Mold on Cider is it unsafe after boil

Question: Mold on Cider is it unsafe?  It tasted good strained the mold (blueish) and boiled the cider for 20 min.  I plan to put the yeast and fruit in tommorrow.  Will the boil and yeast take out the mold bacteria?
Comment: Did you take a photo of the mold?
Comment: It was blue green mold
Comment: It looks like you asked two very similar questions. You should close this one.
Answer: Toxins produced by fungi (mycotoxins) will often not be broken down by heat.
If you have had a funky mould growing on your cider before fermentation, then I would probably ditch the whole lot and start again.
Mycotoxins can be exceedingly dangerous. This paper is relating to beer toxins but similar applies to cider: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23832360
Comment: ^^^ this is the answer you should go with, not mine.  Much safer to dump it.
Answer: It's difficult to know for sure.  There are many, many kinds of mold out there, some are harmless, and some are toxic.  I'm hoping someone can chime in who knows more about mold than I do, but here are my thoughts:
A 20-minute boil definitely killed the mold organisms.  Assuming it's in a sanitary container now, I wouldn't be concerned about the mold coming back.  (Note: mold is not the same as bacteria, and the yeast doesn't kill other organisms, just out-compete for food.)
To me, the concern is whatever toxins the mold might have produced in the time before boiling.  I'm guessing the chance of toxicity is low, and it's possible that a long boil might have even denatured any toxins that are present.
All told, chances are good that it's fine.  It's a good sign that it tasted okay (and that you're not sick!) ...but I did say "chances are good" and it's up to you whether to take the chance.  If it were me, I'd probably dump it, but I'm sometimes over-cautious.

Mold on Cider is it unsafe after boil


What are the requirements or preconditions for someone to ordain?

Question: Can a person ordain at any age? Can he or she have children? In a nutshell, what are the things that will not allow someone to ordain?
Answer: Disclaimer: This is the current knowledge I have on the Theravadin tradition.
Here is a summary that answers your question:

Becoming a Novice
The first part of the ordination procedure for bhikkhus is known as
  the Going Forth into Homelessness (pabbajjaa). If it finishes with
  just that — without going on to the Questioning of the candidate and
  the Acceptance of him by all the gathered bhikkhus into the Bhikkhu
  Sa"ngha — the candidate is known as a saama.nera or novice. This is
  usually the case when the candidate is less than the twenty years of
  age necessary to become a bhikkhu. A very young boy is not allowed to
  become a novice either, but the minimum age will vary according to
  place.
A saama.nera wears the 'yellow robe' like a full bhikkhu — except he
  does not have the sa"nghaa.ti (double-thickness robe) — and leads a
  very similar life. In some places a period as a novice forms part of
  the preliminary training to become a bhikkhu, while some men decide to
  remain saama.nera for various reasons. The saama.nera keeps the Ten
  Precepts and the 75 Training Rules (sekhiya) and some other rules of
  the bhikkhu. Later, when he is ready and if he is old enough, he can
  ask the bhikkhu community for full ordination (upasampadaa).
Becoming a Bhikkhu
In the Pali texts, when a man decided to become a bhikkhu, he is often
  quoted as saying: "Confined is the household life, a path of dust; the
  going forth is open and spacious. Not easy is it living in a house to
  lead the religious life absolutely fulfilled and purified, as polished
  as mother-of-pearl. Suppose I were to shave off my hair and beard,
  clothe myself in ochre robes and go forth from homelife into
  homelessness?" (HS ch.19)
However, anyone wishing to become a bhikkhu must fulfill certain
  conditions about which he will be questioned during the actual
  ordination procedure. The candidate must be male and at least twenty
  years old. He must never have committed any grievous crimes and, if
  previously ordained, he must not have been guilty of any Defeater
  (Paaraajika) offences or have entered some other religion without
  disrobing first. He should also be of good
  reputation; fit and healthy enough to carry out the duties of a
  bhikkhu; not in debt; not subject to government service; and have
  permission from parents or guardian.
The Ordination ceremony requires a prescribed boundary (siima), a
  preceptor (upajjhaaya) and a quorum of bhikkhus to validate the formal
  Sangha Act. In the formal procedure the candidate is examined as to
  the necessary qualities and, if all the bhikkhus are satisfied,
  they receive him into the Sangha, the Community of Bhikkhus.
It is in this way that yet another link is added to the
  bhikkhu-lineage. Henceforth, the new bhikkhu can participate (and make
  up the necessary quorum) in future assemblies and help receive other
  new bhikkhus — as bhikkhus have continued to do for two and a half
  thousand years. (See EV,I,p.4; OP)
When a candidate requests full admission to the Community (after
  the saama.nera ordination) he does not make any 'lifetime vows' but
  offers himself for training and instruction under his Preceptor's
  guidance. At the end of the ordination ceremony, the Preceptor will
  immediately instruct the new bhikkhu (or arrange that he is properly
  taught) about the Paa.timokkha Rule and the other principles that all
  bhikkhus should follow and observe.
For the first five years a bhikkhu is called navaka ('new one') and he
  must live 'dependent' (nissaya) on a senior bhikkhu — either his
  preceptor or teacher (aacariya) — training in the ways of a bhikkhu.
  The preceptor and the new monk should be kind and helpful to each
  other, in almost a father-and-son relationship. A new bhikkhu who no
  longer lives under his preceptor must take another senior bhikkhu as
  his teacher and depend on him instead.
For the next five years after his navaka period, the bhikkhu is called
  majjhima, ('one in the middle') and he is allowed to live by himself
  if he is accomplished in certain qualities.
When a bhikkhu has completed ten Rains he is called Thera, which can
  be translated as 'an elder who is worthy of respect.' If he is also
  accomplished in certain extra qualities, he is allowed to give
  ordination as preceptor, to be a teacher, and have young monks live in
  dependence on him.
-The Bhikkhus' Rules: A Guide for Laypeople

Note: Requirement of being male is not always necessary and is dependent on the specific monastery in which the ordination takes place.
For a more in-depth answer, see the chapter on Ordination in the Buddhist Monastic Code by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.

Here's a chart of the procedure in some western monasteries (in Asian monasteries the ordination can be immediate):

Some references:

Ordination at Santi Forest Monastery
General Information for Potential Anagarikas in UK Monasteries
Comment: Thanks, just a point: " He must never have committed any grievous crimes...He should also be of good reputation", how about Angulimala?
Comment: The first two paragraphs of the *Ordination* chapter of *Thanissaro's* book (mentioned above) might answer the question.
Comment: @konrad01 The rule of not ordaining anyone who has committed grievous crimes was imposed by the Buddha after ordaining Angulimala.
Answer: The first reference in Unrul3r's answer doesn't seem to mention age, but the second one does:

GENERAL INFORMATION FOR POTENTIAL ANAGARIKAS
AGE
Age twenty to forty-five is the usual age range.
We have found that in general the difficulties of adjusting to monastic life increase with age. For this reason
  people who seem most suited to this lifestyle tend to fall between the ages of twenty to forty-five. However, if a
  person outside this age range is able to adapt then exceptions can be made.

There's a similar limit defined at Plum Village:

Becoming a Monastic
All applicants must be under 50 years of age. No academic degree is required. If you are under 18, you must have permission from your parents. Those who have serious or terminal illnesses or severe disabilities can not be accepted as monastics.

There's a discussion on that topic on DhammaWheel -- here are some quotes I selected (talking only about maximum age, not minimum age):

Age limit for entering monastic life?

No maximum age. In North Hollywood, California a few years back there was an ex-Protestant minister who ordained at the age of 92 or 95, lived for a few years until his death at that monastery. Sri Lankan monks were at his bedside chanting while he passed.
:bow:
Currently they have another older monk who ordained at the age of about 85.
My understanding is that in many asian monasteries, females have to be under 50 years of age with very limited places.
[But also at Santi Monastery, in New South Wales]:
Bhante Sujato (abbot) is highly supportive of full Bhikkuni ordination. ...
  Ordination is open to anyone regardless of their age, gender, background etc.
I noticed a certain reluctance from some Western Monasteries to ordain older people.

One more (all one user from the same thread):

I'm in Canada and I spoke to the Abbot of Birken Forest Monastery in Kamloops: Ajahn Sona, Thai Forest Tradtion. He informed me that as this monastery, the "cut-off age is 45." He was quick to add that it 'has to do with demographics." He didn't elablorate and I didn't puruse it, but I surmise it has to do with Dana. There's not a lot of lay support yet in Canada to support many monks, so perhaps he's concerned to see that support go to candidates with . . . more potential? I don't know. Anyway he suggested that if I wanted to go forth I should go to IMF in Thailand.
I once heard Ajahn Jayasaro speaking to a friend of mine who is perhaps 63 ish, and asking him if he hadn't thought of ordaining. My friend said that he thought we was too old. The Ajahn smiled and said: "you seem reasonably healthy..," and he more or less encouraged him to consider it, and put forth both Thailand and Sri Lanka as possibilities.
One monastic in the UK I was communicating with by email echoed that 45 is the age in the West.

So, there is a cut-off age in at least one Canadian monastery. That seems to be a broader limitation across much or all of the West. There is no cut-off age in Thailand or Sri Lanka.
The question I wonder at is: ok, so ordination at 53 (my age) in parts of Asia is a possibility--it's not excluded by rules or convention. But how "realistic" is it setting forth at my age?
Actually I am a man; I mentioned Aya Khema only because that is one example I know of where a person my age ordained in Sri Lanka. I know it is possible, that I would be accepted in SE Asia. For me it is mostly a question of the practicality of ordaining late in life. Aya Khema returned to the west before long. It seems like most of the Bhikkus from the West either disrobe or at least return to the West eventually. I wonder that so few seem to stay, and it makes me wonder if the life there is very harsh, which begs the question: perhaps 53 is pushing it a bit.
I'm studying Singhala now, to try to increase the odds that I can integrate.

