How to get the definition on these trees?

Question:
I was wondering how one would go about getting the kind of definition in the trees you see in this photo from the Apple App Store, using a DSLR and Lightroom / Photoshop? It looks almost unnatural but still pleasing, each one stands out very nicely. Any idea how this was done?
Comment: Could you be more specific about what "high definitions" you refer to? I don't understand the question.
Answer: Nothing that I am aware of in the App Store.  The way I get high resolution photos with my 12 megapixel camera is I rent a good lens somewhere in the 150 mm range and take a multi shot panorama and merge them in Lightroom.  Canon did this on a massive scale by taking thousands of pictures of a cityscape and merging them. You could tell details from miles away. Any app would have to do something like that automatically and have a good enough lens.
Comment: It looks like the nice afternoon/sunset light and a particularly clear (read less hazey) day in the valley also contributed to the sharp trees.
Comment: As I read the question, it's not asking for a solution from the Apple App Store — it's asking for a solution using Photoshop or Lightroom. The App Store is the _source_ of this picture (presumably the app is the REI park guide).
Comment: Ah yeah I meant with a DSLR, sorry. I was wondering if hey did anything in Lightroom to give them that look?
Comment: Do you think it's an HDR shot?
Comment: Most likely not HDR. HDR basically squashes the dynamic range by taking over exposed shots and under exposed shots and taking the best of both into a single photo. This photo doesn't look particularly sharp to me but I'm guessing the full res. Has far more detail. Pretty much all photos going out to be seen go through Lightroom first. Probably brought up the shadows in the trees a little. Waited for just the right time and scouted the location first. Most modern cameras with a good lens should be able to take a photo like this especially when stitching a panorama or a high res. camera
Comment: But then this is the accepted answer, so... ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
Answer:
Any idea how this was done?

I wouldn't be surprised if the original was created using a digital scan back or film with a medium or large format camera. Or it may well have been created using a high resolution DSLR and a very good lens, most likely a prime lens. It's hard to say based on such a low resolution example. {It turns out the photographer seems to shoot with a Nikon D7000. Based on his photos at 500px, he prefers to use the Tamron SP AF 17-50mm f/2.8 D II, the Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor DX 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR, as well as a Nikon AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED and occasionally the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D.}
The camera was almost certainly mounted on a stable tripod. It's even possible that more than one exposure was made: either for bracketing exposure, for stitching panoramic shots, or for both.
Whatever the equipment used to capture it, the aperture selected was fairly narrow (which tends to minimize the differences between "better" and "cheaper" lenses), the lens was focused to ensure the foreground was the sharpest part of the image, and considerable post processing was done to control both overall and local contrast.
Images like this one do not usually come straight out of camera looking like this. The shadows and the areas directly illuminated by the sun don't have as large a difference in brightness or color temperature as what one will find in nature.
A fairly low resolution version of the original image can be found at the photographer's website here. Looking at other work by the same photographer, it seems to me that if he is not using multiple bracketed exposures to produce most of his photos, at the very least he is using local contrast adjustments/techniques such as the 'clarity' control in Lightroom to enhance the details in the image as well as squeeze a fairly wide dynamic range into an 8-bit jpeg output. Sharpening and local contrast are closely related.
Keep in mind that many of the most well done HDR images don't scream, "I'm an overcooked technicolor rainbow of vomit!" Rather, they present an image to the viewer that looks like how they might remember the scene as it was interpreted their eye/brain system rather than how the limited dynamic range of a camera might have actually recorded it shooting straight to jpeg.
Comment: I don't think it answers the question. To be fair, I am pretty confused about what is the question exactly.
Comment: I found the photographer and the [original image](http://www.filippobacci.it/portfolio_page/western-usa). It was taken in 2016. It doesn't have any exif, but [on 500px](https://500px.com/filippobacci/about) he claims he shoots with a Nikon D7000.
Comment: @AramHăvărneanu Can you post an answer with that.
Answer: Also consider it might have been shot with a field camera on 4×5" Velvia chrome. Clumsy and expensive, but the level of detail still beats a full frame camera.
Answer: I'd guess the trees have benefitted from some high-pass filter.
Even at the low res version we can see in here, there's a certain snap, crackle, pop to them that just reminds me of it.
At the back of the tree-line is what may just be jpg artefact, or the edge of some masking to separate them from the mountain behind.
I had a quick go at the centre area & dialled in some more just to emphasise the effect.

To reproduce, quick Photoshop method..
Duplicate your layer.
Filters menu > Other > HighPass
Change the Layer type to Overlay & opacity to taste.
Same section untouched, for easier comparison - open in 2 new tabs & flick between.
Answer: It's really just based on a sharp image from a good lens. That's why some of those lenses cost 10x what the cheap one does for the same focal length.
In post processing, it could be a just a simple adjustment of clarity or sharpness. There's not enough of an "effect" to be able to determine what was done.
Comment: It had a certain surrealness to it, where it looks a little more real than real life. I've seen this in other photos too and it's a really cool effect. Which kind of lens do you think? I'm a newbie with this stuff. Is a prime lens sharper?
Comment: Yes, as a rule a prime lens will be sharper than a zoom.
Answer: The colour of the trees and the lighting certainly make them stand out.  Apart from that, I'm just seeing a good-quality picture, made on equipment with sufficient definition, contrast and resolution but nothing wildly special.


1999 Toyota Tercel shakes when stopped

Question: The car is old, I know, but it only recently started doing that... When it's in park, and the engine is on, there is a non-noticeable shake, but when it's in drive, and I'm stopped at a light the car shakes like crazy. It's so noticeable that people beside me stare at the car.
My question is: What is causing the car to shake? and why does it only happen when it's stopped in gear?
Comment: If the check engine light is illuminating, you need to get the error codes read.  This will probably make it very obvious what the problem is.  You should be able to get the codes read for free at a local car parts shop.
Comment: Does the car have a tach?  What is your RPM: cold in park, warm in park, and warm in drive.  Does it shake while moving?  Is the check engine light on?  Have there been any recent changes?
Comment: Just under 1000 when cold in park, and just over 1000 when warm in park and drive. doesn't really shake while moving. The check engine light started flashing as soon as I stopped at a light when I noticed the shaking.
Comment: There should be a code stored from the CEL flashing.  Parts store should be able to read it for you for free.  These numbers don't sound right, but it may be the source of your issue.  Cold idle should be about 1500, warm idle park about 1000, warm idle drive about 750.  This sounds like your Intake Air Control Valve.  Can you verify your numbers?
Answer: If it is the 5E engine, they don't have a MAF. they use a Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor (MAP). SOME of them actually came with a 7A engine which did use a Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF). You can do a little research on it, but you'll find that Wikipedia won't tell you that.
Shaking is most likely motor mounts. The rubber in Toyota mounts is known to go bad very quickly (Nothing against Toyota). The easiest test to determine this is to put the car in drive and hold the brake. Lightly tap the gas. The engine should rotate toward the firewall. If it actually makes contact with the firewall or moves more than two inches, the mounts are bad. You also didn't state if it was an automatic or manual. From personal experience, they tend to shake A LOT at idle when the mounts are bad.
If your distributor is off by a little it can cause a misfire. You can rotate the distributor a little bit to adjust timing. This will cause shaking as well. You need to take some time test the compression, timing, and make sure you have no vacuum leaks.
If you hear loud ticking and knocking, you may have a piston ring or piston rod issue. Ticking only, would insinuate you have an upper end issue. A bent valve or collapsed/ clogged lifter would create that noise. You also need to use a feeler gauge to test clearances on that motor. They have hydraulic lifters, so you need to make sure they are within specification.
Lastly! Believe it or not on those cars bad springs or shocks can cause the car to shake quite a bit. I'm not sure of why this happens, but I'm a Toyota enthusiast and many of my friends agree. When the struts start to decay it can cause that extremely annoying shaking at stop lights. My 91' Corolla started shaking at idle. My buddy told me to check out the struts since my motor mounts looked good. He was spot on, my struts were well overdue for change. He simply told me it was just an old Toyota problem. "The way they design the chassis".
I hope this helps you!
I hope this helps.
Answer: It sounds to me like this is a faulty MAF sensor, a misfire or a dead cylinder due to poor compression
Comment: 'It could very well be' doesn't contribute to a good answer unless you have some background to go with it... like that your a Toyota tech and you've seen several bad MAFs for the model specified or something along that line. It could very well be the engine mounts, idle control valve, or a number of other items...
Comment: I wanted to make a comment, but i didnot have enough repputation when I answered so made it an answer.

1999 Toyota Tercel shakes when stopped


Juno: Youtube videos pause when mouse stops moving (Chromium)

Question: Watching youtube videos I noticed that whenever my cursor is on top of the video itself it the video will stop (visual only) when the cursor pauses. This was after updating to Juno
Answer: This is a known issue and can be followed here.
Disabling hardware acceleration in chrome settings seems to solve the issue.
To do so go to <code>//settings/?search=hardware%20acceleration</code> and disable 'Use hardware acceleration when available'.


