Windows doesn't show device in Explorer

Question: After updating my Nexus 7 to the latest version of Android (4.4.4 at this point), Windows decided that it would no longer show the device in Explorer in MTP mode. PTP worked fine, but obviously this is no good for putting files into the device. How do I solve this?
Answer: So there are many different threads and posts all over the internet trying to solve this issue for various Android devices. It seems that sometimes these work, but not always. I think I've finally found a step that works most of the time (it excludes hardware issues for example). Start off with your device connected.
Essentially, there is an issue with the driver on Windows. To fix this open the device manager (see here for how to do this on Windows 7 or Vista, here for XP and here for Windows 8). Now, at this point most posts and threads advocate finding anything mentioning your device (in my case the nexus 7) and uninstalling the driver. This seems to be the right thing to do, but first there is a very important step. At the top, click "View" and then select "Show hidden devices". Now, you can find all mentions of your device. Right click, and select "Uninstall driver". If there is a tick box for deleting the driver as well you should select this.
After completion, disconnect your device. The device manager will flash. Give it a few seconds and then plug your device back in. Windows will now reinstall the driver. At this point, it should work correctly.
Note that if you use ADB, you will have uninstalled this in a previous step and will have to reinstall it using your preferred method.
Answer: You will need probably install the usb driver. You can download it here.

Windows doesn't show device in Explorer


Construct a grammar for the language

Question: How can I achieve this. Write a grammar for the language consisting of strings built only of the letters a and b. The strings may have any number of these letters, but the letter combinations bab must be in each string somewhere, and each string must start with a bb. For example, the strings bbababbbaa, bbbaaaababaa, and bbbab are in the language, while a, aabb, baaa, and bbba are not.
Comment: Your language is regular. You can design an NFA for your language, and then convert it to a context-free grammar.
Answer:
The string much start with $ bb $ .
There should at least one occurrence of the sub-string $ bab $

Hence, the structure of the regular expression must be something like this:
$$ bb[some \: string]bab[some \: string] $$
and, we can define $ [some \: string] $ something like this:
$$ (a + b)^* $$
which means, there can be any number (including 0) of either a's or b's.
Therefore, the final regex for the word is,
$$ bb(a+b)^*bab(a+b)^* $$
Comment: Doesn't match $bbab$.
Comment: Thank you! I figured it out now.

Construct a grammar for the language


Time machine drive used for time machine before..can it back up a new drive without erasing?

Question: My MacBook Pro drive died a few months ago. Thankfully it was fully backed up to an external with Time Machine. I seem to grab something from the backup every week from various libraries, but I now need to back up my new drive. I am cheap and do not want to buy yet another external especially as the older backup is a TB and nowhere near full. Does anyone know if I can use the old external with the old HD back-up as a back-up for the new drive without having to erase and reformat (i.e., keep the old HD back-up in tact)?
Thanks in advance for a response.
Answer: Yes, you should have no problem doing that.  Simply tell Time Machine to backup to that drive, and Time Machine with create a new folder in the backups.db folder on your external drive.  As far as Time Machine is concerned, your new backup will be as if it is from a different computer, even if you're using the same MacBook Pro with a new hard drive.  Time Machine can handle backups from multiple computers to the same drive.
Comment: Thank you aswine...all is well in MacBook world. Backed-up and can still access old drive material.


What should edits that do nothing but change pronouns in a edit count as?

Question: I've recently found 2 edits in my edit queue that were nothing but changing all the pronouns from he/him to they/them. I don't know what to mark these edits as. They don't improve or make the question worse. What should this type of edit be marked as be marked as?
Comment: Do you by any chance have a example of one of the edit suggestions on hand? It might be helpful to have something specific to reference.
Comment: @HDE226868 https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/q/214203/30492 and some of the answers
Comment: We had the same problem in chess.SE with this user [so I asked the same question on Meta Stack Exchange](https://meta.stackexchange.com/q/359106).
Answer: One small clarification, since it seems to have come up a bit in discussion. It's true that correcting pronouns, including towards gender neutral pronouns where relevant, is a positive contribution. When folks come across this organically, it should be changed and is an improvement to the post. However, folks shouldn't go well out of their way to make these changes unless the pronouns a post uses are obviously incorrect (i.e. refer to a specific person improperly).
These edits should be treated like a minor improvement, except when pronouns refer to a specific person incorrectly, in which case they are quite important to do. Minor changes are generally welcome across Stack Exchange when the post needs other edits, or if the post is very new, or if you just come across a post organically and it's bugging you. (And, of course, there's some variation for local site policies here.)
If we did not permit these changes, many posts would stay permanently gendered. But, it's not generally worth a mass edit or a bump to many old posts at once.
Comment: *many posts would stay permanently gendered* I frankly fail to see why it should be a goal to change all posts or what the problem is with posts having non-neutral gender.  The rules on gender use explicitly state we should refer to people by their own preferred choice of term where this is practical.  Enforcing gender neutrality everywhere would be completely against that policy.
Comment: @StephenG Perhaps I was unclear - if the pronouns someone wants to be referred to with are known, using those pronouns will _always_ take precedence over gender neutrality.
Answer: The edits were ridiculous
If the world has really come to the point where reading the words "he" or "she" are intrinsically offensive, then we've really come to a sad state of affairs. But I beg you, understand what I'm saying in its correct context.
The OP asked a question about a fictional world of their own creation. In that world, the OP makes the rules — and that most certainly includes the rules governing pronoun usage. Who is anyone on this Stack or working at Stack Exchange to tell the OP whether or not the use of any pronoun in their own question is inappropriate?
It's a somewhat different matter when answering a question
If the original question was written using gender-neutral language, then it would be appropriate for every answer to be written in the same gender-neutral language. In such a case, had someone forgotten because, perish the thought, they're old and suffering from the stress of overcoming decades of now politically-incorrect English language classes, then it would be appropriate to edit the answer and convert it to the same gender-neutral context as the question.
It's a very different matter when addressing a real and living person
The purpose of the Code of Conduct is to help us understand how to be civil with other real and living people using this service. In other words, were I to leave a comment to someone's post, but referring to another person's comment, and not knowing the gender/pronounce preference of the OP, then I would use gender-neutral language to avoid offense. Had I forgotten to do so, someone politely pointing out that I had is acceptable.
But I believe it is entirely inappropriate to force the OP to write gender-neutral questions
Changing the OP's post to gender-neutral language for the sake of using gender-neutral language is imposing a morality upon the OP that may not — and probably does not — reflect the OP's beliefs, culture, or the rules and systems of the world they are trying to create.
My point? Without asking the OP whether or not the question should apply to all possible gender combinations the editor could not possibly know whether or not the OP actually meant for the question to only be scoped for (in this case) biological males.
And it's the OP's right to scope their questions for a single gender, gender-preference, or gender-orientation. Thinking of the issue more globally, what's the point of even having a gender tag if the OP can't refer to gender in the question? (Yes, people, we have a gender tag....)
Conclusion
If it hasn't been clear to you, the edits made to OT-64 SKOT's post were nothing short of politically-correct Nazism. If you're inclined to edit someone else's post to fix pronoun usage, have the courage and courtesy to ask the OP for permission, first.
Comment: @sphennings Ignoring the unwritten reality that this Stack loathes editing, the [Help Center](https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/help/editing) (to which you're probably referring) says, "To clarify the meaning of the post (without changing that meaning)." Based on that rule, the edits to OT's posts were a violation of the Code of Conduct. It doesn't matter how good the intentions were. A person can shoot another person in the dark with *good intentions.* The irrelevancy of *good intentions* is why rules, ordinances, and laws exist.
Comment: @Tortliena I did NOT remove my comment - but I have noticed over the last few months that comments are being deleted. Both mine and others. Free Speech appears to be dying on Stack Exchange.
Comment: Keep in mind that this site explicitly incentives making edits to questions. The Archaeologist badge exists to reward people for editing old questions. Instead of immediately jumping to *"politically correct Nazism"* you could perhaps assume good intentions of the editor. They probably thought that gender wasn't relevant to the post and thought that making the pronouns gender neutral, would be a minor improvement.  Remember that the OP always has the ability to revert an edit if it conflicts with their intent.
Comment: @sphennings There's a staff member promoting the political agenda of Stack Exchange. And we're still making assumptions about OT's intent. Maybe we need to let OT tell us why he/she/they posted in Meta? Because my own interpretation is, "I don't accept the edits and don't know how to mark them." From my perspective, if OT didn't care or happily accepted the edit, this post wouldn't exist.
Comment: @Tortliena I honestly haven't the slightest idea what you mean. I've never heard the idiom "overflowing a cookie" before.
Comment: @JoinJBHonCodidact I fail to see the great harm in changing swordsman to swordsperson on a post where the gender of the combatant was not relevant? Judging by the post by Slate above, edits of posts **where gender isn't relevant** are OK and should be treated the same way as any other minor edit. To quote from the top of the help center section you mentioned "When should I edit posts? Any time you see a post that needs improvement " Between that and Slate's post it seems clear to me that when gender isn't relevant to the post there is no issue with editing it.
Comment: @sphennings While OT may have clarified the issue at some time, based on the original post, it is only your opinion that the gender of the combatant was not relevant. Hence my assertion that the correct course of action was to *ask the OP.*
Comment: @JoinJBHonCodidact Should I ask the OP before fixing spelling? It's my opinion that a spelling mistake isn't deliberate. We already allow minor edits in good faith. Which these most likely were. And if someone was wrong about gender not being relevant, the remedy would simply be to click on the revert edit button. I don't see posters reverting the edits. Additionally, they entered the review queue and were found by members of the community to be acceptable. It seems like there is a general agreement about this being a non-issue.
Comment: @JoinJBHonCodidact Sorry, I wasn't clear at all. Let me rephrase it in a much better way. Hmm... It's just that I find it weird that you take a quite rigorous (or vigorous? Or passionate) stand, while you wished that the world did not "has really come to the point where reading the words "he" or "she" are intrinsically offensive". Both point of views are taking strong stances in their own direction but on the same topic, if I dare saying so.
Comment: @sphennings We're not talking about spelling and if the issue were such a small one OT wouldn't have asked about it. You've come to the wrong shop for anarchy, brother. The OP has the right to express gender as he/she/they see fit and it's not within the Code of Conduct or the [help] to permit it as without clarification of intent the reassignment of gender can and does change intent. If you want this to be otherwise, you need to get SE to change its rules.
Comment: @JoinJBHonCodidact There's a staff member saying these edits are ok, doesn't seem like anarchy to me. None of OT-64's posts were modified. They asked about edits found while reviewing the **suggested edits queue**. They didn't see a problem with them. To quote from their question "They don't improve or make the question worse. What should this type of edit be marked as be marked as?"  I'll remind you that the suggested edit queue has an option for *conflicts with OP's intent*. If reviewers felt like the edit changed the intent of the post the course of action was obvious. This wasn't the case.
Comment: @JoinJBHonCodidact The contradiction is that by taking this position, you make yourself look like one of them :/... I think it's the first time I read you telling about "arrogance" or "ridiculous" things. I'll detail my thoughts as an answer to your comment on my post, seems more appropriate as I can tackle the issues you raised, too.
Comment: Did you remove your comment? I can't find it anywhere. Sad it is, I wrote an answer halfway through o_x.
Comment: @JoinJBHonCodidact Rewrote my comment answer. I don't recall the details and could only base myself on what I wrote, so please forgive me if I made your words go astray like sheeps in the woods.
Answer: Changing the pronouns to make them inclusive is compliant with the Code of Conduct

