working memory. If your cognition is not stimulated you cannot experience anything. Your cognition creates the experience.
So your objective is ambigious, and you should ask to specify what kind of cognitive stimulation they mean?


Volkswagen Polo 2009 bluetooth problem

Question: I have a Volkswagen Polo from 2009 with some electronics I think are upgraded through the time. The display which shows the media radio and stuff also shows
an option for phone, phone messages, and calls. Also in its setup there is an option for enabling bluetooth, but when I want to choose that option from my media panel I cannot because it is greyed out. Does this mean that I don't
have bluetooth in my car but it is just there as an option in the menu? Also, does anyone know where the AUX could be as I cannot find the port for it inside the car, it is very confusing.
Comment: Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair!
Answer: Based on my experience with my 2009 Skoda Octavia and its Bolero head unit (different model but probably only cosmetic differences), as best I remember the Bluetooth option remains visible but greyed out in the entertainment system setup menu even if the car is not fitted with a Bluetooth module and the functions cannot be accessed. Pressing the hardware Phone button when no module is installed just muted the radio in that case.
You really need to determine if a module is actually fitted.
One method would be to find out where it should be located and see if it is actually where it should be. They are separate from the rest of the entertainment system and they are quite bulky and often located in a polystyrene housing when fitted in the OEM position (see image below). Although this isn't fool-proof as it is common for them to be located in the wrong place if retro-fitted as a DIY upgrade. For example, when I fitted my module myself I ended up placing it behind the glovebox rather than under the passenger seat where the factory would have fitted it as there was (only slightly) less pulling the car interior apart to route cabling.

Additionally, if the module is physically there and wired in then it also needs to be enabled in the car's CAN bus controller or the car will not know to look for it. You will need a garage or someone friendly with a tool like VCDS that can check this for you but it is quite simple to check.
Last thing to add, again from experience, there are many subtle variations of these modules available and they are not all fully compatible so if it has been fitted as a retro-fit with a slightly wrong version then it might be possible that the module is there, wired up and enabled in the CAN bus but you are not able to use it because you cannot pair your phone. A little story to illustrate - when I did my upgrade I initially bought a better featured module that I didn't realise needed the car to have a Maxi-Dot dash-pod display and multi-function steering wheel in order to pair with a phone, neither of which my car had. Fortunately I was able to plug it into a friends car to do the pairing and it worked fine when the module was moved back in my car afterwards, up until I upgraded my phone. My friend had sold his car so I ended up having to replace the module with an effective downgrade in order to pair my new phone.
Hope this helps. Can't help with the Aux jack location for a Polo though I am afraid!
Answer: From this video, it looks like the AUX port may be in the recession in front of the gear selector.  That video also shows how to enable the use of the AUX input feature.
I don't know the answer to your Bluetooth question.  There is a chance that it can be enabled using the same technique he uses to enable the AUX feature.

Volkswagen Polo 2009 bluetooth problem


VIM vs NEOVIM vs SpaceVIM

Question: I am giving Vim a go using WSL. But should I go for Vim or NeoVim or SpaceVim? What are the differences in these, are there any other such variants, and which one should I choose as a starting point?
Comment: I think you are being downvoted because you should be able to get a lot of information and answers to your question by simply searching. Search for Vim vs neovim will give plenty, and the homepage of SpaceVim should give an explanation of what it is. Your question is too broad to get good answers. Instead, after searching and trying to learn, come back and ask more specific questions.
Comment: I've closed the question because it contains several questions. Some of them are also opinion-based (« should I go for … », « which one should I choose »). See the linked Q&A in the answer for a good way to ask about the differences (though lets try to avoid duplicating that question: you might ask « what is spacevim and how does it differ from vim/neovim? »)
Comment: I neutralized the downvote, which is my oath "to not let any question be 'mocked' or 'seen as retrograde'.
Answer: It's a bit of a contentious issue. In my opinion you might recieve more passionate responses that constructive ones (My answer should not be taken as 100% objective).
For the difference between Vim and Neovim, there was a post there.
For the difference with Spacevim, you can see in the main page of their site. From what I understood, it's like a wrapper that tends to be more user/beginner friendly and facilitates plugins management (you must have Vim, Neovim or Gvim pre-installed).
There is also a project called Onivim. It is maintained by a group of vim/vscode fans. It tends to bring the better of those editors
As a classic Vim-user I think the choice depends of your objectives:

If you are seeking for knowledge and want to be at ease with any variants of Vim. It's better to start with Vi/Vim
If you want a Vim that is a few steps ahead of their release, try Neovim
If you want an IDE-like Vim that works out of the box, it's better to use SpaceVim (you can also find about Onivim)

You can also try the 3 of them with your own usecases to see what is a better fit to you.
Comment: I guess that SpaceVim and other "wrappers", and even any other's configurations or "top 100 best Vim plugins sets" are very bad idea for beginner Vim users.
Comment: Personnally, I think the same. Those "modern" versions are indeed well written and easy to use but I think they are hidding one of the true potentials of vim. Vim is difficult to use at the beginning because it makes the user better (e.g. we learn to think about the text differently and we are educated to know our tools well). Nevertheless, vim is a free software and anyone can do what they want with it (that's the beauty of an open source software). It is better to make one's own experiences and build one's own opinion.

VIM vs NEOVIM vs SpaceVIM


How can I free up RAM automatically?

Question: I'm very tired of seeing my RAM used up by unwanted apps which I don't launch regularly, but they continue to appear in the taskbar. Every time I closed them and free the memory. After I restart my phone I have 200 mb of free RAM but after I start closing apps the free memory decreases. I used a task killer but it works the same way. Is there any way to automatically clear out my RAM periodically?
Comment: Unused RAM is wasted RAM. If you don't experience performance issues you should be happy that Android prefetches the Apps in RAM for fast re-open times. In fact Android tries to be smart about RAM management. See also http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/9/do-i-really-need-to-install-a-task-manager
Comment: @Flow when RAM gets below from 70 mb then I experience the performance issue other wise no problem.
Comment: Low ram does not cause performance issues, CPU cycles cause performance issues. see my answer [here](http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/19000/is-there-a-way-to-permanently-turn-off-google-maps-until-needed/19001#19001). Another key question though, do you have at least Android 2.2 (froyo)?
Comment: @RyanConrad i have 2.3 gingerbread.
Comment: Not sure why it was down-voted. It is a good question, because many users will ask themselves this at some stage. Turns out that the answer is "you don't need to worry about this, it is intended and normal", but this alone does not make it a bad question.
Answer: See also: How can I stop applications and services from running?
When you free the memory you're just killing the apps using it or that Android has stopped and put in the background.  The only real solution is to not use apps, or to accept that every time you switch apps your position in the old one will be forgotten.  You'd probably need a custom-built ROM that entirely altered the way Android does memory management in order to get around this; having something auto-clear the RAM would end up killing the app you're currently using.  Another alternative is creating a swap partition, though how to do so is a different question.

How can I free up RAM automatically?


Generate text using user-supplied keywords

Question: I've got a use case where I need to generate sentences based on a set of user supplied keywords. Here is an example of what I need:
User input:
End-User: Data Scientists
Region: Middle East
Country: UAE
Solution: BigPanda
Application: machine learning
Benefits: lower costs and runtime
Output (Curly-Brackets are just there to highlight):
Learn how {data scientists} in the {Middle East} such as in the {UAE} are using {BigPanda} to streamline their {machine learning} processes to {lower costs and runtime}.

