Rebuilding wheel using 284mm instead of original 281mm spokes?

Question:
I bought a new rear hub, same exact size as old, original spokes were 281mm however spokes i bought by mistake are 284mm, can i still use them to rebuild? I have deep double walled rim with lots of extra space for the spokes to stick out, however spokes have thread smaller than the spoke diameter and spoke does not screw past spoke cap, so i don't know where the extra length will go?

Spoke caps i bought are not same length as original, bought two variants - first is longer and second is shorter than original spoke cap, does it matter?
Comment: Depends.  The hub may be "identical" and still vary by a mm or two.  Double wall rims help, but you don't know how the original spokes were sized.
Comment: What do you mean by spoke caps?  Is that the nipple - the specialised nut that secures the threadded end of the spoke to the rim?
Comment: If you have these spokes and need to use them, a Snowflake pattern will use up the extra mm difference. This is the main reason to make a snowflake! A single twist is enough to lose 2mm from the effective spoke length.
Comment: JoeK wish there was a video on how to make that Snowflake pattern i have no idea.
Answer: The new hub means you'll need to do re-do your spoke calculation anyway, unless it's the same dimensions.
Nipples of different lengths have different amounts of thread. The only good way to address that fact is to take an ERD measurement based on the nipples you'll be using. Published ERDs are always simplifications for this reason.
If 281 was a good size spoke for a given build, good defined as having nearly complete thread engagement, 284 would be way too long, and into the realm where running out of threaded length would be probable.
If you have a shop local with a production type spoke machine like a Phil or Morizumi, making your 284s into 281s is a fast job. I've done this sort of thing for people with mis-ordered spokes before.
Comment: You can, if you're sufficiently desperate and have the time, use a spoke nipple to extend the threads on a spoke.  I managed to do it once, but I would absolutely refuse to do it for an entire wheel's worth of spokes.
Comment: Turning 281 into 284? Or the other way around?
Comment: Well provided i pay 8 cents a spoke in a local store, i can go and buy another set.
Comment: The nipples i use all have the same amount of thread regardless of 12/14/16mm. Which brand do you use that differs?
Comment: @JoeK I got intimately familiar with the issue when I worked at a fairly major North American repair wheel producer. We used Sapim 16mm nipples primarily, why is another question, but they had a longer threaded section than a typical 12mm nipple, which is what published ERDs usually account for. Take the same spoke and screw it into various 16mm nipples you come across and you will find some where you run out of thread before the top of the spoke can be flush with either the top or bottom of the screwdriver slot.


Will Hainan Airlines provide me with a new shrink-wrapped blanket or should I take my own?

Question: I'm soon to be travelling via Hainan Airlines from Manchester to Beijing and wonder whether packing my own blanket would be worth it if I can get a new one on the plane. Would save me loads of packaging space in my hand luggage if so.
Comment: is it a night flight? are you in economy?
Answer: I checked the web site for Hainan and they say:

To make your flight even more comfortable and convenient, we have carefully selected a series of items for you to use, including soft and comfortable blankets and fluffy waist pillows, allowing you to relax your entire body and enjoy a splendid journey.

There is no mention of whether the blankets are shrink-wrapped. If this is important to you, or if the blankets not being loaded would ruin the flight for you, consider bringing your own. But not a huge bed blanket from home. You can buy special travel blankets that fold up small. I use a pashmina, because silk folds really small and it's warm, plus I can use it for other purposes during my trip.
Comment: That was a really lovely reply, thank you. I don't intend on bringing my bed blanket because that'd be way too big. I have to sell all my things because I'm actually emigrating to China from the UK so buying new things is going to have to be considered. Think I will look into getting a pashmina, though- thanks!
Comment: I think the blanket is in a loose plastic bag. That's my vague recollection from the last couple times I've flow on Hainan YYZ<->PEK. Of course if you're leaving from Manchester it might be different.
Answer: Bring your own! Blankets and pillows are not always washed between uses, even if they're in plastic. There are many travel blankets, or small polar fleece blankets, to use instead. Depending on the season, could you just use your coat?
A cheap option I've done is to buy a meter or so of polar fleece from a fabric store, roll it into a tiny bag, and use that. It is also very easy to wash after the flight.
Comment: Unfortunately, I do not have proof; I'm speaking from personal experience. I've flown with my own tiny blanket for years, airplanes are incredibly dirty, and he can save a few $/£/€ this way.
Comment: Fair enough, I'm glad you've had good experiences. It might be a myth, but I would not underestimate the willingness of airlines in the US to save money by not washing them. Regardless, it costs something like $8 per flight on a domestic flight here, so bringing my own blanket cuts down on costs, especially when I fly several times per year.


Positive probability

Question: Assume that P(A) >0. Can one express this as follows?

The event A has positive probability;
The event A is of positive probability;
The probability of A is positive?
Comment: @Chenmunka No, it can not, but it can be zero.
Comment: The title doesn't seem to reflect the content of the question.
Comment: @jinawee You were right. I changed it.
Answer: In mathematics, probability is expressed on an interval from zero to one, inclusive. A  zero probability means the event will never be realized; one means that it's assured. Positive means strictly greater than zero, and is a valid way of characterizing a probability. Another possibility is nonzero (optionally hyphenated). Because of the definition of probability, both positive and nonzero convey exactly the same information.
Judging by this Ngram and these three searches on MathOverflow (the SE site for professional and research level mathematics), positive is currently the preferred term, though it wasn't more than about forty years ago. Both are valid and immediately and unambiguously understood by someone familiar with the relevant mathematics.
Regarding the grammar of your sentences, all three are strictly correct. However, number two is quite archaic sounding and not at all common. Number one is, generally speaking, the most common choice, because we usually speak of events as possessing probabilities, placing the emphasis on the action. Of course, there are plenty of situations where you would want to make the probability the primary agent, and there's nothing wrong with sentence three.
Another extremely common construction is event X with probability Y, though this doesn't serve the same grammatical functions as your examples.
Answer: From reading math books, I know that 3 is possible.
To check 1 and 2, please see https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=has+positive+probability%2C+is+of+positive+probability&year_start=1800&year_end=2000&corpus=15&smoothing=3&share=&direct_url=t1%3B%2Chas%20positive%20probability%3B%2Cc0.

Ngrams not found: is of positive probability
  The Ngram Viewer is case sensitive. Check your capitalization!

suggests that 2 is unusual and likely unused. I've never seen it either.

Positive probability


What happens to the gravitational potential energy when particles annihilate?

Question: I recently learnt at school that when matter and antimatter collide, they annihilate each other and the amount of energy released follows the equation $E = mc^2$. If there were two planets (one made out of matter and one made out of antimatter) that collided, what would happen to objects in their gravitational fields? For example, the moon must have gravitational potential energy due to being in the Earth's gravitational field so how would this energy be conserved if the Earth were annihilated? I thought that perhaps the energy left afterwards would exert the same gravitational force as the Earth does at the moment but my teacher told me that only matter can exert a gravitational force. So, how is the energy conserved?
Comment: Your teacher is wrong. Energy in the form of radiation also exerts a gravitational force.
Comment: The teacher is correct only in a *classical* sense but not according to modern general relativity.
Answer: Energy exerts also a gravitational force, but typically the amount is very small so it is ignored. For your example, there would be a huge amount of energy there, which exerts the same amount of gravitation as the two planets before.
However, be aware that the energy would not be staying in the same spot - the explosion would quickly dispers it over a large volume (and for your example, any moon circling either planet would be blown apart in milliseconds, as would be everything with some lightyears of range). But even after the energy has spread over a cloud of hundreds of cubic lightyears, it will still exert the same gravitational force. Just again, the gravitational force of the dispersed energy from the two planets over many lightyears is miniscule.
Answer:
but my teacher told me that only matter can exert a gravitational force.

Your teacher is talking in the framework of classical gravitation and mechanics.
In general relativity any energy/mass concentration will feel  the effect of gravity. Special relativity is included in General relativity.
Now annihilation can happen within the frameworks of special relativity , for conserving energy, and quantum mechanics, for particle antiparticle annihilation.
There is a lot of physics to be learned to be able to understand nature as we have studied it, so as to be able to predict situations as you describe and have been answered in the other contribution.
Answer: If the teacher wrote E=$mc^2$ and  he later said energy does not gravitate he does not understand relativity, nor the principle of equivalence.
A bit of an expansion on @Aganju's good answer.
If the earth and an anti-earth aninhilated all kinds of particles and radiation would come out. Simplistically, those, in the instant before they disperse, would have the Moon exactly feel the same gravitational force before anihilation (which by the way would include the potential energy of gravitational attraction from both the earth and anti-earth).
You'd also have to account for the gravitational potential energy between the earth and anti-earth, as that is part of the total energy in earth-anti earth system. There's other minutiae to be included like the earth-anti earth kinetic energy (e.g., total kinetic and potential count, as well as their mass). In any event the earth-anti-earth explosion would probably destroy the Moon and since radiation has momentum also push the remnants of the Moon out. Lots of bad thingsto account for. But in the basic statement, your teacher is wrong.
Answer: Two thoughts:
(a) Strictly speaking, no one knows the answer to your question.  That's because matter/antimatter annihilation is a quantum-mechanical process and you are specifically considering the regime where the annihilating matter's gravitational back-reaction is important, so answering your question would require a full theory of quantum gravity, which we don't have.  It's conceivable that the gravitational effects could qualitatively change the nature of the annihilation process.  That having been said, we believe that as long as the curvature remains small enough that we are far forming a black hole, the general people that people are describing will remain valid, where the released energy gravitational attracts itself.
(b) The concepts of "gravitational potential energy" and "conservation of energy" are notoriously subtle in general relativity, and in fact there is no general formulation that always applies.  So you need to be careful about using any intuition that stems from conservation of energy.


