How fast can lawmakers go from ideas to laws?

Question: How fast can the idea for a law become a law?  What's the theoretical limit?  Assume that everyone is in agreement.
Answer: Assuming everyone is in agreement, including the president, less than a day. Assuming there is one person in disagreement in the House Senate, about a week. Assuming there is one person in disagreement in both chambers and the president opposes it, approximately 3 weeks. If more than two-fifths of the members of Senate oppose a bill, a really long time.
In both the House and Senate there is a procedure called suspension of the rules. This procedure requires two-thirds vote.
This is the House Rule:

(a) A rule may not be suspended ex- cept by a vote of two-thirds of the Members voting, a quorum being present. The Speaker may not enter- tain a motion that the House suspend the rules except on Mondays, Tuesdays,
  and Wednesdays and during the last six days of a session of Congress.
(b) Pending a motion that the House suspend the rules, the Speaker may en- tertain one motion that the House ad- journ but may not entertain any other motion until the vote is taken on the suspension.
(c) A motion that the House suspend the rules is debatable for 40 minutes, one-half in favor of the motion and one-half in opposition thereto.

Essentially when this motion is in order and there is support of at least two-thirds or members, the bill can be passed in 40 minutes. If it is not in order, the House can ask for unanimous consent to pass the bill, which means barring any objections by the members, the bill passes.
The Senate could do the same under their suspension rules. The Senate rules require a day's notice to suspend the rules. See below:

No motion to suspend, modify, or amend any rule, or any part thereof, shall be in order, except on one day's notice in writing, specifying precisely the rule or part proposed to be suspended, modified, or amended, and the purpose thereof. Any rule may be suspended without notice by the unanimous consent of the Senate, except as otherwise provided by the rules.

Thus it would take a day to pass through the Senate. However, if no Senator opposes the measure, the measure can be passed immediately through unanimous consent.
After both the House and Senate pass the bill, the President would need to sign it. If he does it immediately becomes law, otherwise he can delay it, for up to 10 days when it becomes a law OR he can veto it, upon which the bill will return to its original house. If there is any objection by any of the members both houses will have to go through their suspension rules again, which could take another week.
As a side note, the Senate has no restrictions on debate, except by three-fifths vote. In such a scenario where more than two-fifths oppose a bill, the opposition can just continue to debate the bill and in the end, it will never pass because it will never be voted on.


Physical characteristics of the four varnas

Question: Is there any description of the physical characteristics of the four varnas in  Scriptures?
Answer: From part of the Mahabharata:

The Yaksha asked,—"By what, 0 king, birth, behaviour, study, or learning doth a person become a Brahmana? Tell us with certitude!" Yudhishthira answered,-"Listen, 0 Yaksha! It is neither birth, nor study, nor learning, that is the cause of Brahmanahood, without doubt, it is behaviour that constitutes it. One's behaviour should always be well-guarded, especially by a Brahmana. He who maintaineth his conduct unimpaired, is never impaired himself. Professors and pupils, in fact, all who study the scriptures, if addicted to wicked habits, are to be regarded as illiterate wretches. He only is learned who performeth his religious duties. He even that hath studied the four Vedas is to be regarded as a wicked wretch scarcely distinguishable from a Sudra if his conduct be not correct. He only who performeth the Agnihotra and hath his senses under control, is called a Brahmana!"

From the above extract and the fact Yudhiṣṭhira did not tell a single full lie in his entire life, there can be no doubt that the Varṇas have no physical form whatsoever. I believe there is a slight mistranslation as it should probably read worse than a Śūdra, as the Cāturvarṇa (Cāturvarṇya?) names are all positive.
P.S. Varṇis do have a physical form, which is why Sāvarṇi is named Sāvarṇi and not Sāvarṇa. Sāvarṇa and Sāvarṇi do not come from the same source otherwise the "i" would be transformed. Being Sāvarṇa in the sense Sāvarṇi is Sāvarṇi is not possible. From subtle to gross, it goes Varṇa, then Varṇya, then Varṇi
P.P.S. The entire Yakṣa Praśna is basically showcasing the nature of a Brāhmaṇa, is short and a very good read, so you should read it yourself.
P.P.P.S. It also seems to be the only known mention of the still unnamed Yakṣopendra (I believe it is Yakṣopendra, as opposed to Yakṣopeṇdra and Indra is a Tatpuruṣa compound, but I could be wrong) (which raises a ton more questions) and is part of the engaging sub-plot of Yudhiṣṭhira secretly being a Brāhmaṇa, which makes it one of the most important stories in the entire Mahābhārata.
Comment: May I just point out the elephant in the room? Why does the Yakṣa say us?
Comment: What is varni ?
Comment: By looking at http://sanskritdictionary.com/, it seems Varṇi's general meaning is something like the colours, such as those used in a colour coding system. Anyway, from Sāvarṇi's name and various Kali Yuga prophecies, it seems the implication is that Varṇi means the traits, such as physical gender, skin colour, or clan, or any physical marker that can be used to categorise people, places or anything else.


Linux: Is it safe to have Tor run by the www-data user?

Question: I am running Tor via a PHP exec() and therefore its instance and data directory will be owned by 'www-data'. Is this OK to do or is there a better way I should be doing this?
Answer: Supposing you're hosting other sites under the www-data user, it is not a very safe configuration.
I'd suggest you deploy the PHP site via FastCGI so that it runs under a dedicated user account. You can also consider using sudo to launch the external command under different user (you'll need to configure /etc/sudoers with NOPASSWD switch for this particular command).


Which type of control unit used in modern processor?

Question: Is it hard wired CU or microprogramed?
Comment: I'm not sure computer engineering is on-topic here. At any rate, I believe that the question can be answered by browsing Wikipedia.
Answer: x86 are famous for using microcode, because there are a few complex operations, such as call gates or how the x87 calculates sines or exponentials, which cannot be reasonably constructed with a simple finite state machine. x86 also have very extensive patching resources, which allows to fix some bugs on released silicon, and which is probably handled through microcode (Some hints are probably in the patents from Intel and AMD).
Small ARM CPUs don't need and don't use microcode. The "R" and "M" classes.
High end ARMs such as Apple's... Who knows ? Besides the visible instruction set, there are also many hidden stuff, for example for debugging, self-testing the hardware and for power management, which may be based on microprograms.
The general trend nowadays, is that, even in x86, the instructions that need performance are decoded directly which is faster and more power efficient that fetching microcode memory.
Answer: Have a look at this article from 2010: https://www.realworldtech.com/sandy-bridge/ describing a popular real-world processor.
Even in 2010, "hardwired control unit vs. microprogrammed" doesn't make sense anymore. The model where the processor reads an instruction, then executes it, isn't how processors are implemented anymore.
Comment: One point that's worth emphasising is that as well as global instruction handling, modern CPUs have a lot of local control problems. For example, floating point functional units may need extra control to handle unusual cases such as underflow. No modern CPU designer would turn away microcode if it turned out to be the best solution in these situations.


How to add a child after booking a train ticket (for India)

Question: I booked a ticket for my family online, but when I was filling the form I forgot to give details of my niece - he is less than 3 year old. Is it necessary to provide the details, and if yes, than kindly tell me where it is possible after booking and how.
If this is not possible, will we run into any problem?
Answer: Children under the age of 6 are carried without any charge on Indian Railways. Though, it is always better to give details of children while booking a ticket, you will not run into any problem while traveling.
You will not be able to add the name of the child after booking the ticket. Changing the name of the passengers is allowed in certain cases with a payment only at the ticketing counters (I am not aware of the exact rules behind that).


Should I Get the Paint Job Touched Up

Question: My wife's bike recently got scraped up and the paint got scratched down to the frame. It's an alloy frame. Should she be concerned about rust or any kind of damage? If so, do we need to get it repainted? There are about three scratches, each about half the size of a dime.
Comment: Aluminum won't rust. If your bike doesn't have dings and scratches, you're not riding it enough. :)
Comment: Paint?  Bikes have paint??  (If the scratches are down to the metal it's wise to cover them with something -- touch-up paint from an auto parts store, eg.  But the world won't end if you don't do this -- the bike might become too rusty in 20 years vs 30.)
Answer: Chromoly can rust. Aluminum usually doesn't unless you're riding in the ocean. Cheapest fix is probably some automotive touch-up paint; sand / clean the area (scuff the surrounding paint up a little), apply a coat, wet sand, repeat. Won't be perfect but it'll protect the underlying metal from rusting.
Of course, if you want that perfect "unblemished" look you're probably going to have to plump for a professional (read: take your bike completely apart, sandblast frame, re-paint, put all components back on). Unless you're looking for an excuse to get a completely amazing custom paint job. At which point I'd recommend finding a good powder coat shop; my mountain bike's (chromoly frame) is powder coated and has held up really, really well over the years.
Comment: Is it an "A-6 quaternary phase _aluminum_ alloy"? That's what most of the frames I've seen have. If it's an aluminum alloy I wouldn't worry about rusting (again, unless you're riding in the ocean).

I think it's technically possible to have a quaternary iron phase alloy but it's almost impossible to generate the 1.21 jiggawatts to power it. Never mind getting it up to 88 mph.
Comment: So, are chromoly and aluminum alloy two different things?  Her bike is listed as A-6 quaternary phase alloy.
Comment: Also (sorry - just re-read your question) chomoly and aluminum _are_ different. Chrome / molybdium steel alloy vs. aluminum alloy (i.e., aluminum with other metals for hardness, flexibility, etc.)
Answer: I have had good luck with hobby paints. Most are enamel so they are durable. The cost is generally under $2 USD for a ½ ounce bottle.
You custom match your color by mixing paint in small amounts. My buddy has a Diamondback. His color is three drops of blue with one drop of black. You can experiment to find the right combinations. Always allow the test sample to dry as the color may change. This can be sped up by using a hair dryer on low setting.
Lightly sand the damaged area with very fine sandpaper, and wipe it with a solvent (rubbing alcohol works fine). Apply the paint with an artist brush. If the area was the result of cables rubbing, cover it with a patch of clear chainstay-protecting tape.
Answer: A cheap solution to stop the metal below the scratch corroding is to coat the scratches with clear / colourless nail varnish.
Comment: Related - nail polish tends to come in a massive swathe of different colours, so there's an excellent chance of finding a good match.   Also, they frequently come in a screw-top bottle with an applicator brush in the lid, so other than cleaning/sanding the area to be painted, there's no cleanup of brushes etc.   Its also quick drying, so you can dab on a coat every 5 minutes until the colour is deep enough.
Answer: I have a powder-coated Brompton, that recently had small areas (~2mm) of the finish rubbed down to the steel by cable housings. To deal with this (the area was spotless, the cables had the steel polished bright), I just applied touch-up paint, and let it dry for days. I will smooth it with 1000-grit sandpaper, then apply helicopter tape once this is done.
As others have noted, if the frame is aluminum, it's primarily an aesthetic choice. But for steel-framed bikes, it's a necessity.