So the model needs to use the keywords given by the user and generate similar sentences. I also have a dataset of about 2000 of such sentences, which may come in handy.
One way I thought this could be possible is by using the GPT-2 model and perhaps finetuning it with the dataset, but I haven't been able to figure out how I would actually go about using it for something like this.
Answer: Yes fine-tuning GPT2 could help you through this objective. But the only concern is regarding the size of input data you have. To get a better performing model, you must a have larger input set.


wet cured ham spoilage

Question: I left a frozen wet cured fully cooked ham still in the shrink wrap in a cool water circulation last night to thaw it. At some point my wife used the faucet and set the temp on the tap up. When I reached in to pull the drain, the water was warm and so was the ham. It had been in this warm state for no more than 3 hours. I shot a temp on the exterior of the ham and it read 100.2F. I immediately put it back in the frig to wait till the morning to cook. Will it be safe to consume after reaching 160?
Answer: I am usually loath to say out loud that you can feel safe going outside of government guidelines, even if I wouldn't hesitate to eat the food myself. In this rare case I will throw caution to the wind. Oh for heaven's sake, cured ham? Warm for <3 hours? Yes, you can eat it.
I can't swear that it is actually safe, but you're probably more likely to be struck by lightning than to be made sick by that ham (unless by some weird twist of fate, it was tainted to begin with).
The official USDA line is that 40F - 140F is the "danger zone", and any food that is susceptible to becoming dangerous is dangerous if it has spent more than 2 hours (cumulative, as in ever) in that temperature zone. That is obviously very, very conservative. Curing adds another layer of preservation/safety to the meat.The USDA would say that your ham needs to be thrown out. I say pass the mustard.
If any member of your family is pregnant or immunocompromised, give them actual "safe" food.
Comment: In addition to @Jolenealaska's great answer which I'd love to see more often here. You have to think why people originally cured meats. From what I can see it first came about in 5000BC almost 7000 Years before the Fridge was invented. Some methods even included burying it the ground for month's. Which although the temperature may not have been 37c down there I'm sure it was no where near the **now** recommended <= 4c. If you or your family get sick from this ham I'll happily eat the remains I'm that certain you won't get ill.
Comment: Thanks for the reply. I was thinking along the same lines but I was concerned with the amount of carry over temp it had. Im not going to break out the old physics book for some thermal dynamics but I would assume the ham stayed above 40 for at least another 3 or 4 hours. I put it in my beer frig which stays a nice 32 for lagers. Am I misinterpretating? Having said that... it's in the oven right now. The initial smell test was good but the more I think about the family coming over and getting sick the more I start to smell troube
Comment: I think the temperature at 6ft below, is around 10-12c...
Comment: @daveface A solution would be to buy another ham (or order pizza) for your family and slice the ham in Ziploc sized aliquots to be frozen. Defrost the packs one at a time (in the fridge please) and use for sandwiches

wet cured ham spoilage


Calculating normals for vertices which aren't a vertex of all neighbouring triangles

Question: In my procedurally generated mesh in Unity, not all vertices are vertexes of all neighbouring triangles - essentially, it's a grid with cells of varying sizes. This is messing up the calculation of normals however, making the lightning not smooth. How should I account for this? This is a part of the mesh to illustrate what I mean, in shaded wireframe and shaded mode:
Comment: "*it's a grid with cells of varying sizes*" Then fix *that*. You only get guarantees of seamless rendering if the triangles have binary-identical shared vertex positions. The way you're building your meshes, it is very possible that you can get gaps in your rendering, small dots between the "neighboring" triangles that show the background.
Comment: These gaps can occur at any distance. Even if know the edges are parallel because the interpolation from both edges have different start and end points we cannot guarantee the edges along the same scanline are exactly at the same pixel.
Comment: @NicolBolas the varying cell sizes are only at a certain distance from the camera, so I don't worry much about those gaps
Comment: Just to add to @PaulHK 's comment:  there is a description on the problems of T-Junctions in this thread https://computergraphics.stackexchange.com/a/1464/209
Answer: For the shading to match, the normals (and any other vertex attributes) of the small triangles' verts would have to match the linear interpolation along the large triangle edge that they adjoin to.
For example: all the vertices in the green box below would need to be set by interpolating between the two blue vertices, based on their position along that edge.
As Nicol alluded to however, you may not get perfectly watertight rendering—or a perfect match in the shading—when constructing a mesh with T-junctions like this.
]


What are the characteristics that a champion should have to jungle?

Question: In general, what characteristics should a jungling champion have?
Comment: possible duplicate of [Which champions can jungle effectively in League of Legends?](http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/3199/which-champions-can-jungle-effectively-in-league-of-legends)
Comment: They're asking different questions in my opinion. Knowing the characteristics of a good jungler allows someone to go and pick anyone they find appropriate, rather than been given a specific static list.
Answer: You can actually "jungle" with anybody who is able to full-fill these requirements:

Clear the jungle in a decent time and with enough health left, so you
can efficiently gank the lanes and don't get behind in gold & experience.
Be able to duel the enemy jungler in case of counter jungling. This is crucial in higher elo levels, because you will get counter-jungled 8 out of 10 times in platin or higher.  (for example: Amumu is considered a decent jungler in lower to mid range elos. In high elo play he is a dead fish in the water because he can't duel  till lvl 3-4 or later. Decent teams will abuse that to make you fall behind.)

And thats it. The rest is up to your preference. Keep in mind that you only truly jungle during the laning phase, after that its team-fights and free roam ... In other words: Your skillset should be be useful in this phase as well.
Answer: I disagree with some other answers, "great ganking potential" is simply optional. When Shyvana was becoming popular in the professional scene, it was a shock to many people because her gank potential is terrible. However, she had a fantastic clear speed and great mobility, making her great at taking her opponent's jungle camps and therefore denying them experience.
A jungler needs:

The ability to clear jungle camps (relatively fast to be useful as a jungler)
Survive the jungle, which many champs have a hard time with, even with runes.

Strong base armor or health stats can help your survivability, and many champs have passives or abilities that either:

A. Give them health back per hit/ability, extending survivability.
B. Deal area of effect damage, making it easier to clear creeps
   quickly.
Answer: A jungler should be able to:

Clear the jungle fast
Be able to survive the jungle (obvious, but important point)
Be able to gank well

Another thing to consider is how well they can invade the enemy jungle, and how well they can deal with being counter-jungled.
Some junglers specialize in one area (Ex. Alistar is not the best at clearing the jungle but can gank VERY well). Other junglers can do everything good, but not the best (Ex. warwick can clear the jungle good but not the fastest and can gank but has trouble with it until he has his ultimate).
Here is a tier list of junglers used http://rog.clgaming.net/tier-lists/46-jungle/latest
Here is a GREAT guide that can give you more information http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/who-is-your-jungler-and-what-does-he-do-114118
Comment: The tier list of junglers doesn't work anymore.
Answer: I created my own metrics for calculating the efficiency of junglers.
I grade every aspect from 0 to 10. Than add them up and compare junglers.
The grading part can be subjective especially if the person doesn't have enough experience in the jungle.
The metrics are:

