Oil change on isuzu box truck

Question: My husband changed the oil on his isuzu box truck and he says he did eveything exactly as he was suppose to but this morning he got up and drove it and it went into regin and then he seen alot of smoke and it shut off on the highway he said there was alot of oil on the highway can his truck be messed up??
Comment: Welcome to Motor Vehicle Maintenance & Repair!
Answer: Bottom line answer of "can it be messed up" is absolutely. Whether the work your husband did is at fault for the loss of oil would still need to be figured out, however, there's still a serious issue whatever the cause.
What could have caused the loss of oil? The easiest thing to point a finger at would be something like the oil filter failing, or possibly having the old oil filter gasket (o-ring) not coming off with the old filter. If there are two o-rings on the oil filter boss, it will lose integrity and fail, blowing oil all over the place and causing a situation like what you've described.
It could also be something worse, like the engine itself has just decided this would be a good time to throw a rod out the side of the block. A scenario like this would most likely be completely unrelated to the oil change, but is still a possibility ... an extreme possibility and highly unlikely, but still a possibility.
The van will need to be taken somewhere a diagnosis can be performed. There's just about no way for us to be able to tell you what's going on. The bottom line is, there's something messed up. Whether it's a huge problem or a small one is yet to be seen.
Comment: Funny... the two oil filter ring thing.  Worked on someones Mustang recently.  They changed oil & filter and didn't realize the old seal got stuck on the engine when they added a new filter with seal,  Two seals worked for a bit, then failed dramatically, with lots of oil and smoke everywhere . Good call.
Comment: Both my Town and Countries had this problem. About every 4 times I change the oil, the seal stays on the engine. I never start the car after an oil change until I have the old seal in sight.

Oil change on isuzu box truck


Will chives produce a good yield indoors if I transplant them from outside?

Question: Last year I planted chive onions outside. Today I discovered that they survived.
If I transplant them indoors, will they survive and produce a good yield?
Answer: Not necessarily - chives are perennial bulbs which die back naturally for winter, hardy down to Zone 3, and will return year on year, in spring lasting up till fall, outdoors. You can try taking some indoors, but that means digging up the bulbs and disturbing their root system, which likely will mean they die back.
Alternatively, cut the stems, snip them into small pieces, and use foil to make little parcels, just enough for individual food use, pop the foil  parcels into a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. When you want some during winter, just remove as many as you need.


What verb or phrase could I use to mean "fail to notice and take action about something until it's too late"?

Question: In Russian, you can use the word 'oversleep' (as a transitive verb) to mean "fail to notice and take action about something until it's too late" (usually, something that causes harm to that person/organization etc.). For example, you could say that Nokia "overslept" the advent of smartphones and lost its leading position in the cellphone market which it maintained through most of the 2000s. What verb (or expression, if there's no such word) can I use to convey the same meaning?
Answer: According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the verb miss has two meanings which, combined, fully describe the situation.

to not notice someone or something
to fail to do or experience something, often something planned or expected, or to avoid doing or experiencing something

Here are some examples of its use:

A missed opportunity? When Nokia doubted the iPhone - Marketplace
Nokia missed smartphone 'revolution' - Financial Times, 2012
Nokia unfortunately missed the cues for two key opportunities. - EE Times
NOKIA MISSED THE CHINA MOBILE TENDER - Nokiamob.net
Comment: Do you have something better?
Comment: I think that **miss** is pretty good. I have updated my answer to add some examples of its use in this context:
Comment: What I want to say is not really "miss", it's "miss the emergence of some threat and fail to react in time". What do you think about 'overlook'?
Comment: "miss" means both to not notice something **and** to not do something about it. What more could you ask for? Overlook means to not notice something, but it does not suggest not doing something, other than by inference.


Is using a remote node more private than using Electrum on Tails

Question: Is it more private to use Monero on Tails with a remote node then it would be to use Electrum (with BTC) on Tails?
Answer: When using Tails (so Tor for your internet traffic) it is "safer", from an IP tracking perspective, than using clearnet. From an IP tracking perspective there is really no difference in safety between using an SPV wallet such as Electrum or the Monero wallets with a remote node, they both work in a similar fashion and what you are doing by using Tails (so Tor) is trying to make tracking your internet traffic difficult. Of course, using Monero instead of Bitcoin has significant privacy advantages.
So in summation, yes, using a remote node (Monero) is more private than using Electrum (Bitcoin), because Monero uses stealth addresses (so hides your address) and hides the amounts (Confidential Transactions). Using via tor/i2p adds further privacy by hiding your IP address (whichever you use, Monero or Bitcoin).


Can I transfer Destiny: Legendary Edition (Taken King) from PS3 to PS4?