Elementary OS ignoring suspend disable

Question: In power settings, suspend is disabled. However, the PC still goes into a suspend state after approximately 30 minutes. This behavior does not happen under Ubuntu Budgie on another SSD in the same PC. This is a desktop, not a laptop.  Is the behavior intended, or is there a way to disable this that I'm not finding?
Comment: I also noticed this, even on beta. And now in a fresh final release, I has just now masked the services, and follow now how it works.
Answer: This is a known bug: https://github.com/elementary/switchboard-plug-power/issues/89
There's a workaround near the (current) bottom of the page:

This problem is because the power settings are used from the gconf configuration of the user lightdm, and not the current user.
  Just test:

sudo su
su - -s /bin/bash lightdm
gsettings get org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power sleep-inactive-ac-type

If you change the settings of the user lightdm, the problem disappears

A little further down, it says you need to set the key to "nothing" (still as the lightdm user):
dbus-launch gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power sleep-inactive-ac-type nothing

You might get a message No protocol specified, which you can ignore.
Comment: @Gabriel I also got that message, but it works for me nonetheless.
Comment: Don't use the Oibaf PPA! It does not package mesa releases but daily git snapshots. I think it's irresponsible of them that they removed the acoording disclaimer from the PPA description. Use the Ubuntu HWE packages, which privide updated mesa and kernel release packages.
Comment: After the last command I get back `No protocol specified`. Is this the expected result?
Comment: I'm having this problems since i remember.
Finally i can solve it with this tip , thank you .
I like elementary os because of its style and simplicity
i just added latest mesa from oibaf and latest liquorix kernel
and i can say i'm pretty satisfied with my system.
Now i'm gonna install it on my laptop too.
This bug was disabling me for making it my dail driver cause
i always leave my pc on downloading torrents,games from steam etc etc
I wish it will be fixed on future updates it should have to be fixed
cause its very old bug.
Comment: I tried this solution on Elementary Hera, the computer doesn't suspend now, but I cannot use the sleep / shutdown function from the menu, only the power buttons turns off the pc.
Answer: I had the same issue. I had set "Suspend when inactive" to "Never", but it would still suspend when idle.
Because I don't care to EVER put this system into suspend mode (automatically or otherwise), I also did another couple of things:
I set the power button action to "do nothing".
And I did this command from the Debian wiki, to completely disable any suspend actions:
sudo systemctl mask sleep.target suspend.target hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target
Now it doesn't suspend itself. I suspect that the systemctl command was the specific thing that did the trick, but I haven't done any further tests to see whether the power button setting also helped.
Comment: BTW my understanding was that this issue was fixed in 5.1, but the bad suspend behavior persists in my setup after upgrading to 5.1.
Comment: My mistake, looks like we are waiting for this to merge: https://github.com/elementary/greeter/pull/343
Comment: Please add also the command to rollback the operation: `sudo systemctl unmask sleep.target suspend.target hibernate.target hybrid-sleep.target`. I used it on Hera and the computer didn't respond to suspend/halt anymore
Comment: I tried it and expected it to work on my system but it still suspends
Comment: The way I worked around the issue is simply after implementing those instructions to install Screensaver, then my screen doesn't shut down and I can recuperate my system.

Elementary OS ignoring suspend disable


Can I (in Eclipse/java) automate the logging of all enters and leaves into or out of all functions, including library ones?

Question: While comparing the run of my wizard and a similar standard one, I have to check all entrances into all functions for both cases. Is there some tool that can automate the process? I can't do it by simply inserting the log lines in code, because 98% of the process run inside the code of library functions. Can the java machine catch every entrance or leave in/out of every method and log it somewhere?
Comment: this can be done with aspect oriented programming. I think it is more likely to get an answer for this question if the question is migrated to stackoverflow.com
Comment: Maybe. But on SO a question without code is considered as a one of worse quality. As for "programmers", there when I asked on testing problems, was readdressed here, too. Aspect works with my code only, not libraries, doesn't it?
Comment: I don't think your assessment of a question without code is considered worse quality is accurate, personally. Worse quality would be questions without context. Code easily provides context, but you've managed to provide plenty of context in your question. Not that this question isn't also appropriate here, but I think it would be just fine there too.
Comment: What is your ultimate goal? Do you need to be informed when your method is called in a real time? Or to count how many times the method is invoked during a certain usage session? Or maybe you need performance measurement / stress testing? Depending on your needs, there may be different approaches.
Answer: With Aspect Oriented Programming, you can use an annotation which executes Before (entering), After, or Around (before and after) a method. There isn't anything specifically designed to execute when entering a method, unless you used @After.
For more information regarding the syntax and options, here is a link to Spring's online documentation: http://static.springsource.org/spring/docs/2.0.x/reference/aop.html
Answer: You can use <code>@Loggable</code> annotation from jcabi-aspects, which wraps all methods you want to debug with a simple logging mechanism:
<code>@Loggable(Loggable.DEBUG)
public String load(URL url) {
  return url.openConnection().getContent();
}
</code>
It logs through SLF4J.


Variance of the Discrete Gabor Transform for practical implementation

Question: When we design a discrete Gabor filter for a 1D signal, how do we determine the variance of the filter, depending on the time step of the signal? Is there any empirical theorem/result that we should know about the Discrete Gabor Transform?
Answer: What I look for in such parameter choice problems is empirical experiments. Whatever works best for my application is the correct value to use.
You can develop a parameter search algorithm looking for the optimal values in some training data set. Keep in mind that what works for one application may not perform well in others.
I'm not aware of mathematical arguments estimating  gabor's $\theta$. These estimates are typically conservative anyway.
Comment: If I think that the gabor filter of length $L$ is only effective if at least $2$ cycles of the signal are present. How should I set my frequency?


How to access bitcoin wallet on an android that became unresponsive?

Question: My Galaxy S4 mini suddenly stopped working for no apparent reason. It won't turn on via any recommended action or new battery, recovery software from the laptop can't seem to connect as a result. I had bitcoin wallet installed on it with bitcoins inside. How do I access/recover the wallet - or at least coins? Thank you!
Comment: What app did you use? Did you save any backups?
Answer: It's not possible to answer this question without knowing what's wrong with the phone. Your best bet might visiting a repair shop. Tell them you need the data on that phone.
Answer: Answer:  If it is truly bricked, then you need to utilize your backup of that wallet.
If you have lost your only copy of your wallet, then my condolences.  The loss of your BTC can be considered a cost of doing business, though - the price of learning from this mistake and instituting better data security practices in the future.
On having a backup:  Two copies of your wallet introduces more opportunity for unauthorized access, but more data security in terms of protection.
It would be best if your backup wallet is stored in a physical safe.
Also, to reduce your risk, it might be wise to have a master wallet (I use Coinbase) and a second traveling wallet.
Just like you store money in the bank but only carry a small fraction of the total around in your pocket.
Myself, I stick with just Coinbase and their app.  These devices are throw-aways.  But the data must be protected.
Comment: All valid and true, but not really an answer to the question.
Comment: Sorry, @Jannes.  Unfortunately, it is the only answer to the OP question.  Unless you are the FBI, I suppose...
Comment: Well.. If encryption isn't enabled there are data recovery services that can desolder the memory chip and read it directly, for example. Maybe even with encryption, I don't know. Or maybe there are tricks to unbrick said phone (which would probably be an off topic answer here). There's hardly any information in the question and any answer is likely going to be off topic I guess.
Comment: I like the way you think, @Jannes.  If I was hiring I would want you on my team.
Comment: lol. thx. Not sure why I picked this question to comment on after months of slacking. Maybe because I have had a bricked phone on my desk for a year now that was loaded with then $10 of Bitcoin. I guess I'd like to stay hopeful. :)


Catering event for BBQ for 30 people.

Question: Looking for suggestions on how much to serve on meat.  They would like pulled pork, ribs, and brisket
Comment: not exact duplicate, but rather close : http://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/59215/67
Comment: What kind of people? All males? Females? Does it include children? Do you have any side dishes you want to serve? How long will the whole thing take? All these things have influence on the amounts needed. Please clarify your question.
Answer: When you visit your local BBQ places you normally see a few standard options.
For the pulled pork and brisket, it is usually sold by weight. I believe a 1/2 Pound portion is the most common from my experience of eating BBQ with friends.
For ribs, they are normally sold by half rack or full rack.  A full rack is a lot of food so I would not think anyone would expect to eat that at a BBQ. You would probably be good with 5 or 6 ribs per guest.
These amounts of meat per person along with some popular BBQ side dishes in your area should provide plenty of food for your guests.
The big part is figuring out who wants what meat.  If you already know then you can easily plan for that.  If you don't know you can do enough for 10 of each and let your guests fight over who gets what.  If it was me, I would probably make enough of each meat for 15 people.  That should assure nobody goes home hungry and you will probably have enough left overs for a few days.
Answer: If you aren't able to get food orders from everyone attending ahead of time, you should start by making enough for each guest to have 1 serving each of pulled pork, ribs, and brisket. I'd say 6 ribs is one serving and 4 oz (cooked weight) is standard for the other meats. Then, as a buffer, I would add on a couple more servings of each meat, depending on how much money I was making from the catering job and factoring in the food costs.  For instance, if brisket costs less than pulled pork, I would include more extra servings of brisket than pork. I would not send along more than 15% extra servings of each of the meats though, since not everyone at the event will be having one serving of each meat, but 1 serving for each person really ought to be be the minimum, if this is a professional job, because your reputation may be affected. The perception that the caterer did not provide enough food isn't likely to help out your business. If it's a casual thing, for family or friends, then you could get by with less, as stated above, and have people fight over which meats they get.

Catering event for BBQ for 30 people.


Are comments being deleted?