Lvl1 fight: The ability to fight at lvl1, amumu cant do anything, while riven can deal massive damage or aatrox reviving. Add these: (AoeCC=5, aoedps=4, sustaineddps=3, somecc=3,bushcheck=3,aura=2,utility=1)
Lvl2 gank: The ability to gank at lvl2, this wins solo ques, you need to throw people offguard with a lvl2 gank. xin zhao would get 10 in this field. Add these: (Easy to perform CC=5, Harder to perform CC=3, Displace=5,High damage=4,Sustained damage =3, Easy dash=4,Hard dash =2,Soft CC=2, Chasing potential=2)
Lvl3 gank: The ability to gank at lvl3, some champions can not gank before 3, some can gank at 2, but their 3rd skill is useless. Riven for example, good at lvl1, better at lvl2, even better at lvl3. While a master yi gets heal at 3 which does nothing for his ganks at 3. Add these: (Easy to perform CC=4, Harder to perform CC=2, Displace=4,High damage=3,Sustained damage =2, Easy dash=3,Hard dash =1,Soft CC=1, Chasing potential=1)
Lvl6 gank:The ability to gank at lvl6, some champions get in god mode at 6. Warwick lvl6 gank is pretty much guaranteed kill, udyr 6 isn't gonna do much difference than 5.
Mid-game teamfighting: presence in mid-game teamfights. Bruisers like leesin, khazix shine in this part, 2-3 man teamfights.
Late-game teamfighting: presence in late-game teamfights, aoe like malpite, amumu shine in this part.
Jungler clear time: 10 = Fast aoe, 8 = good aoe, 6 = slow aoe/ no aoe high damage, 4 = good damage, 2 = ok single damage
Buff clear time: Ranking from fastest to slowest
Dragon clear: 10 = Early solo, 8 = mid solo, 6 = late solo, 4 = can tank, 2 = meh damage
Counter jungle: Add 2 for each ability, Dueling, Fast clearing, Escape, Assasinating, Extended vision, Crowd control, Sustain
Sustain: 10 = Always full life, 8 = Usually full life, 6 = Shield and damage reduction protection, 4 = Clears fast, 2 = Some damage reduction

Here are a few results:
Kayle: 7,9,9,8,8,10,10,8,8,10,6 = 93
Amumu: 3,4,6,10,10,10,8,8,6,4,6 = 75
I am a diamond solo, challenger team jungler from s3 and ex semipro player.
Comment: Lvl1 fight: The ability to fight at lvl1, amumu cant do anything, while riven can deal massive damage or aatrox reviving. Add these: (AoeCC=5, aoedps=4, sustaineddps=3, somecc=3,bushcheck=3,aura=2,utility=1) Riven jungle? .-. , Is it viable?
Comment: i am not following the current meta, but it was a viable pick, because they think you pick riven for top, than they pick a riven counter. then you pick the counter to their top and send riven to jungle and she still does great work
Comment: yea they used to do that for morgana mid/support .. I just tried riven in this new jungle, died to my red buff T_T after blue . She is def not in the meta.
Comment: well the post is like 1 year old so :P
btw start from red with riven
Comment: Isn't blue better on riven for cdr? Either way , I have to b after a buff+ camp . The new jungle is to strong.. =/ , were you actually semi-pro?
Answer:
Their jungle clear times.
Their ganking potential. How strong are they in controlling the lanes around the map.
Objective potential. Can they secure dragon or baron with ease.
Their counter jungle ability. How strong are they in controlling the enemies jungle.

For the most part a good jungler has 3 out of these 4. (With a few exceptions e.g. Maokai).
When these are factored in you can get a powerful jungler.
Answer:
Ok first of almost any jungler "can" keep up in levels with laners however said champion must have some form of sustain as well as a relatively good clear. Now the way to do this is to farm, farm and farm. Farming and ganking are the most effective way to keep up in levels with your laners and I have actually managed on numerous occasions been able to get ahead of everyone in the game by doing this. The simple trick is basically buy pots both health and mana pots however champions like lee sin riven etc. do not need mana pots and in some cases health pots.
Another thing you do is ward especially pink ward encourage your entire team to buy at one because you are limited to one, I normal buy a pink for this area of the map {star 1 in image} and that now {star 2image} depending on which laner I feel is mostly likely to be ganked and which area of the map the enemy jungler Is most likely to be moving around more. While warding does not give you bonus exp it allows you to effectively counter gank a jungler gank or roam gank from either mid and top and rarely bot lane. By keep vision of the map you know where you're enemies are and can safely farm.
When you're lanes are either being ganked or being pressured a lot of people make the huge mistake of ganking lanes where the enemy laner is fed or at an advantage it's a terrible thing to do on account to the fact that they are usually ahead, what you can do to help your teammate is simply:

scare them a bit by dealing free damage (basically you will recall and whatever damage you take is irrelevant or they are in a position where they cannot trade with damage with you) and just walking away
helping you're teammate push (free exp and gold)
hold lane while their back (free exp)
Taking down turrets (map control, gold, and exp) or dealing some free damage to the turret.

Champions that do not make a good jungler anyone can take shaco who is one of the stronger early game gankers in the game and completely fail by feeding or ganking a lane where you're teammate does not help you or simply getting invaded and give first blood. To avoid all of this you ward and farm up, gank when its safe using wards and paying attention to the map.
Sometimes though you cannot farm in your own jungle if that seems to
be the case the best decision you can make (this will happen usually
when mid and top laners who are counter picked or just not
experienced enough to play against xxx champion or player) is to
completely ignore these players advise them to freeze lane and try
you're best to farm up help out different lanes. I once played a
game where my mid did ok my bot was being pressured and my top lane
Teemo was somehow losing to a Fiora (Teemo generally crushes AA
champions with zero CC) and I was Gangplank so my ganks pre six
would have been highly ineffective so I farmed and bought a ward
every single time I was home or when they killed my pink, by keep
this constant vision on the map and utilizing my ultimate as a
utility spell rather than a "KS" or ganking spell we were able to
keep all our turrets up throughout the entire game less our top lane
and get ahead when the enemy laners became impatient and started to
dive and pressure lanes without wards. PEOPLE will do this no matter
how good they may be by playing safe and warding you will force them
to make mistakes especially in lower "ELO's".
So answer your question directly. Any champion that has "moderate clear time relative to the enemy jungle champion", has some form of sustain either by abilities or by an item (vamp sceptre on shaco, lee sin, zed, udyr etc.) and at least ONE hard cc ability (sejuani, zac, and wow basically any tank the down side being of course most tanks have very low clear times however off tank such as shyvana volibear and javarn amongst a few can excel with a few items) will work and FINALLY you're champion must be able to either escape or dual the enemy jungler if that jungler is an invading jungler ALWAYS start red or the buff they are highly unlikely to start at (master yi would normally start blue so he will invade you at red to counter that you will start red) use warding totems on the river in case they do a level 1 invade and IF you see any enemy jungler invading with either top or mid or both ALWAYS go in to steal their buff do not try to fight them as these engages never really end well it's a huge gamble and solo q is generally well lacking on the team play side if they are invading you then that's a sign that they agreeing and working together which generally is a good thing but not for your team.
This season hit jungler's very, very hard however we were also buffed so if you understand the mechanics of a champion you will you are good at exploit the spirit items I have noticed a lot of junglers without one 12 minutes in the game and this completely wrong secondly spirit items are far better than wriggles even with its recent buff the item does not give you heal on smite which a lot of people do not seem to notice, the heal you get from smite with a spirit stone or any spirit item is far better than the ward and bonus damage you get later on in the game from wriggles I have experimented  on this and I can safely tell you spirit item > wriggles at nearly every point of the game the only time you want wriggles over spirit stone I would image is if you are absolutely confident you will not need the sustain and you will make better use of the sustain provided by wriggles which scales very well with attack speed champions and items however works terribly on champions that are mana hungry and/ or have low sustain.
In case you are thinking about it. Doran blade start is highly ineffective in this season unless you get 1k gold PLUS on your first back if you do not then you are immediately behind I say this for two reason first I have tried it second you want a jungler item complete as soon as possible so if you do not get at least two kills early be it you're on or assists then you will have sustain problems and have to "b" a few times. So starting machete is generally the best.
I have been playing league of legends for a year and spent 80 % of that time as a jungler. I also watch streams by trick2g, stonewall, nightblue2 and theoddone and am very familiar with every single tactic by most junglers in every elo below gold by personal experience and above by watching streams and reading articles. I may not be a pro but I definitely have experience
Comment: This is a pretty long wall of text, would you mind editing your answer so it would be easier to read.
Comment: I wrote it in ms word and used the preformatted option doesn't seem to work so i will rewrite it again
Answer: My account is Challenger Tier . And from my years of playing this game , 2 reasons why a champ should or could jungle .
1. Sustain . You need sustain as a jungler , You dont want to recall every wraith because 1) You lose level and 2) Your smite is weaker so You can easily get outsmitted or even killed by champs like j4 or lee sin.
2. CC . Crowd control is the reason why junglers are able to grant you kills . If you aren't able to stun or put some type of CC . You will probably never get a kill/assit unless you have a high burst champion .


