Do I include animal companions when calculating difficulty of an encounter?

Question: I have a player who is playing a beast master ranger and I was wondering: do I calculate the level of the animal companion when making encounters?
Comment: Related: [Determining "level" of an NPC ally for purpose of budgeting encounter XP](//rpg.stackexchange.com/q/54008) and [How is PC experience calculated when higher level CR allies help in Adventurers League?](//rpg.stackexchange.com/q/119719)
Comment: Also, welcome to RPG.se! Thanks for a great first question! We hope you take the time to stick around and contribute more or drop by again whenever you feel like you have another question. :-) Let us know if we can do anything to help you understand how the site works better.
Answer: Not for the Beast Master Companion
The beast companion for that Ranger is granted by their class features. This makes it for all intents and purposes part of the Ranger (and included in their levels, as it were). In particular it uses their initiative and their actions to make attacks, meaning they are not an independent creature contributing to encounters. For these same reasons the Beast Master is often considered a slightly weaker subclass, so increasing the encounter difficulty because of them is not a good idea.
It may be helpful to think of the Beast Master Companion in a similar light to creatures conjured through spells; such as conjure animals or summon lesser demons. These additional creatures can definitely affect the difficulty of the encounter, but they are accounted as part of the PC's features and resources and are thus similarly included in their levels.
Only if the party gains companions (animalian or otherwise) through mechanisms that aren't their class will you need to make such adjustments. There is some advice in this question's answers, but the short answer is that you will have to do some trial and error, as you realistically will have to do for any party. (And even more so when they are given extra stuff; like magical items.)
Comment: It *may* be worthwhile to mention how conjuring or any other minion creation will definitely affect encounter design. But that may also be off-topic :)


Define width of featured image thumbnails, but also make responsive?

Question: So I know how to define thumbnail images with set_post_thumbnail_size and it works, but the issue is that the image isn't responsive when I do that, right? When I define the thumbnail to be 300 x 9999, I'm telling the image to always be 300 pixels wide, but I need that image to expand or constrict with it's responsive container. When viewing my project on a desktop, the image containers are floated up next to each other, and need to be around 300 pixels wide. When you view the site on smaller and mobile widths, the image and it's container can actually expand up to 700 pixels because they are no longer floated next to each other, but are stacked up with no floats. I do have max-width:100%; for images in my css by the way.   Is there anything I can do?    I was going to use this method: http://mobile.smashingmagazine.com/2012/06/14/responsive-images-with-wordress-featured-images/  but still, aren't we just defining image widths that aren't going to be responsive? Plus, just using is_mobile to detect probably isn't perfectly reliable. If I shrink my site down to 700 pixels, it's not necessarily a mobile device, but I will need a different image served up. Ugh
Answer: What I usually do is:

Set an image wrapper with the desired width
Set the max-width of the image to the 100% of the wrapper
Set the height to auto

http://jsfiddle.net/VV25C/
Resize your browser to see it in action.
Comment: Hmm, well I guess another issue that I'm going to have is that I'm using Zurb's Foundation as my, well foundation, of my theme. (http://foundation.zurb.com/docs/components/grid.html) I'm not really defining the image wrappers' width. Crap. But I certainly do have all images set to max width and height auto. I just need to figure out the wrapper part. Maybe I can experiment with defining widths on the wrappers. I'm thinking it will screw things up though.
Comment: I guess I should of phrased my question differently. I'm actually going for an adaptive type of thing with the featured images. Depending on what the width of the browser is, WP would serve up a different size. I tried what apostl3pol answered this question with, but no images will show when they are being called within jquery.   http://stackoverflow.com/questions/16120819/how-do-you-display-different-featured-image-with-different-sizes-when-using-medi


I use Nikon D7000. When using external flash, on Aperature priority mode, the shutter freezed to 1/30 or 1/60. How to fix it?

Question: When I am using D7000 with 18-105 lents, Aperture priority mode, Digitec TTL flash, I usually experience that photos are under exposed and the shutter speed gets limited to 1/60 or 1/30.
I do not know why? Can it be increased? Even similar problem occurs when in Manual mofe. The photos turn out to be under. The result is not consistent. Shall I require to change the flash to Nikon make only.
Pl suggest. Thanks in advance
Comment: Can you give us your flash model ?
Answer: One qualifier first, camera Auto mode is fully auto, it does everything as it pleases, and may not be adjustable in any way (compensation maybe).  Below is speaking of camera modes A,S,P,M.
1/60 second is the default 'minimum shutter speed with flash' used in camera A or P modes.  We use flash in dim places, which meter slower, like perhaps 1/4 second shutter (for one example).  But we don't need 1/4 second because we are instead using flash.  So automation can set it faster.
If you wanted to use the 1/4 second (whatever it meters), you can set Slow Sync mode, which will use it (whatever it meters).  Or Rear Curtain sync will do the same (on Nikons).
Or your D7000 menu E2 allows other slower Minimum speeds, but 1/60 second is default menu "Minimum shutter speed with flash", A or P modes.
To make it be a faster shutter in A or P modes, you either have to go out into brighter ambient that will meter higher, or you can use camera M or S mode and set any shutter speed you wish (up to Maximum shutter speed with flash, menu E1).  More at http://www.scantips.com/lights/flashbasics4.html about these choices.
Answer: Check the Flash Shutter Speed setting in the settings section. You can set the minimum shutter speed that the camera uses when a flash is attached to a higher shutter speed.
Also, when using a flash, you might as well just use manual mode on the camera. Just keep your shutter speed at or below the maximum sync speed (I think it's 1/250s for the Nikon D7000). The flash exposure is affected by aperture, not shutter speed. Slower shutter speeds will let you capture more of the ambient light, something which is nice to be able to control.


How do I tell if a basement is dry?

Question: I am looking to rent a basement. My purpose is to store documents and clothes, for several years. Hence I need to be sure that this basement is dry, that my documents and clothes won't be damaged over time. I find it hard to see that when visiting the basement. How can I tell ?
Comment: One way to tell if there is moisture from the floor is to tape a piece of plastic to the floor like a square from a plastic bag. after 24 hours pull the bag up and see if it has water on the bottom side. other than that look for water marks and mold on the walls.
Comment: Thanks guys. Actually my question is not specific to a particular basement, but general, since I am visiting several, and asking myself the question about each of them. I wish I could do the plastic bag experiment, but unfortunately owners are available for a 15 minute visit, they would probably not want to come back one day later to get the experiment's result
Answer: A humidity measurement is the first line of defense. The relative humidity should be appropriate for the local climate, say 40-50%. If it's higher, find out whether a dehumidifier can be used (with a floor drain, ideally).
If you have an unfinished section of floor, duct tape a square of poly sheeting for a few days and see how much moisture accumulates. This doesn't give you an absolute answer, but it tells you how hard you'll have to work to keep the air humidity down.
Otherwise, look for visual cues. Dark concrete. Staining. Mildew. Of course, you could also ask the owner.
Answer: Moisture can also accumulate depending on air circulation. Make sure that there is some sort of air circulation if these documents are critical. You can also fully seal the document containers so that they're airtight and not impacted as much.
Also temperature differences between various materials could generate moisture. For instance an uninsulated basement with cold duct work for the upstairs will drop any humidity accumulated from warmer moist air. This over time would be the same as a roof leaking on your documents.
Plan on protecting your documents yourself and anything that they provide for your document protection is just added good measures. Good luck.
Comment: See if the basement air is circulated through the rest of the home, if so the odds of it being dry are much higher.  You can get a mold test kit and take samples in moments. Good Luck. More information please!

How do I tell if a basement is dry?


How does a redirect using a .htaccess compare to a redirect via DNS records?

Question: Is there a reason to use one technique over the other or should I just use whichever is more convenient? Roughly, I want to redirect myshortsitename.com to mylongersitename.com.
Answer: In fact, DNS does not redirect, It just resolves your given domain name (record) into a IP address.
In .htaccess, You can set different type of redirection using 301 (permanent) & 302 (temporary)
.htaccess redirection is very much useful, When you want to redirect certain set of URLs from your domain to another domain.
.htaccess redirection can also be used to redirect URLs within the same domain.
When you want to redirect your old business name to new business name, better to use 301 redirection, This will benefit in SEO.
Most of your old customers might search you online using "old brand name", which can be redirected to "new website"
Answer: DNS does not redirect. It only resolves a domain name to an IP address.
With DNS, you can assign two domain names to the same IP address, but that is it. Nothing more.
If you need a redirect, then you will have to use the web server to achieve this.
Answer: Assuming the redirect is permanent you will get the fastest user experience by pointing the DNS records directly to the destination. The page load speed and the page route are important from several perspectives:

Your visitors will be happier and less likely to abandon prematurely.
Google's ranking takes into account page load speed.
No need to maintain an .htaccess file just for the sake of a redirect.
301/302 redirects may have issues with properly propagating the referrer header.
The more stops you have along the way, the more likely it becomes to have failures.

On the other hand, if not done properly and making the two domains seem as separate web sites, you risk being conceived as a site duplicator, and at diluting your traffic between the two domain names. To mitigate these risks I would advise to define the short domain name's DNS record as a CNAME that translates to the long domain name, and to embed in your pages canonical urls that will tell Google that both forms actually point to the same resource.
Comment: Using a DNS to point two or more domain names to a single IP address is only a small part of the process that needs to take place to have domain names serve the same content. The web server needs configuring as well. In addition, there are new issues that come along with this that require work to compensate for. It is generally not advisable to point multiple domain names to the same site as a replacement for a redirect.
Comment: I've been successfully using this technique for years with a .org domain for which I had also a .com domain. When you'd search Google you'd always get the .org link even if you've searched for something such as site:mysite.com. If the site is properly written there shouldn't be a need for any special support for the CNAME, except for some tweaking in special cases such as Github Pages and similar services. The speed gain is IMHO well worth it.
Comment: I have been too. I was just pointing out that assigning a DNS A or CNAME record to multiple domain names is only a fraction of what is needed in regard to configuration and then once done, there is additional work required to compensate for this this technique with such things such as canonical tags, redirects, etc.
Comment: @closetnoc You are right but I already mentioned in the answer the canonical urls. As for redirects, well, I never had a need for these as the whole point was to go directly to the page, skipping the extra hop. It would be interesting though to put together some proper guide that will thoroughly cover the issue.
Comment: We do have answers that cover this, but I am sure none of them are fully complete but rather more to the specific question from the OP. SE is doing a documentation *something* site(s) which may be useful for guides such as this - I have no idea - I have not looked. BTW- Canonical tags are only really necessary if more than one site are serving the same content without a redirect. Some day, I should get into this more when the opportunity arises, or you can! ;-)


Which FARs does the Boeing 737 MAX conform to with respect to turbulence?