How do weak learners become strong in boosting?

Question: Boosting refers to a family of algorithms which converts weak learners to strong learners. How does it happen?
Comment: No weak learner becomes strong; it is the *ensemble* of the weak learners that turns out to be strong.
Comment: An answer would be too long. So here's a rough idea, when we talk about learning we have certain gurantees on the error of a leaner. So a weak learner has a very bad gurantee of error. But when we combine many such weak learners (trained sequentially) each focussing on only approximating certain parts of the data domain (determined by its predecessors), it slowly gets to determine the weak learners which has the lowest error (and thus the most likely best solution) and weighs it the highest, and weighs the poorest solution the lowest while making classification.
Comment: There are some theoretical gurantees and proofs to this effect.
Answer: As @desertnaut mentioned in the comment

No weak learner becomes strong; it is the ensemble of the weak learners that turns out to be strong

Boosting is an ensemble method that integrates multiple models(called as weak learners) to produce a supermodel (Strong learner).

Basically boosting is to train weak learners sequentially,  each trying to correct its predecessor. For boosting, we need to specify a weak model (e.g. regression, shallow decision trees, etc.), and then we try to improve each weak learner to learn something from the data.
AdaBoost is a boosting algorithm where a decision tree with a single split is used as a weak learner. Also, we have gradient boosting and XG boosting.
Comment: You say "and then improves it.", who improves what?
Comment: we try to improve each weak learner to learn something from the data
Answer: You take a bunch of weak learners, each of them trained on a subset of the data.
You then just get all of them to make a prediction, and you learn how much you can trust each one, resulting in a weighted vote or other type of combination of the individual predictions.
Answer: In Boosting, we improve the overall metrics of the model by sequentially building weak models and then building upon the weak metrics of previous models.
We start out by applying basic non-specific algorithms to the problem, which returns some weak prediction functions by taking arbitrary solutions (like sparse weights or assigning equal weights/attention). We improve upon this in the following predictions by adjusting weights to those having a higher error rate. After going through many iterations, we combine it to create a single Strong Prediction Function which has better metrics.

Some popular Boosting Algorithms :

AdaBoost
Gradient Tree Boosting
XGBoost
Comment: What are "weak prediction functions" and "Strong Prediction Function"? These terms are ambiguous because you did not define what you mean by "weak" and "strong" and you also have not defined "prediction function". Also, what do you mean by "weak metrics"? Do you mean metrics according to which the model performs bad?


how to check which patches are installed magento1 when we dont have applied patches.list file

Question: We have a magento1 store and earlier it was being managed by someone else. We did scanned our website for security patches and scan result shows some patches  are installed , some are not and some has unknown status. We do not have applied.patches.list file so we don't know which patches were installed earlier. Magento version is 220.127.116.11
How do we proceed in this scenario ? Any help will be appreciated
Answer: Use magereport.com to scan your site.
They will tell you what patches are installed and what patches still need to be installed
Other option
If you use any type of version control, look back at your project history and see if you find the patches there.
Also, you can try applying the patch (on a staging environment) and see if the server throws an error that it cannot apply patch, which might mean that it was patched already.
Finally, each patch file shows exactly what's being patched, you can just open any of the files listed in the patch and check if the patched code is in there.
Comment: yes we scan was executed on magereport.com but it shows unknown patch status for a lot of patches like Security patch 10888
Security patch 10752
Security patch 10570
Security patch 10415
Comment: i added a few lines to my answer


How to run stepper motor at its maximum speed

Question: I am running a stepper motor using arduino and IC l293d. What is the maximum possible speed of rotation that I can achieve with the IC and what should be the applied voltage for the same? Earlier, I got the optimum rotation with a step size of 30 at 7V. I want to increase the step size. What should I do?
Comment: `I want to increase the step size. What should I do?` - Change the motor for one with a bigger step size. The step size is a function of the motor - how far it moves with each step - not a function of voltage, current, software, cheese...
Comment: If you are asking these types of questions you might consider using an H bridge and a DC motor in place of the stepping motor controller and stepping motor..
Comment: It would be informative to review the numerous stepper motor questions at electronics.stackechange.com (*do not* post another) and the many online resources which explain this.
Answer: As this link states:

Stepper motors are normally used for positioning, and are not known
  for their speed.

However, the link is to an on line stepping motor speed calculator.
As for the size of the step, this is a function of the way the stepping motor is built.  Some controllers / stepping motor combinations can do half steps or micro steps.  Disable these feature for the fewest number of steps per revolution.
These are some of the basic concepts which deal with practical stepping motor applications.  As speed increases, other factors come into play.  For example, resonance and inductance.
In this paper resonance is discussed:

If a rigidly mounted stepping motor is rigidly coupled to a
  frictionless load and then stepped at a frequency near the resonant
  frequency, energy will be pumped into the resonant system, and the
  result of this is that the motor will literally lose control.

The paper also discusses the effect of the stepper motor's coil inductance:

An important consideration in designing high-speed stepping motor
  controllers is the effect of the inductance of the motor windings. ...
  The inductance of the motor winding determines the rise and fall time
  of the current through the windings. ...
Answer: The speed of the stepper motor (assuming you measure it in RPM) will depend on many factors. I am not sure how the "30 step size at 7V" you mention is relevant.
IMHO, the most important parameters are
1) physical parameters of motor (steps per revolution, rated voltage, motor intetia)
2) Load on the motor
3) software implementation
Normally you shouldn't be able to affect 1( if you are looking like most arduino's developers you should be looking at things like this. i.e. 200 steps per revolution, 5-12VDC and a few tens to hundreds of g*cm^2 or motor inertia.) or 2 (although with higher loads lower velocities can be achieved, normally you select the motor based on the load and not vice versa).
Therefore you are left with Software implementation. Things here can get messy very quickly depending on how experienced you are and what you want to do.
e.g. The arduino Stepper library is simple and you can set parameters but it is blocking (i.e. you can't do anything else until movement is completed, or interrupts are used).
If you want to get your hands dirty (and your head messed up ;-/ ) you can looks at

Arduino timers
micros(), and millis() for updating the steps yourself. (Have a look at here and here - shameless plug)
pin registers (for increasing speed) here.

My experience is that normally you can get up to 150 [rpm] easily. Theoretically you should be able to go higher but the uC should be doing pretty much nothing else.


Is the word präpotent specifically Austrian?

Question: In Linz I have heard the word präpotent for describing another person. I enjoyed this - for me - new word. Is it specific to Austrian German?
Answer: Präpotent is interesting in that its meaning depends on the register it's being used in - its original meaning is used in high register speech as "overwhelmingly powerful", the more colloquial register is "pretends to be" the above (i.e. being arrogant, pretentious).
I have indeed the feeling (no proof) that the more derogative use is predominantly actually originating from Austria, as I've only ever heard it in that usage in the south (Austria, Bavaria). Online Duden seems to confirm the Austrian origin of that usage, but I've seen it used in Swiss and German newspapers in that meaning as well.
Comment: I as Austrian understand this word as describing someone intrusive, impudent, rude and arrogant. First sentence that comes to mind: "_So_ ein präpotenter Kerl!" - For instance, teenagers are often "präpotent".
Comment: It should be noted the word should be used carefully, as it can easily be misunderstood. Beside the two meanings you already listed, add a third possible one: Having never encountered this word, I (incorrectly, as it seems from reading these definitions) deduced its meaning to be "someone/something who is not yet powerful, but is on their way to be so".
Comment: My two cents: I have encountered the adj. [prepotente](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/prepotente) in Italian, where it is very common and means "bossy, overbearing, arrogant". Just about the meanings outlined by @CherryDT. Could it be an Italian influence on Austrian (Swiss, Bavarian)? This doesn't sound too far fetched.
Comment: There is another different meaning, at least in my understanding. Potency is the ability to father children (so if you are impotent, you cannot). Someone who is präpotent is therefore not yet old enough to that, ergo a stupid child (in its derogative sense).
Comment: @And While technically, if you know your Latin, this meaning could be construed the word is not used in that sense, ever. The same is true for O.R.Mapper's interpretation. In my experience "präpotent" only has negative connotations: someone who is **not** _potent_ but behaves as if he were.
Comment: @CherryDT This was how I encountered it.
Comment: It may be less Austrian then old-fashioned (and Austrian, I think, retains some language that's gone out of fashion elsewhere).
Answer: This is a very interesting question. I only can tell about how I perceived this word in the last 50 years where I lived, in the eastern parts of Austria.

I was born in Austria (in Graz) in 1965, and except for a few month in London in 2013 and short holidays that I spent mainly in Italy, I spent my whole live in Austria: 1965-1996: Styria1 (mainly in and near Graz, but also 3 years next to Leoben and Bruck/Mur), 1997-2015: Vienna2 (in the districts 20, 16, 10, 11 and then 16 again3), 2016 until now: Lower Austria4 (St. Pölten). (I have changed my residence 15 times in the last 40 years.)
My father (born near Feldbach in the south-east of Styria) used the word präpotent a lot when he talked about his bosses or local politicians and I also heard it quite often from other people in Graz in similar contexts. They all agreed on the meaning of this word: It is used as an adjective for people, with the intention of describing them as pretentious and arrogant. Only persons are präpotent; those who are präpotent are condescending, arrogant and presumptuous. I never have heard someone use this word in any other meaning. The meaning »overwhelmingly powerful« that was mentioned in another answer was completely unknown to me until I read this answer a few minutes ago.
When I left Graz, I lived for 3 years in a small village between Leoben and Bruck an der Mur, about 60 km north of Graz. I do not remember to have heard the word präpotent when I lived there, but maybe I just can't remember. The occasions when one might use this word are rare, and in these 3 years such occasions probably rarely occurred.
In January of 1997 I moved to Vienna (about 200 km north-northeast of Graz) where people use a language as colloquial speech, that is very different form the colloquial speech you can hear in Graz. It is not as different as dialects spoken in Germany differ from Austrian dialects, but Viennese colloquial speech is notably different for someone who is used to Styrian dialects and colloquial speech only.
I remember to heave heard the word präpotent in Vienna too, but with a significantly lower frequency than I remember it from Graz. It's hard to say if the reason is the different city or if it is just the time (before and after 1997).
Now (since 2016) I live in St. Pölten (70 km west of Vienna), and I do not remember to have heard this word at all here in the capital city of Lower Austria. And again, I don't know if the reason is the region or the time. I still visit Vienna quite often (about 80 times a year), and I also can't remember to have heard the word präpotent there in the last 6 years, so I guess the word has just become less frequent in Austria in the last decades.