How much sleep is too much?

Question: As I have understood from reading stuff on the internet and talking to people, too little sleep can have very serious health problems and you need to sleep at least 6 hours every night. what I don't know is if there is an upper limit to the the amount of sleep you get. Can sleeping too much also have detrimental health effects? What is the maximum amount that someone should be having every night?
Answer: People who sleep less than 6 hours and people who sleep more than 9 hours have been found to have a greater risk of suffering from adverse health effects, see e.g. here. But one cannot conclude from such observed correlations that changing sleeping behavior will help, this requires one to analyze the cause of these correlations. The way long sleep is associated with increased mortality is not well understood, as mentioned in this article:

It is therefore possible that long duration of sleep might be a consequence of, rather than a causative risk factor for, unrecognized chronic comorbidity, which in turn could explain the higher risk of mortality, particularly mortality from noncardiovascular causes, observed in many studies (1–4). Long sleep duration might represent a useful diagnostic tool for detecting other subclinical or undiagnosed mental or physical comorbidity (13).
Comment: The link does work for me. You need to check if your browser has a so-called "turbo setting" which has the effect of scanning many links on the sites you visit so that any links you later click on load faster. Some servers will block agents that do this to prevent overload, particularly websites that give access to large databases will do that, [see e.g. here](https://arxiv.org/help/robots). A trick that the arXiv site uses is a hidden IgnoreMe link, that you can't see but it's in the html code. If you visit that link, your IP address will be blocked.
Comment: Thank you @Count Iblis for answering but the link you provided does not work
Comment: Thank you for editing the speculative and adding a relevent article. I've removed my DV. :)
Answer: For the causes of mortality with short and long sleep, the first linked article in @CountIblis' answer (Gallicchio & Kalesan, 2009) states that

The specific mechanisms underlying the association between sleep duration and mortality are unclear.

However,
For short sleep (generally shorter than 7 hours)

A number of experimental studies have shown that short sleep causes potentially adverse endocrinologic, immunologic, and metabolic effects (Akerstedt and Nilsson, 2003; Knutson et al., 2007; Spiegel et al., 2005). For example, Spiegel et al. (2005) showed in a laboratory-based study that restricted sleep among 11 healthy men was associated with impaired glucose tolerance, higher evening cortisol levels, alterations in sympathetic nervous system activity, and a reduction in leptin secretion.

For long sleep (generally longer than 9 hours)

Unlike short sleep, long sleep has not consistently been shown to be associated with certain adverse medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension, although studies have reported that long sleep is associated with obesity and stroke (Chen et al., 2008; Marshall et al., 2008). Further, adjustment for health conditions in studies examining the association between long sleep and mortality has not resulted in an attenuation of the association.

References
Åkerstedt, T., & Nilsson, P. M. (2003). Sleep as restitution: an introduction. Journal of internal medicine, 254(1), 6-12. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2796.2003.01195.x
Chen, J. C., Brunner, R. L., Ren, H., Wassertheil-Smoller, S., Larson, J. C., Levine, D. W., ... & Stefanick, M. L. (2008). Sleep duration and risk of ischemic stroke in postmenopausal women. Stroke, 39(12), 3185-3192. https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.108.521773
Gallicchio, L., & Kalesan, B. (2009). Sleep duration and mortality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Journal of sleep research, 18(2), 148-158. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2008.00732.x
Knutson, K. L., Spiegel, K., Penev, P., & Van Cauter, E. (2007). The metabolic consequences of sleep deprivation. Sleep medicine reviews, 11(3), 163-178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2007.01.002
Marshall, N. S., Glozier, N., & Grunstein, R. R. (2008). Is sleep duration related to obesity? A critical review of the epidemiological evidence. Sleep medicine reviews, 12(4), 289-298. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2008.03.001
Spiegel, K., Leproult, R. and Van Cauter, E. Metabolic and endocrine changes. In: C. Kushida (Ed.) (2005) Sleep deprivation: basic science, physiology and behavior. New York: Marcel Dekker. 293–318.

How much sleep is too much?


I'm trying to install Ubuntu on my 32-bit Windows 7(ACER)

Question: I downloded the USB installation thing that Ubuntu released in 2012. Now I'm installing it and when it's 99% complete it shows an error like 'some file not found'
Answer: Redownload the file and try again. Use the same method as last time to get the file on the USB. If it doesn't work, try a lower version of the linux distro your using.
The file your downloading may be corrupted, so try a different version or a different download location, if the above doesn't work.


Resonance structures

Question: I'm working with a certain molecule, and could see that it was only on the ether group that it was possible to make these resonance structures. First, I'd like to know if the structures are correct and second how does it effect the molecule that this particular group can make these resonance structure. Does it contribute to its stability?
Comment: You should use mesomery arrows ($\ce{<->}$) and not equilibrium arrows ($\ce{<=>}$) for resonance structures.
Comment: Some arrows are missing and others are drawn poorly but otherwise they are correct.
Comment: It's just a sketch -I'll draw a better one . Can you point out which arrows are missing?
Comment: I'm not sure what "It's just a sketch" means as a response here. If you're drawing resonance structures, you should either have no arrows because you think it's obvious, or you should have all arrows. The intermediate case isn't so good. The third structure is missing one arrow. In the second structure, the arrow at the 5 o'clock position should point to the carbon atom, not to the bond.
Answer: Personally, I would recommend drawing the resonance process this way (first line):

Please note the difference in arrows between forms; you have used the reversible equilibrium arrows instead of the double-headed resonance arrows. This may seem like merely a grammatical concern, but the processes of equilibrium and resonance are fundamentally different and indicating the wrong process is incorrect.
Assuming the substituent is indeed a methoxy group as you have drawn it, this compound is known as anisole (not phenol as mentioned elsewhere).
These resonance structures have significance in rationalizing and predicting experimental observations. They demonstrate the electron-donating nature of the methoxy group, and the electron-rich nature of anisole's aromatic ring (relative to unsubstituted benzene) (see resonance hybrid).
These structures explain the experimental observation that, when anisole reacts with electrophiles, the electrophiles bond at the ortho (C2,6) and para (C4) positions, and not at the meta positions (C3,5). (See third line.) We say this occurs because the bond to an electrophile will be made by an aromatic ring donating electrons from the carbon(s) with the highest electron density (in the absence of steric factors), which are the three carbons featuring lone pairs in our resonance structures (line 2).
Answer: Well the following resonance structures are of the phenolate ion, which are correct. The existence of this resonance in phenolate ion provides it quite some stability, hence phenol is acidic. Phenolate ion, phenol's conjugate base, being stable by this resonance, is a weak base, so phenol becomes acidic.
Comment: Phenol is **not** a strong acid.
Comment: Depends upon with what it is being compared to. I just added the word strong to make it compatible for the conjugate base argument. Of course it is not a strong acid compared to HCl and other "strong" acids.
Comment: Phenol (pKa~10) is a stronger acid than most other alcohols, but weaker than a carboxylic acid. But that is NOT phenol, it is anisole.
Comment: Damn! Didn't look at the methyl attached to the oxygen!!

Resonance structures


Using Jmeter How to Match values in Json response with JDBC response?