Question: Based on this question/answer it seems that the FARs in relation to turbulence handling have been updated several times over the years. Does the Boeing 737 MAX conform to the latest FARs or to the FARs in place when the Boeing 737 was first certified?
Answer: Testing standards for things like turbulence and fatigue are not related to any specific aircraft type certificate. Yes, the MAX shares the same type certificate as the first 737-100, but the TC only makes reference to the certification standards to which the design complies. If you look at the TC you will see that it references the advisory circular for fatigue and damage tolerance testing (AC 25.171-1x), but as new models are introduced the TC makes reference to the latest version of the AC at the time the modified TC is issued to include the new model. The latest version of the AC is -1D.


What do you need for Chinese style Hotpot at home?

Question: I love going to hotpot at the restaurant.
How can I do it at home? What sort of equipment do I need?
Answer: Pots
There are two options for Chinese hot pot. Either one large pot that everyone dips into or several small pots, one each that you cook your own food in. Both styles are popular in China. It is also common to see the large pot with a divide in the middle allowing one side to have more chilli and spice than the other.

Left: Large pot with divide. Right: Individual pots on burners.
Heat source
Missing from the other answers, you need some way to heat the pot and keep it simmering. In China, people have individual electric hobs with temperature controls specially designed for the job. You can find them online http://www.alibaba.com/showroom/induction-stove.html
For the individual pots, a paraffin wax burner is used blow the pot. Similar to the heater used in a buffet restaurant to keep food warm.

Cheating
Really any pot and a little gas stove would do just fine:

In pot spices
This can vary considerably depending on what region of China you are in and what you like. You could just use plain water or a light broth of chicken or fish. I've seen some that resemble cream of tomato soup. Commonly you will see wolf berries, chilli, ginger, garlic, black, white and red pepper corns, bay leaves and Chinese dates. You really could use anything you like.
Dips
Again this varies. Usually each person has a small bowl into which they mix their own dip. This may contain rice vinegar, soy sauce, peanut or sesame paste, chilli paste in oil, crushed garlic, pickled garlic, picked chilli and some other pastes of things I have yet to identify. You might be able to buy ready mixed spices for dips in you're local Chinese supermarket or online shops.
Food for cooking
Typical food for cooking includes: Thin cut beef or lamb (occasionally pork), fish of any type, shrimp, oysters and such seafood, thin sliced potato or sweet potato (yam), egg noodles, tofu (either fresh or frozen or the skin shredded), and vegetables such as cabbage, bok choy, lettuce, spinach or whatever greens you have to hand.
Comment: Hot plates don't have to use induction - normal electric is probably cheaper. Also, be really careful - propane camping stoves are not safe for indoor use.
Comment: You don't need to use induction, but it is more controllable. It's certainly the choice of every restaurant and home hotpot I've ever had. As for propane camping stoves - In the USA or UK they probably do have a warning sticker on them. In China they are common place. I have seen stoves, very similar to the one photographed, in use in a five star hotel's kitchen. I've also seen similar looking things on sale for home use.
Comment: My understanding is that it's possible to make a propane stove safe for indoor use, but that camping stoves don't bother, hence the strong warnings in the US. (I don't know if the ones in China are safer, or simply risking carbon monoxide poisoning.)
Comment: I've dropped the word "camping" from my answer, though it would be quite safe to use a camping stove in your garden and have hotpot.
Comment: You can use those gas cans with the burner kit or use the electric plate. It's so common in chinese people's home, not unsafe at all.
Answer: You will need the following:

A pot that's about 12" in diameter and 4 inches deep
Put the broth in the pot, you can buy broth packages usually at Chinese/Asian supermarket. You just need to mix it with water and boil.
Food you want to cook in the pot. Sliced beef is my favourite, but mussels, beef balls, fish balls, shrimps, veggies, etc.
You will need chopsticks, hot pot scoop that looks like the following, so you can scoop the cooked food to your own plate:

To add flavour, usually you dip the cooked food in soya sauce, but a mixture of raw egg, soya sauce and satay sauce is used as the deep. You can even add chopped chili, green onions and chili oil to it.

Just make the broth. Cook the food you like as you eat. That's it!
Comment: It's important to add the heat source which you can use those single electric stove, induction or not. Induction does heat really fast. You can do it on the stove but it's pretty inconvenient. The hotpot sauce can be bought in stores which is quite convenient.
Answer: To add to your options, because part of the fun is the interactive/participation, cook something you like that you may not see on the menu at the sit-in place. Our house likes slices of that pinkish potato taro.

We have a propane fired table top stove much like what you can find for camping equipment. The pot which is more wide than deep is resting on this mini stove. It goes without saying that the surface must be safe and stable. In the past, we used a electric non-stick breakfast griddle that was shaped like a elongated casserole dish. In both cases, a matching lid was present. The other characteristic is a wide mouth opening because you expect many guests to scoop and dip constantly so the pot needs to be accessible from the farthest end of your table.
You can make a simplified broth by boiling water in a smaller pot on the kitchen stove. Then transfer into (pour slowly and very carefully) the hot pot set-up, start with white napa cabbage or bok choy, (shitake) mushrooms, and green onions. Cover with a lid and watch as you bring it to a boil. As soon as the greens soften, you can lower the temp down and begin cooking the morsels of food. The smaller water pot on the kitchen stove is also helpful to "top off" the hot pot as people scoop out broth as soup or the liquid boils and evaporates.
Leave the sauce ingredients out for individual tastes. Each individual can personalize their dipping sauce. For example, soy sauce, vinegar, chili paste, raw egg, green onions (chopped), sesame oil, Vegetarian BBQ Sauce (https://www.99ranch.com/asian-spices/bbq-sauce/bull-head-vegetarian-bbq-sauce) are spread out and some will skip the egg or the chili.
To finish the meal, you can introduce bean thread noodles to cook with a fresh sprinkle of greens like spinach. This helps if your guests have big appetites as the bite size morsels may seem like snacks. It also takes advantage of the rich broth that results from the many items cooking and blending.
Comment: Be careful - actual propane camping stoves are definitely *not* safe for use indoors.
Comment: I have to agree. Practice safety first. I should clarify that I do not mean a set-up using a propane tank! The mini stove is fueled by a small spray can like container.


Why does boron have a lower affinity than oxygen?

Question: Electron affinity of oxygen is 141 kJ/mol and electron affinity of boron is 27 kJ/mol. I suspect it is because boron nucleus is much better shielded than oxygen nucleus (in the p-shell), but I am not sure if this is the only factor since the difference is so large.
Answer: Oxygen's nucleus consists of more protons than boron an thus its Effective nuclear charge is stronger than in case of boron. This means that oxygen will be "more electronegative" than boron, because his nucleus has bigger + charge and attracts electrons more than boron.
Boron's nucleus is actually less shielded than oxygen's as we can determine from Slater's rule, but it is simply not as strong as oxygen's nucleus and because of that, boron has smaller electron affinity.
Comment: While I understand that oxygen should have larger effective charge, the difference between affinities just seems too large. Using Slater's rule, effective charge of Boron should be 2.25 and effective charge of Oxygen should be 4.2, i.e. less than a factor of 2 difference. At the same time, electron affinities of the actual elements differ by a factor of 5.

Slater's rule does not seem to work well for affinities quantitively at all.


How do you create personas with limited funds and access to the actual group you're trying to represent?

Question: I work on my school's website and when I create personas I find myself just going off of what I think. I know that is dangerous but I don't really have the time to go out and study the specific people we're trying to cater to. What can I do to get to know them without having to actually meet them. (For example, not all users are local students, there's parents of students, international/online students, etc.)
Answer: It's tough to design for someone you will never meet. I applaud the effort of creating personas despite the lack of access to users. I've been in this situation, too, and here is how I worked through it:

I acknowledged that I was just guessing, and listed what I thought
the goals and attributes of my users would be.
I asked the product owner to tell me everything they knew about the user. I was lucky in that lots of people in this user group blogged about their interests, so I sought out blogs (let's say I was designing a motorcycle parts site) about motorcycling as a hobby or as a way of life.
The blogs gave me a lot of useful information about attitudes and issues that
my users were likely to have; enough to recognize that there were many different reasons people love motorcycles ;-)
I then adjusted my goals and attributes list to reflect what I had learned.

The project ended, because the focus of the client switched to a different product, but had I continued, I would have reached out to the bloggers and invited them to take part in an online evaluation of the design. That would have further refined the data I had passively collected about users, and provides the necessary access to users.
We as researchers are fortunate in that people share so much about their lives online. Students are avid users of social media. You may not be handed access to them directly, but if you get creative and search Twitter, Tumbl'r and Blogger for your school, you will find the very students and parents you seek. Then you can reach out to them, and build personas from real data.
Comment: +1 for seeking out students on social media.  especially if the web site you are working on affects them, you will see their reactions as you make changes.  I would reach out to them and ask for feedback or try to have interactions with them to understand their needs/wants/desires.
Answer: I've been involved in persona projects thrice in my career as a UX Designer and two of those occasions were similar to your situation - limited funds.
Start somewhere
Yes, it's not a good idea to just silo yourself and your thoughts when creating personas, but you have to realize that you have to start somewhere. If you can't afford a recruitment agency, you have to start by going off of your experience of past users of the website. If you have access to any analytics, it'll give you geographical insight as to where your users are coming from.
Remote interviews
Get in touch with people you/the product owner thinks fit the bill of your target user. You'll find that people are quite happy to help most of the time. I used Skype to video conference them in and then, with their consent, used Screenium/QuickTime (you can also use a regular video camera and set it up) to record the sessions for review later. This costs no money. It's time-consuming, sure, but talking to people is the only way to get personas right. You can use website forums, social media to get through to people.
Variety
I got in touch with a bunch of target users who were very different from each other. You already know there are some international students, local students, parents of students, etc. Try and get in touch with one of each kind of user you think you have.
Quick and Dirty
Don't try and talk to 50 users. Do 5-10. You'll be amazed at how much you can learn.