I am sorry, I do not have any knowledge about the usage of this word in other regions. When I lived in Graz, I believed that every German native speaker uses this word with the same meaning and frequency as we did in Graz. But since I moved to other places, not really far away from where I've been born, it seems to me, as if this word is a term typical for Graz and the regions next to it.

1, 2, 4Austria (note, that there is no L in Austria, so, it's not Australia!) is a federal nation like USA, Mexico, Germany, India and many other countries. It consists of 9 states. Styria (Steiermark) (don't forget the T in Styria!), Vienna (Wien) and Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) are three of them, they are all located in the populous eastern region of Austria. (In the western part, the Alps take up a lot of space.) Austria has 9 million residents, 4,9 million people live in the three named states (1,9 million in Vienna)
3Vienna is divided in 23 districts. Viennese people usually refer to them by their numbers. The districts have well-known names too, and these names are also used sometimes, but instead of »Ich wohne in Favoriten.« people prefer »Ich wohne im zehnten Bezirk.« And because it's clear that they mean »Bezirk« they usually omit this word. So the most frequent version is: »Ich wohne im Zehnten.« The names of the districts mentioned above are: 20 = Brigittenau; 16 = Ottakring; 10 = Favoriten; 11 = Simmering.


I want to create custom field in 'add new user' form of admin panel in magento 1.9

Question: I am creating sub admin users from Magento Admin Panel (System->Permissions->Users->Add New User). Here I want to add 1 custom field to save mobile number of each sub admin. I searched it but I didn't got any clue. Please help me to achieve it.
Thanks in advance.
Answer: For doing so you need to create a new column in admin_user table and rewrite edit user form block to add new element. Element name should be same as new column name that you have created. Then refresh cache and you are good to go.


Deploying Bitlocker via Unattended OS Installation?

Question: Is there a way to enable Bitlocker during Windows setup?
Answer: There is a post on minasi.com giving an option. I'm not in a position to try it until Monday but it sounds okay.
I'm assuming your attended install currently logs into the "created" user at least once. So, write a batch file that calls manage-bde, enables TPM then encrypts then drive. Finally the batch file should delete itself (or the shortcut to it) from the All User's Start Up folder, meaning it won't re-run after that first automated log in.
The batch file should enable the TMP chip (and set the password):
manage-bde –tpm –t –o <password>

Then encrypt the drive, we'll assume c: and since you aren't at the machine you'll need to get the output of the command written somewhere so you have the Recovery Password. In the example it's going to e:
manage-bde –on c: -rp > e:\bitlocker.txt

Finally delete the batch file or the shortcut to it and restart the PC.


How do 勉強 and という in these sentences work

Question: For full context:
外国人に日本語を教える人を「日本語の先生」と言います。
日本語が母語の子どもたちが学校で習うのは「国語」です。ですから、日本の学校で日本人に教える場合は、「国語の先生」と呼ばれます。
私は、日本語を学習している外国人に日本語を教える勉強をしているので、「日本語の先生」を目指していると言うことができます。
The sentence in question:
私は、日本語を学習している外国人に日本語を教える勉強をしているので、「日本語の先生」を目指していると言うことができます。
My attempt at translation:
"Concerning me, because I studied (I think て-form is used because she refers to her personal past here? According to her profile, her professional education is over I think) teaching japanese to foreigners studying japanese, you can say that I aimed to become 'japanese teacher'."
In this sentence, I'm mainly confused by 日本語を教える勉強をしているので  and と言うことができます.
First 日本語を教える勉強をしているので:
What irritates me is 勉強. The way I translated it, it makes perfect sense grammarwise and also contentwise, however, for my translation to match reality, my interpretation of している must be correct. If it isn't, and I'm not so sure it is, then I probably misunderstood something about  the meaning of 勉強. If it was "lesson" instead of "study", then I would have less doubts...^^
Second と言うことができます:
Here I'm a bit hesitant to trust into my interpretation of と言う. I couldn't muster a translation where と言う is interpreted in one of the more abstract ways as described here: http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar/define#The_various_uses_of (for example: 主人公が犯人だったというのが一番面白かった。
The most interesting thing was that the main character was the criminal. )
I'm really sorry that I can't give a more concise description. I'm really struggling here to describe at all what these other uses  of という, which I assume aren't used here, actually are. Usually, whenever という is used, it has a meaning resembling "Y means X", like in...
A)...山田さんから電話があったのですが、約束の時間に少し遅れるということです。
=> "There was a call from Mr. Yamada, he said that he will be a little late."
B)...PCというのはパソコンのことです。
=> "PC means 'personal Computer'".
So, I think one can safely say that there is always at least some connection to the original "say" semantics of 言う, however, this original semantics can become very weak as it seems.
In the sentence in question, I think interpreting 言う very literally in its original semantics "say" makes much more sense, but since I almost never encountered such a case where this original semantics was that strong, I am very skeptical about my interpretation ^^
I really just discovered what a mess my knowledge about this construction actually is...it was really hard for me to describe the differences in its usage, so please feel free to criticize my question if it isn't comprehensible xD
Answer:
There is no past tense in this sentence. 勉強をしている is simply present progressive "I am studying". I don't know 'her profile' or 'reality', but generally speaking, just because she finished her occupational training does not mean she has stopped studying altogether.
This ~と言うことができます is simply "you can say that ..." I think your translation of this part is already perfect.


Using SVG icon as marker for a geoJSON point file in Leaflet?

Question: I have a basemap that displays locations from a geoJSON file. Instead of the default markers I would like to use my own svg files, but can't find out how.
Answer: I use this simple approach:
var svg = ''; /* insert your own svg */
var iconUrl = 'data:image/svg+xml;base64,' + btoa(svg);

var icon = L.icon( {
            iconUrl: iconUrl,
        } );

Answer: Using Leaflet.MakiMarkers plugin, the following code works for me.
d324223's codepen example above is a good one. Making my own markers is beyond my graphic skills.
var greenTree = L.MakiMarkers.icon({
    icon: "park",
    color: "3F9110",
    size: "s"
});
var redTree = L.MakiMarkers.icon({
    icon: "park",
    color: "F04441",
    size: "s"
});
var blueTree = L.MakiMarkers.icon({
    icon: "park",
    color: "442DB5",
    size: "s"
});

pointToLayer: function (feature, latlng) {
    if (feature.properties.OWNER_TYPE === "A") {
        return L.marker(latlng, {
            icon: greenTree,
            title: feature.properties.BCT,
            riseOnHover: true
        });

    } else if (feature.properties.OWNER_TYPE === "B") {
        return L.marker(latlng, {
            icon: blueTree,
            title: feature.properties.BCT,
            riseOnHover: true
        });

    } else {
        return L.marker(latlng, {
            icon: redTree,
            title: feature.properties.BCT,
            riseOnHover: true
        });
    }
},

example:Brewster Conservation Trust
Answer: Have you considered using plugin for this? I think Leaflet.vector-markers may suit your needs. Example of this plugin in codepen: http://codepen.io/anon/pen/Jdayb
As for setting different marker for every geojson feature depending on its properties you may check out this example: http://codepen.io/dagmara223/pen/LWYNJO. Please remember that it depends on specific geojson feature properties.
You may get more help if you post your code snippets.
Answer: As alternative: https://github.com/lvoogdt/Leaflet.awesome-markers is very cool. You can use FontAwesome (that you probably already use, meaning less bandwidth usage) and/or Ionicons, and there are several customization options available (color, etc.). Plus, you can use CDN (cdnjs).
Answer: For me, using current Leaflet version 1.7.1, it is just possible to make your own Icon, pointing the iconUrl to a svg file.
You can use the Custom Icon Tutorial from the documentation.


Enable content editor gutter items by default?

