How to avoid shooting yourself in the foot when using closure in JavaScript

Question: The closure feature is widely used in JavaScript and make it quite difficult for programmer who was used to program in a no-closure language. So what is the best practice about using closure and how to avoid shooting yourself in the foot.
Comment: You can shoot yourself in the foot with them? I can see how they can be hard to grasp, but if you understood them properly (e.g. realize that they capture a variable, and reflect later changes to that variable, including what happens if you capture an iteration variable), there's little that can go really wrong.
Answer: In my opinion, the best way to avoid shooting yourself in the foot with a cool language feature is don't use it if you don't need it.
Find out what closures can do for you and how they are commonly used and stick with standard patterns unless you really need (not want) to use them for something else.
If you just want to use them (for instance, to learn them), do it on your own play project.
Answer: Understand what a closure is

A closure is a first class function which captures lexical bindings in it's environment.  This prevents the garbage collector from free'ing the space until all references to the closure are gone.

Understand how the closure will grow

You can easily create a memory leak with a closure because the only interface to the allocated memory is through the closure (typically).  You should make sure your closure will not grow unbounded.

Watch out for capturing references

This is more of standard gotcha, but it's even more important when dealing with closures.  A closure will capture lexical variables including ones that contain references.  This means whatever those references point to will continue stick around as long as the closure is around, unless they are explicitly weak refs.

Don't close over variables you don't need to close over

It's wasteful, bad code and makes it more likely you'll introduce a memory leak.

Make the functions that will become closures as simple as possible

The bigger, more complex the function that will become a closure, the more likely you are to have a bug which may lead to a memory leak.

Don't create closures when they aren't needed

See: common sense
Comment: This about covers it. the key point is KISS: Keep It Simple Silly!
Answer: In general, you can avoid shooting yourself in the foot by:

Fully understanding scope and execution context of the closure contents
Understanding how values and object references behave when closed over
Understanding exactly when things in the closure are evaluated, especially for cases like using the this keyword or an eval statement in the closure (i.e. closure creation time vs execution time)

Play around with closures, figure out how they work, then you can use them confidently and get expected results.


How do I know what schools are within my reach for graduate school in math?

Question: When applying for undergraduate schools it was relatively easy to look up average ACT/SAT scores and GPAs of admittance to know if I would be a competitive applicant. As of right now I want to pursue a PhD in math and I'm struggling to know if a program is within my reach or not. Last year my grades tanked and I went from a 4.0 math GPA to now a 3.2 with a 3.5 overall. I'm working now to hopefully get that up and I'm planning on taking a year off after where I may stay in my undergraduate town to continue to take more classes to raise my GPA but either way I'll have a C and a BC on my transcript so I don't know which schools are within my reach if I get enough research experience/letters of recommendation and which I shouldn't even bother with.
Comment: The best people to answer this are the professors who will write your recommendation letters.
Comment: Did your grades tank because the classes got a whole lot harder?  Because you lost interest for a while?  Because of personal or family problems?  Something else?  //  An occasional isolated C on a transcript doesn't have to destroy your academic career!  //  Apply ASAP.  If it doesn't get you an acceptance yet, you can always re-apply.  //  Make sure to apply to at least three different schools.
Answer: If you can show real research potential (papers in one of the journals for undergraduate research, participation in research as an undergraduate) that will probably weigh more than raw GPA. A dip in grades is certainly worrisome, as it hints at losing interest. You'll have to have an explanation.
Answer: The best type of person to answer this question is a mathematician who knows you and knows roughly what a successful applicant to your desired programs looks like. A bad grade or two does not necessarily imply a gap in your knowledge. Even if it did, it may or may not be a gap that the admissions committee cares about.
Here is one relevant anecdote: I once applied to a top 20 school (math Ph.D.) and was not accepted. I asked the admissions director what I might do to improve my application. He cited some low grades that were a red flag for him: a B+ in linear algebra and B- in abstract algebra. He did not even seem to care that I had a C (lower grade) in differential equations, and he said nothing of my GPA.
To go with my point in the first paragraph, my advisor had in fact (for various reasons) told me not to apply to this school!
Answer: It's also useful to identify professors in the department of your target school performing research in which you're interested. When you apply, be sure to mention that professor (or those professors, if their stated research topics are very similar) in your application.
Therefore, to help with your justification of the bad grades, it may be possible to show your good grades in the courses relevant to your research interests and your poor grades in courses irrelevant to your interests. This may also help you avoid worries of waning interest from the admissions committee ("I got so interested in [this topic with good course grades and directly tied to Professor Jones' research area] that I didn't devote enough time to [this topic that's irrelevant to stated research goals with bad course grades], and that subsequently resulted in my low marks in this single course").
It's an idea, but I think anything you can do to make those grades seem uncharacteristic of your general performance and interests will help your case. It's not so much a matter of overall GPA, but how you performed in the courses that count.


How to incorporate parameter constraints in Metropolis Hastings

Question: I am working on parameter estimation of GARCH model with Metropolis Hastings. But the results I have got doesn't look reasonable, actually it is quite different from what I have got from Gibbs sampler. Since there is some upper bound constraints on some of the parameters, I use truncated Normal distribution(so that sample won't be drawn from outside the constraints) as the proposal distribution. Will this be the reason that the MH is not working well? But if I use a Normal with constraint, quite a number of samples will be discarded right away, plus it is not converging after 10k draws. I understand that the proposal distribution will impact the acceptance rate, but don't understand how distort the estimation. Any comment will be helpful.
Comment: Have you considered parameter transformation?  For example, $ x=\frac {U-L}{1+exp (-y)}+L $  restricts $ x $ to the range $(L, U) $ where $ y $ is unrestricted.  So use normal for $ y $ and the transform to $ x $.
Answer: If you use a truncated normal as your proposal, $\mathcal{N}_a^b(\mu,\sigma^2)$ where $(a,b)$ is the truncation interval,

If $a$ or $b$ depend on the previous value of the Markov chain, the normalisation constant $$\Phi(\{b-\mu\}/\sigma)-\Phi(\{a-\mu\}/\sigma)$$ must also appear in the acceptance probability $$\frac{\pi(x')}{\pi(x)}\times\frac{\varphi(x|a',b',\mu',\sigma')}{\varphi(x'|a,b,\mu,\sigma)}\wedge 1$$where $\varphi(x|a',b',\mu',\sigma')$ denotes the truncated normal density, i.e.
$$\varphi(x|a,b,\mu,\sigma)=\dfrac{\exp\{-(x-\mu)^2/2\sigma^2\}\mathbb{I}_{[a,b]}(x)}{\sqrt{2\pi}\sigma[\Phi(\{b-\mu\}/\sigma)-\Phi(\{a-\mu\}/\sigma)]}$$
The simulation from the truncated normal does not require discarding any value as you can use the inverted cdf technique, as explained in this earlier answer.
Comment: but how do I incorporate the normalization constant in the acceptance probability?
Comment: welcome back! the normalisation constant is part of $\varphi(x|a',b',\mu',\sigma')$ and $\varphi(x'|a,b,\mu,\sigma)$, i.e.,$$\varphi(x|a,b,\mu,\sigma)=\dfrac{\exp\{-(x-\mu)^2/2\sigma^2\}}{\sqrt{2\pi}\sigma[\Phi(\{b-\mu\}/\sigma)-\Phi(\{a-\mu\}/\sigma)]}$$


Generating call graph for assembly instructions

Question: I'm writing a tool and I need to generate the callgraph for assembly instructions. But I do not know how to exactly generate call graph from assembly instruction. Do you have any idea? To clarify, I run a binary sample in sandbox environment and extract its trace in assembly language. So now I want to generate call graph for that?
I know it is possible to generate callgraph by static analysis using IDA pro but my problem is that how can I generate call graph from Dynamic analysis?
Answer: With a trace this is very easy. Follow the trace sequentially and:

For the very 1st instruction, create a function object at the address of that very 1st instruction.
For each call statement or push + ret, create a function object and add an edge from the current function to this function object.
For each new call statement, create or reuse a function object and add an edge from the current function to the new or already known function object.
After a RET* instruction, change the current function to the previous one. Use a stack and push/pop elements to/from it.

The only corner case I can see from what you want is if you have library functions and the trace doesn't contain the corresponding code or syscalls. But is as easy as not changing the current function for such calls.
After following all these steps, you will have a graph structure with the call graph.
NOTE: The function object can be, simply, an address.
Comment: thanks for your answer. But I need to have a call graph similar to what IDA will generate which contains Local functions(implemented by the program designer) and External functions(system and library calls). So how can I distinguish which function will be called?
Comment: If you have the limits of the binary image (i.e., the minimum address of the executable or dynamic library under analysis), you can easily do so by simply considering "local" functions these in the limits and "external" the ones outside these bounds.
Comment: could you tell me what do you mean by RET*? Also push + ret means that first I have push followed  by ret. I also have some pop+ret, mov+ret, ret+ ret and leave+ret! how can I treat them?
Comment: Please, learn first. You're asking for others to do all your work. The Intel x86 instruction RET or RETN takes whatever is in the stack and returns to that address. This is why you should follow PUSH instructions immediately followed by a RET.
Answer: One way to distinguish between calls is to parse the process's address space and establish memory ranges for various libraries. Thus when parsing the trace, you should be able to tell what's a "local" call vs a call into a lib. I'd also parse the various libraries export tables, to establish the various entry points and make the trace analysis a bit easier.  You, of course would need to track dynamic loads etc. Dealing with calls in the kernel should also be trivial to distinguish from user-level. Of course, this is assuming, you have the memory information when you're analyzing the trace.  I don't know if you're analyzing a Windows or Linux trace, but here's a good article for finding and parsing the export table on Windows
http://fumalwareanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/12/malware-analysis-tutorial-8-pe-header.html
If you're tracing the entire process from create to finish, you should also be able to determine at the very least load addresses (and probably size) for various DLLs. That should give you a good idea about the memory layout, if you don't have external memory information as mentioned above. That should be enough to distinguish a local call vs library calls.  If you're not interested in which library it's calling into, it's even easier. You know the address that the image loaded at, so given the size of the binary, and knowledge of the loader, you can calculate(or estimate closely) the size of the loaded executable. Anything outside of this range, you can consider "external".