In summary there are formal (predefined) cut-off ages in many or most Western monasteries (although not all) -- and maybe less so in the East.
"West versus East" is too rough a generalisation, though -- here's something from Korea for example, news from 2016:

Jogye Order of Buddhism to raise maximum age for ordination
As early as next year, the Jogye Order of Buddhism will be making it possible for older people to join the monastic life. Currently, the maximum age for ordination is 50 years old.

"We're going to set up a special post-retirement monastic ordination system so that people who dream of living a life of religious discipline after retiring can join Buddhism,"

said Ja-seung, President of the Jogye Order. Ja-seung made the comments during a New Year's press conference held on Jan. 13 at the South Korean Buddhist History and Culture Museum, located in the Jongno District of Seoul.

"The rules of the order state that ordination can only take place until the age of 50. But people are living longer, and the social conditions have changed," Ja-seung said. "We're going to solicit people's opinions with the goal of changing the rules during the meeting of the central committee in November of this year so that people who are well-suited for religious practice can be given new choices and opportunities."

The maximum age for "going forth" - as becoming a monk or nun is called in Buddhism - was lowered from 60 to 50 in 1996, and then down to 40 in 2002, before being raised once again to 50 in 2006.


Unable to remove malware

Question: I have android tablet and every time i open a browser, any browser, it automatically opens pages with ads or making me download things. Obviously the tablet got a malware but i am not able to remove it. I installed Avast, Avira, Malwarbites, CCleaner but none of them was able to remove this malware.
Any other ideas how to get rid of this malware?
Usually in which location the viruses for android resides? In Windows most of them are in Temp folder but i am not very familiar with android.
Comment: The best way to remove ~99% of all malware is to simply factory reset the device. Only a small fraction of malware apps really protect themselves from those solutions, because they require more work than needed for their purpose.
Comment: Isn't that a little drastic solution? I mean if i reset the device i will loose all of my settings and apps i have installed, right?
And by the way, i am seeing ads on every other app i open, they appear at the top or at the bottom of the screen.
Comment: I know from a friend, that this is the easiest way to remove any malware. Plus, it allows the system to reconfigure itself and usually restores some of the original speed it had after the first boot. You could always try to find out if you have any suspicious app on your device and remove it by hand.
Comment: What tablet do you have? Also, save all your important files before you consider factory resetting.
Comment: The tablet is not a top brand, but the android version is 4.4.2.
Comment: Seems it's related to the recent Alarm Controller malware. If it's, related post: http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/129052/alarm-controller-is-sending-me-unwanted-notifications-ads
Answer: I reset the factory settings: settings>backup&reset>factory data reset and now the ads disappeared. I also checked "opt out of interest based ads" in google settings app.
Comment: Please edit your answer to include steps you used so others may follow along. Also to make it a complete answer.
Comment: "Opt-out of interest based ads" won't help this issue actually. It just instructs Google to display any ads, not related to your interest based on your history.
Answer: Most of the malware removers for Android are of limited value because Android makes things run in their own little sectioned-off area of memory. Sometimes, a malicious app may slip through the protection or trick you into allowing it past.  Unfortunately, the same setup that tries to block malicious apps also will prevent "good" apps from trying to fix it.
One of the easiest ways I can think of to force you to default to a malicious web page is either changing the browser's default web page or creating shortcuts on your home screen so that you think you're starting your browser but you're actually going straight to the malicious web site.
First of all, try launching the browser directly from the Apps menu (where you go to see all the apps installed).  It may be that the malicious software created shortcuts on your home screen that look like browsers but aren't.  If launching it from the Apps menu works normally then delete all the copies on your home page and drag the App from the menu to create a "fresh" one.
If that doesn't work then something may have changed all the browers' home pages.  Go into the settings for each browser and look for an option to set  your home page (there's a bunch of different terms: home page, default page, starting page.  Look for something like that) and set it something innocuous like Google.
Answer: The spams and ads didn't just come out of nowhere. Many times it's the junk app that you have downloaded. Crappy apps produce spam, ad, makes your phone act up, lag, etc.
Sounds like you have an app that produces needless ads. Go over what apps you have installed, and nit pick through them, and uninstall the app that you would think to be producing the ads.
another best way to remove malware from an Android would be to, unsurprisingly, install a malware removal app. Just be sure to install a reputable one. How silly would it be if you accidentally installed malware while trying to install a malware remover? Here are some free ones that you may want to check out:
3 60 mobile security.
Avg mobile security.
It will surely help you if not then try this
Back up all your pictures (and music and videos) to your Google account. Google+ is a great place to store your pictures, drop your videos in your YouTube account, and you can store up to 20,000 songs in your Google Play Music account. Utilize this free space Google gives you, even if it's just to store a few things while you pour digital bleach on everything.
Take the SD card out of your phone if it has one. Visit a computer and wipe and repartition it using the built-in software for disk management. Don't save anything — you need to be brutal to make sure anything nasty gets nuked. But first try Checking your app list. Then use tool if that's not helping.
Comment: How shall that help removing malware? Are you suggesting malware just sits in the cache folder? I very much doubt that. Your suggestion doesn't hurt – but probably doesn't help either.
Comment: Wiping cache didn't help. Still looking for other solutions to try, before reseting the factory settings.
Comment: Check the answer now
Comment: Please refrain from your condescending editorial comments when providing an answer. Just provide facts, references, links  and/or personal experiences. Unless edited this should be a comment, not an answer.

Unable to remove malware


Why is energy released as electrons move?

Question: Why is it that energy is released from electrons when they move from one atom to a more electronegative one?
Answer: The previous answer is correct. I just wanted to add that atoms, electrons and generally matter, tries to ''organise'' itself in order to adopt a state, where it would have the lowest energy possible.
An electronegative atom tends to attract electrons and has the ability of handling their charge better. Thus when an electron moves from a less electronegative atom to a more electronegative one, it is like moving from a state of high energy to a state of low energy. This is also described as realease of energy.
Answer: Due to difference in electronegativities the atoms have different binding energies and this difference is radiated in some form. If you're talking about a transition in a single atom the difference is the binding energies of different orbital/orbits/sheels.


Subtitle encoding issue with mkvtoolnix

Question: I've attached a few subtitles to a MKV with mkvtoolnix, but it appears that after muxing, the character encoding is messed up.
The input subtitles were UTF-8 encoded. I don't know what's the character encoding that mkvtoolnix has set, but it's not UTF-8, even though they appear in the list as S_TEXT/UTF-8.
In the "format specific options," the character encoding was set to "default" and I think this was the issue, because mkvtoolnix cannot detect UTF-8-encoded files apparently, and you need to specifically select UTF-8.
Now, the problem is that I deleted the original subtitles and the ones from the new MKV file have some weird encoding. I'd like to extract and recode them again to UTF-8, but I don't know what is the real encoding that was set by mkvtoolnix. Does anyone know how could I find out?
I noticed that the extracted subs are in UTF-8 format, so I guess mkvtoolnix converted my UTF-8 files to ANSI, then UTF-8. If this is true, is there any way I can recover the original characters?
Answer: I think that I have encountered the same kind situation and what has happened is that mkvmerge has not detected that files are already UTF-8, as there was no BOM, and has encoded again.

Subtitle encoding issue with mkvtoolnix


Manage Contact Groups on Droid X

Question: On the Droid X I'm able to create contact groups. However I don't seem to be able to add/delete group members. What am I missing?
Answer: Well I just did the OTA update so I'm not sure if it was there before, but now when viewing a group I can see the Edit Group button when displaying a group in the contacts.

Manage Contact Groups on Droid X


Spend and unspent

Question:
Please I sent btc to a particular wallet, initially it was both showing unspent but I only see one spent now what does it mean?
Comment: It means the person to whom you sent the funds has spent them - either sending them to another person, or to a different wallet of their own.  (There is no way to know which.)
Answer: That means that you have spent (sent to another receiver or address ) one of the two funds and the transaction spending this one fund has been included in a block and recorded on the blockchain and this doesn't belong to you anymore. The other unspent fund belongs to you and you can use it whenever you want.
P.S: If the wallet to which you sent the funds belongs to you.
To know more about this explore how UTXO in bitcoin works.

Spend and unspent


IIS: redirect everything to another URL, except for one Directory

Question: I have an IIS server (IIS 6, Win 2003) that hosts the site http://www.foo.com.
I want any request to http://foo.com (no matter what path/filename is used) to redirect to http://www.bar.org/AwesomePage.html UNLESS the request is for http://www.foo.com/specialdir, in which case the HTML files in the local directory specialdir should be used.
The problem I have is once the redirect is set it also affects /specialdir - even if I right click on that directory and select "content should come from ... local directory" that change does not take effect, and the directory still shows as redirecting to http://www.bar.org/AwesomePage.html.  The same thing happens if I try to set individual files to load from the local system instead of redirecting - IIS gives no error, but the change does not take effect and the files still show as being redirected.
How can I set specialdir to override the redirection to the new URL?
Answer: oh, yes...
Well, the real solution is to use ISAPI_Rewrite from http://www.isapirewrite.com/ and write a regex for the redirection.
Comment: pls dont multi post like that, this is not a forum. pls read the faq


I can't access my intranet password server from Tor

Question: We have an intranet password server but I can't access it from Tor. The Add-on installed pops up with a request for host address and port. I enter the host name and the port and then get a message that "https://hostname:port" (hostname is my local server name and port is its access port) is unreachable. There is no way to put a permission. I can access it OK from a Firefox version 56 browser after having added the correct permissions. Please help
Answer: Tor Browser will not allow this, because it could be used to deanonymize you. Your intranet server is only available on the intranet, if it's not routable from the internet then Tor will not be able to communicate with it.
There is no fix for this, and any "fix" would be bad for Tor's anonymity, since access to the intranet cannot be achieved over Tor it would involve making connections outside of Tor, which Tor Browser goes to great lengths to try and prevent.
The solution would be to use Tor and Tor Browser distinct from intranet access.