Question: How to Match values in JSON response with JDBC response?
just want to check that correct values passing in JSON response and need to verify that those values are matched with JDBC response (fetching data from Database). It is better to Explain with example.
Comment: Data validation type tests don't sound like they should be in JMeter?
Comment: is it possible in Jmeter? any comments others?
Answer: Not knowing the details of JDBC and JSON response it is hard to provide exact configuration, from the high level perspective it should be something like:

Add JSON Extractor and store "interesting" part(s) of the response into JMeter Variable(s)
Add JDBC PostProcessor and store values from the DB into JMeter Variable(s). See Debugging JDBC Sampler Results in JMeter guide to learn how to do it
Add Response Assertion (one assertion per variable) to test if variables are equal. Make sure that assertions are placed after the JSON Extractor and JDBC PostProcessor:
Comment: Appreciate your reply, Could you please provide me JSON Extractor and JDBC PostProcessor more details for this example? specially i want to know  about Variable_From_JSON and how it defined in JSON Extractor/HTTP request, .. so on..
Comment: You are asking for a story while I am limited to one chapter only. If you are not able to figure out the correct JSON/JDBC PostProcessors settings I would recommend starting separate question threads and it will be better to provide response data and highlight what parts you would like to store in JMeter Variables.
Comment: I have created separated thread for this Thank you !!    http://sqa.stackexchange.com/questions/25424/how-to-use-http-request-json-extractor-in-jmeter-with-response-assertion
Comment: Another thread  created for JDBC postProcessor. http://sqa.stackexchange.com/questions/25427/jdbc-postprocessor-example-in-jmeter-for-response-assertion . kindly assist this.. thank you !!


Estate tax in the USA for non-residents

Question: I read that the estate tax for non-residents on their US assets can go up to 40% with the first $60000 tax exempt. Suppose, as a non-resident, I have a brokerage account holding US stocks with the Indian arm of a US broker. Will this account be subject to US estate tax laws or Indian estate tax laws for my beneficiary after I die?
Answer: You will be subject to the laws of whichever country you are a tax resident of. Simply owning US stocks does not make you a tax resident of the United States. Normally, in order to be a tax resident of the United States, you have to live and work in the United States to be a tax resident here. The IRS has published guidelines to help determine US tax residency status.
Stocks in U.S. companies are considered "US-situated assets" no matter whether they are held by a foreign or domestic broker and are therefore subject to US estate taxes according to current law.
Comment: @user2371765 You are right. I had no idea such a ridiculous law was in place. Obviously there would be difficulties enforcing such a law. Apparently the IRS does consider the estates of foreign persons taxable if they have US stocks in them.
Comment: I know I am a non-resident. For non-residents the US estate tax of ~40% applies after an exemption of $60000 unless there is an estate tax treaty - and there is none between India and the USA. https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/some-nonresidents-with-us-assets-must-file-estate-tax-returns
Comment: If you think I am mistaken, please do point out the mistake and I will either modify or delete my answer.
Comment: It's extremely disappointing. Even India does not have estate tax. We have a saying which when literally translated into English means "Eating butter off a corpse's forehead". This is what the USA is doing through this law, and just because the person is non-resident. The IRS will surely find a way to get its pound of flesh because the broker is US-based. The IRS does not have any claim over non-US assets.
Answer: irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/some-nonresidents-with-us-assets-must-file-estate-tax-returns
Deceased nonresidents who were not American citizens are subject to U.S. estate taxation with respect to their U.S.-situated assets.
U.S.-situated assets include American real estate, tangible personal property, and securities of U.S. companies. A nonresident's stock holdings in American companies are subject to estate taxation even though the nonresident held the certificates abroad or registered the certificates in the name of a nominee.
So the answer is that my account will be subject to US estate tax laws.

Estate tax in the USA for non-residents


Draw two images to HTML5 Canvas

Question: Currently I am working on making a Chroma Key HTML5 Camera test app.
http://jsfiddle.net/XuScp/
Currently it kind of works (It will select green in your background and remove it like any other Chroma Key, currently I took out the green color and replaced it with a kind of grey color as thats the background I currently have).
The issue I am having is drawing the background in the same canvas as the camera is in. Currently it draws to the canvas but once the camera is loaded the image disappears which I am guessing is being replaced by the camera.
var bckg;
    bckg = new Image();
    bckg.src = 'https://raw.github.com/haywars/greenscreen/master/cambackgrounds/background1.jpg';
    function getImage(url){
        bckg= new Image();
        bckg.src = url;
    };

var processes = {
    timerCallback: function() {
        if (this.myVideo.paused || this.myVideo.ended) {
            return;
        }
        this.ctxInput.drawImage(this.myVideo, 0, 0, this.width, this.height);
        this.pixelScan();
        var self = this;
        setTimeout(function () {
            self.timerCallback();
        }, 0);
    },

    doLoad: function() {
        var video = document.querySelector('video');
        var canvas = document.querySelector('canvas');
        var ctx = canvas.getContext('2d');
        this.myVideo = document.getElementById("myVideo");
        this.cInput = document.getElementById("cInput");
        this.ctxInput = this.cInput.getContext("2d");
        this.cOutput = document.getElementById("cOutput");
        this.ctxOutput = this.cOutput.getContext("2d");
        var self = this;
        this.ctxOutput.drawImage(bckg,0,0);
        this.myVideo.addEventListener("playing", function() {
            self.width = self.myVideo.videoWidth;
            self.height = self.myVideo.videoHeight;
            self.timerCallback();
        }, false);
    },
    pixelScan: function() {
        var frame = this.ctxInput.getImageData(0, 0, this.width, this.height);
        for (var i = 0; i < frame.data.length; i++) {
            var r = frame.data[i];
            var g = frame.data[i+1];
            var b = frame.data[i+2];
            if (g > 0 && r > 50   && r < 165 && b < 60)
            frame.data[i + 3] = 0;
        }
        this.ctxOutput.putImageData(frame, 0, 0);

        //var img= new Image();
        //img.src = "images/cambackgrounds/background1.jpg";
        //this.ctxOutput.putImageData(img, 0, 0);
        return;
    }

}

Answer: As far as I can tell, you only draw the background (this.ctxOutput.drawImage(bckg,0,0);) once, and that is during the doLoad function. Your loop does draw the altered video to the ctxOutput seemingly correctly, it just doesn't redraw the background upon the next loop. That COULD be the reason.
ALSO,
I would, instead of drawing the background for each loop, simply place the image behind the main canvas, using either an Image or Canvas element. You are already making the green pixels transparent, so you should be able to see everything through the main canvas. I might start with setting the z-index of each, and maybe setting their style.positions to 'absolute' to ensure one is exactly behind the other.
This will take away any lag that would have resulted from drawing the background image to the same canvas each loop.
I've come across multiple tutorials and benchmark tests that suggest layering with canvases. The background is usually static, so why constantly update it. Just make it its own canvas. Layer one on top of the other, each containing certain types of elements (static, uniform motion, independent motion, etc.) to ensure maximum performance.
I hope this was of some help!
Sincerely,
TheCrzyMan
Answer: @shayward - I agree with @TheCrzyMan, use hidden and display canvas tags to chromakey
I am sure you have seen this mozilla tut on chroma key.
Jeffrey Burtoft also has a step-by-step tut on this too.
Hope this helps.

Draw two images to HTML5 Canvas


Web 8 Content Management DLL .Net framework version?

