Do I need to do anything for my external spigots during a short hard freeze?

Question: Like the questioner in Do I need to do anything to protect my pool during a rare freeze? I live in central florida and its going to be a hard freeze tonight. Do I need to let the spigots drip or cover them for a short period of time? It is much less water volume than a pool, but there is also much less exposure since it goes right into a cinder block wall.
Comment: If you live in Florida, it is never gonna get cold enough to freeze your outdoor  spigots,  don't worry.  Come to Maine and see what cold is.   lol
Comment: I like my shorts at Christmas :)
Comment: Yeah, no way in one night it would freeze over the water line, it takes weeks in in the 20 degree range for it to happen and cause damage.
Answer: A short freeze should not be a big deal for your area.  I just bought some of the spigot covers for mine.  I live in Virginia and have a bit colder temps than you do.  Normally we have no problems with our area either.  I just covered them to make sure.
Answer: In colder climates at least, the norm is to have either shutoffs, or frost-proof sillcocks.
A shutoff is simply a valve on the inside of the house.  You close it off, then open the outside tap, and the water drains out of the pipe in the wall.
A frost-proof sillcock (pictured below) is a tap with a very long stem, so the shutoff is actually at the base inside the house. The part that is exposed outside and in the wall is empty when the vale is shut.

If you have one of these, you are fine. If you have shut-offs inside, I would close them and open the outside taps.
Comment: It never occurred to me that in warmer climates there wouldn't be an indoor shutoff.  I though that was just how it is done.  (It's also handy to keep the kids from playing with the hose.)
Comment: I don't live in a super-cold climate (OH, where the coldest it usually gets is about -15F), but we haven't had indoor shutoffs in any of the houses we've lived in.  The standard spigots used here (I'm assuming the frost-proof is standard, otherwise you'd think there'd be problems) seem to be quite sufficient down to that temperature.
Comment: our house in OH has both.
Answer: For rare freezes, you can turn on the faucet slightly, to drip a little. This will keep fresh warmer water coming in, and reduce the chance of freezing.
If your house has a crawlspace with the plumbing, those pipes are potentially susceptible to freezing, too. This trick helps there, as well.
Obviously, this is a waste of water if you have to do it more often.
Comment: weird solution, but it would work!
Comment: +1: This is a pretty common method where sub-freezing temperatures are rare.


Why does light keep it's direction when passing through glass?

Question: It is assumed that light does not propagate through a different medium as such but by interacting with electrons of atoms it reaches. So photons crash into electrons of the medium's atoms, elevate their energy level and when falling back to their original energy level, they themselves create photons of the wavelength h/E. The question is: what about direction? Let's say the point source is a laser whose photons pass through a glass, why does it not scatter everywhere as the electrons falling back emit photons in 360° x 180° direction?
Comment: Because whatever you look along the kept direction is not the result of scattering.
Answer: Glass typically has a very high bandgap due to its low refractive index so photons of visual wavelengths typically don't have enough energy to cause the excitation of electrons in glass since the photons would require an energy $\geq E_g$. Thus, the photons are simply transmitted through the glass since they don't have enough energy to interact with the electrons, and the direction and angle can be described with the refractive index.
Beside this, one can also discuss the topic of scattering, which can be quite complex if one wants it to be. Shortly put, the roughness of a surface quantifies the angle at which we'll observe scattered photons. Worst case would be Lambertian scattering, where it is scattered in all directions in a half-sphere and best case would be no scattering but only transmission.
Comment: In which medium does happen what I described, ie photons in 360° x 180° direction?
Comment: @Zurechtweiser I'd guess that certain gas clouds could exhibit such behaviour, with them having a mild optical thickness. You, however, ask about two different processes.

I the beginning of your question you're talking about spontaneous emission, and in the end you're talking about scattering. The phenomena i guess you're talking about is possible, but i'd say that it would in that case be 360x360 degrees.

You're essentially talking about spontaneous emission, and YES, it is radiating isotropically (in all directions), no matter what excited them from the beginning.
Comment: @Zurechtweiser What COULD happen however with a relatively long lifetime for the excited electrons could be that later coming photons in the laser-beam could very well stimulate the excited electrons, producing light at the same phase and direction. In this case the medium would attenuate the power in the laser-beam and the rest would be emitted isotropically in the medium, which would be the losses. Now assuming that the medium doesn't have a radiation efficiency at 100%, we'd experience some loss due to heat as wel
Comment: Does this answer your question?
Comment: Excellent answer. See also https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/7437/why-is-glass-transparent


Foul smell in my bathroom when I run water anywhere in my house

Question: I have a foul sewer smell in my bathroom, it get stronger when water is ran anywhere in the house. But the smell stays in the bathroom. We have checked the sink pipes nothing in there. We used rid-x but nothing change. I tried bleach down the drain still nothing changed. The smell is not in any other sink, just the one. I need to know if this sewer smell is bad on health? I have my 80 year old mother here, and don't want her or anyone to get sick until we find out where it's coming from. What can I do to get this smell out of my bathroom? What could possibly be the problem?
Answer: First I'd want to confirm that it's really from the waste system (as I would think).  When there's no smell, plug another sink and run water to put some in the basin.  Stop and verify still no smell.  Then drain the basin and see if the smell arises.  If that happens, you can be sure it's related to the waste system.
Can you plug the sink temporarily (both the drain and the overflow)?  If you do so, does that prevent the smell?  It would be nice to isolate it to a single location.  Is there a tub/shower?  Could it be coming from there?
If it's from the sink, I'd think there's either improper venting or incorrect p-trap in the bathroom.  Can you show a picture of the pipes under the sink?  If it's not set up correctly, then water running down the pipes from elsewhere can siphon the water from the p-trap, allowing sewer gases to escape the drain.
Answer: I would bet it's "sewer gas" aka methane.  And, yes, it's not good for your health, though it takes a fair amount, in high concentration, to cause an explosion or other health concerns.
Your problem is most likely caused by one (or more) of the following:

drain is partially clogged by really smelly black "gunk" which is decomposing slowly
your P-trap isn't retaining water that prevents methane from getting into the room (leaking, not vented properly, water velocity too high...P-trap too low or horizontal section into the wall is too long...these things would be noted when work was completed)
not vented correctly (not likely unless work has been done recently) or vent no longer working correctly (clogged where it exits the roof by leaves, bird nest, etc. or cracked...did you hang any pictures recently in which the nail hit the vent pipe?)

Note: the above assumes the smell is coming from one bathroom sink drain, though a clogged vent stack, through roof, would cause smell anywhere.


Recover database from uninstalled SQL Server

Question: My SQL Server was accidentally uninstalled. I didn't take a backup of all the databases. Is it possible to recover them?
Answer: The database files are probably still there - in the directory for data and log files.
Th default one is c:\ProgramFiles\MSSQL\MSSQL\MSSQL10_50\MSSQL\Data.
If not default then you need to locate your files and attach them to SQL Server instance of the same or higher edition.
Comment: try a search with *.mdf *.ndf
Answer: Yes you can
Go to "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA", here you can see your old db MDF and LDF Fils. and you can open those file in sql server as you used earlier.
Step 1 :
     Open SQL Management Studio
Step 2 :
     Open Connection
Step 3 :
     Right click on the "Database" folder and Click "Attach"
Step 3 :
     Click add Button and go to "C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA"
Step 4 :
     Select your Database MDF file and Click Ok
Hope You are done


15 amp gfci for garage outlets

Question: We have a buried electrical copper cables (about 35 feet to the garage or so)  that has a 15 amp breaker with 14 gauge wired to the garage.  Basically, since Im changing my old double duplex receptacles, I still can use a 15 amp GFCI receptacles since my home is over 40 yrs. old. Correct!! Just want to make sure that I'm in compliance with NEC standards. I don't want to have to reburied 12 gauge wire. Thank you again!
Comment: NEC 2017 406.5 (3) specifies that you should replace the receptacle with a GFCI receptacle, but nothing says you need to have a 20A receptacle, except in kitchens and bathrooms (unless I missed something...)
Answer: Receptacles rated 15 amps can be used on 15 amp circuits.
They can also be used on 20 amp circuits as long as you have more than one receptacle (one duplex or two single receptacles) on the circuit.
If you have a single receptacle on a circuit it has to be rated for the circuit, e.g. a 20 amp circuit would require a 20 amp receptacle. A single receptacle in this case is not a standard duplex receptacle. If you have a device with a 20 amp cord then you would need one of these. Otherwise, everything else is just fine with 15 amp receptacles.
Good luck.
Comment: Does not apply to the exceedingly common 15A duplex receptacle, which has two sockets on one yoke. It would have to be the rarer *simplex* receptacle for the "breaker must match receptacle" rule to kick in.  In fact I see lots of panels with an "electrician's socket" 6 inches away, a duplex 15A on a dedicated 20A breaker.
Comment: Good point upon re-reading 210.21 I would agree with you Harper. I have edited my answer accordingly.
Answer: At risk of stating the obvious, Code requires GFCI protection.  It does not specify whether that is a GFCI receptacle (singular) or a GFCI breaker.
If you have a string of receptacles on a single circuit, and decide not to go with a breaker (ah, the long walk), please go one of two ways.  Either

Put a single GFCI receptacle in the first box in the chain, and feed all the other receptacles off the LOAD terminals on that GFCI. Leave them as plain receptacles, but add a "GFCI protected" sticker to them.  You only need one GFCI per circuit this way. In fact, you only need to change one receptacle (the right one).
Put a GFCI receptacle in every box.  Don't use the LOAD terminals at all.  Use a short pigtail to the LINE terminals, and wirenut that to source and downstream wires.  This is expensive, but assures a GFCI trip will only knock out that duplex outlet.  Great for freezers.
Some combination of the above.

DO NOT daisy-chain GFCI's feeding the LOAD output of one to the LINE input of the next one.  People do this all the time, and it's a silly waste of expensive GFCI's.  It's not unsafe, just dumb.

15 amp gfci for garage outlets


How do I turn on the camera?