Be inclusive and respectful.
Avoid sarcasm and be careful with jokes — tone is hard to decipher online. Prefer gender-neutral language when uncertain. If a situation makes it hard to be friendly, stop participating and move on.

If the edit goes in that direction, it should be approved
Comment: Mod note: If folks have other things to add to the discussion unrelated to L.Dutch's answer (i.e. not about the relevance and applicability of the Code of Conduct), please put them in other answers, rather than this comment thread!
Comment: @Tortliena I am implying that the author always should have the final authority when it comes to specific words. WB.SE does not have an enforced style guide. Therefore, it is inappropriate to demand specific word usage. We can **suggest** an edit, but it is for the author to accept or revert it. Please also note that none of us is a mind reader, so we do not know the author's intent and the reasoning behind their choice of pronouns. Please do not assume that you know someone's work better than they do. It is rarely the case.
Comment: Let us [continue this discussion in chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/130307/discussion-between-sphennings-and-mary).
Comment: Ok, so approve them. Also it's not just that it goes in that direction. *it's the only thing these edits do.* There's literally nothing else to them.
Answer: Accept them under these conditions :
-If they don't damage the explicit message
The obvious part : If someone ask explicitly about women (or men) doing something related to their gender in society (ie. statuses in society, men/women relationships...), don't accept the changes as the message will be changed.
Now then, there's always a grey zone and this makes no exception. In these cases, you'll have to judge how much it can change (and therefore destroy) the message. For instance, you might find situations where people ask about... I don't know, an unknown "captain", or a "witch". Most of the cases, I'd say to still accept them -captain or witch- if no element implies an underlying gender. Using the example of the swordman swordperson, it doesn't matter in the end if they're male or female, so "they" is better. For the witch case, if it's a witch of fairytales and folklore with the crooked nose and riding a broom, might be better to stay with "she" as female fairytale witches are soooo much more depicted there, with the corresponding intentions. Or not, you're the judge!
-They're not the sole modification OR they're about recent (or recently edited) posts
They're the minor kind of modification. Editing a text makes the topic put back on top, allowing people to read it, yes, but also preventing new ones from getting more attention.
I don't think this kind of edit alone is worth that renewed attention. If there are other improvements like fixing grammar (including actual gender grammar fixes, e.g. : The "king and "her" wife), it might be worth it. If the "neutralification" is enormous and all over the place, then something is probably off regarding how the nature of the message will be changed, so think twice before approving. In anycase, just remember that editing does this secondary effect, too.
Why should you accept them?
Because the English tongue has the chance of having a gender neutral pronoun
I'll go in further detail about my perception of inclusiveness, and by doing this I hope it will feel more clear on why this has importance. So please, bear with me for a moment. The notion of gender inclusivity strikes a quite broad pattern, and as such, taking an equivalent stand between genders on tiny parts like pronouns can look like you're triggering your nuclear weapons as soon as one single ant shows up. Indeed, why be bothered by such little matter? I mean, it's just one or two words, right?
Here's the catch : In French, there's no neutral pronoun per say to define explicitly an external individual1. There is only "il" (he) and "elle" (she). The plurals are "ils" (they "masculine") and "elles" (they "feminine"). However, as soon as one guy enters the group of "elles", said group becomes "ils". Why? I honestly don't know why this rule has come to be2, but that's not what's important here. It's the fact that I asked the same question a long time ago with other kids : "Why?". That's only about an usage, but it pointed out to us that for some unknown reason, "women" become "men" if they're not exclusively "women". It's some difference which is -if not a little discriminative-, segregative. The English have the chance of the choice, so why don't you take it?
It's like how a mother chooses a blue toothbrush for her boy while he asked for the pink one, "telling pink is not for boys"3, in regard to that I ask directly "Why?". These are the tiny things and the way we adress them. And these things, like telling a "captain" is implicitly male creates unnecessary schism between the male majority (socially speaking) and the women minority.
However, does this mean that any "misuse" of he/she instead of "they" should be blasted away as soon as they're spotted? Niet :}i{:. Focusing on this tiny issue only brings it forward, it's taking up your rocket launcher to kill the ant. It's not necessary to make a fuss over it, especially as it can discred-hit the other persons -whether original poster or future editor- for almost nothing. Even asking about it seems quite much. And that's the paradox : You should do something about it, but at the same time you should not fight too much about it. That's why I would guess edits that do nothing but gender improvement to be a really big action for such purpose. Remember, edits put the question back on top :).
Because worldbuilding is not really about individuals
There are also other reasons which are about, I really don't know how to put it... "the oils of the site's mechanics"?
The use of he/she implies that there is an individual behind. And often times, when working at lower scale you are writing more story than writing worlds. That doesn't mean you should not use these pronouns, nor that everything about individuals are about stories. It's just an hint among others that the person was thinking more about a specific character in mind. And while such character can be interesting, it is most of the time irrelevant to the question.
Because we barely know the intention of the writer
Extending from the previous point. Alone, the pronouns are not enough to know why they have been chosen. Is it because it is of special importance to the understanding of the question? Is it some discrimination deeply rooted in the mind of people? Or is it just a language "mistake"? Only the first question can be answered, since if it was really important other elements in that direction would show up. And if they don't, then it's probably not that important in the first place.
We can't determine the reasons behind. And because we can't determine them, the choice of one pronoun over another will be personal to everyone. Might as well improve it by taking the chance English speakers have.