Question: While I am trying to build C# template assembly using Web 8 Content Management DLL and .NET framework 4.5, I keep getting "ContentManagement" name space not found error while compiling the application.
Once I change my framework to 4.5.2 the issue resolved.
I didn't get the issue for delivery DLL.
Is Web 8 built on .NET Framework 4.5.2?Is it mandatory to use 4.5.2?
Answer: Yes, it's built on 4.5.2 and thus it is mandatory to use 4.5.2 or higher.
This is listed on the Prerequisites for client-side APIs and Web application extensions page in the documentation, which is part of the broader Prerequisites for this release section of the Web 8 documentation.
Comment: No problem. For future reference, we list all of the prerequisites in the documentation. I've updated my answer to provide links to the relevant section.


Batch convert lat longs to UTM?

Question: I've got a .csv file that contains a long list of latitude and longitude points. Is there an efficient way to batch convert the list into a projected UTM coordinate system?
Answer: With arcmap,
  add the csv and use the lat longs to create an event table. (right click layer> "Display XY Data")
This creates an event layer with the table and a point layer (not a real point layer, it needs to be exported later)

set the document projection (data frame properties) to the desired output of the file. (right click layers "in the TOC">properties> coordinate system tab).

right click the layer in TOC > Export Data

Use the option to "use the same coordinate system as: the data frame"
Answer: Perhaps the simplest way is using something like QGIS and its delimited text plugin to import and then export the data. If you're looking for something commandline and scalable, then the VRT approach Sasa mentioned is a good one.
You can also do it with file inputs and outputs using gdaltransform:
gdaltransform -s_srs epsg:4326 -t_srs epsg:25832 < space-delimited-coordinates.txt

And if you need more programmatic access to the results, check out geographika's answer using pyroj for a related question.
Comment: Can you be more specific about how I should export the data in QGIS? I tried to right click on the imported layer with the points, click Save As..., and specified UTM 16N as my projected coordinate system. But the resulting file was not changed!
Comment: I can.after you load the CSV just point on the layer ruler then do save as>selected crs> select the system to transform to>and save. if you then want to go back to CSV    dfsfsd
Comment: some editing problems. if want to go back to csv use the attributes calculator and calculate the $x and $y values on the geometry functionsd to get the location on the nes crs the save again as csv
Answer: ogr2ogr should be able to handle this (you can download FWTools for a quick install).
This thread illustrates how to reproject CSV data.  To summarize, you'll need to create a VRT file that contains references to the CSV columns:
<OGRVRTDataSource>
    <OGRVRTLayer name="test">
        <SrcDataSource>test.csv</SrcDataSource>
        <GeometryType>wkbPoint</GeometryType>
        <GeometryField encoding="PointFromColumns" x="RW" y="HW"/>
    </OGRVRTLayer>
</OGRVRTDataSource>

And then run ogr2ogr for reprojection:
ogr2ogr -s_srs "epsg:31466" -t_srs "epsg:25832" -f "CSV" -lco GEOMETRY=AS_XY -sql "SELECT PNR FROM test" temp_dir test.vrt

You'll need to replace epsg:31466 with the appropriate EPSG code for your UTM coordinate system.
Answer: Corpscon, a free tool from the US Army Corps of Engineers will allow you to batch convert lat/long to/from UTM. Note that it is limited to the United States, and may work in Canada.
Answer: There are working spreadsheets and other source code (Fortran, C++, etc.) at http://www.gpsy.com/gpsinfo/geotoutm/  Great resource for 1996 (and still works)!
Answer: We have a commercial (but affordable) standalone desktop application that will allow you to batch convert your coordinates.
More information can be found at:
http://geomaticsolutions.com/products/geo-suite/geo-calc
You can also use our free online service to perform single point transformations.
http://georepository.com/home.html
Answer: As I understand it, you do not want to simply reproject a file, you want to convert the coordinates themselves and have a new file with the new coordinates. If you Google "convert lat/lon to utm" you should find excel spreadsheets that will do this conversion (e.g. at the University of Wisconsin Green Bay or in whuber's answer above). Or, you can purchase software like AllTrans or Franson Coordtrans, which batch convert to and from many different coordinate systems.
Or, less simple but more educational, is to learn syntax for gdal or FWTools.
Answer: For a scripting solution, you could use pyproj:
import sys
import csv
import pyproj

# example invocation
# ./reproj.py ./file.csv 32619 4326

if (len(sys.argv) != 4):
    print '%s <csvfile> <epsg_code_in> <epsg_code_out>' % sys.argv[0]
    sys.exit(1)
else:
    p1 = pyproj.Proj(init='epsg:%s' % sys.argv[2])
    p2 = pyproj.Proj(init='epsg:%s' % sys.argv[3])

    f = open(sys.argv[1], 'r')
    table = csv.reader(f)
    for row in table:
        print '%s %s' % (row[1], row[2])
        newxy = pyproj.transform(p1, p2, row[1], row[2])
        print '%s %s' % (row[0], newxy[0], newxy[1])
    f.close()

Comment: Thank you, fellow programmer! NB: this will work if your CSV file has 3+ columns, with your xy data being the second & third columns. I just had to adjust the indexes a bit since my input x/y are in the first two columns. So clear, extensible, and reusable!
Answer: The following new site converts files online. (It uses pyproj)
It also generates KML and the input file can often be left 'as is' and not reformatted to suite the conversion program.
Sorry i cant post a numeric domain so have to wrap it in a code block!
http://220.127.116.11/XYZ_tools

Please cut and paste the link to follow it.
Comment: Removed it. Costing me $120 per year + admin time with too few users. Sorry.
Answer: I would not go for ARC solution; for these common conversions there are many online tools such as http://www.hamstermap.com - just copy and paste a list of coordinates and you will get them instantly converted.
Comment: A better online batch converter for Lon/Lat to UTM is at  < http://www.zonums.com/online/coords/cotrans.php?module=13  > The hamstermap tool seems to change the input coordinates, whereas the zonums tool doesn't mess up the input data, and also the zonums one works for worldwide data - only in WGS84, but it does allow you to set the zone. Just watch out you select the right option from lat/lon or lon/lat. The Zonums tool gives correct results, and is certainly easier to use than messing around with scripts or whatever.

Batch convert lat longs to UTM?


How was Lucifer created?

Question: Was Lucifer created by God or was he already there in the beginning like God? I don't think the Bible really explains any of this.
Comment: Hi! It's important to be aware that different denominations have different viewpoints on this question, and this website is oriented to talk about the beliefs of different denominations. Before I can vote this up, I need to see some specificity on the question: please [edit] it to point to a specific denomination or group of denominations. Also: I have a feeling this has been answered here before. Take a  search through it and see if you find anything that helps you.
Comment: That's true, there is almost nothing about Lucifer in the Bible.
Comment: I'm not aware of any denominations which think Satan is a self-existing eternal being, so I don't think denominational scoping is needed.
Comment: @curiousdannii I think we should probably differentiate between the very different LDS understanding of Satan. Jehovah's witnesses also seem to believe in a relatively strong Satan so I'm not sure if their version of his creation is different.
Comment: Welcome to the site. We are glad you decided to participate. This question is off-topic and does not fit into one of the [Types of questions that are within community guidelines](http://meta.christianity.stackexchange.com/q/3409) Specifically, it is what we call a Truth question, which means you need to tell us who's opinion you want (Catholic, John Calivin, etc.) If possible, [edit] this question so that it better fits into one of those question types.
Comment: Lucifer not exist anywhere in the bible I read (not one single verse) - just saying. Please define who Lucifer is to you and maybe consider removing the name all together
Answer: In the words of Jesus:

Mark 12:24  And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?

All Scripture is quoted from the King James translation.
In the following verses you will find that the Angels are in Heaven and that all things in Heaven were created by God.