Question: I have Destiny: Legendary Edition (Taken King) code to unlock the expansions and the disc for PS3. I redeemed the expansions code to my PS4 and it said that the expansions are ready for download, but I can't download them.  I need to buy the Destiny: Legendary Edition (Taken King) for PS4 or should I buy the Destiny(Standard Edition, without DLC) for PS4  to be able to download the expansions?
Comment: Well transferring characters was recently announced along with the latest expansion but no details have been released yet
Comment: recently announced? This was available soooi long ago, I believe it may have even expired.
Answer: The offer to upgrade from PS3 to PS4 (and Xbox 360 to Xbox One) expired a while ago. From the Bungie forums:

The Digital Upgrade program is only for purchasing a digital copy of Destiny for Xbox 360 or PS3, then moving to the appropriate next gen console. However, this offer expired on January 15th, 2015. The only license you can transfer between consoles now is for the Expansion Pass or The Dark Below content if purchased on Xbox 360 or PS3.


Can I download a 3DS game to more than one console at the same time?

Question: I'm buying some 3DS consoles for my kids, 3 to be exact. If I buy Smash Bros for the 3DS digitally, will I be able to download that game to all 3 consoles or does the purchase only allow for download to one console? Will they be able to play together like this?
Answer: 3DS downloads are tied to the console, so if you buy it once, it will only be valid for the 3DS it is downloaded to. If all of the kids want to play together, you will need multiple copies of the game (one per 3DS) for them to do so.
Unlike some games in the past, this game doesn't have any sort of download play that allows more than one 3DS to play using one cartridge/downloaded copy.
Answer: You cannot play between multiple consoles (3ds) with a single copy of the game.
Fortunately, there is a solution, but if you don't already have a Wii U, it will be substantially more expensive then buying them separate games.
If you buy the game for the Wii U, there is an in-game option to sync a 3ds with the game. If one of them has the game, he/she could play, but unless more than four people are playing, you might as well just play on the Wii U.
Basically, there is no good solution to your problem other than buying them all the game.


x64dbg, breakpoint on write in memory with specific value

Question: In x64dbg, we can set hardware breakpoint on write in memory dump but can we add more codition?
Ex. Set breakpoin on write of value of 2F.
Answer: Yes, you can do that. Once you set the hardware breakpoint you can go to Breakpoints tab, right click the breakpoint on which you want to set condition, and select Edit. Now you can set the break condition.
Let's say your value is written to the memory in such way mov dword ptr ds:[edx],eax, so you can set the Break condition to EAX==2F, and then the program will be interrupted only when the value to write is equal to 2F.


Should I get vaccination before travelling to Lombok (Indonesia)

Question: Im gonna go to Lombok in december. Would like to know if need to get vaccination against malaria or other diseases.
Comment: As ever, the best answer for this is: A: Your country's public health body (they know what vaccinations you will already have) and B: A medical professional.
Answer: The CDC recommends the following vaccinations for travel to Indonesia:
(From: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/indonesia )
For everyone:
Hepatitis A
 Typhoid
Some travelers (visit link on top to see if you are one of the travelers who it's recommended for):
Hepatitis B, Japanese Encephalitis, Malaria, Rabies
Also Indonesia requires proof of yellow fever vaccination if you're traveling from a yellow fever 'risk country', the list of countries is here: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2016/infectious-diseases-related-to-travel/yellow-fever#4728
Answer: Unfortunately, as @Cmaster hints at in his comment, no vaccine for malaria exists.
The best ways to prevent malaria is taking anti malarial medicine and by avoiding mosquito bites.
According to the British National Health Service, the malaria risk in Indonesia varies from area to area. Lombok has apparently been deemed "low risk" for malaria. It might be better to consult with a doctor who specializes in travel medicine.
Answer: Go to a travel clinic
There should be a travel clinic specializing in this somewhere near you. They will take into account your medical background, current vaccinations and know which diseases are a problem where you are going.


Can a Ger Toshav own land in Eretz Yisrael?

Question: Once the ger toshav becomes accepted when the Yovel/Jubilee year is in effect, can the ger toshav own land in Eretz Yisrael?
Comment: http://www.mechon-mamre.org/i/1410.htm The Rambam I think implies in this link that they may purchase land, in law 9. I would imagine that the purchase would be subject to the same laws that apply to all documents of land sale in Israel. That is, with very few exceptions, the sale is more of a lease, not to exceed the time between the sale and the coming Jubilee.
Answer: Although there are opinions that do say it is okay, it is not so simple. See for example the Minchas Chinuch (284) which says the fact the Rambam does not make any distinguish the prohibition of לא תחנם applies to a goy and a ger toshav equally. Thus, it is forbidden to sell them any land, house, or anything else connected to the ground. Letting them live amongst us (hence the name גר תושב) is not the same as selling them land.
See שו"ת יביע אומר (יו"ד סי' מא) at length.
Answer: R Shlomo Riskin (the Chief Rabbi of Efrat in Israel) writes indeed that a ger toshav can own land in Eretz Israel

According to Rambam [Avodat Kochavim 10:6], the very term ger toshav, stranger-resident,
  defines the fact that any gentile who accepts the seven Noahide laws
  of morality may be a resident in the land of Israel, may purchase or
  rent land or a dwelling place and may live in the midst of a Jewish
  community in Israel!