Adding an image slider in the header of my site

Question: I am new to WordPress. Can you please suggest the steps to insert an image slider in my site's header? I don't know how to insert the code or where.
Comment: It might be helpful if you show us the code you are inserting.
Comment: Depending on your template, there should be a header.php or a variation thereof in the theme that you can change the code in and place an image slider via code or plugin.
Comment: Which theme you are using?
Answer: Depends on what theme you are using because some include hooks which make the job easier.
For themes which don't include hooks like Twenty Eleven & Twenty Twelve, you can simply past the PHP tag for the slider into the header.php file in the position you want your slider to display.
Example if using the free version of Soliloquy:
    <?php if ( function_exists( 'soliloquy_slider' ) ) soliloquy_slider( '007' ); ?>

Simply replace the 007 with the i.d for your slider which is generated once you create a new slide show.
If you only want to display your slider on the front page, add a conditional tag to the code like this:
   <?php if ( is_front_page() && function_exists( 'soliloquy_slider' ) ) soliloquy_slider( '007' ); ?>

Note: You should copy your parent themes header.php file to a child theme before adding the code for the slider otherwise you may lose it if you update the parent theme.
If your theme includes hooks, then you can add a custom function in your child themes functions.php file like this:
    function soliloquy_slider_header() {
    if ( function_exists( 'soliloquy_slider' ) ) soliloquy_slider( '007' );
    };
    add_action('your_header_hook', 'soliloquy_slider_header');

Source: http://wpsites.net/best-plugins/add-soliloquy-slider-in-header-of-any-theme/
Answer: You generally do it by installing an image slider plugin and then using the plugin options to do that for you. Most of such plugins come with the shortcode options only, and do not provide automatic slider addition to the other sections, so you have to do it manually.
To add stuff manually, one should have the basic knowledge of editing WordPress themes. Here is a small absolute-beginner-level how-to:
To add the slider in the header section of your site, you need to go to Appearance > Editor in your WordPress dashboard, then edit the header.php file, and finally add the code that is needed to display the slider.
For example, if you install Wowslider, you will need to add this bit of code in your theme's header.php.
<?php
  if( function_exists( 'wowslider' ) ) {
    wowslider(1);
  }
?>

Hope it has helped :)
Answer: You can embed this free image slider widget inside your web page. It's just a code you copy and paste into your page or anywhere you want to embed it. It's free and you can use it on unlimited pages.
Comment: Please state your affiliation to this program.
Comment: I'm  not affiliated to them. It's a tool I found on the internet.
Comment: You should add that in an [edit] to your answer :-)
Comment: I just tried and it wouldn't let me :)
Answer: Maybe There is no option to add header slider more than 4 picts. But you can try to add a Siteorigin Slider widgets to the row then deactivate/hide the default header slider.
Answer: Quite often, the easiest way of doing this is via a plugin (http://wordpress.org/plugins/search.php?q=slider&sort=) or via a built-in one in the theme.
Lots of modern themes have sliders built in that you can just adjust through the admin section (i.e. upload / resize the images you want) and then drop the 'shortcode' (i.e. [myslider]) on to your page.
;-)


Can I use orchid potting mix for mint?

Question: Of course it is not ideal...  It's just my orchid has sadly passed and I've decided to replace it with a hardy herb I can use to make tea (I'm a dorm student so I only have room for one plant on the counter). What I have now is a bark-based potting mix and a container with drainage proper for an orchid. Of course I'd need to water mint more regularly, but I want to know if the resources I have are sufficient to support mint life. Thanks!
Answer: Orchid mix is purposely nutrient poor, and low in organic material.  It also drains rapidly as it is designed to support epiphytes that grow on branches, and get their water from the leaves absorbing moisture from the air, and not from roots absorbing from soil.
So, it's completely inappropriate for a soil based plant.  You could keep it should you decide to get another epiphyte.
Answer: If you are talking about planting mint in the old soil of the Orchid, no do not reuse that soil.  There is a hard and fast rule in gardening; never reuse potting soil, especially when a potted plant dies.  Never save used potting soil to use for plants in pots ever again.  Fine to dump in your garden or compost but to plant new plants in pots, always clean, sterilize the pot and new plants get new potting soil.  I have found many Nurseries that do reuse potting soil.  Very risky but I guess they save money on sterilized potting soil.
Mint is a voracious plant that can grow pretty much anywhere, anytime, any type of soil.  Little fertilizer is necessary but all plants need added fertilizer.  ALL.  Unless fertilizer was already added to your soil.
If you want success you have to invest a little dough truly just a few dollars...purchase a bag of cheapo potting soil no gimmicks or fertilizer added, use bleach to clean your pot, make sure it has a hole at the bottom and fill the pot 1/3 with the bagged generic potting soil.  No rocks or gravel, nada at the bottom of the pot above the hole.  Wet and firm that soil then plant your mint plant (I am assuming you've got a nursery grown potted mint in a 4" pot and your orchid pot was 6")? so that the top surface of the soil of your new plant sits an inch from the rim of the pot for proper watering. Lift bottom of pot so that there is a quarter inch between bottom of pot and the saucer.  Dump water out of saucer after watering.  Get a small container of Osmocote 14-14-14 and apply the beads at 1/2 the directions. You might add this only when you transplant your mint into a larger pot or divide it to make more plants.
Water only when that soil is dry.  Pinch the very top newbie leaves once in awhile to help your plant get bushy.  Do not 'mist'.  Once or twice a year take into the shower or use the kitchen spray to wash the plant leaves of dust.
Mint care is like riding a tricycle.  Orchid care is like riding a Harley.  If you couldn't keep an Orchid alive (I can't either, I don't have the environment so don't feel bad) you will have success with mint!  Do you have covered porch or covered patio?  Great to take them outside to sit up off the ground to get a boost of light (light bouncing off objects out of doors is stronger than the light in the house on the kitchen windowsill) although never in direct sun...they come inside before the weather changes having made a lot more food for themselves and a stronger root system.  Keep them up off the patio surface so you don't get earth worms, pill bugs, earwigs, slugs...etc. having made a home in the bottom of your pot.
Hope this helps.  I am known for TMI.  Grins!!
Comment: Hi stormy, really helpful answer! Yes, unfortunately living in a dorm means I only have so much control over when my radiator comes on and the Beast from the East freeze got to my poor orchid. I read mint should hold up better when the room gets cold. Anyway, that's very helpful information to get me started. Will go out and get a proper pot today! Best x
Answer: Graham's answer is exactly what you need to know.
However, it does not mean that soil can't be used or added to another mix that requires more drainage. I disagree with stormy in the context of indoor container plants. Unless the plant died from something pathogenic, then you can absolutely reuse that potting mix, especially something like Orchid mix that is slow to break down.
Outside of few exceptions, the only time not to reuse potting soils is if the plant was doing unwell and the cause was likely pathogenic (in other words, not just neglect or care mistakes). Or, if the potting mix was so old that it was mostly broken down, and thus is incapable of holding water and nutrients appropriately. But when you are using substrates and additives like coir, perlite, pumice, lava rocks, bark chips, vermiculite*, and (to a much lesser extent) peat moss, these items take a long time to break down, and many of them never break down.
In my early apartment container planting experience, I made a few mixes that were too coir heavy without enough aeration and drainage additives, so the potting mixes were staying wet for weeks (not moist, wet), among other beginner mistakes.  I used to never reuse potting mixes but got tired of throwing my all OMRI certified perlite, pumice, lava rocks, vermiculite, coarse sand, etc each time I screwed up. Then I ran across epic gardening's video on reusing potting soil, who states the rule against it is a myth (shocked me too), but he does it routinely and often without following sanitizing procedures that many other online sources discuss.
Anyway, don't throw out expensive mixes just because you lost a plant!

Can I use orchid potting mix for mint?


Schengen eligibility following a removal and visa cancellation

Question: I have a Schengen multiple entry visa. Last week I travelled to Rome, Italy but I forgot to reserve a hotel. They ask me about a hotel or invitation letter; I didn't have either but I showed him my cash money, yet they denied me entry in Rome. Then I'm back in Qatar then I ask with consulate then they told me your visa is cancelled. Now I want to know can I apply new Schengen visa soon? Italy or other country? My nationality in Indian
Comment: Was the visa "revoked" or "annulled"? It would be a bit odd not to do it on the spot at the border but in any case, you should have gotten a form spelling this out and citing one of the standard reasons to cancel a visa. What's on that form?
Comment: Your question is quite unstructured. If the Italian Embassy told you that your visa was cancelled, you can't use it any more. Normally, you will also have a stamp in your passport documenting this. You can of course apply for a new visa, but note that your previous inability to meet the admission requirements will be held against you.
Comment: On a related note: if you were unable show any proof of an accommodation reservation, then how did you expect to find it in Rome? (A PDF on your cell phone may have already been sufficient). I just feel that your question is incomplete as it is now, so you may not get the right answers.
Comment: I am curious how you got the visa in the first place without a hotel reservation.
Comment: @BurhanKhalid Might have cancelled the reservation after getting the visa.
Comment: @BurhanKhalid also second and subsequent entries can be made without going ti embassy, thus no hotel reservation..
Answer: As I understand it, you were issued a Schengen and travelled to Italy.  During your landing interview you were challenged for proof of accommodation and you could not provide it, instead you said you had forgotten to make reservations.  You were then removed to your original departure destination.  In a subsequent enquiry at the issuing post you were informed that your visa had been cancelled.
If I understand your narrative correctly, then the obvious starting point is your forgetting to make accommodation arrangements.  Forgetfulness of this magnitude is an indicator that points to several possibilities:

That you may not be a genuine traveller; or
More alarmingly, that you expect to die before needing accommodation; or
That your situational awareness is unstable to the extent that you
may forget other aspects of your visit like observing the terms and
conditions of your visa; or
That your visa may be a forgery.

The border officials do not need hard facts, they are entitled to act on indications and hence you were removed.  As part of the process, they gave you some paperwork that has your reference number and summary of the grounds for your removal. Hang on to it, you will need it later.
Your questions...

Now I want to know can I apply new Schengen visa soon ?

