What are some non-IT/Admin books every Admin should read?

Question: What are some non-IT/Admin books every Admin should read?
Comment: Since this is a poll type question, this probably should be set to community wiki.
Comment: There's a similar question on StackOverflow with many relevant answers: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/38210/what-non-programming-books-should-programmers-read
Comment: Poll questions and questions with no clear answer should be in the community wiki.
Answer:
The Mythical Man Month
Answer: The non-technical sys admin bible as far as I'm concerned is:
Tom Limoncelli's Time Management for System Administrators
Cover http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51wgFhqjq6L._SL500_AA240_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Management-System-Administrators-Thomas-Limoncelli/dp/0596007833/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243425856&sr=8-1
Comment: I'm blushing!  (P.S.  I'll abstain from voting for my own book)
Answer: I'd say anything along the lines of scripting. The more you know that can help you automate tasks the better.
Comment: On the same note make sure you that when you pick up a scripting language you know about serverfault's sister site stackoverflow.com
Comment: +1 Smartest thing I've ever done as Windows sysadmin was learn VBS.  Bring on Powershell!
Comment: I don't think that qualifies at all as non-IT/Admin.
Answer: How to Win Friends and Influence people.
Answer: The Code Book by Simon Singh
The Code Breakers by David Kahn
Great books that will help you understand encryption in more detail.
Answer: "The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage", by Clifford Stoll. Stoll is an astrophysicist, but he was working as a systems manager at UC Berkeley in the 1980s when a seemingly-minor billing error eventually led to discovering and apprehending a cracker who had been intruding in his network.
It's definitely an IT book, and in some sense it's kind of an admin book, but since it's written like a novel it's nothing like all those reference texts we spend our days (and nights) poring over.
Answer:
Good to Great by Jim Collins
1984 by George Orwell
Time Management for System Administrators By Thomas A. Limoncelli
On War by Clauswitz
Answer: Completely non-IT? Then this is a very good book:

Influence - the Psychology of Persuasion
Because once you have the admin-puzzle sorted out, you know how you want your systems to look. But you'll probably end up having to fight with upper management for money, and here is where psychology books comes in handy. Don't be the geeky tech who thinks that the money-people will see reason once you present it to them. It's a game, and you have to know how to play it!
Answer: I'd recommend "The Story About Ping", but it really is IT related.
Comment: My mother read this book to me when I was very young.  I always remember being terrified at the part where Ping watches the duck get hit even though it was just a friendly pat.  Decades later when this book resurfaced I felt like I was the ONLY sysadmin in the world that had actual childhood memories of reading it. So lonely... just like little Ping!
Answer: Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance.
Answer: Neal Stephenson In The beggining there was the Command Line
Comment: For anyone considering a future in cross-platform work, this should be in the top 3 books that must be read.
Answer: Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash.  They're not IT books (directly), but pretty much every IT-guy I know loves them.
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZW7WAQ3JL._SL500_AA240_.jpg
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XPYhRHtAL._SL500_AA240_.jpg
Answer: Making Things Happen.
http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596517717/
In the updated edition of this critically acclaimed and bestselling book, Microsoft insider Scott Berkun offers a collection of essays on field-tested philosophies and strategies for defining, leading, and managing projects. Based on his nine years of experience as a program manager for Microsoft's biggest projects, Berkun explains to technical and non-technical readers alike what it takes to get through a large software or web development project.
Comment: A HUUUUGE +1 to this book.
Answer: I might suggest asking or looking around the offices of the people whose business you're supporting to see if they have or can suggest any reading material that improves your understanding of the business you're working for.
'sides that...

Death March, Edward Yourdon
Everything I know about business I learnt from monopoly, Alan Axelrod
Slack, Tom DeMarco
The No asshole rule, Robert I. Sutton
Answer: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, obviously.
And:

Code and other laws of Cyberspace
(Lessig)
Just for fun (Torvalds)
Answer: Getting Things Done as well as Ready for Anything, both by David Allen.
Answer: A non-Admin (but IT) book could be something that helps you understand your usual customers.
If you work closely together with some developers in language X, try to gather information about language X and how you can improve the environment to help them do their job better.
Answer: Eliyahu M. Goldratt's 'The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement' I think it places any enterprise SysAdmin in the mindset of 'how do all plates spinning lead to a company's common goal.' When I worked QA/Field Engineer work at an ERP software co., prior to getting into SysAdmin work, this was 'the bible.'
Answer: Not so seriously - the chronicles of the Bastard Operator from Hell - either a how-to or how-not-to for dealing with users, depending on how you feel about them at the time...
bofh.ntk.net/Bastard.html
www.theregister.co.uk/odds/bofh/
Answer: Any book that tells about body language. ie. how to detect that this customer doesn't want this thingamajig.
Answer: Robert A. Heinlein Stranger in a Strange Land so that you know what "Grok" means.
Answer: Since it looks like we're now talking about novels now...
I've throughly enjoyed the Ender's Saga Series by Orson Scott Card. On book 7 right now.
+1 for Snow Crash as well, I read it for the first time last year and have reread it again twice since then. Its a pretty fun book.
Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert Heinlein
Pretty much any Larry Niven book. I haven't gotten to read any of the rest of the ringworld series except the first one yet though. Niven's biggest problem though is he makes really wonderful environments but his character development sucks. If you can get over that, he's a great author.
Answer: Influencer: The Power to Change Anything
Because sysadmins have responsibility, but rarely authority.  How do you convince people to provide budget money, bosses to accept proposals, or users to accept your solution?
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
An oldie but a goodie, buy a copy for your boss as well as yourself.
Death March
If you are continually involved in projects with unrealistic deadlines, that are not fully resourced, that require 14 hour days for months, then get this book (another good one to buy a copy for your boss)
Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky's Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent
What the title says... a concise guide on finding, hiring, and retaining smart technical people.
Answer: The two Joel on Software books are great collections of software related articles, not necessarily strict IT tech books either. Every manager should read these.
Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity
http://www.amazon.com/Joel-Software-Occasionally-Developers-Designers/dp/1590593898/
http://www.amazon.com/More-Joel-Software-Occasionally-Developers/dp/1430209879/
Just the subtitles are worth it, looks great on the shelf :D


What are some ways to wire rear speakers in a home theater system?

Question: I have two rear speakers, that I never use, since I don't have a good way (yet) to wire them.
I have a hardwood floor. And the side of the room that is nearest to the TV+Audio source is open. So I don't have a wall to run the cable next to it.
Comment: I think the last sentence pushes this question off topic.  I would be a good question if it were about techniques for fishing wire, but then it would not matter that it's a home theatre system, it would be the same for any kind of wire.
Comment: How about through basement/crawl space, attic, behind baseboards? Or are all of these out of the question?
Comment: I suggest you remove the last sentence and the question will be perfectly on-topic. I would do it but I don't have edit rights *sob*
Comment: maybe think about wirelss?
Comment: @Mohlsen, I don't know if humour was intended there or not... these things can get lost on the internet...
Answer: If you're installing in room where you can't drop above or below the room to run your cables, consider putting up crown molding -- it typically leaves a small channel behind it which is ideal for hiding speaker cables.
You can then punch holes in the top of the wall where you need to run vertically, fish the wires through, staple it up into the corner, then install the crown molding to hide everything.
You can also go the low route, and hide them behind your baseboards, but there isn't always a void behind them, so this could get a little messier if you have to trim away drywall (or plaster in older homes) to create a channel you can use.  You also have problems with baseboards if you have to go past any doorways.
Comment: It might be better (and easier) to just trim a channel in the baseboard. Depending on the gauge of wire, this could 'easily' be done with a circular saw, though a router or table saw would probably work better. Depending on the base board, of course.
Comment: I've done it this way, and definitely recommend it against any attempts to fish the cables through the walls or ceiling.
Comment: If there is a door in the doorway (or trim around it) then it's pretty easy to go behind that. The tricky bit would be a doorway that's just drywall with no trim.
Comment: @Rob -- you may still have to use the walls, but the advantage is that you're always going vertical through the walls, not through joists; if you have to run in the walls for ceiling mounting (projector, speakers, etc.), you can come in from the wall so you're going with the rafters, rather than having to punch holes through them.
Comment: Yeah, that's what I meant, too. I do drop into the walls to get the cable down to my plug-panel. I just didn't have to fight with joists.
Answer: Have you thought about using in-ceiling speakers?  Then you could fish the wires through the ceiling (assuming the joists run the right way or you have access to the attic).
Comment: @Farseeker - agreed, I used them for my front and rear speakers (8" front in ceiling, 6" rear in the wall) mostly for the better wife-acceptance factor.  Have been very happy with them.
Comment: Haha yes anything that scores on the Wife Acceptance Factor has to be a good answer
Comment: These are great. I got a pair of 3-way 12" cieling-mounted speakers for $AUD160 because I was in thge same boat as the op. Never regretted it.
Answer: Easy setup + affordable wireless solution are now available.
There are a few soundbar systems with a set of wireless subwoofer and rear satellite speakers
For example the Vizio S4251W-B4
Comment: Link only answers are not so good, especially when the links go 404.
Comment: weird. link still works here
Answer: I would just get a sound bar.
not as good as actual 2 back speakers, but better then 2, and can't beat its simplicity (one item replacing 4 speakers, a dvd player and the AV box).
Comment: I think you are exaggerating the self importance of the universe... lighten up.

plus, it is perfectly good answer to tell someone the best way to do something is not doing it.
Comment: Since this is a DIY site and not a home theater site, advice on component selection rather than help with the DIY-related implementation probably isn't appropriate.
Comment: I'm with csmba  Sometimes the best answer is "Don't bother, do this instead"