When smoking ribs what is the 3-2-1 or the 3-2-2 method refer to?

Question: I've read a couple places regarding smoking ribs and utilizing the 3-2-1 or the 3-2-2 method. What is this all about? What do each number signify?
Answer: TLDR;
This method is used many professionals for smoking ribs.
Each number signifies the number of hours per phase.
Smoke as normal for 3 hours, followed by 2 hours cooking wrapped in foil, and finally 1 more hour unwrapped and finish with bbq sauce and/or on direct flame for appearance.
Unabridged version
Three
The first phase is the smoking phase. The meat should smoke for 3 hours to develop the right amount of smoke.
Two
This phase involves wrapping it in a foil. This phase is when one braises the ribs so that the texture of the ribs is tender. Usually a liquid is involved here. Typically, some use apple juice or vinegar. The braising liquid is typically an acid.
One or Two
The final phase is appearance. During this phase one cooks the ribs so they have this perfect char on it. This can last from half an hour to two hours depending on the size of the portion or one's preferred doneness. The purpose of it to simply get some char on it. Some finish this phase with bbq sauce on a grill.
Variances
Baby back ribs on the other hand sometimes utilize a 2-2-1 method; because of the size of the portion. It's not an exact science.
Sources:

About.com
Youtube - Traeger 3-2-1 ribs
Youtube - 3-2-1 explained
Comment: These estimated times also assume a cook temp of around 225.  For ribs though, many people like to cook them a little hotter.  So adjustments may be needed depending on the cook temp like 3-1.5-.5 for example is what I use at around 275.


I don't like my child's teacher's teaching style

Question: My daughter is in second grade and is learning spelling.  The teacher puts a lot of emphasis on alphabetizing words.  I don't see the academic value in this, especially now that people, for the most part, don't use dictionaries but use the internet instead.  How should I handle the work I think is a waste when my daughter brings it home for homework? How should I speak to the teacher about this?
Comment: This is not really teaching style so much as disagreeing with a task. Teaching style is more about an over all philosophy, such as delivering all instruction verbally or giving homework every day. Perhaps the question would be clearer worded: I disagree with some of my child's homework, what should I do?
Comment: If you were sincere, then my apologies. There's all sorts of homework I disagree that our children should have to do (I'm actually against homework in general). That said, I understand the reality that an education system targetted at the general public will never please everyone all the time and that it's best to pick our battles. Not sure alphabetizing is a major one.
Comment: @DAO1 This is different, one is academic disagreement (disagreement on the information taught) and one is style (disagreement on how something should be taught)
Comment: Not that I want to expose your second grader to all the harsh realities of the real world, but not everything we are asked/told to do makes sense to us, and often times it really does have no practical purpose. And yet, we have to do it because someone in authority over us has instructed us to do it. Sometimes we are lucky to have bosses who listen to reason, and are able to explain their motives, but I find that to be the exception. Doing useless things is an important lesson in authority. Not that I recommend doing useless things for the sake of it, but learning to 'accept it' is important.
Comment: Maybe alphabetizing itself seems unimportant, but it can be **a step-up to other skills that are vital**. This ressembles the "should my child study Latin" question, because "admit it, no one even speaks Latin anymore". No, true, Latin is not commonly spoken anymore - but the understanding of languages one gets by studying Latin is very useful through the rest of your life.
Answer: I want to begin by tempering my answering by saying that I quite literally saw red when I read that alphabetizing is not important because we do not use dictionaries, we just use the internet. As a Library Media Specialist, one of the greatest weaknesses I see day in and day out is that students have no idea how to alphabetize. They are literally unable to find the book they want because they do not know that Ac comes after Ab and before Ad. Additionally, there are times in the educational setting that they indeed will use a dictionary unless your child attends a very privileged school that has a computer devoted to each student.
Further, there are time that alphabetizing is important - what if in college your child has the opportunity to work in an office and they cannot file things because hey have no concept of alphabetization. Finally, it is a developmental benchmark. Often an inability to alphabetize can be indicative of a learning disability.
So, while you personally seem to find this task a waste of time, it is a well thought out task that should serve your child well in life. Times it may impact them: if they ever encounter an index in a book, corporate filing cabinets, perhaps a glossary or if they ever consider finding a book in a library.
In parting, by all means, question things you do not agree with that happens at school, but be aware that much though goes into lessons and tasks asked of students and very little of it is busy work or worthless. I strongly suggest that you privately ask the teacher without attacking them and listen to their answer. If it is something that is not going to change and it is not hurtful to your child, support the teacher. Help your child be a respectful student and learn tasks that might not seem clear at the moment, but may come clear and useful down the line.
Comment: I am a software developer and agree with Erin's statement that alphabetizing is a very important skill. Especially these days with computers users are often presented with alphabetized lists (list of files, photos, songs, etc...). Knowing this skill will benefit your child greatly in every day use of technology.
Comment: @Boefett, no intention to brow beat or soap box, but truly to provide perspective to why the task is being required of the child. I apologize if in any way my response is disrespectful.
Comment: @Erin While I fully agree with you about the importance of alphabetizing, and the pitfalls of relying upon the Internet and computers to substitute for basic skills, please be careful not to use answers to soap-box or attempt to brow-beat the OP. You do address the OPs question, but the focus is more on why she shouldn't be taking the stance that she is. It would be preferable for the focus to be on the answer, with your opinions on her stance secondary.
Comment: @Erin I don't believe you were being disrespectful, which is why I only left a comment. Perhaps my use of the term brow-beat was too harsh, but we've had incidents in the past where discussion rapidly took a turn for the worse when answers focused too much on disagreeing with the premise of a question. Really, the amount of focus you put on the answer vs. the additional perspective as to why the task is required is what I was focused on, rather than any problems with tone.
Comment: @ Boefett and Erin.  Thanks for your comments, sometimes the greater public doesn't understand the long-view the best teachers do try to apply and simply pointing out the long - view can be helpful in calming things and finding the value in something one doesn't previously value simply for lack of understanding. @ Boefett, it is good to better understand the community at large and what is looked for in these types of situations.
Answer: As DA01 mentioned above, public education will generally not please every parent, 100% of the time.
If your concern is about teaching material you think is incorrect, then the advice present in this question will likely be applicable to some extent.
However, in this case, you seem to be objecting to just how important a particular skill is to learn.  In that case, quite frankly you don't have a lot of options.
Your choices essentially boil down to:

See if there is another teacher at the school who covers the same subject, but with a different emphasis that you find more in keeping with your personal priorities, and find out if you can transfer your child to that instructor's class.
Look for another school that has an emphasis that matches your priorities and move/transfer there.
Tell your child that they don't have to do the work because you think it is a waste of time, and support them through the consequences of bad grades.
Explain to your child that you don't feel that the work is important, but point out how there may be many times in their life that they will have to perform tasks that don't seem particularly important or fun, and that learning how to do those tasks anyway is an important skill.
Support the teacher's decisions and priorities in favor of passing on good study habits to your child, rather than making an issue out of your personal educational preferences.

Quite frankly, I think the third option is a terrible choice, and in your case the chances of finding other teachers or schools that don't think that learning the basics of spelling or alphabetization are important because "the Internet does that for us now" are (hopefully) slim.
Answer: The teacher and the school have the authority to select teaching styles. Parents should be able to propose a different style. The proposed style may be for one specific student or for the class. Depending on the relationship between the parent and the teacher, the approach may be formal or informal.
Please remember that the relationship with the teachers and the school is extremely important for the overall best interest of our children.
Here is a formal approach for completeness:

Before talking to the teacher, parents need to investigate the pros and cons of the current and proposed styles. This can be achieved by

searching the internet,

searching the local library,

talking to other teachers and education specialists preferably not in the same school, or

posting a question on the internet about comparing both styles.

If after step 1 the parent is still convinced of changing the style, then a meeting between the parents of the affected children may be held. Parents would discuss the pros and cons of each style and try to reach an agreement.

If enough number of parents are in favor of requesting a change, parents may prepare a brief summary of their request supported by pros and cons of each style. One or more parents may arrange for a meeting with the teacher.  The discussion may follow the following agenda:

Brief the teacher about the purpose of the meeting.

Ask the teacher to explain the rationale behind the current style.

Solicit the teacher's opinion of the proposed style.

Carry on the discussion with the goal of convincing the teacher.

Thank the teacher for meeting and discussing the subject.

The outcome of the teacher's meeting could be one of the following:

The teacher agrees to the proposal.
The teacher promises to consider the proposal and respond later.
The teacher refuses the proposal.
The teacher convinces the parents that the current style is better than the proposed.

If the teacher refuses the proposal or does not respond in a reasonable time and the parents still believe that the change is in the best interest of the children,  a meeting with the principal may be effective. The meeting may be conducted in the same manner as the teacher's meeting. The next step after the principal is the school district.

If all fails, activism is the last resort.