How to determine when custom layout XML is being used

Question: I'm working on a site running Magento CE 22.214.171.124. In the process of applying a new theme and as I'm clicking through the site, I'm running into an anomaly.
Every page on the site is using the new, correct theme however when I attempt to view a category page, it falls back to the base theme. The layout XML calls for the file 3columns.phtml so I then proceed to verify there is a 3columns.phtml file located in the template/page directory of my new theme. There is and all permissions are correct but it still won't load.
I then proceed to the Magento admin panel to see if that specific category or parent categories has a specified custom design - they don't. I then go through my page.xml and local.xml files for my theme, clear all cache, try new browsers and still the category page on my site loads the base theme.
So to take a more diagnostic approach, I would like to know what is happening that makes the theme fallback to Magento's base theme JUST FOR THE CATEGORY PAGE. Is there a way to log what is happening or not happening? I'm hoping to potentially catch the error or even the call for custom XML that I just can't seem to find.
Comment: check if you are overwriting the layout in local.xml, of the applied theme
Answer: I assume you can hook into \Mage_Core_Model_Design_Package::setTheme or \Mage_Core_Model_Design_Package::setPackageName and check what is going on.
Either with xdebug or Mage::log()


Adding python packages to ArcGIS?

Question: I am using ArcGIS 10.4.1 which comes bundled with Python 2.7.10. I am aware of the fact that to install external python packages, one needs to install "pip". I already have "pip" as "pip" is pre-installed in Python 2.7.9 and in newer versions of Python. I have tried to install the Python module with the correct name "pykalman" from within Windows Command Prompt and not the Winows Python Interpreter. Still, I am getting errors as follows:
Comment: Have you tried using pip?
Comment: After opening the python window from ArcGIS, I have typed pip install , but to no avail.
Comment: Same for me. I use windows command prompt to install packages using pip, see this question on how to: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/29817447/how-to-run-pip-commands-from-cmd
Comment: I tried pip install  in Windows Command Prompt, but that does seem to work either. My "pip" is saved in the following path: C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4\Scripts. I have also taken care of adding the aforementioned path to the Environmental Variables dialog.
Comment: I think that you should run your command prompt application as Administrator. Please, see my answer.
Comment: @SujaiBappaBanerji Please [edit] your question to include the details of what you've tried, and what happens when you try it.  Did you get error messages?  What module were you trying to install and how did you run the command?
Comment: @SujaiBappaBanerji you have the correct path, see my updated answer below.
Answer: In your answer screenshot you opened the python interpreter in your command prompt by typing python. This is similar to the ArcGIS (or QGIS) python consoles. This is where you can write python code, but it is not how you install new python packages.
To install a new package, all you need to do is run pip install <package name> from within your command prompt (not the interpreter). If you have your PATH variable updated correctly (sounds like you do, with C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4\Scripts included) you should be able to run pip install pykalman-master in the cmd from any directory.
If this doesn't work, please update your answer with the errors you encounter.
EDIT: I just tried installing pykalman-master and that is the wrong package name. Use this instead
pip install pykalman

EDIT 2: I see your updated error message. You have pip installed correctly, and you have the path set correctly, so no worries about any of that. This is clear because "Collection pykalman" is printed to the console (meaning pip is working).
The issue in this case seems to be a firewall on your network that blocks access to the pypi server where pip looks for python packages. Here are other people with similar problems.
This is really beyond the scope of GIS Stack Exchange at this point, but to save you time digging through forums and to give a little bit more context......
You could either talk to your network admin to open the firewall (and once you read the rest of this you may see why that would be worth it), or you could download the pykalman source code and install it directly. This is really not so hard (don't be intimidated! :) ):

go to the pykalman repo here https://github.com/pykalman/pykalman
download the zip file of the repo
upzip anywhere on your file system
in a command prompt, enter the unzipped directory, the one that contains setup.py
run this command
python setup.py install

which tells python to run the setup.py file, and install the package into your python site-packages directory.

you can now delete the downloaded zip file and the unzipped contents if you want (all the relevant stuff is now in site-packages).

To test that you have installed pykalman (or any python package), run the python interpreter (python) and try import pykalman. If no errors, you are good to go.
HOWEVER: The problem with installing this way is that it won't automatically install all of the other python packages that are pykalman's dependencies (numpy scipy Sphinx numpydoc and nose). I'm pretty sure ArcGIS's python install comes with numpy and scipy, but I doubt you have the others. Meaning, you would likely have to manually install those packages too.
Good luck!
Comment: The first three points are bang on. Thereafter, there are some changes which I have mentioned in my answer to my own question.
Answer: To install using pip, if it is correctly installed, I think all that you need to do is:

Make sure that C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4 is in your Path environment variable
Use python -m pip install <module> from a cmd tool
Answer: I did the procedure for QGIS but it's the same for ArcGis. My goal is to install 'rdp' (Ramer-Douglas-Peucker algorithm) third party python module. First, run your command prompt application as Administrator. In console, I ran this command:
python -m pip install rdp

At the next image you can see that it was successfully installed.

It's also observed that the package was installed in:
C:\Python27\Lib\site-packages

Edit your PYTHONPATH and copy above text in your 'Environment Variables'. Save changes.

Now, when I launch the QGIS application, 'rdp' is already disponible for the Python Console:
Comment: There is no need to have a PYTHONPATH environment variable set with the ArcGIS Python installation.
Comment: Probably because you can use **pip install** inside Python Console of ArcGis. In my case it's not possible for QGIS so, I need the PYTHONPATH.
Answer:
Go to the pykalman repo here https://github.com/pykalman/pykalman
Download the zip file of the repo
Upzip anywhere on your file system
Copy the setup.py file from the unzipped folder and place it in C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4.
Run Windows Command Prompt as administrator and change the directory.
Run this command: python setup.py install

The output would be as follows:
Comment: You now talking about the command prompt, or cmd.exe, not python. If you run the command prompt as a user, it will open in that user's home directory. If you run it as administrator (which doesn't have a home directory) it will open in .....system32. These things have nothing to do with your PATH environment variable.
Comment: Well, if it works it works, but I don't recommend adding files to `C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4`. What you should do is add that path to your environment variable PATH (just as you did with `C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4\Scripts`, and I kinda thought you already had??). That way you can run `python` from any directory, allowing you to use the exact steps I laid out. I recommend that you remove `setup.py` from `C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4`, as a house-keeping measure for down the road.
Comment: All right. What I had added in Environment Variables>System Variables>Path were: C:\Python27 and C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4\Scripts, but not C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4. I will add C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4 to Environment Variables>System Variables>Path  as recommended by you. Even I suppose I should remove setup.py from C:\Python27\ArcGIS10.4 to maintain tidiness in that folder. What I do not understand is that when I run Python as administrator, it opens in the following directory:  C:\Windows\system32>, even though I have not added C:\Windows\system32> to Environment Variables>System Variables>Path .

Adding python packages to ArcGIS?


what are the odds of hitting a flush with 2 suited cards before the floop

Question: what are the odds to hit a flush if you hold two suited cards pre flop.
In a tournament 3 guys go all in I was in last position. I had suited 10/J and called as I was getting 4-1 on my money.
 was that a good call?
Answer: as a rule of thumb, I always remember that if the hole cards are the same suit, there is around a 6% chance of making a flush by the river. If 3 players are all in, then you would be contributing 25% of the pot giving you 3-1 odds (assuming they all cover you and blinds and antes are insignificant). This was not a good call purely based on pot odds, but it is also useful to remember that if you do make a flush you can still be beat by a better hand.
Comment: Suited 10-J has other ways to win--high pairs and straights, for example. Indeed, it's better to flop the straight than the flush, because the straight will be the nuts. I would always call TJs with these odds, especially in good position.


black dieffenbachia leaves

Question: I just got a nice sized dieffenbachia. After transferring it to a nice pot it has been suffering. I gave it plenty of water, more soil, and a pot not too big for the plant. It did get subjected to cold for about 20 mins. Now almost half of the leaves are black and most of those black leaves are now crisp. Should I trim off the black leaves and leave the healthy ones? Or should I trim it all the way back to the stems?
Comment: Can you post a picture to see how it looks like?
Answer: It sounds as if your plant actually froze.  Yes, cut off any dead, black, grayed, crispy material.  It is worthless to the plant.
Please send a picture, let us know where this plant lives; indoors, what window orientation (west, south, north or east), love to see how much is still alive and able to make food for the plant.
What kind of soil did you use?  Garden soil or sterilized potting medium?  Did you put rocks or gravel beneath the soil for supposedly enhancing drainage?  What is your watering method?  Fertilizer?  Where on this planet do you live?
Do you have cats or dogs in your family?  This plant is very toxic to pets!  Oh, and kiddos.

black dieffenbachia leaves


Why is the Cauchy Distribution so useful?