Question: Is there any way to enable content editor gutter items by default, ideally for specific roles?  I see the gutter items in the core database but none of the fields seem to be indicative of enabling or disabling a given item.  Just hiding it.
Answer: I don't think that Sitecore provides a setting in Core DB or config entries to enable the "Gutter Items" by default. But You can write your own processors/pipeline to enable all/required gutter menu when the user logging into Sitecore.
Whenever you select/change the gutter items in the Content Editor it will be updated in the Sitecore registry "/Current_User/Content Editor/Gutter Renderers". So you just need to add the gutter item ID which you can see from the folder /sitecore/content/Applications/Content Editor/Gutters in Core DB to the Sitecore registry /Current_User/Content Editor/Gutter Renderers. This will enable the specific gutter menu for the user by default once logged-in.
For Ex - If you want to enable the menu "Cloned Items" you need to add the item "/sitecore/content/Applications/Content Editor/Gutters/Clones" Id to the Sitecore Registry "/Current_User/Content Editor/Gutter Renderers".
May be something like the below:

Just injected the below processor in the "loggedin" group of processors and checking for the Item [/sitecore/content/Applications/Content Editor/Gutters/Clones] id in the existing registry setting, if it's not available then adding it to the registry to make the "Cloned Items" checked for the user all the time.
class CustomLoggedIn : LoggedInProcessor
{
    public override void Process(LoggedInArgs args)
    {
        string gutterItemIDString = "{4DA1472A-9CE8-4709-963D-5DE65FE2885A}";
        ListString existingsettings = new ListString(Registry.GetString("/Current_User/Content Editor/Gutter Renderers"));
        if (!existingsettings.Contains(gutterItemIDString))
        {
            existingsettings.Add(gutterItemIDString);
            Registry.SetString("/Current_User/Content Editor/Gutter Renderers", existingsettings.ToString());
        }
    }
}

Comment: Thanks, I'll try this out. But can I activate this processor only for users who have a specific role assigned to them?
Comment: I hope the user context will be available if you add this processor at the end of loggedin, so you can check the user role using Sitecore.Context.User.IsInRole() and activate the gutter items.
Comment: I'm trying to implement this - first of all you need a <> for the List's, but also, intellisense is complaining that I'm trying to convert an int to a string?
Comment: Above code should work if you have the usings, using Sitecore.Pipelines.LoggedIn;
using Sitecore.Text;
using Sitecore.Web.UI.HtmlControls; Could you please post your code here if it fails for some reason.
Comment: I thought ListString was supposed to be List so changed it and that's why I was getting that error.


Will a Multi-Core / Multi-Proc help performance on a web server?

Question: Does NGINX or Apache benefit from a server that has either:

Multi-cores, or
Multiple processors?

If so, why?
Answer: Using several CPUs/CPU-Cores gives server applications the opportunity to process several client connections (and requests) in parallel (achieving higher performance).
In a world of multi-Core CPUs, the question has been subject of extensive research.
There are 3 ways of addressing parallelism (like multi-Core CPUs):

using several processes;
using several threads in a single process;
using several threads in several processes.

Apache has explored several models, and Nginx is using option #1.
Which model performs better is generally considered as being a matter of implementation (at least under Unix where processes are very light so they can compete with threads).
Now, back to the question my guess (based on reading tests published here) would be that the proper (multi-thread) Apache architecture should scale better than Nginx on multi-Core CPUs.
Paradoxally, it does not mean that Apache is faster than Nginx: it just means that on 1, 2, 3, ... 16 Cores, Apache would scale better than Nginx WHILE Nginx would process more client requests:

Performance is to be fast (processing more requests per second on a single-Core CPU)
Scalability is the ability to process more requests per seconds as the number of CPU Cores grows (the ideal is to scale linearly: doubling the requests per second as you double the number of CPU Cores).

Scaling without performance is pointless if the number of requests per second of the server which scales is inferior to the speed of the server which does not scale (note that if the server REALLY scales well, there's a point where having MANY Cores should make it perform better than the server that does not scale).
Performing without scaling is making a server unable to take advantage of multi-Core CPUs.
The future will certainly be made of server applications which do both correctly, to provide the best performance under all conditions (just a few Cores or many-many Cores).
Answer: Yes.
I assume your question is whether one or the other is better?
In which case it's a fairly complicated question, but generally I'd expect that multiple processors will perform better.
Here's a good answer describing the architecture of both:
nginx : Its Multithreaded but uses multiple processes?
Nginx fires up new processess for each client request, so although it's not multithreaded (good... avoids threading issues), the operating system can take advantage of multiple cores/cpu's by scheduling each process on a different cpu.
Comment: But why would performance be better? Is NGINX or Apache multi-threaded, etc?
Comment: Using that link you sent, on slide #5 of the link below, it says that NGINX is single threaded. In which case, why would having multi-cores/proc benefit?  http://www.slideshare.net/joshzhu/nginx-internals
Answer: Only multi-threaded systems will benefit from multi-cores. I know Apache is multi-threaded and its performance does increase with multi-core. Typically performance goes up with multi-core if the work to be done is divided into small chunks of work which do not need to depend on each other. Apache starts processes to serve web requests and different requests can run concurrently on multiple cores, thereby improving performance. If NGINX is single-threaded, then it will not leverage multi-core.
Multi-core/multi-processor are the same thing in this context.


Taiwan Visa for Pakistani

Question: I am a Pakistani, plan to visit South Korea in third week of Nov'19. From there I want to visit Taiwan for business purpose. I want to know can I apply and get Taiwan visa from South Korea. If yes, please send me the contact information.
Answer: Taiwan doesn't have an embassy in Pakistan, so you have to apply at an overseas embassy anyways.
Pakistan citizens aren't eligible for the e-Visa so you have to apply for a visa in the embassy of Taiwan in South Korea bringing all your supporting documents with you.
As for the requirements of the visa, you'll find them all listed here or here. You'll need:

A passport valid for at least six months;
A duly completed application form with two photos taken within the past six months;
An outbound airline ticket or verifiable proof of purchase of steamship ticket ;
Documents verifying the purpose of visit;
Other relevant documents.
A visa fee of 50 or 100USD (single or multiple-entry)

Taiwan Visa for Pakistani


Qt Bluetooth stack performance

Question: I am working on an Android app that involves bluetooth low energy communication. I use the Qt Bluetooth stack to do so.
I have experienced that the device discovery is quite slow, compared to other apps that are written in native language. Is there any way I can tweak the device discovery performance? I use the QBluetoothDeviceDiscoveryAgent class to discover devices.
Thanks in advance,
JRoorda
Answer: This was fixed in Qt 5.8 by tuning up the BLE discovery:
https://bugreports.qt.io/browse/QTBUG-46253

Qt Bluetooth stack performance


Is the DC-6 Supercharged? And what is a Turbosupercharger?

Question: What it says on the tin. Is the DC-6 supercharged? I thought all planes that fly above around 10,000-15,000 feet need forced induction, but wikipedia doesn't list the DC-6s engines as supercharged or Turbocharged. There was a variant for the P-47 which was "Turbosupercharged"(???? Is that like a Turbocharger and Supercharger in sequence, so air from teh turbo is rammed through the Supercharger?), but not the DC-6 variant.
What gives?
Comment: I'm pretty sure turbocharger and turbosupercharger are two different words for the same thing.
Comment: Re " but wikipedia doesn't list the DC-6s engines as supercharged or Turbocharged." -- just curious-- why do you say that?  DC-6 page -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_DC-6 -- the one embedded link that pertains directly to engines directs to here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_R-2800_Double_Wasp -- go to the "Variants" section https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pratt_%26_Whitney_R-2800_Double_Wasp#Variants and there are plenty of references to supercharging --
Comment: Re the last part of your question-- it's actually a duplicate of a question I asked myself.  Had forgotten all about that.  https://aviation.stackexchange.com/q/71210/34686
Answer: Yes, the DC-6 is supercharged with mechanically driven centrifugal superchargers.  A "turbosupercharger" is another name for "turbocharger" which is an exhaust driven centrifugal supercharger.
The DC-6 uses Pratt & Whitney R-2800 engines. The R-2800 has a mechanically driven centrifugal supercharger at the back of the engine. This is common for most WWII and later radial engines.
Some other WWII aircraft (B-17, B-24, B-29, P-47, etc.) also added an exhaust driven turbocharger (also called turbo supercharger) in addition to the centrifugal supercharger for additional boost and high altitude performance.
Wikipedia photo Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp
Comment: your answer is the only one that actually was an answer to the question! +1 from niels
Answer: From the Wikipedia entry on "turbocharger" (bolding added)1:

The current categorisation is that a turbocharger is powered by the
kinetic energy of the exhaust gases, whereas a supercharger is
mechanically powered (usually by a belt from the engine's crankshaft).
However, up until the mid-20th century, a turbocharger was called a
"turbosupercharger" and was considered a type of supercharger.

In actual fact, on an aviation engine, a supercharger that did not involve an exhaust gas turbine would almost always be gear-driven, not belt-driven.
Also, it appears that the usage of the term "supercharger" to refer to the larger category of all forced induction systems, whether gear-driven or driven by an exhaust gas turbine, has lingered longer in the aviation world than in the automotive world.  Thus you still may encounter the terms "gear-driven supercharger" and "turbosupercharger".  The latter term is synonymous with "turbocharger".
In the aviation context, even when consulting modern sources, you should generally not assume that the word "supercharger" always implies a device that is driven by gearing to the crankshaft rather than by a turbine in the engine exhaust gas flow. It may in fact refer to a turbosupercharger, i.e. a turbocharger.2
Some aircraft with turbosuperchargers (i.e. turbochargers) also have gear-driven superchargers.  This was true of nearly all, or all, of the World-War 2-era combat aircraft with turbosuperchargers, such as all variants of the P-47 Thunderbolt.3  But the usage of the word "turbosupercharger" is not meant to specifically signify that a gear-driven supercharger is also present.4
In the diagram below of a World-War-2-era supercharger installation, the "internal blower" (item 3) is the gear-driven supercharger.

Source of image: this page from the website of the Aircraft Engine Historical Society
Another answer has already addressed the specifics of the (gear-driven) supercharging system used on the DC-6, so I'll end here.
Footnotes:

Accessed 7/28/23

This terminology is discussed in more detail in answers to this related ASE question: In the modern aviation context, is the word "supercharger" generally assumed to mean a gear-driven system rather than an exhaust-driven system?

See the related ASE question Did any WWII aircraft only use a turbocharger but not a supercharger? .  Also, for more insight on the advantages of combining turbosuperchargers (turbochargers) with gear-driven superchargers in high-performance World-War-2 era aircraft engines, see this 1943 document from General Electric: "The Turbosupercharger and the Airplane Power Plant".  And here's a "Quora" post that also gives some insight into the topic, rather concisely.