He continues

A ringing affirmation for Maimonides' position that defines ger toshav
  as a gentile who is permitted to dwell in the midst of the Israelites
  in the land of Israel, and that they can therefore purchase land
  and/or homes in Israel, is found in one of the smaller talmudic
  tractates, Gerim [3:3-4]:
  And we may not
  cause [the ger toshav] to dwell on or close to
  the border [because of the danger of an
  enemy attack], or in an unseemly dwelling
  place, but rather in a goodly dwelling, in
  the midst of the Land of Israel, in a place
  where his business or artisanship can
  prosper, as it is written: "With you shall he
  dwell, in your midst, in whatever place he
  will choose, in any one of your cities,
  wherever it is beneficial to him; you must
  not taunt him."


Can I enter the US twice within 90 days?

Question: Can I visit the US twice within a 90 day period under the Visa Waiver Programme? 2nd time is only to transfer (change terminal, not airside).
Comment: Because the title is just a title, and not intended for the entire question - you really overfilled it.
Comment: Possible duplicate of [What is the minimum wait before I may I re-enter the USA after a 90 day visit on the Visa Waiver Program?](https://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/10446/what-is-the-minimum-wait-before-i-may-i-re-enter-the-usa-after-a-90-day-visit-on)
Comment: @user77409 Different question. That question is specifically about making long visits, which isn't mentioned at all in this one.
Answer: VWP doesn't have a "so many days in so many other days" thing like the EU 90/180 rule.  Every entry, you get to make your case to the Immigration Officer as to why you should be admitted.  You can come every weekend if you have a reasonable reason that makes sense to the officers and doesn't seem to conflict with US immigration law or policy.
In your case, you'll want to have your onward transportation departing the United States, and it wouldn't hurt to have some proof of a bona-fide activity in that destination country.
And as always, it helps to have proof of "ties to home country" and "adequate funding for trip" and all the usual things they want to see to know that you're not likely to remain illegally.
Also in your favor is that you were admitted under VWP before, and that your previous stay was uneventful.
Comment: @Noobius There's no "reputable source" for your assertion because your assertion isn't true: there is no legal "right" or "entitlement" to multiple VWP entries. Still, you may be able to enter multiple times if, as Harper explained, you can convince the CBP officer that you have a good reason to enter and you'll leave again when you're supposed to.
Comment: Thank you for the answer. Would you kindly have a reputable source that says I can enter as many times as I want? Those immigration officers are not friendly in my experience...


how can I take lxc container backup

Question: I want to take lxc container backup. We have server with 12.04 LTS ubuntu server and I have installed LXC - 1.0.0.alpha2 in it. I wanted to update our ubuntu server to 14.04 LTS. So what I want to do is have LXC containers backed up -> upgrade OS to 14.04 -> restore LXC containers. With earlier version(0.7.5 I guess) there was lxc-backup and lxc-restore but with 1.0.0.alpha2 we don't have backup and restore operations. How can I have lxc containers backup. I spent more than 3 hours with copy container folder(/var/lib/lxc/my_container/) into pendrive and paste it in another 12.04 LTS server but it is not working the error am getting is,
#sudo lxc-start -n my_container
lxc-start: invalid sequence number 1, expected 4.
lxc-start: failed to spwan "my_container"

then how can I expect that it will work in upgraded 14.04 server OS.
Any Idea to have lxc-container backup?
Answer: Since you've also posted this question to Stack Overflow, the answer there might apply here too.

how can I take lxc container backup


Apple Mail incoming mail notification

Question: When you get a new mail in Entourage then a small window appears with some basic info about the new mail you receveid. Is it possible to do the same thing with Apple Mail?
Answer: Try Growl and the GrowlMail plugin, simply click to view the message, and it's free! http://growl.info/
Comment: Thanx did the job perfectly! Just one detail I have problems with that in my notification the date shows up which is a bit of an overkill in information. Is it possible to remove this information?
Comment: @elhombre GrowlMail does not do this on my installation, and I couldn't find a preference which would cause it to do so (or not do so, as you require).
Answer: I've used Mail.appetizer before and it was my favorite of all the mail notification apps I've tried.  It's not yet compatible officially with Snow Leopard, but there are development versions available that will probably work (link from their twitter account).
Note that in recent versions of OS X, Mail requires that plugins list the specific versions of it that they support; they can't just say they're compatible with anything newer than a certain version.  The current development version of Mail.appetizer is for 10.6.5 and Mail 4.4; if you're running 10.6.6, that might be a problem.  See this OSXHints article for a way to fix it.

Apple Mail incoming mail notification


How can I speed up Mouse Keys?