The terms of your removal, if any, will be spelled out in your paperwork, but overall there is no mandatory cooling off period following a Schengen removal. My personal view on it is that you were not in breach and hence this was not a grave incident warranting a ban.  On the other hand, these things have a huge effect on whether subsequent applications will be successful.  It's likely that the Schengen officials will not trust you for a while which casts an unfavourable outlook on your suitability, but nothing you wrote about prevents you from applying again.  Check your paperwork.

Italy or other country ?

The procedures governing which consulate is appropriate for making an application have not changed, you can apply to any country where your agenda meets the rules (first country, most time, and so on).  This includes Italy.  Note that they have computer systems in place to record removals and to help detect 'visa shopping'.
If you have lost your paperwork (or don't remember getting it) or have lots of questions about your suitability, you should arrange a consultation with a lawyer that specialises in Schengen removals.


Mplayer video output drivers

Question: Is there a document somewhere describing each of mplayer's video output drivers and why'd you'd want to pick that one for a given circumstance (or why it exists) Would someone be willing to write that out here?
Comment: http://www.mplayerhq.hu/DOCS/codecs-status.html - The first part of the list is the complete listing of 'working' codecs. I'll try to compile a list like the one you've mentioned over the course of the next few days and will get back to you- >D Good question. Cheers.
Answer: The video output drivers compiled into your version of mplayer can be viewed by running
mplayer -vo help

As to which you should pick when, some of that will be obvious from the help output (for those that target specific video cards[ mga, s3fb, etc], or output formats [aa, png, etc]). Some are obsolete (I don't think VIDIX went anywhere, or GGI). The others, I cannot help you with. I use xv when I can and fall back to x11. The others are somewhat specialised so unless I find a reason to use one, I wont.

Mplayer video output drivers


2000 hrs a year as project management experience in application

Question: I find conflicting information on how many hours I can claim a year as project management experience with some experts suggesting that I claim just 1500 hrs while others suggest claiming the full 2000 hours. I worked 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week, so I understand that I could claim 2000 hours but I have seen blogs with the suggestion that claiming more than 1500 can arouse suspicion. Is this true?
Answer: Writing not from a PMI perspective but rather an auditor's perspective, claiming 2,000 hours in a year could signal suspicion.  Some most certainly log those kind of hours but I think it's on the tail end of the curve, where most log somewhere between 1,500 and 1,800 hours.  After you take into consideration holidays, sick, vacation, funeral, gaps between assignments, and other random unproductive time, getting to 2,000 hours takes consistent work above 50 hours a week.  Some do this kind of thing but it could be a signal that could trigger an audit.  Maybe not by itself but used with another signal or two, your application could get audited.  I don't work for PMI and have no idea what their criteria are but, as an auditor, the tail end of a curve on any metric typically triggers a deeper dive.
PS: Your statement that your worked 8 hours a day, five days a week would likely cause you grief.  The premise behind that statement is that you had 52 consecutive, perfect work weeks without vacations, holidays, sick, jury, funeral, gaps in work, training, and whatever else.  An auditor would not likely find that statement credible and would trigger even a deeper investigation.
Answer: Only the certifying body (e.g. PMI) can really answer this type of question.
In my experience, 2000 hours distributed among project disciplines is very reasonable, and I doubt that will pique any suspicion.
The most important things are (1) to state hours truthfully and (2) be able to back them up, if necessary.


Which risk-free rate to use to price a bond issued in one currency but convertible into equity in another?

Question: A convertible bond denominated in USD is issued by an Indian company (with equity traded in INR). The bond will be repaid in USD and if converted into equity in the company, the conversion price will be based on a pre-determined fixed USD/INR rate. When valuing the option embedded in the bond, should we use the USD risk-free rate or INR risk-free rate?
Comment: Good questions. I think I would use USD, because the cash flow is in that currency, assuming you can instantly swap the proceeds from selling the shares into USD. Therefore, the opportunity costs should be calculated in that currency.
Answer: Use the USD rate.  The actual tricky bit is in the volatility.  Normally for a cross currency bond you would use the volatility of the foreign shares as denominated in US currency.  However, the fixed FX rate in this case means that the correct volatility to use is the  volatility in INR.
Answer: The answer is, that it does not matter.  Choose one currency as the numeraire, and stick to it.  This is because of the foreign exchange interest rate carry arbitrage relationship.
If that relationship doesn't hold, skip the bond and lock-in the arbitrage on the interest rate differential embedded in the USD/INR exchange rate.
Comment: You mean, it doesn't matter as long as you use the same currency in the RF rate and the cash flows right?


What is the origin of counting "Mississippis"?

Question: The word "Mississippi" is often used in the United States as a filler in order to count seconds. Why is that particular word used and not another? What is its origin?
Comment: @jknappen when counting with Mississippi you say the counter, no fingers necessary; "one Mississippi, two Mississippi, three Mississippi..." (The phrase "one thousand" is also used commonly, "one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand...")
Comment: I think it's just an arbitrary chosen word. Even the number of syllables accounts for nothing, in Russian while counting seconds one uses a 1-syllable word и [i] "and", like "1 and 2 and 3 and 4, etc." It's just a matter of habbit.
Comment: In Germany, ein-und-zwan-zig zwei-und-zwan-zig etc. is used to count seconds. This are also four syllables per second, but the advantage to Mississippi counting is the you speak the counter and don't require finger counting.
Comment: Danes tend to count 'crates of beer', the origin of which should be rather obvious given their alcoholic habits…
Answer: This style of counting is often used when the one counting aloud is in an adversarial relationship to other listeners.  The addition of the "filler" word is, no doubt, at the request of the adversary to slow down the speaker.
Imagine two children.  They both agree that one will close his eyes and "count to 10" or "count for 10 seconds" while the other hides.  However, the child counting will try to count as quickly as possible.  The child attempting to hide will consider the rapid counting unfair.
Mississippi and alligator are both four syllable words that American children are exposed to while they are very young, so children are simply reusing a "big" word they already know.  Additionally, in an adversarial counting situation, these words have the benefit that even in rapid speech, it will take the speaker about a second (especially if this is the speaker's goal), or at least extend the counter's "time limit" to something considered fair by others.
Mississippi is an appealing word for this because:

American children are already familiar with this word
It's easy to pronounce for children (duplicated sounds and no consonant clusters)
Its pronunciation approximates a second in rapid speech
Comment: Love this answer, both the detailed child psychosocial explanation and for the linguistic remarks.


How do experienced cyclists know which gear they are in without an optical display?

Question: Most mid to high level mountain groupsets (eg SLX and X7) have shifter options without any display as to what gear is currently active. How do riders avoid cross-chaining and other unpleasantnesses, especially when riding in the dark or on rough terrain (i.e. when they can't readily take a look at the rear cogs)?
Comment: I find the off road riding I do, indicators are a useless gimmick. Have you ever tried to read indicators in rough terrain?  In the unlikely event they are stable enough to be readable, by the time you look down, focus to read them and look back at the trial, you might, if your lucky, have time to see where you will land after the crash.....
Comment: There's always an optical indicator, it's called looking down.
Comment: On "the road" one generally picks a chainring to select a "range", and then operates within that range.  One needs to be "vaguely aware" of when they are bumping up against the edges of the "range", so that, if one is not sure, tentative shifts can be tried in advance of, say, absolutely positively needing to downshift to avoid dying an ugly death.  Of course, in an off-road situation this gets a lot uglier.
Comment: I know it's a problem for me with my brifters.  On my old 15-speed I could fairly easily look down between my right leg and the frame, but with my "new" bike the sight angle is wrong unless I lean way out, and then it's hard to "read" the gear because the angle is wrong.  One of many reasons I stay out of the mountains.
Comment: If you gently try to up-shift or down-shift and can't, doesn't that tell you that you're already in top or bottom gear?
Comment: I don't care what gear I'm in - it's either comfortable or it's not and appropriate action needs to be taken based on how it's not comfortable.
Comment: @Superbest: Does that really work for you? For the chainrings it certainly does, but for looking back towards the cassette I have to twist a bit which is bad for riding.
Answer: All the elite riders I have encountered just know. I think its part of the attention to detail necessary at that level. You almost never see them looking down to check (that would be showing a weakness and giving oponents an opportunity).
But if you mean can the rider say which cog they are using at the front and rear? then the answer is that often we can't say.
Usually we know by memory which front cog we are using. And as I change the rear gear, I know by the different feel of the ratio whether I'm near the top, the middle, or the bottom of the cluster. I very rarely try to change gears past the last one.
The bike knows. That's enough.
Comment: When in doubt, you can always have a look between your legs where you can clearly see your chainrings, chain, and cassette.
Answer: Cadence mostly. The answer to your question is in the title. Experience.
Same way motocross riders know what gear they are in. The speed of the engine vs how fast they are moving.
Comment: Good first answer! I think there's much more to it than cadence. With a motorized vehicle there are far fewer gears, so the difference is obvious. With bike gears the difference is often around 10%, so small changes in headwind / tailwind, incline or drafting can make maintaining cadence in a given gear easier or harder than it would be in the next gear. With 10 (or more) gears on a cluster, it is easy for mere mortals to loose track.
Comment: I tend to agree with this. I don't do racing, but I do bike regularly on hilly dirt roads. My cheapy mountain bike doesn't have visual gear indicators, but due to frequent needs to shift (If I hit a patch of loose sand or an uphill), I tend to at least have some idea of where I'm at in the gear range. I can tell by the stiffness of the gear lever how close to top/bottom I am, as well as by how easy/difficult to pedal it is based on the situation. If I'm going down hill, pedaling at the bottom gear is very different then trying to go uphill through loose sand.
Comment: While there are far fewer gears on a motorbike, they may not be spaced particularly far apart, particularly on sportsbikes. gears 3-6 on my GSXR have ratios between 2:1 and 1:1.
Comment: -1 You don't address the cross-chaining issue.
Answer: One of my bikes has no indicators and I'm less familiar with it than my other bike which has indicators and more years especially at the top. But I don't find it to be a problem. You don't need to know exactly which gear you're in, just enough to know (e.g) that if you want to drop a gear you need to drop a chainring.
A combination of feel and a vague recollection of what I've done is normally enough for that.
Comment: By the way, I don't consider myself to be particularly experienced, just used to having a good-enough feel for what's happening.
Answer: I consider myself decently experienced, having ridden for many years, and my answer is that I don't have to know. The numbers aren't important to me; it's all in how it feels. Whatever speed I'm going, if I want to go faster and I'm pedaling without feeling like I'm doing any work, I need to shift into a higher gear. If I feel like I'm expending too much energy (i.e. it's too hard to pedal), then I gear down. There's not a "right" gear to be in; it's relative to my current speed and how much work I feel like doing, or, in some cases, how much torque I need.
Answer: For me noise is a good indicator of "bad" gears with cross chaining. I also know from the speed when I have to change chainrings.
Answer: A lot of the time I don't…
Most of my riding is on an older touring bike with downtube shifters or a tandem with mountain bike type (the two button/lever kind) shifters. So I know generally what gear the bike is in by effort and like Michael says detect cross-chaining by sound. With the touring bike shifter position tells me a lot about what gear I'm in and I can read it by feel. On the tandem I can tell the extremes by the shifter behavior (it either won't let you pull cable or won't release anymore).
I also have a pretty relaxed attitude towards cross-chaining. I know it is "bad" and try to avoid it, but I also don't worry too much about occasionally picking the "wrong" gear combinations. I usually notice them due to noise or feel and when I do I shift if I can. If I can't a put a bit of money into the bike parts jar when I get home.
Answer: With todays 2- and 1-chainring cranksets, chain-crossing isn't a problem and with the cranksets where it may be a problem (which are rather rare in high-end groups) the sound and feel are good signs of it. So you don't really need to know which gear you're in.
And when you spend a lot of time on your bike you just start to recognise the gears by feel and are able to tell which one you're in... well, +/-1 let's say.
I switched from Shimano Deore (with displays) to Sram X9 (without displays) some 5 years ago, and never felt the need to look down and check the gears. So they are not this important, just a matter of changing habbits.
Answer: Experienced riders pick the right chainring based on the terrain coming up.  Then all they need to know is to go up or down on the cassette as needed.
If you've topped or bottomed-out then that section is over, time to pick a new chainring.
Answer: Use bar end shifters; you do not have to look at the paddles to feel the gear position with your hands. The angle difference between index points is distinct enough, even when indexing ten gears, that you can just touch the paddle and know what gear you're in.
Answer: It's all cadence related. No need to be a pro for that...
Comment: Welcome to Bicycles SE. We're looking for answers with [more detail](http://bicycles.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-answer). Please consider expanding your answer to explain how experienced cyclists infer their current gear based on cadence. A short, one-line answer like this is likely to get downvoted, flagged for moderator intervention, and possibly deleted.