Question: Could anyone give me some practical examples of the Cauchy Distribution? What makes it so popular?
Comment: I challenge the premise -- is it actually popular as a practical model\*? (If it is, how do you know, outside of seeing practical examples already?)  ... $\:$ \*[It's widely used in textbook examples because of its simplicity and as a counterexample to various things, but I doubt those count as practical. It's sometimes used as  a prior, but that's not as a data model.]
Comment: Its [use as a prior](https://stats.stackexchange.com/search?q=cauchy+prior) is because of the distribution's properties (in general, the aim is to give some kind of weakly informative prior); from the wording of the question I wouldn't have thought you meant to include priors. There's a somewhat related question here: [What are the properties of a half Cauchy distribution?](https://stats.stackexchange.com/questions/237847/what-are-the-properties-of-a-half-cauchy-distribution)
Comment: I've seen some practical examples out of my field of studies, specifically for MCMC algorithm. Therefore I've been curious if it can be applied for finance or ML
Comment: When you say "for MCMC algorithm" do you mean instead "as a Bayesian prior" or do you mean "as a model for data in a Bayesian framework" or something else?
Comment: For computing hierarchical prior and reference prior.
Comment: See https://stats.stackexchange.com/a/36037/919 for an illuminating description of the Cauchy distribution.
Answer: The standard Cauchy distribution is derived from ratio of two independent normally distributed random variables. If $X \sim N(0,1)$, and $Y \sim N(0,1)$, then $\tfrac{X}{Y} \sim \operatorname{Cauchy}(0,1)$.
The Cauchy distribution is important in physics (where it's known as the Lorentz distribution) because it's the solution to the differential equation describing forced resonance. In spectroscopy, it is the description of the shape of spectral lines which are subject to homogeneous broadening in which all atoms interact in the same way with the frequency range contained in the line shape.
Applications:

Used in mechanical and electrical theory, physical anthropology and
measurement and calibration problems.

In physics it is called a Lorentzian distribution, where it is the
distribution of the energy of an unstable state in quantum mechanics.

Also used to model the points of impact of a fixed straight line of
particles emitted from a point source.

Source.
Comment: It _is_ used in machine learning, in particular as a prior distribution in Bayesian inference. In particular the half-Cauchy is used as a prior for certain scale variables.
Comment: It's not really used in finance or machine learning (practically); it's used in physics (99.9% of the time).  I suppose that if someone wanted to model the ratio between two independent, normally distributed variables in finance, they would use the Cauchy distribution.
Comment: A reason it could be useful in finance is that it has extremely heavy tails. It has no moments, so it doesn't make sense to say that it has high kurtosis, but it is prone to extreme observations, both high and low.
Comment: @Wayne Could you please give an example, maybe a reference?
Comment: "ratio of two independent normal distributions" isn't exactly right. That should say "ratio of two independent normally distributed random variables."
Comment: Thank you. The first sentence is pretty helpful. I am quite far from the physics, could you give any examples considering finance or machine learning?
Comment: @Dave https://stats.stackexchange.com/questions/237847/what-are-the-properties-of-a-half-cauchy-distribution
Comment: Thank you. It helped a lot. However I lack an example that will show its application rather mathematical notations. I do get the whole point of hierarchical priors in bayesian inference, however I am not sure if I understand why Cauchy distribution comes in handy in this case.
Comment: Another place it shows up (in disguise):  a t-distribution with 1 degree of freedom is a Cauchy distribution.
Answer: In addition to its usefulness in physics, the Cauchy distribution is commonly used in models in finance to represent deviations in returns from the predictive model.  The reason for this is that practitioners in finance are wary of using models that have light-tailed distributions (e.g., the normal distribution) on their returns, and they generally prefer to go the other way and use a distribution with very heavy tails (e.g., the Cauchy).  The history of finance is littered with catastrophic predictions based on models that did not have heavy enough tails in their distributions.  The Cauchy distribution has sufficiently heavy tails that its moments do not exist, and so it is an ideal candidate to give an error term with extremely heavy tails.
Note that this issue of the fatness of tails in error terms in finance models was one of the main contents of the popular critique by Taleb (2007).  In that book, Taleb points out instances where financial models have used the normal distribution for error terms, and he notes that this underestimates the true probability of extreme events, which are particularly important in finance.  (In my view this book gives an exaggerated critique, since models using heavy-tailed deviations are in fact quite common in finance.  In any case, the popularity of this book shows the importance of the issue.)
Comment: Thank you, I highly appreciate your answer as I am familiar with the book. By the way, I am not sure if I understand this part of your sentence correctly " fatness of tails in error terms". Would you mind being more precise with that?
Comment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat-tailed_distribution#Fat_tails_and_risk_estimate_distortions
Comment: In this kind of general discussion, we do not have a specific tail property in mind, so precision in specifying the meaning of "fatness" or "heaviness" of the tails detracts from the generality.  It is worth reviewing some characterisations of [fat-tailed distributions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fat-tailed_distribution#Fat_tails_and_risk_estimate_distortions) and [heavy-tailed distributions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy-tailed_distribution) to see the kind of properties I have in mind.
Comment: Could you explain what the precision means in the plain English? I mean, I do get that it's inverse of variance, but I seek understanding why if we talk about priors, we get n0 in the denominator - the prior sample size.
Comment: Without seeing the context of what you're talking about, what you ask is unclear.  May I suggest that you pose this as a new question on this site, with all the relevant context given.
Comment: Noone reasonable in finance believes financial returns follow a Cauchy with its infinite variance, but most believe that they are more fat-tailed than a normal.  It is a typical assumption that they follow a Student-t with a positive df.


Can you name your business in Google My Business as a search query term if your domain name is also named like that?

Question: There is a competitor whose domain name is like this restaurantsinchicago.com and when I search at Google "Restaurants in Chicago" the first result is that site and it appears at the right side where Google Business are shown as "Restaurants in Chicago" with his image because he named his company with that name also in Google My Business this obviously has great advantage over the other competitors. My question is if you can name your business in "Google My Business" in such way because your domain name is also named like that?
Comment: It looks like @zigojacko has an excellent and appropriate answer for you as far as Google my Business. I was thinking you were meaning in general; you can create a business of any name and have a domain name that matches as long as it is available. However, it should make sense too. Your first example makes sense to me, but your "Headphone in Chicago" does not. I am sure Google does not want gaming of course. I am sure they want real businesses with real names.
Comment: It does help if your domain name matches your business name if that is what you are asking.
Comment: @closetnoc Are "Headphones in Chicago" or "Printers in Washington" valid business names? If they are there is nothing preventing that you can add your business with that name in Google My Business but I believe that is unfair which is why I am asking if this is allowed by Google My Business policy.
Answer: No, you are categorically not allowed to title your business name on Google My Business (formerly Google Places and Google Local Business) with anything other than your physical registered business name even if your domain name is something different.
Google's quality guidelines for local business confirm this:

Your name should reflect your business' real-world name, as used consistently on your storefront, website, stationery, and as known to customers.


How can Subway's and my local pizzeria legally use imperial-only units to sell their goods?

Question: UK and EU law state that products sold in the UK must be advertised in metric units (Wikipedia).  However, Subway's sells sandwiches that are "footlong" or "six inches", and at least two pizzeras I have been also advertise their pizzas by diameter in inches (online example).  Considering that traders have been prosecuted for not using the metric system, how can Subway's and pizzerias legally do so?
Comment: Just an idea (I do not know if I am right or not, just an inspiration I just had) for the sandwich: they are not units but the name of the product. You do not buy a sandwich by meters or foots, you buy a sandwich that is called "footlong" as it could have been called "big" or "monster" (you cannot order "13 inches of sandwich"). In the opposite, uncountable goods (milk, cheese, ham) can be served in any quantity (you can ask for 300gr. or 310gr. of cheese) and these would be subject to use of units. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWDdd5KKhts
Comment: And a link from wikipedia (last paragraph): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_Kingdom#Units_of_measurement
Comment: However, the pizzas were clearly claims about diameter. You can reasonably argue that the sandwich is not making a measurement claim, but not the pizza (esp. since it includes "14.5 inch").
Answer: From the Wikipedia you linked:

Goods and services sold by a description are not covered by weights and measures legislation; thus, a fence panel sold as "6 foot by 6 foot" is legal, as is a 6 x 4 inch photograph frame, but a pole sold with the price described as "50 pence per linear foot", with no accompanying metric price, would be illegal.

In both cases the measurement is a description of the product, not a unit by which the consumer is charged.


Dapper Parsing Number as Date

Question: I have a POCO that maps to a table in Oracle. The column SOU_SEQ is of type NUMBER(10,0) and the POCO that represents this column as a long.
The problem is when I try to run a query against that table with Dapper and I get the following error:

System.Data.DataException: Error parsing column 8 (SOU_SEQ=09/07/2009
  00:00:00 - DateTime) ---> System.OutOfMemoryException: Exception of
  type 'System.OutOfMemoryException' was thrown.
at System.Convert.ChangeType(Object value, Type conversionType,
  IFormatProvider provider)    at Devart.Data.Oracle.ad.d(Byte[] A_0,
  Int32 A_1, Int32 A_2)    at
  Devart.Data.Oracle.OracleDataReader.b(Int32 A_0)    at
  Devart.Data.Oracle.OracleDataReader.GetValue(Int32 i)    at
  Devart.Common.DbDataReaderBase.get_Item(Int32 ordinal)    at
  Deserialize3c89d5be-c520-433f-a74f-f2e0bad095da(IDataReader )
--- End of inner exception stack trace ---    at
  Dapper.SqlMapper.ThrowDataException(Exception ex, Int32 index,
  IDataReader reader, Object value) in D:\Dev\dapper-dot-net\Dapper
  NET40\SqlMapper.cs:line 4153    at
  Deserialize3c89d5be-c520-433f-a74f-f2e0bad095da(IDataReader )    at
  Dapper.SqlMapper.d__147`1.MoveNext() in
  D:\Dev\dapper-dot-net\Dapper NET45\SqlMapperAsync.cs:line 112

It appears that Dapper is trying to parse this column wrongly as a DateTime.
The code that I am using to query the database is as follows:
await connnection.QueryAsync<T>(@sql, token).ConfigureAwait(false);

The definition of T would fill up several screens. However, the property SOU_SEQ is implemented like this:
 public class MappingClass
 {
    [System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.Key]
    [System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.Required()]
    [System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.Schema.Column(Order = 8)]
    [System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.Schema.DatabaseGenerated(System.ComponentModel.DataAnnotations.Schema.DatabaseGeneratedOption.None)]
    public virtual long SOU_SEQ
    {
        get;
        set;
    }
}

And the SQL that is used is SELECT * FROM SCHEMA.TABLE*.
Is there any workaround for this issue?