System UI has stopped working Oneplus 2 running Paranoid Android 6.01

Question: I flashed the PA 6.01 ROM a few days ago and every time I reboot and the device turns on and an error pops up saying System UI has stopped and when I press OK it just starts the bootanimation again and after the animation has finished the error pops up again and I click OK and the process just keeps repeating in a loop. The first time this happened, I went to my recovery wiped everything but internal storage reflashed the rom, gapps bank ARM64 and SUPER SU. then just reboot. The error has popped up again and again even after doing the wipe and reflash many times do any of you guys know how to fix it? Because I really like PA the battery life it give is just amazing and I find the floating peek feature very very useful. And if any of you guys cant figure it out can you please tell me how to flash oxygen os?
Answer: Hard reset the phone by pressing the volume button and the power and hold it down.
You will loose your data
click on the below youtube link to see how to do this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6Y1-2uUyO4


What is the difference between 矮 and 短

Question: What is the difference between 矮 and 短. Both seem to mean "short," so how can they be differentiated?
Comment: 矮 is opposite to tall. It can be used to describe a person 矮人, building 矮屋, wall 矮牆, etc.短 usually means short in length such as short letter 短信, short distance 短距離, short hands and legs 手短腳短, short time 短時間. Occasionally, it also refers to height as in 短小 = 矮小.
Answer: 矮 short (as opposed to 高 tall) vertically short
For example, a person, a building, a wall can be 高 or 矮.
短 short (as opposed to 長 long) horizontally short
For example, a street, a piece of string can be 長 or 短.
You may wonder, what about things like pants? When they are on someone's body, they are vertical. With articles of clothing, it's always 長 or 短, because the orientation is dependent on the person wearing them. On their own, the pants cannot stay "vertical" and therefore are not considered "vertical" objects.
長 or 短 is also used for abstract things, for instance, a long day, a short engagement, a short wait ... etc.
Are there exceptions? I can't think of any right now, but others may like to chime in. Hope this helps.
Answer: 矮 usually describes short in "Height" (buildings, trees, tables, people...);
短 is more general (sticks, wires, distance)
Answer: If you're looking for a word-to-word or term-to-term translation to phrases that are used in the English language, I would say:
矮 = vertically challenged
短 = insufficiently long, insufficiently far

What is the difference between 矮 and 短


Honda Pilot getting air in power steering system

Question: 2008 Honda Pilot, started getting a grinding/whining noise two weeks ago; traced it to the power steering pump. The noise only starts up after a few minutes of driving - it makes no noise when the engine is cold. Fluid in the reservoir gets frothy after running for a few minutes. Noise gets louder when turning the steering wheel. I've replaced the power steering pump with a remanufactured one, replaced inlet and outlet o-rings, and I trimmed off the ends of the hose going from the reservoir to the pump inlet because they looked old and corroded. I then reattached the hose with new clamps. I don't see leaks anywhere and I've bled the system twice according to the Haynes manual. The noise has gotten better after all this, but hasn't gone away. What else can I try or look for?
Comment: Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair!
Comment: A bit of noise is normal when the wheel is turned all the way to the left or right
Comment: In my experience, it's normal for power steering fluid to get frothy, or at least I've noticed it in all the vehicles I've had. The power steering fluid is drawn from the bottom of the reservoir, so the fluid won't have air in it, or at least minimal air. I've noticed significantly increased noise in sub-zero temperatures, but slight noise is normal at any temperature. If the reservoir is full and the noise is fairly quiet, it's probably normal.
Comment: It's definitely not normal P/S noise - this is a horrible low-pitched whine/growl and it just started suddenly. The froth in the fluid resembles freshly-poured beer; lots of tiny bubbles mixed throughout the entirety of the reservoir. The bubbles dissipate after about 5 minutes when the engine is turned off.
Answer: Upon recommendation from a professional mechanic, I used a power steering fluid additive made by Lucas which got the air out and solved the noise problem almost instantly.
Answer: This happened to my 2007 Honda Pilot, The reservoir has a filter in the bottom that was semi plugged.  I cleaned that mess filter and new fluid fixed mine.


Would genetic enhancement lead to more women in the military as soldiers in active combat roles?

Question: Genetic engineering has advanced to the point where it can successfully enhance the human body through the use of gene patches. These patches take the form of retroviruses which will slowly affect the body over the course of 2-3 years. Different patches would be designed differently depending on the ability that was meant to be enhanced. Increased speed, endurance, strength, eyesight, smell, among other things would be available. As every individual is unique, each patch would be tailored specifically to the person, but retain a general "format". These abilities would not be inheritable, and they would be very expensive for the individual. Civilians would have access to them, but some would be restricted to the military or law enforcement depending on how advanced, useful, or dangerous they were. Patches reserved for the military would be covered or subsidized by the government to make their soldiers more effective in combat.
If men and women had equal access to these enhancements, would it lead to an equal representation of the sexes in active combat roles? Would they be able to serve alongside each other on the front lines more often? In the special military branches like the navy seals?
Comment: You really think _physical capability_ is what's causing a gender imbalance in active military roles?
Comment: Women are somewhat weaker physically than men, but the difference is smaller than most people think, and is certainly smaller than the difference between men from different populations. The basic reason why historically armies were made up of men is that biologically men are expendable and women are precious. A country can easily survive the loss of one, two, three or four generations of men; France did (once, in WW1) and so did Germany (three times, in the 30 years war, WW1 and WW2). Losing the same number of women would put the country on the path towards biological extinction.
Comment: Some enhancement's would give civilians advantages over law enforcement or soldiers, which would cause problems in society. It would be like allowing everyone to own automatic weapons.
Comment: What would happen if you gave a man one of these patches?  Are we describing something which is the equivalent of a Giants Belt of Strength +3, or are we talking about something which maxes out the capability of the human genome, regardless of how close to max it was in the first place?
Comment: 2-3 years is a long time to equalize physical aptitude, considering that US enlistments are 8 years, and often the active portion of that may be less. When Soldiers are discharged, are they forced to undo the changes over another 2-3 years? If not, why bother limiting it to military?
Comment: A key question: why do you want equal representation of the sexes in combat?  It's *very* easy to get representations to whatever ratio you want, while missing out on the reason you wanted those ratios in the first place.
Comment: Maxing out the humans capability is what I'm looking for.
Answer: No, because physical ability isn't why women don't serve combat roles.
The reason why there aren't equal numbers of men and women in combat roles isn't because women are too weak. Women don't serve combat roles because there's a social norm that men are soldiers and women aren't. Modifying the genes of female soldiers won't change that norm.
Most combat roles don't require exceptional physical ability. The IDF, for example, has stated that women can serve in  88% to 92% of all military roles. Women can aptly serve as snipers, basic infantry, pilots, or vehicle drivers without issue. Only a few special forces roles, in which the vast majority of men are also physically unsuitable, lie beyond the physical abilities of women.
While genetic enhancement might increase the number of women (and men) that are capable of performing the few jobs in combat that require exceptional physical abilities, increasing the number of female soldiers is primarily a matter of changing social norms so that female soldiers are regarded as normative by society.
Answer: I don't think this will work for two reasons.

Unless the enhancements only work on women, any perceived
differences will remain after enhancement.
The problem is more social/cultural than it is physical.  Modern
warfare doesn't rely on upper body strength as much as when people
were swinging swords around.  In fact, women might have an advantage
in fighter aircraft.  So, the current lack of women is largely culturally
based.

You will need either a cultural solution or a physical solution that gives women an "impossible to ignore" advantage in combat.
Answer: Some genetic characteristics (like "growth") stop at a certain age, so "patching" a woman's growth genes wouldn't do any good without Human Growth Hormone supplements.  Naturally, there are negative side effects to adults taking HGH:

Nerve, muscle, or joint pain
Eedema
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Numbness and tingling of the skin
High cholesterol levels

Even then... female bones are skinnier than male bones, which means that they'll break down sooner than men's when marching and marching and marching over hill and dale while carrying 100 lb (45kg) packs in addition to weapons, ammunition, your injured buddy's gear, extra ammunition, etc, etc.
Bottom line: the human body is com-pli-cated, and a few DNA patches here and there won't turn normal, healthy women into men.
Comment: I don't think so.People with gigantism continue to grow even after the age 20.They never stop growing, so they die young due to that.
Answer: This is more of a social problem than a biological, the first thing you need to answer is what would attract more women to the military?
Simply enhancing their physical attributes wouldn't be enough and could even lead to even greater social stigma towards those that do enlist. Just give a look at fashion magazines and beauty contest that you will see that in our society muscular and tall women aren't considered much attractive.
There is also the technology of power armor and similar tech, the army has been developing these things for a while now and they would make any regular much stronger and durable than any regular genetic alteration could.
Comment: Social progression of values and ideals would change this. The more egalitarian society becomes, the more likely it would be reflected in the military. Look at don't ask don't tell, which was eventually overturned.
Answer: The answer here is that men and women are different. I would think that different patches would upgrade them differently and that you would target the things that they are ALREADY good at to very high levels.
So women don't start with a higher upper body strength, and your augment just barely gets them what? to the level of a regular dude or a little more, because they start at a lower level? That seems like a waste. Why not start with someone who already has a baseline of higher upper body strength?
Then again, that might not be how it works.
In which case, you'll want to look at Captain America. Notice who Dr. Abraham Erskine chooses for his program. Steve Rogers. Not the gung-ho solider. I would think that the psyche tests would be extensive and that they would be very careful about who they choose, if the enhancements are as dramatic as that.
You ask:

If men and women had equal access to these enhancements, would it lead to an equal representation of the sexes in active combat roles?