Hopefully, the proposal can be accepted informally while maintaining good parents-teacher relationship.
Comment: In the US, teachers have little to no direct control over curriculum in the public school system. They certainly have influence in terms of what the district may adopt, as do parents, but so does the school board, legislatures and lobbyists. Not that any of that should prevent an open dialogue as you suggest. Just go in with realistic expectations. Teachers can only tailor their teaching to individuals to a certain extent. The alternative is to hire one's own private tutors.
Answer: A lot of teaching seems to be "one size fits all." The techniques that work in general may not necessarily work well with your child, but I dare say there is some logic behind it.
My daughter is just finishing year 4 and her spelling word homework includes things like "which word contains another word that means home." These are particularly annoying and time consuming but the reason is it included is to get the child to spend time looking at each word in details. As it turns out, my daughter does not need this so it is just a waste of time. In this case, I will sometimes let her skip it since it does not add to the educational value of the work.
I would think that alphabetising the words has a similar purpose - to get the children to examine the words in detail. Obviously, with homework you can extend it to make the lessons more appropriate for your child's skills.
This was the easy bit since we have partial control over homework. The harder bit is having an influence on what is taught in class. My daughter is very good at language (about 6 years ahead of her chronological age). She is put in the top maths and english groups but for many assignments she performs roughly the same classwork as the other kids. She really needs specialised assignments to stretch her. We have spoken to the teacher about this and not had much luck.
For her next year, we have requested that she be given a teacher who would match her needs. Until then, we've just had to suck it up :-(
Comment: Wow!  Teachers make mistakes, they are human and all - and overworked, but perhaps there is something the teacher knows because of all her methods training etc. that you don't know and it IS of value.  Perhaps it is best to find a way to encourage your child without disrespecting the teacher and assuming you know the exact value in a particular activity?
Comment: so you let your child know you don't value the homework that is coming home?
Comment: @morah hochman - I tell my daughter the value (IMHO) of the homework given. Sometimes, the homework is of great value and I'll add more to it. Sometimes, it is partial useful and will tell her which bits I do not agree with. Often, I'll create my own assignments to help her with her weaker subjects. Teachers come and go, but you are responsible for your child's education for the next 15 years.
Comment: @balanced mama - few teachers are trained in dealing with kids in the extreme upper and lower parts of the bell curve. If a kid is in the top 1% then the teacher is likely to deal a with child like that once every 4 years. In the case of our child, she is in the top .1% for reading so most teachers will _never_ deal with a child like that. On the other hand, we deal with her every day and have a good grasp of her strengths and weaknesses. She can get a A while slacking off, an issue we are dealing with (in conjunction with her teacher) at the moment.
Comment: OK.  I totally understand as I too have a gifted kid and have actually taught at both ends of that spectrum you mention (three years at a school for highly gifted middle school and highschool studnets that ALSO had a learning, emotional or behavioral disability), but that has nothing to do whatsoever with knowing whether or not alphabetizing skills are essential or not, nor does it have to do with modeling a respectful and tolerant attitude.
Answer: I'm a little surprised that I don't see more votes for the answer of setting a meeting and politely ASKING the teacher about her reasons.  I would make this as a comment, except I have more to say than will fit and would argue MORE points to back up Ali Habbek's point.
As a teacher and parent I understand the value of maintaining a good relationship between these two significant influences on a child's life.  When a parent and teacher work together and in concert, they often find they have similar objectives and they are powerful as a force that benefits the child immensly.
Perhaps the parent would learn something from the teacher about why the skill IS useful (like the reasons pointed out by Erin) or how it helps the child to learn another skill in the next step.
Additionally, and possibly most beneficially, the teacher may learn something of import about you and your child that helps her to become a better fit for your child.  If the issue is that the alphabetizing is simply too easy and therefore is boring, many teachers are willing (if able) to give alternative work where possible.
The one place Ali is incorrect is in the power the teacher has.  He/she does NOT have a lot of say over the curriculum and a lot of influences converge and interact to impact the little choice and control he/she does hold in the classroom.  You might learn that it is a political issue.  Many states have required objectives at each grade level (alphabetizing is a common one in the primary grades) that the school must address and prove it is addressing to the state periodically in order to maintain its certification as a school.  This would let you know that no matter what school your child attends this would be a focus anyway.
By taking this route respectfully, everyone is gleaning information they may not have otherwise had.  You may find yourself surprised at the validity of the activity or maybe the teacher will see that while valid, the exercises don't work for your individual child.  Maybe you'd even learn the teacher doesn't really like doing it either and you can brainstorm solutions together.  Of course, it is possible that you are totally right and the teacher would be stubborn and nothing would change. In this case, you could take some of the other routes already delineated but is seems like open communication is the most constructive place to start.


Transit in Curaçao

Question: I am a Indian passport holder and have booked a single ticket from New Delhi to Port of Spain via Amsterdam and Curaçao. From New Delhi to Curaçao, I am traveling by KLM and from Curaçao to Port of Spain, by Insel air. Although I booked single ticket, The KLM authorities told me that I will receive my luggage in Curaçao and I will have to get boarding pass for Curaçao to Port of Spain in Curaçao. I don't have any visa for Curaçao. Do I need to pass through immigration for getting my luggage for recheck in or it will be automatically transferred to Insel Air at Curaçao?
Comment: @Phil the traveler in the other question required a uniform short-stay Schengen visa to retrieve and re-check luggage in Amsterdam, and that visa exempted the traveler from needing a visa for Curaçao.  This traveler does not need a uniform short-stay Schengen visa in Amsterdam, so the answer to the other question is not applicable in this case.
Answer: You always need to clear immigration to pick up luggage.
So yes, you will need a visa for Curacao, which you apply for at the Dutch embassy.

Transit in Curaçao


Can I apply Schengen visa as a family member of EU citizen from Netherland Embassy in Malysia while I am living in Pakistan?

Question: I am a spouse of EU national and want to apply for Schengen visa as a family member of EU citizen.Can I send my visa application and documents to Netherlands Embassy in Malaysia while I am a citizen of Pakistan and also currently living in Pakistan.
Comment: I'm a bit confused as to why you want to do this. It probably isn't allowed, but if you explain your reasoning a bit more, it might be possible to give some useful advice.
Answer: Probably not.  A Schengen consulate is only supposed to accept visa applications from people who reside in the consulate's jurisdiction.  There is an exception, but it seems that in practice the threshold for invoking this exception is very high.
Article 6 of the Schengen Visa Code:

Article 6
Consular territorial competence

An application shall be examined and decided on by the consulate of the competent Member State in whose jurisdiction the applicant legally resides.

A consulate of the competent Member State shall examine and decide on an application lodged by a third-country national legally present but not residing in its jurisdiction, if the applicant has provided justification for lodging the application at that consulate.

As a resident of Pakistan, therefore, to apply in Malaysia you must be in Malaysia and you must have a good reason for not applying in Pakistan.
Examples of "good reasons" may be found in section 2.8 of the Handbook for the Processing of Visa Applications (pdf).  The examples imply that the reason should be something like (1) a planned absence during the three-month period allowed for an application or (2) an unforeseen urgent circumstance.  Anecdotal evidence suggests, however, that at least some consulates refuse to consider applications from nonresidents altogether.
Furthermore, you are probably aware of the following points, but they should be noted as well.  First, whether you can apply for the visa at a consular post of the Netherlands depends on where you plan to travel.  Second, to qualify for a visa as a family member of an EU citizen, you must be either traveling with or joining the EU citizen family member.
Comment: Thank you for the useful answers. My husband is a British citizen and I will travel to Netherlands with my husband from Pakistan.
Comment: @FatimaKhan, in that case you should check that you travel before Brexit.
Comment: Yes I want to travel before Brexit. The reason of applying from Netherlands Embassy in Malaysia  is that, May the Netherlands Consulate in Pakistan consider my application less important and there may b the chance of refusal if I apply from Pakistan.
Comment: @FatimaKhan the Netherlands consulate in Pakistan is required to give priority to your application because you are the family member of an EU citizen.  The Malaysian consulate will not even *consider* your application unless you have a good reason for applying there.  The belief that the Malaysian consulate will be more likely to grant the visa is *definitely not* a good reason (and it is probably incorrect as well).
Comment: @FatimaKhan The consulate in Pakistan is [required by EU law to issue your visa within 15 days](https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-family/index_en.htm).
Comment: @MJeffryes "except in rare cases, when the authorities should provide an explanation for their decision."


About gross domestic product at factor cost

Question: GDP at factor cost= Net value added + Depreciation. Here my question is why depreciation added to Net value added? I am confused here: Net value added = Gross value added - depreciation; so the above formula becomes GDP at factor cost= Gross value added - depreciation + Depreciation. Here depreciation get cancelled and finally becomes GDP at factor cost= Gross value added.
Source: http://www.economicsdiscussion.net/national-income/components-national-income/top-17-components-of-national-income/18793
Comment: Hi @Nandy, welcome! Where do your definitions come from?
Comment: http://www.economicsdiscussion.net/national-income/components-national-income/top-17-components-of-national-income/18793
Comment: It's in Component # 2. GDP at Factor Cost
Comment: ok, I edited my answer. Note that this source gives GDP at Factor Cost = GDP at Market Price – Indirect Taxes + Subsidies, which is consistent with my answer
Comment: If you found the answer helpful, please consider accepting it using the check-mark.
Comment: GDP at Factor Cost = GDP at Market Price – Indirect Taxes + Subsidies. I know this one. I have a doubt on this equation GDP at Factor Cost = Net value added + Depreciation.
Comment: Check the last two paragraphs of my answer. Then, the question is at what prices do you measure VA? It could be at factor cost, or market prices... – emeryville 27 mins ago
Answer: The best practice would be to use definitions from recognized international institutions such as the World Bank or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). In this document The OECD classifies three types of gross value added (1) at  basic  prices, (2) at producers' prices and (3) at factor cost.
Let first define gross value added at  basic  prices  as  output  valued  at  basic  prices  less  intermediate consumption valued at purchasers' prices. Then, gross  value  added at  factor  cost  can  be  derived  from  gross  value  added  at  basic  prices  by subtracting other taxes less subsidies on production.
As an example, GDP  at  market  prices  for  the  United  States  in  1992  was US\$ 6,234 billion.  As GDP at factor cost removes all net taxes on production, it would equal \$6,234 billion less \$506 billion or \$5,728 billion.
GDP at factor cost is thus a way of measuring gross value added at some prices. So, as far as I understand, it makes sense that depreciation get cancelled and finally becomes GDP (at factor cost) = Gross value added (at factor cost).
Why is depreciation added to Net value added? According to your source, if we deduct depreciation from Gross Net Product (at factor cost), we get Net National Product (at factor cost). So, if we add depreciation to NNP we get GNP.