Question: After I began Pokemon go, I clicked "no" if you want the camera to be on. I don't want to make a new account to activate it, so is there anyway to activate it after initially declining to use it? If not, should I make a new account?
Comment: Also note that you can't catch pokemons with camera on if your smartphone doesn't have compas. I'm not sure why, because if they mean they can't track your orientation in real-time with only GPS, then they should not be able to track exact position (distance to pokemon) too.
Answer: There should be a switch labeled "AR" in the top right corner of the screen when catching Pokemon.  Turn that switch on to use the camera.
Answer: To enable the AR option to use the camera, go to:
Home > Settings App > Pokemon Go (usually at the bottom) and slide the switch tagged Camera from grey to green, close Pokemon GO from recently opened apps and open Pokemon GO back up.

How do I turn on the camera?


Multicast and HSRP

Question: Does an HSRP VIP factor into the PIM designated router and IGMP querier election on a segment? Should they be located on the same interface or device? What would be the effects of having them separate?
Comment: Did any answer help you? if so, you should accept the answer so that the question doesn't keep popping up forever, looking for an answer. Alternatively, you could provide and accept your own answer.
Answer: They really have nothing to do with each other.  The client workstation will send unicast data to the VIP, but multicast will be sent to the group address.  The DR will then forward the data up the tree.  By default, if there are two multicast routers on a segment, one will be the DR and the other will be the IGMP querier.  IGMP joins and membership query/reports are all multicast.

Multicast and HSRP


I have a 120/240 dryer from Canada, and want to use it in a 240v country.

Question: The dryer electric driagram identifies  a RED L1 wire, a WHITE LN one, and other Black as L2.
The suplpy cord has a RED, WHITE and BLACK wires and the green ground as well.
How should I connect the wires to have the 240 V from the wall outlet and the 120V trough a 240 to 120 transfo?
Comment: Wire it by the same colors as you  said you have. Red to red, black  to black  white to white, and green to a ground terminal or a ground screw.  In the breaker panel, red and black are hot white is neutral and the green is the ground.If that is too hard or you don't feel safe,  call an electrician to do the hook-up.
Comment: Thanks  alotGeorge, my doubt is that since originally the 240 V is supossed to be obtained from the red and black wires, each 120 V but different phase, now that I have the 240 V directly from the wall outlet, should I connect  the white and black to the wall to get 240?
Comment: So far, connecting the red and white to 120V, I have everything going but the heathers, that use 240V and in the digrama are supplied through the black wire.
Comment: I would wait for 1 of the master electricians that monitor this site to give you instructions on the correct way to utilize this power and exactly what needs to be done.
Comment: What's the make and model of your dryer?
Answer: Very often, these types of dryers are also marketed in Pacific Rim markets where only 240V is available.  In this case, they build the dryer slightly differently, adding an internal 240V/120V transformer for the small number of 120V loads inside the machine (typically the motor).
I would start by getting the schematic for the 240V version of this dryer. Then compare it to the 120V schematic, and see what needs to change.
DO NOT - DO NOT - use a "step down" transformer without extreme care for how neutrals are bonded in the dryer and with your power supply.  If a step-down transformer isn't applied painstakingly correctly, it would end up energizing the chassis of your dryer at 230V.
Answer: This likely won't work.  Typically the motor and controls in a north American the dryer are designed for 120 volts.  Only the heating element is a north American dryer is powered with the 240 volts. .  North American power is delivered to your home in what is called split phase.  There are two hots and a neutral. If you connect a load across the two hots, you get 240 volts. If you connect between one hot and the neutral you get 120.  So in your dryers case, the heating element is connected across the two hot leads and the motor and controls are connected between one hot and the neutral.  In the European system you have single phase. The hot is 240 and the other is the neutral.  There's is no way to get the 120 off this system. To run the motor and controls.
Comment: Thanks Jim, so far connecting the neutral and red, to a transfo I run the motor and controls normally.
Comment: So what´s left is the heating element , my doubt is if connecting the black  wire (which accordingly with the diagram feeds the heating elements) and the neutral to 240, will work without impoacting on the 120 circuit (neutral and red wire)


Why do my Feature Importance and Partial Dependence plots not agree?

Question: I need some help understanding my partial dependence plots for features passed to a GradientBoostClassifier when comparing them to the feature importances. For some background, my goal here is to investigate user churn. My classifications are: 0 = not churned, 1 = churned.

First of all when I plot the feature importances I get some interesting results which do not agree with the feature importances from my random forest. I put this down to algorithmic differences since many do align or are similar, but my specific concern is the binary feature 'registeredEmail', which is clearly very important in one model(random forest) but not the other (gradient boost, as shown). This is not my main concern, just adding in case relevant to my question.
Secondly, and this is the part I am most confused by. Why does my feature importance chart show that 'playerInAlliance' (another binary feature) is significantly more important than 'registeredEmail', since when I check the partial dependencies there is a much steeper slope for 'registeredEmail'. I would interpret this as the churned prediction being highly influenced by a player not having a registered email, compared to being less influential in predicting churn if the player does have their email registered.

Please note these plots are in descending order of feature importance, from left to right. Also ignore the title.
Comparing this to 'playerInAlliance' I can see that no matter if the player is in an alliance or not, this feature is influential in predicting a churned player. I don't understand how to interpret this, as if there's no real difference between players churning when in an alliance compared to having no alliance, then why is my GradientBoostClassifier considering it to be a highly important and highly dependent feature?
TL;DR: How do I interpret Binary features in partial dependence plots?
Any help appreciated.
Comment: Ever solved? I'm similarly trying to understand why PDP slope are steeper for one or two variables with low importance in a random forest regression.
Answer: Partial dependence doesn't tell you the full story. You are looking at the marginal effect of one predictor on the response variable. It's just like the marginal distribution doesn't tell you the full story of the joint distribution. The graphs that motivate individual conditional expectation here (https://blogs.sas.com/content/subconsciousmusings/2018/06/12/interpret-model-predictions-with-partial-dependence-and-individual-conditional-expectation-plots/) do a good job of explaining that.


Island sink drains... slowly

Question: We've converted our kitchen to an open plan by tearing out the wall separating kitchen from dining area, so that the sink and dishwasher are now in an island.  The wall that I tore out, of course, contained the kitchen sink's vent to the roof.  After a good deal of research, I settled on a Studor Mini-Vent AAV under the counter; it's mounted as high as I could manage without scraping the underside of the countertop, so it's 20 inches above the P-trap and about 15 inches above the bottom of the sink.  (The minimum requirement is 4 inches; I think I've got that covered!)
The problem is that - with the faucet running full-blast - the sink simply fills up until there's about an inch of water in the bottom; at that point the drain rate catches up to the fill rate, and the sink doesn't fill any further unless it's plugged.  If the water is turned off, the sink will drain, but it takes several minutes to empty.
If I unscrew the AAV, the sink drains almost instantly.  If I then put my hand over the top of the pipe - sealing it - the sink again fills to about an inch.  I've tested the AAV by trying to breathe in through it - there's no noticeable resistance - and breathe out through it - it plugs, as I would expect.  As far as I can tell, it's working properly - but it won't let the sink drain.
Random facts that may or may not be pertinent:

The old sink had two basins; the new sink only has one deep basin.
The drain riser that comes up through the floor connects to a 10-foot, nearly-horizontal run of 2" pipe along the ceiling of the garage below.  That run used to be nearly flat, and I used to have to snake it every few months; it's been replaced with a new section of pipe and the slope has been increased slightly.  The pipe is brand new, and has never had anything but clear water run through it.
That horizontal run dumps into a much larger 5" vertical riser that's shared with our next-door neighbor's kitchen (we live in a townhouse complex).

As requested, here's a picture of the top of the stack:

I took pictures of the whole run, from sink to sewer pipe; they're available here if needed for clarity.
How can I get the sink to drain normally?
Update:
The problem appears to have resolved itself, and it appears to have been some sort of very minor obstruction - not in the drain, but in the garbage disposal.  At the time I posted the question, I had finished the plumbing but not the electrical wiring for the island; the first time I ran the garbage disposal, the drain ran freely and hasn't had an issue since.  I still don't understand the physics - why would removing the AAV have had an effect when the garbage disposal was the issue? - but I'm satisfied that the problem isn't/wasn't a venting issue.
Comment: A picture of below the counter would tell the most.  Does the drain exit thru the floor as one would expect?
Comment: Post your update as an answer and I'll upvote it
Answer: As suggested, I'm posting the (accidental) resolution as an answer.
Update: The problem appears to have resolved itself, and it appears to have been some sort of very minor obstruction - not in the drain, but in the garbage disposal. At the time I posted the question, I had finished the plumbing but not the electrical wiring for the island; the first time I ran the garbage disposal, the drain ran freely and hasn't had an issue since. I still don't understand the physics - why would removing the AAV have had an effect when the garbage disposal was the issue? - but I'm satisfied that the problem isn't/wasn't a venting issue.

Island sink drains... slowly


How can I know that my weight is enough according to my height and age?

Question: How can I know that my weight is enough according to height and age . I think my weight is less according to height and age.                                           I am 22 years old , my height is 5.3 and weight is only 47kg . How can I gain weight through healthy food . Food that don't damage my stomach.
Answer:
How can I know that my weight is enough according to height and age?

There is a standardized chart (and calculator) which you may find helpful.  However, this is the sort of thing that relies on statistical averages, and there's lots of people that this chart would lead to an inaccurate conclusion, so keep that in mind.
Answer: Well, your nutrition will determine your size while your activities will determine your shape.
The quality of food consumed is irrelevant with regard to gaining or losing weight, only the caloric quantity will make a difference in how much you weigh. You also cannot merely eat healthy to gain healthy weight, inactivity will ensure that you are only gaining fat. There is only one way to gain healthy weight, and that is to be in a slight caloric surplus while being reasonably active for that surplus.
How do you know if your weight is enough? Look in the mirror. There is nothing wrong with being thin, but you can certainly be too thin. As long as you don't look like an actual skeleton you're probably fine. There are several problems with weight charts, and one of them is a lack of consideration for different body types. Some people have very petite skeletons and are naturally small, some people have bigger skeletons and are naturally large. The mirror is a good judge, and if you cannot trust yourself, find a trustworthy doctor.