But this is kind of a chicken-or-the-egg question. Because you say that military has more access to these. And military already skews male. By definition, at the start, more males will have access to the augments. More women will have to want to sign up for the military than do today.
Consider as well that most things, medically, are tested for men. That's the baseline. The only way it's going to be equal is if they accidently find out that ladies get more augmented in some way than dudes do--not for all the patches but for one of them--something like super-reflexes at a higher level or something. If they each have their own advantages that tend along gender lines, I can see it.
Otherwise, no, I don't see it equalizing.
Answer: Two thoughts:

It depends on how these enhancements works. Say, for example, that you have an enhancement that increase a person's raw strength. And let's suppose that the average man has a strength of 100 on whatever scale and the average woman is a 60. If it increases strength by 10%, then when you're done men are now at 110 and women are at 66. Both are increased, but men have the same proportional advantage they had before. On the other hand, if the enhancement increases strength to 110 regardless of what the person's original strength was, then men no longer have an advantage. If for whatever reason it increases a man's strength by 10 but doubles a woman's strength, then men are now at 110 and women at 120 and women have the advantage.
As others have noted, a fundamental question is why there are not more women soldiers. Partly, no doubt, it is because men are physically stronger and even in this modern high-tech age, combat requires physical strength. But it's also at least partly because women tend to be much more averse to violence: there are more men who want to be soldiers than there are women who want to be soldiers. And women have more reason to fear being captured by the enemy. A captured woman can be raped. If an enemy captured men and forced them to have sex with beautiful women guards, lots of men would think that was a reward, not a punishment. Etc. We could debate whether such differences are genetic or cultural, but it doesn't much matter: they exist. (An argument on the genetic side: you would be hard pressed to find many examples of cultures where the women go to war while the men stay home. Examples outside of fiction, that is. If it was purely a cultural construct, one would expect that a large number of cultures would be the opposite of Western civilization.)
Comment: Rape is not something that happens exclusivly to women.
Comment: @WayneWatson No, but it's way more common.


Will accepting job offer and retracting shortly afterwards jeopardise future employment with company?

Question: I accepted offer for a great job but it feels like I've made a huge mistake. I've had to sacrifice a big holiday which they advised me I wouldn't be able to take if I started with them. I want to withdraw but I really want to work with them when I come back from the trip. From people's experience, I am wondering whether it would jeopardise my chances of reapplying if I have accepted and then declined (bearing in mind it has been 2 days since the acceptance date and I have not signed a contract).
Comment: You've accepted and now you have changed your mind after all.  Be prepared for at least a note in your file - this will most likely give a very bad impression.
Comment: Hello Zoe, and welcome to The Workplace! The best questions here are useful to future members and inspire answers that explain *why* and *how* -- questions that ask "What should I do?" are [off-topic here](http://workplace.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic). We can't tell you what to do in this situation, and we don't have a time machine to turn back time. This may be better to ask in [our chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/3060/the-water-cooler) where this is plenty on-topic.
Comment: You're right, in my panicked state I did not express myself that well. Have updated question.
Comment: Hey Zoe, thanks for giving it an edit, but I still think it's a bit off-topic even with the edit since it is just polling for opinion (and there is no definitive answer that will help in your situation). At the end of the day you agreed knowing you would have to sacrifice your holiday. If they didn't have any issue with you taking the holiday, they wouldn't have made that a condition of you accepting the offer. Common sense would dictate it will have an impact if you reapply after breaking the verbal agreement to work for them without the holiday.
Answer:
From people's experience, i am wondering whether it would jeopardise
  my chances of reapplying if I have accepted and then declined (bearing
  in mind it has been 2 days since the acceptance date and I have not
  signed a contract).

From my experience, changing your mind like this means that there is a big chance you won't get hired by this company again.
I had a somewhat similar experience. My company hired an individual and set a start date two weeks into the future. Two weeks later we received an email stating that he had changed his mind and decided not to work for us. He also mentioned that he received advice from his father (a famous local attorney) that he legally didn't need to show up.
This was very disappointing to us, and clearly infuriated the CEO. We were told in no uncertain terms that this person was never to be considered for a future position.
As it turns out, I was at a conference a few years later, talking to a friend in another company. He just happened to mention that he was interviewing the son of this famous attorney for a job. I told my friend the story. The son wasn't offered that job.
Once you accept the job, the hiring company puts in motion all sorts of new-arrival processes. They notify HR, payroll, IT, etc. They notify other candidates for the position that they have been rejected, etc. Retracting your acceptance puts them in a very awkward position, and forces them to do lots of extra work.
On top of all that, if you had just negotiated a different start date with this company you might have been able to avoid the problem altogether. From the hiring company's point of view, it looks like you just weren't thinking it through.
My suggestion, talk to them immediately. Tell them you would really like to change your start date and see what happens. They may be able to accommodate your needs, but (since you already discussed it) probably not. At least doing it very quickly will spare both sides some grief.
Good luck.
Answer: Accepting the offer is a commitment. It may be something you or your lawyer can get you out of, but you'll still be breaking an agreement, so if you do prepare for the smell of burning elevated river crossings (i.e. you'll burn your bridges).
Likely you'll be filed in the bin from that point onward.
If the thing stopping you is this holiday (assuming you haven't yet sacrificed it), talk to them, things can always be arranged if they really want you (and they've offered you a job so they probably do), playing games will get you on the black list.
If the holiday is booked and paid for, they'll either make allowances or allow you to gracefully withdraw, if not, then it's not firm enough of a plan to not be able to be moved to a time that suits you and the employer.
Comment: Thanks for your input everyone. Have decided to forgo holiday and go for the job! It's too good an opportunity to pass up:)


Ubuntu 19.04 desktop - VNC grey screen, xrdp rights

Question: I am quite new with linux (only experience from school 10 years ago) and I am trying to set my new server with OS Linux which will act as an application server at home. I have already my own network in place with Rack where are network devices and I want to have this server there also, so I want to access this server only remotely via xrdp or vnc (of course with SSH) from my Windows desktop.
I have completely fresh version of Ubuntu Desktop 19.04 installed with minimum option. I tried every possibly way (also full instalation version of Ubuntu 19.04) - I mean I go through and follow many and many instruction how to make it work, but nothing helped. I always get Grey screen. So I re-install Ubuntu again and some advice will be really helpfull how to access this Ubuntu via VNC.
Currently, I have really simple configuration so that you know (I hope) how to resolve it.
VNC
VNC server on ubuntu desktop 19.04:
petr@Odin:~$  sudo apt install tightvncserver
petr@Odin:~$  sudo tightvncserver
(pswd set)
VNC client at windows
tightVNC -> the latest 64bit version
Log:vnc_log
xstartup
!/bin/sh
xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
x-terminal-emulator -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop" &
x-window-manager &
Fix to make GNOME work
export XKL_XMODMAP_DISABLE=1
/etc/X11/Xsession

regarding xrdp
it works, I can access it, but it seems that when i rdp to ubuntu I dont have all access rights with comparsion when I am connected directly, for example I cannot change some settings, enable/disable wifi, etc.. also I have to almost every action confirm by my password, it is really annoing.
If it can be changed, then I dont need VNC, but currently it is horrible. Dont you know how to change it?
I am sign as petr@Odin:~$ , so superuser is created (it was done during instalation)
could someone help me please? I am fighting with 3 days with still the same results..
Answer: xRDP could be the way to go... the problem you are facing is due to polkit technology. When you are working on a remote session, polkit does not authorize all actions indeed... (you can have a quick idea of polkit limitation and xrdp via this post (http://c-nergy.be/blog/?p=120731)
So, to have all the necessary rights you might need, you have multiple options

you can disable polkit - Not recommended
you can create a list of exceptions for the actions you would need to do and configure if authentication popup would be presented or not

you can find some examples of polkit exception files that are used when working with xRDP reading these posts
http://c-nergy.be/blog/?p=14051
(http://c-nergy.be/blog/?p=120731)
hope this help
Till next time


How may I get more "credits" on my IBM Quantum Experience profile?

Question:
How can I have 150 or more credits?
I mean I want to have '150/150 credits'.
Answer: The point of the credits system is to make access to the devices fair so that everyone can take a turn at using them. You cannot get that number of credits as it would mean you could add a lot of jobs to the queue, slowing down response times for everyone else. I don't think there is any simple way to increase the number of credits you have.
I would suggest running jobs on the simulator if you need to run that many credits worth of jobs, as simulator jobs don't use up any credits.
Comment: thanks. I can now believe that not everyone can apply for a researcher account? Because it didn't seem difficult before。


What is the significance of the pink phone in "The Great Game"?

Question: I would like to know why does Moriarty go through so much trouble to make a replica of the phone from "A Study in Pink" in the Sherlock episode "The Great Game"?
Answer: It's to show him that he's been following him for a while, and knows a lot of details about his life.
Answer: It's to show the connection between the crimes that only Sherlock would realize, so that none of the people at the police station would try to keep Sherlock out of it. Also, it shows that even though the criminal knows so much about Sherlock, he did not use the actual phone because he needed to see how good Sherlock was


How do I calculate drift from a series of stock prices?

Question: Say I have stock prices
100 120 140 160 180 200 210 .... X
every day for a year.
How do I calculate drift and volatility?
I am trying to find some formulas online, but I am confused by terms like 'Δt".
Comment: Δt is the time step
Comment: Δ = delta, which means change. So if you encounter Δ... just take the difference between the values.
Answer: Here is a minimal example based on 16 months of returns.  The calculation can be found in the textbook Computational Financial Mathematics using Mathematica, page 54.
For daily returns adjust the times variable accordingly.

The curve plotted above is the mean value curve y0 e^(a t)
Here are the mathematical details, particularly the formulation of σ.
Answer: Unfortunately, the answer to that is well beyond what could be answered here for two reasons.  First, this forum doesn't allow mathematical notation and, second, by the way you are asking this question you do not have the background mathematics for the answer to help you.
Loosely, the best method would be to construct a Bayesian estimate for the time series although this is an uncommon solution in practice.  You might check out this article on it at Basic Bayesian Methods
Mark E. Glickman and David A. van Dyk
 or Bayesian Statistics explained to Beginners in Simple English by NSS.
There just isn't a simple answer to this question and certainly not one without extensive math.  There isn't a formula, there is a set of principles.
Answer: The calculation of these quantities may depend on the assumed model for returns.  In the usual, simple case one assumes daily returns are IID and lognormally distributed.  Therefore we take three steps:

Compute log returns.  Divide each price by the price before it and take the natural log.  These are the log returns and we assume they are normally distributed.

r1 = ln(120/100)
r2 = ln(140/120)
etc.