Skipping form validation with a custom action button

Question: Related to my previous question -- I've got the button added to the form properly (thanks googletorp!), but now I'm having separate validation issues beyond just adding the button.
I have added a "Cancel" button to my custom content entity add/edit form, using
hook_form_id_alter. When clicking this button I want it to leave the form completely and return to another admin-side page:
function mymodule_form_myform_alter(&$form, \Drupal\Core\Form\FormStateInterface $form_state, $form_id) {
    $form['actions']['cancel'] = array(
        '#type' => 'button',
        '#weight' => 10001,
        '#submit' => array('cancel_submit'),
        '#value' => t('Cancel'),
    );
}
function cancel_submit() {
    $response = new Symfony\Component\HttpFoundation\RedirectResponse(Url::fromUri('internal:/admin/mymodule/list', array('absolute' => true))->toString());
    $response->send();
}

I can't get this to work because it's still trying to validate the form.
In my form code, my validation code will only execute if if ($form_state->getValue('op') == 'Save') is true, and this evaluates to false for the Cancel button. However, while this is stopping my custom validation code from running, it isn't stopping built-in validation for fields that I defined as required in the Drupal interface. The cancel_submit function doesn't seem to be doing anything, and clicking the Cancel button just loads the form again with a validation error on a required field.
I also tried adding '#limit_validation_errors' => array(), to $form['actions']['cancel'] as recommended here, but this just refreshed the form without showing validation errors instead of redirecting where I want it to go, so I have no idea what this code is actually doing or if this is even applicable for Drupal 8.
I am not sure where to go from here.
Answer: To send a redirect response from a form use setRedirect() or setRedirectUrl():
  function cancel_submit(array &$form, FormStateInterface $form_state) {
    $form_state->setRedirectUrl($url);
  }

And add '#limit_validation_errors' => array() to the cancel button as already mentioned in the question to prevent validation errors.


How to determine if the current page is a search results page?

Question: How can I determine from within a module or theme if the current page is an Apache solr search results page?
Comment: Which way are you trying to identify it?  From within code?
Comment: Are you referring to a Google search result (from an external site)? Or are you referring to a Drupal search result (from an internal search)? And what is the context (block, module, template, etc) ?
Answer: If you're trying to determine from a module then you can check if the page is the search results page via the path arguments using the arg() function.
if (arg(0) == 'search') {
  TRUE
}
else {
  FALSE
}

Comment: You might have to test for an arg(1) as well to ensure it is actually a 'results' page and not the search landing page
Comment: This is what I have used before. It worked pretty well.
Comment: this only works if you are using the standard paths.
Comment: What Jeremy said, for starters... but you should be able to check for whatever paths you're using :-)   Now, you might also want to check to see if there's a third arg (arg(2)) present, which means you're on a search result page...
Answer: From a theming point of view you could simply use
<?php if ($search_results) : ?>

<?php endif; ?>

$search_results should only return true if you are on a search results page.
If you're looking into styling the results themselves you might want to look into search-result.tpl.php
Answer: If you are looking to find if solr has been searched you can use the apachesolr_has_searched() function.
This won't indicate if you are on a search results page, as once you start using solr views the definition of a search results page is fuzzy, but it can tell you if a solr search has been performed.
Just for reference apachesolr_static_response_cache() will give you solrs' response, and apachesolr_current_query() will give you information on the query.
Answer: To verify if a page is a search page, you should verify the first path element of the current URL is search, and the second path element is the name of a module that implements hook_search(). (I used a temporary variable, and added extra parentheses just to be make the code more readable.)
$bool = ((arg(0) == 'search') &&
  ($module == arg(1)) && module_invoke($module, 'search', 'name')
);
if ($bool) {
  // The page is a search page returned from apachesolr.module.
}

In the specific case, considering that you want to verify if a page is a result page returned from apachesolr.module, the code can be simplified as follows:
if ((arg(0) == 'search') && (arg(1) == 'apachesolr')) {
  // The page is a search page returned from apachesolr.module.
}

The reason the generic code can be simplified is that you know the name of the module, and that module surely implements hook_search().
The generic code verify the value returned by hook_search() when the last parameter is equal to "name" because there are modules that implement hook_search() only partially. At least that what I discovered when I was debugging the code of OpenSearch Feed.
Answer: In case you are talking about a theme or module you could check the current URL/path if it begins with "search".
Comment: I didn't downvote, but it's probably because of the lack of a code sample or something more substantive :-/
Comment: Funny how my answer is downvoted without an explaining comment, while other answers with the same solution are upvoted...


What is something called that has a deadline?

Question: As the title says, just one word that describes something with the attribute of having a deadline. For example "Please don't feel rushed to RSVP as I have no ******". Is there a word that works in this context? I thought about appointment, and that would work, but I'm looking fora  word that is a little more general, because a project, for example, has a deadline, but is not an appointment.
Comment: What's wrong with just using deadline?
Answer: The question is too vague and I do not believe you will find any single word which will convey the message you are trying to convey. The closest would be: 'time-sensitive'. e.g. Do not worry about a quick submission for your project as it isn't time-sensitive.
Another case (yours): Please don't feel rushed to RSVP as I have no time-sensitive registration/seating/deadline/requirement.
Comment: Yes, *time-sensitive* is the closest. But it is more general than having a deadline. And yes, there is no single word that is better, IMO.
Answer: If I go by the title of your question "What is something called that has a deadline?"  I can think of several: Limited, Transitory, Term.
However, using your example I feel a different word is more suitable:
Please don't feel rushed to RSVP as I have no cutoff.
Part of the problem here is there are at least two ways to take your meaning.  Not having a deadline might mean there will never be a deadline.  It also might mean the deadline is yet to be established.  RSVP seems to imply a singular event but it could be a continuum of events.  Consider rephrasing as:
Please don't feel rushed to RSVP as I have no established deadline.
Please don't feel rushed to RSVP as I have no established deadline as of yet.
Please don't feel rushed to RSVP as this is perpetual.
Please don't feel rushed to RSVP as this is recurring.
These last are not exactly what you asked for but sometimes it's nice to have options.
Answer:
What is something called that has a deadline?

a rush job
where rush means performed with or requiring great haste or urgency (American Heritage)
For example, "Please don't feel obligate to respond immediately, as this is not a rush job."
Comment: or simply an **urgency**
Answer: Title:
due /d(y)o͞o/ adjective –Google

expected at or planned for at a certain time.

The RSVP is due no less than one week prior.

Context:
due date, noun –Google

the date on which something falls due, especially the payment of a bill or the expected birth of a baby.

Please don't feel rushed to RSVP as I have no due date.


would applying a job via linkedIn conflict with headhunter's commission

Question: My headhunter sent me an e-mail saying that there is a job opening at xx company.  Later I saw LinkedIn posting it (it was recommended to me "this companies are looking for candidates like you").   Should I apply for it via LinkedIn, or should I wait for my headhunter to submit my resume?  If I apply for it online and then the headhunter also submit my resume for me, and if I end up getting the job, would the company reject to pay headhunter commission?
Answer: I think you would do better to let the headhunter introduce you.  Usually, headhunters have relationships with the companies they solicit for, and the companies are more likely to favor candidates submitted by them than unknowns that come from website leads.  The headhunter is supposed to screen out inappropriate candidates.  It is also better to have a good relationship with your headhunter, as they have their priorities as well.
I don't see any advantage to applying through the web page.  It's not like they are likely to pay you more money because of it.  And if you do apply through the web page, definitely do NOT let the headhunter submit you.  That is unprofessional and can make you look bad to both parties.
Comment: I would agree with you.  The reason I asked the question I asked, is because the day  after I saw my headhunter's e-mail I got the notice from linkedIn , but my headhunter told me the company is going to consider some internal candidates first, and then will be open to the external candidates next week, but then I didn't hear from the headhunter for two weeks, hence I am not sure I should wait or apply directly on LinkedIn.


How do I edit search page on team site on SharePoint Online?

Question: Hello this search page from a team site. However when i search in HR it don't come up in the refinement sections. The documents have been tag by going to into term-store. I would like to how i can edit search page. there no option for me to edit page.
Comment: Did you check you have sufficient permission for this? If yes then you should be able to click Gear option from top right corner and click Edit Page.
Answer: You can only edit the pages in the Search Center (https://tenant.sharepoint.com/search) any "site search page" like the OSSSearchRestults.aspx page cannot be edited as it is a system page common to all tenants.


What are the requirements for someone to deposit a check into your bank account?

Question: I recently opened a checking account and gave my account number to my new boss. What will my boss need to do to be able to deposit a check into my checking account? Can someone deposit into your account with only your account number??
Comment: Removing cash needs your explicit approval. Depositing generally doesn't, if the account and routing number are known... and remember, every time you write a check you're handing someone that same information. I don't see anything you need to worry about here; it sounds like standard direct-deposit.
Comment: What country, please edit and add country tag. How is the deposit happening, electronic, check, cash etc.
Comment: I've tried to deposit a check in my wife's account (before we were married) and her bank wouldn't let me do it without her consent.
Comment: Am in new jersey. Its a check @Dheer
Answer: Assumptions: you're in the United States, you gave an account and routing number, and your boss will be making direct (i.e. electronic) deposits. In particular, I assume you're not asking whether your boss can walk up to the counter and deposit a check made out to you.
Under those assumptions, the answer is yes. Your boss can deposit your paycheck/bonus/expense reimbursement/whatever directly into your account. It is routine for employers to do so. Sometimes the employer will ask for a voided check, but not always; sometimes they just need the account and routing numbers.
Comment: In many companies the employee can enter this information via the HR or payroll  system. The employee just needs to enter the routing number and account number. Some of these systems allow you to specify multiple accounts. In some systems they will lookup the routing number in a database and provide you with the name of the bank/credit union so you can see that you entered the value correctly.
Answer:
Can someone deposit into your account with only your account number?