In other words, the word "turbosupercharger" should not be considered to be a "portmanteau" of "turbocharger" and "supercharger", signifying that both features are present; rather it is a simply the combination of "turbo" and "supercharger", describing the type of supercharging that is present.
Comment: Really it's quite logical that way. To "supercharge" means to increase the "charge" (of air and fuel), and needn't *inherently* say anything about how that's done. A "turbosupercharger" is a supercharger driven by a turbine. "Turbocharger" is just a reduced version of "turbosupercharger" that's less of a mouthfull.
Comment: Linguistically, "supercharge" and "overload" are doublets (the former Latin via French, the latter Germanic).
Answer: Just to add a little more confusion (and amazing engineering)...  Some piston engines were 'turbo-compounded'.
This is when they used a turbine in the exhaust gas to add shaft power back to the engine crankshaft.  These engines also had a shaft-driven supercharger.
The TC18 variants of the Wright 3350 were the most widely produced and used turbo compound engines ever produced.
Answer: By the way, the centrifugal blower at the back of a radial engine served two purposes: it stirred up the fuel and air mixture to produce a uniform blend which was then presented to each intake runner tube in the engine, and it provided pressure boost to the runners as well.
The boost function could be tailored for the specific application by swapping out the drive gears; a higher gear ratio spun the impeller faster and furnished more boost, and better high-altitude performance.
Although not a radial, the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine had a mechanical boost with a two-speed gear drive, selectable by the pilot: low boost for lower altitude use, and high boost for high altitude use. This gave it superior high-altitude performance.


Wifi Networks Always in Range

Question: I'm using a samsung galaxy s4 on T-Mobile and I have been experiencing a problem where two wifi networks always appear in range. These networks are not my own, and do not appear to be my hotspot name. They appear even when I travel from one city to another. They always appear with the same name. I am beginning to think it is something malicious because the networks disappear after I perform a factory reset of my phone, and reappear within a few days.
I am pretty selective of which apps I allow to run on my phone. With very few exceptions most of my apps are from trusted developers like google, microsoft, facebook, dropbox etc.
Has anyone experienced a situation like mine?
Comment: Well, that's weird anyway, is it possible for you to share a screen shot when it all started appearing ??
Answer: This might be an ad-hoc network that you have accidently connected to. Ad-hoc netowrks is like a network where every device is a router (Very brief there). You can check this just by clicking on the network. You can also just click "forget" on the network after clicking on it in wifi menu.

Wifi Networks Always in Range


Two British passports, two visa

Question: I have a L1 visa for my work in the USA. I also have a second British passport for my visas to other countries (China).
I have approved visas. What passport do I show when I am leaving USA ? The one with the China visa in it or the one with my work visa?
Comment: Exactly. Much like dual nationality. See http://travel.stackexchange.com/q/52100/36405. Keep in mind the US has no exit check. The airline will do that for you. You may have to also show your passport with the Chinese visa.
Comment: The one you entered on, preferably
Comment: Show my British passport with my USA visa in when I'm departing USA ? Then Use my other British passport with my Chinese visa when I enter China.
Comment: Thanks so much. I forgot there is no immigration exit at US airports. I can always present both passports at checkin with the airline.
Comment: There, written a real answer. I do think your situation is a little uncommon, so it probably wouldn't hurt stressing the airline employee that you must leave on your US visa passport. Have a nice trip!
Comment: what do you mean by two passport ? Both are valid ? I think this is not a situation that can exists... Surely one of them is expired .
Answer: This works exactly the same as with dual nationality, see the canonical answer: I have two passports/nationalities. How do I use them when I travel?. Treat it as case 1.
In this case you entered the USA with your USA visa passport, so you have to use that again when leaving the country (checking in). In China you show your passport with Chinese visa.
Keep in mind that the USA does not have exit checks. The airline will register you instead. So always use the passport you entered on to leave. The airline will also want to see you are allowed into your destination country. Showing your other passport along with a quick explanation will do.

Two British passports, two visa


How Dependency inversion is an extension of OCP?

Question: I am reading about SOLID principles and have just read that Dependency Inversion (DI, to be distinguished here from Dependency injection, which is one way of achieving the inversion) is an extension to the Open-Closed Principle (OCP). How is that exactly meant, if OCP is about making class extensible without touching the original code, basically.
Comment: @CandiedOrange Not Injection, that is one way to implement dependency **inversion**). Please note that R.Martin himself stated that DI is an extension to his OCP. I think it has to do with replacability and abstraction. See here: https://books.google.de/books?id=T-KvN5OiZCEC&pg=PA82&dq=dependency+inversion+principle+extension+of+OCP&hl=cs&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiMv9qDqITZAhWBCSwKHQWfBUsQ6AEIMzAB#v=onepage&q=dependency%20inversion%20principle%20extension%20of%20OCP&f=false
Comment: Martin came up with DIP (dependency inversion) mainly through a rigorous application of both Liskov substitution and OCP. His original paper on the subject came up with the principle as a natural result of rigorously applying both OCP and LS. I'm not sure if we should really call that an 'extension" exactly but the principle came about from a realization he made when applying both principles. Of course DIP goes a whole lot further than OCP and LS, but both laid the foundation for DIP.
Comment: Dug up the old paper: http://www.labri.fr/perso/clement/enseignements/ao/DIP.pdf. Oh, he actually calls it a "generalization" of both principles there. Also just a small thing but to avoid confusion, maybe use DIP for the acronym (as Martin does) to distinguish it from dependency injection (DI).
Comment: Dependency Injection is more of a pattern than a principle. So it's not an extension of OCP. Using the DI pattern can allow one to adhere to the Dependency Inversion Principle but it's not the only way. OCP relates to this only because following OCP prohibits relying on making direct modifications to satisfy changing requirements. Therefor, some method of allowing extensible behavior is needed. DI can be that method, but there are others.
Comment: @TeamUpvote THanks, you are right, should have used DIP.
Answer: The DIP requires your classes to depend on abstractions. Because you can always provide different implementations of these abstract dependencies, they create natural extension points that allow you to modify the behavior of the class without changing the class itself.
This, of course, is exactly what the OCP requires.
For example, imagine you have a TaxReporter that requires an instance of an interface ITaxCalculator during construction. By providing a different implementation of ITaxCalculator, you have modified the way reports are generated without touching the TaxReporter class.
Inheritance is not the only way to realize the OCP.


Which are the main spa baths in Switzerland and which are their characteristics?

Question: My girlfriend and I love thermal bath and spa and we would like to visit one or more of these places in our stay in Switzerland. Is there any list of the available baths/spa and their characteristics?
Comment: This seems like a list question, but if you're looking for a book or website with the list it should be OK.
Answer: A Swiss online resource I know is this one. It lists a lot of Spas in Switzerland that are worth a visit. I quickly checked it, and all I know of are on the list. Unfortunately the list is in German, but at least some of the further links are also available in English.
If you're looking for an English resource I would recommend this site. It also lists a lot of Spas in Switzerland and also here I could found all spas I know.
I personally can recommend Therme Vals. It is a little bit out of the way, but it is really beautiful and also from an architectural point of view worth a visit.
Answer: I'm not sure about spas, but if you're interested in hot baths, there are quite a few in the lake Geneva area (the area I'm familiar with):
(Note: I've only ever been to the first two)
Ovronnaz

Up in the mountains, astounding view, surrounded by mountains. In the winter, you can be outside, up to your neck in steaming water, with snow falling on your head. This place is child-friendly (they let them in, and under-sixes for free, and there's a special toddler paddling-pool), and non time-limited. It's quite a drive up the mountain to get there. The baths are not too expensive in themselves, but accommodation, food etc., is not particularly cheap 'up there'
Main selling point is that you can combine the slopes and the hot baths. One of the best days out I ever had was sledging followed by hot baths followed by a fondue aux bolets!
Lavey

More accessible, more things to do - whereas at Ovronnaz there are 3 basins (one inside, two out) and a 'jaccuzi', at Lavey there is also Hammam, Sauna, Turkish baths, etc, etc. The water is naturally hot here - they actually have to cool it before putting it in the baths, I believe... Here you have the full hotel/spa/wellness 'thing'.
Time limited (3 hours, by default), no babies or toddlers (4+), expect queues on weekends with bad weather...
Val d'Illiers

Never been, recently (end 2010) refurbished/reopened. Also time-limited and no babies or toddlers. Looks like they have the full spa/sauna/wellness package too.
Gruyère

Fairly new, time limited (3 hours, by default), no babies or toddlers (4+). The panorama is idylique - (think Heidi-style green hills running into snow-capped mountains)
Saillon

Never been, it's in the valley beneath Ovronnaz. Doesn't appear to be time-limited, and they let kids in (under fours for free). Looks like there are more 'fun' things for kids than at Ovronnaz (water slide, and paddling pool in the summer)
Yverdon

This is the big, old one (Yverdon's full name is Yverdon-les-Bains). No under-threes.
Comment: Since answering this, I've been to Saillon twice, and Lavey once. Of the two Saillon wins.
Answer: And something completely different... If you happen to visit Geneva, then you could try going to "Bains des Pâquis". Located in the very city centre, on the Geneva lake, this place allows you to relax in sauna/hammam, swim in the lake and enjoy delicious fondue afterwards.
Booking in advance is recommended. Also check the opening hours. This association closes relatively early.
Comment: Bain des Pâquis is really great! I can recommend it!
Answer: Another nice place I visit is Leukerbad
There are mountain activities (e.g skiing during winter, hiking during summertime) and two good public bath:

Burgerbad Therme
Walliser Alpentherme

If you plan to stay more than one day, a pass can be a solution as it gives free entrance to both bath (unlimited time) and to the cableways (Torrent and Gemmi).