Why would the stove and broiler work, but not the oven?

Question: I have a little 20" wide Holiday Propane Oven (Don't know the model number). Right now the oven is the only thing that is not working. The stove top, and broiler work, but the oven doesn't heat up. When I turn the oven on there is no smell. I tried turning the knob to broiler, and the flames kick on so from there, I tried turning it back to the oven temps, but it shuts off after about 30 seconds. Any help fixing this is appreciated. These things are expensive to buy new.
Answer: It's either the knob or (much more likely) the thermocouple.
Related: Oven wont heat past a certain point.
Comment: I'll have to look into the thermocouple. The broiler is on the same knob as the oven. Thanks!


How can i insulate exterior brick walls

Question: How can I insulate a house that is brick outside with nothing between the brick and the inside wall without enough space to put insulation between the two walls.
Answer: Either build in, or build out.
Out will cause less disruption, normally. Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS) is a generic term for the typical approach, which consists of applying insulation (typically foam board) and a protective finish (typically stucco.) This is quite common in commercial construction.
Building in will reduce the size of your rooms and require all rooms with an exterior wall to become construction sites as the work progresses. Additional work will be needed to extend any electrical (switches, receptacles), plumbing fixtures or HVAC vents from the old walls to the new walls. It will probably cost more, as well.
If the house is "historic" you may have additional considerations/restrictions.

How can i insulate exterior brick walls


Windows 2008 Server Authentication

Question: We are experiencing some intermittent problems with Authentication on a Windows 2008 Standard Server. The Active Directory Store is on a separate Windows 2003 Server. Sometimes, when we try to access the server via a file Share or via an RDP Session, we will get authentication failures, but after a number of re-tries it will go through as if there never was a problem. There doesnt appear to be any activity in the Event Logs either showing errors happening at this time. Any advice on how we should go about investigating this would be helpful.
Comment: Is there anything in the security log on the domain controller?
Comment: Nothing, in fact its probably the cleanest security log I have ever seen.
Answer: I would check event logs, especially the security logs, on both the 08 server and all DCs.  You didn't specify which logs you checked.
If none of the logs still show nothing, I would also run a packet sniffer like WireShark and monitor the traffic on the 08 server.  I would compare what a successful authentication looks like to an unsuccessful authentication.  Maybe this will show you something not otherwise seen.
I would also check firewall logs, too.
Answer: Time is in sync, right?
Comment: I didnt think to check, thanks. But I checked right now, and yes they are both in synch

Windows 2008 Server Authentication


Defining onchange methods in odoo if on_change is defined on the model

Question: I'm trying to define an onchange event on the field amount and line_cr_ids.amount on account.voucher but any definition like this:
@api.one
@api.depends('line_cr_ids', 'line_cr_ids.amount')
def _line_amount_onchange(self):
    ...

Or
@api.one
@api.onchange('amount')
def _onchange_amount(self):
    ...

Are never called, I noticed that a on_change parameter is defined on those fields in the view. Does it means the only way to get the onchange is to redefine the one already defined?
Answer: Yes, you need to redefine the on_change method called by the view.
Or change the view itself removing it as attribute.
Comment: I found a better solution.
Answer: Ok, so I solved my problem as I didn't want to remove the on_change attributes... There is a better and more stable way of working than using the api.onchange decorator for now. I guess the decorators could get more stable over time but in my case it didn't fit at all. It would get called and sometimes it wouldn't... Children of object do not have access to parent object because the ORM doesn't allow it... ask me why I don't know...
That said the holy grail is to override the onchange method on the object.
I noticed that whenever something happens, it would call the onchange method on my account.voucher object.
So the solution is to create a method:
class AccountVoucher(models.Model):
    ...
    @api.model
    def onchange(self, ids, values, field, fields):
        result = super(AccountVoucher, self).onchange(
            values, field, fields
        )
        #...
        # do whatever you want here change result and return it
        #...
        result

This way, all changes are visible and it never miss. It also call other onchange when calling super so you don't miss anything. If you need to use decorators anyway, it shouldn't stop anything from working. In other words... while overriding onchange, you're getting at the root of the problem and nothing stops you from getting things done.


Buddhism in the Middle East

Question: It is said, Buddhist missionaries made it to Alexandria Egypt and else where in the Mediterranean circa 200 BCE.   Have any scholars and/or archeologists found any evidence of Buddhism being practiced in the Eastern Mediterranean?
Comment: If anyone know, it's Donald Lopez, the man is a scholarship machine when it comes to digging up rare references to Buddhism far from it's ordinary home: http://www.amazon.com/Search-Christian-Buddha-Became-Medieval-ebook/dp/B00FQUDN44/
Comment: Im fairly sure its proven by archaeology that there were buddhist viharas in Alexandria as well as buddhist works in the great library of Alexandria.
Answer: I was reading about this because of the famous Milinda Questions. They are a set of questions asked by  Indo-Greek king Menander I (Pali Milinda) of Bactria from a 'Arhath' monk. Therefore it is possible that this Indo-Greek Kingdom probably had relations with both India and Mediterranean.
Answer: It is difficult to find archaeological evidence on this especially in the ME due to current situations. Also many might have been destroyed as Buddhism was there very early on.
But references like:

Suna paranthe
Yantatta Yonaka Pura Muninoca Padan
Ashoka's Dhammaduta routes
Attendees of Dhamma Sangayana

Point to some direction on this in literature. Evidence needs to be found though as I am not aware of any. (Perhaps some one can elaborate on this aspect.)

Buddhism in the Middle East


How is Make it Happen implemented?

Question: It looks like it is a good implementation crowdfunding that I could use to fund projects for my org at low cost (just credit card charges). Is there any info about its implementation on the civicrm website.
Answer: I read your question differently to Andy.
The MIH itself is simply a civicrm contribution page.
But there are also MIH 'content types' and the page at https://civicrm.org/make-it-happen is then a View (Drupal) based on the above Content Type and I suspect there is a fair bit of custom stuff happening in that View which means an 'export' of it won't give you it in a box.
Comment: This is what I was looking for. A little more info about any custom stuff in the view would be useful. Just an export of the view would be a useful start. However the info on how to submit a MIH is also useful - thanks.
Answer: While old, this covers a lot of it: https://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRM/Make+it+Happen#MakeitHappen-HowdoIsubmitanMIHcandidate?.

How is Make it Happen implemented?


Tips for Bleeding Hayes Brakes

Question: Does anyone have any tips for bleeding Hayes brakes? I have some Hayes Stroker Ryders and bleeding them is less than fun compared to bleeding my Avids.  Do they make any syringes for bleeding the Hayes? I've watched videos put out by Hayes and read their documentation, so I'm looking for tips that you would learn from experience.
Comment: Can you be more specific in your question?
Comment: See http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/130/hydraulic-disc-brakes-maintenance/365#365
Comment: this is different. Kristof needs to realign the pads around the rotor - and I said that as an answer. the other response is a link to a document put out by hayes. I am looking for advice that you wouldn't find in a document put out by the mfg.
Answer: Just throwing out something I found - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpdTKzgoVGk. my apologies if this missed the mark.
Comment: Could you describe the process in your own words in addition the link to the video?

Tips for Bleeding Hayes Brakes


Where do you leave your bike on cafe stops and water breaks?

Question: Where should I leave my bike on longer rides when stopping at a cafe or going into a store to get water?  Do you carry a lock in your jersey? Leave it outside?  What is a good lock?  What should I do so my bike doesn't get stolen?
Comment: This depends on where you are.  In many parts of the world you can safely leave your bike unlocked.  In other parts of the world it will be stolen as soon as you turn around.  Some places a lightweight cable lock is more than sufficient to discourage potential thieves, while in other places a heavy chain is not sufficient.
Comment: See http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/937/locking-your-bike-in-public-areas
Comment: See http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/12428/lock-my-bicycle-on-busy-or-quiet-places
Comment: See http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/questions/19048/techniques-for-safely-leaving-a-bike-for-1-2-minutes-in-a-safe-ish-place?rq=1
Answer: There is such a range of answers.
A lock mounted to the bike is going to be more comfortable.
A decent light ulock is going to be 1.5 lbs.
A cable lock is going to be more like 0.5 lbs, but not as strong.
But, for a quick in and out it that may be the best trade off.
The weight of the bike plus the weight of the lock to protect the bike is typically a wash.
In a group you could have one lock and a cable, or just have one person at a time stay out with the bikes.  Alternately, you could just have the cheapest bike in the group.
Some establishments may let you bring the bike in.
If you can see the door then you can remove a wheel and bring it with you. I will loop my helmet through the rear wheel. Not much but you pick 5 seconds. You can run down someone carrying a bike.
Comment: Generally I won't leave my bike where I can't see it AND get to it quickly. I have seen opportune thefts that consisted of a bike tossed into the back of a truck and a quick drive off.  Grocery stores and the like big enough for carts tend to be big enough to bring a bike with, in a smaller store (gas station convenience) I tend to leave the bike just inside the door where it's out of the way, but inconvenient for someone to grab and take through a door quickly.
Comment: @ChrisinAK I know a guy the had the bike stolen off his car while he was paying for gas
Answer: If the area doesn't look very "lively", sometimes I just leave my rig outside a shop. My little trick though is I put my bike into some nasty gear, like either the fastest one or smallest/smallest ring combo, so the chain hangs loose. Or even I tune my front derailleur in a way allowing me to get the chain completely off the front chainring (in a way which requires stronger than normal push on the shifter). So in case of emergency I'd hopefully have a couple seconds more to chase the thief.
Comment: In addition I open the quick-releases. If Mr Thief tries to ride away it will go nasty. :-)
Comment: I like the idea! :) But as Chris in AK pointed out, that still doesn't prevent somebody from tossing the bike into back of a truck.. Not many trucks in place I live, so probably that's different from US :)


What's the best counter for Protoss Carriers?