Yes. If I have a copy of your blank check or the routing and account number, I can make a deposit.
Years ago, I had a tenant who always paid late, and often bounced checks. To avoid the bounce, I'd go the bank that was where he had his account. One time, he was short $5. i.e. he had $620, and the rent was $625. I handed the teller $5 and a deposit ticket, made the deposit and got my money.
Comment: Wow. Did some more digging - it seems that account balance info is not especially well protected by privacy laws. Not that I'd be particularly bothered if people tried to find out mine, it just surprises me that it can be as easy as [asking about a check](https://www.finweb.com/banking-credit/when-can-others-see-my-bank-accounts-balance.html).
Comment: Did the tenant tell you he was $5 short or was it the bank teller?
Comment: The teller leaked it to me.
Comment: Without a doubt, disclosing was probably not kosher. But. Had I simply presented the check for cashing, in person, the teller would have disclosed insufficient balance and handed it back. Deposited at an ATM, we both would have had a fee charged.


Proper Linux environment for php5.3?

Question: I use CentOS 5.5 64bits, and I'd strongly prefer running php5.3 there (please focus on this), but if you have a safe recipe to run it on another distribution, I'll take it into consideration.
My problem is that I get to achieve either one of these two things:

I install php5.3 (from here: http://www.webtatic.com/blog/2009/06/php-530-on-centos-5/) and everything works, but without PDO.
I install everything from 'remi' repos (including their own MySQL version, because otherwise I'd get an incompatibility error while installing), but when it comes to the part of the script where I use PDO, I get a blank screen and it dies without leaving any errors (even with errors activated).

Thanks in advance.
Answer: Install php-pdo(from 'remi' repos):
<code> yum install php-pdo
</code>
and restart web server. For test, use phpinfo() or php -i.
Comment: where he wrote that he install php-pdo?
Comment: Gah, my bad, morning blindness ;)

Proper Linux environment for php5.3?


Can my old employer save my work email records in to share path after my leaving

Question: I am going to leave my company in September, my team colleague and my manager want to ask IT to keep all my emails record under share path after my leaving, then they can drop in to search history email chains. I feel very naked as my inbox also contains some personal information such as " superannuation, life insurance,health records... so just wandering, can they allow to do that?...it looks like breaking the privacy policy. And also none of previous employees in the team were required to keep their emails somewhere, I feel it's very unfair.
Comment: Please specify a country, laws will probably vary quite dramatically. Also read your contract/employee handbook
Comment: Are you able to simply go through and delete all personal emails (after contacting sending parties and updating to a different email address)?
Answer: Your employer owns your work email account, you are merely allowed to use to it. If there are personal emails contained there, you should delete them. However, based on your company's backup policies that doesn't mean that they are actual no longer there.
Comment: This answer is not true. At least not everywhere. Owning the mail account is not the same as the permission to share your emails with third-party.
Comment: This answer id not correct, it's even dangerous legal advice in some countries. Neither does it address the scope since "colleague and manager" may not be the ones who make the company rules.
Comment: Note that this depends on the region. In Belgium, all communication is privileged, and that includes emails/internet usage at work using a work account/machine. Employers are only allowed to track things like bandwidth usage, not the content. Any access to privileged content can only be granted by a judge, and requires either proof of misconduct or a strong circumstantial case.
Comment: @Abigail it's not as black and white as you're making it out to be - no one is arguing that *everyone* in the company should have access to an ex-employee's inbox.
Comment: @Abigail Yes, basically. My point is, the question is about one colleague and a manager looking at emails - you made a comment to dispute the claim that *every one else in the company* would have the right to see emails. That's a straw man argument - no one is asking about, or claiming, that *everyone* in the company should be able to look at the OP's emails.
Comment: If something in the question isn't clear, maybe you can comment on the question and ask for clarification. Many of the things you're saying are true (not "just anyone" should have access) but they seem aimed at hypotheticals ("it could be anyone") and sensationalism ("Perhaps in the US where there are hardly any employee rights") versus being directly relevant or helpful to the question actually being asked.
Answer:
Your company email belongs to the company, not you.
You should have no expectation of privacy regarding your work email account, voice messages, instant messaging, chat, etc. It may or not be legal for your employer to audit, review, listen to, or read your work communications, but you should assume that they will. If you don't want your employer to know your personal business then don't conduct personal business with work provided resources.
Never mix your work and personal lives, communication, etc.
Comment: @Abigail I think the OP was talking about personal information relevant to their time at the company "superannuation" is their pension - I suspect this is Australia
Comment: @ Yes Point 2 is not universal.
Comment: Most places your benefits are tied to your work email address, so no most people can't simply just not mix their professional and personal emails
Answer: Even in the USA, HIPAA protects health records from employers. A lot of folks here say don't mix personal with work, but in many cases I've seen, certain health benefits can only accept your work email for verification (ex you enroll in a health savings account and you get bonuses for completing health survey). Also payroll and HR information are usually to your work email, not personal. This is sensitive information not something anyone in the office can view which might contain your PII (SSN or whatever to your country), and pay info, etc stuff you don't share.
With that said, employers must protect these types of records. They cannot share it with everyone else as a record. Also, it would be crazy for you to inspect each email, and delete it before exporting it to a shared drive.
My advice: bring up the topic to your boss. Explain you have many personal health emails in it and check with your local laws to bring it to your boss's attention. Ex, "Under law X, an employer must protect my health files." etc so it's not just you saying it but something they must do. Ultimately, your boss may just want certain emails searchable so maybe you can just export those to the shared drive. I also recommend you remove association of any personal items like bank or social media from your work email before leaving. This means going into each site, and changing the email settings from your work to personal.
Answer: Legally: depends on where your employer is located.
From a technical standpoint: Yes. In fact, there's probably long term archives of all of your mail being created on a regular basis. These archives are just harder to get to than your boss wants it to be when getting the mail he might need.
I'd agree to help them because it's not an unreasonable request as far as company related messages go. Just go into your mailbox and start deleting any private messages you don't want your boss/co-workers reading. Even if your company keeps long term archives of mail somewhere,  your boss & co-workers won't see them because they're only interested in easy to access mails placed in the shared location by you.
You can also ask your IT department what the policy is on any automatic archiving of email. At least where I've worked companies are usually very upfront about this on day 1 so it's not a surprise.  Also, I live in the U.S. and there's always the potential of old company emails being accessed as part of a lawsuit.


Properties of Fourier transform of distributions

Question: For distributions the scaling property, $f(ax) = \frac{1}{|a|} \mathcal{F(\frac{u}{a})}$, of the Fourier transform is no longer true. Is there a source that lists which properties of the Fourier transform  remain true even for distributions and which are false?
Comment: Are you sure about the failure of the scaling property?
Comment: I agree with Guiseppe.  The scaling property is commonly exploited with Dirac delta functions.
Answer: A notable difference is behavior at $\infty$: The Fourier transform of a function in $L^1(\mathbb R)$ vanishes at $\infty$, but for a distribution it can remain constant (like the transform of $\delta$) or even grow (like the transform of $\delta'$).
But many properties can be passed from  Schwartz functions $\varphi$ to distributions $f$, thanks to the definition $$\langle \widehat f, \varphi\rangle  = \langle  f, \widehat \varphi\rangle \tag1$$ For example, the  scaling property passes from $\varphi$ to $f$. Stretching $f$ on the right of (1) has the same effect as  shrinking $\widehat \varphi$ (and multiplication by some constant), which  amounts to stretching $\varphi$, which has the same effect on the left as shrinking $\widehat f$.


Remote Access a computer with flash Drive

Question: is there software you can put on a flash drive, then plug that drive into a computer and then have access to that computer from a second, remote computer? I would love it if someone knew a way how. Thanks for your time!
Answer: Cross-platform remote access applications such as Teamviewer could be loaded on a USB flash drive and run directly from the flash drive. You will need the binaries loaded on the flash drive for each operating system (i.e. Windows, Mac OS X, Linux).
Teamviewer can be download from http://www.teamviewer.com and is free for non-commercial use. Additionally, it allows access through most firewalls as long as surfing the internet is possible on the remote computer (Source: http://www.teamviewer.com/en/help/334-Which-ports-are-used-by-TeamViewer.aspx).
An alternate solution would be booting to a pre-configured Linux installation and using a reverse SSH tunnel to provide remote access to the system. Bootable Linux flash drive can be created using your favorite Linux distribution's ISO and the pendrivelinux utility http://www.pendrivelinux.com/


What are the consequences of a chain that is the wrong length?

Question: I changed the chain on my bicycle before doing any proper reading on it, and I did not check whether the chain was the correct length. It seems to be working ok... but what could potentially go wrong?
Answer: If the chain is too long then in some gear combinations (e.g. small/small) there will not be enough capacity in the dérailleur to pick up all the slack, so the chain will be loose.  At an extreme case, the chain could sag and come into contact with the chainstay.
If the chain is too short then in some gear combinations (e.g. big/big) there will not be enough chain to span both gears and go through the dérailleur.  In this case it might not be possible to change to this gear, or doing so could damage the rear mech/mech hanger.
In a bike with rear suspension, there also needs to be sufficient extra chain to compensate for chain growth when the suspension compresses.  Running too short a chain could mean shifting to big/big is possible, but compressing the suspension when in this gear damages the rear mech/mech hanger.
Typically there will be a range of chain lengths in which the gears will function correctly and if the chain is only a little too short/long problems would only become apparent in poor combinations such as big/big and small/small
Answer: I assume you are talking about a bicycle with a front/rear derailleur. Typical hybrid bike accepts very wide range of chain lengths.
There is a simple way to check if chain is either too long or too short.
1) Put the chain to smallest sprocket and smallest chainring. If chain rubs against the rear derailleur it is too long. There should be atleast one inch clearance between the upper pulley and chain. In this case take out a few chain links.
2) Put the chain to largest sprocket and largest chainring. Or if you can't. The chain is too short. The chain simply can't reach the largest rings.
Both problems can be avoided by not using gears that are unsuable.
If you have a road bicycle with short cage rear derailleur and a large rear cassette (for example 11-30) then the high/high and small/small combinations might not be available at all. Options are to get longer cage rear derailleur, narrower chainrings or narrower cassette.