Should we have a Stumper badge?

Question: Imagine a question with a certain minimum number of upvotes (10?), with no upvoted or accepted answers. It's a good, answerable question or it wouldn't have the upvotes. Since no one has come up with a good answer, it's a challenge too. I like it. You?
Answer: We already have a badge for question upvotes - personally, I think this "extended" badge would only be promoting undesirable behaviour.
Specifically, it would encourage people who ask questions to not upvote or accept any answers until they get the badge. And I'm not sure what additional positive behaviour it would encourage that the upvote badges don't encourage already.
Your heart's in the right place, but I think there's some misunderstanding here about what badges are actually for. Badges are supposed to be incentives to do specific things. Every badge in the current list has a clear purpose, except for Tumbleweed, which is sort of a joke badge and also isn't that far off from what's being proposed here (the only difference is votes). In fact, the only factor that really distinguishes this badge from either Tumbleweed or Nice Question is luck.
So I vote no, sorry. Any badge that doesn't clearly spell out what you're supposed to do in order to get it is ultimately just going to create confusion and negative or unpredictable side-effects. Aside from "ask good questions", which there are already plenty of incentives for, I just can't see what this badge would be trying to promote.
Comment: OK, but for real...Is anybody *that* hung up on reputation points or badges? At that point, isn't it a better question to ask how badly they need to get laid?
Comment: Agreed. The fact that the question *doesn't* have any answers doesn't really make it better. All this would be is a consolation prize: "sorry you didn't get an answer, have this badge."
Comment: And more generally, @Jolenealaska, Aaronut is quite right about the purpose of badges. If you're thinking about adding one, you should think about the effect they'll have on people who care about badges. This isn't one people can really try to get, and even if they do figure out a way, it doesn't really do anything good for them or the site. So it will just become one of those annoying badges that you'd like to have, but can't really get, because mostly it just takes luck. No one likes Tumbleweed much either.
Comment: I've gotta admit...Tumbleweed is a bit puzzling.
Comment: @Jolenealaska: Have a look at the [badge questions on Meta Stack Overflow](http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/badges+-badge-request) and then ask me that question again. :)

Should we have a Stumper badge?


Finding pair of non-adjacent cliques in a dense graph

Question: I have a graph consisting of about 5000 vertices, with density around 0.5. I'm trying to find two disjoint 6-cliques, which are not connected by an edge. I have tried bruteforcing this, by firstly looking for any 6-cliques, and then checking pairs for being non-adjacent. However, although it finds a lot of 6-cliques it is too slow to find a non-adjacent pair. Is there a faster way to do this?
Answer: Here is one approach:

Find any 6-clique, call it $C$.
Find all vertices that aren't adjacent to any vertex in $C$.  Mark them red.
Find a 6-clique among the red vertices.

How long will this take?  Let's analyze the running time of each step.

You should be able to find a 6-clique by randomly sampling $2^{15}$ possible ways to choose 6 vertices and checking whether it forms a clique; a random collection of 6 vertices has a $1/2^{{6 \choose 2}} = 1/2^{15}$ probability of being a clique, so you're likely to find one in this way after about $2^{15}$ trials.  There are faster ways to find a 6-clique, but this will already be very fast.
This can be done in $6 \times 5000$ operations, i.e., very fast.
Now you have the problem of finding a 6-clique in a smaller graph.  How many red vertices do you expect to have?  If you pick a vertex at random, then it has a $1/2^6$ probability of being red.  Therefore, we expect about $(5000-6)/2^6 \approx 78$ red vertices.  It is very likely that a 6-clique exists among them, as there are ${78 \choose 6} \approx 2^{28}$ possible ways to choose a subset of 6 nodes, and each one has about a $1/2^{15}$ chance of being a 6-clique.  You can find a 6-clique among the red vertices in the same way as before (randomly choosing a collection of 6 red vertices and checking to see if they form a clique).  This takes about $2^{15}$ trials.

So all in all you expect this to be successful, and to take about $2^{16}$ trials, where each trial is very fast.  So this algorithm should be very fast.  There are probably ways to optimize it further, by using standard algorithms for finding a clique more efficiently than brute force, but I'd guess this should already be adequate, and it has the advantage of being easy to implement.


How deeply can a JSON object be nested?

Question: I was watching a video on a website that said json objects can be nested deeply.  How far can a JSON object be nested before it will create an error?
Comment: [Sharing your research helps everyone](http://meta.programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/6559/why-is-research-important). Tell us what you've tried and why it didn't meet your needs. This demonstrates that you've taken the time to try to help yourself, it saves us from reiterating obvious answers, and most of all it helps you get a more specific and relevant answer. Also see [ask]
Comment: I tested creating an object 10000000 (ten million) levels deep and it worked (at least in Chrome) but trying the same code on an object 100000000000 (hundred billion) levels deep crashed on `console.log()` (on Chrome). I also lost my jsfiddle due to the crash so we know that Google Chrome would start crashing when you try to `console.log` an object of between ten million and a hundred billion levels deep.
Comment: If you get so deep many times you are actually dealing with different data. For example: Graph data or time series data. There are better formats to store that and that's about the only reason why you might run into this issue.
Comment: I should note that in my test above, creating an object a hundred billion levels deep worked. It only crashed when I try to console.log it.
Answer: There is no theoretical limit to how deep JSON objects can be nested, but there usually is a practical limit based on the decoder being used. For example, PHP's json_decode() has a default limit of 512 levels, though it can be adjusted. Read the documentation for the code using the JSON to determine the max depth.
If your JSON is actually hitting depth limits, you probably need to reconsider how your JSON is structured.
Answer: Many JSON parsers and formatters use recursion (i.e., ArduinoJSON and the IBM DastaPower Gateway).
This means that deeply nested JSON objects can be used to attack implementations that use this approach (i.e. see this older jansson issue)).
Originally, the JSON testing suite offered by json.org was testing to make sure parsers would fail at 22 levels of nesting.
This also makes sense where data accessing is concerned. Accessing nested data is less readable (and less maintainable) than multiple storage objects.
So, although there's no official limits to JSON nesting levels, in order to allow your data to be portable and safe, I would not recommend any nesting level above 16.
IMHO, the 16-31 nesting levels should be considered a hazard zone and anything above 32 nesting levels should be considered as a design error.

How deeply can a JSON object be nested?


How do I log in to Hotmail instead of Outlook.com?

Question: I have been trying to log in to my Hotmail account and I can't because Outlook.com keeps coming up instead. Is there any way that I can still log in to Hotmail?
Answer: Hotmail as a service was discontinued some time ago. If you had an active Hotmail account, you should now be able to use Outlook.com to access your email.
If the account was not used for some time, it's possible that Microsoft has shut it down.
See also: How can I switch back to Hotmail from Outlook.com


Avoid receiving LinkedIn contact request

Question: I dont want to receive contact request on LinkedIn. Is it possible? Can I remove the "send contact request" button from my profile so no one can send me requests?!
Answer: There is no option to remove connect tab from profile. But you can control who can send you invitations. From Help Center:

You can select who can send you invitations from the Communications tab of the Privacy & Settings page. You'll receive a notification each time a LinkedIn member invites you to connect.
Select one of the following preferences:

Anyone on LinkedIn (Recommended)
Only people who know your email address or appear in your "Imported Contacts" list
Only people who appear in your "Imported Contacts" list

In your case you can select the second option.
See this to know more about Connect/Send InMail.
Comment: if I choose third option and keep my "imported contacts" empty, then no one can send me contact request ?! is it true?
Comment: Yes, Its true, but I am not sure that you can keep "imported contacts" empty or not. So please check from yourself.