Question: I might be making this up. But it seems that comments are disappearing here and there. I assume that they're just not up to snuff, but I haven't noticed other SE sites just deleting comments outright. (again, though, I might be dreaming this too...I've been known to not always pay attention ;)
Comment: I do this on UX as I peruse closed/old questions when there's no longer relevant comments
Answer: I think this is my fault.
In general, comments can be removed for several reasons.  The bigger sites tend to be more strict about this but we don't do a lot of comment pruning here.
Typical reasons for removal:

Rude or offensive
We really don't get comments that fall under this banner (or at least I haven't seen any).
Not constructive / off-topic
I've deleted 2 comments for this reason:

A comment asking mods to clean up a comment thread.  There really wasn't a reason to clean up the thread so I deleted his comment to avoid other mods wasting their time on it.
A comment suggesting that another user was trolling.  I did some research and found this assertion to be unsupported1 so I deleted it as noise.

Obsolete
I've deleted several comments in this category.  If a comment references content that is no longer in the question/answer, it is usually removed to avoid confusion.
Too chatty
We have many comments that fit this description, but we're a growing community so I don't see a problem leaving them.

So yes, comments have been deleted.  It's fairly rare, but comments get deleted when they distract from the real content.

1 The only "evidence" of trolling was the question asker's display name.  However, the question content gave no indication of trolling; the user has accounts on other SE sites with many questions and answers and no evident instances of trolling; and the display name in question is a common dictionary word with no offensive meaning.
Comment: Ah. Gotcha. I may not agree, but you have a valid argument for doing so.

Are comments being deleted?


Can you use drywall mud on hardiboard?

Question: I am looking at painting hardiboard or mudding and then painting.  Is that OK?
Comment: Is this interior or exterior? I would expect interior but it will make a diference.
Answer: I don't see why not.  Hardiboard has even more texture than sheetrock for mud adhesion and at least as good of moisture absorption, so mud should adhere quite well.  Certainly the flex of Hardiboard is less than sheetrock, so there should be no issues with flexing causing cracking of dried mud.
But why would you want to?  Hardiboard is at least three times the cost of sheetrock and harder to install.
Comment: The rigidity of hardboard may make cracking at mudded joints more likely than sheetrock. If it flexes, even in the middle, the whole thing flexes. Mushier sheetrock might absorb that middle flex.
Answer: This is from their install guide:

Finishing with Paint, Wallpaper or Texture

Painting or Wallpapering

If painting, apply a drywall primer suitable for high-moisture areas, as recommended by the paint manufacturer and paint HardieBacker board as you would drywall.
If wallpapering, prime surface of HardieBacker board with a primer suitable for high-moisture areas as recommended by the wallpaper manufacturer.

Texturing

Texture can be applied to HardieBacker board in the same way as drywall.
Answer: I don't see why not if the area stays dry. I coated my stuccoed window casings (the recess from interior wall to window surface was stucco over block) 3 years ago and have not had problems yet. Originally sanded smooth it still looks perfect. wallyk said it best, the flex in the substrate, whatever that is, will rule over time. No flex, no problem.
Answer: I used dry wall mud then latex paint on cement hardibacker behind my wood stove .(stove was 14-16" away, I know that's close). It stuck very well even with taped joints and looked good however The heat over a number of years(7) caused the mud and paint to chip and fleck off. I'm wondering if a sealer like for concrete floors, before painting, would  make it stick better, in heat applications.

Can you use drywall mud on hardiboard?


What do I need to know or do in order to rent a car in Spain?

Question: I'm a US resident and am looking to rent a car in Spain.
How do I get a license to drive there?
Comment: I had a friend who was pulled over in BCN without an IDL and was fined 250 euros. The scooter company he rented from didn't ask, so he assumed. Always have a license!
Answer: I always recommend getting an international driving permit even if it isn't enforced. An IDL costs $25 US, takes 15 minutes, and can be picked up at any AAA (If you are from the USA). They are handy if you get pulled over or as a second form of (unofficial) ID should something happen. Keep in mind it is only valid if you have you original license with you, so keep that handy.
Answer: I'm guessing that you already have a US driving license? If not, you can potentially get a Spanish one, but it'll take a while and I'm not sure you'll manage to hire a car to learn in... See this page for details on getting one.
If you have a US license, then this UK site has some handy tips on driving in Spain, rules etc. In terms of an International Driving Permit, this site says that US drivers do technically need one in Spain, but it's not always enforced, though I've seen other places that say it varies depending on the state that issues your license! Probably safest to just get one before you leave, see travel.state.gov for details on how you get one as an American.


Workout routine

Question: I'm 330lbs and was thinking about starting to exercise first 1 time a week and as my body get used to it, Add more time to the week... for example if I make exercise Monday and get to 320 lbs and my body get stuck at 320lbs then I add a day to my routine, like saying Wednesday. Will it make a difference?
Answer: A lot of people are stuck in the idea that working out is the main course of action when dropping body fat. While exercise is great, dropping from 330 to 320lbs requires you to re-evaluate your diet as a whole and will be the key to your success. The workout routine part is a supplement to that change.
I've seen tons of people who workout on a daily basis and cannot drop a pound of weight. I'd recommend making the workout routine secondary to the change of diet which essentially will make the biggest difference in the world.
Comment: Yeah I've already modified my diet, to a healthier one... That's why I'm making a lot more progress than before!
Comment: What kind of exercise are you thinking of doing? If you're running, try running at 10 mins and progress to 15 and so on. When you speak of slowly, you shouldn't limit yourself on a per day basis. Do 3 days of 5-10 mins. If you want your body to adjust, you have to do it more periodically.
Answer: Working out more often will make a definate difference. It is alright to start slow, get used to everything first.  You don't want to be injured so take it easy when starting.
If you stay stuck at 320lbs though you will need to continue adding a few more workout days to the week OR making the current days you workout, more intense.
Most of all, it starts with the diet and eating habbits. Ff your diet is low in fat & carbohydrates , you will get some insane results. Good luck!
Comment: Thank you for the good wishes... already making awesome progress! Thank you for the advice too!

Workout routine


House Plant With Round Waxy Leaves Identification

Question: Can anyone help me identify what plant I have here? I got it from my parents a while ago and they can't remember what it is either. Help me please. Thanks in advance.
Answer: Looks like Peperomia obtusifolia - it seems to be variegated, and is not getting enough light for the variegation to show up properly on all the leaves. It doesn't like full sunlight much, but bright daylight is good, so something like a north facing windowsill, if possible. https://www.canarius.com/en/plants/peperomia-obtusifolia-cv-usa.html
Comment: Thank you for your response. I live in an apartment with only a couple windows so finding spots for my plants is hard. But I will get a new rack or something for it. ☺
Comment: Well, it looks pretty healthy anyway - if you're not unhappy with its lower level of variegation, don't worry about it. One side is getting more light than the other, maybe just turn it occasionally?


Add multiple items to cart

Question: Is there a module or a detailed how-to out there that can help with creating a form to add multiple products to the cart at once for Drupal 7, Ubercart 3.0?
Answer: One way of doing it is by using the Views Bulk Operations module. There is a patch which has recently been committed and offers the "Add to cart" action over here: http://drupal.org/node/1553700
Once your view is built (fields only) you can add a Content VBO field and choose the Add to cart action from there. In theory, redirection to the cart can be done by including the ?destination=cart parameter when calling the View which should be honored once the form is submitted. However, at the moment this appears to only add one item and redirecting rather than all items that have been selected.
Comment: The patch has been integrated into the VBO module and you just need to select it in views, no need to patch anymore.
Answer: This should help you. The code as it is below can be put in a template file or function. However when using it in a function you probably want to return the form and add it rendered to some html.
<code>$form = drupal_get_form('multi_add_form');

function multi_add_form() {
  $form = array();

  // Make the products array in the form a tree.
  $form['products'] = array(
    '#tree' => TRUE,
  );

  // Use an array of product nids to build the form.
  $nids = array(1, 2);

  // Add a quantity field for each product. from 0 to 10
  foreach ($nids as $nid) {
    $node = node_load($nid);

       $x = 0;
   $options = array();
   while ($x <= 10) {
      $options[$x] = $x;
      $x++;
   }

    $form['products'][$nid]['qty'] = array(
      '#type' => 'select',
      '#options' => $options,
      '#title' => t('Amount'),
      '#default_value' => 0,
    );
  }

  // Add an add to cart button.
  $form['add_to_cart'] = array(
    '#type' => 'submit',
    '#value' => t('Add to cart'),
  );

  return $form;
}

function multi_add_form_submit($form, &$form_state) {
  // Loop through the products array.
  foreach ($form_state['values']['products'] as $key => $value) {
    // The key is the product nid, the value holds the qty.
    if ($value['qty'] > 0) {
      // Add the item to the cart if the quantity was increased.
      uc_cart_add_item($key, $value['qty']);
    }
  }

  // Display a message and redirect to the cart.
  drupal_set_message(t('Your cart has been updated.'));

  $form_state['redirect'] = 'cart';
}

print drupal_render($form);
</code>

Add multiple items to cart


Centre pawn vs. side pawn?