Question: I have been exploring the OS X accessibility option to control the mouse from your keyboard (as described here) and I am curious if there is a way to make it go faster.
Answer: KeyRemap4Mac is a nice program that has a large number of various configurations which allow you to modify the function of your keyboard, including the ability to speed up you mouse navigation via the keyboard!
Look in look in Mouse Keys section.
Comment: If someone is able to find how to change this from say a bash script, I will be very appreciative, this is just what I'm working off for now...
Answer: Step 1:
First I turn off Mouse Keys, then I open Terminal and execute this command:
defaults write com.apple.universalaccess mouseDriverInitialDelay -float 0.05
defaults write com.apple.universalaccess mouseDriverMaxSpeed -int 32

After re-enabling, mouse starts moving almost immediately.
Step 2:
Install the demo version of ControllerMate ( http://controllermate.com ), and create something similar:

Now pressing the Ctrl key will act as a turbo key, moving your mouse very fast instantly. (If anybody knows an alternative to the otherwise great ControllerMate, please leave a comment.)
Comment: What about the "mouseDriverMaxSpeed" setting as well? Seems like this was set at 32 when I had the speed on max through the UI, increasing to 1000 seems a bit better
Comment: @chrismarx: Hi, I don't see any change on High Sierra. I would be more happy if there were a possibility to change the acceleration. :)

How can I speed up Mouse Keys?


Variability in the Expected Shortfall estimator

Question: Are there any results for calculating the variability in the Expected Shortfall measure. I am looking for Large sample confidence intervals under Normality for Expected Shortfall or calculation of standard error for the same.
Answer: I wrote this paper a couple of years ago where we discuss this kind of topic.
On page 6, you see a formula that comes from a paper from Acerbi available in Szego's book:
$$\sigma^2(ES^{(N)}_\alpha(X)) \overset{N>>1}{=} \frac{1}{N(1-\alpha)^2} \int_0^{F^{-1}(1-\alpha)} dx \int_0^{F^{-1}(1-\alpha)} dy \{ \min( F(x), F(y) ) - F(x)F(y) \}$$
This should be a good starting point and reference for you to derive the confidence interval.


Binoculars 10x50 in light polluted place

Question: I think to buy cheap 10x50 binoculars for astronomy observations. My leaving area is light polluted, I can see only bright stars and planets in naked eye.
Will I can with this binoculars observe Saturn rings, Jupiter moons, Uranus and Neptune planets?
What deep space objects I can observe with this binoculars in light polluted area?
Comment: Maybe get a hint by looking at [Bortle scale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bortle_scale) and seeing how your viewing location might fall on that scale. This is rough, of course, but gives you a start.
Comment: Thanks for answer, my location  Bortle scale is 7, it seems I can see only limited objects.
Comment: @uhoh _"with decent skies"_ → Yeah, that's the issue. OP said they are in a heavily light-polluted location, Bortle 7. My comment comes from using my 10x50 binocs and my uncle's 12-25x80 binocs in a Bortle 7-8 sky after sunset (dark enough to see the planets but barely any stars): first with 10x50, Saturn looked just like Venus; then with 25x80, I clearly saw there's something surrounding the planet. THEN with 10x50 again, yeah, I could "sense" something on the sides —but was I actually _seeing_ it? Or was it just my brain "filling up the gaps" based on what it had just seen through the 25x80?
Comment: For Saturn's rings, you'd need at least a pair of 25x70 binocs: rings would appear as two bulges on the sides on the planet. With bigger lenses (20x80, 25x100) they would get clearer, but those binocs are too bulky to be used comfortably without a tripod -- and, if you're carrying a tripod anyways, you may as well carry a full telescope!
Comment: @walen with decent skies and old eyeballs you really do not need such crazy-big binoculars to resolve the rings. You can't see much but you can certainly be convinced they are there. [I don't have particularly good eyesight but I can assure you that in my 8x42 binoculars (only 8x magnification, 42 mm aperture) I can resolve all four Galilean moons of Jupiter (if they're far enough away) and the two little bumps on the side of Saturn where its rings extend.](https://astronomy.stackexchange.com/a/49545/7982)
Comment: @walen yes I see what you mean!
Answer: This is totally anecdotal, but based on my own observations with a pair of 10x50 binoculars on a light-polluted suburban street in South East England...

Rings of Saturn: No
Moons of Jupiter: Yes, all four main moons are easy to see (assuming they're not behind the planet at the time obviously!)
Uranus and Neptune: No
Deep sky objects: I have managed to observe the Andromeda galaxy as a very faint smudge, but that's about it.

Exciting things that I have been able to see include:

Open star clusters, especially the Pleiades and the Praesepe (beehive) cluster. These are underwhelming or invisible to the naked eye, but I find them quite beautiful through the binoculars.
Double stars e.g. Epsilon Lyrae.
The moon, in much more detail than is possible with the naked eye.