Now compute the volatility.  To do this, get the standard deviation of the log returns computed above and multiply by (in your case) the square root of 252 (the number of trading days in a year). Excel has a standard deviation function if you are using it.  This is denoted by lower case sigma.

Compute the drift.  In this case, the daily drift is the mean of the log returns.  The annual drift is the average of the log returns times 252.

Note that it should technically be called a drift rate of the price process but that's a story for another day.
These things can get quite complicated for other models for returns, but I'm assuming if you were studying super advanced return models, you would already know what delta T means.


How does a roof replacement impact recommended timing of solar panel installation?

Question: I just found out that I should replace my (currently asphalt shingle) roof in the next year. I am also interested in evaluating the feasibility of installing photovoltaic and/or solar hot water panels. So I am wondering if it makes sense to look at the timing of these projects in tandem. Is there a reduced risk to having leaks, etc. if I get any panels installed near the same time as replacing the roof?
Answer: You certainly don't want to install the solar panels before redoing the roof. Outside of that obvious point, I don't think it matters much. In Theory, having the panel supports installed as part of the process of redoing the roofing could make things simpler and better sealed, but in practice there are very few, if any, teams trained to coordinate these tasks.
Answer: I would think about redesigning the roof to make the panel supports integral to the roof.  Or you might keep a close eye on Elon Musk's work around solar roofs, where the panel IS the roof.
Or go the opposite direction and get enough wind under the panels that the panels place your house effectively in shade, easing your cooling bills.   Bonus points if there's room for roofers to work under the panels.
Honestly, I'm no fan of rooftop solar. I prefer standalone racks over places where you park cars (i.e. that are already paved and are made better by placing in shade).  You can aim exactly correct, and firemen don't freak out about being shocked if they climb on your roof.  Bonus points, the paved surface allows servicing from the underside with a simple cheap scissors lift.


When using a teleconverter on a Canon DSLR, what happens to EXIF data?

Question: When mounting lenses via a teleconverter like the Canon 2x, does the EXIF metadata record this information somehow? Will the recorded focal length be adjusted by the camera or the extender? Is there a metadata flag that indicates the presence of the extender during shooting?
Comment: I figure you mean a Canon extender (a.k.a teleconverter), like the Canon EF Extender 2x, not an extension tube, which would be used for macro photography.
Answer: Indeed the EXIF data records the use of a teleconverter. see the attached picture.
Here is a screenshot of the EXIF data of a photo as displayed by Apple Aperture. The labels are in German, but the values speak for themselves.

The picture was taken using a 200mm lens with the Canon 1.4x teleconverter (II), the resulting focal length of 280mm is recorded.
Answer: When I use a third party teleconverter with a Canon lens, the EXIF records the lens only in the Lens field, but the actual Av and Focal Length are correctly recorded.
The EXIF info below is from a shot taken at maximum aperture and focal length of an EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS II + Kenko C-AF 2X Teleplus Pro 300. As you can see the aperture is recorded as f/5.6 and the focal length as 400mm.

When a Canon extender is used, the EXIF data includes the extender in the lens data.
Answer: Depends on the extender, really. Third-party ones will not necessarily be visible in EXIF.
Answer: If it is a modern Canon extender on a modern Canon camera, then yes, the meta data will indicate this and the focal length will be correct and even the correction profiles (if your camera supports them) are specific to the extender and lens combination used.


How do policy gradients compute an infinite probability distribution from a neural network

Question: Do neural networks compute the probability distribution for policy gradient methods. If so, how do they compute an infinite probability distribution? How do you represent a continuous action policy with a neural network?
Comment: Hi and welcome to this community! Can you be more specific: which probability distribution are you referring to?
Comment: I'm not an expert and I don't know much about it, but for a continuous action space, don't stochastic policy gradients compute a probability for performing each action, so if there are infinite actions, then the model will have to compute an infinite amount of probabilities
Answer:
Do neural networks compute the probability distribution for policy gradient methods.

In short, yes. It does not have to be neural networks, any trainable parametric function approximator based on gradients will do. Neural networks are a common choice, as are linear function approximators using selected basis functions.

If so, how do they compute an infinite probability distribution?

For background, this is an issue for generating stochastic policies in continuous action spaces only. In discrete action spaces, it is usually possible to compute an arbitrary probability density function for the whole action space, and sample from it to model the policy. It is also possible to compute a deterministic policy simply enough in continuous spaces - the input is the current state and the output is the action to take. The issue then is that this does not allow an agent to learn through exploration of the environment. To do that requires a stochastic policy.
If you want to generate a stochastic policy in continuous action spaces, you could discretise the space and sample from that using e.g. softmax to generate the action probabilities. Or you could have the approximation function do something more indirect: Output the parameters of a probability distribution that can be sampled from.

How do you represent a continuous action policy with a neural network?

Typically by having state features as input and the parameters of a PDF that can be sampled as the output. For instance, the network could output mean $\mu$ and standard deviation $\sigma$ of a normal distribution for an action value, and the policy is given by $\pi(a|s) = a \sim \mathbb{N}(\mu, \sigma)$.
This distribution can be sampled (there are simple methods to generate a sample from a normal distribution), and returns from following this policy used as feedback to the neural network using the policy gradient theorem. Assuming that there is an optimal deterministic policy to be found, the neural network can learn over time to home in on a specific mean with low standard deviation.
In some cases, the standard deviation can be treated as a hyper-parameter, similar to $\epsilon$ in $\epsilon$-greedy action selection, and might be decayed over time. In that case, a neural network can just output the mean action.
It is also possible to learn a deterministic policy through off-policy learning, adding a noise function to support exploration. This is what Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient does.


Should I connect the ground wire to the panel when the conduit is grounded?

Question: I ran 10/3 BX cable to my attached garage for an outlet. The BX has its own green wire for grounding, but since my home is grounded all through the conduit/outlet boxes and is bonded to the neutral in the breaker panel, do I still need to connect the ground wire from the BX cable in the breaker panel? I connected it on the outlet end just because.
Comment: Your friend is correct that that's a legal ground path provided you have good metal-to-metal contact between the receptacle's mounting *yoke* and the mounting tabs on the box.  Also, you have metal-clad cable (Type MC), *not* armored cable (type AC, formerly known as "BX") -- AC/BX has a thin bare wire "bonding strip" under the armor, and also requires the use of "redhead" insulating bushings inside fitting throats.
Comment: AC/BX (unless you're dealing with HCF, which is highly unlikely) doesn't have a green ground wire, are you talking about type MC cable instead?
Comment: Yes. Armored cable. I connected the green into the bar above the neutral even though it still seems strange to me.
Comment: Can you post a photo of the cable where it enters the box? You are conflating two products with different construction standards, different installation rules in the Code, and different properties in general here...
Comment: This was the last pic before closing everything up. https://i.imgur.com/IDlNZQD.jpg https://i.imgur.com/XUe200V.jpg Also asked a friend about grounding the box itself. He said it wasn't necessary since the ground wire attaches to the outlet screw which is now in constant contact with the metal box through the tabs. Tester shows continuity between the outlet prongs, box and armor. Also this is how it looks at the breaker panel. https://i.imgur.com/OnEQeVE.jpg
Answer: First, don't use obsolete cable because it may not comply with current Codes.
Rule of thumb: If the cable has a ground wire, you have to use it.  Only certain types of metal-jacketed cable are allowed to use the jacket as the ground wire.  On the types that are not, they include a ground wire.
Since you are in all metal boxes, you ground this cable to the ground screw in the back of your junction box.  Most junction boxes do not come with a ground screw, but they do come with a hole tapped #10-32 for the purpose of adding a ground screw.  Any #10-32 machine screw will suffice -- however they make cute little green ground screws, with or without pigtails preattached.
If there is no hole tapped, add a mounting screw and then remove each of the existing mounting screws in turn, just to make sure they didn't accidentally use the tapped ground hole for a mounting screw.  Otherwise, you can tap one yourself, it must be #6 or larger and -32 or finer.  Common sheetmetal screws are Right Out.
If you need to land more than 1 wire on the ground screw, pigtail it.
Lastly on the panel's neutral-ground equipotential bond, don't misinterpret that.  Neutral Is Not Ground. That one bond in one location in your electrical system (at the source) has a special purpose.  Neutral and ground must never connect anywhere else, and one should never be used as a substitute for the other.  Each wire has an independent job to do (one returns normal current, one diverts fault current) and conflating them creates a dangerous situation.
Comment: I connected the green to the bar. It is now the only ground wire in the panel. https://i.imgur.com/zx61kfs.jpg


Does reading books help writing skills?