Mark 12:25  For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
Mark 13:32  But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
Colossians 1:16 and 17  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17  And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Revelation 4:11  Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
Revelation 10:6  And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer:

So the Bible does say that the angels were created by God, and not only that but they were created for his pleasure. As was all else. Sometimes we have do some hearty research in order understand that God is omniscient, and also Omnipotent, and to find just where some answers to our questions are in the Bible.
Even though some answers are harder to discern than others I assure you they are all there, and that's where this site is such a boon to people. Christians have all learned different lessons through circumstance in life and it is that peculiar knowledge that we try to share on this site.
Hope this helps.
Comment: It's curious to think of Lucifer pleasing God. It must have been a sad day when he rebelled.
Comment: @ShemSeger Lucifer in his created state did I'm sure please God, just as man did in his created state, and yes I'm quite sure All of Heaven was saddened at the rebellion of both.
Answer: Through modern revelation in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we know that Satan, also called the adversary or the devil, is the enemy of all righteousness and of those who seek to follow God. He is a spirit son of God who was once an angel "in authority in the presence of God".

"And this we saw also, and bear record, that an angel of God who was in
  authority in the presence of God, who rebelled against the Only
  Begotten Son whom the Father loved and who was in the bosom of the
  Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son," (D&C 76:25; see also Isaiah 14:12; D&C 76:26–27)

But in the premortal Council in Heaven, Lucifer, as Satan was then called, rebelled against God. Since that time, he has sought to destroy the children of God on the earth and to make them miserable.
Prior to his rebellion, Lucifer was not unlike the other angels in heaven, he would have been created as they were:

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are
  in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
  dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by
  him, and for him:" (1 Colossians 1:16)
Comment: Your answer is a good answer for "who created.." it is not a good answer for "How..."
Answer: To attempt to answer this question, we need to look at the history of names and titles.
Who is Lucifer?
First and foremost, the name Lucifer exists once in the the Bible and only in the King James Version.
Isaiah 14:12 KJV

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how
  art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

and in Hebrew:

אֵיךְ נָפַלְתָּ מִשָּׁמַיִם, הֵילֵל בֶּן-שָׁחַר; נִגְדַּעְתָּ
  לָאָרֶץ, חוֹלֵשׁ עַל-גּוֹיִם.

Looking at the Hebrew version we find the word הילל hêylêl means "shining" or in the sense of brightness - which is usually associated with Seraphim (more about them later).  Furthermore the same word can be found in other translations of the bible and was referring to the morning star.  As seen in:
Isaiah 14:12 NIV

How you have fallen from heaven,
      morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth,
      you who once laid low the nations!

It is quite popular to believe that Isaiah is talking about King of Babylon - Nebuchadnezzar and not Satan.
From Bible.Net:

This whole section (vv. 4b-21) is directed to the king of Babylon, who
  is clearly depicted as a human ruler. Other kings of the earth address
  him in vv. 9ff., he is called "the man" in v. 16, and, according to
  vv. 19-20, he possesses a physical body. Nevertheless the language of
  vv. 12-15 has led some to see a dual referent in the taunt song. These
  verses, which appear to be spoken by other pagan kings to a pagan king
  (cf. vv. 9-11), contain several titles and motifs that resemble those
  of Canaanite mythology, including references to Helel son of Shachar,
  the stars of El, the mountain of assembly, the recesses of Zaphon, and
  the divine title Most High. Apparently these verses allude to a
  mythological story about a minor god (Helel son of Shachar) who tried
  to take over Zaphon, the mountain of the gods. His attempted coup
  failed and he was hurled down to the underworld. The king of Babylon
  is taunted for having similar unrealized delusions of grandeur. Some
  Christians have seen an allusion to the fall of Satan here, but this
  seems contextually unwarranted.

However orthodox/mainstream Christianity has attributed the name Lucifer to Satan.
Therefore, I could stop here and say that Lucifer was created in the imagination of man who incorrectly associated the name to Satan.  The association is more than likely due to (or at least solidified by) Paradise Lost, an epic poem by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674).  There is NO Biblical support for the association between Lucifer and Satan.

Digging into your question a bit, let's "assume" that you intended to ask, "How was Satan created?"
Who is Satan?
Satan comes from Judaism; "Satan" is from the Hebrew word for "adversary." Satan was existed in the traditions of Judaism as the heavenly prosecutor in what Christians call the Old Testament long before the incarnation of the logos aka the birth of Jesus.
Job 1:6 NIV

One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and
  Satan also came with them.

Satan's origins are hinted at here:
Ezekiel 28:16 NIV

Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you
  sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I
  expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.

Therefore, this begs the question... "When were the cherubim created?"  For further information regarding the hierarchy of angelic beings please read this.  And for FYI, "cherub" exists 26 times in the KJV of the Bible.  That's 26 more times than the name 'Lucifer" in the KJV.
When were the cherubim created?
I do not know, the bible is not clear on this.  However it does suggest the power that they have in Isiah:
Isaiah 37:16 NIV

Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you
  alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven
  and earth.

Here is a popular depiction of the order from Matthaeus (Matthäus) Merian the elder (1593-1650).

Conclusion
While my answer may not directly give you the answer you're looking for.  I hope that with this bit of information I can help you frame your questions appropriately.  "How was Lucifer created?" is correctly asked as "How were the Cherubim created?"  Which may lead you to the answer that you're looking for.
I will do some more research and append to this answer, please check back...

How was Lucifer created?


How to convert 2d product packaging net to 3D mockup

Question: I've been asked to design some product packaging and have been supplied the 2D net file. Is there some software that can convert the net into a 2D mockup of the 3D box, so my customers can see what the design looks like as if the flat-pack net had been bent into shape.
Answer: if it's a simple box, you should be able to use the 3D features in Photoshop Extended to make one and texture it using the design you have, but it the design is more intricate, you might need to use a 3D editor (Sketchup,Blender,Wings3D,etc.) to fold your 2D design into a 3D model. At this stage you can choose to render a visualization in the 3D tool of your choice or import in Photoshop.
Alternatively you could use a commercial plugin in Illustrator like FoldUp!3D or Origami which seem to do what you're after.
Answer: Most 3D software can import images that you then UV map to 3D objects. Some have improved support for things like EPS files. Shade 3D lets you import EPS files directly into a scene.
Answer: If you're just looking to fake it, the website psdcovers has pretty good actions for seeing a 3d representation quickly.


What does an internship for freelance writing entail?

Question: Recently, I had a terrific interview with a company based in L. A. that promotes events and recommends fun things to do. I don't know if they will offer me an internship, but if they do, what would my responsibilities be?
Comment: This question is very vague and hard to answer; it would certainly depend on the company and the exact position. Did you ask them during the interview?
Comment: In addition to asking here, you could also peruse the [internship tag](http://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/internship) over at the Workplace site for more information about how internships work.
Answer: Because you posted this question in the Writers Stack Exchange, and the company promotes/recommends activities, it seems likely that the internship involves writing.
As an intern, you will shine if you accomplish the following:

Take the initiative to research information, solve problems, and find answers to questions.
Listen well to instructions, and complete work that supports the team's goals.
Understand and communicate well with others.

That said, it is very common for interns to do tedious but necessary tasks. Do not feel put down by this. Take it as an opportunity to learn about the inside workings of an organization. Talk to employees over lunch. Ask questions. If the opportunity to do something exciting or challenging comes up, accept.
I edited the grammar and style of your original question. The most important thing you can do right now to succeed is to improve your written US English. Take a writing course or workshop where your teacher and peers edit your work. To reduce your inhibitions and increase your learning, opt to take the course without academic credit or grades. Then, in class, take risks by being expressive and prolific. When you get your edits back, study and learn from each one.


distributed mining in ethereum. is it possible?