1 : The "on" pronoun is the most neutral in French, but it's generally used as in "Let's do this!", "We", or "some guy/gal/cat/dog".
2 : Though I have some ideas as to why this rule exists x_x...
3 : True story. The reason invoked was not that "it was more expensive", "I've already taken the blue one", "this one's better" or "your sister already has one so you won't know which one is yours". It was "blue is for boys, pink for girls". I bet the boy will know barely take pink items anymore, even though it would look nice and cozy on them.
Comment: Someone wrote a comment here, but got it removed. I'm not really happy with that (the removal), since even though there were 1 quite crude word (and list, I dislike lists in comments), there were understandable points, and also I was halfway through answering it. I'm rewriting what I was working on and what I remember from the initial comment (x_x). Hopefully it will help people to better understand my answer.
Comment: First and foremost, there were some... Hmm-ey... Personal thoughts on how bad it is to edit the author's text and altering its meaning without knowing their intent. Welly wholly, that's exactly my point :}i{: ! You can't really determine what is the author's intention, especially on a single pronoun, and because no reader can't, the change is only meaningful to the writer themselves. In that regard, I take the stance of community cooperation, and prefer to try one's luck in wikipedia's fashion.
Comment: When talking about the above point, one should mix both the 1st section of what should be accepted with the last section of why it should be accepted. I just don't know how to better put it (and I'm lazy to do it x_x), hence the absence of edit.
Comment: Ah yes, there was a straying point in between, apparently. But I don't recall what it was about exactly. Guess it's about the use of they, he/she or something else as there is only a link from my draft [here](https://english.stackexchange.com/a/55). That's less important matter, I guess :}i{:.


Sanding solid stain off

Question: I've been told I can not strip this stain off and need to sand it off. The spindles can stay as they're in good shape still.  It's about 800 sq feet plus stairs. What would be the best and most time effective way to tackle this?  What would be the best sander and paper grit?
Answer: That looks like paint to me. Anyway, I don't ow why you wouldn't be able to strip that off. I've done very similar jobs with great results. Get some of your favorite stripper and try a small section. I think you'll be surprised at the results.
Comment: Thank you for your comment.  It is Sherwin Williams SuperDeck Stain, Semi-solid. I was going to use Restore-a-Deck to strip it, but their customer service advised me that it was a solid, regardless of what the can says and that I have to sand it off.
Answer: Solid-color stain is very similar to paint in appearance. I'm not sure why it wouldn't be strippable, though. That said, it would take a lot of stripper for that deck. I'd probably rent a floor sander (plate type, not drum type). Use a medium grit so you don't have such a hard time removing sander marks with fine grit later.
That and a random-orbit sander for the shoulders of the boards should do the job. Eventually.
You might try stripper for the railing, though, or simply replace the balusters.

Sanding solid stain off


How much of my $5K/yr tuition tax credit ought I transfer to my mom who earned $40K/yr?

Question:
From 2009-2015, I was studying in universities, and earned no income. My parents paid all my tuition. We all live in ON. I filed my taxes, but didn't know about claiming tuition tax credits. I would've qualified for $750 (= $5000 x 15%), the maximum. These comments counsel that I can amend my mom's and my tax returns in 2009-2015.

I can transfer them to only one person like my mom who earned only $40K yearly. "If you are transferring an amount to a designated individual, only transfer the amount this person can use.".

But how much of the $750 ought I transfer her?

Isn't it possible that transferring her the full $750 would waste these credits? u/bluenose777 commented "yes" essentially.

If for some reason (high deductions and credits) she only paid $700 in federal tax you would only want to transfer 700/15% = $4666.67.

Here's my mom's 2009 return but edited for privacy.
Comment: In common sense, tuition tax credits are mean for an individual that pursuit higher learning with own money. For parents that pay tuition for their children, there is a  tax deduction section for it.
Comment: @mootmoot This is not correct - Canadian taxes work differently than the US. The asker is approaching this the right way.
Answer: tl;dr you've read the tax brackets wrong.
Your third source states that in 2010, you should've paid 5.05% on the first $37,106 of taxable income to the Ontario government.
Your mother's taxable income of $35k puts her well into the first bracket. In all likelihood, your mother will be able to benefit from the full amount. To ensure this is the case federally, check that her total federal non-refundable tax credits (line 350) is less than $34250. To ensure this is the case provincially, ensure that her Ontario non-refundable tax credits (line 6150) is less than $34750.
(an initial version confused the tuition credit as a deduction instead of a credit -- the amount is given back at the first bracket rate if you have taxable income not covered by another tax credit)
Comment: Thanks! Can you please see my edited post? Can you pls incorporate the new details in your post? Mind responding in (by editing) your prior comment pls? Comment chains are more grueling to read.
Answer: First, for clarity the amount you are transferring is technically not '$750' [the net impact to taxes payable], you are transferring '$5000' [the gross amount of the tax credit].
So the question is, if you transfer $5,000 in tax credits to your mother, would she pay any Ontario tax? [Note: you must also transfer the federal tax credits separately - I assume you know this, but want to be sure you don't lose out on the opportunity there]
For a quick example: Current basic non-refundable tax credits are ~10k [they would be slightly different in prior years]. If someone earned $17k, then they would only have to pay tax on $7k of income. If you gave them a $5k deduction, they would only pay tax on $2k of income - so, none wasted.
Because your mother earned far more than the ~10k non-refundable personal tax credits, she should be able to use the full amount of your transferred credits each year.
I recommend that you first have your own returns amended, then wait for the CRA response confirming they reassessed your returns, then have your mother amend her own returns in a similar process [because she already filed her returns, she will need to use the 'T1-Adj' form], so she can claim the refunds back-dated to earlier years.


In cluster analysis, can you use Gower's coefficient of similarity with a k-means clustering method?

Question: I am researching cluster analysis, and I am interested in variables that are both categorical and continuous, for which I have read that a Gower's similarity coefficient is a good proximity measure. I have read that Gower's similarity coefficient is generally not compatible with Ward's method, so I was planning to initially cluster using average linkage, but I was also seeking to compare the cluster structure (for content validity purposes) with another clustering method, specifically the k-means method, using the number of clusters and initial centers obtained in the average linkage method. Is Gower's coefficient of similarity a compatible proximity measure for k-means method?
Comment: `Gower's similarity coefficient is generally not compatible with Ward's method` You might have also read that it is not comatible with k-means as well. Because k-means and Ward are relatives. Won't you prefer k-medoids in place of k-means?
Comment: Thank you-- that's exactly what I needed to know. It looks like k-medoids would be more appropriate. Thanks!
Answer: K-means is really only sensible for squared euclidean distance.
The objective function of the two steps must agree for the algorithm to always converge.
Recomputing the mean optimizes the sum-of-squares assignment (the mean is the least squares estimator!). Therefore, the distance function must optimize the same objective, unless you also compute the mean differently.
And last but not least, when you are using Gower that somewhat implies that you have categorical attributes. How would you compute a mean/centroid there, in the first place?


Disney cartoon with 5 wheeled characters on floating islands, slides take them to islands to do missions

Question: I used to watch this cartoon in 2011 or 2014, I think.  It has five characters, and all of them have wheels. There are floating islands, and whenever they have a mission, I think a slide appears, and this takes them to the island they need to go to. I think it was on Disney Junior.
Comment: Hi, welcome to SF&F.  You should go through the [suggestions for asking a good question](https://scifi.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/9335/how-to-ask-a-good-story-id-question) to see if there's anything you can add.  For example, was it traditional animation or computer generated?
Comment: What does it mean that the characters "had wheels"?
Comment: Jungle Junction perhaps? (No time to write an answer right now, sorry, someone else feel free to use this to do that).
Comment: Blaze and the Monster Machines?
Answer: You are looking for "Animal Mechanicals"

This cartoon for preschoolers takes two elements young children often find fascinating -- mythical animals and monster trucks -- and combines them to create a different kind of action hero. The mechanicals are comprised of Rex, Unicorn, Komodo, Sasquatch and Mouse, five friends with the power to transform themselves into various shapes, which comes in handy considering the world in which they inhabit is also a "snap-together-take-apart" kind of place. Each episode, the mysterious Island Owl appears to send the team on a specific mission. It doesn't take long for the Animal Mechanicals (and young viewers) to then decide who among them is best suited to tackle each of the many challenges that pop up during their adventures.

Each character transforms during their missions, and some of those transformations have wheels. Most notably, Rex and Mouse.

The show has run on multiple networks over the years, including Nickelodeon, Disney Jr, Cartoon Network, and Netflix, but it originally premiered in the US in 2010 on The Hub, which is now known as Discovery Family.
Answer: If you're looking for an animated show that aired on Disney Junior in the past decade, in which all the characters "had wheels," then my bet is on Chuggington, a show about trains.
Per Wikipedia:

n the fictional town of Chuggington are young novice railway anthropomorphic locomotives ('trainees') Koko, Wilson, Brewster, Hoot, Toot and Piper. The trainees (and sometimes the more experienced Chuggers) learn the value of loyal friendship, telling the truth, listening carefully, persisting under adversity, completing tasks, resolving conflict without violence, and similar values. The locomotives, called "Chuggers", are intelligent, empathetic, independent and somewhat self-directed. They have mobile facial and body features. Chuggers have no crews, yet some have crew doors that can open. Chuggers regularly interact with other humans such as passengers and maintenance crews.