Is stretching bad for building muscles?

Question: I want to get a better mobility and flexibility. Therefore, I am going to start stretching several times a week. However, I don't want to get super skinny because of it. Does the stretching have negative influences on building muscles? Will I lose muscles because of too much stretching? I am a little afraid that could happen. Is my fear justified or am I worrying too much?
Comment: What is your source for the understanding that stretching makes you skinny?
Comment: That's just kind of a stereotype of mine. Every artist and athlet I have seen  perform in disciplines similar to artistic are quite skinny. I just assume this is a side effect of their mobility and flexibility, which is very much higher than on average.
Comment: Many bodybuilders are quite flexible
Answer:
Does the stretching have negative influences on building muscles?

A stretched muscle is longer, and is therefore looser.  This can increase the difficulty of producing a stretch reflex (in the squat [PDF], for example).

Will I lose muscles because of too much stretching? I am a little afraid that could happen. Is my fear justified or am I worrying too much?

You will not lose muscles because of too much stretching, unless you stretch so much that you tear muscle (which you will recognize via pain) and then do not recover (that is, nourish and sleep) enough to rebuild the muscle; this is unlikely.  You are worrying too much.
Comment: Stretching does not make the muscle itself longer or looser. The stretch reflex has nothing to do with muscle tissue. It is a reflex of the nervous system.
Comment: Thank you, @BKE!  You appear to be correct (and I, wrong) about muscle length/looseness, according to [this article](http://ptjournal.apta.org/content/90/3/438): "Traditionally, rehabilitation literature has attributed increases in muscle extensibility observed after stretching to a mechanical increase in muscle length. A growing body of research refutes these mechanical theories, suggesting instead that in subjects who are asymptomatic, increases in muscle extensibility ... are predominantly due to modification in subjects' sensation."
Comment: Also, it's dangerous to try and provoke a stretch reflex in a lengthening muscle. You are then trying to lengthen the muscle at the same time that the tendon is trying to shorten it. This way leads to muscle tears and tendon ruptures. It's a very advanced lifting technique, not one I would recommend to a beginner.
Answer: Stretching is actually crucial for improving the health of the fascia tissue. And this will actually improve your muscle building.
I'll explain you why.
First of all you have to understand that hypetrophy occurs by two different stimuli, and one of that is a mechanical hypertrophic stimuli: if you want the full explaination of hypertrophy you can find it in my answer to this question right here.
Mechanical tension is distribuited throughout the muscle by the cytoskeleton, and this structure is thightly linked to the fascia/connective tissue of the muscle cell itself.
When you stretch you actually improve the health of this tissue by increasing the turnover in the collagen proteins and modifying the structure itself of the tissue texture ( that will get what is called a "CRIMP" structure ).
If the transmission of kinetic force is optimal, you will not only have a whole bunch of benefits in terms of injury prevention, and performance, but you will also allow the tension to be transmitted to Z discs and basal lamina of the outher sarcolemma that are know to contain mechanotransductor proteins such as MAPK.
These proteins translate the mechanical stimuli in actually protein synthesis signals and will improve hypetrophy expecially of the sarcomere and myofibril structure.
This will happen only if you have a good transmisson of transversal force by costameres of the cytoskeleton and a healty CRIMP-like fascia to support it.
On top of that take in consideration that mechanical stimuli ( eccentric phase ) is also fundamental in the paracrine secretion of IL-6 by macrophages. Interleukine 6 is a potent stimulator of satellite muscle cells differentiation, and this is crucial for the repair and the growth of your muscles.
You want to optimize passive and active force transmission with a healthy fascia, and you can do this through stretching.
Comment: Impressive, thank you very much! Now I can stretch more often without having an uneasy conscience ;)

Is stretching bad for building muscles?


I live in Hawai'i where houses generally have both cockroaches and geckos. Are the geckos being poisoned by the poisoned roaches?

Question: My apartment (and most like it here in the heart of Honolulu) has german cockroaches. While I'm sure that we'll never get rid of them completely, poison traps (roach hotels) and raid barrier poison as well as being squeaky clean keeps them basically out of our sight. My biggest concern is the geckos that show up in the house periodically. I know they eat roaches. If they eat a roach that has been poisoned (which all of the roaches in my house have been because I spread that stuff everywhere, even behind the fridge, stove, and cabinets), how much is it hurting them? What we're using Combat brand roach hotels and Raid spray as well as Raid border control.
Answer: It depends on the type of poison you use. I don't know how hard it would be to get in Hawaii, but diatomaceous earth would be an excellent solution. It's basically a white looking powder. Supposedly, it's like microscopically sharp glass blades. It's too small to harm even the gecko (I've even been told it won't harm earth worms). The way it's effective is that it slices into the exoskeleton of insects and they dehydrate and die.
I've read that people feed it to their animals and sometimes take it themselves with no ill effect. Supposedly it treats intestinal parasites. Either way, you can put this powder out and when the cockroaches move through it, it should damage them and they should die. The geckos could eat it with no real effect and it won't hurt you either, so you can put it in your cabinets with your dishes or anywhere you want. It shouldn't be harmful to children, pets, people, or other small animals. Only insects with their hard exoskeletons.
Comment: bump for DE, hadnt heard of it before now. I wonder if this can be used to get rid of mites on snakes
Comment: I can't answer that as I've never heard one way or the other, but I don't see why not. I have no idea how much contact is required, but I feel like you could probably put some in a duster and just powder your snake down, then rinse him off after a little while. If you can spot the mites, maybe you can spot test it.
Comment: Hmm if i ever get mites i may try that to see.


Will Porcini mushrooms grow under a maple tree?

Question: I am considering growing some Porcini mushrooms (Boletus edulis) under a maple tree in my backyard.  The tree is ~10 years old and is very lush; so I imagine that at its base there might be enough shade for the Porcini to grow.  There is also a good layer of mulch at the base of the maple.  Will the Porcini form a symbiotic relationship with the maple?  What things can I do to enhance my chances of producing mushrooms and of helping out the maple?
Comment: Have you been to paul stamet's site? http://www.fungi.com/
Comment: I edited my fist answer with the second answer, that lacked. =)
Comment: You can't inoculate a tree after it has been planted, and no Boletes grow on maple
Answer: No, maples do not grow symbiotically with Porcini or any ectomycorrhizal species. They only grow with vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhizal fungi, which do not fruit. While other trees have been innoculated with Porcini, there is little evidence that thees trees eventually produce mishrooms.
Answer: Boletus aedulis, ie Porcini, Best variety. It is mainly found in the woods of oak and chestnut of the plain, and beech and fir forests of the high mountains. It is symbiotic fungi, gregarious, which can develop in groups of many specimens.

EDIT - Second answer
Porcini mushrooms are protected across Europe. In Austria it is forbidden even to touch them.
In Italy the Forest Guard and some allowed growers sell fir trees (small and medium size), with roots already inoculated with hyphae of porcine. A cultivation for dissemination of spores is considered impossible, to no success.
They carry pieces of soil with some roots with hyphae and place them between the roots of small spruce trees, or on the base, in the ground, before a transplant. They are then allowed to grow (fir and mushroom) and create a full symbiosis. Then they sell the fir inoculated with his "bread" of soil without touching the roots.
The fir tree is then planted in the ground of the buyer, and monitored for several years.
I have absolutely no idea how to play the private cultivation in Canada.


Am I liable if trespassers on my private property injure themselves?

Question: If people trespass on my property (i.e. walk through my backyard without my permission) and they get injured (i.e. trip and break an arm or a tree branch falls on their head), am I liable under Georgia law?
Comment: No but laws are peculiar and not intuitive.    My naive answer is that I wouldn't be responsible for injury sustained by a trespasser but wanted to get an expert opinion.
Comment: Why would you be liable? Did you do anything wrong?
Answer: This is a general common law answer; Georgia may have statutes or the common law there may change this.
In order to establish negligence as a Cause of Action under the law of torts, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant:

had a duty to the plaintiff,
breached that duty by failing to conform to the required standard of conduct (generally the standard of a reasonable person),
the negligent conduct was, in law, the cause of the harm to the plaintiff, and
the plaintiff was, in fact, harmed or damaged.

For your scenario:

Most jurisdictions have held that you do have a duty to innocent trespassers - people on your property without permission but without criminal intent. The children you describe in your comment fall into that category.
Your duty is to do what a reasonable person would to ensure that your yard is free from unreasonable hazards. If you have an abandoned mine shaft you should fence it sort of thing.
The damage must be a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the failure to discharge the duty
The person must actually be harmed.
Comment: This answer should distinguish between natural hazards, as mentioned in the question, and man-made hazards, such at the mineshaft mentioned in the answer.
Comment: What about the attractive nuisance doctrine?
Answer: The duty of care to a trespasser is that the property owner, "would not be liable for anything but affirmative acts amounting to wilfulness."
Montega Corp. v. Grooms, 128 Ga. App. 333, 337 (Ga. Ct. App. 1973)
Answer: It depends. Not knowing about Georgia law, but you are very likely liable if you set up traps in your backyard, and likely liable if you allowed there to be a danger that would affect people like your postman, or kids picking up a ball that dropped over the fence.
And you are only ever liable if the accident is actually your fault. Something that you did wrong causing the accident.
Comment: No traps or any intentional hazards.  We occasionally have neighborhood kids cutting through my property (w/o our permission) so I'm curious about what my liability is if those kids got hurt somehow on my property.
Comment: @Sajee Do you have a fence? How foreseeable is it that kids will cut through your yard again? Do you have anything on your property that you think they could hurt themselves on?
Comment: No fence and very likely that kids will cut through our yard again.  There's nothing that will injure kids on our property but I'm worried that a kid could have an accident and then it would become my problem.