Question: What is the best way to counter a player who is using a lot of Carriers?
Comment: Focus Fire them.
Answer: I'm a player who almost always goes for carriers in large games (3v3, 4v4, FFA).
As someone who uses a lot of carriers, I can tell you what I fear the most:
Terran

Mass Vikings using focus fire. They
are (way) faster than my carriers,
and they have longer range. A decent
number of Vikes can focus-kill a
carrier in about 1 second.
Defensively, if you support the Vikings with marines, it's even harder to deal with, since a large group of marines can very quickly kill all my Interceptors.
Note that marines alone are terrible against carriers. You just can't catch them. Even if you kill my Interceptors, I just run away and rebuild them, or attack you somewhere else. If I've gotten to mass carriers, I probably have the resources to rebuild the Interceptors.

Protoss

Mass Stalkers with blink. If you don't have blink, forget it, I just run away and pick off the Stalkers that chase. Even with blink, I will try to run away over gaps, but obviously, that's harder than just running away over cliffs.
Mass (more) Carriers with focus fire.
Forget Mass Void Rays, UNLESS they are already charged up when the battle starts. Otherwise, by the time they are charged up, half of them will be dead, and game over. Your only chance here is to get into my base and be killing my dudes so that I'm forced to come and engage you while you are charged. Even then, I will come in focus-firing, so you better be ready to react with focus-fire instantly and not waste time killing Interceptors (I see that ALL the time).

Zergling

Infestors with Fungal Growth, Neural Parasite and Burrow, backed by mutas/hydras/corruptors
Corruptors WITH corruption, backed by mutas or hydras.
Corruptors alone aren't usually that effective against Carriers - I can focus fire too, and they're not too hard to run away from. Mutas alone are terrible against carriers, your bounce damage isn't very effective against the mass HP of a carrier. Mass hydras are terrible, I will always just run over a cliff or a gap and attack you somewhere else. However, if you can use fungal growth to freeze Carriers, or corruption to increase damage, and use mutas/hydras/corruptors to pick them off, then i'm in trouble.
Comment: This should be closer to the right answer a combination of this and the main
Comment: +1 I've definitely had good luck with sentries + stalkers (w/blink) vs. carriers.
Comment: tried this approach, but seems like no matter how many stalkers i have opponent picks them off with decent size of carriers + void rays :(  i also tried dark templars + storm.. that helps but i still couldn't beat him..
Comment: +1 for this post not mentioning BCs for Terran. One other option is Thors in High Impact with focus fire - that or have enough Thors that you can literally instantly take out all interceptors but, better off focus firing in HI mode
Answer: The main problem with carriers only really arrives if you allow your opponent to build a ton of them.  Alone, like Carl Clover said, they're very weak.
The secondary problem with carriers is that they're often accompanied by a mothership, which complicates matters.
One of the best ideas to counter a protoss dead-set on going carriers is to scout and provide early pressure if you see him teching quickly to a fleet beacon.  He's probably spending so much money on those buildings that he has a comparatively weak army, and you should be able to do a good deal of damage.
Often the answer to a question of "how do I counter X high tier unit?" isn't so much about countering that unit once it's built, but preventing it from coming out at all.
Comment: @Ivo Flipse "don't let him get that far" can't always be the answer.  if the only way to counter a certain unit is to never let the opponent get the unit, then that unit is imbalanced.  SC2 is like rock paper scissors - each unit has a counter.  the important thing is to scout so you know that he has carriers before he shows up with 12 of them and you have a bunch of zerglings or zealots.
Comment: Don't let him get that far, is probably the best solution. Make sure he can't expand to get the resources to built them
Comment: I have to agree that if you let a player get far enough to have a sizable number of carriers, he was going to win anyway. I only build carriers/mothership as an additional insult when I'm already winning, because they really are not cost effective units.
Comment: @Peter No Ivo is perfectly right. There are units that can beat a carrier, but once there are 5 carriers you'll need a really big fleet of let's say vikings to take them down. Needless to say that Corruptors and Phoenix are totally worthless as anti-air counters.

If a protoss manages to get to 4-5 carriers there is no possible counter to this. You'll usually have invested in a normal army, not heavily into anti-air so you'll just not have the right mix of units to counter that mount of carriers.
Comment: @Peter Corruptors are dedicated anti-massive attackers, and unless you know the carriers are coming you won't have 24 corruptors to use against them.  "Scout early and provide pressure" are the main points of this answer, because then you'll know what to prepare for.
Comment: Also note that a Viking has a range of 9 while the Carriers only have a range of 8 and they move really slow.
Comment: @Tigraine sorry but that is just not the case.  if you scout him building a fleet beacon, or even scout him with one carrier, you can start building corrupters or hydralisks or vikings or void rays.  by the time the 'toss has 5 carriers, you will have enough anti air to compete.  the point isn't to stop him from getting carriers.  it's to make sure you know he is doing so, and start building the right unit to counter.  i would love to see a replay of 5 carriers destroying an equal amount of corrupters or hydras or even vikings (equal by resource value, not numbers).
Comment: "don't let them get that far" could be said about any unit though.  If I let my opponent get mass seige tank and I have all anti air, i'm just as screwed.  If I let them get mass marine and all i have is immortals or corrupters or phoenix i am just as screwed.  There is nothing special about carriers that makes 2000 minerals worth of them any scarier than 2000 minerals worth of something else, other than the stupidity of the AI that thinks attacking interceptors is smart.  I just killed 10 carriers in a unit tester with less mineral/gas's worth of corrupters. (i did it with 24 corrupters)
Comment: My problem, as Terran has been the Toss will build Void Rays as a start and that will keep most of my armies at bay in the first 5-6m. Then they start to throw in a Carrier or two and my army (vikings and marines) seem to melt. I guess the answer is, dont FE if I sense its a high tech play. Course if my attack fails, I am behind in tech. Its a tough strat to counter as Terran
Answer: Since nobody else has mentioned it yet...armor upgrades. The interceptor fires 2 attacks that do 5 damage each unupgraded. With a maximum of 8 interceptors per carrier, each +1 to armor reduces the total damage the carrier does by 16 per wave of interceptors. Most anti-air units will do fairly well if you spend an equal amount on them, especially if you can stay ahead in upgrades. Corrupter and vikings are especially effective.
Edit for example: Corrupters start with 2 armor, if your air armor upgrade is one ahead of the carriers' air attack upgrades then each wave of interceptors will do a mere 32 damage (80 - 16 * 3).
If their attack is 1 ahead of your armor, your corrupters instead take 64 damage per wave.
Answer: If you are playing zerg, use corrupters, corrupt each carrier, and focus them down.  If they have "a lot" of carriers, they spent a fortune creating them.  If you spend a similar fortune on vikings or corrupters, you should come out OK.
UPDATE:
For example, I just did a test using the Hard Counter map.  10 carriers got killed by 24 corrupters which cost me less minerals and gas. (and quite possibly build time, though that varies with a lot of things)
Answer: Carriers are possibly the weakest units in relation to their cost until you have like a dozen of them. Just focus fire them so that you're not wasting firepower on their interceptors.
Comment: As a Terran, this is why its essential to get Thors in High Impact and focus though, I have seen the interceptors melt my Thors
Answer: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Carrier
Vikings and corrupters both counter carriers. If anything carriers are under powered.
Comment: Unless you are dealing with 20 of them :)
Answer: This depends on how many carriers. At 10 carriers there's no straight counter-that's 160 intercepters, the best answer you can get is to run them around, stop them from attacking, keep them on the defensive.
As a Zerg you will want to go mass Hydra, mass corruptor is useless against that much DPS, they fire too slowly. Infestors, especially with their ability to cast their spells burrowed, are fantastic.
What I'd suggest doing is building a few vipers, abduct what you can without risking your entire army, never take a straight up fight until they're under ~5 carriers. This game will go long, and it will not be fun, your goal is to mine out as many bases as possible without being forced into an engagement-this might mean losing a few bases. Take what buildings of theirs that you can without backing yourself into a corner.
TL;DR, 4+ infesters so that you can fungle Intercepters, killing them with mass hydra, having a few banelings for the mostly-adept ground army they'll certainly have.
Answer: Typically, you only see mass carrier in team games, like 3v3. So long as you scout early on, it's very easy to beat with the right build.
If I'm protoss, I go straight for a robo and a dark shrine. Most players tech'ing into carriers will cannon the front of their base, and skip getting a robo. So their detection is weak. By the 6 min mark, I have a warp prism in the back of their base warping in DTs. That will usually set their team back enough that we end up overrunning them before they can get mass carriers out.
If I'm zerg, I focus on getting 3 saturated bases, 2 spires and then start cranking out upgraded corrupters. 3/3 corruptors in mass will murder a fleet of carriers. Just be sure to make them focus fire the carriers and not your units shoot at interceptors.
If I'm terran, I usually go for 3 bases and then mass vikings. Fully upgraded mass marine with stim is probably more optimal. I just tend to play better with mech.
I'd be curious if anyone has variants which might work better?
Answer: Mass liberators without focus fire murders interceptors very quickly and then they can easily kill the carriers. They win against mass carriers with same upgrades if the army cost the same reseource or the same supply.
Comment: it doesnt look like the carriers have graviton catapults turned on. Now sure how legit this is. Is this HoTS or LoTV?


Why did Russia allow a much larger number of US diplomats based in Russia?