Should I Get the Paint Job Touched Up


I have mistakenly sent my LTC to (M) address instead of (3) address

Question: I have mistakenly sent my litecoins to (M) as the starting letter of the address, whereas the Litecoin address now has changed to (3) as the starting letter. So can anyone help me to recover this?
Answer: Litecoin was having issues with users confusing Bitcoin and Litecoin addresses. To that end, they introduced a new address format for Pay-to-Script-Hash (P2SH) addresses. This new address format encodes the address with an M prefix rather than the original 3 prefix which is also used by Bitcoin's P2SH address format.
As any underlying address can be expressed in either address format, each address with an M prefix has an equivalent address with a 3 prefix. They simply are two different encodings of the same P2SH address.
Check out the address in question on the CryptoId block explorer for example:

When you search the address in question on this block explorer, you should be able to see both the M address that you meant to send to as well as the 3 address that your address now changed to, just like for the random example in the image.
 A transaction output will arrive in the same wallet with either of these two addresses given as destination.
Answer: Litecoin addresses have not changed to (3). its just SegWit address.
if you've sent funds to (M) Address so the receiver should have it now.
Comment: Adresses that start with `M` or `3` are not Segwit, but P2SH. ;)
Comment: Well, there are two types of segwit addresses: Native segwit has its own address format (Bech32), and the earlier one more widely deployed is actually P2SH-P2WSH, i.e. a witness script wrapped by a P2SH, so it's not strictly false, it's just that these segwit addresses are a subset of all P2SH and the other segwit addresses aren't P2SH at all. ;)
Comment: Yeah :D, I don't know why I always fail with this mistake, Maybe because P2SH addresses start with 3 as Segwit


PCl3 vs SCl2 boiling point

Question: Why does sulfur dichloride have a lower boiling point than phosphorus trichloride? Is it to do with the higher number of electrons causing stronger id-id interactions in PCl3, or do we need to compare pd-pd interactions also?
Answer: I think you're looking down the wrong path to explain this. Boiling point can often be explained by looking at the interactions between molecules such as hydrogen bonding, dipole-dipole interactions, and london forces, as well as overall molecular mass. I would explain this phenomenon by looking at two data points for each molecule. The dipole of $\ce{SCl2}$ is 0.4 Debye and the dipole of $\ce{PCl3}$ is approximately 0.780 Debye.$\ce{^{1,2}}$ Based on  this alone, I would expect $\ce{PCl3}$ to have a higher boiling point. If you also look at the mass of each molecule, 102.97 g/mol for $\ce{SCl2}$ and 137.33 g/mol $\ce{PCl3}$, it becomes pretty clear which substance one should predict to have the higher boiling point. It's $\ce{PCl3}$.
Ref 1. http://openmopac.net/PM7_accuracy/data_molecules/sulfur%20dichloride_jmol.html
Ref 2. https://cccbdb.nist.gov/diplistx.asp

PCl3 vs SCl2 boiling point


US38119 Patent Title

Question: I would like to know where the title "improvement in drill-bit" came from in US38119, the applicant or the USPTO. Nowhere in the text does the applicant refer to the device as a drill-bit.
Answer: In general, a patent examiner may suggest or require an applicant to change the title of a patent in order to make it more descriptive of the claimed invention.

606.01   Examiner May Require Change in Title [R-11.2013]

Where the title is not descriptive of the invention claimed, the examiner should
    require the substitution of a new title that is clearly indicative of
    the invention to which the claims are directed. Form paragraphs 6.11
    and 6.11.01 may be used.

In this particular case, given the age of the patent, it is probably pretty difficult to determine whether the title was changed. A twist drill is a type of drill bit, so the title may have been changed to make the patent easier to search. (Especially since at the time searching would have involved leafing through paper copies in a filing cabinet.)
Answer: That patent was published in 1863. It was a simpler time.
But ultimately I'm not really sure what you're asking. The applicant was (probably) the one that came up with the title, but it doesn't strike me as too odd that he used "drill" and "drill bit" interchangeably. That's not super uncommon.

US38119 Patent Title


Are there any creatures that will eat their own limbs or body parts to survive?

Question: I'm curious if there are any insects, bacteria or perhaps even large animals who would bite off their own limbs or body pieces to chew on in the desperate times of hunger.
Answer: What you're describing is actually a well-documented occurrence in individual cells and single-celled organisms. The phenomenon is called autophagy, and Wikipedia has a page about it here. The basic gist is that when cellular components stop functioning or need to be removed for some other reason, the cell essentially digests those components and reuses their parts to make something else. Cells can also consume themselves to prevent the spread of disease or in the case of extreme starvation, when the extra energy might be needed to keep the organism alive.
Self-cannibalism on the macro scale (larger than single cells) is significantly rarer, but it can and does happen. For example, leopard geckos (and maybe some other lizard species? I'm not sure) regularly eat their own shed skin pieces to conserve energy and nutrients. Sea squirts (a type of marine invertebrates) literally digest their own brains as a part of their life cycle, and apparently, some crickets have been known to consume their own wings. Generally, though, unless the limb in question is already damaged and/or rendered unusable, it would be a waste of energy for its owner to consume it, as the energy spent repairing the damage would likely outweigh the energy gained from its consumption in the first place. That is why it's a relatively rare behavior in multicellular organisms.


Shooting in RAW Format

Question: I have a Pentax K100D Super and am just learning to shoot in RAW Format so far all my photos have come out very white lacking in colour particularly of water and surf
Comment: What's the question? Have you made JPEGs as well? With what software do you view the RAWs?
Comment: Sounds more like an exposure problem than a raw problem. Can you link a sample image?
Comment: Not much point shooting in raw if you don't intend to spend significant time to extract the best picture possible from the raw file. Most cameras can do JPEG+RAW, in which case the raw file can  be seen as a safety belt in case there was a bad setting for some image that makes the camera JPEG unusable  (saved my ass a couple of times with pictures that were either underexposed or with a white balance way off).
Answer: Anytime you open a raw file and look at it on your screen, you are not viewing "THE raw file."¹ You are viewing one among a near-countless number of possible interpretations of the data in the raw file. The raw data itself contains a single (monochrome) brightness value measure by each pixel well. With Bayer masked camera sensors (the vast majority of color digital cameras use Bayer filters) each pixel well has a color filter in front of it that is either 'red', 'green', or 'blue' (the actual 'colors' of the filters in most Bayer Masks are anywhere from a slightly yellowish-green to an orange-yellow for 'red", a slightly bluish-green for 'green' and a slightly bluish-violet for 'blue' - these colors more or less correspond to the center of sensitivity for the three types of cones in our retinas). For a more complete discussion of how we get color information out of the single brightness values measured at each pixel well, please see RAW files store 3 colors per pixel, or only one?
How the image you see on your monitor when you open a raw file will look is determined by how the application you used to open the file interprets the raw data in the file to produce a viewable image. But that is not the "only" way to display "THE original raw file." It's just the way your application - or the camera that produced the jpeg preview attached to the raw file - has processed the information in the raw file to display it on your screen.
¹ Please see: Why are my RAW images already in colour if debayering is not done yet?
For a more comprehensive answer that delves into this even further, and includes a multitude of links to other related questions and answer about raw image files, please see this answer to Why can software correct white balance more accurately for RAW files than it can with JPEGs?
Comment: @IanLelsie Or you could just use an application that actually applies the in-camera settings at the time the photo was taken when it it first opened. Most of the manufacturers' in-house raw conversion applications do this.
Comment: Perfect short description of why. I have a suggestion for how I handle RAW files that does not answer the question but might be of value: Apply some default adjustments on import. What I did in LR and do now in C1 is apply a tweak to the white point, the black point and contrast on import. I do this not for some automatic final product but to help me when I am doing my first pass through the images - they just look better. After I pick the ones I want to work in they get more adjustments that are specific to what that image needs.
Answer: Here's some background on RAW image processing:
When shooting non-RAW, the camera applies "filters" and performs color and white balance correction to the images. For instance, if you press the Info or the button right of OK, you can modify some of these settings.
RAW images get stored without applying any of these settings. The idea is that the software that reads the RAW images on your PC will apply them, under your control. RAW images include your preferences for the filters, white balance and other color settings, but it's up to the PC software to apply them, or not. In the end, you need to understand how to use the PC program to make it apply the colors the way you prefer them. How that's done depends on which program you use.
Please edit your question accordingly to tell us more details (i.e. do not add more comments).

Shooting in RAW Format


How to include "Page Updated" in the footer of my drupal 7 site?

Question: I would like to display a "Page Updated" snippet in the footer of my site. Is there a module which I can use, and then include as a block?
Answer: There is no module specifically to do that. Its very easy todo as you just put the message variable in the bottom of your footer. Just find the message variable in your page.tpl.php file. search for message and copy that $variable to the bottom of the page.
Comment: Thank you. By message, you mean the text "Page last updated" or something else?
Re: message variable
Is this something I need to create, or is it already located somewhere I just need to find it?
Sorry, I am fairly new to all this


Can I filter incoming mail based on membership in a circle?