This sounds rather negative, but I still think it's been well worth getting the binoculars. They're a great next step from naked eye observing, since they're easy to 'point and shoot' - no setup required like there is with a telescope. Plus they're easy to take with you if you're going somewhere with dark skies.
Ultimately if you really want to see those rings of Saturn, you're probably going to need a telescope. Perhaps there is an astronomy club nearby where you can try some out?
Comment: No problem, hope I haven't put you off! If you are thinking about buying binoculars for astronomy, I would definitely have a look at Steve Tonkin's [binocular sky](https://binocularsky.com/) site
Comment: Very good answer. One might also suggest to now-and-then arrange a little trip "out to the country", rather than feeling necessarily trapped in the light pollution in the city. As a kid, I was _stunned_ by the Milky Way and ... everything... on my grandparents' farm in very-rural southern Indiana in the U.S., c. 1960. Saying light pollution is "not so bad", as near Fort Wayne, Indiana, c. 1960, wildly understates the difference between that and "none". :)
Comment: Thanks for answer, it exactly what I am expected.
Comment: Are globular clusters not considered DSOs? Also, Orion's nebula will be seen as a proper nebula instead of as a smudged star. Oh, and the Pleiades will look gorgeous!
Comment: Even a trip to the country won't resolve Saturn's rings with 10x50 binoculars.


What does Renown do?

Question: In the mobile game, Magic the Gathering: Puzzle Quest, cards can have Renown.  What does the Renown keyword mean for MTG: Puzzle Quest?
Answer: While many keywords have different meanings from the original card game, it looks like Renown acts the same, as evidenced from this post and this site.
From the official site, Renown does the following:

Renown triggers the first time a creature with renown deals combat damage to a player. The ability puts some number of +1/+1 counters on that creature (the number after the renown keyword). Also, it causes the creature to become renowned. So, if your Rhox Maulers deals combat damage to your opponent (and trample may help there), it will beef up to a mighty 6/6. Now that it's renowned, its renown ability will no longer trigger, but it will get a better effect from Enshrouding Mist.

Since a Planeswalker counts as a player, damage to a Planeswalker will also activate the Renown keyword.
Comment: @John, okay, I did some more research and it looks like Renown is the same in Puzzle Quest as it is in the card game. Let me know if this is incorrect.
Comment: In general, the rules in MtG Puzzle quest are very different than in the CCG.  (Vigilance and Defender are very different for instance).  so, why do you think Renown is the same?
Answer: I found a glossary for the terms in the game, and for renown it states:

The first time this creature deals damage to a Planeswalker, gain +X/+X where x is equal to its Renown value

I also found a discussion between players that seems to confirm this:

Renown adds +x/+x to a creature when it deals damage to the enemy opponent.
Comment: @John I included a link to that glossary in my answer as well; it's the second link.
Comment: That glossary is sweet....  So hard to find via google however....  Thanks!

What does Renown do?


Query for posts from any post type but only add instock products

Question: I need build a query like these :
Fetch 10 posts from any post_type but if the post_type was product then only add it if it is instock.
When i use meta_query for this purpose it only returns products ! because that meta is not available on other posts.
What can i do ?
Thanks.
Comment: Yes - if your `instock` data is a meta field, adding that condition as a meta query will only return items that have that value in that field.
Comment: You can use pre_get_posts to add the special query for the product. If you use the post_status : publish and set woocommerce options to hide if the product has no stock, it can work too.
Answer: You can check status instock only if meta key _stock_status exists.
Something like:
'meta_query' => array(
            array(
                'key' => '_stock_status',
                'value' => 'instock',
                'compare' => '=',
            ),
            'relation' => 'OR',
            array(
                'key' => '_stock_status',
                'value' => '',
                'compare' => 'NOT EXISTS'
            ),
        )

Note: Code is not tried or tested, so check for any syntax errors
Comment: Thank you so much, your snippet works fine and resolved my problem. I was really going to use what others mentioned but you saved my life.


3-Wire 30A needs to be 4-wire 30A for new oven, can I run a ground from wall outlet?

Question: I'm replacing an oven that was wired with 240V 3-wire 30A (Black, White, Red) and the new oven is 240V 4-wire 30A.  Can I run a copper ground wire from a 15A grounded outlet two feet away?
Comment: CONDUIT OR ROMEX?
Comment: Can you post photos of the inside of the oven junction box please?
Comment: Romex, no conduit or grounded box right there in the wall, just a junction box nailed to the wall.
Answer: No, you can't.  That ground wire isn't nearly big enough!
You are allowed to retrofit just a ground, however it has to go

back to the panel
to non-flexible metal conduit or AC cable  that goes all the way back to the panel
to another appliance whose ground wire is at least 10AWG all the way back to the panel
to the Grounding Electrode system of that panel, i.e. The copper wire that connects the panel with the ground rods/water pipe.  You cannot use the water pipe.
To some combination of the above