Question: Russian president now demands the departure of more than 700 diplomats of the US from Russia so that the numbers in both countries are equal.
It is very apparent a revenge of something. But why did Russia permit so many US diplomats stay in it till now? Did it want to get some business opportunities through these people? At least it could have gained some foreign curriency through their everyday life?
Comment: It might be interesting to compare this number to the size of other delegations in Russia and delegation from the US in other countries.
Comment: is it more appropriate to say "retaliation" than "revenge" from a political point of view?
Comment: @Will I am not a native speaker of English, I did not realize the difference in word meanings. I meant Putin has done something in return for his resentment against the US rival which made him disappointed.
Answer: The original expulsion of Russian personnel was by the Obama administration, in late 2016, in retaliation for claims of interfering with our Presidential elections.
In the public statements, Trump had given every indication of having a more cordial view of Putin and the Russian administration, and part of the allegations being looked into are whether some of the communications with Russians that were concealed/lied about included promises to roll back or negate those actions by the Obama administration.  In either case, it appears that Russia decided not to retaliate, tit for tat, so to speak, in order to not escalate the situation in the hopes that, by being relatively docile in their actions, they could maximize the chances of the policies being changed with a new administration and both houses of Congress being the same party as that new administration (and the opposite of Obama's party affiliation).
Reuters: Trump praises Putin for holding back in U.S.-Russia spy dispute (December, 2016)
However, with the entire Russia affair refusing to quietly go away, members of Congress seem fairly reluctant to take a stand for leniency for Russia, and, indeed, the Congress just passed, in both houses, a bill formalizing additional sanctions against Russia.  The Trump administration has decided not to further raise their profile or raise additional questions, and indicated he will not exercise a veto.
It appears that Russia has decided that their tactics of not retaliating in-kind has not gained them any kind of hoped-for benefit, so they are moving forward with a more expected reaction of in-kind retaliatory actions.
Comment: If there had not been this retaliation, would it have been all right for a country to accomodate so many diplomats from another country? I believe there should have been a balance of size, scale and number of things in foreign affairs to show the status and dignity of a country involved.  All countries should be treated equally regardless of their size or population.
Comment: @NanningYouth: So the US should have the same number of diplomats in the Vatican as in China? Diplomats are civil servants, and their number is chiefly dictated by state needs. There are simply far more Chinese and Russians who need visa for the US, etcetera.
Comment: @NanningYouth - "would it have been all right?"  If both countries are okay with it, I don't see why that matters.  I particularly don't see why that matters to you.  Some countries may want more, some countries may want less.  A nation that is more active with agreements and business interests in another country or a region will have different needs than one that doesn't.  It's really up to the two nations to figure out what is appropriate. As we can see, it's not like one nation can park as many of their personnel in another country without that country's approval.
Comment: @MSalters No, obviously you got me wrong, the US could have different numbers of people in two different countries, but here the problem is mutual, the diplomats of Russia in the US is much less than those of the US in Russia. The imbalance lies here. Your example is another case. And also we do not hold that Vatica is a country, but that it is an office or things like that of celestial or deity affairs, having nothing real to do with human world.
Comment: @PoloHoleSet It does matter with me, my friend. Both Trump and Putin are my idols. I like Trump because he has so much money and a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter and I like Putin because he is a strong man that every woman wants to marry.
Comment: @NanningYouth - That has nothing to do with why you care if countries agree to have non-equal numbers of staff.


After the Space Shuttle is retired, how will the new sections of ISS be launched?

Question: The International Space Station (ISS) had many of its components launched by the Space Shuttle. After the Space Shuttle's retirement, what is the proposed launch vehicle for new ISS sections?
Answer: The only remaining module wasn't specifically built for the shuttle -- Nauka will be going up on a Proton-M.
The issue with extending the shuttle was that there were a number of modules that were specifically sized for the shuttle, and there were some concerns of how it would look to our foreign partners who had built sections like Kibo, Tranquility, Rassvet and Leonardo, if we suddenly took away their only method of getting those modules up there.  There was a question of how that would affect NASA's current and future collaboration with other countries.
Not all modules were built to be flown in the Shuttle; although the Shuttle did do the majority of the lifting, there were a half dozen or so that Russians took up.
update : I should've qualified it as 'remaining module after the shuttle is retired', there'd only be one left ... Jeremy is correct in that there's a module scheduled to go up in the last shuttle launch later this month.
Answer: There isn't currently a need to launch more sections.  The ISS is now complete.  The last mission of the Space Shuttle installed the final piece.  One of the requirements for retiring the Shuttle program was that they scheduled enough flights to complete the ISS.  Not that it is done, the Shuttle program can be retired.  All that will be going up to the ISS now are crew rotations and supplies which will go up on the Soyuz rockets.
Comment: This answer is incorrect. One module remains to be launched: Nauka is scheduled to launch on a Proton rocket in May 2012. See http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/iss_manifest.html
Comment: and yet another is still to go up on STS 135: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-135
Comment: @Jeremy technically STS-135 does not add any components to ISS, it merely carries cargo.
Comment: I think it would be the final _ISS-related_ mission.


What can a pool operator do with their miners' hashpower?

Question: This issue came up in this question - Are the miners concerned with what the pool operators do with their hashpower?. What can a pool operator do with their miners' hashpower?
Answer:
Commit double-spends, either themselves or for hire. If the transactions reversed are accepted with 0 confirmations, they don't need a very high hashrate to do this with some effectiveness.
DoS attack on Bitcoin, by including no transactions in blocks and rejecting all other blocks. This requires ~50% to be done effectively.
Similar attacks on alternative blockchain-based currencies, which is easier since they are usually smaller.
Merged mining - not nefarious in itself, but should be done only at the agreement of miners.
Coin mixing - paying generated coins to people in need of fresh coins, receiving from them independent funds to be paid to miners. (Illegal if done for the purpose of money laundering)
Include too few transactions, making it harder for people to have their transaction accepted.
Include too many transactions in a possible future scenario where a transaction fee equilibrium is obtained by a gentleman's agreement not to include transactions too cheaply.
Things unrelated to Bitcoin, such as password cracking (generally possible only with custom mining software).
Comment: Nice detailed response, Meni.

Just to add:

#1 Is fraud, illegal most everywhere, if done intentionally.
#2 Is illegal in many areas.
#3 Depends on the intent whether or not it is legal.
Answer: They can do whatever the contract between the pool miner and the pool operator doesn't prohibit.
Let's say I offer to buy aluminum cans for ten cents apiece.  You like the idea of recycling so you sell me your cans.  But instead of recycling them I burn them.  Did I violate the agreement?  No.  We had no agreement that the cans must be recycled.
CoinLab, for instance, is going to be providing software in which they buy all the hashing that gets mined and in exchange pays out in credits that can be redeemed with certain gaming companies.  That agreement will probably be essentailly no more specific than something to the effect of "posted rate will paid per level of hashing performed".  From there, they can do whatever they want with the hashing power, as long as they pay out as agreed to in the contract.
If there's no contract, then there are no such restrictions on what the pool operator can do with that hashing power -- legal issues aside.  For example, if the pool operator does a 51% attack and double spends, that is fraud and illegal regardless of what a contract says the pool operator can do with the hashes.
Comment: I think that's an answer to the wrong question. It wasn't about what they are allowed to do, but rather what they are able to do.
Comment: (And I don't really agree with the answer to that question, there are reasonable assumptions to be made about what a pool should do, and any deviation should be explicitly stated.)


Can I harvest celery a stalk at a time?

Question: I've got a chicken in the pot and some (young) celery plants in the garden. Will it damage the plant if I go out and cut a couple of the (small) outer stalks to add a little extra flavor?
Answer: No, in my experience, harvesting one or two of the small outer stalks won't harm a young plant - it should continue to grow quite happily. Bon appétit!
Comment: Thanks! I've got few small stalks and some of those big fragrant leaves doing their thing right now. Nothing like fresh homegrown veg with fresh homegrown chicken!

Can I harvest celery a stalk at a time?


Correction for multiple testing on a modest number of tests (10-20) with FDR?

Question: False Discovery Rate (Benjamini-Hochberg) is typically used on 'Big Data', such as genetic studies using 100s of tests. But can it also be used on smaller numbers of tests? For example, looking at the outcomes of two groups (males vs females) on, say, 10-20 different questionnaires. Does the FDR procedure lose value/meaning/power in these cases?
Answer: I see people confusing this all the time, also in this forum. I think this is caused to a large extent because in practice Benjamini-Hochberg's procedure is used as a synonym of False Discovery Rate (and as a black-box for "adjusting" p-values as requested by reviewers for their papers). One has to clearly separate the FDR concept from Benjamini-Hochberg's method. The first one is a generalized type-I error, while the second one is a multiple testing procedure which controls that error. This is very analogous for example to FWER and Bonferroni's procedure.
Indeed, there is no immediate reason why the number of hypotheses should matter when you want to use FDR controlling methods. It just depends on your goal. In particular, assume you are testing $m$ hypotheses and your procedure rejects $R$ of them with $V$ false rejections.
Now you use a FWER ($= \Pr[V \geq 1]$) controlling procedure if you want to make no type I errors. On the other hand, you use the $\text{FDR}$, when it is acceptable to make a few errors, as long as they are relatively few compared to all the rejections $R$ you made, i.e.
$$  \text{FDR} = \mathbb E\left[\frac{V}{\max{R,1}}\right]$$
Thus, the answer to your question completely depends on what you want to achieve and there is no intrinsic reason why small $m$ would be problematic. Just to illustrate a bit further: The data analysis example in Benjamini-Hochberg's seminal 1995 paper just included $m=15$ hypotheses, and of course it is also valid for that case!
Of course, there is a caveat to my answer: The BH procedure only got popular after "massive" (e.g. Microarrays) datasets started becoming available. And as you mention it is typically used for such "Big data" application. But this is just because in such cases the $\text{FDR}$ as a criterion makes more sense, e.g. because it is scalable and adaptive and facilitates exploratory research. The FWER on the other hand is very stringent, as required by clinical studies etc. and punishes you too much for exploring too many options simultaneously (i.e. not well suited to exploratory work).
Now, let's assume you have decided that the FDR is the appropriate criterion for your application. Is Benjamini Hochberg the right choice to control the FDR when the number of hypotheses is low? I would say yes, since it is statistically valid also for low $m$. But for low $m$ you could for example also use another procedure, namely Benjamini and Liu's procedure, which also controls the FDR. In fact, the authors suggest its use (over Benjamini-Hochberg) when $m \leq 14$ and most hypotheses are expected to be false. So you see that there are alternative choices for FDR control! In practice, I'd still use BH just because it is so well established and because the benefits of using Benjamini-Liu will be marginal in most cases if at all existent.
On a final related note, there are indeed some FDR controlling procedures which you should not use for low $m$! These include all local-fdr based procedures, for example as implemented in the R packages "fdrtool" and "locfdr".
Comment: If I'm understanding this correctly, you could theoretically make a legitimate FDR calculation for m=1 (it would be equivalent to the p-value). Is that correct? Prior to reading your answer, I had thought that you could not use FDR on small sample size because you could not meaningfully calculate the number of expected "false positives"... but that's not the case, is it?