*The reason for using * is that we really do want all columns since this is part of an application that replicates between an Oracle and a SQL Server database (there are no primary keys in the 3rd party database we need to replicate).
Comment: Can you add the definition of `T`, `@sql` and the relevant SQL DDL to your question?
Comment: A few suggestions: http://stackoverflow.com/q/10000203/173225, have you tried to reproduce with a smaller POCO, and possibly naming the columns explicitly? e.g. `SELECT SOU_SEQ FROM ... WHERE ...` and see if you still experience the problem? ODP.Net might be the answer.
Comment: Glad to see you found the issue. I'd suggest taking a smaller subset, but with no primary key...
Comment: I've added a bit more detail now.
Comment: Thanks for the suggestion, Colin. I think I know the cause of this. See my answer below.
Answer: It looks like, rather than being an issue with Dapper, it is due to a OutOfMemoryException that most likely occurred while parsing the column in question. The table in question is the biggest we have to deal with and the logs show that the query was running for a considerable period of time before the exception occurred.
So, I'm going to add as a tentative answer that the message about a parsing error is not the problem but, rather, there was a memory issue during parsing that is unrelated to Dapper.

Dapper Parsing Number as Date


Why are we so concerned about 1/2 of 1% (Golden Calf episode)

Question: We just read (in Parshat Ki Tisa) that the Levites punished the 3,000 men who took part in the golden calf episode.  But 3,000 is only 1/2 of 1% of the 600,000 Israelite men who left Egypt. Why is the golden calf episode so important to our tradition if it involved such a tiny proportion of the people?  Is there commentary on this?
Comment: 3000 were killed by sword.  Then there was a plague.
Comment: the majority should have stopped them,areivim zeh lazeh
Comment: how would you feel if a doctor told you that ... had cancer in 0.0005% of your body!! we are one body, and every single stray Jew is a calamity for us all. let us all merit teshuvah shlaimah!
Answer: The Ramban to Shemos 32:7 explains that there were multiple tiers of sinners in the golden calf episode, all of whom had different intentions of varying degrees of infraction, but that it was the majority of the nation that sinned:

אמר השם למשה כי עשו שתים רעות האחת כי שחת עמך וענין ההשחתה הריסת בנין... השני כי עשו עגל מסכה והשתחוו לו ויזבחו לו והנה העבירה הראשונה לא ידענה רק השם לבדו שהוא יודע תעלומות לב והשנית מעשה הזובחים החוטאים שבהם כאשר פירשתי והנה רוב העם חטאו במעשה העגל כי כן כתוב ויתפרקו כל העם את נזמי הזהב ולולי זה לא היה הכעס בכולם לכלותם והנה הנהרגים והנגפים מועטים כי ברובם היה החטא במחשבה רעה כמו שפירשתי
(translation mine) Hashem said to Moshe that they had done two wrongs, the first was a matter of [spiritual destruction] and the second was the making of the calf and bowing and sacrificing to it.  The first is something that only Hashem knows its nature.  The second was the sacrificing.  And most of the nation sinned with the calf, as it is written "the entire nation took off their golden rings" and if not for that, Hashem would not have been upset at all of them to destroy them.  Those killed and those struck in the plague were few, as most of them sinned intellectually, as I explained.

The "as I explained" refers to the Ramban's commentary to verses 1 and 4, where he explains that they did not actually think the calf was G-d, and they wanted a replacement leader with the disappearance of Moshe.
Answer: Many people beyond the 3000 killed by the Levi'im were guilty (and punished).  Yoma 66b records two views:

It is stated: Rab and Levi are disputing in the matter. One said: Whosoever sacrificed and burned incense died by the sword; whosoever embraced and kissed [the calf] died the death [at the hands of Heaven]; whosoever rejoiced in his heart died of dropsy. The other said: He who had sinned before witnesses and after receiving warning, died by the sword; he who sinned before witnesses but without previous warning, by death; and he who sinned without witnesses and without previous warning, died of dropsy. (Soncino translation)

I found this passage via a note in the Stone chumash, which recorded only the latter view.  Whether this means Chazal rule that way elsewhere, or that the editors of the chumash chose the one they liked better, I do not know.
Either way, though, way more than 3000 people were punished, and the transgression itself was major and very public.  (I would think that it being right there at the foot of Har Sinai, so soon after matan torah, would also be relevant, but I don't have a source.)
Comment: Goiod find.  But how many died 0f these other punishments? Even if a nummber equal to or even twice the number killed by the Leviim, the total number involved in the idol worchip wouldb be very small, as a percent of the total.  (BTW, this page mentions a wise woman asking a question of Rabbi Eliezer.)
Comment: @YehudaW I didn't find a number.  (BTW, there's a [followup question](https://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/82957/472) about that, which is how I found my way to this question.)  Only 250 people died in Korach's rebellion and the torah tells us about that too, so maybe pure numbers aren't the key factor in determining if something is important enough for the torah to recount?


Intervals for ear training

Question: I heard people mention training to recognize intervals many many times. What I am a bit confused about is this. Do you train to recognize intervals from a given note to the root, or to the preceding note? It seems to make more sense to learn to recognize intervals from the root, but I'd like to confirm this is the case.
Comment: Train to do both. For extra credit, train to identify *all* the notes in a 5 or 6 note chord accurately - i.e. reproduce the voicing of the chord exactly, not just identify it as "a major 9th chord" or whatever. Don't forget that you managed to learn your native language just by listening to other people talking when you were a three-year-old  - recognizing music intervals is easy compared with that!
Answer: Normally people that go this route train to recognize intervals from the preceding note. This way they can (theoretically, at least) see any piece of music and sight-sing it by singing the consecutive intervals.
But for what it's worth, my experience is that this is not the most efficient way to learn to sing accurately. (It may be helpful for post-tonal music, but even then I'm not convinced. And I'm assuming you're more interested in singing tonal music than post-tonal.) If you really want this intervallic approach, you have to learn the intervals from every scale degree, because an ascending perfect fifth from scale-degree 1 is a very different animal from that same ascending perfect fifth from scale-degree 2, from scale-degree 3, from scale-degree ♭3, etc.
In my opinion, the better way is to learn to sing functionally. Instead of singing that weird ascending perfect fifth from scale-degree 3 to 7, just sing scale-degree 3 and then sing the leading tone. Easy as pie!
Comment: Richard, learning to hear/sing notes functionally makes more sense to me. Like you said 5th from the root is very different from the 5th from any other scale degree, at least in a working piece, an actual song. I guess one can train to hear 5ths built from any scale degree in a given key, but not sure how useful that will be in an actual song.
Answer: As others have mentioned, it's important to be able to identify intervals both bottom-up and top-bottom (and really any other configuration as well). If said I randomly words a in sentence, brain your probably still would sense of that make.
Intervals may be broken down into three classes:
Class 1 = Perfect (8, 5, 4, unison)
Class 2 = Consonant (3rds / 6ths)
Class 3 = Dissonant (2nd / 7ths)
This of course includes major / minor / dim / aug alterations as well. (Minor 3rd is still consonant as inverted it's a maj 6th). By establishing a hierarchy in your brain, you'll be able to more easily identify and distinguish interval types.
Answer: Most ear training for intervals consists of two notes at a time, and you simply identify how far apart the two notes are, without any regard for whatever 'root' may or may not be implied.
However, it is also useful to identify intervals sequentially, and as other answers say it is good in that case to know both what the distance is from the previous note AND what the distance is from the root of the sequence of notes, if that can be determined.  (It can't always.)
Hope that helps.  If not, perhaps you could edit your question to clarify what you are asking.

Intervals for ear training


What characteristics does Halcyon and Maris Otter bring to beer?

Question: I have been brewing with these two types of malts and was just wondering what types of beer are typically made with them and what taste characteristics they have.
Answer: Maris Otter is typically used with English beers, especially "ESBs" (Extra Special Bitter). You wouldn't use it in a hoppy beer like an American IPA - the hops would crowd out the malt flavour.
It is often described as being more malty and "biscuity".
As a relative beginner, I've been using an ESB recipe taken from a kit and substituting ingredients. This latest brew (currently in the bottle - almost ready to taste) uses Maris Otter for the base malt.
November BYO had an article celebrating Maris Otter's 50th Anniversary and this includes some recipes including both a Mild and an ESB.
Comment: For what it's worth I like a strong malt profile in my IPAs to balance the bitterness so use Maris Otter for almost all of them.
Comment: Europe's upcoming craft brewery, brewdog, reportedly uses Maris on their leading brand, Punk IPA
Answer: I have not used those two malts so far (I should very soon though), but I still managed to get some information.
Maris Otter:

This malt has a lot of the bready, biscuit character that Maris Otter is famous for, though the Thomas Fawcett seems be a bit more toasty than the others. This malt is traditionally floor malted. I like using this one in my bitters and those beers that I want a lot of clean biscuit aroma and flavor. I typically won't use a lot of dark crystal and roasted malts with this one.

Halcyon:

Adds a degree of biscuit flavor to the beer. Brighter and lighter in flavor than Pearl, Halcyon is a great malt for the production of Real Ales. It tends to produce a less sweet wort than Maris Otter. All the base malts from Thomas Fawcett & Sons are grown by local, family farmers near the maltings area.