Question: Chess theory suggests that pawns whose file is nearer to the central files are more powerful. This is somewhat obvious for the rook's pawn, which can attack only one square as opposed to the other pawns, which can each attack two squares. However, in practice, even the rook's pawn turns out to be somewhat useful as a pawn at a3 or h3 can deter the opponent bishop coming to b4 or g4.
In practice, are the pawns on central files really more powerful than the pawns on the side files? What is the reason? Does the situation change during the end game as opposed to the openings?
Answer: The more pieces on the board,  the more powerful the center pawns. This is typical for most opening and middlegame positions. The most convenient place for pieces to travel is usually through the center of the board, and the center pawns help to control that area.
The less pieces on the board, the more powerful the wing pawns. Less pieces on the board means less need to control pieces travelling through the center. A passed wing pawn is harder to stop than a passed center pawn. Your opponent needs to go further to the edge to defend against it. This can really stretch out and discoordinate his pieces if he has to defend against another weakness on the other side of the board. The outside passed pawn is like a decoy.
Generally speaking, you can think of Center pawns becoming weaker and weaker as pieces are exchanged, and wing pawns stronger the closer you reach an endgame.
Comment: +1. I just know this today. exchange value of pawn trough the game..
Answer: I think that powerful should not be mixed with valuable. The value of a pawn is relative to the concrete position on the board. The a-pawn or h-pawn might play a minor role in the middlegame. While in the endgame, they are valuable assets, especially when they become passed pawns and start marching towards their promotion. More importantly than exactly what pawns you have is the pawn structure, i.e. how are the pawns placed relative to one another. The number of pawn islands and the number of weaknesses will determine their total worth. I don't see a pawn getting weaker or stronger just because you are in the opening, middlegame or endgame. A pawn is generally said to become more valuable, the closer it gets to its promotion square. Pawns that collaborate together can strengthen each other and be powerful in attacks, see for instance positions with opposite castling (e.g. white castled O-O and black O-O-O). Now, looking at practical games, grabbing the center is a great way of fighting for the initiative. Attacking players prefer to do this as soon as possible. I think that this gambit against the Sicilian is an excellent example (white sacrifices the b-pawn to divert black's c-pawn from controlling the d4-square)
<code>[FEN ""]
1.e4 c5 2.b4 cxb4 3.a3 bxa3 4.Bxa3
</code>
where white has 4 center pawns (c,d,e,f) against black's three (d,e,f). Also, white is ahead in development. All in all, white has the initiative.
Comment: good opening! i will try this sometime! its called the wing gambit, right?
Comment: @guru yes, this is the Wing gambit. You should check the variations. The positions can get sharp if black knows how to defend. Should be fun!
Comment: Especially considering the king and queen as examples. The king is valuable (obviously), but not powerful (can only move one square). The Queen is very powerful and very valuable.
Answer: Central squares are the key.
Occupying central squares is important in the opening and middle-game levels in chess. Pawns which are nearer to central files can attack the 4 central squares and protect own pieces there.
Side pawns are far from this battle, they should be unmoved until to choose the castling side, and after castling you shouldn't change the form of king's protector pawns as it's possible.

Centre pawn vs. side pawn?


how do delete individual (dust) emitter particle that passes in front of the camera?

Question: I've made a video that is one long (5 minute) shot and created an emitter particle system to make dust floating around. it all looked good in tests and i sent it to a render farm and now im fixing any problem frames that came up. turns out, on 1 single frame one of the particles passed in front of the camera right at an important part. i cannot change the particle system and re-render the entire project as it took 31 days on a paid renderfarm to render. however i can easily re-render individual frames (which im doing for little fixes here and there that popped up post-render anyway)and just delete that one particle. anything i look up with the words 'particle sysytem' keep giving me solutions for hair paricles, so its getting pretty frustrating.
   So, how can i delete one particle from an emitter particle system when i cannot have any other particles change? I am using blender 2.79b still. (I'll move up to 2.8 on the next project... maybe)
Comment: I'm not sure if thats possible, but it sure would be nice.
Comment: You can delete a particle with an object by making it as collision-object and enable the "Kill Particles" option then place this object in the path of that particle.
Answer: Solution- @3DSinghVFX Genius! it worked. Here's what I did. I went four frames before the particle passed in front of the camera and placed a simple plane in the path of the particle. I turned off all ray visibility in the cycles settings under the object tab for the plane and added collision physics to it and enabled 'kill particles'. I then went to the particle system and freed the bake (from the 4 frames ahead to add a small buffer but not so far as to risk the other particles i want to keep from changing) and stepped one frame at a time up to the problem frame and.... PERFECT! particle gone.


Travelling to Italy without my spouse who is a UK citizen

Question: I am India citizen married to a UK national who has been issued a Schengen Visa from the Italian consulate as a spouse of a UK national. My husband was supposed to travel with me but now can't. We have decided that I should still pursue the trip without him as I will be joining our friends there. Please can someone let me know if I will still be allowed to travel to the Schengen region with a valid Schengen Visa issued as a spouse of a EEA national but without my husband joining me there in person ?
Comment: Does the visa have an annotation mentioning your husband?
Comment: Hello, yes on the visa it says family. I managed o get hold of the consulate today and they said as long as I can prove I am a family member (marriage certificate, passport) then I should have no issues with border control. I am unconvinced.
Answer: Unlike the UK, the Schengen area does not issue a separate class of visa for family members of people who qualify for free movement.  Once you've got the Schengen visa, you can use it like a normal Schengen visa.
You could be accused of a fraudulent application, though, so if you can document the reason for your change of plans, or that the consulate told you that the visa was okay to use despite your change of plans, or (perhaps best) that you tried to apply for a new visa but the consulate told you not to, then you ought to be able to dispel any such suspicions.


Can I install pantheon terminal in Ubuntu 14.04 or newer?

Question: Is it possible to install Pantheon terminal from elementary OS on my Ubuntu 14.04 or newer LTS releases? If yes, how can I?
Comment: Why do you want to install it? Do you want the default Terminal to look like it?
Answer: You can install it by running:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:elementary-os/stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install pantheon-terminal

The ppa:elementary/stable is recommended for LTS releases of Ubuntu.
The ppa:elementary/daily may be used for any currently supported releases of Ubuntu and has the newest and most unstable development of elementary. The Daily PPA is subject to critical bugs and should not be used except for testing purpose only.
Do note that, since Pantheon often uses a different version of GTK than Ubuntu (especially with LTS), this may impact your system with broader impact (IE: Gnome issues), so thar be dragons
Comment: Hm, no longer seems to work. Can't find the package.
Comment: As per suggested edit, I have indeed clarified that `pantheon-terminal` does exist on both PPAs at Launchpad.net. The elementary Stable PPA should be preferred for tested stable releases.
Comment: Tested installation of `pantheon-terminal` in Xubuntu 16.04. Just works; make sure to enable compositor, otherwise user will see a big black box appear in the background.
Answer: Pantheon terminal requires gtk >= 3.12, but Ubuntu 14.04 comes with gtk 3.10
So at the moment it is not installable unless you want to add gnome3 staging ppa, which is not recommended and will probably break your system.
Comment: This is apparently still valid. The dependency error is seen when trying to install from the Stable PPA: `libgranite3:i386 depends on libgtk-3-0 (>= 3.12)` on 14.04 release.
Answer: In case you want your Terminal to look like Elementary OS' terminal, do the following -
Go to Edit -> Profile Preferences
Go to the Colors tab and uncheck Use Colors from System Theme
From the Built-in Schemes drop down menu, select White on Black
Go to the Background tab and select Transparent Background
Adjust the slider below according to your preference. Around 75% should look good.
Comment: He didn't ask about making the terminal *look* like Pantheon, he actually wants Pantheon.


SD card on other phone

Question: I have recently broke my Nokia Lumia 520. It has SD card with some apps in it. One of them are for tracking my budget other for my car's maintenance records. I have ordered new Lumia phone and I wonder if I would be able to put that SD card to the new phone and have all the apps and their data records.
Comment: Does the app you installed ask for sign in details ? If it does so, all your data will be saved in its database. No worries.
Answer: Unfortunately no. The reason is that apps installed on the SD card are assigned a unique key. That key only exists on that phone, so the apps installed on that SD card will not run on another phone. Even if you reset the phone, you still cannot use the apps.
Comment: Why does it not work when you plug it back into the original phone? (Or in my case, copy the whole contents to a new sd?)

SD card on other phone


guidelines for using fragments of film within other film

Question: I'm writing a screenplay where a character is obsessed with a movie, and I want to show him watching this movie three times, each scene includes a segment of about a 60 seconds.
What would be the general guidelines in terms of copyright?
Can someone show a certain portion of an existing movie in another movie without having to negotiate copyright?
The jurisdiction would be USA.
Answer: There are three basic possibilities under which the movie may be used:

The movie to be excerpted is out of copyright, either because it was published before 1924, or published without a copyright notice before 1978, or published before 1964 and the copyright was not properly renewed (or some other even less common situation, see this very well known chart for details). If this is the case, any amount of the move may be used for any purpose at all, without an permission. But few significant modern films will fall under this case.
Permission is obtained from the current owner of the copyright on the film. This will be the simplest and clearest way to use the secondary film with no legal risk. It will probably involve the payment of a license fee, but depending on how famous the film is, and what scene is to be shown, the fee might be large or might be quite small. It might be negotiable. However, the copyright owner need not grant permission on any terms, and non-response must be taken as a "no".
The inclusion of an excerpt is considered Fair Use. Fair use is a distinctively US legal concept. It always depends on the exact facts of the situation, and it is never absolutely safe to predict if a given use will be considered "fair". In this case the use seems to be "transformative" which tends to weigh for fair use. It also does not seem likely to be a replacement for the original, nor to impair any current market for the original, which also weighs for fair use. But if there is or plausibly might be a separate market for extracts, which this might impair, that could weigh against fair use. If the scenes shown are particularly famous and might be consider as the "heart" of the original, that would weigh against a finding of fair use. There is no fixed amount of a work that can be used which will always be "fair use". In one case as few as three hundred words of a 100,000 word biography was held to be too much to constitute fair use.