Question: With the addition of circles to Gmail, I'd like to be able filter emails from members of various circles, ostensibly to apply a label to those emails.  I know I can open a circle and see all the emails involving those contacts, but it's still multiple clicks from there to label those emails.  I would much rather have Gmail do it automatically for me.  How can I do this?  Is it even possible yet?
Comment: You weren't able to filter based on a Contact group before, and it doesn't look like they've added it now that Circles are more-or-less groups. So, as of right now, the answer is: it's not possible.
Comment: The circle **is** the label. In the sidebar, click the down-arrow next to the circle name and select *In message list: Show*.
Comment: Until it gets a little deeper integration, I'm won't be satisfied.  Besides, there's more reasons than labeling to have filtering on circles (and contact groups for that matter).
Answer: According to Google Help circle:circlename is now available as a search operator and can be used in filters.
Comment: For me, if I click on a circle in the sidebar, it will show, e.g., `circle:friends` in the search box and return the correct conversations; BUT if I type `circle:friends` in the searchbox, or any other circle, it returns 0 results! Bug!
Comment: I found what @Ze'ev said to still be true, but if I clicked on the circle to reach the correct view, then I could use the dropdown to create a filter with that, no problem.
Comment: great option is also `has:circle`
Answer: Currently this is not possible, but I am pretty sure it will be. The fact that Circles are even in your Gmail and Google Search Results (Search Plus Your World) represents Google aim to merge all into one single product. I would like to imagine what we are experiencing now is some sort of hybrid beta feature.
Based on the current setup
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#circle/circlename
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#label/labelname

I would like to assume that hopefully in the future that we should be seeing something like
circle:circlename available in search and the filters
Answer: The trick is that you need to use the "includes these words" input box for the circle filter. Full directions below, or skip to #4 if you are at the filter creation popup screen.

Go to the Gmail 'Settings' menu
Click the "Filters and Blocked Addresses Tab"
Scroll to the bottom and click "Create a new filter"
In the "includes these words" box, put in the value "circle:
YourCirleNameHere". Note that this appears to be case sensitive.

From there you can fill in the rest of the filter settings to label or do whatever action you want with the circle's messages
Answer: First of all select the circle you want the person in. Then select any of the mail of that person and  filter messages which have come from that person. After that create a filter and check "Skip the Inbox" and "Also apply filter to matching conversations." This will send all emails from that person into that circle and from the next time any mail from that person will skip the inbox and go directly into that circle.


How should I make my PTFE tube smaller?

Question: So, some background. I bought a e3d Lite6. When assembling the hotend, the PTFE tube does not even go in 1/4th of the way. I found out that the issue was that the PTFE tube was too wide. It measured 4.26mm (outer diameter) and the heat break is only 4.1mm (inner diameter). How should I make my PTFE tube smaller?
Answer: I would advise buying a new tube for a few reasons:

PTFE tubes should be either 4 or 6 mm external diameter (for 1.75 or 3 mm filament respectively).  Chances are that if your external diameter is that much off from the nominal value, the inner diameter will also be inaccurate, and this could cause a lot of problems during printing, as the filament will likely bend slightly and unpredictably within the tube and the pressure in the nozzle will be unstable, as well as retraction may work inconsistently.
A non all-metal extruder is designed with the assumption that the inner and external sections of the PTFE tube are concentric.  This may or may not be the case for your tube, but it is likely that any hand-made modification to the tube will cause the above not to be true.
PTFE tubes are pretty cheap (around 2€ per metre or less, when bought online).

That said, should you still want to manually modify your tube, I would proceed like this (beware: untested!):

Insert the end of the tube onto a drill bit that fits snugly into it.
Insert the drill bit into a drill press or a drill held in a vice or otherwise immobilised.
Let the drill spin the bit/tube at a moderate speed
Move a piece of fine grit paper up and down the portion of the tube on the bit, trying to apply consistent pressure.
Check your progress with a caliper or a micrometer often, and reduce increase the grit while approaching the desired result.

Best luck! :)
Comment: The inner diameter of my PTFE tube is 2.1mm, is that bad?
Comment: Yes it is.  The idea in a bowden extruder is that the tube should add as little mechanical play as possible, so the tube should fit as snug around the filament as possible, without hampering its passage.  If your filament is free to bend/twist within the tube (even if just very slightly) this will have visible repercussions on the quality of your print, as the printer will be unable to keep the pressure in the nozzle at a constant level. BTW: 4.26 and 2.1 seem to indicate a consistent manufacturing error of around +5%.

How should I make my PTFE tube smaller?


Zero placement in transfer function

Question: I have to tune a state space model for certain parameters in Matlab.
The transfer function has to be
$$T(s)=\frac{k_q(1+0.162s)}{s^2+8.23s+67.7}$$
Using the place command, I have been able to place the poles at $$p_{1,2}=-4.115\pm 7.12i$$ with a full state feedback gain of $-280$ and $-28$.
However, I now have to place the zero using a prefilter such that the zero is at $s=-0.6653$ and the system tracks an input signal properly.
I fail to see how a prefilter would affect the enumerator such that the location of the zero can be altered. How can I place the zero?
Answer: Remember that zeros are not global system properties but depend on the specifics of the selected/defined inputs and outputs. One possible way of modifying the zeros in your model is to modify the system inputs or outputs by adding filters, transformations, etc.
In this specific case, try adding a prefilter with the desired zero and optionally additional poles to cancel any existing zeros. Probably not the best approach, and not preferable in a real application, but it should work in this theoretical example.

Zero placement in transfer function


Gas fireplace partially lighting

Question: When I'm lighting my gas fireplace, there are two rows of flames that typically ignite... An upper and lower part. The upper always lights first followed by the bottom. Lately the lower part has not been completely lighting. This morning only a quarter of the bottom lit. Any ideas what the problem is? And do you think there's any safety issue with running it this way temporarily until it is resolved.... It is our only source of heat today until our new furnace is installed
Answer: I find the burner needs maintenance when not burning with all ports, usually the holes are plugged with rust and a wire brush works great to clean, in some cases with heavy cast burners I have needed to poke a steel wire through the holes to clear the debris out. Is there a safety issue? Yes you are not getting proper combustion this can lead to excess gas build up and even higher CO levels, usually burners are easy to clean give it a try with a wire brush and see if that solves the problem, if not a wire or small drill bit can be used to clear the holes.

Gas fireplace partially lighting


What is the amount of silicon in a 1kw panel?

Question: How much silicon is there, in kg, in a 1kw panel? Thanks!
Answer: Fthenakis has published more on the subject than anyone, to my knowledge. His LCA lists a whole bunch of factors, but it's roughly 1.5kg of silicon in the PV itself.
But a module also has 16.1kg of tempered low-iron glass for a 210 Wp panel (p32). Glass is 60-80% silica, and silica is about half and half silicon and oxygen by weight. So there's 5kg - 6.5kg of silicon in the glass.
I'm not sure there is such a thing as a 1kW panel - it would be 5-7 square metres in size.
However, we can consider 1kW to be a useful unit - typically about five panels' worth - and that, very roughly speaking, would be roughly 40kg of silicon.
This isn't a sustainability issue though: not only are silicon cells recyclable, but the earth's crust is about 10% silica - it's one of the most abundant compounds on the planet.
Comment: I'd have to add a caveat to the very informed answer above. There is a difference between the solar silicon and the silica in the glass that is attached to the silicon. The answer given adds up both partial weight of the glass, which just happens to also be made of silica, and the silicon people typically refer to, which is a much smaller amount attached to the glass.
Comment: The discussion re silicon prices has been [moved to chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/38891/discussion-between-energynumbers-and-mustang): further discussion here will be deleted. Please use [chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/38891/discussion-between-energynumbers-and-mustang) for discussion
Answer: I am replying to a necrothread here, but as this is one of the first hits that came up in Google, I'm going to post for future readers.
The number for the cell itself appears to be about 1/2 that mentioned in the answer by EnergyNumbers. According to this calculator at least.
They calculate a typical 6" (153mm) cell of 200um thickness to be 11g. A typical panel is 60 cells, so that would give us about 650g of pSi. Modern panels are around 350W, so around 2kg of pSi.
However, a 2018 report suggests the average thickness of a modern cell is closer to 175um. But they also report directly, 4g per Wp. So then we can directly calculate 4kg per 1000W of panel.
So I think it's safe to say it's somewhere between 2 and 4 kg per kW of panel, and likely closer to the later figure.
Comment: Welcome to Sustainable Living! Thanks for providing a new perspective on this.


What can cause stomach issues in a vegetarian?

Question: I'm curious as to what sorts of viral, bacterial, or otherwise physiological sources could cause stomach discomfort in a vegetarian and in the presence of all of the following (in other words, having utilized): elimination diets, a low carb diet, intermittent fasting and grain elimination.
Comment: I just submitted an edit that makes this question more general while at the same time preserving the list of things you've tried. Keep in mind that this is not a site for personal medical advice-- the way the question is worded now, it's clearly intended as such.
Comment: You may want to edit the question in the way that it will be a general and not personal question (otherwise it may be blocked).
Comment: Your edits were trivial and didn't really change the nature of the question. To make this a general question with relevance to others rather than just a request for personal medical advice relevant only to you, everything except the third paragraph needs to be deleted.
Comment: @Jan done. ....
Comment: @CareyGregory not at all. What if someone else reading this has also tried the things I have? (As most would before resorting to a SE site)... it will stay as it is.
Answer: In vegans who have abdominal bloating/distension and excessive gas but otherwise feel healthy, the cause can be the ingestion of too much:

Soluble fiber from legumes, oats, barley, rye, figs, prunes, artichokes, sweet potatoes, passion fruit, avocadoes (more foods)

(They are other vegan sources of protein, apart from legumes, such as bread, amaranth, cornmeal, kamut, quinoa, nuts, seeds (especially hemp) and hummus, that have less soluble fiber, so they should cause less gas.)