From their central city location, the "trainees" often head out to complete tasks in other locations.  And, being trains, they naturally travel on tracks, which may be the slides you are thinking of.
Comment: @Jenayah He *trains* for it.
Comment: How does a train go on a floating island? :P
Answer: It sounds a bit like "Paw Patrol" to me. After the characters had assembled for the mission, they would slide down slides into their vehicles:
Here is a brief clip


Why are index funds called index funds?

Question: Why are index funds called index funds?
Answer: Because they track an index.
Edited: The definition of the word in this case meaning "something used or serving to point out; a sign, token, or indication" from Meaning  #3
I presume therefore you are asking what an index is?
There are many variations of what makes up an Index but in short it is a representation of some part of a market.
An extremely simplistic calculation would be to take a basket of stocks, and sum their prices.  If one stock moves up a dollar, and one moves down a dollar, the index has effectively not changed, as it is presumed that the loss in one is offset by the gain in the other.
Comment: I know _what_ an index is, I just don't understand why it's named the way it is. I am not a native English speaker, so that may have something to do with it, but the way I understand the word index (from mathematics or computer science) doesn't explain to me why an index is named thus.
Comment: Added a definition link above: index points to something, in this case, using a subset of stocks to point to the overall performance of the market.
Comment: @ripper234: Imagine the *index* at the back of the book, that points to the most relevant concepts in the book.  Similarly, a stock *index* attempts to point at the most relevant stocks in the market, or a specific sector.
Comment: Indexes aren't managed?

Why are index funds called index funds?


UCT1 Algorithm: What does "total number of simulations" mean?

Question: When reading up on the UCT1 algorithm (I'm writing a Monte Carlo tree search), I'm having trouble with the formula.
$$\frac{w_i}{n_i} + \sqrt{\frac{\ln t}{n_i}}$$
Wikipedia, this guy, and this guy all say that $t$, or whatever else they use for that variable, equals the "total number of simulations". What does this mean, exactly? The total number of simulations in the entire tree? The child nodes of that particular node? The "sibling" nodes? So, what is the $t$ is this equation? Thanks!
Comment: Have you tried reading the original paper (by Kocsis and  Szepesvári)  that introduced the algorithm, to see what it says?
Comment: @D.W. Is the answer on page 4 of that paper? If it is, I don't understand it :P They describe $t$ as time; does that mean all the nodes that are needed to get to the node in question?
Answer: The UCT1 algorithm is actually an algorithm for a multi-armed bandit. There is a machine with several arms. At each round you pull one of the arms and get some reward. Your goal is to maximize your total reward. In this algorithm, $t$ is the round number: $t = 1$ in the first round, $t = 2$ in the second round, and so on.
When using UCT1 to perform Monte Carlo tree search, you treat each explored node as a multi-armed bandit. Monte Carlo tree search consists of several rounds of simulations: in each round a complete game is played out. The value of $t$ for a particular node is the number of rounds at which you passed through the node.
$n_i$ is the number of simulations through the $i$th child, i.e. how many simulations encountered that state in their simulations. A simulation consists of an entire game played out. Once it exits the node it invariably goes through one of its children. So $t$ is the sum of the $n_i$.
You ask:

I made some images. Is it like this or like this?

It's more like the latter.
Answer: $t$ = total number of visits for the node in question.
$n_i$ = total number of visits for its child.
$w_i$ = value of its child
You need to normalize each output over the total value and then select the maximum for best move.
Comment: This seems to contradict the comments below the accepted answer, so a citation to back up your claims would be a big help. (Or have I misunderstood something?)


Google Calendar event time

Question: How can I set an event at a particular time? When you add an event, it expects a time range, and when you set a task, it doesn't allow you to specify the time by which the task must be completed. How else can I do this?
Answer: The "Tasks" that is built into Google Calendar does not allow you to assign a specific time. If you'd like to do this in Google Calendar without using other tools, then you can set up every task as a normal event. Add a tag in the front of the Event title
<code>[TODO] Finish writing thing for dude
</code>
This will help you identify tasks. You can also change the color of the event/task. You can also set up another calendar just to create Task Events, which you can then toggle on and off in the "My calendars" list.
Comment: Could you set a reminder for them at least?
Comment: Yes if you make them all events, but no if you're trying to use default task items.
Comment: Ah, OK. Hope they add that.

Google Calendar event time


I am having problems with a particular corner on a car I'm modeling

Question:
The top picture is where I am now, and the bottom picture is where I want my topology. I basically want another two edges horizontally across the front bumper, but also want an edge loop around the light. Any ideas on how to achieve this? (or really, any ideas at all as to how I could model this correctly?
Answer: You can add the edges you want with the Loop Cut operator (⎈ CtrlR) for the edge loops and the Fill operator (F) for the standalone edges:

But when you try filling it in you may encounter some ngons and tris:

I'd suggest adding a couple more edge loops to handle these spots:
Comment: I was thinking about the bottom way, but then I run into the problem of having a dense area of topology where I don't need it. Would that be the way to go or is there possibly a solution that I haven't had experience with? Thanks for the elaborate demo though


RAM Usage in VSE

Question: I've just rendered a video in the VSE, and the output is 14.8 MB. When I use the option to "Prefetch frames" with Proxy Render Size set to Scene render size, or even "No proxy, full render" the memory consumption goes up to 6.33 GB. That's fine for me, I have the memory to spare for these short videos, but I am curious to know if this is an artifact of the method chosen by Blender developers which results in a huge waste of RAM, or if all video editors suffer the same problem of showing previews 4000 times larger than their rendered result.
Comment: @susu Thanks for your help!
Answer: The VSE is not an efficient tool at all. It's archaic design will use a lot of resources and will limit the responsiveness.
Note that the final output size has nothing to do with the resources needed to get there, the output is compressed, but blender uses the full uncompressed image before compression.
For video editing you should use a more optimized tool. In this day and age dedicated video apps are way more efficient and responsive than blender.
But if you still want to put yourself through the pain of using the VSE check out
this post:
How to import footage in the VSE for optimal playback and organization?

RAM Usage in VSE


PLACEHOLDER - Sync markdown content from GitHub repo to answers in a Stack Overflow Teams community

Question: I think this Stack Apps post is required to gain write access to the API.
Answer: The docs state:

Apps must have a registered Stack Apps post to write. All content created via the API will have links pointing back to an app's Stack Apps post, to aid in giving an app's author feedback and in reporting abusive content.

https://api.stackexchange.com/docs/write
I'm hoping this is what they mean, and that this is that post.
Comment: Correct, but you don't need to post an answer per sé. The question itself is sufficient.


How to fight citation for expired license plates in Washington State?

Question: Couple of weeks ago I was pulled over by Highway Patrol trooper in Bellevue, WA. He gave me citation for expired expired license plates (they expired in August, and I've got citation in December). It was my fault, I completely forgot about it. Somehow I thought that I need to renew them in December, and I didn't setup any reminders + I haven't received any mail from local DOL office with reminder (I used to receive it before). I renewed my tabs on the very same day. Will I be able to ask for forgiveness in my case? How do I do that? What do I tell in court?
(It just my third year in USA and first experience with police and courts).
Comment: Did you mean to ask about expired *tags*?
Comment: @VitaliyGanzha I have never heard anyone refer to a license plate as a "tab."  On the other hand, I have frequently heard them called "tags."
Comment: The fact that you didn't receive the usual reminder via mail help your case. You may want to ask if that reminder was sent and to which address. If it wasn't sent to you, even though It's not really an *excuse*, it could help if the judge knows this.
Comment: It isn't really fighting it if you admit to it. Best of luck in convincing the judge to let you off.
Comment: I meant "tabs": expired license plates
Comment: @phoog, 'tabs' is the common usage in Washington. It refers to the small sticky decal that indicates the expiry date rather than to the license plate itself. When you renew your plates you just replace the tab rather than the whole plate.
Comment: @CharlesE.Grant wow, thanks.  I even searched online, unsuccessfully, to find evidence of this use of "tabs."  Once I added "Washington" to the search, though, I found it.
Answer: It sounds like you want to have a mitigation hearing. Check number 2 on the ticket and send it in. On the hearing day ask for leniency which is probably going to be a reduced fine. From what you've told us there are no circumstances in your favor, but it can't hurt to try.
Here is some information: http://www.kingcounty.gov/courts/district-court/citations-or-tickets.aspx
Answer: There's no fighting a fine where the facts are not in dispute; only asking for clemency.  Bring in evidence that you acted in good faith and corrected the infraction as soon as you were alerted to it.  If you can determine why you didn't get a renewal application (e.g., did the state have an old address?) that might also justify the oversight.
When I was cited for driving a friend's car that (unbeknownst to me) had expired registration the cop actually said if I renewed it promptly and brought evidence of that to court she wouldn't press the charge.  Fifteen minutes later I was in front of a computer printing out a receipt.  When I showed up to court a few weeks later and the judge saw the time difference between the citation and the renewal he joked to the cop, "He renewed it fifteen minutes later?  What did you do to him?"  Obviously they're used to dealing with far less attentive citizens.
Answer: It sounds like it might be to late, however read carefully your citation. You have the right to ask for discovery in your case. I would request discovery if it is not too late, sometimes if you ask for a continuance due to other factors this could allow for you to still send a letter of demand for discovery. You would be checking the box to dispute the ticket not mitigate.  When and if it arrives you then need to read the law very carefully and try to find an RCW or cite some case law that would excuse you for not having renewed your tabs and then why you continued to drive.
If discovery is not received I believe it is 7 days prior to you trial date, you can move for the case to be dismissed. (hope for this one)
I personally would not try ignorance of the time limit to purchase tabs, or that you were not aware they were expired.
I was able to avoid a parking ticket by explaining to the judge that under the county code rule, I had to be in control of the vehicle when it was parked and therefore also aware of the parking rule as it was posted.
I did not park it there, the police pulled my son over and then took the keys and told me to come to the main station the next day to retrieve my keys. When I arrived the keys were accidently entered into evidence and could not be released until later that afternoon. I then went to my car and called AAA and had them make me a key and I also placed a few quarters in the meter until they arrived.
So as soon as I was in control of my car again I paid the meter, prior to that instance, I was not in control of the vehicle. Law followed and case dismissed.