VirtualBox with Windows XP - Am I vulnerable browsing?

Question: I use Chrome browser in XP to prepare Powerpoint presentations in Office 2007 for University. LibreOffice is less than satisfactory at my University. Am I safe surfing Net in Chrome on XP in VirtualBox under Ubuntu 14.04?
Comment: Might want to change the title to say "am I safe browsing", as some folks skip your actual question and just look at the top answer. Since you ask both "am I safe" and "am I vulnerable" this could be misleading to some. I made a suggested edit, but I think it was declined. :-)
Comment: Installing XP in virtualbox will protect your Ubuntu from XP problems to a large extent but your XP will be just as unprotected as any XP would be installed directly on the machine.
Comment: To close voters: why offtopic? He is asking if his Ubuntu 14.04 is safe. It is a fair question (though the answer is guessable ;)).
Answer: No. It's a real install of Windows XP. That isn't safe.
Consider that if you also share things between it and the host, the host isn't safe either. Mapping a network drive in? That isn't safe now and anything that trusts that also now isn't safe.
Even if your browser itself is kept up to date, the software it uses plugins, system libraries, the network stack, etc... They're all slowly becoming abandoned by their developers. That means eventually any exposure to the wild will eventually become hazardous.
I would strongly recommend only using XP in an offline-only setting, if at all. I don't understand why you can't just use Chrome in the host. And there are more options for editing Powerpoint slides than just {Libre,Open}Office and full install of Microsoft Office:

Web: Powerpoint Online
Web: Google Docs
App: Calligra Stage

There are options out there... Many better than Powerpoint-proper. Most free to some degree.
Answer: Windows XP has reached End-of-Line and there are already security vulnerabilities surfacing which won't be fixed for Windows XP. So, using XP with internet access wouldn't be secure at all.
Since the only need for running Windows in Virtualbox is Office 2007, you can install Office 2007 in Ubuntu using Wine and PlayOnLinux. Follow the following question on how to do that:

Can Wine support Office 2007?

And Chrome is already available on Ubuntu. But I am not really sure how you use it "in XP to prepare Powerpoint presentations in Office 2007" :-)
Answer: I have XP-specific applications that won't run under wine or any later windows, as well as some windows-only applications, so for me an XP VM is an absolute requirement, which I've given some thought to.
You are at risk, but you can bring the risk down to an acceptable level by:

Not browsing in the VM - do that in the host, copy files across as required.
If there's some bizarre reason why you really must browse in the guest, throw all the browser-based security you can at it (strict noscript etc.) and only for the sites you really have to (and see item 4.).
Cutting out all non-essential services from XP (especially network-related ones, but note that networking is used to share folders to the host.
Running your VM from a file system that appears to be called immutable in the docs - it's reset to the starting conditions on shutdown.  I asked about this here.
or running still-supported security software on the guest (it's no use if you can't keep it up-to-date, which you can't if loads from immutable storage).
Firewalling the VM on the host (which I haven't done properly yet, so can't go into more detail, but basically close all the ports to start with).


STM32L0 Snippets with GCC ARM Toolchain

Question: Currently I try to use the STM32L0 microcontroller series. I found that ST offers a low-level C program collection called STM32SnippetsL0 too, parallel with their complex STM32CubeMX based HAL API. Unfortunately I can not use the codes under GNU/Linux because it supports only EWARM and MDK-ARM toolchains. Are there any possibilities to run this code with the GCC ARM Embedded toolchain?
Comment: sounds like a stackoverflow question.  why cant you use ewarm?  what libraries are not working?  can you link in the other libraries?  ewarm is a gnu compiler toolchain as well yes?  so you should be able to link them in.
Comment: Thank you for your hints @dwelch. AFAIK EWARM is based on the C compiler of IAR Systems. It runs only under Windows and I want to find a GNU/Linux based solution.
Comment: ahh sorry I was thinking of a different compiler, a gnu based cross compiler for windows, nevermind...you might still be able to link, and/or if they have the source code to the library you can re-compile.  I cant imagine that st delivers the board/chip support package without sources somewere and/or without a gnu based set of libraries.  If they dont offer that then I wouldnt bother with it and find another solution
Answer: After long experiment I can say it is possible to compile the STM32Snippets with the GCC ARM Embedded toolchain. The Snippets contains itself the necessary files except the linker file. I used a linker file copied from STM32CubeMX (SW4STM32 template) but I think other scripts are also usable.
It is necessary to copy two files from the Snippets template folder (Drivers/CMSIS/Device/ST/STM32L0xx/Source/Templates). The first is system_stm32l0xx.c and the second the appropriate startup assembly file from gcc sub-folder. (Yes it seems to partial support for gcc.) I used startup_stm32l053xx.s because I use Nucleo board. If the downloaded Snippets is extracted to the folder snippets and arm-none-eabi-gcc is in your path you can use the following code:
arm-none-eabi-gcc -DSTM32L053xx -Wall -g -mthumb -mcpu=cortex-m0plus -march=armv6-m -mlittle-endian -Isnippets/Drivers/CMSIS/Include -Isnippets/Drivers/CMSIS/Device/ST/STM32L0xx/Include -Wl,--gc-sections,-Map=main.map -Tstm32l053xx.ld -L. system_stm32l0xx.c startup_stm32l053xx.s main.c -o main.elf

Finally bin is produced to upload to Nucleo.
arm-none-eabi-objcopy -O binary main.elf main.bin

STM32L0 Snippets with GCC ARM Toolchain


recipes of piano sight-play for a self-learner

Question: Are there any recipes/shortcuts that can train a piano self-learner into being able to sight-play, at least simple pieces? How to overcome the difficulty of constantly checking the keyboard while reading notes?
Answer: The only way to learn to be an effective sight reader is to practice it. Concentrate on reading above and below the staff notes. I sometimes practice hand excericises with my eyes closed. this familiarizes your fingers with the keyboard.
Comment: how long does this practice take
Comment: @feynman - how long is a piece of string?
Comment: @Tim never measured it
Answer: Learn to know  the keyboard like driving your car:

orientation on the keyboard:
a) all 2 black keys open eyes b) with closed eyes)

Find all 3 black keys (all octaves), in the same way: all 2 black keys, all EF and BC (the white semitones), all D (between the 2 black) all DC,

triads and scales

Play ceg, dfa (the scale of C) blind, always stay in contact with the black keys and always mind the shape of the pattern.

Play the scale of B major:1231234 (thumb on B and E) go through all sharp keys
the accompaniments of the l.h. are often triads and tetrads up and down. Practice them in all keys, always analyzing the

You can invent similar short orientation exercises and practice them without shhet music, blind, but always imagine or singing the notes you're playing, 2-3 minutes before you start reading.
Another way is reading and playing bar by bar or phrase by phrase,  memorizing the keys and notes, seeing and blind, but always listening. At the end you can play the piece by heart.
Btw. it's not just a bad habit to look down on the keys: you can also express a lot of music by looking down. You have all the time of your life for reading notes, stay in contact with your piano, it loves, when you look into its (k)eys.
Answer: http://www.micrologus.com/courses/sight_reading_method
For disclosure, I worked on developing the above system.
Comment: i downloaded thru http://www.micrologus.com/download. but do you know how to use this software
Comment: Install it, then in the main page click on "Courses" on the left, and then double-click on "Sight Reading Method" in the list on the right. And then start reading, playing the examples, and so on...
Answer: There is a kind of hymnal (Reformation church) that uses only long note values for four part harmony. Like The Scottish Hymnal.
I think these can be good for sight reading for a number of reasons:

lots of (homophonic) music is based on adding rhythmic figures to a basic harmonic framework, the long note values in these hymnals focus on only those important harmonic tones
most of the movements from chord to chord involves only single step motions or held tones which you can use as "anchors" for changing your hand position without looking at your hand
a lot of harmony examples are packed into a short space
most of the key signatures are easy

If you practice playing double notes in one hand and changing fingers on repeated notes, along with sight reading the hymnals, it really help develop skills to play without looking at your hands. At least it's helping me.
Answer: My son worked with a sight reading book series by Paul Harris.  It was excellent.  I'm sure there are other good ones as well.  Each exercise is short, and includes phrasing and dynamics.  Interestingly enough, that is helpful.
In addition, the exercises are extremely graduated.  Also, the student is given a procedure to follow.  Look over the exercise carefully before putting your hands on the keyboard: time signature, tempo, key signature.  Count out or imagine the rhythm once through, without playing yet.  Also, look at the melody and ask yourself, what scale degree is this starting on?  -- this can help one visualize, so to speak, what the melody will sound like.
Some knowledge of music theory will be helpful.
The main thing is to work at your level -- which will be lower than the level of your repertoire pieces.  Imagine it as well as you can in your mental ear before you play it, and choose a very slow tempo -- and stick to it.  Give it phrasing.  Make it beautiful or at least interesting.
Answer: No short cuts. Suffer like the rest of us!! And no book recommendations either.
Know your scales thoroughly. 12 majors at least. Harmonic minors would be next. All without reference to the black and white keys.
Before starting any sight-reading of a piece, play through its key scale several times - this gets your head and fingers in the zone of that key.
Concentrate on one hand at a time initially.
Remember there are two aspects involved in early sight reading - rhythm and melody. Split them, starting with the rhythm part. Tap out the rhythm of the notes, a few times so it's internalised. Almost learned if you like. You're learning to sight-read. Only then try playing the tune, which will fit better over the rhythm you've established.
With no music, try to feel how far a stretch various intervals are. M3,m7, P5 etc.using different fingers  in different keys.
Take some time trying out sight singing. Keep to mainly white note keys initially. Give yourself the occasional note as a check, and work through a single line melody slowly. I've always said if you can sing it, you'll play it more easily.
A few ideas out of many. Just practise sight-reading every day, and it'll get better. Gradually or quickly - we don't know!