Foods with high fructose/glucose ratio: apples, pears, mangoes, agave, watermelons, honey and foods and beverages sweetened by high fructose corn syrup (in case of fructose malabsorption) (UWHealth, more foods with high F/G ratio)

There can be certain foods that may irritate you from no apparent reason.
Vegans are often not aware of iron deficiency, but this tends to be common and can cause gastrointestinal symptoms.
To check for celiac disease, one could start a complete gluten-free diet after which the symptoms can improve in few weeks.
If nothing of the above helps, the next step can be to check for eventual food allergies (blood and skin tests), intestinal parasites (stool test), etc.
Comment: Where would one acquire such tests? Presumably not over the internet?....
Comment: A gastroenterologist can order tests for celiac disease and fructose malabsorption; an allergologist for food allergies and a primary doctor for blood iron levels and parasites in the stool. Symptoms "dramatically" decreasing on low-calorie diet are probably due to lower amount of soluble fiber ingested. So, one solution to try first can be to get (some) proteins from sources other than legumes. Test kits available on the internet may be unreliable.
Comment: The question is about stomach discomfort, and the answer is about small intestinal issues.
Comment: When I answered, the original question was much longer and is now heavily edited (not by the OP).


12V outdoor lighting power consumption

Question: In an 12v outdoor lighting circuit, is our electrical consumption (our electrical bill) determined by the 50W 12V bulb that is connected to the transformer, or the 300W rated output of the transformer?  I have equally received two answers; i.e.....(1) our electrical usage is based upon the 50W bulb, (2) our usage is determined by the transformer making available 300W, regardless how much of the 300W we use.
Comment: Ethan -  Thanks so very much.  We have been trying to determine where our electrical is being consumed.  I thought it might be the Malibu 300W transformer running +/-12hrs per day X 30 days, or 108000W  per/mo.  108Kw X 13 cents = $14/mo.  I'll absorb that for the security.  That leaves $160 per month unaccounted for.  Yes, it does appear that my household is the root cause of brown outs.
Comment: As Olin notes - the no load wattage of a power supply MAY be around 10% of the rated power -  so a 50W load on a 300W transformer MAY draw somewhat more than expected. Using a transformer more closely matched to the load MAY save some money.
Comment: Worth noting: actual *transformers* have relatively low losses. OTOH, there exist cheap, crappy alternative PSU devices that simply *waste* most of surplus power, dissipating it as heat. Luckily you usually won't find these in 300W+ range.
Comment: Just to be clear, the lights-off consumption is 0 because the thing that turns the lights off switches the primaries, dumping the transformer. The lamps are always connected as a load, whether powered or not. So you are only left to worry about the draw in the on position. Some of the previous discussion may have confused some readers on this point.
Answer: The answer is #1, with a bit of an asterisk.
If the bulb pulls 50 watts as it's rated, the current (power divided by voltage) will be 4.17 amps. We know that anywhere in a closed circuit, the current is the same, so the power supply is outputting 4.17 amps as well (assuming it is attached to only one light bulb.)
So, if your power supply is outputting 12 volts (which it is because it's designed to regulate its output voltage) and it's only outputting 4.17 amps (which it is because of the resistance of the light bulb) we can calculate the power it is outputting as 4.17 amps times 12 volts and we end up back at 50 watts. The 300 watt rating on the power supply just means that that's what it can output, not that it always outputs that. If you attached 5 more light bulbs, all in parallel, then it would produce the whole 300 watts.
The only trick is that we have checked how much power the power supply is outputting. Your electric bill is based on how much power you consume at line voltage which is the input to the power supply. Power supplies are not perfectly efficient (some energy gets lost as heat,) so your consumption will be a bit higher, but hopefully not a whole 300 watts. If we assume, conservatively, that your power supply is 50% efficient, you'd still only be drawing 100W at the input side, not 300. Also of note is the fact that if your power supply were outputting a whole 300 watts, the input would be even more than 300W.
Answer: A perfect ideal transformer converts some combination of Volts and Amps going into it, to some other combination of Volts and Amps coming out but a the same power.  Put another ways (Volts in)(Amps in) = (Volts out)(Amps out).
By this logic, it is the power used by the bulb that matters.  Just because the transformer could have supplied 300 W (and then drawn 300 W from the power line) is irrelevant.  All that means is that you could connect a brighter bulb or more bulbs that add up to 300 W.
However, back in reality, transformers aren't perfect.  OutPower = InPower x efficiency, where efficiency will always be somewhat less than 1.  As you might imagine, higher efficiency requires tricks that add to the cost of the transformer, so some compromise was inevitably made.  The efficiency might be 90%, for example, or maybe just 80%, or even lower.
One way to get some idea of this is to feel the transformer after it's been on a while.  If it's barely warmer than when off, its efficiency is good.  If it's considerably warmer than when off, then clearly it's dissipating power that is not getting delivered to the light.  Both the power to drive the light (50 W) and to heat the transformer are delivered by the power line.
When the light is off, the transformer is really just a inductor connected to the power line since its secondary is open-circuit and therefore has no current thru it and no relevance to the magnetic field in the transformer.  There will be current in the primary, which is ideally 90° out of phase with the voltage, so no net power is delivered to the transformer and you are not charged for this "reactive power", as apposed to "real power".
However, the wires the primary coil is made from don't have perfect 0 resistance.  Electrically, this looks like a resistor in series with the inductor.  The inductor still doesn't dissipate power, but the resistor does, and you do get billed for that.
So overall, the power drawn from the line by the transformer is largely a function of how much power is drawn from its secondary, but there is always some loss which is made up for by drawing more power, and even with the light off there will be some power drawn.  The higher the transformer rating, the higher this no-load power will likely be.  Up to around 10% of the full power rating wouldn't be much of a surprise for such a transformer that was likely optimized for cost much more than efficiency or no-load power.
Comment: 10% is a good estimate. I have a friend who replaced tungsten lighting with LEDS throughout a 'ski chalet' and was annoyed to find that the no load power was indeed about 10% - so power with LEDs was about double what may have been expected. Downsizing the transformers would be a major task in the context. Ppower consumption mattered more there than in most cases as the chalet is fed by long circuits and the power company charges per unit are based on the peak draw over at any time over a short period during any year. Keeping the peak load down saves money all year. (Non electric heating).

12V outdoor lighting power consumption


Why don't small wounds leave scars?

Question: I am wondering, why do big, deep wounds leave scars and small ones do not?
Comment: Some small wounds do leave scars. I have one that was really minor and that must be 25 yo.
Answer: Most wounds leave some kind of scar. It's just that we sometimes can't really tell because it's so small.
Here's how wound healing generally works:

Blood clots and forms a scab (this may not happen, for example in burns and puncture wounds that didn't draw blood
White blood cells (macrophages) "clean" the wound - the wound may appear to be oozing some fluid. Blood flow increases, the macrophages produce growth factors.
Blood flow increases more, red blood cells deliver more oxygen. Cells at the edge of the wound secrete collagen. The wound fills with tissue called granulation tissue.
New skin grows over that tissue.

These stages are called hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling. This process can take weeks to years depending on size and location of the wound.
Now, what's a scar? Scars look different from "normal" skin because of collagen. Collagen is a protein on the outside of the skin cells holding them together and making skin strong (it's also a major part of tendons). In normal skin the collagen sort of forms a "criss-cross" pattern, while in scar tissue it's more parallel. That probably comes from the wound healing process.
In small wounds, you won't notice that the skin looks different because of that. In larger wounds, it's very apparent at first, though scars also start looking less noticeable with age.
Sources
How Wounds Heal, John Hopkins  Health Library
Factors Affecting Wound Healing (introductory section)
How wounds heal - US National Library of Medicine
Collagen morphology in human skin and scar tissue: no adaptations in response to mechanical loading at joints.

Why don't small wounds leave scars?


Son is unable to squat without heels coming up and knees collapsing in

Question: My son is a 15 year old competitive gymnast. He is being impeded by the fact that he has very poor ankle dorsiflexion. When asked to squat he can barely squat down. If asked to go further down, his knees collapse in, feet pronate, and heels come up. What are some good ways for him to improve dorsiflexion?
I should add that 2 years ago he was evaluated by a sports medicine doctor, had xrays done and was refered for physical therapy. He was found to have no flexibility problems in back, hip flexors, etc. Slight tightness in calf muscles though nothing serious. He did make some progress with physical therapy but has since lost the exercises he did and can't remember them. We have moved far from that doctor since then. He currently can get nowhere near parallel to the floor. In fact almost as soon as he starts to squat his knees go in and heels up. He has been stretching his gastrocnemius, soleus with no improvement. He has just started the exercise with the band around the ankle and knee coming to the outside of a dowel that is commonly listed to help with this problem. I just wondered if there was anything else out there someone has found to be helpful.
Comment: Please do some basic research before jumping in: https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl#q=how+to+improve+dorsiflexion
Comment: These may help: http://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/6589/is-it-normal-when-starting-squats-to-not-have-flexible-enough-ankles/6600#6600 and http://fitness.stackexchange.com/questions/6589/is-it-normal-when-starting-squats-to-not-have-flexible-enough-ankles/6604#6604
Answer: For critics of what I said, here is a real paper by real scientists on just this topic:
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2465055/][1]
From the paper:
Conclusions
Calf muscle stretches provide a small but statistically significant increase in ankle dorsiflexion, particularly after 5–30 minutes of stretching
It is unclear whether the change that occurs with calf muscle stretching is clinically important.
TLDR;
In other words, attempts to increase dorsal flexion through stretching may not amount to much in the real world (be clinically important) although they are detectable (statistically significant).
You can improve the flexion a little bit but if there is something structural about your body which prevents you from assuming a position, then stretching, trying, practicing, hoping and praying is not going to change your anantomy.
My original comment:
Try the full squating motion without any weight. Start standing and squat until you can no longer keep in form (whatever form you're aiming for, heels n floor etc. as you described). At the point you deviate from the target form, stop and go back up just a little to the point where the form is once again correct. Then go down very slowly, stopping just at that point where the form is just about to go bad again. This is the position we'll call the "stretching position" Keep this position for 30 seconds. Rest one minute then go into the stretching position again for 30 seconds. Stop and do no more for a full day. Do this once a day.
In a few days or weeks you may notice you're able to go further down in good form (bad form doesn't count). Continue this regime until you can go all the way down. Do not do more or more often. If you CAN do squats in good form, this will get you there.
However, it may be true that because of your particular anatomical structure, you're not able to assume the position needed to do squats in good form, and especially you're not able to do them safely in good form, without permanently injuring yourself. This is more common than you might realize if you hang out in the gym or with athletes. Those are people who by definition were not excluded from squating because of their particular anatomy. So in this case, it might not be advisable to listen to an expert if by expert you understand an excellent squater or coach who works with a lot of squaters.
Take this last point seriously. I cannot do overhead presses because of the way my shoulder and scapula are. If I persisted when I was getting the pain signal, I would be a person with a shoulder problem now.  No big deal, it's just one movement and there are other movements which together work the same shoulder muscles as well. Ditto with squats. Take seriously the notion that not everyone can do every motion. Anyone telling you squats is a must do for some purpose or any purpose does not understand how muscles move limbs. Leg extensions, squat machines, hip flexion machines, lower-back machines or deadlifts, calf raises and leg curls collectively work all the muscles a squat does and more directly than a squat does. You do not need to do squats to have real and explosive leg strength.
One of the big names in running- it may have been Frank Shorter or Jim Fixx -ran with a somewhat weird gate that professional coaches tried to talk him out of. He ran that way naturally because of his specific anatomy. He tried to change for short while, then went back to his weird way, winning everything in sight.  I am telling you this because you have to have the autonomy to withstand well meaning coaches' and experts' strong opinions about what you should do if something never  feels right to you. You have to have the confidence to be the final arbitrator of what is OK for you and end it there.
Good luck.
Comment: You answer is a lot of fluff with some bad advice, can you back up your advice with quality knowledge and references and cut back on the fluff?
Comment: I am not sure where the bad advice in my answer is, perhaps you could be more specific?