Power Steering Fluid Compatibility

Question: I would like to know if the Prestone Power Steering Fluid + Stop Leak compatible with my '07 Toyota Camry LE's (4 cyl) power steering fluid specifications since i don't see any mention of its use aside from saying its claim "Developed for use in GM, Ford, Chrysler, and most foreign cars and light trucks." Any feedback is appreciated. Thank you!
Answer: In this pdf document put out by Toyota, it states:

Power steering fluid type: Automatic transmission fluid DEXRON II or III

Seeing as how DEXRON II and DEXRON III are used by GM in their vehicles (over the years ... now it's the newer versions), the Prestone product you are looking at should be just fine in there and should cause your vehicle no issues.
Answer: Many vehicles will accept automatic transmission fluid in the power steering, but it is not worth detracting from the vehicle manufacturers recommendation. If you do use an alternative fluid without a recommendation for its use, you run the very real chance of destroying the internal rubbers/seals in the system. If you have an oil leak on your system then you should have it repaired, and use the correct fluid. A loss of power-assisted steering whilst driving could end up in a catastrophic accident.
Comment: As it says in the product description, this product can be used for preventive maintenance. If this is the OP's intention, how does your answer goes anywhere towards answering the question?
Comment: This does not answer the question as the asker never asked about transmission fluid or 'alternative' fluids, but about Prestone Power Steering Fluid.
Comment: Do you think that the fluids are made, specified and recommended for no good reason? The wrong fluid will destroy the rubbers/seals.
Comment: Have you even driven a car with malfunctioning power steering? Unlike power brakes, power steering is not important. At high speed, the force required to turn the steering wheel is minimal with or without power steering. The problem is that steering force while at standstill is huge without power steering, but that doesn't cause an accident. Obviously, steering is probably even more safety-critical than brakes, so if the failure is such that it could cause the car to suddenly turn left to right, driving is unsafe. But most failures only lead to loss of power assisted steering.
Answer: Although this doesn't directly answer the question, it should be mentioned that usually there is no such thing as a mechanic in a can (or bottle). If your power steering leaks, most likely you need to replace the leaking part. Your car is so recent that replacement parts are probably made. Prepare to spend about $1000 if it's the steering rack that failed.
Of course, because replacing the steering rack is so expensive, I do understand why people use these stop leak fluids. It may or may not work. For me, I had two steering rack leaks on my 1989 Opel Vectra, neither of which was fixed by the stop leak. Replacement parts were not being made, so the second steering rack was from the junkyard, and was as old as the first that started to leak, explaining why the second one started to leak as well.
Your car is so new that it shouldn't leak (the leakage is probably the reason why you need more fluid in the system). So, you had an uncommon early failure.

Power Steering Fluid Compatibility


Upgrade chip in Deus Ex: Human Revolution?

Question: When you return to china, and all the Augs start experiencing the weird side effects, what is the result of going to the limb clinic and upgrading your chip vs. not going and upgrading? or does it not matter?
Answer: It does matter. Spoiler:

 Just before you fight the third boss, Zhao uses something on you. If you have the upgraded biochip, you essentially have a permanent EMP. Your HUD is messed up, so you don't have a radar, health/battery meter, ammo, etc. I found I was able to use augmentations though (such as looking through walls). I just didn't know how much battery power I had left.
Comment: Note that the negative effect is very short-lived, and is fixed after the battle.
Comment: Maybe yours bugged out because I could not use any augmentations, and neither could anyone else I've spoken to who also upgraded their chip.
Comment: It's possible. I found it very odd that the game acted like I was under the affects of an EMP, but still let me use augs. I also encountered a bug where if I skipped the cutscene I didn't lose my abilities at all. Not sure why my experience was different.
Comment: I have experienced the same effect, and I'm curious as to what happens if you don't replace the chip? Are the effects different, is there a different cutscene?
Answer: When you didnt get the LIMB upgrade:

 Zhao uses the device on you to disable your augmentations and fails, she can hardly believe it. Then the boss comes to kill you but will have a difficult time.
Comment: What  about if you do get the upgrade?


Post to beam connections

Question: I was told that I could find some angle brackets to secure the post to the beam. However, I'm finding nothing that doesn't require me to remove the set beam and start over. What is code? Is this going to be a custom / metal shop deal at this point? I'm fine with a black angle bracket that I can paint to match other hardware in this area of the house. Thoughts?
Comment: Required to remove the set beam and start over? First allow me to display my own ignorance, but what is a "set beam"? If you mean just  "beam", it's difficult to believe that's necessary. Why are you thinking that you need to remove the beam to install an angle bracket? Indeed usually walls are fastened together before they are erected, but that doesn't mean you can put nails in them afterward. It would be impossible to build any house if you couldn't add fasteners after a wall was erected. Just make sure everything is level and plumb, and make sure your bracket is appropriate for this task.
Comment: This sounds like a shopping issue. Google "angle bracket post and beam". Click the images and I think that you will find what you are looking for. I think something 1/8" thick should be ok if it's wide, but post and beam houses are "engineered" so I am just going to recommend a website: http://www.shortrunpro.com/BracketCalculators.aspx
Comment: Are you looking for something that stays showing, or will you be covering the posts/beams with drywall and/or trim?
Comment: Note: There was a supporting wall here. Seat beam - as in a beam that is set on the posts, but not fastened to the posts. This required we made a make-shift temporary beam with 3 posts and bottle jacks. It took 5 of us to set that beam in place and I'd rather not remove it to put brackets on.

The reason I was thinking I'd have to, is because all I'm finding are wrap type brackets like this one: http://www.fastenersplus.com/Simpson-CC66PC-Column-Cap-Black-Powder-Coated?gclid=CjwKEAjwgbG5BRDp3oW3qdPiuCwSJAAQmoSDtKG_fKrXIAgzDx4KXwhKgBxw1pncB2chZxEzFrYOdRoCx_Dw_wcB
Comment: DrewJordan,

Looking for something that would be showing - I guess? I found a fabrication shop that would do flat angle brackets out of 1/8inch iron, 8"x8"2&1/2" $20 each. That was their suggestion. There's no building inspection going on for this. I live a bit remote & didn't bother with a permit. That said, I'd like it to be something that would conceivably pass an inspection if there was one. We do have the potential for earthquakes here though it's very rare. We DO get tornadoes yearly.
Comment: I guess I've been looking for something that goes on the face, not an angle bracket in the cradle. Interesting...