There is no need for the retrofit ground to be routed with  the conductors, since it does not carry current except during fault conditions.  Use any feasible route.
Comment: AFIK a retrofit ground does not have to follow the path of the existing cable. The thinking is that a ground only carries a current in case of a fault expected to quickly trip the breaker. Hence the current in the isolated ground only flows very briefly, not long enough to cause significant inductive heating in any metal it passes near or through..
Comment: @DanielGriscom -- it does *not* need to follow the path of the rest of the conductors in a retrofit situation, see 250.134(B) Exception 1 for details
Comment: ... and, it needs to travel with the power lines, right? (You can't have your line/neutral go one side of the room, and the ground the other, right?)
Comment: Ah; it's the line and neutral which **always** have to travel together. (Interesting: thanks.)
Comment: Thanks.  My intuition was that it wasn't big enough.  Regarding the 4th option (Grounding Electrode), if my panel grounding wire is connected to the water pipe, why can't I ground to the same water pipe twenty feet closer to my access point? Why do I need to run it all the way to the panel wire rather than the water pipe it's also connected to?
Comment: @GregoryBrouillette oh, for so many reasons... But galvanic corrosion is enough.  The safety issue is that the plumber expects the only possible electrical use of water pipe to be the Grounding Electrode System, and so he's not checking for any others, and won't be aware of the knock-on effects of changing it to PEX.
Comment: @Harper aha! makes perfect sense.  Thank you


Would the Borg assimilate a 20 century Earth?

Question: If the Borg found Earth in 20 century or early 21st century, such as 2015, would they assimilate humanity? If they thought Earth is too primitive to their use, would they just leave Earth alone for later, kill everyone on it, or forget about Earth?
Comment: As a suggestion, to make this question less opinion-based, you could reword it to ask if there are any examples of the Borg assimilating societies at our level, and if so why, and if not, what did they do to those societies, if anything.
Answer: The Borg would most likely skip over earth for assimilation based on our tech, and humans physical anatomy.
The Borg have been shown to skip over races with Warp tech so a pre warp tech wont pique their radar.

Species the Borg found unremarkable would be deemed unworthy of
  assimilation. As of 2374 the Borg considered the Kazon beneath their
  notice, and by 2376 they only took interest in the Brunali if they
  detected sufficiently relevant technology.

Of the Kazon.

"Their biological and technological distinctiveness was unremarkable; they were unworthy of assimilation." When Neelix commented on this heretofore unknown discriminating nature of the Borg, she replied: "Why assimilate a species that would detract from perfection?"

memory alpha (VOY: "Mortal Coil", "Child's Play")
Comment: But technology isn't their only consideration!
Comment: So the question is would assimilating Humans move the Borg towards perfection? Obviously, yes. Case closed. Prepare to be assimilated.
Answer: I expect they would still assimilate a 20th or 21st century Earth. However, as pointed out by @Himarm in the comments below, I base this answer on the premise that they would assimilate us if they understood something about the general personality traits of our species.  Whilst we are pre-warp, technology is only one consideration.  Similarly, biologically the Borg have described us as:

Physiology inefficient, below average cranial capacity, minimal redundant systems, limited regenerative abilities.
  (VOY: Dark Frontier)

Aside from our biology and technology, the Borg are also interested in our abilities and humans have been noted several times by the Borg that we are unusually resilient and persistent creatures not to mention our curiosity. Adding sch traits would only add to their perfection.  So, assuming that they were able to observe humanity and come to judgements about the traits of our species which they have evaluated as desirable, based on these human traits I think the Borg would probably assimilate a 21st century Earth.
Comment: however, those traits are not something they would be able to pick up via scanning, so how would they determine humans were a special biological specimen. i hazard to guess its because of run ins with the federation which was a worthy organization for the borg to assimilate, that they found out humans themselves contained traits worthy of assimilation. in reality humans are one of the least evolved races we encounter in startrek, for physical traits. its non-meta traits we have that make us distinct.
Comment: @Himarm I've edited my answer quite a bit ;)


How often should Navigation software be updated?

Question: I have a 2005 Lexus rx 330 with navigation system. How often should it be updated and how much does it cost approximately?
Answer: Your system arrives with a pretty comprehensive map set when you first get it. The satnav companies will always advise regular updates and you pay for them. Most of the updates are of petty adjustments to the road system and are generally not worth paying for as the systems will re-calculate if you go off route anyway. To me it is simple up-selling when it comes to these updates.


What language should I learn to perform recurring scheduled tasks for a web application

Question: What I think I want:
A language that would run persistently on a server to run recurring events that would be able to respond to html requests and give them tailored data.  The scheduled events would be dynamically timed and occur frequently.  The events would almost always be changes to database information, and the results would be viewed through a web application.
Why I think PHP isn't going to work for me:
Since I can only get my PHP to run when a user requests a page, or through a fixed rigid schedule, I'm having to look at the request time versus the last time it ran and fill in the gaps that should have happened. For example, if I had something that needed to occur every 15 minutes and no PHP scripts ran for several hours; then it would have to check how many were missed a run catch up to simulate what I believe should have happened in that time.
Real world examples and specifics:
I'm going to point to a really stupid example in this section because it's actually really pretty close in real-world concept to what I'm trying to explain.  The online game neopets has shops that restock every so often with randomly generated goods.  It restocks more if the store is emptier during every ~15 minute restock but the old items remain.
This isn't what I want exactly, but I recognized that at it's basic concept was extremely similar.  I'll be extrapolating some odd additions to this system as I think it makes more sense than what I'm actually doing.
What should I do to recreate this shop but with the following requirements:

Restock times are dynamically derived from other events occurring (set time since another item sells perhaps), therefore the schedule isn't a rigid "every quarter hour" that I can run through scheduled PHP scripts.  Instead it could be exactly at 5:46:23PM
The "restocking" is derived from other time specific information.  I am unable to just simulate all restocks that should have occurred once a new customer checks the page.