Sources:
http://perfectpint.blogspot.ca/2011/03/british-malts-part-i.html
http://www.midwestsupplies.com/maillard-malts-fawcett-halcyon-pale-malt.html


Auto-Set a Sharepoint list field upon submittal of a form

Question: I created an Infopath form and would like to have a particular field to be set to some default value every time this form is submitted (the field is not shown on the form, user should not have to manually input this field). Is it possible to write values to a SharePoint list via some InfoPath rules? I have tried making a rule "action" ( specifically "set a field's value") but the data connection I have seems to be "receive"-only, so it doesn't actually change the list field I want when I submit the form. Perhaps there are other ways to do it such as with a content-type-specific workflow?
Answer: You can create a hidden section and put the fields you desire to promote within there and hide it with formatting rules. Be sure to set the defaults to what you like and when the form is submitted, the promoted fields will be updated.
Alternatively, you could create a workflow on item creation to set the values.
Comment: Thanks for your response. As I mentioned in the question, your first suggestion is proving to be difficult since I can't get to the field I want to bind to because InfoPath only seems to be able to write to fields if it is a Document Library (I am submitting to a SharePoint list). I am only able to do a "receive" of that list data, not a "submit", unless I am missing something.
Comment: Then you'd just need to create a column with a default value that you desire and when the form is submitted, the column should be populated with the value.
Comment: That would normally work, but in my situation the goal is to have the "default" value be different based on what content type is being created. For example, if creating a content type of "Dog" the "name" field would be auto-set to "Fido" and if creating a "Cat" content type the "name" field would be auto-set to "Whiskers" (This is just an example not what I'm using)
Comment: I'd do it with an on creation workflow based on the content type set t he field to the proper value. I can think of more complex ways to do it in InfoPath if needed.


Scale/transform object with path in PSD

Question: I need to make composites of 2-3 images and create a new image. Let's say product shot 1 is a table, 2 is the table legs, 3 is the hardware. I need to make a new image of all of these components in one image, as well as keep the originals.
These individual shots all have vector paths, and all need to be scaled about 50% to make them all fit on the same size canvas.
I can transform the images, and I can transform the path, but these are separate operations.
Is there a way to transform the object with the path "linked"?
I've converted my object to a smart object, tried converting the path to a selection, moving and scaling, then converting back to vector path but I lose so much integrity of the path that it's not an option.
CC 2018 19.1 for Mac OS 10.11.6
Answer: If the object is in a layer, apply the transformation in the object or in the path, this is indifferent, and then select the path or the object and press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + T and exactly the same transformation will be applied to the next object/path

This applies for any kind of transformation: scale, move, rotate, skew, etc. If you need to just move an object, instead of moving it with the Move Tool, do it with a transformation frame and then apply the transform again shortcut to the other object/path.
Comment: Thank you for that shortcut! I can successfully transform them using scale, so I can input mathematically the exact reduction for both, but the trouble comes if I need to move the object somewhere else on the canvas. It's sort of artistic and I have to play around to make them fit... There has to be a better way than "move object, then nudge path to match"
Comment: Answer updated.
Comment: OMG I was doing this in steps as a sequence. I can scale and move object, then apply the transformation to path with one keystroke, which I will now automate, since I have HUNDREDS of these to do! Danielillo, thank you so so much!

Scale/transform object with path in PSD


Tails Tor not starting

Question: New user to Tails but when it starts up it says it cannot sync network time, so Tor doesn't start. How do I manually get it sorted via terminal or am I doing something wrong? Have tried MAC spoofing on and off. Internet is working, so at a loss? I'm on the latest Tails bundle.
Comment: Dear Frank, Does Tor browser work on your system? check it out.
Comment: Yep it does but I thought Tails would be a much more secure system, no?
Comment: Dear Frank, it could be, if you know how to use it correctly. Up to that point, it may work to your determent.
Answer: I tried to reproduce your problem with the latest Tails ISO. Then I saw this in the Tails documentation and this. Essentially your system time must be off due to your BIOS/UEFI and Tails cannot set it correctly. So while I couldn't reproduce the problem (because it would break some things) it seems evident that somehow, despite Tails's best effort, clock skew still exists. To connect to Tor you'll need to set the time manually or figure out why your BIOS/UEFI time is so skewed. Consider getting in touch with Tails support about why it's not working automatically.
To set the time manually you need to boot Tails and choose 'Yes' for more options, then specify a password. Open a terminal and use the following command.
sudo date nnddhhmmyyyy.ss
where,

nn, is the 2 digit month
dd, is the 2 digit day
hh, is the 2 digit hour
mm, is the 2 digit minute
yyyy, is the 4 digit year
ss, is the 2 digit seconds

Once you've completed the command click the date/time bar at the top to see the current setting update. Notice you can also perform this task graphically by clicking the date/time bar, the edit button, the time settings button, the unlock button, followed by whatever adjustments.
Set the time as accurately as possible then try loading Tor. You should now be able to connect.
-- leeroy
Answer: Tails uses UTC time. But the time of most devices is set up to the timezone of their sale, which can be considered as de-anonimization.
What I usually do is manual explicit setting the hardware clock to UTC. It is especially true for my own devices which I plan to use often with Tails. It can be quickly done via BIOS, for example - just one more reboot adjusts it forever.
It can affect other systems that aree used on the device, but they usually have the setting like "hardware clock is set up to UTC".

Tails Tor not starting


In BSG when do we learn the assigned Cylon numbers for the models?

Question: In BSG when do we learn the assigned Cylon numbers for the models? As a latecomer to the series, I hear people refer to cylon model numbers, but I am curious what episode those designations (e.g. Sharon = #8) started appearing.
Comment: Well, we learn in the mini-series that there are 12 models ... but the entirety of who the 12 each are is spread out over almost the entire series.
Comment: It's funny I have been asking this question in my head for a while, but I was watching episode 2.18 today and I think this is the first time they refer to #6 and #3 by those numbers.

Again, I am a newbie to BSG...but I have seen people refer to #6 and #8 in episode summaries and never heard them referred to by those numbers in the show...until today.
Answer: The first time a model is indicated by number is during the mini series that kicked off the show. Caprica six explains to Baltar that there are 12 Cylon models, and that she is "6".
Throughout the series, the models refer to each other by model numbers (in particular the 1's who seems to like the non-human designation). For example when debating the votes they said that the Number Ones, Fours and Fives voted as a block.
Most Cylon number designations are reveled within a episode of their true nature being shown.
The only exception of course is the Final Five, who have no set designation (they do not know what order they were produced in).
PS: It seems to be that the number is corresponding to the order of creation. We know the 1's were first for sure.
Answer: In the TV series the human-form Cylon models are revealed slowly (both their appearance and their model number), this was done deliberately to preserve the mystery/tension and give the viewer a Colonial-viewpoint (they don't know who the humanoid Cylons are).
As to which episodes the model number were first used, assuming an un-ambiguous setting and an actual number used rather a name or the Colonials realising the person was a Cylon (seeing a duplicate), this answer could vary greatly and I suspect could only be done by watching the episode in turn until all 12 are account for.
This Wiki page (contains spoilers) has a great deal of info (including pictures) on each model.
Answer: They do this to lead up to the Final Five, which is a big deal later in the series.  We know that their are 12 models, so to bring up the topic of The Final Five, the series identifies the other 7.  If you haven't watched too far, don't go too far into searching for the Final Five as it might ruin some shows for you.
It is here and there and hinted about.  Not sure how much you want to learn before you watch but the numbers and models are out there and can be found on the BattleStar Wiki
http://en.battlestarwiki.org/wiki/Main_Page
I am not sure where you are but later you will hear the numbers more and more.  You might ask why if only 7, is there mention of #8?  I believe that is mentioned a bit here and there but cleared up after the last of the final five is shown.  The #7 line was destroyed by #1.


Questions about the clutch pilot bearing

Question: I understand how the clutch system works in a manual transmission, but I'm struggling to get a proper image of what the pilot bearing does into my head. Does the input shaft always rest inside it, whether the clutch is engaged or disengaged? If so, does the inner part spin to allow for the input shaft and flywheel to rotate at different speeds?
Answer: "Does the input shaft always rest inside it, whether the clutch is engaged or disengaged?"
Yes
All it does is support the end of the transmission input shaft.
Comment: It also keeps the transmission input shaft aligned with the centerline of the crankshaft.
Comment: Ah right. So when the clutch engages/disengages, it's moving forward/back a bit along the input shaft, which sits fixed inside the pilot bearing.
Comment: @user3621637 - The friction disk does, yes. It doesn't move much, but there's some play there so the disk can disengage from both the flywheel and the pressure plate ... this allows the transmission to disengage from the engine.
Answer: Yes, it allows the flywheel to run at engine speed while the clutch disengages. It keeps the transmission and engine crankshaft matched/aligned.


Get neomake to recognize python and gcc location

Question: I installed the latest versions of Python and GCC/G++ in alternative locations. I am using SpaceVim. I think SpaceVim is using neomake as the default. I want to know how you can configure neomake to use the newest versions I installed in the alternative locations instead of the default version that was installed on linux. Also, I am trying to test c++17. Since c++17 is not the default, how would you be able to switch to that version with neomake?
Comment: Hi Rebecca, welcome to [vi.se]! I have a couple of suggestions for you to help you and others find your answer. (1) try running `:help neomake`—most plugins ship with documentation that you can read online. As a bonus, the internal vim doc is *amazing* (run `:help` and try the user manual, just for a spin). The neomake help should show configuration options. (2) most seasoned folks here will recommend against SpaceVim for reasons including this situation: it's just too dang hard to know what's going on when you need to do something yourself {cont...}
Comment: What about setting `$CXX` and/or `$CXXFLAGS`?
Comment: ... It turns out to be far easier long term to craft your own configuration, because then you know what plugins you have, what you need and dont, and you know the core of vim better (because you spend the time learning and honing it, rather than fighting against a distribution to let you do what you need). Good luck, and happy vimming!
Answer: SpaceVim uses neomake by default: to  make neomake support this feature, you can  create a  .clang  file in the root of your project. Please read the lang#c layer doc.
Comment: The community usually discourages answers that are (mostly) links—it would be helpful if you could include more substantive information (even quotes from the link) to flesh out the answer.


Pitched yeast at 40 °F (4.5°C). Too cold?