Is it a matter of preference which I do, or more standard to do an angle bracket in the cradle?
Comment: Sorry, I didn't see your comment earlier. Use the @ then the user's moniker to send them a message (or comment on their post or question). Yes it's a matter of preference and needs. If you want an L plate bracket, a triangle plate, gussets, braces, etc... they're all "engineered"... or you can buy them without the math, and hope it'll do.
Comment: I had imagined something like a Simpson EPC4Z 4x End Post Cap, but nicer and thicker would suit...
Comment: @AloysiusDefenestrate There are manufacturers of nicer looking ones.. but that would require I remove the beam / raise it up to add in.
Comment: My bad -- I was trying to find something that didn't slip in... I suspect they're out there (or could easily be fabbed).
Answer: Plenty of 1950s/60s gluelam post and beam that are attached with a straight steel heavy strap going from the post to the beam, with bolts through to one on the other side. No need for an angle-bracket, per se. They could also be lag bolted in, but through-bolting with machine bolts and nuts is what I've seen on those buildings. Then again, a stock nailplate truss connector would probably also work (if you need anything - might depend on your earthquake exposure, but then you get back to "what did the engineer specify?")
Answer: The question is vague, but here are my "thoughts":
In all my years of remodeling, never did we use metal brackets in cases like this. I've opened many dozens of rooms with larger beams than were originally built into the home, and we always simply fastened the beams in place with nails. Toenail into the king and trimmer studs and call it good.
The beam isn't going anywhere. The only way it could is if the supporting framing somehow shifted. If your studs are also fastened in place, there's no concern.
If you really want to bracket them in place, any old metal bar or strap will do. You may want to chisel out a channel for them, though, so they don't hold out the drywall and cause a bulge.
Answer: We don't toenail beams to posts anymore. We've learned that wind (you say you live in a tornado area) and seismic will destroy a toenailed connection. The Code does not give strength (resistance) values for toenails.
There are several types/designs for this application. I'd go to Simpson Strong-Tie website: www.strongtie.com or local lumberyard and try:
LCE4 for 4x and 6x posts, or
ACE4 (similar), or
My favorite and it's decorative: APL4 and comes in black.  (There are larger versions, but this will work on your columns.)
In any event, I strongly recommend a bracket. That's an important connection in your house. Don't rely on "toenails".
Comment: If the structure that the beam supports lifts or moves enough to cause catastrophic displacement of the beam itself, whether the beam stays put seems a bit academic, don't you think?
Comment: @isherwood We design to meet the Code. Don't you think it's important to meet the structural requirements of the Code? The International Code Council (ICC) does not have values for toenails. In fact, no one does. My beam with connectors will last a lot longer than your toenails in a disaster...I bet. Promoting toenailing is irresponsible.

Post to beam connections


'Antonym' for anesthetized?

Question: Is there a word which refers to a state for an animal or human that is not anesthetized (or influenced by other artificial consciousness altering substances) for an academic or professional context? I am looking for a term that would make it specifically clear that there is no influence of anesthesia rather then a more ambiguous word like "conscious" or "wakeful" (the type of words I have been able to find so far).
Comment: sumelic - The specific usage is probably beyond the scope here but I would like to describe conducting tests or experiments on a person/animal which has not been sedated. Although simply saying something along the lines of "not anesthetized" or "not sedated" may be the simplest answer (and one I may have to go with), I was hoping that there might be a specific word that I could use instead.
Comment: I would suggest looking through [this post](http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/147148/what-is-the-opposite-of-on-drugs)
Comment: Can you give an example of how you want to use this word? What do you need an antonym specifically? Why can't you just say "not anesthetized"?
Comment: Inazuma - Thank you but I am looking for something a little more formal and a term not specifically related to any kind of illegal (or simply mind altering) substance.
Comment: Thanks for the additional description. In fact, the more specific you can be, the better. Here are the guidelines for asking word request questions on this site: http://english.stackexchange.com/tags/single-word-requests/info By the way, to send reply messages, you'll have to use the @ symbol before somebody's name.
Answer: Perhaps "sensate" or "sensible" :  having conscious awareness or rationality, capable of receiving sensory impressions
Answer: In this context I'd recommend 'sober'.

not intoxicated or drunk.

Reference:
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/sober
It is often associated with abstinence of alcohol though, see http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/sober (Not affected by alcohol; not drunk.) so maybe there is a more appropriate term out there.
Answer: In our clinical journal articles, we would state that a procedure done without anesthesia is anesthesia free, for example an anesthesia-free dental procedure. This implies that the procedure is typically done with anesthesia, but in this instance it is not.
As for the antonym for an anesthetized patient, it would simply be an unanesthetized patient.
The Merriam-Webster Medical Dictionary has this entry:

Medical definition of unanesthetized:
not having been subjected to an anesthetic -- an unanesthetized patient

This does not really apply to sedation, which is different than anesthesia.
Answer: Sensitised sounds like the word you need.
From ODO

Cause (someone or something) to respond to certain stimuli; make sensitive:

'Antonym' for anesthetized?


Need File Geodatabase (*.gdb) read/write support in QGIS?

Question: I have followed the instructions shown in this thread but still don't have the ESRI FileGDB option only the Open File GDB. In my case, I am in the most current QGIS version - Lyon (2.12.0).

OSGeo4w shell Results:
Comment: ESRI FileGDB & OpenFileGDB are the same thing, you will not get full File Geodatabase support without ArcObjects installed on the same machine and this extended version has to be licensed by ESRI. The same goes with other software (FME is the same) in this case has Openfile GDB API and FileGDB (ArcObjects) the latter must been installed and licensed see the matrix tables https://knowledge.safe.com/articles/Samples_and_Demos/Notes-on-FME-and-ESRI-Versions-and-Compatibility)
Comment: There is a tangible difference between ArcObjects, the Esri File Geodatabase API, and the Open FileGDB libraries.  I know FME can use core ArcGIS libraries, but I thought QGIS was limited to a choice between the Esri and Open file geodatabases libraries (the latter being open-source, reverse-engineered (and read-only) and the former being provided as a library by Esri (and read-write, except for complex feature classes))
Comment: Do you have OSGeo4w shell? If so please post the results of the following command which will verify which drivers you have installed: ogrinfo --formats
Comment: I added the results as part of the thread info
Comment: Had a funny exprnce then when it failed to connect the first time but did on the second.
Answer: I see this:

and my options in the OSGeo4W Setup ('advanced install') that are probably relevant were:
Comment: It Works For Me(tm). Select "Directory" in that "Add vector layer" dialog box, set the Source/Type to "ESRI FileGDB", click the "Browse" button to get the "Open Directory" dialog, browse to the directory that is the FileGDB, and choose which feature classes to add as layer(s), voila. QGIS 2.12.0
Comment: so this really works??


Is there a way to retrieve the file in illustrator that just been accidentally replaced?

Question: Is there a way to retrieve the file in illustrator that just been accidentally replaced? is there some sort of history? The application was closed after it was replaced so there's no way i can undo it.
Answer: Only via  a backup solution. There's no method within Illustrator itself or provided by Adobe.
Answer: Sadly, no. Undo is Illustrator's only way to walk you back to a previous version of a file.
Because designers so often work on similar revisions of their files, and overwriting your work is so easy, it's a really good idea to have software in place that tracks your file history. Here are some popular options:

Dropbox: The gold standard for fast, simple, feature-rich file sync
Google Drive: A lower-priced competitor to Dropbox
Pixelapse & LayerVault: Like Dropbox, but have revision & collaboration features oriented specifically towards designers

Presently, I'm learning SourceTree, a GUI for Git, which is a full-fledged version management system. That allows for annotating major versions, branching off features-in-progress to be merged into a codebase later, and things like that.
As designers, we put so much time into these fragile little files that I feel really nervous working on any file that's not secured by a file-history solution of some kind. Without some way to restore to a previous version, data-loss is not a question of "if" but "when" and "how bad".
Comment: mercurial may work better than git for large files. Anyway version controll is a must, baclup is a must versioning cloud store not so much.


Can I use open source code with Apache 2.0 license in my thesis?

Question: Is it permissible?  Do I need to specifically mention it somewhere in my thesis?
Answer: The Apache license allows use for any purpose, so using the code in a thesis is fine.
However, it is common to cite relevant[1] libraries and software that you used in an academic context. This is entirely an academic thing and has nothing to do with licenses.
You can cite the project website or the code repository website as you would cite any other website. Sometimes, software that originated from academia also has "how to cite" instructions, e.g. when the authors wrote a paper that presented the software. For example, the SciPy software that is often used in Python has such information here.
[1]: don't cite everything that you used, but cite software that is relevant in the context of the thesis. E.g. when researching optimization algorithms, don't cite your version control system, your operating system, or that you are using LaTeX. In contrast, do cite other optimization tools that you used or inspired you, and other libraries that were essential in doing your project.
Answer: The Apache License v2.0 states that you have a "perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, no-charge, royalty-free, irrevocable copyright license to reproduce, prepare Derivative Works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sublicense, and distribute" the software, so you can freely reproduce the source code in your thesis.
However, an orthogonal concept to copyright is plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism, you must, at the minimum, clearly cite the source of the reproduced source code.
Plagiarism is unrelated to copyright and is not a law (in any country I've heard of) but is almost certainly a policy at your university and is considered unethical.