Question: Just what the title says. I decided to improve my writing skills only for blogging purposes (for starters and no, it's not a part of new year's resolution). I am also not really good at writing (i.e. write a few paragraphs about simple topic/subject). I know that practice makes perfect, but I'm actually at the point where I would like to know what makes the beginning easier. Does reading books help writing in any way? I believe that my main obstacle for writing is inability to clearly express my thoughts. Will reading others' writings help overcome it?
Comment: HELP: yes. But reading alone will not make you a good writer. You need a wide palette of skills and reading improves only a small subset of them. You need other exercises to improve the rest.
Comment: This question runs the risk of attracting unsupported opinion answers.  Subjective questions like this can work on Stack Exchange, but when responding, be sure to explain *why* you say what you do.  Thanks.
Answer: Short answer: Yes.
Slightly longer answer: Yes, a lot! All reading is good, but not all reading is equal.  All reading will help you absorb the effective use of written language, will increase your facility with words, will enhance your vocabulary, etc.
But if you're really serious, you should spend at least some of your time in conscious, directed reading in the genre of your choice. Fiction writers don't just read the masters, they study the masters. They break down the plot structure of great books in order to understand how things flow; they look at characterization and dialogue, and see how great authors use these tools to create compelling reading; they analyze the strengths and weaknesses of different books, and try to understand why the great books are great.
In your case, you want to become better at blogging, so you should not just read but study blogs. Find blogs you enjoy, and figure out why. Find blogs you don't enjoy and spend just as much time analyzing the problems there, so you'll know what to avoid. You want to work on clarity, so I would recommend looking at the structure of the blogs you find effective. You're not reading for content so much as you're reading for style and technique.
And, while you're at it, read everything else you lay eyes on. Writers read. Absolutely.
Comment: I think there are too many masters to list them all.  It would depend on genre, language, etc.  Just... whoever's really good at the sort of writing you want to be good at!
Comment: Needs explanation: who is the master?
Comment: I'll add that you should also study the writing that you really enjoy, even though it may not necessarily be a work of literary genius. As everyone says, you should be writing stuff you enjoy reading.
Answer: Absolutely.  As you read, you learn subconsciously how to mold plots, create speech patterns, and make realistic characters.  The more you read and absorb, the more creative and the better at writing you should become.
Answer: Absolutely! A blog entry is a short essay: studying (thanks, @Kate Sherwood!) essays, reading them closely, is always a good bet. The best essay writer I know is EB White: I reread White's work often. One Man's Meat is a rich collection of good writing.
Perhaps you're looking for a list of rules or suggestions. None surpasses Strunk and White, The Elements of Style.
"The Paris Review" has since birth published interviews with writers about the ways they work.  These insights can help.
Everyone will tell you to read good writing.
I think that bad writing is as valuable. Sometimes, when I come across bad writing and I'm feeling virtuous, I ask why and how it's bad. Then I work to improve it. That exercise helps me greatly.
Please don't forget that writing is painstaking hard work: this answer took ninety minutes to write.
Finally, you must understand and embrace that good writing of any kind comes mainly from the heart.

Does reading books help writing skills?


$L$ is a context free language so prefix$(L)$ is also a context free language

Question: In case $L$ is context free language. $L_1 \setminus L_2 = \{x\in \Sigma ^* : \exists y\in L_2$ s.t $xy\in L_1 \}$ when $L_2$ is regular, is a context free language, thus using $L_1 = L$ ,$L_2 = \Sigma ^*$ one conclude that prefix$(L)$ is context free. However I wish to build a grammar for prefix$(L)$. My attempt so far was as follow: $L$ has a Chomsky's normal form grammar, $(N,T,S,P)$ so I defined the grammar $(N\cup N' , T, S, P\cup P')$ when $N' = \{A' : A\in A\}$ ,$P' = P\cup \{A\rightarrow BC' : A\rightarrow BC \in P \} \cup \{A' \rightarrow t : t\in T, A\rightarrow t \in P\} \cup \{A' \rightarrow \varepsilon\} $ my idea was that the non-tagged terms will be fully producted as in the usual grammar and the tagged terms might product a terminal or an $\varepsilon$. Yet I didn't succeed to prove it's a correct grammar for prefix$(L)$.
Comment: I think you should not add new productions to $A$, but you should have $A' \to BC' |B' $ when $A\to BC$ in the original CFG. When, $A\to t$, you have $A'\to t|\epsilon$ (as you are already doing). The new starting symbol should be $S'$. I think you are on the right track, though.
Comment: Do you have a question?  I see only a series of declarative sentences.  I suggest you try to prove your approach correct.  Try a proof by induction.  Is there some barrier that prevents you from completing that project?  Are you stuck at some specific point?
Comment: @D.W. I was stuck because I was missing some production rules which were suggested in the comment, I am still working on proving that the suggested production rules give the right answer.
Comment: @Apass.Jack I'll try to write it down tomorrow, Thanks!
Comment: Tomorrow has arrived=), hope it's correct. @Apass.Jack
Answer: Let $G$ be a Chomsky's normal form grammar for $L$. So $G = (N,T,S,P)$ when $P\subseteq\{A\rightarrow BC , A\rightarrow a  : A,B,C \in N , a\in T \}$. We will defined $G'$ as follows: $G'= (N\cup N'\cup \bar{S} ,T,\bar{S},P')$ when:

$N' = \{A' : A\in N\} $
$P' = P\cup\{\bar{S} \rightarrow  S' | \varepsilon \} \cup \{A'\rightarrow BC'|B' : A\rightarrow BC \in P\} \cup \{A'\rightarrow a|\varepsilon : A \rightarrow a \in P\}$

Observation - let $A \in N$ we define $L(A) = \{w\in T^* : A\Rightarrow^{*}_G w \}$, So, in $G'$ , $A'\Rightarrow^{*}_{G'} w\in prefix(L(A))$.

proof, by induction over production steps:

$A'\rightarrow^1w\in T^* \Rightarrow w \in \{a,\varepsilon\}$ due to $P'$ definition. So in $G$ ,$A\rightarrow a$ thus $\{a,\varepsilon\} \in prefix(L(A))$.
assumption - $\forall A'\in N'$, $A'\Rightarrow^{k <n}w\in prefix(L(A)) $
$A'\Rightarrow^n w\in T^*$, so $A'\rightarrow^1 \gamma\Rightarrow^{n-1} w$, thus $\gamma \in \{BC' , B'\}$: In case $\gamma = B'$ then $B'\Rightarrow^{n-1} w\in prefix(L(B))$ and $A'\rightarrow B' \Rightarrow A\rightarrow BC \in P$ then $prefix(L(B)) \subseteq prefix(L(A))$. If $\gamma = BC'$, $B$ products $w_1 \in prefix(L(A))$ because $A\rightarrow BC \in P$, and $BC \Rightarrow^* w_1w_2\in L$ when $B \Rightarrow^* w_1 , C\Rightarrow^*w_2$, and $C'$ products $w_{2}' \in prefix(L(B))$ from the assumption. Thus $A' \Rightarrow w_1w_2'$ which is a prefix of $w_1w_2 \in L(A)$.

$L(G') \subseteq  prefix(L)$:

$\bar{S} \rightarrow^1 \varepsilon$ , $\varepsilon \in prefix(L)$.
$\bar{S} \Rightarrow ^n w\in T^* \setminus \{\varepsilon\}$ , so $\bar{S}\rightarrow S'\Rightarrow ^{n-1}w$ now, using the first observation we made $S' \Rightarrow^* w\in prefix(S) = prefix(L)$.
So $\bar{S} \Rightarrow^* w\in T^*$ means $w\in prefix(L)$.

$prefix(L) \subseteq L(G')$:
Observation : in case $A\Rightarrow^* w\in T^*$, then $A' \Rightarrow^* w' \in prefix(w)$ for all $w'\in prefix(w)$.
proof by induction over $w$'s length:

$A\rightarrow a$ $\Rightarrow$ $A' \rightarrow a$ and $A'\rightarrow \varepsilon$, due to $P'$ definition, when $prefix(a) = \{a,\varepsilon\}$.
$A\Rightarrow^* w, |w|=n$, so $A\rightarrow BC \Rightarrow^* w_1w_2 =w$ when $B \Rightarrow^* w_1 ,C \Rightarrow^* w_2$ (from $P$'s definition in chomsky's form). For $w'\in prefix(w)$:

in case $w' \in prefix(w_1)$, then $B'\Rightarrow^* w'$ from the induction assumption ($|w'|<n$, and the assumption stands for every $A'\in N'$ ). So $A'\rightarrow B' \Rightarrow^* w'$ as wanted.
in case $w' = w_1w_2'$ when $w_2'\in prefix(w_2)$ the same arguments holds for $c' \Rightarrow^* w_2'$, thus $A'\rightarrow BC' \Rightarrow^*w_1w_2'$.

For $w \in prefix(L)$:

in case $w = \varepsilon $ , $\bar{S} \rightarrow \varepsilon$.
otherwise $\exists z\in T^*$ such that $wz \in L$, so $S\Rightarrow_G^{*} wz$ and by the observation we made $S'\Rightarrow^* w'\in prefix(wz)$ for all $w'\in prefix(wz)$ and particularly $w$ it self. So $\bar{S} \rightarrow S'\Rightarrow ^* w$. Thus $w\in L(G)$


What is the best way to model the interior of a vehicle as accurate as possible and what source should I use?

Question: so I want to model a bus a bus in blender and I already know how to model the exterior with blueprints however with the interior I'm not sure where to start since it is so complex and I want to model things such as the dashboard, steering wheel, seats, door, engine etc. There is no blueprint available for interior modelling so therefore Iam wondering what is the solution to model the interior of a real life vehicle with accuracy. Also I don't have photographs because they may have distortion and change the way how the object looks.
here is what the bus looks like
Answer: The best way to model the inside accurately is to find a reference image of each individual part of that particular bus or any other bus. This way you will have a good reference that isn't warped in any way. You would then model that part and can use it for your bus. The advantage of modeling the part as a separate object means that you can then use that part in other scenes as well.
For example here is a steering wheel reference from a VW Bus:


How do I change the time on a Potterton EP 3000 clock?