If none of these three cases apply, the new movie is an act of copyright infringement, and the copyright owner could sue and possibly obtain sizable damages.
If you want to depend on fair use you will be very wise to consult a lawyer skilled in copyright issues. If your movie was to be produced by a commercial studio, they would almost certainly submit the script to an in-house or regularly hired lawyer of their own for an opinion on such a point.
It might well be cheaper to pay a license fee for permission than to get a formal legal opinion on the fair use issue, depending on the film involved. Again, if a commercial studio makes the film, they would obtain any needed permissions, and pay any such fee, and the probable size of such a fee might be a factor in whether they accept the script, or insist that it be altered.
Such things have been done -- consider the use of the song "Misty" in the film Play "Misty" for Me, or of the song "As Time Goes By" in Casablanca.  The older and less famous the film to be quoted is, the easier it will be to obtain permission, and probably also to establish fair use.
Note that Fair Use is a strictly US legal concept, and will not apply in other countries. Thus reliance on fair use may preclude international distribution of the new film.
See this related Law.SE q&A on movie clips. See also this related law.se Q& on when fair use applies.
Comment: thanks for the complete and articulate answer. I figured the producers would seek legal counsel about it. My concern, being this a spec low-budget script, is geared toward how much including these scenes would raise the overall cost of the movie.
Comment: @black-clover If you include the scenes without a license, and if it is actually fair use, or if you don't ever get sued, it probably wouldn't raise the overall cost.  But those are big if's.
Comment: @black-clover, it costs nothing to ask a copyright holder what s/he would charge for use of such a scene. That might give you a batter idea of what the probable costs are. Relying on fair use would be foolish without getting legal advice, because it opens one up to unpredictable risk, and such advice will not be free, and would be an upfront cost (unless a studio employs a full-time lawyer for such options). Depending on not being sued is like running red lights on the assumption no cop is around -- risky.
Comment: @black-clover One could always show that a character is obsessed with an old movie by showing him watching it from an angle where the screen is not visible. A sound-only license might well be much less expensive, and sound-only use might be more likley defendable as fair use.
Comment: @David Siegel thanks again for your thoughts. I have considered the sound-only option but it would not be the same effect. I totally agree it would be unwise to include the scenes in the actual movie without having agreed a consent from the copyright holder. Being this just a screenplay, it's just forethinking on my part, like killing a guy in a helicopter crash as opposite to having him stabbed in a parking lot. the movie in question is 40 years old, but very famous, so I assume it would entertain some cost.
Comment: @black-clover cost, if any, depends entirely on the policy of the copyright holder. They can charge 50 cents or $5,000,000 if anyone will pay that. They could even pay you to advertise their movie by including it (not likely). Your planned use might well qualify as fair use, which is as much as I can say as a non-expert without detailed facts.


Since 1980, in which years has the US debt-to-GDP declined and why?

Question: In other words, what were the factors in the reduction of the debt-to-GDP ratio?  Why did the ratio decrease during some booms and not others?
Answer: The time series for the debt-to-GDP ratio are available on the FRED wesbite: link to debt-to-GDP chart. I will let the reader download the data, rather than list the years here.
As for why it falls, it requires a good macroeconomic model. The reason being is that we need to explain both the fiscal deficit and the rate of nominal GDP growth.
Policymakers do not directly control the deficit. Faster growth means a greater tax take, less social spending. Meanwhile, capital gains taxes are determined by the hard-to-forecast changes in stock prices.
Nominal GDP (the denominator) can grow as a result of faster inflation, or faster real growth. The precise determinants of this have bee the subject of economic debates for decades. I obviously cannot answer it here.
One factor to keep in mind that the existing level of the ratio matters a lot. If nominal GDP growth is 5%:

you need a fiscal deficit of 5% of GDP to keep the ratio unchanged if the starting level is 100%,
you only need a deficit of 2.5% if the starting level is 50% of GDP.

If you look at the chart, the biggest fall in the ratio after 1980 was during the late 1990s. There was a brief fiscal surplus, and growth was relatively strong. There was a technology boom, along with the tech stock bull market/bubble that generated a lot of capital gains taxes. (The Clinton administration raised taxes earlier, which was also a factor in the surplus.)
(In a comment, you asked about the 2000s. During that period, the ratio rose, but that can be partly traced to the increased defense spending that happened. Once again, there's too many moving parts in the budget and economic growth to give a simple explanation of how the ratio moved.)
Comment: Thanks for the answer and the link to that chart. (Much more granular than the graphic I was looking at.)
Comment: Would you consider the question closed? If so, it helps the site statistics if it is marked as such. ("% of questions answered") Thanks.
Comment: I'd like to keep it open for a little longer, to see if anything else pops up.  Could you comment a little bit more on taxation?  There were significant changes to the tax code in the early 2000's, particularly in relation to how investment income was taxed (short term vs. long term capital gains, dividends, etc.)  I have to wonder if those were a factor in the different results re: the debt in the late 90's boom vs. the boom in the mid aughts.


Why is my Sigma 18-250 DC macro OS Canon lens trying to autofocus all the time?

Question: I have a Canon Rebel T5i and recently purchased a sigma 18-250 mm DC Macro OS Canon lens.  With the camera on and using the LCD monitor (not the viewfinder) the lens constantly tries to focus even while the shutter release is not depressed. Is this normal? And if not, how do I change it?  I am new to this and any help would be greatly appreciated.
Comment: AF modes are often slightly different and are usually configurable per mode. Try to switch explicitly to Single-Shot after you enter Live-View.
Answer: Some of the newer Canon EOS models, including your EOS Rebel T5i/700D, have a menu option named Continuous AF. With the T5i it is under tab 4 of the Shooting (Red tab with an icon that looks like a camera) Menu that includes most of the Live View options. If that option is set to Enable the camera will focus continuously as long as it is in Live View mode. To prevent the camera and lens from continuously focusing while in Live view set the Continuous AF menu option to Disable.
It's all on page 156 of the EOS Rebel T5i/700D Instruction Manual.
Answer: It seems your camera has touch screen, when you touch the screen it focus.
 If it only happens when using LCD, I'm just guessing, but maybe the screen is not clean and the camera thinks you are touch focusing.
 Try to clean the LCD Monitor with a clean cloth, even if you don't see it dirty, breath on it and clean it.
Comment: Touch screens usually work by tracking changes in capacitance. Dirt alone wouldn't cause this kind of problem -- it'd have to be touching something conductive.
Comment: My phone has capacitive screen and there were times when it went crazy, and then I saw that the screen was dirtied by my greasy hands. I cleaned it up and that solved the problem.


How can I distinguish Dutch from Flemish from Afrikaans at a glance?

Question: I don't know Dutch, Flemish, or Afrikaans, but will sometimes, on coming across a writing sample of one of them, wish to know which it is. How do I distinguish them in their written forms?
Answer: Written texts in Flanders, such as newspaper articles, are so close to standard Dutch that you are unlikely to be able to distinguish them except by context.
Afrikaans is different and the more Dutch you learn the easier it is.  An instant clue is the use of -y- (e.g. instead of -ij-).  The use of 'n instead of een as the indefinite article and die instead of de as a definite article will also stand out, as does the very different spellings of pronouns.  And then it goes on.
Comment: It depends: it usually takes me a paragraph or two to notice that a newspaper-like text is Flemish if I am not looking for it; but more informal texts usually scream "Flemish!" at me after the first sentence or two (I am a Dutchman). Choice of words is usually the most striking difference. However, sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish Flemish from Dutch as spoken in the very south of the Netherlands (esp. Limburg). // I was watching a subtitled film last weekend, and after a few minutes we wondered at the strange translations, until it occurred to us that the subtitles were Flemish.
Comment: Common words that are typically Flemish are: *bankcontact, zot, gij/ge,* *kot* for "room", using *U* in informal contexts, and eh many more. Take this article: http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20120330_251 What I immediately notice is *weggewuifd*, *gelijkaardig*, *het goed stellen*. You would never find those in a Dutch newspaper. The word *procureur* is used for a different function in Holland, so that is a clear hint as well.
Answer: In the case of Afrikaans, the two most salient features would be the spelling (as has been pointed out by Henry) and Afrikaans' double negation, which is absent from both Dutch and Flemish.
If you see a text peppered with "die", "'n", "hierdie", "daardie/daai" (determiners) or "hy", "sy", "my", "julle", "hulle" (personal pronouns), "is" (copula: present tense), "was" (copula: past tense), you're probably looking at Afrikaans.
Negation can be spotted in the form of the words "nie", "niks" and "geen" closely followed by a second "nie".
For details, check out this Wikipedia entry.


How can I make an account in Ruby without using JSON-RPC?