Using cheap bike computer as a cadence indicator, possible?

Question: Has anyone ever tried just using a cheap ($5 for example) bike computer but instead of using the wheels, placing the magnet on the crank arms and then calibrating it to show cadence instead of road speed?  I may try this but the computer I use only allows a 1 to 3 mm gap at most and that may be difficult to get down there.
Comment: It should be possible to make it work -- I suggest spacers should be made of something like fairly solid packaging foam, at least for testing, as it's easy to work and not likely to jam anything.  The issue you may have is counting revs rather than converting to speed, and of course you want per minute rather than per hour. If you could set a wheel circumference of 1/600 km (i.e. 1.67 m, which is plausible) then the digits should represent something readable while riding (1 rpm would be represented by 0.1 km/h)
Comment: It wouldn't have to show exact cadence such as 88 (RPMs), I could calibrate the computer to read 8.8 for example and interpret that as 88.  This should be fine since the 1st digit is more significant than the 2nd.  For example, I would like to see at a glance if I am in the 80s, 90s, or 100s for cadence but the 2nd digit is not so critical (85 vs 88 for example).  Regarding lengthening the wire, my regular computer had a lot of slack leftover after I mounted it so extending the wire may not be necessary but yes something to watch for.
Comment: I actually just checked and it appears to be possible since the crank arm comes reasonably close (about 20mm) to the frame in the rearward position so as someone suggested, I could use some spacers to fill in the gap to make it maybe 2mm and just recalibrate for cadence, not road speed.  One drawback is in the higher gears it wont update quickly cuz the crank will be spinning slowly.  However it should be accurate enough and I usually use the middle gear ratios anyway (34/20 and 34/18 are my 2 most frequently used gear ratios).
Comment: Chris H, why don't you post that as an answer?
Comment: Do note that you may need to extend the wire somehow, since many units are designed to mount the pickup on the front fork.  Also note that a wireless unit would likely not work, as most need to have the pickup closer to the head.
Comment: @EmilVikström because I've never done it myself, and therefore can only post ideas and warnings.  If we never get an answer, I can upgrade my comment to avoid an un-answered question; alternatively if my comment helps the OP to get something working, his self-answer would be better than anything I could write without doing it myself (another thing on the "if I had time" list).
Answer: This has been done before in pretty much the manner you're describing (and its basically the same way that a decent number of commercial cadence sensors work, e.g. Garmin GSC10, which attaches a magnet to the pedal arm and uses the same type of sensor at the wheel).
An example of someone doing this is this instructable. Basically, the guy attached a bunch of magnets to the crankset's granny ring equally spaced due to how his meter read out (*), and bolted the sensor to the downtube near there.
The main challenge is getting the readout to be readable on your bike computer and also aligning the magnets + sensor.
That being said, Bontrager among others sell ANT+ cadence+speed sensors for around 30-40 USD, so you might not be saving all that much by using this if you already have an ANT+ phone/bike computer.
(*) Assume the bicycle computer is programmed for a tire circumference c (which will be set within some range of values prescribed by the computer manufacturer). Each time a magnet passes the sensor, the sensor counts 1 circumference of tire worth of distance. by putting n magnets on the granny ring (which is the closest and therefore easiest to trigger the pickup), each revolution of the crankset reads nc distance. By setting the tire size on the computer to satisfy cn*1 rpm= 1 km/h, the readout of the computer in km/h will be the cadence in rpm.
The main problem is that your computer probably won't read past say 100 km/h. So, you can do something like set circumference of tire to satisfy  c*n*2 rpm= 1 km/h which would give you half the rpm as a readout, or similar.
You also need the magnets to be spaced far enough apart (or of suitable strength) that the sensor (most likely a reed switch, less likely an inductor or hall effect sensor) can switch on and off to register each of the magnets.
Comment: If you're going to do all that work rather then its just better to memorize a few cadence vs speed numbers for your favorite gear(s) and then interpolate what your cadence must be in your head from the speed readout on your computer. I know a 52x13 with 27 inch nominal diameter is 13 mph @ 40 rpm, so at 80 rpm its 26 mph. Approximately work backwards to figure out your rpm. 60 rpm would be 20 mph, etc.
Comment: I got some cheap Chinese made bike computer for about $5 shipped (keeping in theme with my cheap $100 Walmart bike).  What I would like to do is get another one just like it but calibrate that one for cadence which should be possible.  If it is not possible (or very difficult), what I can do as a cheat is to connect it to the front wheel too (on the opposite fork of the other working one), and calibrate it for cadence in my favorite gear which is (2,4) on my 21 speed (middle chainring and middle cog).  That gear is 34T driving 20T for a 1.7 gear.  So it would be correct in that gear only.
Comment: Continuation of previous comment...  as my legs get stronger, I can recalibrate for a higher gear such as (2,5) which is 34T driving 18T or even (2,6) which is 34T driving 16T.  It makes sense to check cadence when I am at my normal cruising speed cuz as I shift thru the lower gears getting started it is not really informative.  On the on road when I am riding 15 MPH or so it is.
Comment: -Batman.  Actually that is a good idea and simpler to get working.  My favorite cadence is 88 RPMs since that is a "magic" number since the feet per revolution and the MPH at that cadence are the same.  For example, a gear that moves the bike 10 feet of road distance will also give you 10 MPH at 88 cadence.  So I should just make a chart like you said of my 3 favorite gear ratios and check cadence that way based on road speed.  I could also do this with 3 extra cheap computers, each one calibrated for a different one of my favorite gear ratios.


How to select items within a faceted filtered search that also includes folders?

Question:
We are having a hard time figuring out how to allow users to drill down within these filters with only their keyboard (typing in the search query and pressing enter) when there are also folders. Any suggestions on how a user would do this without a mouse?
Comment: So what happens when user selects/hit enter over folder/sub-folder? I guess it just open up, right?
Comment: It selects that folder/sub-folder as a filtering criteria.
Answer: The most common typing based interfaces rely a lot on autocomplete features (ex: link search in your browser, coding, etc.). Although it seems like a pretty straightforward technology the truth is you can customize it a lot. Let's say you build a search line:

, that once it recognizes the word inserted in the model builds a tag and waits for the next:

, and moves on until your required position:

As you probably have noticed it the dropdown list typically only shows the words that start by the sequence you have in the text input. You can change the type of filter (to provide more choices) and even make shortcut keywords (for instance "wine" would directly build the entire path).
This, however, works well because most people that use autocomplete functions know what they want to autocomplete (coding is probably the most common example). This implies that autocomplete, although fast and efficient, has a slower learning curve than your example. One alternative would be to provide another widget that dynamically shows the tree of options that can be used in the auto-completer:
food
  -- italian
  -- french
  -- portuguese
  -- japanese
  -- hindi
beverages
  -- fruity
  -- alcohol
  -- etc.

From the point of view of the more experienced user notice that this will be much faster. That person will already know what typed shortcuts will get to the position it wants, faster (wine will do beverage/alcohol/wine for example). It just needs some aid in learning how to "code" its request, thus the tree viewer.
I say "code" because you can actually create "code" keywords that will give a much demanded path faster, or a specific query that returns a dropdown with all relevant elements (start=w could return "Wine","Water", "Walnut", "Wasabi", etc.) inside the already existing path.
Answer: This searching by two kinds of things (an item and a category) in the same affordance is confusing. Can they pick multiple categories and then what, right click or something? This is all too complicated.
There are a few ways to go:

Have them pick a category first and then search within that category.
Deliver search results and let them filter the results by category.
Offer categories along with the results (e.g., search for "alcohol" would offer options in "beverages" and "first aid"). This is how Amazon does it:

The benefit to this approach is that it doesn't require an extra step of the user.
Answer: What a thoroughly confusing widget - a search field which contains a drop-down tree control which is being used to filter by facet .
This will be difficult to make keyboard enabled because you need to:

expand the drop-down
Navigate the folders
Select a folder
Get out the widget

It will be easier for everyone (mouse and keyboard) if you created two separate simple controls:

Drop down field for selecting your facet filter (and try and flatten the folder hierarchy - there is no need to expose your architecture in the UI)
Simple Search field for entering your search string
Comment: I think the problem is that the number of folders and categories is so large. So even if I allow the user to select "Ingredients" for example as their filter facet, in order to get to "Lemon" let's say, they would have to go through "Fruit/Fruit Products"-> "Citrus Fruits"-> "Lemon" -> then they have the choice of 10 different variants of Lemon. Do you have an idea of how this would work with your solution?
Answer: My suggestion:
Flatten your folder tree representation used for autocomplete.
This way a user typing "alcohol", will match a single folder path.
beverage > alcohol
...reducing navigation requirements.
A search for "beverage", could then either suggest beverage, or a list of the paths-to-leaf-nodes under beverage.


What are abstract classes and abstract methods?