How to connect through voip between Skype and another voip provider

Question: How to connect through VOIP between Skype and another VOIP provider. I have a friend on Skype, and I'm on Vbuzzer.
How can I call him from Vbuzzer?
Answer: I don't think that this is currently possible.
Vbuzzer does currently have support for MSN, AOL and Yahoo Messenger so that you can keep in touch with friends who have ID's on those IM services.
But currently it doesn't support Skype, though if there is a round about way of doing this then i could be wrong.
Comment: I have not been able to find a work around. Thanks.
Answer: A straight forward method would be to have your friend subscribe to SKypeIN. However, if you do not want to spend money, you could have your friend setup free incoming on Skype. Then you can make calls to your friend's Skype number (a US local number) through vBuzzer.


How to remove the flavor from whisky stones?

Question: I made the mistake of buying these awesome whisky stones (soapstone) to chill my drinks. Besides the fact that they don't cool the drink down a lot, they acquire a freezer taste and ruin the flavor of the beverage.
How can I eliminate this taste? I tried to wash them with soap and water, but I can still taste them.
Comment: Throwing them in the trash will completely eliminate the taste. Those things are useless.
Answer: To eliminate any off flavors that may have been absorbed, soak them in warm water for a few hours. Be sure the stones are covered by at least a couple of inches, so that there's plenty of volume to absorb flavors.  Agitate them every now and again as well.
When you place them back in the freezer, be sure they're dry (any surface moisture will more readily absorb flavors) and keep them in a sealed bag or container.
For what it's worth, it sounds like your sub-par experience is similar to that of many whiskey nerds and my own.  There's really not much need for these things.  You can get a similar amount of chilling by using a thick-bottomed glass placed in the freezer for at least 15 minutes or so.
Answer: If your "whisk(e)y stones" are actually stones, they are pourous all the way through.  You'll need the thouroughly saturate them with water and a bit of vodka to rid yourself of the water- and alcohol-soluble flavors that have been absorbed.
If you don't have the patience for the repeated soakings that will be required, I had good luck putting mine through a self-cleaning cycle in my oven.  You have to make sure that they're completely dried out or they'll crack/explode.
Answer: Soapstone whiskey rocks are a thing of the past. There are much better whiskey stones out there that have a much better cooling power and have no taste. I love my whiskey, but I love it cool. I have tried whisky rocks made of soapstone and to tell you the truth, they are terrible. I have also tried the glass and granite ones and those also do not provide much cooling power.
The stainless steel ones are by far the best I have ever tried, but it is important to make sure they are not just a plated version, also the majority of them are only 3/4 of an inch, but those are still too small to give the desired outcome, the best ones to use are 1 inch cubes.
The best ones I have ever tried are called Great White Ice whiskey stones. They are 1 inch cubes and are pure stainless steel with a liquid cooling gel in their centers, are smooth and highly polished and they will never scratch anything. They remain colder way longer then any other type I have tried, and the best part is, they only have to be frozen from 1-2 hours. They can also be used in any other type of drink, I also use them in my wine. They have no taste and they will never break or rust. Trust me you will never use soapstone whiskey rocks again after trying these!
You can get them on Amazon. Here is the link [http://www.amazon.com/Great-White-Ice-Whiskey-Stones/dp/B00CIXQ5C4][1]
Answer: Your experience and other answers are very different from my experience; for me, they work well to temper a wee dram. :) If they're made of proper soapstone (a common material for whisky stones), you should be in good shape. If it's something absorbent like limestone or something (which is sometimes used for coasters, and inappropriate for putting in anything) you've got the wrong substance to start with.
Here's my thoughts, if it's soapstone:

Good quality soapstone is essentially non-porous and generally resilient/resistant to staining/smell on its own.
If you think the smell/taste is in the water/ice that has condensed on the outside, give it a quick rinse in cold water after removing from the freezer and before putting in your glass. This will rinse off the ice crystals and not meaningfully warm the cube.
Soapstone is rather soft (perhaps 4 on the Mohs scale for good quality stuff), and can be polished using conventional methods. You can scrape and polish off some of the surface with stuff like green scrub pads (e.g., "Scotch Brite"), regular cheap sandpaper, and maybe steel wool or so. If you think some bits are clinging to the outside, polish them off.  Finish with really fine grit to polish smooth. Best not to breathe the dust...

This is how I treat my soapstone. I find that they don't even absorb stuff like bitters. They work for me, and I like them!
Comment: There's a lot of variation in soapstone, hardness, porosity, from different sources. Why not just be done with that and use ocean tumbled granite stones?
Comment: @WayfaringStranger: There's variation in hardness and porosity of granite, also. Granite is generally regarded as more porous. Granite is harder, and can scratch glass (both are largely silica, after all), undesirable in this case. Soapstone is softer, will not scratch glass, and has high heat mass and low conductivity -- IMHO, soapstone is ideal for this purpose. Granite whisky stones are also available commercially, and perhaps even on Your Beach; unfortunately, none are available on My Beach. To each her own; I was merely answering the question at hand.
Answer: Tried soaking my whisky rocks (which I think are soapstone) in lemon juice sealed in a Tupperware container. Seems to have worked so far. Gonna dry them out & keep them inside a container in the fridge. Fingers crossed.
Answer: It is important to clean your whiskey stones on a regular basis. Here are a few tips on how to clean whiskey stones:
– Rinse the stones with warm water after each use.
– Soak the stones in rubbing alcohol for about an hour once a week.
– Clean the stones with a soft brush (toothbrush) if needed.
– Dry the stones thoroughly before storing them


How Do I Connect 00 AWG Wire to a 100A breaker?

Question: I'm hooking a 100A service panel to my meter pan. There is the 100A disconnect panel on the right side that feeds the little house, I'm installing another panel on the left side to service my barn, an approximate 150' run. Feed to the barn is 3 conductor direct burial cable. Two of them look like 00 AWG, guessing, but the wire is a good solid 1/2 inch across. The 100A breaker terminal will fit, looks like, #4 at best. Is there is "reducing" type terminal that will allow me to tight fit the 00 AWG wire and then insert into the breaker?
Comment: You should not be "guessing" about wire size. The gauge should be clearly printed on the cable, along with its type (heat and water resistance ratings, if any). Also you have not specified whether you are using aluminum or copper. If the former, make sure all connections are done properly.
Comment: If this is a new installation, you'll need a 4 wire feeder.  3 wire feeders are no longer allowed, except for existing installations.
Comment: Be sure to check the wire size ratings of the terminal connections.  Make sure they are rated to hold the size wire you intend to put in there.
Comment: I would strongly advise against trying to tackle an electrical project this large on your own. How can you be sure that the feeder is even the correct size? Even if you manage to get this working, would it be done correctly?
Comment: Thank you. I've been told  the 3 wires will work with an additional grounding rod at the barn - but there must be NO metal connection between house and barn, which there is not.
Comment: @JulietteDauterive you can't use a grounding rod instead of a ground wire in the cable. Ground has dual purposes, the main one is keeping ground near earth potential, even during a malfunction of equipment when a short is trying to energize your grounding system at 120V.  Dirt is not a good enough conductor to do that, so the ground wire is critical.   That leaves 2 wires and you can provision either 120V or 240V service, but not both without a transformer.
Answer: Short answer - you don't. I'll echo what others have said - don't guess - find out what you have. Size and whether copper or Al. Find out if you can make splices in your panel per local code and (if allowed) splice down to the correct maximum size that the breaker will accept. Tester says it correctly - 4 wires needed -2 hots, a neutral and a ground, but the ground wire may be a size smaller than the required "hots".
ALSO - once finished, will you have two separate services both feeding off the meter pan? It sorta reads that way. I do not believe you're allowed to "Piggy back" wires on the meter pan and in my locale there must be one main to turn off everything. So- one main panel to feed two sub-panels. Draw and post a diagram if you can take a picture of it. Indicate hots in red and black, neutral in white and ground in green. This is the level of detail you need to understand it, if you do this as a DIY. About a year ago, I took on a sub-panel and ran flex metal cable throughout a new shop. I researched the heck out of. It was not that hard to learn and obey all safety rules, whether or not you have code enforcement.
Comment: Thanks to everyone for your answers. I did several more things before diving in, such as, talked to an old friend who is an inspector in a far-away city and learned: no, I cannot piggy-back onto the meter, I must go through the disconnect panel that it is already there for the house. I've decided to replace it with a panel that has a main disconnect and 4 slots so I can feed the house and also the barn.
Comment: Also (duh) I must splice/crimp the giant wire to another of the gauge that will fit the terminal, and the box must be large enough to accommodate the splices using only 30% of the spare space at the bottom or sides of the box.
Answer: Good job! Finding out WHAT TO DO is first thing. Then finding out the correct way, e.g., how much wire to strip for placing under terminals, correct torque on lugs, etc. Do not forget about that extra cable needed to set up sub-panels and the ground rod (case ground) required at terminal ends near the sub-panels. Three wires will work but usually not code-compliant today. All sub-panels shall ground back to main panel and neutral and ground are kept separate (no tie in sub-panel).  Any need to pass future inspection in this install? There's lots of things that will work but are not the best way in the event of a failure within the system. That's why the code changes as better info or devices become available. One method that folks have used is find a "friendly electrician" who will look at your plan, then look at your finished job for a minimal fee, with you doing the work. Don't expect anything in writing. There's lots of info on the internet about wiring a sub-panel.