how to display fields in site from content query webpart in sharepoint 2010

Question: Hi I am adding a content query web part in one of my sites and in query property I am setting the required content type and its related property but I want to display the fields in the site from content query web part.i want to show all the columns of content type in the site when I add content query web part.can anyone provide some examples or links related to this,.Thanks.
Answer: You'll need to export the webpart, and add all the fields you want, then upload the webpart again to the webpart gallery.
Here is a step by step on how to do it: http://www.heathersolomon.com/blog/articles/CustomItemStyle.aspx
Comment: Hi Mohamed Derhalli the link you provided helped me lot.I have completed the CQWP way i need.Thanks to all.
Answer: Mohamed Derhalli is correct if you're asking how to place a preconfigured CQWP on a page. (place on page, configure it, export/import).
But if you're asking about ways to get all the columns data, I believe your CT will have to be attached to a list and then data added to the list. Then configure the CQWP to read from the list with the CT and your slots will appear with your columns.
To modify the presentation of the data, you'll have to write XSL in a custom itemStyle.xsl (copy the original and link it in the .webpart file).
Answer: With 2010 you no longer need to export the web part to define what fields to include - you can do this via the slots when you edit the web part properties.  However, Josey is correct that as none of the standard styles will display all your columns you will need to create a custom ItemStyle.
I have a couple of blog posts specifically on CQWPs and others on general XSL which will hopefully explain what is needed.  http://paylord.wordpress.com
Comment: HI all thanks for your response i have cretaed own xsl but how do i attach it to the webaprt now i am bit confused please guide me with your suggestions.Thanks
Comment: You need to tell the CQWP to use your XSL stylesheet.  Easiest way to do this is to right click on it in SPD and select Properties.  These will appear on the right hand side.  Towards the bottom are properties for main, items and header.  It is the ItemStyle one you will need to replace.  This is explained in the blog link above.
Answer: @Josey, If you add the content type to a list, and then configure the Content Query WebPart to read from this list, you won't have any advantage this way unless as I said in my previous answer, you need to export the webpart and make it "aware" of these new columns, then upload it again, it's something that you need to do in the same webpart's code, not outside it like in the content type or the list.
Comment: How to get the location or path of the file in cqwp using custom xslt modification. Thanks in advance.


BGP update message burst

Question: I am analyzing certain BGP update messages and normally, an average BGP message(withdrawal) could contain 2-3 prefixes. During my analyses, i noticed that there are some few withdrawal updates that contain up to about 500 prefixes. Is it normal to have such size of prefixes withdrawn in one message ? And could this intuitively mean something ?
Comment: Why the downvote ?
Comment: I didn't downvote, but the question seems to be attempting to speculate about other bgp events with insufficient information
Answer: If a AS has a single peering point with another customer ASN, learning 500 prefixes from that customer, and that session goes down, it could trigger a mass withdrawl.
Comment: There are multiple reasons for 500 prefix withdrawals.  Peer down could be one of them
Answer: There are many reasons for a lot of withdrawals. All you can guess from such an event is: "Somewhere upstream an event caused some change in the BGP routing."
Could be a peer disconnecting/dropping a BGP session, an IXP (Internet Exchange Point) going down, or a lot of other things.
Don't forget that BGP is spanning the whole globe. 500 withdrawals are not such a big thing compared to the whole internet.
If you want to know what happened you would have to look at the individual withdrawals and look for patterns (all from the same origin AS, all coming over the same upstream/IXP, etc.). Even then the exact reason(s) might still be unclear.

BGP update message burst


What is the conversion for dotted quarters to bpm in 6/8 time?

Question: I have a piece that is set at dotted quarter=72 in 6/8 time. What would this be in bpm? And does 6/8 change anything?
Answer:
What would this be in bpm?

It would be 72 bpm.  The fact that the metronome setting is given for the dotted quarter note indicates that each dotted quarter note is one beat.  Besides, 216 bpm is far too fast to be practical.

And does 6/8 change anything?

Aside from the meter, no.  For example, if the metronome mark were the same in a 3/8 or 9/8 or 12/8 piece, you would still be playing 72 bpm.  The number of measures per minute would change, of course, since the number of beats per measure would change.
Answer: The time signature 6/8 is compound duple.  There are 2 beats in a bar, and these are dotted crotchets (dotted quarter notes).  These beats are subdivided into three pulses that are quavers (eighth notes).
So if the tempo is given as a dotted crotchet = 72, this means there are 72 beats per minute, and (3x72=) 216 pulses per minute.  You would set a metronome to 72 (adagio) because this will click on the beats.  And you would count as  1-trip-let 2-trip-let :|  or something similar emphasising the beats (numbers) only.
Answer: The two existing answers are correct and helpful.  I just want to add, in case this wasn't clear to you:
In general, in a 6/8 meter, you can either think of the eighth notes as the beat, in which case there will be six of them in a measure; or you can think of the dotted quarter as the beat, in which case there will be two of them in the measure.
(Actually, if the tempo is super, super fast, a conductor might just give one beat per measure!)
What's special about a 6/8 meter: There is an inherent ambiguity -- shall I think of this, or conduct this, with six beats in the measure, or with two beats in the measure?  I think it's best to be flexible about this, and realize that there is a duality.  As you are playing, it may sometimes feel like two groups of three beats in a measure, and sometimes like two beats per measure.  Which one fits the music the best may change from one section of the piece to another, and it's good to train yourself to be able to make the change without changing the metronome marking.
Comment: That ambiguity isn't unique to 6/8.  If you're in 4/4 and going fast enough you can think or conduct "in 2".  (for example: finale to Beethoven's 5th)
Comment: @wrschneider - true.  I didn't get into that because (a) OP asked about 6/8, and (b) cut time vs. 4/4 tends not to hang up beginners quite as much as 6/8, I think.  What has your experience been?
Answer: In 6/8, the dotted quarter is the basic tempo object. Thus one plays the piece with 72 dotted quarters per minute or 216 eighth notes per minute.
Answer: Dotted crotchet =72bpm. That equates to two clicks per bar, each click meaning three quavers. If you set the metronome to three times that - 216bpm, it would be six clicks per bar - one for each quaver, were there six played in a particular bar.
HOWEVER - a lot of metronomes, especially mechanical ones, won't quite reach that. And it's manic! So set for 72bpm and recognise two clicks per bar. The 6/8 won't affect the tempo to play at. That's catered for in the 'dotted quaver = 72bpm.'.
Answer: In 6/8 the beat is a dotted quarter.  So dotted quarter=72  IS 72 beats per minute.  If you mistakenly thought 'beat' (as in b.p.m) always meant 'quarter note', that should be sufficient answer.
But perhaps this question refers to a very basic sequencer program that DOES think that, one that only counts tempo in quarter notes?  Dotted-quarter=72 equates mathematically to 8th=216 (3X72) or quarter=108 (half of 216).
Consider very carefully whether this information is of any practical use though!  I doubt you'd find a metronome clicking every 2/3 of the musical beat very helpful.


What are the common pitfalls that we could face when training neural networks?

Question: Apart from the vanishing or exploding gradient problems, what are other problems or pitfalls that we could face when training neural networks?
Answer: I can't say that it is the biggest problem of deep neural network but it is one of the big problem with deep neural network.
Other issue which happens a lot is overfitting on the training data hence network behaves badly on test set which can be solved using regression. So you have to make sure that network is generalised enough.
If the network is trying to have a classification then if the outputs are mutually inclusive or exclusive, depending upon that you define your loss function which will be categorical cross entropy for mutually inclusive output and binary cross entropy for mutually exclusive.
Other thing which I can think is about all zero initialization. Initializing the network weights as zero can lead to same gradient computation and due to which network does not learn most of the times.
Comment: The question wasn't about what causes the VGP or how to solve it. So, I suggest you edit your answer so that it mainly addresses the main question.  Also, I suggest you do not provide a link to external resources. In your words, describe the issues that are mentioned in the linked article!
Answer: There are several pitfalls or issues that require your attention when or before training or using neural networks. I will list some of them below, along with some questions you need to ask yourself before or while using neural networks.

Over-fitting and under-fitting problems, and the related generalization problem. Is your neural network generalizing to unseen data?
Availability of training and test data

Do you have enough data to train your neural network so that it generalizes well (i.e. it neither over-fits or under-fits)?
Is your test dataset big enough to assess the generalization ability of your neural network?
Is your data representative of the problem you are trying to solve?
Do you need to augment or normalize your data?
Do you need to use cross-validation?
Is your data independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.)? If your data is correlated, training could be unstable. Shuffling your data may be a feasible solution when your data is initially correlated.

Do you have enough computational resources (i.e. GPUs) for training and testing your neural network?
Are you solving a regression or classification problem? The type of the outputs and the loss function will typically be different in both cases
Do you need explainability and transparency? If yes, neural networks aren't probably the best model to use, as the connections between the neurons are quite obscure and don't really represent any meaningful interaction. That's why neural networks are called black-boxes.
Do you need uncertainty estimation? If yes, you may want to try Bayesian neural networks. Typical neural networks are not very appropriate for uncertainty estimation!
If you use a neural network for function approximation (e.g. in reinforcement learning), you will lose certain convergence guarantees.


What are some healthy food to eat in between meals when a person gets hungry?