Question: I got several explanations but so far I'm not able to understand that what are the abstract classes and methods in Java.
Some said it has to do something with the security of the program, other said it isn't anything like that.
Even from the Dietel & Dietel's book I don't get it's purpose.
When, where and why do we use it?
Comment: One thing's for sure: it has absolutely nothing to do with security.
Comment: @Umer Hassan: then you probably misunderstood him, or he misunderstood the question.
Comment: My OOP lab teacher said it has to deal with security, while other teacher disagreed.
Comment: @UmerHassan: The lab teacher needs to *explain* themselves better, because without an explanation of what abstract classes have to do with making code more secure, I'd say they're simply wrong (and agree with your other teacher).
Comment: From this link (http://docs.oracle.com/javase/tutorial/java/IandI/abstract.html) "...abstract classes are most commonly subclassed to share pieces of implementation. A single abstract class is subclassed by similar classes that have a lot in common (the implemented parts of the abstract class), but also have some differences (the abstract methods)."
Answer: First of all, the examples will be in C#. But I think you'll have no problem understanding it. So...
You CANNOT instantiate objects of an abstract class. You must have a subclass that derives from the class, if you want to instantiate it. But this probably won't help you since you may have come across that before.
So let's try an example.
Suppose you want to lose weight and your nutritionist asks you to track your food intake. When you go to her again, you can't tell her that you ate a "food". Although it's not wrong, since all food has calories, it is too "abstract" for her. So you need to tell her WHICH food.
So, if she were to code that... She'd have an abstract class Food.
abstract class Food
{
    public int CaloriesPerPound { get; set; }
    //...
}

Why? Because that wouldn't allow you to say "I ate a food".
{
    Food fries = new Food(); //This won't even compile
}

So you need concrete classes:
class Fruit : Food
{
 //Other stuff related only to fruits
}

class Bread : Food
{
 //Other stuff related only to Bread
}

So you'll have to tell exactly which food it is.
{
   Apple desert = new Apple(); //Now we are talking
}

But she still needs the food class, it is still interesting to her:
class Meal
{
    public List<Food> Foods { get; set; }
    //Other meal related stuff
    public int TotalCalories()
    {
        int calories = 0;
        foreach (Food food in Foods)
        {
            calories = calories + food.CaloriesPerPound * FoodQuantity;
        }
        return calories;
    }
}

That's an example of when you need an abstract class. When you want to have a base class, but you don't want anyone creating an object of your class.
An abstract CAN have abstract methods. It doesn't need to. Is totally ok to have an abstract class without abstract methods. Speaking of which...
Abstract method is something that it's too broad. There's no similarities on how things work, so the classes that derive from your class that has an abstract method won't be able to call the super class implementation. And you're also forcing all the sub classes to implement their version of that method.
Let's try another example? An Animal Band Simulator. You'd have animals, and each one of them would make a sound. But those are very different "implementations", they have nothing in common A dog differs from a cat, a cat from an elephant, an elephant from a cricket. So you'd have an abstract method MakeSound.
class Animal
{
    public abstract void MakeSound();
}

But, if you have an abstract method in your class, that makes the whole class abstract!
abstract class Animal
{
    public abstract void MakeSound();
}

So the rest of the code might be:
class Dog : Animal
{
    public void MakeSound()
    {
        //bark at the moon
    }
}

class Cat : Animal
{
    public void MakeSound()
    {
        //meowing for food
    }
}

And the BAND!
class AnimalBand
{
    public List<Animal> Animals { get; set; }
    public void RockOn()
    {
        foreach (Animal animal in Animals)
        {
            animal.MakeSound();
        }
    }
}

So this is an example of when you use an abstract method.
I guess this is the essence. It may be a little forced/convoluted, but I think it gets the point across. Go back to the examples that didn't help you before and see if they make sense now.
I'm go out on a limb and say you're a beginner. This stuff may seem strange to you, and you may not see any benefit in using abstract classes.
It's ok. It's strange for almost all of us when we start. But in time, you'll learn to appreciate it.
Comment: But this seems to be polymorphism.
Answer: An abstract class is a class that cannot be instantiated (i.e. new myAbstractClass()).  It is used as a template for other classes to inherit.
An abstract method is a method in an abstract class that can be overridden (i.e. implemented) in a derived class.
The difference between an interface and an abstract class is that you can put functionality in an abstract class (i.e. ordinary or virtual methods) that can be utilized in the derived class, whereas an interface is just an empty template.
Comment: @marco-fiset strictly speaking that's not necessarily - if derived class is _abstract_ as well, implementing is not mandatory
Comment: An abstract method *must* be implemented in a derived class.
Comment: What do you mean by "baseline" or "default" implementation.  I was under the impression abstract methods must not have have a method body?  Well in c# anyway.  Perhaps it varys across languages?
Comment: @dreza: Sorry, I meant "virtual."  My point was that interfaces do not contain any functionality at all.  But, read the two comments above yours.
Answer: An abstract class is a class that implements some common functionality used by one or more concrete (not abstract) classes.
A good example of this would be the AbstractList class in java.  This class is extended by ArrayList (a concrete class) and AbstractSequentialList (an abstract class which is in turn extended by LinkedList).
One would never instantiate an AbstractList (which one do you want? ArrayList? Vector? LinkedList?) and thus it is made abstract to prevent this.  However, it implements some internals that are necessary for the functioning of a list (modification count for fail fast).
An abstract method is a method that is not implemented in an abstract class or interface, but must be implemented in the concrete class.
The core reason why one would want to have a method be abstract is to be part of a public API.  If you the compareTo method in Comparable is abstract - only the concrete class knows how to implement this correctly for other classes to call.
Answer: With abstract classes you can have some kind of skeleton for other classes to extend.
You can't instantiate them but you can put some common implementation which you can use in the classes that extend them.
Answer: An abstract class/method is, conceptually, a "starting point" for a concrete implementation.
An abstract method or other member cannot have any code; it is quite literally a placeholder for a member that must be implemented by classes deriving from the abstract base. It's similar to a method declaration in an interface, but an abstract class can define abstract members of any inheritable visibility, not just public. That abstract member can be used in any code in the abstract class.  The purpose is usually to allow the deriving class to specify some implementation-specific logic or behavior, whose extraction from the surrounding code makes that remaining code implementation-independent.
An abstract class cannot be instantiated; it exists to be derived from and to be used as a common type for members and parameters, similar to an interface in this respect. Classes with any abstract members must themselves be marked abstract, but a class with no abstract members can also be marked abstract. Thus, abstract classes can have code in non-abstract members, which is the primary difference from an interface (the other key difference being the ability to define abstract members less visible than "public"). This is a common tactic to share (and thus re-use) code that is common between implementations of the abstract class.
As far as when to use them, succinctly, use an abstract class whenever you would normally use an interface, but when you also wish to define code that can be shared among derived implementations of the base.
There are differing best practices between Java and C# regarding whether to combine interfaces and abstracts in the same inheritance hierarchy. It's been my experience that an interface directly implemented by a single abstract class is redundant in Java due to naming conventions (interface names are supposed to look like class names so coders don't have to care what they're using). In C#, the pattern's still considered a bit "deep" but is more acceptable because the interface, by convention, would be prefaced with "I-". Either way, the arrangement allows even the abstract class to be refactored or replaced without affecting dependent classes; not only can any implementation of an abstract DoerBase be used, but any Doer (or IDoer) including an implementation of a new BetterDoerBase, or a concrete class inheriting directly from the interface.
Answer: A real life example of an abstract class would be Human for example. But would you intantiate a Human object? No! You would further derive classes from the Human abstract class like Infant, Child, Adult, Man, Woman, etc. And you will extend/retrict the original behaviour in these derived classes down in the heirarchy.
Comment: I don't know, I think `Infant`, `Child`, `Adult` would be better as different *states* of a `Human` object, and `Man` and `Woman` would be possible values for an enumerated field.
Comment: If you really want to stick with this example though, you might want to make `Hominid` your abstract class, maybe with `Human` and `Gorilla` as two possible subclasses of it (though I'm not a taxonomist, so maybe this isn't the best way to do it?).
Comment: I do agree with you partially. We can use overloaded constructors (POLYMORPHISM) for Infant, Child, Adult instead of deriving child classes(INHERITANCE). But what makes you say about Man and Woman to be represented as enumerated fields. Why? They are perfect for to be inherited classes. The example i just gave is for the novice learner. Thanks for your feedback.
Comment: I think `Infant`, `Child`, `Adult`, are better as states, because a human that is an infant will then become a human that is child, then an adult, but it is the same object that is changing state by aging. `Man` and `Woman` I think are also better as parts of a state because sometimes a `Human` that is-a `Man` could undergo a procedure to become a `Woman` (and vice-versa) - it's not common but it *does* happen ;) A model that makes `Man` and `Woman` as separate classes is much less flexible, but might be OK depending on what system you're trying to model.


Does the DS18B20 1-wire temperature sensor ID change with different Raspberry Pi's?

Question: I have set up 3 temperature sensors (DS18B20) and connected them to what I believe is a Raspberry Pi 4. I have only been using the Pi 4 for easy testing before I move everything over to the Pi zero headless. (I have not been able to successfully use SSH with the Pi zero. So please don't ask me to see what settings and information are on the Raspberry Pi zero, although if you have an easy way to get access to the Pi zero without SSH that would also help!) On the Pi 4 everything works together flawlessly. But, once I move it over to the Raspberry Pi zero, I get no data.
So here is where I think the problem is:
sensor_1 = '/sys/bus/w1/devices/28-000004b91a2d/w1_slave'
sensor_2 = '/sys/bus/w1/devices/28-000004b8a26d/w1_slave'
sensor_3 = '/sys/bus/w1/devices/28-000004b8fb4c/w1_slave'

Does the device ID change after moving the sensors to the PI zero? (The device ID's were found on the Raspberry Pi 4)
The rest of the code in case it helps.
import time
import sys
from datetime import datetime
import csv

# System path to the sensor, further system paths could be via an array
# or other variables can be added here.
# 28-02161f5a48ee you have to replace with your sensor!
sensor_1 = '/sys/bus/w1/devices/28-000004b91a2d/w1_slave'
sensor_2 = '/sys/bus/w1/devices/28-000004b8a26d/w1_slave'
sensor_3 = '/sys/bus/w1/devices/28-000004b8fb4c/w1_slave'

#now = str(datetime.now())

def readTempSensor(sensorName):
    """I read the temperature of the DS18B20 from the system bus."""
    f = open(sensorName, 'r')
    lines = f.readlines()
    f.close()
    return lines

def readTempLines(sensorName):
    lines = readTempSensor(sensorName)
    # As long as the data could not be read, I am in an endless loop
    while lines[0].strip()[-3:] != 'YES':
        time.sleep(0.2)
        lines = readTempSensor(sensorName)
    temperaturStr = lines[1].find('t=')
    # I check if the temperature was found.
    if temperaturStr != -1:
        tempData = lines[1][temperaturStr + 2:]
        tempCelsius = float(tempData) / 1000.0
        tempKelvin = 273 + float(tempData) / 1000
        tempFahrenheit = float(tempData) / 1000 * 9.0 / 5.0 + 32.0
        # Return as an array - [0] tempCelsius => Celsius ...
        return [tempCelsius, tempKelvin, tempFahrenheit]