Should an author have one website or two?

Question: I have seen that sometimes an author will have one website with a lot of content and a separate website that does nothing but offer the book(s) for sale.  What are the advantages of this approach?  What are the advantages of having only one website, and offering the book for sale directly on that website (which would have supporting articles, perhaps some unrelated content, perhaps some interactive features, more detail about the author, and perhaps some sections from the book(s) to whet the reader's appetite)?
Comment: My suggestion would be to find a hosting option which provides unlimited subdomains. Then you can do either, for the cost of only one site. Just make sure you can revert from single to multiple (or vice versa) painlessly (see Mark's answer).
Comment: @ThomasMyron - I use wordpress.  Going from one to the other wouldn't be a big deal, but I'd rather start with whatever setup I'm likely to want to stick with.
Comment: @ThomasMyron - There are two meanings of "wordpress": Wordpress.com is hosting plus canned software; wordpress.org is exactly what you described.  My point was that I don't think it would be a major hassle to switch, when using either flavor of wordpress, as it would be for Mark (see his answer).
Comment: @ThomasMyron - glad we understand each other better now.  Shall we delete most of these comments now?  I think we could leave the top two (your first one and my first one).  I want to make space for any additional discussion there might arise.
Answer: Often the author website is the author's own, managed by themselves. It is a place where the author blogs their private opinion, portraits themselves as a person, often with a glimpse into their private lives, and presents their œuvre. Even when the author website is managed by the publisher, the purpose of the author website is to provide a hub for all information surrounding an author.
The book websites are part of the publisher's marketing strategy for that book. They often have a crunch page to convert visits to sales. Everything on a book website is designed to make the visitor click the buy button.
Answer: If you only have one book you've authored, it's best to just have the one site based on that book. You should include free info related to the subject of the book. This is to build a following/traffic/list for the book. You should also be promoting the sale of the book at every appropriate opportunity.
By all means include author information.
When you have a second book (or if you have more than one) you should have a separate site for each book AND a separate author site. On the author site you should, among the normal author info, include a list and description/sale copy for each book with a link to that book's site.
Can this all be done on one site: YES but I prefer the multi-site version which provides better search engine optimization possibilities, especially if your books are focused on different keyword phrases. Although your books may be related in some manner, the specific, "long-tail" keyword phrases are likely to be different and therefore give you better search engine visibility.
Comment: Could you provide some examples from the real world, I mean, from the real internet? // If one uses wordpress.org software and a good SEO plugin, do you think there is still a gain from so much atomization?
Answer: I have four. I now profoundly wish I only had one.
The idea of a "site" is now becoming moribund anyway. The essence of a "site" is a home page, but the importance of the home page is diminishing every year simply because, across the board, home pages get less and less traffic each year. People navigate the web using search and by following links in social media. No one types a URL into a browser anymore. Thus people go straight to the page of interest, not to the "site". Having multiple sites, therefore, is just a maintenance headache and expense that is unlikely to do you any good.
Comment: This is helpful, thanks. // But why, then, do you still have four separate sites?
Comment: Because other people have links to those sites which would break if I changed them. At some point, I could setup a redirect scheme but I would still have to maintain and pay for all four domain names, and setting up the redirects is non-trivial.
Comment: Hmm.  Non-trivial?  Really?
Comment: @aparente001 Seconded. It's just a bit of html. But Mark is right about having to maintain the domain.
Comment: @ThomasMyron Actually, it is a bit of web server configuration, and what makes it non-trivial is not the redirection itself but maintaining the same structure on the consolidated site when much of it is generated on the fly. Jamming two static sites under one domain is trivial. Intelligently integrating two sites and two instances of the back end without breaking links, is not.


How to parallelize the computation of eigenvalues of a sparse symmetric matrix in MATLAB?

Question: I have a similarity matrix which is symmetric and sparse. How can I parallelize the computation of the eigenvalues of this matrix in MATLAB?
Comment: Do you have access to [Parallel Computing Toolbox](http://www.mathworks.in/products/parallel-computing/index.html;jsessionid=e46db178403159401c977f934826)? Otherwise, you can code in Fortran using LAPACK (or whichever library you prefer) and link it to MATLAB using MEX.
Comment: Thanks to Nunixic!
I don't know Fortran. I know Parallel Computing Toolbox, but I have no experience . I know the function eig to compute eigenvalues in MATLAB, but I don't know the way to use parallelism for this, or I have to code for computation eigenvalues myself and then parallel it. If you know, please give me some guides. Thanks!
Comment: Hi HongTu.  Welcome to SciComp :)  I'm curious... are you looking to implement the computation of eigenvalues yourself, or are you looking for a MATLAB routine that already computes them in parallel?  Also, do you need all the eigenvalues, or just one in particular (e.g. spectral radius)?
Comment: Hi Paul, thanks for your consideration for my problem. I'm really trying to code it myself. But I also look for the already parallelism for this because I haven't more time for my project at university. I don't need all the eigenvalues, just some largest or smallest eigenvalues. I have a similarity matrix of image, so this matrix is very large. So I think parallelism for the computation will get better performance. But I'm new in parallel computation. So I really need some guides. Thanks!
Comment: I haven't worked on MATLAB's PCT much but [MATLAB"s newsletter](http://www.mathworks.in/company/newsletters/digest/2008/sept/parallel-computing.html) and [this article at OSC](http://www.osc.edu/research/hll/matlab/usage.shtml) could be good starting points. Seems like what you need is overloaded functions on [codistributed arrays](http://www.mathworks.in/help/toolbox/distcomp/bqxooam-1.html). How do you access the matrix? If you have the MATRIX explicitly available (or you read from file or whatever), writing a parallel eigen solver is sell than 20 lines in FORTRAN when linked to an LAPACK.
Comment: How big is your problem? If you need parallel computing, it's not clear to me that MATLAB is the appropriate tool for the job.
Comment: Thanks for your comments.  I've read some article and comments at MathWorks about computation eigensystem problem, but function eigs in MATLAB is robust. I think language is not important at my academic university. I found that MATLAB also used routines of ARPACK package. So I need an efficiently mathematical algorithm or method and I can parallel it. Please give me comments if I misunderstand. Thanks!
Answer: MathWorks doesn't think this is a good idea.  Their basic defense for not multithreading eigs is that the MATLAB sparse matrix-vector products will not significantly benefit from multithreading.  I recommend that you look into some of the libraries discussed in another answer on scicomp if you are interested in computing eigenvalues more efficiently.
Comment: Hi Aron Ahmadia, thanks for your recommendation. This report is quite sufficient and useful which I don't know before. I didn't think there are many available libraries such that.
Comment: I also see that the function eigs doesn't work well with parallelism. I don't know why time of parallel eigs is more than normal eigs?
Answer: If you only need the largest and smallest eigenvalues, you can use the  power and inverse power methods, respectively.
The power method requires a matrix-vector product at every iteration, which can be executed in parallel.  If you are using a distributed computer, you can explicity allocate the vector and a certain number of rows of the matrix to each processor and calculate a portion of the resulting vector (this is called row-wise decomposition).  These partial results can be combined into a single result using an all-gather operation.  Alternatively, if you are using a symmetric computer, Matlab's Parallel Computing Toolbox has a parallel-for loop operation which can allow you do do this wihout altering your sequential code too much.
The inverse method requires a linear system of equations to be solved. Again, you can implement virtually any linear system solver method that you want in parallel.  If you choose to use the conjugate gradient method, it too requires a matrix-vector product at every iteration, which can be executed in parallel using Matlab's PCT's parallel for-loop operation.
Comment: Hi Paul, thanks for your suggestion. But the Power or Inverse power method just used to find only one largest or smallest eigenvalue and correlative eigenvector, while I need some top eigenvalues and correlative eigenvectors in smallest or largest order. However, I see the Simultaneous Iteration method can find some pairs of eigenvalues and eigenvectors. It also applies the Power method with many initial vectors simultaneously. Is that right for my case? Please give me your comments.