Question: For some reason, I get hungry pretty fast. This leads to unhealthy behaviour of eating snacks to keep the hunger away. What are some healthy food to eat in between meals to ward off hunger?
Comment: just drink beer
Answer: It depends what your definition of healthy is really. If you're looking for something low calorie, I would suggest a large bowl of steamed vegetables. If you heavily season them avoiding salt if you can - think pepper and paprika, they are surprisingly delicious.
Just cook frozen vegetables like brocoli, corn or peas in a bowl. You can buy them from any supermarket for super cheap, and the meal takes 5 mins in the microwave with basically no prep.
10/10 healthy
10/10 easy
Comment: Welcome to Health.SE. This answer might be on good track. But we prefer answers that are a bit more comprehensive (i.e. 'longer').  The rules here require supporting evidence for your answers. Please review the help docs to improve this answer and especially this meta post: https://health.meta.stackexchange.com/q/783/11231
Answer: If you get hungry very fast, you are most likely not eating enough for your activity level or not getting the right nutrient ratios.  Typically, if you up the protein and fiber content in your meals/snacks you'll be less hungry in general.
If you feel you are eating enough, check on whether or not your hunger is "real".  Sometimes things like not drinking enough water, too little sleep, etc. can trick you into thinking you are hungry, or, you may just wanting something to snack on out of boredom.  If this is the case, good snacks may be food that are lower calorie but high in volume, like:

Vegetables (and if you aren't a big fan, try adding some seasoning and roasting until crunchy)
Apple slices, banana, berries
Sunflower seeds (which take a while to eat shelled)
Air popped popcorn

For more nutrient dense snacks when you are truly hungry, find foods with a higher healthy fat content (will keep you focused and full) and a higher protein content (keeps you fuller longer), like:

1oz of nuts (not strictly 1oz, but it is easy to overeat nuts)
An egg or two on toast
Banana or apple with peanut/nut butter and cinnamon
Protein shake or bar
Avocado on toast
Veggies and hummus
Grilled chicken

And if you find that you are lacking energy to get through the day or that exercise is abnormally draining, you may want to add more carbohydrates, like:

Bakes potato/Sweet potato
Rice and beans
Sprouted grain toast
English muffin

These are just some simple suggestions, but hopefully this helps!
Comment: While I see not much wrong with this answer, [sources](https://health.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/783/quality-of-references) might improve it a lot. In fact we require some backup here on Health.


How do airline pilots maintain night currency?

Question: Does flying as an airline pilot under 14 CFR 121 provide different ways to maintain night currency? Suppose a pilot were to bid only day trips and end up flying only during the day for over 90 days. Under the recency of flight experience requirements in 14 CFR 61 that would mean a pilot might not be night current anymore but do 121 operator's op specs have some way around this?
Comment: Why does that seem reasonable? Sure the pilot knows what they need for currency, so they can bid accordingly and if they don't, the manager knows too and can reassign them.
Comment: @JanHudec I removed the words "seem reasonable."
Answer: The night currency requirements are in 14 CFR 61.57, which does provide exceptions for pilots flying for an air carrier:

Except as provided in paragraph (e) of this section, no person may act
  as pilot in command of an aircraft carrying passengers [at night]

61.57(e)(2) has this exception for part 121:

(2) This section does not apply to a pilot in command who is employed
  by a part 119 certificate holder authorized to conduct operations
  under part 121 when the pilot is engaged in a flight operation under
  part 91 or 121 for that certificate holder if the pilot in command
  complies with §§121.436 and 121.439 of this chapter.

121.436 has general PIC requirements for part 121, and 121.439 has recency requirements, which are 3 takeoffs and landings in the last 90 days in the same aircraft type, or an equivalent simulator.
So part 121 pilots need three takeoffs and landings in type in the last 90 days, with no specific requirement for them to be at night. That's all based on just reading the regulations, someone who's actually been there and done that could probably add some more information.


Indian visa for Pakistani National

Question: I am a Pakistani national, however my girlfriend is from India we met in third country, now she is back in India, and I want to visit her, can I get the visa for India on basis of meeting girlfriend or should I have to make some other reason to apply.
Comment: What other credible and provable reason could you give? It's generally best to tell the truth where visa applications are concerned.
Comment: It is especially advisable to be truthful and careful in your visa application to India, given the current political situation.
Answer: Pakistani nationals can apply for a Visitor Visa to visit friends or relatives in India. This includes your girlfriend.
Because Pakistani nationals cannot obtain Tourist Visas, you should apply for a Visitor Visa and explicitly declare that you wish to visit your girlfriend. She will need to send you a sponsorship certificate that you will include with your visa application.
You can find the required documents and visa application process on the High Commission of India in Islamabad web site.
Comment: Thank you @Michael for detail response. I am currently in the US and will be applying for the Indian visa from here. I guess, the procedure and documents that are required will be same.
Comment: @Touseef The process is different when applying from the USA. See the [Embassy of India in Washington DC](https://www.indianembassyusa.gov.in/pages?id=3&subid=12) web site for the details.

Indian visa for Pakistani National


Create empty branch on GitHub

Question: I want to create a new GitHub branch, called release.
This branch needs to be empty! However, there is an existing branch with x commits and I don't want to have its commit history.
The only method I found is to create a local --orphan branch.
Comment: One thing to note here: there is, technically, no such thing as an *empty branch*. What you want is an *orphan* branch with an *empty index*, which is what the accepted answer produces. This might seem like a pointless technical quibble, but in fact it's a very point-ful (if that's a word) technical quibble: Git's functionality is essentially nothing *but* technical quibbles, so you need to be very precise with your technical quibbling, when Git-ing.
Comment: Possible duplicate of [Insert a commit before the root commit in Git?](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/645450/insert-a-commit-before-the-root-commit-in-git)
Comment: Everything you will make with git will be _local_ until you push it upstream to the GitHub server with `git push origin _branch_`.
Answer: November 2021 Update: As of git version 2.27, you can now use the following command to create an empty branch with no history:
git switch --orphan <new branch>

Unlike git checkout --orphan <new branch>, this branch won't have any files from your current branch (save for those which git doesn't track).
This should be the preferred way to create empty branches with no prior history.
Once you actually have commits on this branch, it can be pushed to github via git push -u origin <branch name>:
git switch --orphan <new branch>
git commit --allow-empty -m "Initial commit on orphan branch"
git push -u origin <new branch>

Original answer:
What's wrong with the --orphan option? If you want a branch that is empty and have no history, this is the way to go...
git checkout --orphan empty-branch

Then you can remove all the files you'll have in the staging area (so that they don't get committed):
git rm -rf .

At this point you have an empty branch, on your machine.
Before you can push to GitHub (or any other Git repository), you will need at least one commit, even if it does not have any content on it (i.e. empty commit), as you cannot push an empty branch
git commit --allow-empty -m "root commit"

Finally, push it to the remote, and crack open a beer
git push origin empty-branch

Comment: Hi, after creating empty-branch github repository is not showing any file difference when i'm try to creating pull-request from other branch. Can you tell me how to resolve this.
Comment: Perhaps some people are having an issue with this accepted answer because it is missing a `git add .` step after you have removed all files and before you commit?
Comment: `git rm -rf .` delete file from locals
Comment: @RaghavendraS See my answer. I had the same issue.
Comment: the problem is that since its an orphan you cannot use it for a PR.   this basically doesn't answer the question:  how to make an empty branch *on github*, not in git.
Answer: --orphan is good for creating an empty branch locally, however, in order to push it or interact with other branches, you will need a commit.
Creating a new commit on an orphan branch is not a good idea because you won't be able to interact with other branches. I.e.
git checkout --orphan test
git commit --allow-empty -m "init test branch"
git merge master
fatal: refusing to merge unrelated histories

Instead, you should prefer creating a new branch from the first commit of master. If the commit is not empty you can add an empty commit before the first one, as explained by @houtanb.
Answer: You can also follow the instructions here to create an empty commit at the root of your master branch. Then just create your release branch where that empty root commit is.
Answer: The accepted answer led me to some problems, so I did this:
$ git branch
* staging
$ git branch master c74d99cf46f6ed23e742f2617e9908294b4a608b
$ git checkout master
Switched to branch 'master'

And got what I wanted without and merge / pull-request issues. I just had to pick a base commit to create my second branch from.
Comment: If your branch has a base commit, by definition, it's not a _empty_ branch. What are the problem(s) you had when creating an orphan branch?
Answer: The accepted answer is indeed the way to go. However if you already have other branches that cannot be merged to de newly created fresh development branch, my personal favorite solution is to perform a rebase, execute the following on the branch that needs to merge to develop:
git rebase develop
That way the initial commit will be the first commit on the branch to merge as well. There is of course a caveat :) You are rewriting history on the branch by performing a rebase. So you will have to force push the branch to origin:
git push -f
Others that also use the branch, will be unable to pull now, so they will have to perform the rebase as well, locally, after fetching develop. Assuming they are on the branch that needs to be rebased:
git fetch
git rebase origin/develop

Create empty branch on GitHub