What direction should I go?
I have no idea what I'm talking about so assume the following is shit:
I suspect I am wanting a persistent running program on the server that performs these tasks and puts the results into a database which is then accessed and delivered through php to the end user.  I'm really just getting started though and I know I'm very likely making a very stupid assumption.  Is there something that is both the persistent program and PHP together that I should learn?
I'm doing this as a hobby and just want to learn more so I can make more fun toys for myself.
Comment: I think the common view is that PHP indeed isn't optimal for creating a persistent program (AKA service, or "daemon" in the *nix world). There is a number of good discussions on the topic: http://stackoverflow.com/search?q=php+daemon
Comment: Related: [Is it wise to use PHP for a daemon?](http://stackoverflow.com/q/646928)
Comment: the question title is misleading from the actual intent.
Answer: I think you are mixing up two concerns:

A language that would run persistently on a server to run recurring events that would be able to respond to html requests and give them tailored data

You are not looking for a language to run persistently, but for a system, e.g. a JobQueue (something like Gearman). This JobQueue will do your main scheduled works. You can use PHP to get messages from that queue, trigger new jobs and inspect running jobs, etc. in addition to building the website people will interact with in PHP.
Answer: You could always use CRON and call a PHP file to do the dirty work, for the logic side.
(And by that I mean, use the PHP "system" function Documented Here to do the rescheduling commands in CRON itself)


Shutting down a linux system

Question: I am quite new to Linux and started using KDE Linux as my main os. I was wondering why does my Linux system start up with running programs and processes from the last session when I start it up again? I like to use the terminal a lot and I just like to use the "poweroff" command in the terminal. My friend told me to use the "shutdown 0" command but it didn't help. Is there a better way to shutdown my system so it would start up with any programs or processes running from the recent session?
Comment: I'm not a KDE user, but in other desktop environments like Xfce there is a settings configuration for startup programs. In Xfce there is a simple checkbox for whether or not to remember the running programs from your previous session. I suspect there is something like this for KDE, and it should take effect regardless of how you terminate your session or shut down your system.
Answer: There's a setting in KDE where you it can save a session, so that if you leave some applications open, on next startup, it'll reopen those same application again. You're looking to start with an empty session.
KDE Settings/System Startup and Shutdown
Comment: This is the correct answer.  The option is `Start with empty session ` https://userbase.kde.org/images.userbase/4/40/Snapshot-kde-session-manager-config.png
Answer: shutdown -P now
But make sure your bios settings are correct and that it's not hard-wired to go into a sleep/standby mode as it seems to be doing.
Answer: When your friend suggested using shutdown 0, perhaps the intended command was actually meant to be:
sudo init 0

Answer: you need to use sudo shutdown -h now or sudo shutdown -h 35 if you want to shut it down after 35 minutes
It is also very handy to disable sudo for shutdown command so you can run it as a simple user.

Shutting down a linux system


What if Earth's core became a planet of its own?