What is the difference between malai paneer and paneer?

Question: What is the difference between paneer and malai paneer? My wife asked me to buy paneer. In the shop I saw malai paneer and bought it. Are they the same?
Answer: Raghavan Iyer's book, 660 Curries has recipes for both Whole-milk cheese (doodh paneer) and creamy homemade cheese (malai paneer).  The only difference between teh two recipes is that the Malai paneer uses half-and-half while the doodh paneer uses whole milk.
Answer: Paneer is a form of cheese, often resemblant of cottage cheese in Europe/US.
There are many recipies involving paneer, e.g. palak paneer and mattak paneer.
I believe malai to be a dairy product (heated milk high in fat). Malai paneer should be a type of paneer that is based on malai. My guess is that this is cream cheese.


Does Cyborg start out as a Teen Titan or as a member of the Justice League?

Question: In Justice League: War, we see Cyborg's origin and he immediately joins the Justice League. However, he is quite young. In certain comics, Cyborg is known as a founding member of the Teen Titans. My question is - does Cyborg leave the Justice League and join the Teen Titans? Is he an active member of both teams? How is it that he is equally represented as an prominent member of both teams?
Comment: Which continuity? Nu52? Rebirth?
Comment: @FuzzyBoots various continuities. He's a part of the Justice League in the New 52. He's an OG member of the Teen Titans in Geoff John's Teen Titans No. 1.
Comment: {nods} I'm just asking because the answer will change depending on that.
Answer: As of Justice League: Origin, Nu52 post-Flashpoint, Victor Stone began as a founding member of the Justice League after being maimed by the explosion of the Boom Tube at STAR labs and rebuilt as a cyborg.
Prior to Nu52, Victor was mutilated by a monster that emerged from an experiment in dimensional travel, was rebuilt with cybernetic parts, and joined the Teen Titans. He was offered Justice League membership during One Year Later, but he stayed with Titans East. He did not actually join the Justice League until Cry for Justice.
Just for the sake of completeness, within the animated Superfriends continuity, Victor was a member of the Super Powers Team. Within the Teen Titans and Teen Titans GO continuity, he is exclusively a member of the Teen Titans.
Answer: Depends on the specific continuity. In some cases he's a founding member of the Justice League, in some cases he joins later, in some cases he was previously in the Titans, in some he wasn't.
This is no different from other characters: consider the upcoming movie, where the founding members are Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg. In comics the founding members may include any or only a few of the above, with other characters like Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Black Canary and (especially) Martian Manhunter being named as original members. In the animated version it was Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern (John Stewart) and Hawkgirl.
For the unofficial version in the Arrowverse on TV, you could probably say it was Green Arrow, the Flash, Spartan, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Speedy, and Black Canary (Laurel Lance). The other unofficial version from Smallville was (using their superhero names) Superman, Green Arrow, the Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg.
Marvel has the same thing. The original founding members of the Avengers in the comics were Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp, with the Hulk soon leaving and Captain America coming in. Hawkeye and Black Widow join years later. In the movies, of course, it's Cap, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and the Hulk, while Ant-Man and Wasp are not members at all.
So there is no one single right answer.


What actions earn XP in The Guild 2?

Question: What actions earn XP in the Guild 2?  What action generates the most XP?
Answer: pretty much doing anything gives you xp. beating a person up, robbing them, breaking their bones, and finishing them off gives quite some xp, but this has to be done without guards or bailiff seeing. getting into office gives you up to 600 xp, depending on the office seat you applied for.

What actions earn XP in The Guild 2?


Being too hospitable to guests?

Question: I have a question regarding the treatment of guests in Islam. I know that the Prophet (PBUH) taught us to be caring and hospitable to guests and to treat them kindly. But sometimes when me and my husband go to visit others they make us feel uncomfortable, perhaps not even really knowing that they are doing so. A lot of times, and I think this may have to do more with the Arab culture than Islam, they try to impose on us to stay longer very late into the night or even to sleep over, which makes me and my husband very uncomfortable. Is it alright, from a religious perspective, to insist on such things on your guests? If your guests refuse and make it clear that they cannot sleep over or stay late, is it right to keep insisting that they do? Is it possible to take hospitality too far?
Comment: Off the top of my head, this all has to do with Arab and some other cultures. People tend to show their hospitality and respect by sticking to their guns. Simply turning down their offer might be considered disrespectful or even downright rude. I would try to get used to their culture and not try to offend them. You could say that you really appreciate their offer but you really have to go because you have other plans and arrangements.
Comment: Salam and Welcome to Islam.SE, we suggest you look at the [FAQ](http://islam.stackexchange.com/faq) in it is what you need to know about how things work here.  We are looking forward to having you as an active participant here.
Comment: Sifting through some webpages, I couldn't find a single source where this kind of action could be considered Islamic. That said, being respectful to one's guest is considered an Islamic duty.
Answer: Noah (in comments above) provided an excellent explanation.
If your hosts are insisting you to stay late or sleepover, it is because they are showing hospitality. They have enjoyed your company and want to continue that.
I completely understand this sort of behavior (as I go through this many times). You cannot always fulfill your hosts' wishes to stay longer. In such case, you can politely turn down their (repeated) requests. Being rude isn't a nice thing though.
In case you encounter such behavior a lot, you can be preemptive and set your hosts' expectations before getting there that you cannot only stay for X hours or days etc., and have to get back as you have other commitments.
Islam, undoubtedly, teaches one to be nice to guests. If a host is insisting a guest to stay longer, then the guest should not be rude or loose temper. That is certainly not what Islam wants Muslims to do.
If you have something to do after work but your boss wants you to stay late, how will you tackle that situation?
Answer: The answer to your question is NO. As I know islam never ask people to insist on such a thing. Islam said respect your guests and let them be comfortable. So as these, it is not acceptable to insist on such things on your guests.
Answer: It is just a way to show their hospitality and that they welcome you without limit but it is culture based as the main point to make your guest comfortable and this does not opposite the wiliness to show hospitality
Actually this is called in Arabic Al-Karam or in English Generosity and it is different than hospitality.

Being too hospitable to guests?


How do I get the messages view back in Mail on OS X?

Question: Normally when in the non-classic view in Mail there is list on the left for my mailbox, a list in the middle for my inbox, and a list on the right for the messages contained in a conversation. I don't see the last list on the right. Is there a way to get that pane back, perhaps through an option in the menu? I'm running the last versions of everything (10.11).
Comment: You mean you want to get back the list of messages in a conversation, rather than the scrollable one-after-another view that it is now?
Comment: @timothymh I had 3 panes (mailboxes,inbox,conversation) and now I have 2 (mailboxes,inbox). I want the one that contains the contents of my emails back.
Answer: I think you've dragged the right edge of the middle list all the way to the right, which then hides the preview of the messages. If you hover your mouse of the right edge of the scroll bar on the right you should get the draggable crosshair mouse pointer. Hold it and drag left and you should get the previews back.
Comment: Thanks. I think I lost the pane when I dragged it while in classic mode. I found that it was easier to bring it back in classic mode first as there at least a small visual indication (1 or 2 pt line with a dot in the middle) when you have dragged the panel far enough to hide it. That indicator isn't present in the default (non-classic) mode.
Comment: Note: You need to drag leftwards for a significant distance before it has any effect. I thought this answer was not working at all because I was just dragging slightly past the scrollbar. Only when I dragged about one third the width of the Mail window did the message pane re-appear.


category definition: class vs set?

Question: I just started reading Categories and Sheaves and noticed that the book's definition of a category requires the collection of objects of a category to be a set. However, from other experiences, I have heard that the object set of a category can also be a class. So in the former, the category of sets doesn't contain all sets (but instead some collection of sets that live in a universe set) whereas in the latter, the category contains all sets. Presumably by only requiring the object collection to be a class, we can apply category theory to a larger collection of mathematical structures. What is a possible reason for this seeming discrepancy in definitions? By following the book's definition, will I be missing out on anything?
Comment: Category theory with classes is [logically more messy](http://arxiv.org/abs/0810.1279), while, on the other hand, universe axioms are ontologically more questionable. Pick your poison.
Comment: Pfft, ontology is for philosophers. Mathematicians need not go there.
Comment: @Noldorin What is meant by the comment is that the existence of universes has higher consistency strength than $\mathsf{ZFC}$. This has nothing to do with philosophy.
Answer: The book you mentioned uses, as its underlying set theory, a version of Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory with a universe.  (I don't have the book, and the most relevant page, namely page 11, is omitted from the Google preview at your link, but the bottom of page 10 indicates that page 11 will introduce universes.)  The point of universes is to allow you to treat proper-class-sized things as sets, and therefore to have even larger sets available.  More precisely, given a universe $U$, we have the following "translation" from the usual language of class-set theory (like von Neumann- Bernays-Goedel set theory or Morse-Kelley set theory --- with sets plus proper classes, where the latter can't be elements of anything) to the language of a set theory with a universe $U$.  The sets of a class-set theory correspond to the elements of $U$.  The classes of a class-set theory correspond to the subsets of $U$.  (There is nothing in class-set theory to correspond to even higher sets, like families of subsets of $U$.)  I believe that, if you use this translation, you'll find that the class-set presentations you've encountered earlier match up with the universe-style presentations in the book you cite.

category definition: class vs set?


How to hide the Google+ posts on my Google+ profile page?

Question: I've unchecked the "Show your Google+ communities posts on the Posts tab of your Google+ profile" option from the settings, but I can still see the posts (youtube comments) I made by viewing the "Posts" tab on my Google+ profile page. Is there any other way?
Comment: Google+ Communities posts are posts made in Google+ communities. YouTube comments are just regular G+ posts.
Answer: It is really very simple to hide G+ communities posts from your Google Plus profile. You just have to follow these 4 simple steps.