Question: I pitched the yeast at 40°F (4.5°C). Was it way too cold and should I re-pitch?
Comment: Can you give more details - what kind of yeast was it? Did it come with the kit, any instructions regarding temperature?
Answer: I assume you mean 40°F, then yes way too cold. it won't harm the existing yeast organisms, but even for lager yeast that is too cold for primary fermentation.
so basically we do things at certain temps for a reason... we try to pitch yeast at a temperature that gives them the advantage over other contaminant organisms.
warm your wort to the primary temperature and fermentation should start after a short delay.
Comment: I would note after warming it should be mixed again as the yeast should all go into hibernation from being that cold if is ale yeast.
Answer: I assume you mean Fahrenheit and are brewing an ale, not lager. Yes- that is way too cold. Most ales are best pitched around 75°F (24°C), although I've yet to have a problem with temperatures up to 100°F (37°C).
For best results use a wort chiller to chill the wort as rapidly as possible. The longer the cooling time, the greater the chance of contamination. Additionally, a yeast starter is always a good idea.
Comment: 75 is pretty high, even for an ale. You'll make a cleaner beer fermenting at a temperature closer to the bottom of the yeast's recommended range.
Comment: White Lab's California Ale yeast, which is MoreBeer's #1 selling yeast , says on the label to pitch at 70-75. Same for their Irish and London Yeast.
Comment: If you pitch at 75, once fermentation starts the temperature will rise due to the heat produced by yeast metabolism, taking it outside the recommended range. Pitching at a low temperature, and maintaing a low temperature throughout the fermentation produces a beer with fewer esters and fusel alcohols, i.e. a cleaner tasting beer.


Adding image to video using GPUImage

Question: I'm trying to add an image to every frame of a video using the GPUImage library, but can't get it to work. For some reason, the processed video only includes the original video, without the image overlay. What am I doing wrong?
<code>GPUImagePicture *overlay = [[GPUImagePicture alloc] initWithImage:[UIImage imageNamed:@"overlayimage"] smoothlyScaleOutput:YES];
[overlay processImage];

GPUImageMovie *movie = [[GPUImageMovie alloc] initWithURL:[THE URL TO THE VIDEO ASSET]];
movie.delegate = self;
movie.runBenchmark = YES;
movie.playAtActualSpeed = YES;

self.movieView = [[GPUImageView alloc] initWithFrame:self.bounds];
self.movieView.fillMode = kGPUImageFillModePreserveAspectRatio;
[self addSubview:self.movieView];

GPUImageAlphaBlendFilter *filter = [[GPUImageAlphaBlendFilter alloc] init];
[movie addTarget:filter atTextureLocation:0];
[overlay addTarget:filter atTextureLocation:1];
[filter prepareForImageCapture];

[filter addTarget:self.movieView];

[movie startProcessing];
</code>
Answer: Here's the solution, if anyone runs into the same problem: You have to retain the GPUImagePicture, GPUImageMovie and GPUImageView objects, for example by storing them in properties. Otherwise they will be released under ARC at the end of the method or the runloop.
Comment: I spent a similarly frustrating 30 minutes one day with the exact same issue. Created a filter in the middle of a method which I fed to a previously functioning blend, forgetting to make sure my new filter was scoped beyond the method. I feel your pain!
Comment: Hi, I'm having the same problem, could you post please how do you solve? thanks a lot!
Answer: Two things you can try:

Don't call processImage on overlay until AFTER you've targeted the alpha blend filter. I'd try it right before, or right after you call startProcessing on movie.
Don't worry about specifying the textureLocation's when your targeting the AlphaBlendFilter. you can just call addTarget and let the blend sort it out.

Those are off the top of my head, I'll actually test them out after work tonight.

Adding image to video using GPUImage


How long can breast milk be refrigerated before freezing?

Question: If I have too much breast milk already in the refrigerator and I do not want it to go to waste, can I then place it in the freezer even if it's been in the refrigerator for five days?
Comment: possible duplicate of [How long does breast milk last after taken from the fridge?](http://parenting.stackexchange.com/questions/18263/how-long-does-breast-milk-last-after-taken-from-the-fridge)
Comment: The chart given in the similar question is helpful; but this specific question didn't come up in the other thread, so I would like to see some answers.  Interesting question!
Answer: Try to freeze things as soon as possible and once something is frozen DO NOT thaw it and try to refreeze it because bacteria will grow.
And here's a reference (short and easy to read) on freezing food: Freezing and Food Safety
This doesn't give you a set number of days and I was hard pressed to find one for breast milk.
A couple of ideas:

Make sure you know what fresh breast milk tastes like and dispose of anything that tastes off.
Use old milk from the fridge first. If there's yesterday's milk in the fridge, give baby a bottle and pump so you're now storing fresher milk.
Don't panic, just freeze it. If there's a tiny chance this milk won't be used right away, just toss it in the freezer. If you're wrong you just have to thaw the milk. If you put it in the fridge and are wrong you may have to throw it away.
Comment: The question I linked to for dupe has a table from the CDC specifically about storing breast milk, and how long it's viable at different temperatures, if you need those numbers.
Comment: Thank you, I completely forgot to cross reference answered questions. Ill try to remember to do that first on the exchange sites next time.
Comment: It can be hard to tell what's already here, and what's on external sources. I only knew the other question had the info because I remember it from when I wrote my answer.
Answer: The La Leche League provides detailed information about breast milk storage recommendations.
They don't actually discuss freezing after refrigeration specifically. However, the time limit on refrigeration is the following:

72 hours (ideal) up to 8 days (acceptable if collected in a very clean, careful way)

Five days is right in the middle of that 3-8 days "if collected in a very clean, careful way" -- so the answer to is five-day-old milk safe depends on how confident you are in your pumping hygiene.
Also consider carefully what type of freezer you will be using.
Freezer (compartment of refrigerator)             5° F (-15° C)   2 weeks
Freezer (compartment of fridge, separate doors)   0° F (-18° C)   3 – 6 months
Deep Freezer                                     -4° F (-20° C)   6 – 12 months


Explanation of the linear polarization from the photon spin

Question: The following is from Wikipedia:
"Circularly polarized electromagnetic waves are composed of photons with only one type of spin, either right- or left-hand. Linearly polarized waves consist of equal numbers of right and left hand spinning photons, with their phase synchronized so they superpose to give oscillation in a plane."
Now my question:
Can someone elaborate this explanation and explain the linear polarization considering photon spin.
I mean by explains the photon spin only, as the explanation based on direction of electric field in the light wave is well known.
Answer: Firstly, spin in paraxial light beams manifests as helicity. (One can also show that gauge invariance reduces the internal degrees of freedom to just two, but let's not go there now.) So the circular polarization states of light are the helicity eigenstates. This gives us a two-dimensional parameter space in terms of which all states of polarization of paraxial light can be expressed. However, this two dimensional space has the shape (topology) of a spherical surface, which is called the Poincare sphere.
Basically, what it comes down to is that one can represent and state of polarization with a little complex-valued unit vector form as a linear combination of the complex-valued unit vectors for the two circular states of polarization
$$ \hat{v} = \hat{L} \alpha + \hat{R} \beta , $$
where $|\alpha|^2+|\beta|^2=1$ and $\hat{L}$ and $\hat{R}$ represent the unit vectors for left- and right circular polarization, respectively. If the light propagates in the $z$-direction. Then
$$ \hat{L},\hat{R} = \hat{x}\pm i\hat{y} . $$
(The assignment of the signs depends on convention.)
As a little exercise, you can proof to yourself that an appropriate superposition of these two vectors will give you linear polarization.


Link2sd: boot loop at reboot

Question: I'm happy with link2sd functionality (just installed: everything looks awesome, lots of free space). I reboot and my Acer liquid metal is stuck in bootloop.
I take the sd out, boot again and everything is ok. I pop the sd in while the phone is one and I can't see my apps on sd :(
Something is wrong with link2sd mount script but how can I debug this?
Comment: Could you explore /data/sdext2 folder? Is there any files and/or folders?
Comment: Can you read the contents of the card on your PC via a card reader? If so, I suggest you back up all the contents on the FAT partition, format the whole SD card, re-partition and try again. With Link2SD, ALWAYS unmount the card before ejecting it.
Answer: Have a look at the following
Issue with the Apps that are installed on SD Card after reinserting the SD Card
I was one of the Hard user of Link2SD application. What I observed from this app is that you should not remove your SD card once you have applications on your SD Card. While phone booting some of the applications gets initialized.
If the phone system does not find the SD Card and its applications then it is going to break the link between the SD Card applications and the system.

You might be seeing those applications on Settings -> Applications -> Manage Applications
but they won't be accessible.
To answer your question there might be a way but not known to all. You can mail the developer of Link2SD mentioning the issue. They might give you a solution.

Link2sd: boot loop at reboot


Does the discard get shuffled into the deck when adding the heat up card?

Question: When adding the heat up card to the boss deck, do you shuffle in the discard pile as well, or just shuffle it into the remaining cards that haven't been revealed?
Answer: Yes, it specifies in the rule book that the shuffling of the boss deck means you have to relearn the Boss's pattern. If you only shuffled the deck (not discard) it would be trivial to wait until the entire deck was in the discard, then do the final damage to "heat up" maintaining exactly the same order for the rest of the deck, with the heat up card being next (and therefore last).
Comment: I don't know that is necessarily an advantage.  We specifically chose to take the fully randomized deck (by waiting until it was refreshed before heating up) to buy the likelihood that the heat up card on average would show up a few turns later and not immediately.  They seem to be potentially fair trade offs depending what state the characters are in, whether they want to face a heat up immediately (when the discard is full and you have the option to heat up right away).


Why is illumi after alluka?