Question: is there a way to run mining on different nodes for the same network? say I have a network of 3 nodes and i want that three should run miner.start
Comment: Yeah, that is the real concept of mining.
Answer: Yes, the ability to have different nodes mining on the same network is the whole point of mining. If your network is set up correctly (ie the nodes are all on the same network and synchronizing with each other) you should be able to run miner.start() on each node and it should Just Work.
Answer: Just to clarify, AFAIK, there is no parallelization in mining. However, you can set up multiple nodes to use the same coinbase, hence increase your chance of mining.


Minecraft 1.10.2 redstone help. pistons

Question: I'm making a adventure map and a need to activate a command block and at the same time have a piston door open, but the command blocks need the switch to be on to activate. The pistons need the switch off to reveal an room. I need a way to make the sticky pistons close when touching power.
Answer: Use redstone torches. If you put one on the other side of a block with redstone facing it, it turns off, like this:
I recommend building something like this (You may need to change it a bit to fit your map):

If you have any problems, or need further help, just let me know in the comments for this answer.
Good luck on your map!

Minecraft 1.10.2 redstone help. pistons


Is it appropriate to discussed a proposed method in the literature review or in methodology chapter?

Question: I need some clarifications on where to put the proposed usability-evaluation method in my thesis. I have tried to improved upon the existing methods and came up with a new one, which will be validated alongside with the existing methods. Is it appropriate to discuss it in literature-review chapter or in research methodology chapter of my PhD thesis?
Answer: First of all: There are no global rules or even guidelines as to how theses should be structured and how chapters should be titled. Whatever works in terms of intelligibility is allowed. The only thing that can happen is that your supervisor (or in rare cases, your department) has become fixated on a certain structure and insists on it. But we can hardly answer on this here.
Thus, in your situation, you have several options. The following come to mind:

Include your method in the literature-review chapter, but name that chapter "Methods for X" or similar, not "Literature review". If the literature review contains things not fitting under that title, think of a better title or make a separate chapter for those things.
Include your method in a new chapter called "A new method for X".
If your methodology chapter is strictly about how you compare methods, do not include your method there (and give it a better name like "Benchmarks for methods for X"). If it does however cover several different aspects, your method may fit there.

As I already said, whatever works is allowed. Thus the most important things to consider are things like what prior knowledge the reader needs to understand your description of your method, as this should obviously described beforehand. And those are things only somebody very familiar with your thesis can decide.


What shifters are compatible with the 8 speed cassette and Deore derailleur on my Trek 6500 ZX?

Question: The top half of my right shifter fell off on a trail the other day, so I need to replace it, but I'm not sure what my options are.  The bike is a 1997 model Trek 6500 ZX with an 8-gear rear cassette and Shimano Deore derailleur.  I can't tell what model the existing shifters are - they don't have gear indicators and the only identifying marks are the word "Shimano" and "8s".
Answer: Any 8-speed Shimano mountain bike shifter will work. All Shimano 8-speed shifters use the same cable pull.
Addressing what model your actual shifters are, a `97 8 speed MTB with a 'Deore' drivetrain probably has Deore XT M739 and Deore LX M569 parts. (See the Shimano Wikipedia page which includes a timeline of MTB groupsets.)
You could narrow down the exact model you have, then try to find a lightly used or old stock replacement on EBay. Googling for 'M739 Shifter' for instance yields images that you can compare to what's on your bike.
Many shifters from about this time were combined shifters and brake levers. If you have cantilever brakes be aware that the brake levers for cantis and linear pull (v-brakes) are different. Newer shift-brake combos will be for linear pull brakes and will not work with cantilevers.
I don't think Shimano currently makes an 8-speed groupset above Tourney level. But you could also look at newer 8-speed shifters from the Alivio/Acera goupsets.
Answer: I got an 8 speed no-name shifter off Aliexpress to convert a bike from 9 to 8 speed.
It's made of a metal like substance and works fine with shimano dérailleur for $10


How to get a UK driving license as a non-UK national if your passport is with the Home Office?

Question: I am living in the UK and my passport is at the Home Office for a extension as a partner of an EU national. Some issue came up and I was sent back the document and I have to send them back. My problem is that I cannot drive; it has been 2 years since I originally left. I just have my Social Security number and I work full time. Is there any way I can get my license as I don't have my home country license as well?
Comment: Are you asking what you can use for identification in order to obtain a UK driving license?
Comment: @Nofel the writing on the website (https://www.gov.uk/id-for-driving-licence) implies that you need to send all, but that can't be the actual requirement, because most people won't be eligible to have all of those documents.  For example, foreigners will not have a naturalization certificate, and British citizens who aren't dual nationals won't have an EU/EEA national ID card.  So if you have a BRP, you can use that.
Comment: Also note that, if you have a biometric passport, [you don't need to send your biometric passport in with your application, use the 9-digit passport number instead.](https://www.gov.uk/id-for-driving-licence).
Comment: As per website i do need one of following or [all](https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-provisional-driving-licence#before-you-start) as i just got a old passort photocopy and SS #, so yes @Dorothy
Comment: @phoog don't think ig to BRP, though i remember application for it from post office.
Comment: @Dorothy Nofel cannot possibly have a biometric UK passport if applying for extension as a partner of an EEA national.
Comment: @phoog not UK passport, but that from another country, as suggested by both this, and the earlier Q.
Comment: @Dorothy but the option of sending only the passport number applies only to UK biometric passports. Perhaps you overlooked that? Copy-paste quote: *You must send in an identity document with your application unless you have a valid UK biometric passport (where the photograph and signature are on the same page).*
Comment: @phoog; indeed I did might that vital bit; thx.
Comment: So i think i cannot apply
Answer: You must send in an original ID document with your application for a UK driving license.

You must send in an identity document with your application unless you have a valid UK biometric passport (where the photograph and signature are on the same page).
[...]
You must send the following identity documents if you don't have a biometric passport:

a current and valid passport
a biometric residence permit (BRP) - formerly known as the identity card for foreign nationals
an European Union (EU) or European Economic Area (EEA) national identity card
a travel document

You must send the original document with your driving licence application.
If you don't have an EU or EEA passport, you'll need to send in a visa that proves you have permission to live in the UK.
You can't use:

photocopies or laminated certificates
certified copies - including those certified by the Post Office document certification service

Don't send in your passport if you need it within the next month - consider delaying your driving licence application until after you've travelled.

If your passport is blocked by your other application and you do not have another means of ID listed above, then yes, you will have to wait.


get info on all catholic churches in Europe

Question: i 'm looking to get info on all catholic churches in Europe. Specifically, I'd love to get:
their address
Denomination
Active/Not
Contact Info (website, email, phone)
and any other info I can get.
well we ve got several approaches:

use overpass-tubro.eu;
we can get a list of all "places of worship" by downloading bulk osm files from geofabrik.de and then using use osmfilter or osmosis to select only certain tags, for example: wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:amenity=place_of_worship

to use the Open StreetMap data with Nominatom for a base file. This
should get the #1 and then we can get #2 just by text mining their
titles. For #3 I believe the closest you'll get is just to use the
most recent available data. For #4 I think we'd need to do original
data scraping from the Internet - at least to get their websites (I'm
not sure on this one, actually).

btw: see a List of Catholic dioceses (structured view)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Catholic_dioceses_(structured_view)#Episcopal_Conference_of_France

As of May 31, 2018, the Catholic Church in its entirety comprises
3,160 ecclesiastical jurisdictions, including over 645 archdioceses
and 2,236 dioceses,  as well as apostolic vicariates, apostolic
exarchates, apostolic administrations, apostolic prefectures, military
ordinariates, personal ordinariates,  personal prelatures, territorial
prelatures, territorial abbacies and missions sui juris around the
world.

do you know more ways to go ahead and find the appropiate dataset
Answer: Have you seen this ?  I google it and try to see if there's any and it came up...
https://catholic-geo-hub-cgisc.hub.arcgis.com/pages/a-globalchurch