Question: I'd like to build an application with rails. I want to make an account through Ruby. I got the advice that, in order to make an account, I should not use JSON-RPC for security. Instead I should use IPC and the javascript API, but I don't want to use javascript. I want to write with Ruby only. Could you tell me if there's a way to do that?
Answer: There's a lot of mixup in your question. Lets clear up the concepts first.
JSON is the data serialization format that all API endpoints use, independent on how you get that request to Geth. All the various endpoints exposed by Geth use exactly the same JSON-RPC protocol to invoke methods. This is programming language independent, as long as you can generate a JSON string and parse a JSON reply, you can implement it in whatever language you want.
The difference that some people talk about are the transport through which these requests can get to Geth and back to you. There you have 3 options: HTTP, WebSockets (only available in develop) and IPC. All of these "speak" the exact same JSON-RPC protocol, with the only difference that by default some API methods are only exposed via the IPC channel. The reason is that any program running in your browser can access your local HTTP/WebSocket endpoints, whereas only programs running on your computer natively can access to IPC endpoint.
Account management is one such thing, which is not exposed on the HTTP endpoint to prevent arbitrary websites from mucking around with your accounts. That's why people were suggesting you use IPC.
PS: None of these have anything to do with JavaScript. Ethereum provides a JavaScript library to talk to these RPC endpoints, but you're free to talk to them directly (in fact a lot of projects do so using their own programming languages).
Answer: You can create private keys and build/sign transactions with ethereum-tx. You can generate that key offline, or anywhere that runs ruby, then you just have to send the address to whoever you want to send you Ether. You can then sign and send raw transaction hex to any of the block explorers that accept it, or use your own JSON-RPC API on a node you control.
Alternatively, there is a ruby full node implementation in the works. Not sure about the APIs that are ruby specific, but you could include the gem, and then run the full node from inside your ruby app.


Adobe CS5.1; I want the measure tool as the default; when I use Ctrl-I, the measure (ruler) tool appears... is this sort of thing possible?

Question: I scan many slides, transparencies, and negatives. I need to straighten them often. I would like the ruler/measurement tool under CTRL-I to remain as the default with eveery start of Photoshop. Is it possible to make it the default instead of the eyedropper tool?
Perhaps a shortcut key of its own might work as well... where one keystroke will bring it to the top... will it stay there? hmmm. . .
I've just given myself an idea...  (LOL)
Answer: You can assign shortcuts and have the ruler set to pop-up when you hit a key. Go Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts > Select Shortcuts for: Tools
PS should remember your tool you used last in the set and keep that at top, make sure you close properly for PS to "remember"


Twitter reply not showing

Question: I wrote a reply https://twitter.com/sxfjkl/status/1340050437131694083 to a message https://twitter.com/pamcakers/status/1340001830999384065 however when I try to view it along with the other replies to that message, it does not show up, even if I tell it to "Show more replies" and "Show additional replies". Why isn't it showing?
Answer: Seems to be working fine and I open your tweet, and I see the parent tweet.

But on opening the users tweet indeed it can't be seen. It can be on a variety of factors. I answered a similar question 7 years back. Have a look.
Comment: Yes, you have described the issue I'm having, that my reply does not show when using the link to the parent of the reply. I looked at your older question but I did not see described any factors that may cause this behavior. The factors listed in its answer seem to describe different factors that influence the order of replies, but in my issue, the question is not about the sorting, but about whether the reply shows at all.

Twitter reply not showing


Set-up template in Indesign for creep

Question: How to set-up Indesign for creep/shingling on 116 page booklet?
Comment: No, I will be using a commercial printer thanks
Comment: Hi Phill, thanks for your question. Could you tell us what you tried that didn't work? Did you Google this? Always good to show some effort, and your chances for a good answer increase. If you have any questions, please see the [help] or ping one of us in the [chat] once your reputation is sufficient (20). Keep contributing and enjoy the site!
Comment: Do you print the booklet yourself or will you use a commercial printer for this?
Answer: It's the printer who calculates these things based on the type of paper (thickness), the imposition, the type of binding and the number of pages. There's no definite one-size-fits-all formula because of this. They will adjust the creep with their imposition software (eg. Preps).
What you can do as a designer is to respect the minimum safe margin your printer suggests you. For books, it looks good to have a 1/2" - 5/8" safe margin where the binding is. The thicker the book (eg.  more pages), the bigger the safe margin should be. A 116 pages book is not a big book. Printers also use different ways to do their imposition and calculate the creep (positive or negative creep), so in doubt, it's better to simply call the printer. Just so you know, with a small 116 pages book, the creep is very small and planing it in your layout isn't as vital as on big 300 pages books. When you use good safe margins, there's usually no problems.
If you need to print your booklet on your own printer, then you can refer to Adobe's help file to set up the creep in Indesign. It's quite rare a real creep will be required on "home printed projects" since it also requires other trimming equipment and some kind of production setup. The creep functionality in Indesign is not as precise as the one you'd find on Preps.
I don't suggest you to use the Indesign creep yourself if you use a commercial printer for your book. You should let the printer deal with the imposition and creep; simply provide him/her the print-ready files without any imposition.
https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/printing-booklets.html#understanding_creep
Related:
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/forum/graphic-design/printing-and-prepress/1530688-adjusting-an-indesign-document-for-creep
Comment: To go-junta. Thank you, you explanation is very precise and easy to understand.

Set-up template in Indesign for creep


Using Spatial Join to join geologic features to polylines

Question: I want to spatially join polygons (geologic features, major aquifers) to where the NHD polylines (rivers/streams) fall. I want to be able to click on a polyline and see what geologic feature or major aquifer the NHD polyline flows through it. Do I use the spatial join for this? I have joined other attributes like Stream Order, Velocity, Watershed area because I can join them based on a ComID because all information came from NHDplus. I am using ArcMap 10.4.
Answer: Probably a spatial join, yes. But think about whether there will be many lines that fall in multiple polygons, and if that matters to your project. The geoprocessing spatial join tool (as opposed to the ArcMap menu join) has more options to, for example, join to the polygon where the line's midpoint falls. If you want the lines to be divided where they change polygons, then look into the Identity tool. Identity requires a higher license level, but I am sure there is a way to use a few steps to get similar results using other Basic license tools.


What do the various spells do?

Question: I have a couple spell grimoires, and some of the spells are obvious, or repeated from the original, but Teleport doesn't seem to do anything, and some of the others I have no idea what they do. What do the spells do?
Comment: Just go to the item in your inventory to get a description.
Answer: Acid Rain creates a batch of droplets which cause harm to enemies, but not you.
Fireball creates a single fireball projectile.
Teleport does work as expected, but can have slightly different effects on different levels. It will either teleport you to the start, or at least back some way.
Erase Magic removes all magical (coloured) objects in play. This includes the sea snake's bubbles, and your own magic.
Thorn Shield creates a shield of thorns around you which damage enemies.
Obsidian Wall creates a tall wall in front of you that takes time to break through. Useful in combination with health potions.
Black Demons creates a wave of black demons that fly left to right across the screen, damaging you as well as all mobs.
Black Hole creates a black hole that inflicts massive damage to mobs that come into contact with it.
Comment: Acid Rain also does not damage your allies, like warriors or octopi. And Teleport on the troll bridge might throw you under the bridge and kill you!
Comment: Note: the Black Demons are ALWAYS black, even with inverted colors.

What do the various spells do?


Still Booting to Windows after Debian Install

Question: I recently installed Debian Linux to one of of my storage drives alongside Windows 7 (on a different drive) and for some reason when I start up my computer I still boot right into Windows instead of GRUB. I assume this is because it was not installed to my MBR correctly for some reason. Are there anyways to fix this so it does boot to grub or am I going to have to reinstall Debian to get it to work?
Answer: If you have install debian on another physical drive GRUB have probably been install on this drive, but your motherboard is probably set to boot on the hdd containing windows.
You can boot on a live cd and install grub on the hdd containing windows 7. After, if your windows 7 installation is not recognized you'll be able to edit your grub configuration and add a windows entry.
Here is the debian grub installation tutorial
The other solution is to set your motherboard to boot on the hdd where Debian is install. Like the first solution, if Windows 7 is not recognized, you juste have to add an entry to the grub configuration.
Comment: The Live CD option sounds good. What are some good ones?
Comment: Debian live http://live.debian.net/ is a good choice.
Answer: You say that you had to install it on another drive? So you could try going into the BIOS and changing the boot priorities from there. Since it sees the windows drive first, it boots of that one.
NOTE:
This will only work if you installed it on another hard drive and not just a partition.
Answer: You can get a "live-cd" from many linux distributions. I usually use xubuntu as it boots on lots of hardware. Burn that to a cd (usualy a "write image" option). That will "unpack" the .iso file onto the disk. When finished, boot the cd (you may have to set your BIOS to boot to the cd drive first).