# where the script starts
def main():
    # creates header for CSV file
    f = open('/home/pi/Mamdau2DATA/TempDATA.csv', 'a')
    f.write('Date and Time')
    f.write(',')
    f.write('Temperature Sensor 1')
    f.write(',')
    f.write('Temperature Sensor 2')
    f.write(',')
    f.write('Temperature Sensor 3')
    f.write(' ')
    f.write('\n')
    f.close()

    try:
        while True:
            now = str(datetime.now())

            # I provide my measurement with a timestamp and have it displayed in the console.
            print("Temperature Sensor 1 at " + time.strftime('%H:%M:%S') + "   Temp. : " + str(readTempLines(sensor_1)[0]) + " °C")
            print("Temperature Sensor 2 at " + time.strftime('%H:%M:%S') + "   Temp. : " + str(readTempLines(sensor_2)[0]) + " °C")
            print("Temperature Sensor 3 at " + time.strftime('%H:%M:%S') + "   Temp. : " + str(readTempLines(sensor_3)[0]) + " °C")
            temperature_1 = readTempLines(sensor_1)[0]
            temperature_2 = readTempLines(sensor_2)[0]
            temperature_3 = readTempLines(sensor_3)[0]
            # The next measurement takes place after 10 seconds

            # Datenlogger
            f = open('/home/pi/Mamdau2DATA/TempDATA.csv', 'a')
            f.write(now)
            #f.write(time.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S'))
            f.write(',')
            f.write('{0:0.2f}'.format(temperature_1))  # Temperature
            f.write(',')
            f.write('{0:0.2f}'.format(temperature_2))
            f.write(',')
            f.write('{0:0.2f}'.format(temperature_3))
            f.write(' ')  # Abstand/Leerzeichen
            f.write('\n')  # Neue Zeile
            f.close()

            # and so on

            time.sleep(1)
    except KeyboardInterrupt:
        # Program ends when CTRL + C is pressed.
        print('Temperature measurement is ended')
    except Exception as e:
        print(str(e))
        sys.exit(1)
    finally:
        # The program ends here so that no error is written to the console.
        print('Program has ended.')
        sys.exit(0)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    main()

Comment: Hello @ViperSniper0501, your program looks OK. Perhaps you can try my demo program to compare and contrast with yours. My completely listed program is fully debugged and plug and play. You just copy and run it without setting any parameter. The DS18B20s are auto detected and IDs listed:  (1) "DS18B20 Temperature Sensor - Rpi 3/4 Driver, Wiring, Detection, and Python Programming":
https://raspberrypi.stackexchange.com/questions/100203/ds18b20-temperature-sensor-rpi-3-4-driver-wiring-detection-and-python-progr/100244#100244. Happy temperature sensing and cheers.
Answer: No, the device id does not change, it is hardwired into the DS18B20.
Answer: Each individual DS18B20 has its own unique ID # assigned at the factory.  That device will have the same ID for its entire life and will never change.  So if you unplug it from one host computer and plug into another, the ID will remain the same.
As I recall from reading the spec. sheet for the device, the ID is stored in non-volatile bits in the device and is programmed as a part of the manufacturing process.
Answer: Just be aware that low cost devices MAY have the same address hardwired in them...
If in doubt - buy from reputable sellers (the temp readings are also more consistent I find).


Given telescope diameter and focal length only, how can I find the size of a produced image?

Question: I'm new to astronomy and I'm struggling to understand this concept. For example, A 20-cm diameter telescope with a focal length f = 2 meters produces an image of the moon 1.7 cm in diameter. How large is the image of the moon produced by a 5-meter diameter telescope, focal length f = 16.7 meters?
Answer: To solve this problem, you can replace the telescope imaging system with a simple pinhole (conceptually) and just draw the rays that pass through the center of the entrance aperture. The Moon is about 29 to 34 arc minutes wide or about 0.0085 to 0.01 radians.
If your telescope has a focal length of 200 cm, then at the focal plane it will be 1.7 to 2.0 cm wide. Since the angles are small you don't need to use trigonometry, just use a small angle approximation:
$$\sin(\theta) \approx\ tan(\theta) \approx \theta$$
when $\theta$ is in radians. So the size of the Moon will be about $\theta F$ where $F$ is the focal length.

In other words, ignore the diameter of the aperture, objective lens or mirror. Just use the pinhole camera model for imaging systems. If you have a multi-element telescope (e.g. Cassegrain or refractor with a Barlow lens) make sure to use the effective focal length of the system at the image plane for $F$. A Cassegrain might have a 40 cm focal length objective but a 120 cm effective focal length for the whole system. You might have a 100 cm focal length refractor but with a 2x Barlow lens you effective focal length will be 200 cm.

Source


How soon can I use 529 for paying college

Question: I enrolled into college. I'm thinking to enroll into 529 plan to pay my college fees for the coming semester. This is with an intent that I will be able to save tax on the money used for tuition.
Is this an option? Can I deposit and withdraw money in 529 in a short timeframe? Please suggest.
Comment: Which state? Each state has their own set of rules regarding state income tax deductions, and minimum amount of time in the program.
Comment: Its for Georgia. I'm planning to do it for the last semester of the program (very later I know).
Answer: You can deduct up to $4,000 of contributions from your state (not federal) taxes in Georgia. So that would save you $230 if you're in the highest Georgia tax bracket (5.75%)
I can't find anything on their site to indicate how long after a contribution is made before it's eligible for withdrawal, but in my state it's only 7 days.
I would say it's worth a call to see if there's a minimum period before withdrawals are eligible, but you could also pay out of pocket and just "reimburse yourself" later in the year - the funds don't have to go directly to the school.
Comment: Thanks for the such a precise detail. I called gapath2college. Hold limit in GA is 8 days. It worked out as I expected.


Alternative for huckster

Question: I couldn't think about a word which would describe a mercenary-minded person, a huckster, who with the right haggled price would sell his mother.
Answer: My first thought was Mountebank, but that seemed a bit 'old', so if that doesn't work, how's Grifter for a synonym?
Selected definitions from Dictionary.com and others:

mountebank: con-man, a swindler, dishonest gambler, or the like.
grifter: charlatan, pitchman, snake-oil salesman.
Comment: Seems pretty close. This seems to apply to petty haggler, is there anything for a swindler of larger scale?
Comment: Hmmm... I looked up "Swindler" as I thought that would actually be the best word, and found "Scoundrel" which may be a better descriptor for the personality of someone who would sell his own mother for the right price, but not so much of the particular business of doing so.  I'll chew on it a bit more; I'd say you're looking for a synonym of "Salesman" that has the same negative connotation as 'scoundrel'.
Answer: Unscrupulous

having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair. (Lexico)
Comment: That seems to be mild and general.
Comment: "Showing no moral principles" is a rather strong condemnation of somebody's personality.
Comment: +1 because I think this is exactly what the OP is seeking.  If you would sell your mother for the right price, then you are (generally) thought of as having little regard for the morality of the action.
Answer: I couldn't think about a word which would describe a mercenary-minded person, a huckster, who with the right haggled price would sell his mother.
Not certain "huckster" has anything to do with mother-selling at all. A huckster is someone who can sell sand to the Arabs [or insert your own similar phrase here]. The nearest I believe are "snake-oil salesman" or "shyster" but a "charlatan" also possibly works.
Answer: Personally, I would say a mercenary or higgler, the first one meaning doing shady things for money, the second meaning someone who peddles various items.
Comment: Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please [edit] to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers [in the help center](/help/how-to-answer).
Answer: There's always the

cheap-jack, n
  1. a person who sells cheap and shoddy goods.

The noun borrows a connotation from a sense of the adjective:

unscrupulous or underhanded

(cheap-jack. (n.d.) Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary. (2010). Retrieved November 27 2015 from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cheap-jack).
Merriam-Webster defines 'cheapjack' with exactly your term:

1 :  a haggling huckster
Comment: Is this a British term? I'm in the U.S. and am unfamiliar with the word.
Comment: @JLG, the sources I've been able to check thus far (Collins and Random House) mention nothing about it being British. I'm in the US and have encountered it, but my memory is not specific about where, and I've read a lot of British authors, so that's not a strong indication of anything in particular. I'll check some other sources when I have access and let you know.
Answer: Maybe unscrupulous shark (credits to JEL and IconDaemon for "unscrupulous").

Example: Morgan, who seems to monopolize every major and minor trade
  in the country, is the stereotypical unscrupulous shark, who always
  finds justification for his actions.
Answer: From Merriam-webster
Huckster referred to a small time salesman of aggressive if not questionable methods. It has made its way to describing anyone who sells avidly or attempts to convince others of the value of their product whether material or political or matriarchal.
Middle English hukster, from Middle Dutch hokester, from hoeken to peddle
Such a hawker or peddler would sell all they have for their next meal but not necessarily their mother. For that you need a con-man or mountebank as stated.

Alternative for huckster


Can the pitch circle of a gear be farther out than the intersection point of the involutes on opposite sides of a tooth?

Question: I'm trying to make an involute spur gear generator but can't seem to get it right. I know that the diameter of the base circle of the involutes is equal to the pitch diameter * cos(pressure angle). But this means that as I increase the number of teeth and the pitch circle gets larger, its scale relative the base circle also increases. And at a certain point, the pitch circle passes the the intersection point of the two involute curves that will make up the sides of a tooth! (My tooth sides are made of an involute in standard position, and one that is mirrored and rotated by an appropriate angle)
Answer: That is impossible. The whole point of the pitch diameter is that the thickness of the tooth $X$ equals the gap $Y$ at that radial distance.
Take one profile and rotate it half the tooth separation angle and where it intersects the other profile is where the pitch diameter is.