Question: Why is Illumi after Alluka's power? Does it have something much more powerful than just creation n destruction.
Answer: Alluka's power can grant any wish.
In return, Alluka will request (After granting said wish) 3 requests, with their difficulties adjusted to how complicated/strong the wish is. (Not sure how to word this)
If three requests are granted, you may wish again. If three requests are denied, people die. The number of people increases as I've said before. The people who die, die by order of closeness to the target. (Minimum 2 people)
Thus, if they were to harness Alluka's power, it would be mindboggingly useful, and would make the Zoldick family as strong as they can only imagine.
But if someone were to abuse it and fail the requests, the results would be devastating for them. (And Illuka believed that Killua wanted to bear the requests of his wish)
Illumi also believed there are rules they are unaware of, and only Killua knows of, and again, he is correct, and this would make anticipating and controlling Alluka much harder. Thus, he intended to destroy her.
Answer: Here is ONE of the reason why illumi is after alluka is because... So after Gon's fight with Neferpitou gon reached the limit of his nen, sinced he reached an incredible limit of his nen gon he started to die but slowly, Killus brother/sister has the power to make any request come true so killua requested that gon stop dying (something like that) but illumi wanted to kill alluka so that gon wouldnt be able to get better because the whole zoldyck family except for alluka wanted killua to become an assasin and leave gon behind. so that is basically why Illumi is after alluka
Answer: I mean to be honest, we can only speculate why he wants her. The most obvious reason is to probably use her powers. Alluka has a pretty deadly and powerful ability so a good reason for him to go after Alluka is just to use her powers. Another reason is just to kill her, they dont really need her for anything and I doubt a Zoldyck would have a problem killing a sibling if they find them worthless. She's kind of in the way of a lot of things. So every Zoldyck wants Killua to become an assassin how're you supposed to influence him if you cant even get near him without getting teleported half way across the continent, I'll tell you how, you cant it's impossible so killing Alluka would be the easiest option. Who knows honestly he's a weird fellow but by the pace that Hunter x Hunter is going we're probably not going to know the answer for another 20 years

Why is illumi after alluka?


John Fogerty's vocal technique on "Have you ever seen the rain"

Question: My question is how does John add all that rough timbre to his voice on this track. It's unique from any other CCR track that I know of. Is he contracting his throat to create this sound? Or a nasal register?
Comment: It might be that he's stressing his throat.  It may not be technique,
Answer: Not sure what you mean, because most of the song's style is not different from many other CCR songs. If you mean the parts with coarse-grained roughness in general, that is intermodulation distortion created by bringing the ventricular folds into vibration along with the vocal folds. If he does it properly, he is merely bringing his ventricular folds closer together and adding a bit more intensity. I think this is done by tilting the arythenoid cartillages while largely maintaining the poseture of the vocal folds, the epiglottis and the aryepiglottic fold.
Answer: I have found that when I perform this song, my voice begins to sound similar to his when I sing it in a key that is almost higher than I can sing, forcing me to almost be shouting, but not quite, so that the singing is strong and loud, and a little bit strained. I don't think I could sing like that for very long, and I'm not interested in trying too. I think I'd be hoarse at the end of the night if I made it part of my signature sound, as Fogerty has. That said, I enjoy listening to it.

John Fogerty’s vocal technique on “Have you ever seen the rain”


What is the MLB record for most errors by one team in one season during the modern era?

Question: What is the MLB record for most errors by one team in one season during the modern era?
Comment: Are you looking for the record for the most errors or the least errors?
Comment: Most errors, in modern era.  Thanks for the clarification question.
Answer: Sporting News record book suggests:
867 by Washington in 1886 (122 games)
If you only want after 1900 then
425 by Detroit in 1901 (136 games)
According to baseball-reference.com, since 2000, the leagues (with 30 teams) have never recorded more than 3500 errors.  Between 1901 and 1917 the leagues  (with only 16 teams) never recorded less than 3500 errors.
For more information, root around on baseball-reference.com.  I don't know of a perfect summary, but you can see team fielding stats for every individual year.  As an example, to see team stats for 2014, go to http://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2014-standard-fielding.shtml
Comment: Thanks for that.  Is there a link I can use to check further, i.e., like maybe since 1950, or by league?  I couldn't find the info anywhere by various Google searches.


Is far fetched worldbuilding question not welcome on this site?

Question: Many of my worldbuilding questions are deemed as heretic(absurd) and being treated as taboo which often result in closure. I am conflicted since there are two groups of reader that seemingly contradict each other, one side requesting for background story and details while the other group think that the question is story based which is not appropriate. I am quite flexible and willing to compromise, so can anyone kindly show me where to draw the line so that more of my questions will not result in closure? Actually probably all of my questions are affected and I cannot possibly list all of them!
Comment: Can you give some specific examples? Some of your questions have been very poorly received, and some of your questions have been very well received.
Comment: I haven't really been active here for a long while, but you may find the [Question Sandbox](http://meta.worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/635/2072) useful.
Comment: +1 because you're willing to compromise / this shows you care about your work on here
Comment: Story based does not mean that there is a problem due to the question containing a story.

Story based means that you are asking about the story, not about the world. This is a site about world building, not story building.
Answer: As someone who both is prepared to welcome far fetched and outlandish questions on WB SE, and who criticized one of your questions as being fully of absurdities I am prepared to state my position.
Firstly, user6760, you will note I have answered a number of your questions. Usually your questions display imagination, humour, and a taste for the outrageous. Which is fine, by me, but unfortunately, a number of your questions are overladen with too many factors that are either contradictory, internally inconsistent, and in some cases have a disregard for reality. Now I am happy to entertain questions with some of those factors, but there does come a point where when there are too many of them this reaches the point of overload.
For example, your question about machine vampirism was constructed on a long chain of propositions, any one of which contradicted the realities of biology, technology, and information processing, and which rendered answering your question effectively pointless. Unless someone wanted to go through it and point out the problems with each of the flawed links in your chain. I complained about this as a comment.
In fact, the question was answered by someone who flatly stated they had ignored the chain of assumed events leading to AI/robotic vampires. This, in my opinion, was the only the question could be answered.
I shall point out that I had the opportunity to vote to close this question, but I declined to do so. The point I wanted to make was in my comments. So closing the question wasn't going to achieve anything useful or of substance.
The set of questions you had posted previously about the indestructible time travel booth for Cretaceous tourism were much more effective and answerable posts. Many of which I answered. Probably because they weren't overburdened by too many self-contradictory and inconsistent factors. Although this problem was present over the sequence of questions.
Are your questions too far fetched? No! If anything they are not far fetched enough. Your tendency towards whimsy leads to wacky questions without much substance. In my opinion, a good far fetched question will have something with a core of substance behind it. There should be an element of challenge to them. Answering many of your questions is in itself challenging, but when dealing to many unnecessary and ill-founded factors any answer can soon be reduced to a farrago of nonsense. You need to leave your questions much more open to allow anyone answering them room to conceptually manoeuvre.
I do not pretend to know what is the best way to advise how you can remedy your questions. Asking questions is always difficult.
Here I will put my own head on the chopping block. Take your machine vampirism question. Instead a string of factors leading to robotic vampires, what if the question was put this way. "After centuries of living in harmony humans and AI/robots have to deal with machine vampirism. Robot vampires are preying on humans. What factors could promote machines to thirst for human blood?"
Doubtless that question would be quickly closed as opinion-based, ideas generation, or whatever. I don't know whether this will help. Hopefully the other answers you receive will be of more help.
I can only suggest: try to keep your questions simple and direct. But do try to keep having fun with them.
Comment: Thanks for the responses, in the past I got some complaints saying my questions are completely random and spontaneous and now I find most of my questions which includes a backstory suffered the same fate, which is why I like to find a workaround.
Comment: I don't like complaining. Your questions can be better. At their best they're good fun. Add only enough backstory to set the stage. Try keeping your questions simple. Perhaps posting them in the Sandbox first. The good thing is you are willing to try to improve. Take it one step at a time.
Comment: Well explained.
Comment: Thanks, @AndreiROM. The question may have been inspired by critical comments I had made, if so the OP deserves an explanation of my position and a right of reply to defend himself, if necessary. This is only my statement of how I saw things; others may have different ideas. Better to help someone to improve than put them down. The real work will be done the OP, but a helping hand or two will be encouraging.


Migrate Import/Export Mappings

Question: Is there a way to migrate the saved Import/Export Mappings to a different CiviCRM installation? It seems there is no way to export them. I already tried copying the .php files located at /bin/migrate, but the settings did not show up when I tried to import something in the new installation.
Answer: Assuming your location types and phone types etc have the same ids, you should just be able to copy over the two tables, mysqldump <dbname> civicrm_mapping civicrm_mapping_field > somefile and then import the file into the other site's mysql database. But note that will **** OVERWRITE **** any mappings that you had already set up in the new site.
As noted in the comments there's some constraints so there's some extra steps:

If using mysqldump, use --skip-add-drop-table and --no-create-info. In phpmyadmin uncheck the option to drop/create tables.
In the new system do TRUNCATE TABLE civicrm_mapping_field then TRUNCATE TABLE civicrm_mapping.
Import civicrm_mapping first, then civicrm_mapping_field.
Comment: Thanks! Since I don't have SSH access, I tried doing this with phpMyAdmin. I first exported the two tables to two separate files (civicrm_mapping.sql.gz and civicrm_mapping_field.sql.gz).
But when I tried to import the tables to the new SQL database in phpMyAdmin, I first got a "table already exists" error.
I then deleted the two (empty) tables and then tried to import the two tables again from the files.
This time, I got "#1215 - Cannot add foreign key constraint" errors. I tried to uncheck the "Enable foreign key checks" Option while importing, but that did not help either.
Comment: At a minimum your location types and relationship types will need to be the same in both systems, with the same internal ids. Are they the same? Also the mapping table would need to be imported before the mapping_field one, since the second depends on the first.

Migrate Import/Export Mappings


Embedding word document in web form

Question: I have a requirement to display word document in ASP.NET form. Also, the original word format has to be retained. In a nutshell i have to embed a word document in a web form programatically. Can someone please help.
Answer: If all the clients that are browsing the site are going to have Word installed and use Internet Explorer, you could embed it with an ActiveX object. If these requirements are not met you might need to convert it to some more standard format that a browser is capable of displaying such as a jpeg image. You may also look at this option.
Answer: There are html embed tag options to embed pdfs into the html page. So probably you need to convert the doc into pdf before.
Check here. http://blog.flashcolony.com/?p=244
This works for me. But may need newer versions of Adobe Reader.

Embedding word document in web form