Probability limit Markov chain

Question: Let there be an irreducible Markov chain $\{X_t\}_{t\geq 0}$ in continuous time with finitely many possible states.
Let $$\displaystyle l_i(T)=\int_{0}^T 1_{(X_t=i)}dt.$$
How can I prove the existence of the limit
$$\lim_{T\longrightarrow \infty}\frac{l_i(T)}{T}?$$
This is not a homework, I am studying for an exam.
Answer: Look up: "Renewal Theorem"....
Answer: Call $U_0=\inf\{t\geqslant0\mid X_t=i\}$ the first hitting time of $i$ and, for every $n\geqslant1$,
$$V_n=\inf\{t\geqslant0\mid X_{U_{n-1}+t}\ne i\}\quad\text{and}\quad
U_n=\inf\{t\geqslant0\mid X_{V_n+t}=i\},
$$
the duration of the $n$th visit of $i$ and the duration of the $n$th time interval between some consecutive visits to $i$, respectively. Then, all these random variables are independent and integrable, $(U_n)_{n\geqslant1}$ is i.i.d. and $(V_n)_{n\geqslant1}$ is i.i.d. For every $n$, call
$$
S_n=V_1+\cdots+V_n,\qquad
T_n=U_0+U_1+\cdots+U_{n-1}+S_n.
$$
For every $n$, if $T_n\leqslant t\lt T_{n+1}$, then $S_n\leqslant\ell_i(t)\lt S_{n+1}$. The law of large numbers applied twice implies that, almost surely, when $n\to\infty$,
$$
\frac{S_n}n\to v=\mathbb E(V_1),\qquad\frac{T_n}n\to u+v=\mathbb E(U_1)+\mathbb E(V_1),
$$
hence, almost surely, when $t\to\infty$,
$$
\frac{\ell_i(t)}t\to\frac{v}{u+v}.
$$
An alternative characterization of the limit is $\pi(i)$, where $\pi$ is the stationary distribution of the Markov process.

Probability limit Markov chain


Should "user-interface" be a tag synonym for "gui-construction"

Question: There are presently 122 questions tagged gui-construction and only 10 tagged user-interface.  Should these tags be merged and made synonymous?  If so which should be the master?  User-interface seems broader perhaps?
Comment: User-interface is the more general category. It can also refer to external controllers as possible in Manipulate and acoustic and tactile feedback. The G in GUI restricts the definition to on-screen interfaces.
Comment: For now, I believe user interface questions mostly concern graphical interfaces. This may change in the future though (I remember having written about interfacing with the WII balance board a couple of years ago), and a distinction may be needed then. Having to re-tag all questions at that time may be a pain. So, I see three alternatives: 1) using User-interface as a main tag and adding relevant sub tags (GUI, tactile, controllers) or 2) not using user-interfaces and directly tag the subtype of UI or 3) if traffic is low, use user-interface as synonym and master.
Comment: I see some examples of touch related functions for tablet based inputs emerging in V10, so I expect this aspect will be fleshed out more in future updates. This will increase the need for separate tags.
Comment: related: [1265](http://meta.mathematica.stackexchange.com/q/1265/5478)
Comment: I'm leaning towards a merge, plus a rename into [tag:user-interfaces].
Comment: @Sjoerd That was my perception.  Do you feel there is risk of diluting the meaning too much?
Comment: I'm not really in favor of one option or another, but if I had to choose right now I'd pick 1).
Answer: This is a difficult issue because some people are interpreting user-interface as a synonym for front-end. For example, this question. Those who are doing so are being quite reasonable since user-interface has no tag wiki excerpt to guide them.
I also note that there is a tag, gui-elements (15 uses), which seems a more likely candidate for being made a synonym for gui-construction


How do I get bats in the house to leave?

Question: Do they tend to stay on the top floor?  Do they prefer warmer or cooler air? Also, do they always avoid lights? (will they prefer to go into a room with no lighting, as opposed to one with lighting)?
Comment: Possible duplicate of [How do I stop bats from nesting in an attic?](https://diy.stackexchange.com/questions/8296/how-do-i-stop-bats-from-nesting-in-an-attic)
Answer: You don't say where you are, but in the UK, "getting bats to leave" would be a crime under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) with a maximum sentence of six months prison.  Other countries are liable to have similar legislation.
Again, in the UK, I would contact the Bat Conservation Trust at https://www.bats.org.uk/.  They will try and help you learn to love your bats (they are wonderful creatures - and they eat mosquitoes), but if they fail at that, they will help you remove them legally.
If you are not in the UK, you will still find their website useful.
Answer: We have had bat problems on and off for years, I don't like killing them because they do eat lots of bugs.
For many years we used the ultrasonic pest plug devices with an extension cord to get it closer to the peak they like. 2 years ago we put in led lighting in the arena and use it quite a bit and that also works but the little plug in ultrasonic devices for mice are the best within a day maybe 2 of turning it on they are gone and this is a big area 1 year we needed 2, 1 at each end of the barn as they moved to the other end but we turn these on for a few days 1 or 2x per year if they come back and they go away without hurting them and the cost is a few pennies I think we got 4 of the devices for $10 a few years back. Try it it works.


Chatroom Owner Flag Viewing

Question: It's kind of annoying to not be able to see what is flagged as a room owner. Could we owners under 10k reputation be allowed to see flags coming from said specific room? (And then at 10k normal permissions override)
Comment: But doesn't it make sense that a room owner would have the same powers (such as invalidating flags)? Of course "get 10k rep" is easy to say, but at the quality of Main questions coming in I'm lucky to gain 10 rep for every 8 questions I close. However, it's not a big deal and since I am getting close it may not matter. I just think this would be a good idea as some people don't place value on rep, but are good room owners and still brilliant and trusted that they shouldn't be punished for not wanting to answer every syntax error in the west.
Comment: Room owners aren't always 10k+
Comment: I don't think it's necessary as anyone over 10k can see flags in chat all rooms
Comment: Of course, but there are enough 10k+ users in the chats that flags will be handled quickly and appropriately. IMO if you really want to see chats that much then rep up to 10k
Comment: @bmargulies I am going to rollback your edit because that title makes it sound like I desperately want this to happen when it's just a suggestion :P
Comment: So long as the spelling ends up correct.
Comment: @bmargulies say what now?
Comment: I clicked edit due to a spelling error, and then I was 'inspired'.
Answer: I don't think it's necessary.
There are multiple 10k+ users active in the chat rooms and they can see the flags across all of the rooms so they are usually handled with speed and accuracy.
I also do not think it'd be appropriate for room owners to approve/deny flags because there is no rep limit (besides being able to chat) to become a room owner. A user with 20 rep could become an owner in some room and approve flags without properly knowing SO or the chat room's rules.
A lowered rep limit for room owners may be more of a possibility, but even then where is that line? In my own case I wouldn't say that I understood proper flagging until 2k~3k, but that isn't the same for everyone. 10k is a way to be assured that they know what they're doing when they approve/deny flags and have contributed to the site extensively.
IMO if you want to see flags that badly you should rep up to 10k.
Comment: Well, not disagreeing, but if somebody makes a room owner out of a n00blet than we have bigger problems in the afformentioned room lol
Comment: I think given recent situations, this stance doesn't seem to make sense anymore. The expectations are higher on chat now, and denying room owners access to a vital portion of chat moderation won't cut it. I'm not saying that vote would be swung a different way, but just that those who were chosen to enforce the rules are given the ability to do so.
Comment: In addition, there are different skill sets for being able to help with development and being a good room owner. I wouldn't ask a security guard for coding help, and I wouldn't ask an engineer to go break up a fight outside. Since rep is predicated on how well you help others with Stack Overflow, using it as a barricade for chat enforcement seems silly.
Comment: @ShotgunNinja I think you fail to address my points in this answer

Chatroom Owner Flag Viewing


How to include image or diagrams in this page?

Question: Since I am new to this forum,  I have not much idea about framing the questions of right sort to this group? Moreover,  I am unable to upload  images in this page along with the question text. As I am trying to upload image from Android phone, I am unable to find enough option to include pictures here.  Please help me Thanks in advance.
Comment: You say you're on an Android phone, are you using the Stack Exchange *app*? Or the mobile website? (or the desktop website?)
Comment: Stack Exchange sites are not "a forum". They are sites for Questions and Answers.
Comment: If you put a link then people will come and inline that link in no time. Unless they havce some problems with the source.
Answer: OK, I don't actually have the Android app, but I can tell you how to upload an image with images I found on MSE (click on an image to be taken to its source).
When you're in the app, you should see something like this:

There are several icons in the toolbar. The one you want is the camera icon, which will let you upload an image.
You then select an image:

Your image will need to be in an accepted file format. For example, PNG and JPEG are accepted formats, SVG is not.
And it will be inserted into your post. Your image must be under 2MB otherwise you will get a confusing error message and your image will not be inserted.

Note: On some sites (but not this one), users with less than 10 rep will not be able to inline an image (it will need to be a link).
Answer: I don't think new members can post images.
However, in any case, you can upload your image to imgur(dot)com, then you can simply add the link to your question. Another member will likely help edit your question by inserting the actual image for you.
Comment: New users can post images here (it's different on other SE sites, but I believe they can post up to 3 here)
Comment: Oh hold on... you said "I don't think new members *can't* post images". So you're saying new users can post images? Your double negative confused me
Comment: @Cai perhaps it has something to do with trying to do it from an Android phone.  I've seen several questions here from new users who apparently don't seem to be able to post images.
Comment: @Cai oops, I think I meant "can". Fixed!


Differences between the Dead Sea Scrolls and the books of Moses

Question: On Wikipedia, I read that the texts from Exodus in the Dead Sea scrolls contain some differences from the canonical version. However, I couldn't find them online. Can someone give me a few examples?
Comment: I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it appears to be a request for references.
Comment: There are several questions on this topic in the "Biblical hermeneutics" room. Perhaps you would like to have a look there.
Answer: Asking for references is off topic.
There are substantial differences in ancient manuscripts and modern received texts of the Pentateuch. It is not a question of one or two "passages". There are different competing readings throughout all the books and they are extensive. I have examined photostatic fragments of some of the scrolls and minor differences from the received text are present in virtually every stanza.
In most cases the differences are just spelling and grammar variants, but in some cases the meaning may be different in some way. The questions of differences in readings can be quite problematic for the non-specialist. Politically there is self-censorship and few scholars are willing to publish readings that vary from the accepted meanings. The problem is complex because in many cases spellings can be exact but the meaning is different according to vowel pronunciations which may or may not be present as diacritics.
As just one example of this, a complete and intact text of the Book of Enoch was discovered at Qumran and in addition there is a very old Greek papyrus fragment of Enoch (Oxyrhynchus 2069), yet no published work dares to provide readings from these manuscripts.
An easy way to get a sense for the differences is to read the Samaritan Pentateuch which is published in English and is closer to the Qumran texts than the Masoretic text. As just one example from the Ten Commandments, Exodus 34:20,
Samaritan Text:

You shall redeem the blood of all your first-born sons.