Programmatically Change Pager "Items to Display" value?

Question: I would like to create a custom form to allow a website admin to quickly change the number of "Items to Display" for a particular block display for a particular view, but I don't have a clue how to change this value programmatically on my own, besides the views ui?
Answer: im not sure of any 3rd party module that allows easy "override the # of items per page". I've done this task a few times for View displays using core drupal apis.
Basically:

you use hook_views_pre_build to programmatically alter the view.
Use a custom variable to store your items per page value.
Make a simple admin page to allow a site administrator alter the value.

EDIT: amended to different views hook function.
Comment: tenken, how would I "use hook_views_pre_render to programmatically alter the view"?

I tried:

`function glue_views_pre_render(&$view) {
  if ($view->name == 'news') {
    $view->query->pager->options['items_per_page'] = '2';
  }
}`

to no avail.
Comment: im catching a ride soon. try the same thing in hook_views_pre_build() ... what you have looks correct. http://api.drupal.org/api/views/views.api.php/function/hook_views_pre_build/7
Comment: I think you would be better using `hook_views_pre_build()` and then somthing like that `$view->items_per_page = variable_get('custom_view_items', 10);`
Answer: First, you retrieve the view with views_get_view(), then you alter the value, then you save the retrieved view with views_save_view() like this:
<code>function my_custom_function($view, $num) {
  $myview = views_get_view('$view', TRUE);

  $myview->display['default']->display_options['pager']['options']['items_per_page'] = $num;
  views_save_view($myview);

  // Clear the cache for the pager
  $cache = $myview . ':block:results:';
  cache_clear_all($cache, 'cache_views_data', TRUE);
}
</code>
I also included a little snippet at the end of the custom function to clear the appropriate cache bin if need be.


how to print on both the sides of a page using libre office

Question: I just want to know the procedure by which one can print a documents on both the sides of a paper using Libre office.
Comment: Also provide information about printer.
Answer: First of all you need to have a printer that supports double side printing, and have its corresponding driver properly installed.
Then using LibreOffice Writer (I am using it as an example), go to
File --> Printer Settings, select the right printer here, then go to its Properties
If you printer supports double side printing, you must find a Duplex option there. From the drop-down choose Long-edge or Short-edge as you like. Execute print command, and there you go.
Answer: I have this same problem in kUbuntu 14.04 LTS. My default settings for my printer are all correct (Double-Sided Printing = Long Edge (Standard), Installable Options: Duplexer Installed = Installed) and double sided printing only works by default on some apps. For LibreOffice 4.x I had to do the following:
Option 1 (Current Document)

File > Printer Settings
In the pop up dialogue box click Properties
On the Paper tab check that "Duplex" is set to Long Edge
(Standard)
On the Device tab under options in the left column, check that
"Duplexer Installed" = Installed
On the Device tab check that "Printer Language Type" = PostScript
(Level from driver)
Click "Ok" and the document you are working in should print double
sided.

You can also change the above settings from the dialogue box that pops up when you start a print job. This will not make all LibreOffice files print double-sided by default. To do that read this stackexchange post or see below.
Option 2 (Global Change for LibreOffice)
For Ubuntu specifically I ran the following commands:
$ which soffice
/usr/bin/soffice

$ ls -l /usr/bin/soffice
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 34 Feb 28 18:04 soffice -> ../lib/libreoffice/program/soffice

$ cd /usr/lib/libreoffice/program && ./spadmin

In the pop-up dialogue

Choose your installed printer
Click properties
Update all the settings as outlined in Option 1, starting with number 3 in the list.

Now all LibreOffice files should print with double-sided printing by default.
Other reading on LibreOffice Printer settings
Answer: Go to Page Setup and select Long Edge (Standard), as shown below.


Is there a natural way by which I can hold my erection for more than a hour? How do I maintain my erection after ejaculation?

Question: Good evening, dear friends, I am a 'new' male pornstar. I wanna know that is there any natural way, without any pills/capsules/surgery kind of stuff, to hold my erection for more than a hour? It's very necessary friends because it's the real part of my job! Secondly, how do I maintain my erection after ejaculating once? Thank you.
Comment: Viagra can help, I managed to keep a erection after ejaculation even without viagra, if I'm horny enough...but I'm young (21) so it could be that
Answer: Problems with erections can be caused by a physical condition, and they can be caused by psychological factors.  Treating any physical or psychological underlying condition should help. Your GP can suggest possible treatment options.
Treating erection problems caused by psychological factors can be more challenging. However, most men who persevere with treatment find the problem resolves.
If you are concerned that things are not going as they should, you should seek advice from a doctor or licensed mental health professional who can see you in person and learn the important parts of your history (medical, social, and psychological).
You can learn to delay climax.

There are a number of self-help techniques you can try before seeking medical help.
These include:

masturbating an hour or two before having sex
using a thick condom to help decrease sensation
taking a deep breath to briefly shut down the ejaculatory reflex (an automatic reflex of the body, during which ejaculation occurs)
having sex with your partner on top (to allow them to pull away when you are close to ejaculating)
taking breaks during sex and distracting yourself by thinking about something completely different (Source: NHS)

but you cannot naturally maintain erection after ejaculation.
As NetDoctor points out:

At orgasm, the signalling from the brain changes dramatically. There is a sudden increase in noradrenaline production from nerves in the genitalia. This seems to both trigger orgasm and contract the muscle fibres in the corpora cavernosa and their supplying arteries. As a result of this the blood flow into the penis reduces.


CiviMail scheduling problem due to timezone issues

Question: i have a mailing that looks like it has been caught out due to timezone issues. The person who set it up was in NZ, but moved to Europe but didn't change their timezone. Looks like the Mailing got the scheduled time using NZ timezone, but civi sees it as happening in the future so is not sending it. Am i okay to change scheduled_date in civicrm_mailing table directly?
Answer: I've never changed the scheduled date directly in civicrm_mailing, but it seems like a pretty harmless maneuver.
If your CMS is WordPress, I have a fork of wp-cli here that lets you specify the time zone in which a cron job should assume it runs.  It's specifically to handle a WordPress/Civi multisite where different sites are maintained by users in different time zones.  Each site's cron job runs in that site's local time zone.


How to get puff pastry to cook right through

Question: I often use bought puff pastry to make a topping for a chicken pie. However, I tend to find that the pastry is fully cooked on the top but the underside of the pastry remains almost raw. How can I avoid this?
Comment: When you were placing the puff pastry over the stew filling, was the filling cold or hot?
Comment: Would a convection oven help?
Comment: Hello and welcome to Seasoned Advice, user17214! You may find our [tour], [meta], and [help] useful. Please check them out if you have time. Have fun and good cooking!
Answer: A few points to consider...

Try docking the pastry.

Docking means to pierce lightly with a fork, or a docker (looks like a spiked paint roller), to make small holes in dough that will let steam escape during baking. This helps the dough to remain flat and even.

ref: http://powerhungry.com/2009/02/puff-pastry-docking/
In general, to cook food more evenly, one should cook longer at a lower temperature. The problem is that the dough on the bottom of your crust is not reaching a high enough temperature by the time the top of your crust is done cooking.
Puff Pastry is notoriously finicky. Be sure to handle the dough according to puff pastry best practices to ensure the layers do not collapse and stick together.

Pepperidge Farm has a tutorial website (http://www.puffpastry.com/videos-and-tips#howto-demos) to help people with puff pastry issues, but it doesn't appear to cover much detail.

You must be very gentle when rolling out the pastry because it is
multiple layers of dough with fat between each.
Do not mangle the dough, cut clean lines and try not to apply pressure except where the knife is cutting
Do not let the dough get warm before you are ready to cook. The fat melts and the layers will stick and not puff properly.
Answer: I am going to try baking the pie crust on it's own on a baking tray. It's what most restaurants seem to do. Wish me luck.
Comment: I think this is actually an independent answer - it was the first to suggest baking the pastry/crust separately yet, so it's not purely a reply. (This is from *before* Joe's answer.)
Comment: Hi Mary, and welcome to Seasoned Advice! — Perhaps you mean to post this as a comment, instead of as an answer to the OP's original question. — Good Luck with your baking!
Answer: So long as the filling is moist (and that's most of the point of a pot pie), the filling is going to steam the underside of the pastry, resulting in the dough cooking more slowly.
Starting with a hot filling will help, as will cutting vents to allow the steam to escape, but you also need to try to ensure that the pastry doesn't actually touch the filling.  (as you then also have to deal with the filling being a thermal sink).
Smaller ramekins, not filled to the top, with the pastry stretched over the rim should sag less, and hopefully set up some before it sags down to touch the filling.
Or you can cheat, and cut disks that are a little smaller than the size of the vessel the pot pie is to be served in, bake them on a sheet tray, and then drop them on top just before serving.  (You might also be able to bake them part way, and then drop them in to finish baking, so it's not quite so obvious what you did)
Answer: I assume you are add pastry to the top of an oven proof dish filled with your chicken pie!
Simple:
Have your rolled pastry ready in the fridge.
If you're using the pre-rolled pastry - about 3mm thick - leave it as is.
If you're buying a block roll it out to 3mm thick - see tips.
Make sure your pie filling is hot.
Pour the filling directly from your sauce pan into the oven proof dish.
Lay your pastry over the top, trim it if you want.
Brush the top of the pie with egg wash (30% milk 70% egg beaten)
Put it into the oven - which should be preheated - and bake @ 200C/390F for 20-25mins
If you oven is fan assisted set it to 180C/350F.
You should not have a fabulous chicken pie! Assuming you've made a cracking filling of course!