Question: I turned the power off and when I turned it back on again, the clock of my Potterton EP3000 was reset, and now the heating comes on at the wrong time. I dont have a manual for it, so I was wondering if anyone could tell me how to change the time on the clock. I've searched the internet for hours and haven't found anything specific to the EP3000.
Comment: A picture might help.
Comment: I have just taken the battery out of my EP3000 and its a Varta Mempac 090 3.6v 100mAh
Answer: Having just asked my own question about an EP3000, I think I know the answer to this one. The current time (and all your programmed on/off times) are preserved during a power outage by a little rechargeable battery that's kept topped up by the mains. But like any rechargeable battery, it's got a finite life. Yours may have died some time ago - you just didn't notice until you switched the power off.
I didn't bother trying to prise the battery out of mine (which is also dead), but based on this discussion it's almost certainly a Varta 250DK. It's an oval about 30x40, 70mm long, containing 8 x 1.2 NiCad cells (9.6 volt total).
You need a bit of confidence (and brute force!) to prise the programmer off its back-plate which is screwed to the wall. It's "half-hinged" on the top, but there's a moulded "retaining latch" on the bottom right. Look from underneath and you'll see a 5mm "slot" about 5cm in from the bottom right. Push a screwdriver hard up there to free the latch, and simultaneously pull/prise the bottom edge of the programmer outward and upward.
I can't say exactly where you'll get a replacement (I doubt Varta still make them). The important thing is it should be an 8-cell 9.6v NiCad (don't use Li-ion or whatever). If you take the old one in to Maplin or similar they might be able to supply something compatible.
Other options are: Expensive - pay an electrician/gasman to come and deal with it; Cheap - just live with it and get used to reprogramming the thing whenever you've had a power cut or turned it off for some reason.
Answer: This may help.  It's not your exact model, it's a 3002.
http://www.heatingcontrolsonline.co.uk/instructions/POTTERTON%20EP2000%20EP2002%20EP3002%20user%20manual.pdf
Comment: The website seems to have moved/removed the PDF you linked to. :(
Answer: To answer the original question of how to program the controller:

Move the slider on the right to the "clock" position.
Use the FORWARD and REVERSE buttons to set the time.
Use the DAYS button to set the day of the week.
Move the slider to the ON 1, OFF 1, ON 2 and OFF 2 positions, setting the time for each using the FORWARD and REVERSE buttons as before.
Move the slider to the AUTO position to let the unit operate normally.
Set the CH and HW sliders to ONCE or TWICE depending on the times you want them on. (You don't need to set the times for ON 2 and OFF 2 if you only have it on once a day.)


Spoofing IMEI numbers

Question: How does someone spoof a IMEI number on a android device? I have read about rooting the phone and stuff like that but can i do it without rooting? Any advice would be appreciated.
Right now i am leaning towards rooting the phone and then corrupting the EFS folder and making a backup of the EFS folder on another Android and restoring the target EFS folder from that backup if i am correct this should copy over the IMEI
Answer: Yes, you need root and without root, it's not possible
Xposed module XPrivacyLua is what I use. I have the pro version which IIRC is needed for spoofing. Non pro blocks access. There are many more such Xposed modules, you find in the repo. Play Store has also some apps that claims to do this but I have not tried them because they cannot be as effective as Xposed modules.
What you propose is a cumbersome, may (if you have identical devices) /may not work approach and not worth the effort
Comment: Thanks for the detailed answer i will look into the suggested module i am trying to do this on a Samsung Note 10 do you have any information on how i can go about rooting this phone?
Comment: Also what do you mean by identical devices? Like the same phone type or what? Sorry just new to all of this
Comment: Also i looked into Xposed and i found IMEI Changer App is this legit or do i need to keep looking
Comment: If you are new, I suggest reading up [tag:rooting], [tag:EdXposed]. Click on them to read what it is all about and recommended questions. Please **don't** try anything before you fully understand. You have a Samsung device which is **not** friendly to such methods
Comment: Yeah i have been reading a lot recently and asking questions before i try anything with any Android device but i am also reading up on Samsung and how to properly root the device and stuff like that. One more question i was looking at the IMEI changer apps of Xposed and they all just spoof the IMEI to applications not the cellular network that's what i'm trying to learn how it is done

Spoofing IMEI numbers


Could gravity waves be used to confirm the existence of a ninth planet?

Question: Shortly after the news of the discovery of gravity waves, my physics professor explained the significance of the discovery by comparing it to a medical X-ray machine. He said that gravity waves can be used to detect objects that cannot be seen using telescopes. Therefore, could gravity wave detectors be used to confirm the existence of the theorized ninth planet? Even though it doesn't have a high enough albedo to be seen, it would still be detectable gravitationally, wouldn't it?
Answer: No, they can't.
Gravity waves from a small, simple object moving slowly are very, very faint, to the point of being undetectable with current (or foreseeable) technology.
The waves that have been detected come from the merger (a very fast movement in the last orbits) of two black holes (two very big masses). And they were just detected over the noise level.
Do not confuse that with the possibility to detect the gravitational influence of such a planet over other bodies. That is how Neptune and Pluto were detected, indeed.
Comment: In fact the gravitational influence was also key to the prediction of a nineth planet. Good answer!
Comment: The strain(On the LIGO detector arms) due to g-waves from the binary black hole merger was 10^(-21). Theoretically what would be the strain due to g-waves from a average planet ?
Answer: The maths on Wikipedia give a way of calculating the the amplitude of graviational waves.
One detail is that for the waves to be detected by a ligo apparatus, one needs to be far enough from the source of the waves. The distance required depends on the frequency. For planet 9, if it has orbit of 10000 years, one would need to be more than $2500\pi$ light years distant. That is nearly 10000 light years away. This value is "R"
Then we can use the formula:
$$h_{+} =-\frac{1}{R}\, \frac{G^2}{c^4}\, \frac{4m_1 m_2}{r}$$
using the above value of R, the known values of the gravitation constant and speed of light, and the masses of the sun and a hypothesised value for the mass and semi-major axis of planet 9.
That gives a strain of $10^{-32}$.  That is far far far below what is detectable. It also would have a frequency of 10000 years or so. So you would be trying to detect an oscillation comparable to the plank length, you would need at least 10000 years of observation, and your detector has to be built on the other side of the galaxy.
Not possible.


How do you create a bootable drive on an external disk?

Question: I have a MacPro that i want to keep on Mountain Lion, but I'd like to be able to startup off of the latest MacOS.  Is there a way to create a bootable drive that uses High Sierra?
Answer: You can simply connect an external drive, open the macOS installer, and install on the external instead of the internal.
Or in the case of a MacPro, just put additional internal drives in there and install on one of them. It's very easy to do. You can have as many different disks and OS versions as you want. My own Mac Pro has 10.7 on one drive and 10.13 on another.


401k deductions and ability to use a dependent care FSA

Question: My wife works part-time, and typically makes around $20k per year doing so. We try to put as much of her income as we can into her 401k, so that'll be $18500 next year. Next year we're considering using a dependent care FSA to send our daughter to a preschool part of the week while my wife works her part-time job. Now my understanding is that to be eligible to use the FSA, we can't claim a FSA benefit which is larger than the smaller of our two "earned" incomes. My question is, if we put $18500 into her 401k, would her earned income only be $20k-18.5k = $1.5k? Or would her earned income for the purpose of an FSA credit be the full $20k?
Comment: Are you planning to use the dependent care FSA through your employer or your wife's?
Comment: It would be through my employer.
Answer: In your particular scenario, your wife's earned income would be based on $1500, which would be the max you could take advantage of from your employer's FSA plan. (You probably can't use your wife's FSA since FICA taxes would eat up the remainder of her $20K income.)
However, if your wife's employer offers a Roth 401k option, you could elect to contribute (at least) $3500 to the Roth and the remainder to the Traditional 401k. This would leave her earned income at $5K so you could take the maximum FSA deduction from your employer's plan. Note that by doing this your wife may then have some tax withholding that could possibly prevent her from being able to max out the 401k. You could counter this by increasing the number of exemptions on her W4 form, and then adding extra withholding payments on your W4 to make up for it.
Comment: In your scenario, I see $3500 income. Great. But where's the actual cash to fund the FSA? There's no money left to take the FSA deduction. (And now I see OP comment, coming out of his pay. His employer won't ask about the wife's income.)
Comment: @gammapoint - you're right that the total tax outlay for the year is almost the same either way and also that you do save FICA on the $3500 that is "moved" over to the FSA deduction rather than from the 401k deduction. The real benefit though is that you get the $3500 into the Roth which is tax free for life. That being said, FSA is use it or lose it and if there's a chance of losing it I would consider not maxing out the full 5K.
Comment: @JoeTaxpayer - I calculated $3500 additional income from Roth, + $1500 leftover to begin with, bringing the total to $5000 to allow for the full FSA contributions. Your comment about "His employer won't ask about the wife's income" is interesting. I would think the onus is on the employee to make sure they are eligible to actually contribute the desired amount to the FSA, not the employer?
Comment: Thanks for your analysis, and for your possible workaround with a Roth 401k contribution. I'm not sure if she has access to a Roth option, but will look into it. Seems this choice won't save us too much taxes in the present (since her income will show up on our marginal rather than mine), but perhaps some FICA savings or something. Our childcare situation is uncertain enough that it the timing and use of the funds constitutes some low to moderate risk for us, perhaps high enough that performing some tricks for little tax savings isn't worth the risk.
Comment: Parsing thru question again. I misunderstood. FSA deposit is limited to 'spouse' income. Your idea is fine, the SS counts as would the Roth.
Comment: Thanks for the additional comments @TTT. I agree with your analysis and with more certainty in our situation next year, would not hesitate to do it. Some of our uncertainty next year is regarding things I haven't mentioned yet (possible move, definite new child, etc.), and I might be able to use those "life events" to better optimize this decision mid next year when I know more information. So I think I'll hold off for now, but will use your thinking as I strategize next year. I've marked your reply as the answer -- it was much appreciated!


Should all stats only exist on MySQL database for my Flash browser RPG?