Does attachment of phenyl to an alkene increases its reactivity towards electrophilic addition reaction?

Question: According to me phenyl should decrease the reactivity as its electron withdrawing nature destabilises the carbocation.
Answer: Not always, and it can depend upon the groups attached to a phenyl ring, like $\ce{-OMe, -COOH, -NH2, -NO2, -X}$, etc.
The attachment of a phenyl ring to a carbon-containing double bond can affect both the stability of carbocation and the possibility of attacking with the help of the compound's $\pi$-electron cloud.
If you have only the phenyl ring with no substitution, first of all the $\pi$-electron cloud of the double bond will be in high conjugation with the phenyl ring, and thus the $\pi$-electron density will be reduced on the $\ce{C=C}$ double bond, which can reduce the possibility of attack of that double bond to a electrophile. Though the carbocation formed can be stabilised through resonance with the phenyl ring (as it is a benzyl carbocation), the step of carbocation formation can have a very high activation energy ($E_\mathrm a$) if you don't have enough stabilisation of the carbocation. But, if you have the carbocation which can stabilise through resonance with multiple benzene rings, the actual potential energy of the carbocation can be reduced to a great extent. In that case, the rate of reaction will increase.
So, actually this situation can be thought as a competition between the stability of carbocation and the decreased electron density. Generally, the stability of carbocation is the dominating effect if it is stabilised to a large extent.
The rate will be decreased even more if an electron withdrawing group is attached to the phenyl ring due to even more delocalisation of $\pi$-electron cloud, and less stabilisation of the carbocation.

If you have a strong electron donating group attached to a phenyl ring and the double bonded carbon is ortho/para w.r.t that group, that can itself exhibit the $+R$ effect, and increase electron density near the double bond through delocalisation of its own electron density through the $\pi$-bonds. In that case, the attacking of $\ce{C=C}$ double bond to a electrophile will be much easier, and the carbocation formed will be even more stable. Then, the rate of reactivity of the double bond in the electrophilic addition can increase for attachment of a substituted phenyl ring.
Comment: This case and the case in your question are different. Here the rich $\pi$-electron cloud of benzene itself donates, but in your question, it was not so.
Comment: In but-2-ene  one sp3 carbon and a hydrogen atom attached to a sp2 carbon when replaced by two phenyl cations then the resulting molecule is more reactive towards electrophilic addition reaction than but-2-ene. Can you explain it?
Comment: answer has been edited. Please check it out.
Comment: But then why toluene is more reactive towards chlorination than an alkene for eg. propene?


Should I take a break from working out and if so, how long?

Question: Well, I'm just going to be straight forward here. About a month and a half ago, I started working out in my house like every day for about two weeks. Then, I received a lot of work because I'm a student and cut the workout times down to about 2-3 times a week but to compensate I added more exercises(different types of pushups) in the workout, so I could further work on my arms and chest. At first, it was relaxing as my workouts felt hard but very doable. Now, it seems like I can't do as many reps of pushups and I have to keep lowering my dumbbell weight because it's getting harder and harder to bicep curl, even though I did the same weight easily before. So now I genuinely think my muscles are fatigued because as far as I know I am physically growing(slightly) and I believe my form and lifestyle is good. I am a 18 year old male with about a very wavering calorie intake(1800-2600) and 10 hours of sleep, but a decent amount of stress. Should I take a break for recovery purposes and if so, how long should it be before I return?
Comment: were you just lifting or were there also elements of recovery involved (foam rolling, stretching, etc?) high levels of stress can leave you feeling mentally drained, you may just need to swap the routine to something a bit easier on the body to keep you moving
Comment: When I was lifting with the same weight, it was harder but for everyday activity and recovery, I felt stronger.
Answer: There could be multiple things to look at, but to answer your question, yes.. everyone exercising needs to take a break. The more experienced you are, the more often you take breaks. Typically this "deload" is 9 to 14 days and can include your rest days so that it just feels like a week off. Generally this is done every 6 to 8 weeks. After a deload, it's not a bad idea to swap some exercises and change your routine up so your body will adapt. This could be the second issue..if you're doing push-ups and dumbbell curls consistently maybe consider adding reps, lowering reps but adding weight, or switching exercises entirely. Maybe instead of push-ups do a floor press, or incline curls. Also are you doing a balanced workout between all muscle groups.. asymmetry can stall growth. The third thing is stress.. college is super stressful sometimes which increases cortisol and that can affect your workout in various ways such as breaking down muscle tissue and negatively impacting your gains..sound familiar? Look here fore more info on how cortisol affects you: https://www.dnafit.com/advice/fitness/cortisol-stress-and-exercise.asp
The last thing is your diet. I know you said your calories are roughly 1800 to 2600 but is that consistently and are your macros good? For bulking/hypertrophy/strength you should have 50% complex carbs such as brown rice and oatmeal, and simple carbs before a workout and after like bananas or honey. 1 g protein for each pound you weigh  and 20% fat. Stay hydrated as well.
All of these will help your strength.
And a personal opinion but if you want to increase push-ups try a weight on your back and do as many as you can, then add weight. Simply adding reps and your exercise will go from endurance to cardio which there are more efficient ways to build then hammering out push-ups.
Comment: Thanks for the advice. I will take your suggestion and break at least a week and a half starting now. For my workout, it hits all muscle groups mostly the same so I don't think asymmetry is an issue with me. For diet, it's consistent and I am getting about 300 grams of carbs and 50 grams of protein but I always forget to drink water so that might be an issue I'll fix. When I recover, I might add weights on my pushups and I'll remove some excessive exercises.
Comment: @idkanymore sure no problem. I feel great after taking a break.. I am stronger when I go into the gym so I'm sure you'll feel better. I think that and drinking more water should be plenty. I don't know your thought on protein but you could try to shoot up to 100grams at least. You'd be surprised how doing less can equal more gains. I think the 3 day workout is just the right amount of training for you too


Is this the commonly known Red Sea?

Question: In Exodus 13:18 (NASB)

Therefore God led the people around by way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in battle formation from the land of Egypt.

Does this passage reference the commonly known Red Sea?
Comment: Many 'academics' and 'scholars' who have not sufficient faith to believe that God almighty is able, at a moment's notice, to part the waters of a sea, have laboured long and hard to try to prove that the Israelites gingerly picked their way through a muddy swamp. It is excrutiatingly obvious that the exodus was across the left fork of the Red Sea commonly called the Suez Gulf, whence they traversed into Sinai.
Answer: This cannot be answered with any certainty.  Almost every Bible atlas and Bible commentator offers a different theory about the route of the Exodus.
Here is what can be known:
1. The Hebrew name for this is "yam suph" = "sea of reeds".  Note the differences in probable reference as from BDB for the word סוּף (suph)

a. to Gulf of Suez Exodus 10:19; Joshua 2:10 (both J), Exodus 13:18;
Exodus 15:4,22; Exodus 23:31 (all E), Deuteronomy 11:4; Joshua 4:23
(D), Numbers 33:10,11 (P), elsewhere late Nehemiah 9:9; Psalm 106:7;
Psalm 106:9; Psalm 106:22; Psalm 136:13; Psalm 136:15.
b. sometimes to Gulf of Akaba 1 Kings 9:26, and דֶּרֶךְ יַםסֿוּף
Numbers 21:4 (E), probably also Numbers 14:25 (E), Deuteronomy 1:40;
Deuteronomy 2:1; perhaps Judges 11:16; Jeremiah 49:21; possibly read
מִיַּםסֿוּף for ׳מוֺל ס Deuteronomy 1:1

2. Comments from Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sea

The association of the Red Sea with the biblical account of the
Israelites crossing the Red Sea is ancient, and was made explicit in
the Septuagint translation of the Book of Exodus from Hebrew to Koine
Greek in approximately the third century B.C. In that version, the Yam
Suph (Hebrew: ים סוף, lit. 'Sea of Reeds') is translated as Erythra
Thalassa (Red Sea). Although reeds do not grow in the Red Sea today
(reeds do not grow in salt water), Professor Colin Humphreys explains
the discrepancy on the basis that a freshwater marsh of reeds could
have existed around Aqaba.[15]

Note the description in Ex 14:22 -

and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with walls of
water on their right and on their left.

Thus, the "sea" must have been deep enough to have "walls of water" suggesting more than just a marsh or swampy area.
There has been a huge amount of ink expended on this question and we are unlikely to resolve it here.  There is not enough data to establish this beyond question.
Answer: Good question! Look up Ron Wyatt or Dr. David Kim. They offer some compelling archaeological evidence suggesting the Gulf of Aqaba is the real crossing. As well as evidence of Hebrew culture/language on the opposite side. It will be up to you to accept it, against the current accepted theories. That's the key word, theory. What you find currently are nothing more than theories, made by academics. Ron Wyatt and Dr. David Kim present a different theory, but full of physical evidence, whereas current theories lack said evidence, giving way to many regurgitating that "there's no proof of a mass exodus."

Is this the commonly known Red Sea?


Do astronauts on ISS notice Earth's seasons?

Question: Has anyone stationed on the ISS for some months reported noticing the changing seasons on Earth in any way like people on the surface do, subconsciously without needing to look up numbers for anything?  Changing weather patterns, changing daylight hours in each hemisphere, how far north or south sunlight reaches?
Answer: From the last thing I saw on the news: On December 1, it was reported that the air leak from the ISS was practically unnoticable for astronauts.
Astronauts who recently returned to Earth who were on the ISS before the coronavirus was discovered reported that isolation on the ISS is not as noticeable as isolation on Earth. Astronauts who will stay on the ISS for the New Year will celebrate the holiday 16 times, as they will cross 16 time zones on New Year's Eve. From the above information, we can conclude that it is difficult to notice the change of season on the ISS without observing time, and without observing the planet it is completely impossible. I have not seen any messages from astronauts about this.
Comment: do astronauts on the ISS not observe the planet? is it invisible to them? and do they not have clocks?
Comment: The conclusion does not follow from these premises.