Tips:
When you're working with puff pastry keep it as cool as possible (which is why pastry work is normally done on a marble surface)
Handle it as little as possible. (keeps it cooler)
When you're done rolling it put it into the fridge until you need it.
If it gets warm the fat will seep between layers and the pastry wont puff!
Did I mention you should keep it cold! ;)

If you have a read of this it'll give you an idea of how puff pastry is made! I wrote it a long time ago but nothing's changed since then!! ;)
Answer: The only time I have had thoroughly cooked puff pastry was in France from an artisan bakery.   To get a proper puff out of the pastry for a pie is to cook the filling seperately and the pastry separately and pastry cut slightly wider than the pie, not only that but to turn the cooked top of the pastry over to the under side and continue cooking it and it will really raise itself high, the layers will separate and show and it will be thoroughly cooked and then to placed on the pie.


Personal practice regarding meditation

Question: Now I feel lazy to meditate because less thoughts  no breath to observe. once I observe the body ,it isn't  disappears .experience  the vibration of mind and feel there is a connection  between  brain and mind  through blood.
Comment: There is a warning in one of the suttas which says that many stop making effort after they reach a certain level of attainment. Is this what you are saying?
Comment: Yes. I think so.
Answer: In Buddhist meditation, the primary meditation object is 'letting go' (vossagga). The other things (breathing, feelings, etc) are just side-effects or 'signs'. For stream-enterers, letting-go (or little Nibbana) is the meditation object.

And what is the faculty of concentration? There is the case where a monk, a disciple of the noble ones, making it his object to let go (vossagga),
  attains concentration, attains singleness of mind. Quite withdrawn
  from sensuality, withdrawn from unskillful mental qualities, he enters
  & remains in the first jhana... SN 48.10

The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When
  love and hate are both absent everything becomes clear and
  undisguised. Make the smallest distinction, however, and heaven and
  earth are set infinitely apart.
If you wish to see the truth then hold no opinions for or against
  anything. To set up what you like against what you dislike is the
  disease of the mind.
When the deep meaning of things is not understood the mind's essential
  peace is disturbed to no avail.
The Way is perfect like vast space where nothing is lacking and
  nothing is in excess.
Verses on the Faith Mind by Chien-chih Seng-ts'an  Third Zen Patriarch
  [606AD]

Personal practice regarding meditation


Will Allah forgive me for misbehaving with parents?

Question: This incident is around a year ago. Me and my mom had a heated argument. At that moment i got extremely angry and pulled her hair. I am regretful for what i did. But it doesn't mean she was not at fault.She always screams at us if we do mistakes.  I don't mind if she beat me or yell at me. The problem is she uses cuss word. She even used it many times in front of other person. I know i committed a big sin. But it was not only my fault. I want to ask forgiveness. How can i do that?
Comment: Check out my answer here: https://islam.stackexchange.com/a/63508/37617
Answer:
(53) Say, "O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed, it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful." [Az-Zumar].

You have to hasten to sincerely repent to God Almighty, perhaps God Almighty may forgive you and repent of you, because the one who repents from sin is like one who has no sin, and if the son repents to God Almighty from his disobedience and forgives his mother, then repentance erases what came before it, and the repentant of sin is like one who has no sin.
Answer: Assalmaualikum,
Remember Allah (SWT) is the All-Merciful (AR-RAHMAN). But, the sin done was wrong too. Allah (SWT) will judge your mother according to her deeds, but even saying a word of ''ufff'' to your parents is a major sin. Try to make your relationship better with her, and love her, so she will love you.


Connect to Pi via network switch

Question: I have a laptop (Ubuntu), two Pi (Raspbian and Arch) and a Netgear FS108 network switch. I can make any of the computers communicate via WiFi, but I want them to communicate via the switch (wired). I've been told that I need to assign IP addresses, but I don't know how to go about it. What should I do?
Comment: You shouldn't have to do anything. Just plug in and `DHPC` in the switch should allocate addresses.
Comment: Welcome to Raspberry Pi Stack Exchange! While we want to help you solve your issue, it's kind of hard to tell what you want in this context. Do you want help setting up static IPs on all of your computers (2 Pis & Ubuntu laptop) or just on the Pi? If you could clarify that, we should be able to address your issue directly regarding the Pi. As it is now your issue would require an answer for each OS, including one that is Off-topic here. Thanks!
Comment: Sorry for being vague. I'm asking about all 3 computers, so should this question be moved somewhere else? Thanks.
Comment: Not necessarily. If you edit your question to ask how to set a static IP for the Pis, ignoring the Ubuntu laptop, then it's perfectly fine. You could then ask how to set a static IP on Ubuntu over on http://www.askubuntu.com.
Comment: @Milliways the correct protocol name is DHCP =)
Answer: Simplest way would be that you plug your router (or whatever you used for wireless) into switch because it looks like your wireless router was DHCP server in that network. It should work automatically.
Comment: Sorry for not mentioning, but the problem is that I need the system to be portable, i.e work away from the router I have. Can I be sure that it'll work when I take it into school if I'm relying on my home router?
Comment: That is exactly what DHCP is for. Virtually all networks (unless they are secured for some special purpose) use DHCP. If you did allocate static addresses you would have to assign different values for each network.
Comment: @James Wood you can just bring your router from home to school and you will have DHCP addresses. Another way I would go is to install DHCP server to one of your RPIs, you can find tutorials for that online.
Comment: @10robinho I am in the same boat. I have pis connected to the switch. My router has a wire coming from it to the switch. And my macbook is also connected to the switch. How do I now communicate/ssh into the pi? How do i find its IP address? Any help is appreciated.
Answer: The simple approach is to let all hosts attached to your switch generate link-local addresses IPv4. They are in the 169.254/16 block. OS X and Windows hosts will do this by default in absence of a DHCP server.
On Linux, some distributions don't enable this functionality by default so you need to set it up by hand. It is known as Zero Configuration Networking. I thought Ubuntu came with Avahi already installed, but perhaps it's not running?
<code># install avahi
sudo apt-get install avahi-daemon
# set up a low-priority route
route add default dev eth0 metric 99
route add -net 169.254.0.0 netmask 255.255.0.0 dev eth0 metric 99
# run the auto-ip daemon
/usr/sbin/avahi-autoipd --daemonize --syslog --wait eth0
</code>
To check what hosts are present, from Linux you can do a broadcast ping:
<code>ping -b 169.254.255.255
</code>
Comment: I ran all of those commands (`sudo`ed) but they didn't make a difference. `avahi` was already installed, and I think was running anyway. Just plugging in the router (as per the other answer) worked. Thanks anyway.
Comment: None of my Linuxes seem to be doing that. I ran [this command](http://stackoverflow.com/a/9512784/448796) on my laptop (but with `eth0` rather than `eth4`), and it changed some of the output of `ifconfig`. But it doesn't seem to have helped.
Comment: @JamesWood The command you refer to assigns an IPv6 address.

Connect to Pi via network switch


New Task "Edit page" turns page blank

Question: I've added a few jQuery scripts to our Sharepoint New Task page using webparts, the last of which was one that hid certain fields on the new task form. The code works, but now when I try to edit the page to work on some more code, the page loads and then turns blank. I am unable to click on anything to stop it from turning blank for the life of me. The only option available is to stop editing using the Page tab on the top left corner. Anybody have this issue before and can bail me out?
Answer: Got the answer here: https://stackoverflow.com/a/49508825
Use the webpart maintenance page which allows you to remove and manage web parts without visiting the page, the instructions are as below.
Lets say your page is example.com/sites/default.aspx add the query string ?contents=1 to the page it will take you to the manage web parts page you can remove the script editor web part from there.
The other way is to use SharePoint designer to remove the web part this will also help you achieve the same result.
answered Mar 27 '18 at 9:13
Guruparan Giritharan

New Task "Edit page" turns page blank


Raspbery camera, video stream at 3280x2464

Question: According to this page Raspberry camera v2 can produce video stream with resolution of 3280x2464. However, all my tries with raspivid and gstreamer/v4l2 fails.
Knows someone how to reach this video resolution ?
My tries and errors:

with raspivid
  pi@raspberrypi:~ $ raspivid -v -md 2 -w 3280 -h 2464 -fps 15 -o prueba.yuv

 "raspivid" Camera App (commit 6e6a2c859a17 Tainted)

 Camera Name imx219
 Width 3280, Height 2464, filename prueba.yuv
 Using camera 0, sensor mode 2

 GPS output Disabled

 bitrate 17000000, framerate 15, time delay 5000
 H264 Profile high
 H264 Level 4
 H264 Quantisation level 0, Inline headers No
 H264 Fill SPS Timings No
 H264 Intra refresh type (null), period -1
 H264 Slices 1
 Wait method : Simple capture
 Initial state 'record'

 Preview Yes, Full screen Yes
 Preview window 0,0,1024,768
 Opacity 255
 Sharpness 0, Contrast 0, Brightness 50
 Saturation 0, ISO 0, Video Stabilisation No, Exposure compensation 0
 Exposure Mode 'auto', AWB Mode 'auto', Image Effect 'none'
 Flicker Avoid Mode 'off'
 Metering Mode 'average', Colour Effect Enabled No with U = 128, V = 128
 Rotation 0, hflip No, vflip No
 ROI x 0.000000, y 0.000000, w 1.000000 h 1.000000
 Camera component done
 Too many macroblocks/s: Increasing H264 Level to 4.2
 Encoder component done
 Starting component connection stage
 Connecting camera preview port to preview input port
 Starting video preview
 Connecting camera video port to encoder input port
 mmal: mmal_vc_port_enable: failed to enable port vc.ril.video_encode:in:0(OPQV): ENOSPC
 mmal: mmal_port_enable: failed to enable connected port (vc.ril.video_encode:in:0(OPQV))0x10533e0 (ENOSPC)
 mmal: mmal_connection_enable: output port couldn't be enabled
 mmal: main: Failed to connect camera video port to encoder input
 mmal: Out of resources (other than memory)
 Closing down
 Close down completed, all components disconnected, disabled and destroyed

 mmal: Failed to run camera app. Please check for firmware updates

with gstreamer/v4l2:
 pi@raspberrypi:~ $ gst-launch-1.0 v4l2src do-timestamp=true ! video/x-h264,width=3280,height=2464,framerate=15/1 ! fakesink

 Setting pipeline to PAUSED ...
 Pipeline is live and does not need PREROLL ...
 Setting pipeline to PLAYING ...
 New clock: GstSystemClock
 ERROR: from element /GstPipeline:pipeline0/GstV4l2Src:v4l2src0: Failed to allocate required memory.
 Additional debug info:
 gstv4l2src.c(658): gst_v4l2src_decide_allocation (): /GstPipeline:pipeline0/GstV4l2Src:v4l2src0:
 Buffer pool activation failed
 Execution ended after 0:00:00.471647017
 Setting pipeline to PAUSED ...
 Setting pipeline to READY ...
 Setting pipeline to NULL ...
 Freeing pipeline ...