Go to Settings.
https://plus.google.com/settings/plus
Find the Profile option.
From the bottom, it is the second to the last option.
Uncheck the option.
By default the visibility to show G+ communities posts on your profile is "checked". Now you just have to uncheck it. Look at the screenshot below.

That's it, you're done.
Now your Google+ communities posts won't be visible in your Google+ profile.

Note : If you have created G+ page and you also want to hide the communities posts from the G+ page profile, then you can do the same thing as shown above.
Source: www.SolveMyhow.com
Comment: Thanks. This worked perfectly. Exactly what I was looking for. Although, I can't confirm it handles what the OP was asking, specifically the hiding of YouTube comments. Do you know if it does?
Answer: YouTube now lets you selectively share your comments on Google+ by checking a box below the comment field. However, this does nothing for already posted comments.
Further, G+ doesn't let you change the audience (public, specific Circles/people, "me only") for already published posts.
I'm afraid your only recourse, if you don't want the world to see these posts, is to delete them.
(That said, if you're just trying to keep people from commenting on and/or sharing your posts, you can modify your post to turn off one or both settings.)
Answer: The only way to remove YouTube comments from you Google+ profile is to delete them.


I want to unsubscribe to a mod, but in doing so it causes the game to malfunction. Is there a way to fix that?

Question: The mod i want unsubscribed without malfunctioning the game(Starbound) is the avonian mod. My brother downloaded it before and i don't want it anymore. Its a race mod that already causes certain npcs to die when interacted with in quests. And when its unsubscribed it cause the player to be teleport back to the ship when the character moves to the right. I have already let the mod developer know but just in case im asking for others help.
Comment: When you say it makes the game malfunction, do you mean that your old saves break or that new games break?
Comment: it's highly possible the mod has already altered your save as such there may be unforeseen consequences if Starbound doesn't do what Skyrim or Fallout does in regards to mod removal (even they don't guarantee consequence free mod removal). sometimes it might be best to bite the bullet and unintall the game entirely and redownload a clean version
Answer: Quite a lot of mods will modify your save too much to be fixed, and they'll often say so on their download page. There are certain inventory editors which can be used to save and edit your inventory - my best suggestion would be to use one of these to save your inventory and then create a new world after deleting the mod. Using /admin should allow you to skip through your pre-completed quests, and you can spawn some ship upgrade modules to get back your upgraded ship. This leaves the only obstacle as gaining crew members.
If you follow this method, I strongly suggest you reinstall the game beforehand, or your universe will be the same, which will cause bugs.


What is the difference between "compound" and "complex" sentences?

Question: And what is the difference between coordinating and subordinating conjunctions? Is one kind of sentence (compound or complex) characterized by either a coordinating or subordinating conjunction, while the other kind is characterized by the other?
Comment: This might be a good place to ask, but I'm having trouble understanding what you are asking. Do you think you can make your question clearer?
Comment: @KitFox: Are coordinating/subordinating conjunctions used in compound/complex sentences or clauses? Do I have my terms "backward?" Examples? Sorry for the "matrix" format of this question but I think in those terms.
Answer: Yes, this is a good place. It's simple, really.
There are two ways to combine clauses. One of them is simply stacking together sentences, like

He went to the store and he bought some bread and he drove home but he left it in the car.

This is a compound sentence (not "compound clause", by the way); it contains only clauses that are linked together by the coordinating conjunctions and, or, and but. Compound sentences can be reduced by Conjunction Reduction, producing, for instance

He went to the store and bought some bread and drove home but left it in the car.

Compound sentences are easy; all the sentences are on the same level as main clauses, and none of them modify another clause.
Complex sentences — the other way to combine clauses — are not easy. A complex sentence has at least one subordinate clause, and there are a lot of different kinds of subordinate clause, each with their own set of rules and their own set of idioms and connotations.
Comment: OK, it seems like my basic idea was right. "Coordinate" =compound, "subordinate = complex, and those are the ways you make sentences out of clauses. The examples were helpful. +1 possibly an acceptance, but I like to wait a day or two for the latter.
Comment: Yeah, pretty much. But the names are irrelevant, really. Most sentences are complex sentences, and that's what syntax is mostly about.
Answer: COMPOUND SENTENCES:-
Having one or more main clauses.
SIMPLE SENTENCES:-
Having a main clause.
COMPLEX SENTENCES:-
Having one main and two or three subordinate clauses.
Comment: use citations in answers please. for example: Search Results
       Dictionary
       com·pound sen·tence
       noun
       plural noun: compound sentences

    a sentence with more than one subject or predicate.                                                              You will need to learn to format and cite you answers.  Tutorials are on this forum.


Can a bill that has been vetoed be reintroduced in the same form in a new Congress?

Question: Can a bill that was vetoed by one POTUS be reintroduced in its previous form and sent to the new POTUS?  Keeping in mind that we also have a new Congress?
Comment: Please clarify your question. Is it "Bill A, having already been passed by congress, was rejected by President O. Can congress re-send Bill A to President T?" Or is it "Bill A was passed by congress, but rejected by President O. Can Congress wrap the carcass of Bill A in Bill B and send Bill B to President T?
Answer: Yes.
The same Congress could even send the same bill again to the same President (to be vetoed again) if they wanted to. Nothing stops Congress from passing anything allowed under the constitution as many times as they want over as many sessions as they want except themselves.
But politics.
Generally it isn't ideal because things change. Bills are negotiated so when the negotiators change, or public opinions change, what was a reasonably balanced bill now isn't. Say the election shows more support for puppies than previously and less support for kitties. The puppy subsidy would be increased at the expense of the kitty subsidy if it was renegotiated so it may be viewed as unfair by the puppy supporters in the new Congress.
But more politics.
With a strong leadership and a well organized party it may be much easier to get acceptance of a sub-optimal balance without further negotiation than fight for whatever change in balance happened since the last negotiation. If the old bill is still favorable to leadership (who maybe are more interested in the pony spending anyway) they may be able to convince the puppy supporters to go along with the old bill to avoid all the hassle of renegotiating. They may offer promises of better benefits in the next negotiation because negotiations of non-trivial bills are a lot of hassle.


Why is only 24 bits of the MAC address used for multicasting?

Question: When doing neighbor discovery in IPv6, the last 24 bits of the hosts MAC address is glued on to some link local multicast prefix. I'm wondering why 24 bits? Why not 48, or 32, or 16? What happens if two MACs on the same network shares the last 24 bits of their MAC addresses?
Answer: The reason for the 24 bits (really 23 bits) is the OUI which is assigned by IEEE. They guys who created multicasting went to the IEEE and registered the OUI for multicasting.
The story I heard was that it cost $1000 (a lot of money at the time) to register an OUI with IEEE, but they didn't have all of it, so they went in with someone else. They then divided the OUI into two parts (the reason it is only 23 bits). Multicasting can only use half the OUI addresses because of this. (Apparently, the other guy didn't use his half for anything of note.)
Remember the destination MAC address for multicast has nothing to do with any interface MAC address. A MAC address has 24 bits for the OUI, and 24 bits to identify the individual interface, per OUI. Multicast uses the multicast OUI and the last 23 bits are for the layer-2 multicast group number. It's true that 23 bits are not enough to represent all the layer-3 multicast groups, so that you have multiple layer-3 multicast groups represented by a single layer-2 multicast group. That is a whole discussion all by itself.
Comment: @BenjaminLindqvist In networking, as in other fields, a lot of what is, is due to historical accident and not because of a grand design.  So yes, it is ridiculous, but true nonetheless.  Multicast was an experiment, and the creators didn't imagine it's widespread use.  Actually it wasn't widely used until voice and video over IP came into general use.
Comment: Really? This sounds ridiculous. Do you have a source?
Comment: @BenjaminLindqvist, a simple search turned this up as to why it is only 23 bits: https://books.google.com/books?id=CO1M4aAXI1IC&pg=PA31&lpg=PA31&dq=multicast+oui&source=bl&ots=aEOhB4523V&sig=9QU8VKYTiSQEcGyqyD7sVvDVIsc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CGQQ6AEwCWoVChMIn6-L5fPiyAIVx0omCh0FbQJX#v=onepage&q=multicast%20oui&f=false
Comment: I had an instructor who claimed to know the two guys who created multicast. I don't think he knew the third guy who got the other half of the OUI. In any case, it is the only reason I have ever heard of as to why the multicast OUI is only 23 bits instead of 24 bits as most OUIs are.
Comment: This is a good answer but not to the question actually asked. Everything is true but almost none of it is applicable to IPv6 ND.


Can drywall tape be applied after mud has dried?

Question: My son put one layer of mud on the drywall joints without placing tape. Can I still place the drywall tape after the mud has dried?
Answer: It depends how thick the mud is.
If it is not so thick that it significantly raises the level, you can  sand it lightly, spread a skim coat of new mud, imbed the tape and proceed to finish coats.
If it is a thick, knobby layer, either on the flat or in a corner, you run the risk of a bulging joint if you don't bring it down.
Answer: No.
Drywall tape dries with the drywall compound (mud). They bound together while drying/setting.
If you put tape on top of dried mud, you will likely get nothing but bubbles in the tape from ceiling to floor. Bubbles in the tape are air trapped between the tape and underlying mud, and must be cut out and either re-mudded (small bubbles) or re-taped and re-mudded (large bubbles) otherwise the finished wall will not be smooth.
You must sand down the drywall compound so it is below the level of the drywall (if it is in a tapered joint: for corners/butt joints, just sand down almost to the paper), apply more compound, and tape immediately while wet.
Another option is to use mesh tape on top of the dried drywall compound: it can be used on top of dried mud or just plain paper (the room I am in right now has this tape directly on the drywall for its corner joints and has no issues).
Comment: Props to [this answer](http://diy.stackexchange.com/a/36803/) which had that picture when I was searching for one.
Comment: they ran joint compound over that mesh ...I would guess ..
Comment: Which brings up the question why hasn't mesh tape completely supplanted paper tape?
Comment: Mesh tape will crack unless used with setting type compound.