Question: I'm creating a browser RPG in Flash which will have some multiplayer elements and in-app purchases so security is a high concern. Would it be better to have all game stats like health and such exist only in the MySQL database and retrieve them every time I need them? The game is turn based, but that would still require very frequent connections to the database. I could use local copies to cut down on the number of connections, but I imagine that would make it much easier for people to cheat.
Comment: How does your multiplayer work? Is there an authority in between the players checking whether the input they're sending is valid? That's going to be the critical piece for preventing cheating - it doesn't matter where you store the stats if the player can ignore them and substitute their own without policing.
Comment: The game will be mostly single-player but with a multi-player arena for duels, which will NOT be in real time. In other words, the player will be fighting against an AI that uses the name and stats of another player, who may be offline. All the logic will be handled in Flash.
Comment: And the results of these duels are stored on the server for later display to the players?
Comment: Yes, along with a ranking change, which will also be stored in the database.
Answer: "All the logic will be handled in Flash" there's your problem.
It doesn't matter where you store the stats if I can hack my client to ignore them and just always report back "Yeah, I toooottally won that duel. Rank me up!"
To prevent cheating, what you need to do is run your duel logic on the server. Then it doesn't matter if the player hacks their local client to pretend they have 9999999 strength & HP or whatnot. That server does its own calculation with its own authoritative stats, and records/reports the result of the duel with that trustworthy information.
That way a player hacking their local copies of the stats, or any other part of the client, cannot change the game experience for anyone else, nor impact the rankings.
If your duel logic is deterministic, then your client and server don't need to communicate in realtime about the blow-by-blow. The client can still run its own duel logic for presentation to the player. The server can, at minimum, record the player's inputs and the time when the duel was initiated, so it knows what state to use whenever it decides to compute the outcome later (when it has time / when a player asks to see the results).
Comment: I figured everything would have to be handled server side including the logic to make things completely secure. I suppose that's how all MMOs do it. Doing things that way is a bit beyond my abilities though. I'm familiar with Actionscript-3, but I'm just starting to learn PHP and MySQL.
Comment: Is PHP enough to securely handle the duel logic? Flash handles the player input, PHP pulls the player and opponent stats from the database, does some math, throws in a random number or two, and returns the result to Flash?
Comment: What are you worried might be insufficient about it?
Comment: I was just wondering if that would be a good way to do it. I'm currently using a free webhost that provides PHP and MySQL to test my game, but once I'm paying for my own hosting, I guess I should pay attention to the number of PHP/MySQL requests that I'm doing.


Tennis related probability question

Question: Found this question quite puzzling, was hoping to get some help with it :).

A tennis match is played as a series of POINTS, contained within
  GAMES, which in turn are contained within SETS.
If a player reaches 4 or more points won in a game, and also has won 2
  points more than their opponent, then they win that game.
If a player reaches 6 or more games won in a set, and also has won 2
  games more than their opponent, then they win that set. If both
  players reach 6 games, then a TIE-BREAK is played to determine the
  winner of the set.
Suppose Djokovic plays a set of tennis against Murray under these
  rules, and his probablity of winning a point is 0.54. Assuming the
  probability of winning a point remains constant throughout, what would
  be the probability of Djokovic losing the set 2-6?

I'm struggling to figure out the probability of Djokovic winning a game, let alone a set. My thinking so far is you could add the probability of the case where he wins 4 points in a row, with the probability that he wins four and Murray gets one as well, then add the infinite amount of scenarios where Djokovic wins by 2 points which meant adding this:
$$
\sum_{n=4}^{\infty}\binom{2n-2}{n}(0.45)^n(0.55)^{n-2}
\,
$$
That's when I realised I was way in over my head, grateful for any suggestions!
Answer: If $p$ is the probability of winning a point, then the probability of winning a game can be found here or here and is $$P_g = p^4 + {4\choose 1}\cdot p^4(1-p) + {5\choose2}\cdot p^4(1-p)^2 + {6\choose 3}\cdot \frac{p^5(1-p)^3}{1-2p(1-p)}$$
To win $2$ games and lose $6$ games can be done in ${7\choose 2}$ ways (the last game is always a loss), so the probability for that set score is $$P={7 \choose 2}\cdot P_g^2(1-P_g)^6$$

Tennis related probability question


Compiz high CPU

Question: I recently installed Ubuntu 13.04 (my first Linux) alongside Windows 7. When I booted for the first time and ever since Compiz is eating up my CPU. When idle and doing nothing window management related, Compiz keeps at 1-3%. But when opening programs or moving them, everything slows down and Compiz eats up my CPU(sometimes up to 200%)

I collected some info (but I'm new to Linux, so I can't make anything of it):
here are some files (hope it works :) ):

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByqBt-gs2jaRQzliS3dGUFI5T28&usp=sharing

  -details: details about my system
  -lspci: output of lspci
  -syslog: copy of my syslog
  -compiz restart crash & compiz crash: I restarted Compiz with compiz --replace ccp, it crashed and this is the output in the terminal
  -Xorg.0.log: copy of file with same name; Xorg also takes some CPU power: usually 1-5%

Is it possible Compiz is running on my CPU, rather than my GPU?
And, as it says 'Unity not supported by your hardware' and 'using software rendering', is it my GPU or drivers not working? (I installed none, btw)

Thanks in advance for any help!
Answer: To get latest drivers for the graphic card go to software center, edit(in the menu bar), software sources, additional drivers.
You should find proprietary drivers for your GPU here.
Compiz usually doesn't use much cpu even if it's running on CPU.
This may be caused by many programs opening at once, or there is some conflict between plugins.
Restoring compiz to default setting should solve that.
See here how to restore Compiz to default look here

Compiz high CPU


Computer-aided musicology

Question: I have been trying to explore music theory concepts programmatically, namely through music21 software, but I've run into a lot of trouble. Are there any other frameworks for this?
Comment: The problem here is the lack of definition of "trouble".
Comment: Here again, it would help if the people voting to close state their arguments. Sometimes a bad or subjective question can be rephrased by the original poster in a useful way.
Comment: I agree, this question is extremely unclear.
Comment: What do you mean by "explore music theory concepts programmatically?" Are you trying to learn music theory? Write scripts to automatically generate parts of songs for analysis?
Comment: If making it work properly in an IDE is the issue, you should try PyDev for Eclipse, or PyScripter for an easier setup that's not Eclipse.  I've found the easiest PyDev in Eclipse environment is Aptana Studio, which is a tailored Eclipse that easily loads PyDev as a module.  Perhaps this is because Aptana is also responsible for PyDev.
Answer: I was not aware of music21, but it looks interesting.  Another, somewhat older, Java-based framework is Rubato.  I am using it in my thesis research, but I do not know how much it is currently being maintained.
Comment: what is your thesis about?
Answer: I am the author of another Python-based system called Sebastian https://github.com/jtauber/sebastian but it's at a very early stage. I'd be interested to know what you felt want lacking in music21 in case Sebastian could (eventually) meet your needs better.
Comment: The main thing that was lacking is a could not make it work properly in any IDE (netBeans and Eclipse)

Computer-aided musicology


How can a person make his/her immune system stronger and prevent flu?

Question: If someone is getting flu frequently, how can he/she make his/her immune system become stronger? And what should he/she eat for daily meals?
Answer: I use Vitamin D3 to prevent that sort of illness in my home.  It has been used by many doctors & is more & more being promoted for this, as flu season is strongly linked to shortened days & lower D3 levels in research.  I do believe it's working as I have seen far fewer illnesses in general and have not gotten the flu now in many years since starting this.
Here is a link to some information about D3 and it's use in this regard. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4463890/
Answer: Whatever you do, please don't deliberately eat moldy bread.
It contains a spore/fungus. Ingesting that would be detrimental to the body since spores are exponentially harder to kill than germs or bacteria.
The only thing you're getting from moldy bread is food poisoning and pain.
Germs/Bacteria that you find on the playground, when you bite your nails or eat without washing your hands, are the ones that boost your immunity because those kind of germs are easy to kill. The body's immune response is enough to form an antibody against that germ.
If you want to prevent the flu or get rid of it quickly, antibiotics would help. Advil Cold and Sinus works best for my patients. If that's not your path, then you can go with apple cider vinegar TID for 1 week.
Comment: Also, antibiotics DO NOT WORK for viruses such as the flu. A quick reading of your answer might lead someone to believe "Advil Cold and Sinus" was an example of an antibiotic, which it is not. And you have no sources for your claim that eating dirt and failing to wash your hands will somehow improve the immune system. This answer still needs a lot of work.
Comment: if you want to comment on someone else's answer, when you have 50 rep you can do so. Your answer should stand on its own not as a rebuttal to someone else's. I am going to edit your answer to be independent.
Comment: Antibiotics will not help prevent the flu. -1
Answer: To make your immune system stronger simply.....Live in Haiti.
I did for 8 years now I never get sick.
Ok here's a my theory that I learned from 10th grade biology last year. Ok here's how to stronger your immune system.
First
Eat some infected food, like, moldy bread.
Just eat anything that has bacteria in it!
Don't eat to much obviously, the bacteria can overcome your body which can be fatal.
Just eat enough to get you a bit sick.
Second
Now once you start feeling a bit sick, guess what, your body is producing antibodies to fight off the bacteria that is invading. When you body produces a certain type of antibodies it will "store" the DNA of that antibody and will produce it again if that same bacteria or like it invades again. (So if you want to protect against the flu..simply kiss your wife who already has the flu).
You body will produce antibodies that fight the flu bacteria or virus.  You will want to take some antibiotics. Antibiotics just stimulate the immune system to create more antibodies. This is a faster way to become immune to a certain bacteria(sickness)
If you didn't take antibiotics your bodies antibodies will likely get dominated by the bacteria that you got from your wife! Then you will have to go to the doctor and tell them about what you read from me on Stack. Then he will likely sue, you probably will too. Anyway the doctor will then give you some antibiotics and tell you to get some rest.
This theory is mine!
Don't sue me I'm just a 16 year old with no life.
Comment: Welcome to Health.SE. Since health is an important topic, the site has a strict policy that all answers should be [backed up with reliable references](https://health.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/1/should-we-require-references-to-back-up-all-answers), in order to provide the community with the means to assess the merit of the answer, regardless of the reader's background. *See [this list of reliable sources](https://health.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/112/what-are-reliable-sources)*. If you still have trouble with this, feel free to visit the [help].


Can any catholic rite call themself Roman Catholic?