Summer offer
Winter offer

After it depends as well if you have small children, on the second bath, they only allow children from 8 years old and further but is more quiet and less crowded.
We really enjoyed it with my wife: it is perfectly romantic as well :)
For people with a smaller child I recommend to go only to the Burgerbad Therme because they even accept babies in some parts.
There are also other bath in some hotels, but I never tested as it is often reserved for the customers only.


Charge % less than 100% even overnight?

Question: When I charge my iPhone 4s it reaches 100%. But often, in the morning, it is as low as 95% and most of the time it shows less than 100%. If I unplug it and then plug it in again it quickly reaches 100% again. How to fix? Not a problem?
Comment: I appreciate the links to proper battery use, but my iPod Touch never did this so I think it is an iPhone or iOS 5 issue.
Answer: You should try to completely unload your iPhone. Let it go to 0 % (and shut down from itself), then plug it and let it charge completely. It should fix your problem.
See this articles from Apple for more information:

http://www.apple.com/batteries/iphone.html
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1476

The gists you need:

For proper maintenance of a lithium-based battery, it's important to keep the electrons in it moving occasionally. Be sure to go through at least one charge cycle per month (charging the battery to 100% and then completely running it down).
Answer: I noticed this on my 4s too. Try this: keep the phone plugged into its charger, wake it up and let it sit for a bit awake. It should pop up to 100% pretty quickly.
I'm guessing, but I don't know for sure, that this is yet another bug in the battery/charging routines in iOS 5.0.1 and will get fixed at some point.
Answer: The iPhone 4s has a Li-ion battery.

Li-ion cannot absorb overcharge, and when fully charged the charge
  current must be cut off. A continuous trickle charge would cause
  plating of metallic lithium, and this could compromise safety.

It's important to know that once the charging process is completed, the battery is never actually full. There's always a bit of 'space' left. If you keep reconnecting your phone and charging it again for several times, you can increase the charge. This is called bump charging.
I would assume that Apple engineers changed the calcuation for the saturation of charge. The way the iPhone 4s behaves now is what the Nexus S has had already:

Once the battery is 'full' (=current cut off) the saturation
  is recalculated to represent the actual charge.

I'm sure Apple wanted to show the 100% in the past in order to mute customer worries. However, this 'new' behavior is totally normal and more realistic.
For more infos about Li-ion battery, and measuring charge saturation see this link.
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/charging_lithium_ion_batteries

Charge % less than 100% even overnight?


Do iOS devices have a pop-up Japanese-English Dictionary like on the Macintosh?

Question: On the Mac if you three-finger tap a word, a dictionary definition appears. I'd like to know if I would be able to get this on an iPad specifically for the Japanese dictionaries.
Answer: Yes, on iPad on iOS5.1.1. At the moment, I am having trouble getting the same functionality on iPhone on iOS6.0.1, though. Japanese dictionary is there, but I can't get the English-Japanese one. Your mileage may vary, of course.

EDIT May 27 2013: To restore Japanese<->English dictionary, you will need to jailbreak the device and delete the Japanese<->Japanese dictionary. These dictionaries conflict, and the Japanese<->Japanese dictionary wins almost every time.
I have also asked if it is possible to only temporarily jailbreak an iOS 6.1.2 iPhone 4 for purposes of removing the mentioned dictionary. As of the time of this edit, this has not been answered; I am nonetheless linking to that question in case someone answers it by the time someone reads this.
Comment: As far as I can determine, the translation dictionary for Japanese was dropped in iOS 6, or is no longer accessible. There have been various complaints in the ASC.
Comment: @TomGewecke Someone posted on ASC that Apple Support told them it's a bug. Hopefully that's it -- it's just a bug.
Comment: Yes, hopefully that means they will fix it.  But Apple Support is often clueless when it comes of language issues...
Comment: The translation dictionary has been restored in iOS 7, but many users complain that it has to be repeatedly downloaded and will not stay permanently active on the device.


Finding a match immediately after another match

Question: I'm writing a syntax highlighter for my test script output. I'm having problems figuring out how to find a match immediately after another match. In the screenshot, notice the $VAR1... is not highlighted at the bottom of the screenshot.
The warning region overlaps the dump region by one character so I try to back up the warning region by one character but it doesn't work. Maybe I'm misunderstanding how that is supposed to work. Here is my script:
syn match Good "^ok "
syn match Bad  "^not ok "
syn region okline contains=Good start="^ok" end="\n"
syn match comment "^#.*\n"
syn region dump start="^$VAR" end="\s\+};\n\|;\n"
syn region warning contains=Bad start="^not ok" end="^[^#]"re=e-1,he=e-1
syn match divider "----*"
hi Good cterm=bold ctermfg=Green
hi swear ctermbg=red
hi divider cterm=bold ctermfg=yellow ctermbg=black
hi dump ctermfg=LightBlue
hi okline ctermfg=Green
hi comment ctermfg=Cyan
hi warning cterm=bold ctermfg=Red
hi big_warning cterm=bold ctermfg=Red
hi Bad cterm=bold ctermfg=Red

Answer: Stumbled on the answer after some more searching:
syn region warning contains=Bad start="^not ok" end="^\ze[^#]"re=e-1,he=e-1
Had to slap a \ze in there. See Can vim syntax regions be made to touch/overlap? for reference.


My Middle Name Is Amara And I Want To Add It To My Book

Question: I'm writing a series that has to do with vampires. My middle name is Amara, and I personally find that name really, really pretty. I wanted to add it to my book as the name of the main character but I remembered that one of the dopplegangers in The Vampire Diaries is named Amara. I don't want to get into trouble or anything. Would it be okay to use that name since it's still a name that belongs to me personally, even if it was used in another book series/show?
Comment: names can't be copyrighted, so then your just looking at plagarism if it gets too similar. you should be fine.
Answer: There exist Harry Mason & Harry Potter both are Harry. We have similar fist names out there that can create an issue what you do not want to do is copy the exact name unless the character is free use/public domain.
If you are concerned you can ask a lawyer but I do not think two first names with the same spelling is the issue however it sounds like your real issue is can two Vampire books have characters who have the same first name? The issue being of similar type of works at face value in the sameway you can't have two retail stores that sell clothing named Jamie's Closet. I could however have a retail clothing store & a band both named that because they are not the same thing.
My example Harrys above is of a video game character the other began as a book character so they are technically different. Even after Harry Potter became a video game character there was no issue but this could also be time & genre Mason comes from horror while Harry is child adventure.
If you like play on the name you can try Omara, Omarra,Amarah, Amarra, Ahmara, Umarra. Marra, or Emarra for examples you can also just pair the first with a last name that is truly separate like Amara Stone or Amara Crossglow.
Keep in mind appearances if both women have black hair and the Vampire Dairies has long you might want to change the look of yours with short black hair or she has a streak of red in her hair or iconic earrings just to make sure Vampire Dairies can't come hit you with a lawsuit because they've found too many similarities between your Amara and their Amara.
Lawsuits have gone off because a gag version character is to similar (kind of the point to convey the gag) but on it's own I do not think two Amara's existing in Vampire fictions is a stand alone issue it's the other factors like look, powers, traits that up your chances of them being angry with you.
Answer: I use this example a lot because it touches on this when it deliberately was used, but I know of two characters who were named to deliberately invoke famous characters for humor or for background purposes.
The first is the Happy Day's character Ralph Malph (pronounced similar to Mouth).  When discussed with the other characters, a recurring gag was that his father was Mickey Malph and his mother was Minnie Malph.  The gag of course was that their names were very similar to Mickey and Minnie Mouse (Ralph and his parents were all portrayed as having a very broad sense of humor.)  Here it was mostly used for a gag (Mickey Malph got further name-checked in a Simpsons episode, where he is listed as "an original character" just like Sherry Bobbins [Mary Poppins] and Monald Muck.)
On a more serious side, the Degrassi: The Next Generation character James Tiberius "JT" York shares a similar sounding name to Captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise James Tiberius Kirk (Tiberius being a rather unusual name most famously prior to Kirk used by a Roman Emperor who wasn't all that interesting).   In the show, as is my understanding, it's explained that JT's parents were both Canadian nerds and named their kid after the sci-fi icon famously played by Canadian actor William Shatner.   Here the similarities between the two characters begins and ends with the name.  JT has very little personality wise in common with Captain Kirk, is an average teen in late 00s Canada, and is so embarrassed by the name he prefers people calling him JT over James or Jimmy.
In both cases the characters are different enough that there was no cause for concern over copyright and as said, names cannot be copyrighted.


Assigning multiple game objects to a single sprite (Unity)

Question: I've been making a pokemon game clone on my own with Unity, as I'm a beginner and just trying to learn. Up until now I've been splicing the town pictures and manually putting them together, but this is extremely time consuming and takes several hours. Unity won't let me drag multiple sprites onto the scene, so I have to find another way. So currently my idea is to keep the image of the town as a single sprite, drag it onto the scene, and break it up into 16x16 pixel game objects, so I can add colliders and triggers and what not to each of the game objects. I found a way on the Internet to break up a single sprite into an array of sprites, but I don't know how to lay them out onto the scene. Can someone point me in the right direction and give some help? Thanks
Comment: Why not create a map editor instead of doing it the hard way? After you've created the map editor, you could save the tiles by giving them all an ID and writing them to a text file to load in the future... It would be a good learning curve and make things easier for you
Answer: It sound to me as though you already have an entire map of the town drawn up and you are trying to break it down into 16px X 16px tiles for the sole purpose of adding triggers and colliders etc.  Why not just keep the map as its own object and put your collider and trigger objects over it where you need them to be?
Really, a tile based map might be better in this case for memory and performance optimization.  There are many free tools to do this already available in Unity's Asset Store.  Or, you could create your own map editor - in the language of your choice, and have it export to a text file so that your games then could import them.
Good luck!
Best Regards,
Ben
Comment: Wait a second, now I have a new problem. I made a tiled map using tiled, but the problem is that the extension '.tmx' isn't supported by unity. Atleast, when I click 'import assets..' and select it, nothing happens. I tried using X-UniTMX but it isn't helping at all. What do I do?
Comment: The [Tiled2Unity](http://www.seanba.com/tiled2unity) utility may help.
Comment: I just tried that, but I'm getting this error when I try to load the .tmx file:                                                  Unhandled exception has occurred in your application. If you click Continue, the application will ignore this error and attempt to continue. If you click quit, the application will close immediately.
Object reference not set to an instance of an object.
Comment: @NewToUnity try http://www.seanba.com/introtiled2unity.html - I have not yet used this plug-in but it does seem worth the while.  Anyway, that link shows how to get a map up and running in no time - step by step.  Happy Coding!  Let me know when you finish up your project and I will test for you :D


Can you omit wearing a yarmulka for a job interview?