Masoretic Text (and Septuagint):

You shall redeem all your first-born sons. [The word ADM (blood) is missing]

Originally, the blood was the sacrificial commodity, being drained from the body of the person or animal being sacrificed. In the Masoretic text, the word "blood" was deleted to try to hide this fact, but in the Samaritan text the word was never removed.
Comment: Wrong, wrong, wrong, and -1. ADM does not mean "blood," but "human." And even if we were to suppose that here it means "blood," it would be wrongly placed; the Samaritan text has וכל בכור אדם, while to mean "the blood of the firstborn" it would have to be וכל (א)דם בכור. If that's your idea of "scholarship" as it relates to the Samaritan text, I shudder to think what kind of "scholarship" you would bring to the readings of the Qumran texts.
Comment: @user438 is right. Tyler does not know Hebrew and is not qualified to comment on this sort of thing.
Comment: Funny how those same "editors of the Masoretic text" had no problem leaving in the word ADM in Exodus 13:13, then. (If anything, more likely the Samaritan text added it in 34:20 for parallelism.) And no, ADM does not, as you claim, "mean blood" and is only "sometimes used as a metaphor for a human being or a man." Should Genesis 1:26 then be translated, "Let us make blood in our image"? Or 2:5, "and there was no blood to work the ground"? You're probably confusing it with the word DM. I've often wondered why you get downvoted so much, and now I see why; it's called invincible ignorance.
Comment: I am not talking about academic qualifications. I am talking about linguistic competence.
Comment: @RenéG You can see from the comment above the problem. Anyone who deviates from accepted readings gets immediately attacked and censored. The comment from "user438" is just a small taste of what anyone who tries to publish such readings will endure. (Concerning the comment itself, ADM means "blood"; although the word is sometimes used as a metaphor for a human being or a man, in this context it has its more fundamental meaning, which is simply blood. If the meaning had innocently been "man" (which makes no sense), the editors of the Masoretic text would not have felt compelled to delete it.)
Comment: @fdb This is not about who is right or wrong on one reading. Scholars with doctorates in Near Eastern languages and 40 years of experience reading ancient text get attacked for non-standard readings, which is what I am trying to make clear to the questioner. It is not a matter of "qualifications". I could be a professor emeritus at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and you would probably still downvote my post.
Comment: [Ex 34:20](https://biblehub.com/exodus/34-20.htm): "Redeem the firstborn donkey with a lamb, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem all your firstborn sons. "No one is to appear before me empty-handed." is 'from the 10 commandments'?? Could you clarify this?


How can I complete Bomb Defusal missions on Ironman Classic difficulty?

Question: What is the most efficient way to do it on classic ironman? Lost about 7 of them, never won. Overwatch tactic just don't work since you should advance really fast. I'm most interested for tips for the first of those missions, when you don't have access to advanced equipment and perks.
Answer: The key, as you say, is advance really fast, but not recklessly.  The power nodes are typically spaced out in such a way that you'll be able to deactivate one of them per turn as you advance to the bomb.  If you can't, well there's a little leeway since you have a 2 turn buffer.
These aren't too hard since the enemies that show up are nearly always thin men and sometimes mutons (or muton elites late game).
Some general tips:

Rely on support to disable the power nodes.  They have +3 movement (assuming you get that skill), and they can use smoke grenade to cover themselves in times of trouble.
If you have access to skeleton armor, I highly recommend it.  The +3 movement bonus from that stacks with the support for some truly ridiculous movement ranges.  Late game, ghost armor makes these missions trivial as you can just dash from node to node while cloaked.
Keep 1 sniper back to provide long range cover support.
Assaults are also great for this mission with their run and gun skill.
Don't get into a extended fire fight with aliens, that's what they want you to do.  If you have any explosives, use it to try to blow up their cover (especially if they are hugging a car).
Make liberal use of hunker down rather than taking a pot shot at an alien at 30% hit chance.
The bomb is almost always in the opposite edge of the map, and there's usually 2 'paths' to get there if you follow the line of power nodes.  I don't recommend following both as that'll expose more enemies, but on the flip side, you get a little more leeway and the chance to flank said enemies.
Comment: yes, that's true.  I give my snipers grenades and send them into the front line until they get squad sight usually.  Hunker down usually keeps them alive until they can shoot.
Comment: With a squad sight sniper I suppose mission will be easy. The problem is I never managed to make sniper with this rank to the first diffusal mission.
Comment: Though extensive use of smoke and explosives may do the job
Comment: @boulder squad sight snipers are what I always try to get as early as possible in my games, whether or not you get it by the first diffusal, you may get lucky on that since it shows up randomly.
Comment: True. But damn aliens doesn't ask you who they can crit and who not =) Moreover it's hard to level sniper to second rank since them are almost useless with that "can't shot after move" penalty.
Comment: This is a good point indeed.
Answer: I'd discourage using heavy guys. The bomb missions tend to have weaker units, and heavies often have low ammo. The only thing worthwhile about them are long range explosives.
Assaults + run and gun are key. I would also recommend liberal use of supports, mainly to cover your assaults with smoke when they get too far ahead.
Answer: Easiest way is to ghost and run. 2 supports with that can clear the bomb in less than 3 turns.
I almost never even bother to hit the nodes. After you clear it, you should still have 1 more ghost use. RUN your ass back and then take your sweet sweet time in killing the enemies.
Comment: ghost armor is very late game though, so this won't work for most of the bomb missions through the game.  On the plus side, ghost armor is awesome, I managed to save all civvies on a terror mission by bum rushing via ghost armor once
Comment: The most difficult bomb diffusal is the first one
Answer: I've only played on Normal so far.
But usually you need to "turn off" the power nodes on the way (the green glowing "boxes") on your way. Each power node you turn off, gives you another round before the bomb is powered up.
If you weren't playing on Ironman I would usually start the round by doing a quick save (F10) and then sprinting with my guys, as this is usually safe to do in the first round.
On Ironman you could try to sprint with an assault class soldier and use "run and gun", to either end in Overwatch or shoot if aliens appear. Using the Snipers combat scanners or archangel armor is also ok to start with.
So far I haven't had a problem with these missions yet.
Comment: normal difficulty is piece of cake
Comment: he can't F10 on ironman mode...
Comment: @spartacus ah yeah, missed the ironmode thing, I'll update


"Maybe I will go and race in something else" VS "Maybe I go and race in something else"

Question: I was wondering whether it would be possible to use second term?
I know first term is correct but does it mean the second one is not correct?
Comment: The second example is wrong as you suspect. It needs a modal verb before *go*.
Comment: Can you give me an example?
Answer:
Maybe I will go and race in something else

This sentence is generally correct. In almost all situations this is what you would use.

Maybe I go and race in something else

This is for when you are talking about a hypothetical case, while removing the emphasis on your own actions. Think about a mafia boss making vague threats:

It's fine if you don't pay your protection money. But maybe I find myself in need of funds one day, what will I do then?

As a general rule though, you need the modal verb in your first sentence.


Is Ethics a valid tag for Stack Overflow?

Question: I have seen questions of all kinds on Stack Overflow, many have something to do with sofware development but never seen an ethics tag?! Kind of weird. Is this kind of question allowed of what to do with your customers, whether to show or not a page requesting user data?
Answer: Ethics questions are always subjective, and frequently argumentative. This tends to make them inappropriate for SO...
Comment: I find it highly unethical for you to provide this type of answer to  a question on Meta. Especially since you didn't have a picture of a unicorn.
Comment: I dunno, I've seen some pretty non-subjective ethics questions on SO that didn't have much discussion. "That's the most unethical thing we've ever seen, closed". :-p
Answer: Even where ethical questions are not really argumentative, they still tend towards discussion. Long, detailed discussions which are ill suited to the Stack Overflow format.
Answer: There really isn't much in ethics that is strictly programming-related.  There are plenty of ethical issues that affect programmers, but they tend to be more general and would apply to quite a few professions.  Heck, look at the ACM code of ethics.  Most of the points don't even mention computing, and the ones that do aren't specific to software development.
That, and as Shog9 points out, ethics tend to be subjective, and it's really easy to get an argument started.
Comment: http://www.acm.org/about/se-code would be more appropriate to cite...
Answer: My problem with questions about ethics is that ethics are, by their very nature, subjective. There is no right answer. What is right for Person A might be horrific for Person B to even think about.
Answer: Not for Stack Overflow, but it seems well-suited for Programmers. Ethics aren't purely subjective, and it's still possible to give a well-constructed answer.
Comment: I'm not at all sure that many ethics questions would satisfy the criteria for good subjective.  We'd probably have to close most of them.
Answer: I'm not sure about ethics questions in general, but the particular question seems to be a useful question with useful answers.