Question: I have seen some oriential catholic rites call themself as roman catholic. In my knowledge roman catholic church is the latin rite of the church. Can any rite of the catholic church call themself as Roman Catholic?
Comment: There are Catholics who are conducting their own ceremonies and sacraments, sometimes pre Vatican II or post Vatican II approved. Mel Gibbs is one such Catholic I had heard about that doesn't approve of or permit the Vatican II changes, in his personal worship. But the Roman Catholic church itself considers the changes to be part of the apostolic authority descended from Peter, as well as the changes introduced in the various ecumenical councils.
Answer: This is a bit of a difficult issue; the truth is that the Catholic Church herself does not usually define herself as "Roman Catholic Apostolic Church;" Most usually you will find simply "the Church", but sometimes "the Catholic Church" when needing to differentiate between the herself and the Eastern Patriarchates, or the Protestant Churches. For example:

Orientalium Ecclesiarum, the Vatican II conciliar document which deals with the Eastern Rites, only uses the adjective "Roman" in reference to the Roman Pontiff.
The Code of Canon Law also uses the term "Roman" basically to refer to the Roman Pontiff, Roman Curia, Roman See/Roman Church (here referring to the particular Church of the Diocese of Rome), and once the "Roman Synod" of Vatican II in the introduction.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church mentions the term Roman to refer to:

The Roman Catechism, created under the orders of the Conciliar Fathers of the Council of Trent, a predecessor to the modern CCC;
The Roman Rite, which is the Latin Rite developed in the City of Rome itself, as opposed to the Ambrosian, Mozarabic, Gallican, Dominican, Carthusian, and other Rites and Uses in the Latin family both past and present (see Paragraph 1203);
The Roman Missal, Roman Canon, and Roman Liturgy, the books, prayers and liturgy which the Roman Rite makes use of.

In all cases, these documents avoid the use of the term "Roman Catholic", which is in any case a term born of the interplay between the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches, in order to emphasize (either positively or negatively) the communion with the Bishop of Rome. In this sense, the Eastern Rites are Roman due to communion, but not Roman due to liturgy. Since the term is thus ambiguous, we're better off avoiding it for more precise terminology.
Comment: So among the catholic rites what does the church call itself. Calling simply catholic church is ambigous. Hence it has to have a preper name for it
Comment: @RichardThomas: Depends on what part of the Church you're talking about. It can be the "Latin Rite Church" for the particular Churches which use the Roman, Ambrosian, Mozarabic, Bragan, etc. Rites. If it's one of those specific Rites, it's the Ambrosian Church, Roman Church, etc. If it's those Churches that use the Byzantine Rite, then the Bizantine Rite Church, and among them the Greek, Ukrainian, Ruthenian, Italo-Albanian, Syro-Melchite, etc., Church.
Answer: There are several "Eastern rites" within the Catholic Church.  These may have originated as individual Eastern Orthodox congregations who wanted to re-unite with the West on their own.  Rome allowed them to keep their liturgical traditions, including such things as married priests and the use of Greek rather than Latin scriptures, so they may appear just like Eastern Orthodox with the exception that they acknowledge the Pope's authority.  Because there are so few of these in the English-speaking countries, we hear very little about them, or might mistake them for Eastern Orthodox.  One recent exception was, when the Ukraine-Russia conflict was making headlines a few years ago, I noticed that the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox churches were both in the news, highlighting the fact that they are distinct.
There are also some distinct "rites" within the Western/Latin part of the church, such as the Ambrosian rite used in Milan, and some rites for specific religious orders.
More recently, in 2009 Pope Benedict XVI created an "Anglican Ordinariate" to allow Anglican congregations to re-join the Catholic church.  Like the Eastern congregations, they may be allowed to keep their married priests and other traditions, as long as they acknowledge unity with the Church.  That's the first such structure aimed at a Protestant denomination.


Issues with validates_uniqueness_of and state_machine transition

Question: I have a problem with the rails 'validates_uniqueness_of' function and the state_machine gem. Please look at the code below:
<code>state_machine :initial => :foo do

  state :bar do
    validates_uniqueness_of :something
  end

  event :action do
    transition :foo => :bar
  end

end
</code>
As you can see, I want to validate the uniqueness of 'something' when the model is in the state of 'bar'. However, the validations seems to take already place during the transition. Therefor, my instance becomes invalid and the transition never finishes.
So, is there a way to make sure the validation takes place AFTER the transition had happened? Thank you.
Answer: Sorry for who is having a similar problem, but we solved the issue otherwise, by making the customer change their use case ;-) .


Exporting animations for mutliple armatures not working as exptected

Question:
I'm trying to export an FBX file with 2 armatures and corresponding animations but the export file does not contain all animations from both armatures.

I have rigged some fps arms and and a gun. The wrist bone from the hand is attached to the gun bone with an child-of constraint.

The animations work fine in blender. I can switch between them and the animations plays.
When I export to an FBX file I expect 4 clips. 2 for the arm armature and 2 for the  gun armature.
This works perfectly when only having one animation.

But what I end up with is having 2 animations for the gun armature and only one animation for the arm armature.

As you can see only 3 animations instead of 4 get created.
I need to have separate animatons because I want to use the arms for multiple weapons.

I've read that there might be a bug regarding this.
Or do I need to check for something else?
Answer: I also faced the same issue but then I came up with a solution of joining the mesh and armature of the gun to the mesh and armature of the arms. All the animations were exported properly and there were no problems with the animations as well.


Outlook.com - Printing Problem

Question: With Outlook.com - whenever I try to print an email of say 3 pages, it only prints the screen view and 2/3 of the page width. I've resorted to emailing emails I need to print to my "spare" email to print the way I expect. Does anyone have a solution? This used to be fine before upgrading from Hotmail.
Answer: Within Outlook.com, when viewing an email you should see a dropdown arrow next to "Actions" with an option to "Print message". This will give you a printable version of your email.
Comment: Thanks - I don't have an actions prompt, but have now worked out that clicking the *** in the header bar also gives a dropdown with a print option which is correctly formatted
Comment: Ahh, interesting. It shows for me in IE and Firefox on Windows, but I haven't checked in any other browsers/OS's. What are you using?
Comment: I don't have the Action drop down box nor the three dots.I am using FireFox 20.0.1 I have looked but cannot figure out how to print.

Outlook.com - Printing Problem


How do you block tree roots from affecting your garden?

Question: What is the best way to stop my pear tree roots from invading and sucking the life out of my flower bed that is planted under it?
Comment: When you say 'under' the pear tree, how far under the canopy is the bed, and how far does it extend from the trunk to the outer edge? Please edit your question to give us more information, like how long the tree's been there, how big the bed is, whether you eat the pears, or photographs
Comment: Just had to say that your pear (flowering? Chanticleer?) is worth deferring to!  If you want flowers you should plant in pots.  Pots can be arranged at your whim wherever you want them and then put back where the exposure is best and company is gone.  Best flowers are in the sun.  There are shade plants that would produce flowers but I wouldn't compromise my tree. Impatiens are great and won't compete much with your tree and can do just fine for a season amongst the roots. Look for other places to put your flower beds with perennials.
Comment: @stormy Why not post an answer? It's discouraged to post what could be considered an answer in the comment box. Please see [this meta post](http://meta.gardening.stackexchange.com/questions/201/when-should-i-post-an-answer-and-when-should-i-post-a-comment) for details.
Answer: Usually, I don't try to keep trees out of landscaped beds. But if you are going to garden under a tree (pear trees aren't the worst), you'll want to plant a shade garden. Probably a dry shade garden. There are a lot of good ornamentals that will tolerate growing under a tree. I'm not sure where you're located, that would help me recommend something specific. Usually it's also safe to go with a dry woodland plant that's native to the area.
Now, if the tree has not yet grown roots into the area, you can block many of the roots by installing a root control landscape fabric barrier. This usually goes about 12" into the soil, so doesn't control below that level. I rarely use the stuff, as you can very easily work with nature when dealing with trees over beds. You can also use something more substantial, as described by this answer on horsetail control. Again, I don't like intervening where I don't have to.
Trees don't suck the life from flower beds. They use water and nutrients, but both these thing are readded to the soil for orchard/ornamental trees anyway. If you aren't watering, or adding compost or fertilizer, that's another thing you could do.
Comment: Thanks for the comments. I live in Maryland. The tree has been there before I moved in. It's a flowering pear tree. It probably almost 20yrs old and as tall as a second story house. The bed starts about 3ft from the trunk and goes out about 10 ft.It's totally under the tree but get a small amount filtered light. My next step is to plant all hardy shade plants. But would like dome ideas on some type of covering to line the flower bed in order to  help block the roots.


Creating URLs in Business Layer

Question: Our Web Project has 3 usual layers:

Presentation Layer ( PL )
Business Layer ( BLL )
Data access Layer ( DAL )

We should produce some URLs in BLL but URL helpers and URL generation functionalities are located in PL.
In our case we want to produce URLs and send them to telegram Bot. but I believe in some other cases also it will be required.
How we can generate URLs in BLL in a correct way when URL generation functionality lies in PL?
Answer: Define an interface IUrlGenerator (or something like it) in the BLL, and inject it in the class in the BLL where you want to use it.
Create an implementation of the interface IUrlGenerator in the PL since you can implement it there correctly.
Use DI to wire up the classes and interfaces.

Creating URLs in Business Layer


Manage Clients grid - client name blank

Question: After following this post clients that register trough /customer/account/create/ successfully is not required to input a lastname, but their whole name won't show on the client grid. If the lastname is changed, it reappears.
Answer: Ok, so it looks like the Grid.php was showing the whole name instead of first and lastname. So I guess when lastname isn't present it just goes blank. A bit weird. Just overrode to /app/code/local/Mage/Adminhtml/Block/Customer/Grid.php and commented out the name column:
    $this->addColumn('firstname', array(
        'header'    => Mage::helper('customer')->__('First Name'),
        'index'     => 'firstname'
    ));
    $this->addColumn('lastname', array(
        'header'    => Mage::helper('customer')->__('Last Name'),
        'index'     => 'lastname'
    ));
    /*$this->addColumn('name', array(
        'header'    => Mage::helper('customer')->__('Name'),
        'index'     => 'name'
    ));*/

Manage Clients grid - client name blank