Question: When going to a job interview, if a person suspects for whatever reason, that he may be unfairly discriminated against if he wears a yarmulka, is he allowed to omit wearing it? Would this be considered genevas daas?

related 1 and 2
Comment: See this answer to related question 1:http://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/8361/4504
Comment: This underlying halacha is not just pertinent to job interviews. A more general form of the question can include job interviews as an example
Comment: I remember hearing a shiyur on Thanksgiving where the presenter said he got a psak allowing it.
Comment: Rav Moshe Feinstien in Igros Moshe (C"M 1:93 and O"C 4:2) allows one to forego wearing a yarmulke if wearing one would negativly impact his parnassah
Comment: What are you going to do once you get hired?
Comment: Related https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/53715/1516 . Cylor
Comment: מי כעמך כישראל! To ask about gneivas daas from our *haters*, when suffering from their antijudaism!
Answer: Interesting. I don't recall ever seeing this question raised when the poskim talk about not wearing a kippa, which would lead one to say it is not a problem.
There are a couple of points to consider. First of all this would be what we call the viewer tricking himself, which is muttar. By that I mean the boss made an assumption on his own volition without the worker saying a word. Much like a homeowner opening a barrel of wine before his guest and the guest thinks it was done in his honor when in reality the homeowner needed to open it anyways. The gemara says this is muttar.
As long as no steps are taken to trick the one observing such as dying the hair of an old slave to make him look young. The gemara says that is assur. See here for some points http://torah.org/advanced/business-halacha/5757/vol2no30.html
Here in your case there is also a loophole.  If the bossman doesn't want a religious worker, and he thinks that not wearing a kippa makes this worker nonreligious, than he in fact got the exact worker he wanted. Someone he considers irreligious.
Comment: @Shmuel maybe. That loophole was just extra credit. But even if the boss had certain underlying expectations which were never addressed, that would balance out with the hidden kippa which was never discussed. Neither one of them were completely forthcoming.
Comment: Your comparison to opening a barrel of wine would only fit, if he was not going to wear a Kippa/Yarmulka anyhow, and the boss drew wrong conclusions about his level of observance. The question asks about omitting a Kippa/Yarmulka that presumably would have otherwise been worn (even if he is permitted not to wear it), in order to offset the boss's bias, and I would say is more like dying the hair of an old slave to make him look young (assuming dying the hair of a slave is otherwise permissible).
Comment: @Tamir that is a very good point. I was going back and forth about it. But concider this idea which I didn't mention because i couldn't remember where I saw it:) Poskim say painting a used car to look new is as assur as painting the slaves hair. But getting a car wash is fine as you didn't change anything, you just removed the dirt and made it presentable. Now, what would you compare the removal of the kippa to?
Comment: Equating the removal of a kippa to the washing of a car would work only if the person did it for all job interviews, regardless of how the perspective boss would be affected by it, e.g. if there were rules of etiquette that discouraged wearing a kippa at a job interview. Not wearing a kippa, where he otherwise would have, is not like painting a car in order to sell it, but like changing the auto body of a car in order to sell it to someone who doesn't like one's make of corresponding chassis. Also, in general, I don't think presentibility is a good enough reason to not wear a kippa.
Answer: From the discussion of Rav Aviner it would seem that wearing a kippah at all times is an obligation. He discusses possible dispensation for a life-threatening situation, but the implication is that otherwise it would be forbidden to omit it.

A Kippah is an absolute obligation.  A Kippah is of great importance.  Our Sages explain that a Kippah is meant to instill fear of Hashem within us and is a sign that the Master of the Universe is above us (Shabbat 156b.  Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 3:6).  According to the Achronim, it is even more of an obligation in our times, since wearing a Kippah has been accepted by Torah observant people (Shut Meharshal #72.  Shulchan Aruch Ha-Rav 2:6 based on accepted Jewish practice.  And some say not wearing a Kippah is imitating non-Jewish practice.  Shut Chatam Sofer, Choshen Mishpat #191).


How to create a url link file in Android?

Question: In windows, we can create a .url file to link to a website. How can I do this on Android? I want to send some links to my Android device from my PC.
Answer: It depends on what you would like to achieve.
If you want to just send a link from your computer to your Android device you have several possibilities:

Send an email to yourself containing the URL. Of course you need to have that email account synched on your Android phone. Then open the mail there and click on the link. Admittedly, this is a not very elegant approach
Another approach is to use Chrome2Phone. It consists of a mobile app and a Google Chrome extension that adds a button to your Chrome browser. By clicking on that button, a link of the currently open tab will be sent to your mobile phone and directly opened there on the browser. Here's a Youtube video that explains how to set it up: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQb243niMlg

If you want to have links on your Android homescreen, you may create bookmarks in your Android Browser and then add them by long-pressing on the homescreen, then choosing "Shortcuts" followed by "Bookmark"
Comment: Cannot run chrome2phone in China. the appspot site has been blocked by GFW
Answer: Numerous alternative solutions here.
Answer: In Jelly Bean, create links as follows:

Create a Bookmark in your browser.
Go into apps list and click widgets tab.
Scroll to Bookmarks widget and press and hold, then drop on home screen where desired.
When asked, select browser bookmark to associate with
bookmark widget.

Works on Atrix2, YMMV.
Comment: Yeah -- but that creates a shortcut on the homescreen. OP wants to share a link to his PC, which doesn't work this way.
Answer: A very nice solution I use daily is Pocket. Several apps support it directly, and for others it's available via the "Share" menu. You can think of that like "bookmarks in the cloud".
On the PC, you can access your "Pocket bookmarks" via their web service using any browser, or use the Pocket addon (available e.g. for Firefox). I cannot think of an easier way to share links between the two devices!


Questionable borders on seazone 3

Question: When my friends and I play Axis & Allies 1942 we have trouble distinguishing a couple borders along seazone 3, pictured below. In each case you can see a little sliver of land that is barely touching seazone 3, one in the UK and the other in Karelia. However, the other seazone-territory borders are pretty clearly indicated, so do we assume UK and Karelia are not intended to border seazone 3 because they are not as clear as others?
Answer: As per the official FAQ here

Q: Does Sea Zone 3 connect to the United Kingdom?
  A: Yes,

If my memory serves correctly, that is Scapa Flow.
Comment: Thanks for the reference. Based on the ruling about sea zone 17 and Algeria in that FAQ, which is a similar situation to sea zone 3 and Karelia, I'm going to go with no intended connection on that side.
Comment: Good answer. Don't you think that's kind of ridiculous?  I love the game, but there are many flaws with the 1942 SE map. The worst of which is how small some of the territories are.
Answer: I know that sea zone 14 does not connect to balkans (Saw that on the official site) and what you show here is kind of the same thing so i wouldnt consider them as connecting. So i would say no it dosnt connect
Comment: Could you cite where you saw that?

Questionable borders on seazone 3


Metal door frame; the screwholes holding the strike plates are stripped out. What to do?

Question: As the title states, the screw holes in my metal door frame are stripped out and do not hold the screws for my strike plates.  The door is a finely made iron and glass door (heavy), but the metal for the frame is fairly thin.  I thought about doing a helicoil, but I think the metal may still be too thin to hold a good coil.  Any ideas on a solution that will look good (this is my entry door)?  Thanks!
Answer: If you have sufficient space behind the material in which the hole has stripped, you may be able to make use of a rivnut. It's a threaded insert which matches the required threads (machine screw, not sheet metal or wood screw) and requires a larger hole to be drilled. Once inserted, the tool compresses the back side in the same manner as a pop-rivet or blind rivet and secures the threaded portion for return to normal use.

The image above shows a metric version available from Amazon.com, but SAE sizes are also common enough. Some tools for installation can be expensive, or as simple as a wedge with a bolt to apply the proper force.

The above, also from Amazon.com is obviously not a wedge type, but is not the hundred dollar version.
Answer: Can you use a tap and die set to enlarge the hole to the next size that would work and upsize the hole in the strike plate to accommodate a larger diameter screw for the upsized hole?


How can I ask for a UK 2-year visa for a 6-month visit?