Comment: Read section 6.2 hardware limits in same document you refer to.
Answer: I hit a similar error to this:
 mmal: mmal_vc_port_enable: failed to enable port vc.ril.video_encode:in:0(OPQV): ENOSPC

because I still had motion set to run (from another attempt at steaming), check this:
What causes ENOSPC error when using the Raspberry Pi camera module?
Comment: Thanks for your answer. After solve the issue, can you capture video at 3280x2464?
Comment: I have not tried yet as I am just using the HQ camera to stream to youtube and I am just doing it at  1280x720. Did you look at the 6.2. Hardware Limits on that page to make sure the rest is falling in range?


Can I archive an entire organization on Trello?

Question: I am the admin for a number of organizations that I set up for specific, not very long term, projects. I don't want to see some of these organizations any more, but I don't want to lose their data. Can they be archived?
Answer: SteB's answer is right, but I think you'll find it helpful to know that after you delete the organization you can still view the boards by clicking the Boards menu on the top right by your profile pic and then click View Closed Boards at the bottom of the menu. You'll find your all your boards are available even though you deleted the organization they were associated with.
When you re-open the board it will show up in your My Boards list.
Answer: You currently cannot archive an organization, you can only delete an organization or set it's visibility to private.


What is the role of an intermediate fix?

Question: There are the IAF and the FAF, which has clear roles. One is where you start the approach and the other where you start to descent and end the approach. But what is the purpose of an Intermediate fix?
Comment: The IAF is meant to be the Initial Approach Fix. Or am i wrong? Please do correct me. Added a picture.
Comment: How is IAF, the Intermediate Approach Fix, different than "Intermediate fix"?  Do you have a chart example showing both?  I think that there are approaches where the IAF is overflown at one altitude outbound, then one circles back and descends inbound to cross the same point as the FAF.
Comment: Oh, that's right, "Initial" Approach Fix. I am out of practice!  As the chart shows, the IF is between the IAF and the FAF, and is a tracking/reporting point after the holding pattern. Might be a mandatory reporting point, or you may be asked to report when getting there.
Answer: In addition to all the elements in JScarry's excellent answer, intermediate fixes can also be used to step down altitudes, such as during the ILS 10C at Chicago O'Hare.
Comment: This is probably the most succinct answer to the OP's question ie "what is the purpose of an IF?" as opposed to "what is an IF?"
Answer: Here is an explanation that I read and I liked the most as I think it better explains the role of the intermediate segment and thus the intermediate fix. Skybrary in the IAP page mentions:

Intermediate approach segment - this segment usually begins at the intermediate fix (IF) and ends at the final approach fix (FAF) or final approach point (FAP). Here the aircraft speed and configuration should be adjusted to prepare for the final approach. For this reason, the descent gradient is kept as shallow as possible.

Emphasis is mine as up until that point there is nothing new. Checking the ICAO Doc 8168 PANS-OPS cited by Skybrary, in Chapter 4 INTERMEDIATE APPROACH SEGMENT paragraph 4.1.1 we read that

The intermediate approach segment blends the initial approach segment into the final approach segment. It is the segment in which aircraft configuration, speed, and positioning adjustments are made for entry into the final approach segment.
Answer: The Pilot/Controller Glossary can shed some light on your question.
The GPS approach is the clearest example of an Intermediate Approach Fix.

IF/IAWP− Intermediate Fix/Initial Approach Way- point. The waypoint
  where the final approach course of a T approach meets the crossbar of
  the T. When designated (in conjunction with a TAA) this waypoint will
  be used as an IAWP when approaching the airport from certain
  directions, and as an IFWP when beginning the approach from another
  IAWP.
INTERMEDIATE APPROACH SEGMENT [ICAO]− That segment of an instrument
  approach procedure between either the intermediate approach fix and
  the final approach fix or point, or between the end of a reversal,
  race track or dead reckoning track procedure and the final approach
  fix or point, as appropriate.

The Instrument Flying Handbook warns that, "Randomly joining an approach at an intermediate fix does not ensure terrain clearance."
On other approaches, there may not be an intermediate fix, but the segment is defined as follows:

INTERMEDIATE FIX− The fix that identifies the beginning of the
  intermediate approach segment of an instrument approach procedure. The
  fix is not normally identified on the instrument approach chart as an
  intermediate fix (IF).
INITIAL APPROACH SEGMENT [ICAO]− That segment of an instrument
  approach procedure between the initial approach fix and the
  intermediate approach fix or, where applicable, the final approach fix
  or point.

The Instrument Flying Handbook also talks about intermediate fixes where there is sometimes a charted Intermediate Fix:
Teardrop Procedure

When a teardrop procedure turn is depicted and a course reversal is
  required, unless otherwise authorized by ATC, this type of procedure
  must be executed. [Figure 1-15] The teardrop procedure consists of
  departure from an IAF on the published outbound course followed by a
  turn toward and intercepting the inbound course at or prior to the
  intermediate fix or point. Its purpose is to permit an aircraft to
  reverse direction and lose considerable altitude within reasonably
  limited airspace. Where no fix is available to mark the beginning of
  the intermediate segment, it shall be assumed to commence at a point
  10 NM prior to the FAF. When the facility is located on the airport,
  an aircraft is considered to be on final approach upon completion of
  the penetration turn. However, the final approach segment begins on
  the final approach course 10 NM from the facility.

Holding in Lieu of Procedure Turn

A holding pattern in lieu of a procedure turn may be specified for
  course reversal in some procedures.  In such cases, the holding
  pattern is established over an intermediate fix (IF) or a FAF.


Non-American spouse of an American: Can I get Child Tax Credit and not pay Social security?

Question: I am the spouse of an American citizen. We both live in a foreign country. My wife doesn't work, but I do, as an independent worker. I understand that I am able to voluntarily report American taxes, with the purpose of receiving Child Tax Credit. However, I have heard different opinions from different accountants about whether I would have to pay for social security, which would make the whole process pointless.
Does anyone have clear documentation about whether I would have to pay for social security in my situation?
Answer: I don't think you can ever be worse off for filing a tax return if you are not required to file.
If you are a US citizen and you have more than $400 of self-employment net earnings, you are required to file a tax return. (See Form 1040 instructions, section "Do You Have to File?", Chart C.)
If you have less than $400 of self-employment net earnings, you do not owe any Self-Employment Tax (Social Security and Medicare tax). (See Form 1040 Schedule SE schedule and instructions.) So there is no difference with respect to Social Security tax between if you file or not.


My bullets dont make the enemy die?

Question: I have a physical bullet that spawns and that has an always motion.  When it hits the enemy it does not make him die.  I am trying to have a collision sensor on the enemy to make it end the object with the Edit Object actuator.  Also, on the collision sensor on the enemy, no propertys are in the list even though I added a property to the bullet?  Should the property be in a certain way?  I left it default cause I did not think that mattered.  Please help!
Answer: You must type in that property which you added to bullet(there aren't any lists in this sensor) or set collision to bullet's material(M/P, than choose the one that bullet has).

My bullets dont make the enemy die?


How to install LibreOffice 3.4 Final In Ubuntu 11.04 or 10.10

Question: How do I install the final version of LibreOffice 3.4 in Ubuntu 10.10, 11.04 and the latest version of 11.10
Comment: There is a DEB file at their download page under "Other way to download LibreOffice". I'm almost tempted to downlad/install it but I'll wait for a PPA.
Comment: I was thinking more in the lines of a PPA so if an update comes out I will get it.
Answer: Note Remove the previous version of OpenOffice or LibreOffice with this command
For OpenOffice
sudo apt-get remove openoffice*.*

For LibreOffice
sudo apt-get remove libreoffice*.*

1 - Go to; LibreOffice 3.4 Download
2 - Select Linux x86 deb or x64 deb depending on your computer
3 - Save & extract the file to ~/Desktop
4 - Rename the file as libreoffice
5 - Enter the following command into terminal and wait for the process to finish.
sudo dpkg -i ~/Desktop/libreoffice/DEBS/*.deb

6 - Run the following command to finish the installation:
sudo dpkg -i ~/Desktop/libreoffice/DEBS/desktop-integration/libreoffice3.4-debian-menus_3.4-12_all.deb

You now have Libreoffice 3.4 installed.
Answer: Here: http://mygeekopinions.blogspot.com/2011/06/how-to-install-libreoffice-34-in-ubuntu.html
I installed manually as:
(for 11.04 but i think it would be appropriate for 10.10 or 10.04)

sudo apt-get purge libreoffice libreoffice-core (purge 3.2 version if you have 11.04)
download 3.4 debs from here: http://www.libreoffice.org/download/
unarchive all debs to one folder (fore example ~/debs/libreoffice)
sudo dpkg -iR ~/debs/libreoffice/*.deb
libreoffice3.4


Why did Strelitzia transform in Episode 15?

Question: In episode 15 we can see that after re-uniting with Zero Two, Hiro when connects with her

 Strelizia jumps up in the air to transform into a red version of the FranXX while emitting a bright light, mid-air while transforming

Why did this sudden change in the FranXX take place?
The only possible reason I can think of is the newly mutual acceptance of each other that made this happen. Are there any canon reasons for it?
Answer: There is no real explanation however:

 In ep 15 she accepts herself for what it is after the talk with Hiro. As we know she is originally red skinned.

Further evidence:

 When Klaxosaur Princess used Strelitzia it turned blue as well.