Question: I want to request a 2-year visitor visa but will only stay continuously for 6 months in one visit. Where can I choose this option in the visa application?
Comment: @Uma How often would you plan to return and will this be your first application for a UK visit visa? It's probably unlikely you'd get approval for a 2 year multiple entry visa, they usually look for a good travel history before granting a longer-term Visit visa.
Comment: Welcome to TSE, Uma. Could you please add to which country you're apply for a visa? If it is to a Schengen country, you could look [at this question](https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/116303/how-to-mention-the-period-of-validity-of-a-schengen-visa-in-the-application-form) to see whether it helps answer your question.
Comment: applying for UK family visitor visa
Comment: Your question says visit visa; why the Family visa? Do you have a relative there (partner, spouse, child, parent there)?  If not, or if you plan to be there for 6 months or less, the Standard Visit Visa might be more suitable. You wouldn't want to risk a refusal.
Comment: My children living there I have been there few times on 6 months visa and returned on time. If I can get for 2 years it will save my time visiting to visa application centre.
Answer: When you apply for the UK Standard Visit Visa, either online or in paper form, you will be asked for how long you want your visa to be valid (6 months, 2 years, 5 years, 10 years). This visa replaced what was referred to as the Family Visitor Visa (among others).
You would be charged the corresponding fee:

Standard Visitor visa: £93
Long-term Standard Visitor visa: 2 years £350; 5 years £636; 10 years £798
Comment: Hi I Couldn't see any where in the application requesting to enter how long you want your visa to be valid it is only asking under travel information date you will arrive in the UK and the date you will leave the UK is this where  need to request 2 year valid visa. Please advice me.
Comment: Look at [the form](https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/589170/VAF1-visitandshorttermstay.pdf) and you'll see *How long do you want your visa to be valid for?*
Comment: Thank you Giorgio , this question is not on the on line application I do not know why


Kinship question regarding 1st cousin family

Question: I just recently connected with a 1st cousin and his mother who the family lost track of due to circumstances. My uncle divorced and met a woman who he fathered a child with. The day before said child was born my uncle died in an accident. The mother and her son stayed with my grandmother for almost a years time before leaving and that was the last I saw of them for 25+ years. I just reconnected through the power of the internet. When I was little we wondered if this woman would be our aunt. Does her being the mother of my 1st cousin make her my aunt? She is family regardless but my curiosity demands getting an answer to technically what her title would be.
Comment: I think genealogically speaking (on a family tree or pedigree), she is your aunt by 'marriage' to your uncle (regardless of the technicalities of not having a marriage certificate or having officially registered the marriage with the state), or simply the mother of your cousin. But the question would probably be best answered on the Genealogy SE. https://genealogy.stackexchange.com/
Comment: Why do you think that has a place at English Language Users or even English Language Learners, please?

Other than lack of clarity in your description, where is there a problem?

Your uncle divorced and met a woman with whom he fathered a child and then what, please?

Your uncle is the brother - otherwise the husband of the sister of one of your parents. Is that complicated?

Of course being the mother of your first cousin makes her your aunt. How could you doubt that?

When you asked your search engine about familial relationship, what did it leave unclear, please?
Answer: English does not make any distinction between aunts and uncles by blood or by marriage. The spouses of your parents' siblings are your aunts and uncles, and that relationship does not cease upon the death of your blood relative. Thus the mother of your first cousin, your uncle's widow, is still your aunt. If she wishes to make a distinction between you and her siblings' children, however, she might introduce you as your late uncle's nephew.


How can I make a stock image look more amateur in Photoshop?

Question: I'm working on a project where we need to include pictures of people, however, they need to look as if they were taken on a lower resolution cell phone, like an iPhone. How can I work with stock images in PS to accomplish this?
Answer: Simply changing the image resolution, even adding fake aberration, won't change the lens's focal length. Phones look like they do because they have really short lenses - the famous selfie 'big nose, little ears' look - because you have to get far too close to crop to only the face. These things are designed to do that at arm's length.
You cannot alter the perspective after the fact; you can only do that by moving the camera before taking the picture. You can correct to give some fake lens distortion, but your backgrounds will look to be at the wrong distance.
People do tend to get a bit upset if it's discovered phone photos weren't actually taken on a phone. There's been a lot of this recently - one story from the original photographer about a photo used by Samsung, pretending it was from a phone... Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone's "Portrait Mode" Google has many more examples.


Is there an easy way to do referrer based advertising?

Question: This a bit of a weird question so please let me know if you need more information.
For a side project I am working on I need to ability to generate advertising on a specific page based on a specified domain. I have looked a bit and haven't found anything that really fits this so I'm hoping someone here has a service like this or can push me in the correct direction. I'm not super interested in finding my own advertiser/rolling my own solution currently (not to say it wont happen in the future), looking for more of an out of the box solution.
Clarification: The advertising on this page will be generated based upon the referral URL. So in other words instead of the advertising content being contextual to the page it is delivered on.. it is contextual to a domain/URL.
TYIA
Comment: Do you mean, you want to have different advertisers for different referrers? Like AdSense for people coming from site X and AdBrite for users coming from site Y?
Answer: adsense and doubleclick already have something similar.  Lets say you go to shopify.com, chances are you will see shopify ads served by google on sites you visit.  They do it based on cookies.
You can do a request referrer and show ads based on who the referrer is yourself.


Automate exporting sites from production to development

Question: I have an existing SharePoint 2010 site. I am going to start doing some development but want to take a copy of live onto dev so I can develop against that. Is there a way I can do it. If I could automate it that would be great. So i can do the same in the future as production gets out of sync.
Answer: Do you physically have a development environment and a production environment, or are they just separate web applications?
In environments where you have two separate environments I usually use the content database to copy production back to dev. Ask your admin/DBA to copy the content database from production to dev, and add that content DB to the environment.
You can also take the approach of making a site backup or export using STSADM or PowerShell and restoring it to the other URL in dev.
Comment: Different environments. Does the content DB contain all the permissions?
Comment: Yes, your content database will bring over a mirror of the site collection(s) inside that content database... permissions, content, objects, etc. The only pieces that won't come with it are features or anything that's deployed to the 14 hive. You'll want to install those first.

Each web app has one or more content databases, so if you're looking at bringing over a specific site collection you'll have to move that to its own content DB first (via PowerShell). When you add the content database to the farm you'll specify the web application that it will be put on.
Answer: You should backup the content database from production and restore it on your dev server.
Backup content database
Restore content database
Note: You'll need a web application to restore the content database to. Here are the simple steps if you're using SQL Server to do the backup/restore:

Backup the content database using SQL Server Management Studio
Restore the database on your dev SQL Server using SQL Server Management Studio
Create a new web application on your dev server
Remove its content database
Add the content database into the newly created web application using stsadm addcontentdb or Powershell Mount-SPContentDatabase


What do I do when my Nikon D7100 memory card access light remains on even when the camera is off and the camera does not function?

Question: My new Nikon D7100 has stopped working. I reinserted a SD card (having uploaded the images to my computer) into the camera slot, as usual, and then tried to format as usual — but something has happened somewhere. The memory access light is staying on even when the camera is switched off. I have tried the card in another camera and it works okay. I have tried it in the No. 2 slot, but it's still not working. Have I made things worse by taking card out whilst the light is on?
Can you help me?
thanks for any help
Veronica
Comment: Different Nikon camera model, but the same problem: http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/42606/nikon-d90-back-led-keep-blinking/42614#42614
Comment: This issue has cropped up before with Nikon cameras. It has something to do with the spring loaded part of the on-off switch. Let me see if i can find a link somewhere...
Comment: Hard to tell but have you tried removing the battery for a few seconds? Try that first and see if the camera operates normally without the card (obviously outside of shooting). Then put the card in. Finally try another card after doing the battery-removal thing.
Answer: This may or may not be the issue with your D7100, but the Nikon (Blinking) Green Light of Death has cropped up on several previous Nikon models. Some folks have reported this fix:

Turn the camera off, then pull the power switch all the way past On over to the lightbulb.
Hold it there for a few seconds with your fingernail, then pull your fingernail straight off of it so that it 'flicks' back using the force of the spring. It should have enough energy from the spring to 'flick' all the way back to Off.
Here's a link to one discussion at dpreview.com that discusses the issue and this solution.

Other online reports say that pressing the shutter button while the camera is off will stop the problem.
Others report the same problem but the 'switch flick' didn't work for them and the camera had to be repaired by a Nikon service center. Usually one of several circuit boards has been replaced. It is usually the same board for each particular model with the (B)GLoD problem.
For more, please see this answer to What to do when my Nikon DSLR back LED keeps blinking, draining the battery quickly?
Answer: Resolving a steady, non-blinking, "green light of death" on Nikon D7100
After removing and reinserting the memory card with the camera on (by mistake), the green light stayed on, and screen on the top of the camera remained blank, no matter what I tried to do to fix it.
Finally had success with the following sequence, which is what Nikon recommends after upgrading firmware:

Turn camera on then off again
wait 5 seconds
remove battery or disconnect from AC
wait a bit
put battery back in
turn camera on

After this sequence, the camera functioned normally again.
If it doesn't work, do not despair. The procedure may have to be repeated multiple times with the battery left in or out for different amounts of time, as in the experience reported at Nikon D7100 Green Light Stay On (Steady) When Off And Can't Be Turned On.


Did the US government profit from any of the military hardware they gave to the Afghan government?

Question: The US government gave a lot of military aid to the Afghan government and even helped them maintain many of the equipment through western contractors. Did they ever get the full or partial price for any of the tanks, hardware, fighter planes or was it all given to the Afghan army as aid?
Answer: Considering that the West subsidized the Afghan government, any payment would have been an accounting fiction. Something like half the government budget was aid in recent years. Afghanistan had several billion dollars trade deficit per year. So any money the Afghans might have had to pay could not have been earned in-country.
The US government "profiting" is a strange way to look at it. The US taxpayer paid the DoD to give equipment to the Afghan army, so the DoD purchased it from defense industries (many of the American), so those industries made profits which got taxed -- to some degree -- in the US.
The Afghan air force had no fighters, by the way. They had transport and ground attack planes and helicopters. I'm not aware of any tanks, either, unless they kept some Soviet relics running.
Comment: It seems to make sense that the Afghan air force had no tanks. An air force needs ground defenses to protect their operations. Tanks seem to be more of an offensive division, not one protecting the current deployment.
Comment: @doneal24, I'm not aware of any new tanks in the Afghan **army**. Unlike, say, Iraq or Egypt or other recipients of US aid.