Question: Would the Earth's core start expanding and release its heat? Would some of the metal(iron-nickel) evaporate due to boiling point temperatures and no pressure anymore? Would it affect the orbits of nearby planets or not. The Earth has some effect on some of the nearby inner planets like Venus and Mars. So what would this core do to those nearby planets? What if the core was placed near Mars?
Comment: We'd have to start with "What do you mean by 'became a planet of its own?'"
Comment: Ahh, that one is easy enough that I don't mind answering it in comments: none at all. Space is *enoremous* to an extent you cannot possibly fathom.  If there is even evidence that this event occurred, it would be incredibly lucky.  That being said 'how close' is an essential question.  If it's 99.999999% of the way from Earth to Mars, then it may have a measurable effect.
Comment: More like Earth's core just disappears and a new object with the iron part of the Earth's is flown into space.
Comment: Like the Earth's inner and outer core turns into a sphere of mass that then orbits the sun. The Earth's inner and outer core have enough mass to turn into a planet right if it is taken from Earth's interior.
Comment: So you mean some ungodly powerful force rips the core right out from the earth and puts it in its own orbit around the sun?
Comment: Okay, I think I'm getting it now.  That new object is inexplicably under the exact same amount of pressure as the Earth's core is under at t=0, and then after that point it is allowed to behave normally with the laws of physics.  And you're interested in how the core beahves (as opposed to how the poor Earth behaves)?
Comment: Then all that pressure is then gone and what would happen to the core?
Comment: I thought I recognized this question.  Believe it or not: possible duplicate (If the world were blown to pieces, what would remain)[https://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/questions/108176/if-the-world-were-blown-to-pieces-what-would-remain]
Comment: I also ask in the question that how it would affect nearby planets though.
Answer: Ignoring how it would affect Earth's gravitational pull and the tides, I could see two things happening:
1) The Earth would lose its molten core, and this would have devastating consequences on the tectonic plates, meaning no more volcanoes, geysers or earthquakes. While the molten core is cooling over time and will eventually turn into a non-geological planet like Mars, this will not happen for billions of years.
2) No more magnetic fields to protect the Earth from solar radiation.
Comment: I think the lack of support from the core and everything on the surface falling many miles due to lack of support would be a much greater disaster than the effects that you mentin.
Answer: Earth would collapse without its core that holds up the outer parts.  Everything on the surface of Earth would fall hundreds of miles at least.  So Earth would face total disaster even if the core was magically teleported into space instead of being ripped out through part of the crust.
As for the gravitational effect of the core on other planets, that depends on the new orbit of the core around the Sun - if the core remains in the solar system instead of going someplace else.
Every particle of matter in the universe, no matter how small, has some gravitational effect on every other particle of matter in the universe, no matter how far apart they are.
But for a planet orbiting the Sun like Venus or Mercury, the gravity of the Sun would be stronger than all the other gravitation forces on it combined.  The orbit of a planet is primarily determined by the gravitational effects of the Sun, and the gravitational forces of other planets cause only minor perturbations in the orbit of the planet.
The Earth's core would have less mass than the entire Earth, and thus less powerful gravity.
The escape velocity from Earth, a measure of the strength of Earth's gravitational attraction, is 11.186 kilometers per second at the surface of the Earth.  At Earth's distance from the Sun,the Sun's escape velocity is 42.1 kilometers per second.
Anyway, there are computer programs where you could choose a mass for the Earth's core and a trajectory for the Earth's core and run calculations to see how the Earth's core's gravity affects the orbits of other planets.
Answer: If so the planet would lose nearly 1/3 of it's mass. it's gravity would decline to such a degree it's atmosphere would probably dissapate. The orbital stability would decline either freezing the planet if it wobbled too far from the sub or burn if it got too close. It's magnetic field would dissipate and the planet would be bathed in radiation equivalent to A millions of nuclear weapons.
The Earth's core was a planetoid of it's own. It lends to the theory of how the moon formed. During the Earth's early history; it's molten state, a small rogue planetary body scientists dubbed "Theia" slammed into the Earth at an oblique angle. This had several side effects.

Gave the Earth it's signature axial tilt.
Probably added several hundred quintillion tons to the Earth's core mass, thus permitting it's continous thermal operation to this day.
Answer:
Would the Earth's core start expanding and release its heat?

Yes. Not much, but it would expand a little bit with the weight of the mantle and crust taken off of it. And without all that insulation, it would indeed start losing heat far more rapidly. It would be glowing white.

Would some of the metal(iron-nickel) evaporate due to boiling point temperatures and no pressure anymore?

Yes. The temperature of the outer core is around 5000°C. The boiling point of iron is 2862°C. So yeah, a large amount of nickel and iron would immediately evaporate to form a metal gas atmosphere, so of which would end up lost to space. (Not very much, though. Iron and nickel are heavy, and the atmosphere would be cooling rapidly.)
After a while, the atmosphere would recondense and you'd have a liquid metal ocean exposed to near vacuum. Since iron and nickel sink when they freeze, that liquid surface will remain until the entire body has frozen through from the inside out. You will end up with a new atmosphere consisting of volatiles outgassed from the liquid metal as it circulates in convection cells--most likely a variety of simple carbon, sulfur, and oxygen compounds, along with nickel and iron carbonyls (which may end up forming lakes once the surface has fully cooled).

Would it affect the orbits of nearby planets or not.

Strictly speaking, yes. Enough to notice? No.

So what would this core do to those nearby planets?

If it remains in Earth's current orbit, nothing significant.

What if the core was placed near Mars?

How near? The core is about 1/3 of the Earth's total mass, and Mars is about 1/10th of Earth's mass... so the core on its own is still a planet more than three times more massive than Mars. It could form a double planet, or Mars could end up as a moon of the new iron world, depending on how far apart they end up. If they are not gravitationally bound, but are nevertheless in close orbits, the best scenario would be to end up in horseshoe co-orbital arrangement like Saturn's moon Janus and Epimetheus, or else in an eccentricity-exchanging co-orbital arrangement. The latter is likely the destabilize the rest of the inner solar system unless arranged very carefully; and in any other scenario, they end up flinging each other around largely unpredictably, which definitely destabilizes the rest of the inner solar system.
Comment: What about its density? Doesn't density play a big part in gravity? And even if all the iron expanded it would still have more density than earth at 7 gm/cm^3. Mars has a little over 3 gm/cm^3. So would Mars be in the Roche limit of the core?
Comment: @RoghanArun Density plays a role in surface gravity, but not in exterior gravity at arbitrary distances. Whether or not Mars would be in the Roche limit of the core depends on how far apart they are--but it is indeed Mars, rather than the core, which would be torn apart if they got too close.


Wifi usage and control

Question: Can my messages and files either sent or received be seen by the wifi owner while am using their wifi? I am I'm some ones house and am using their wifi network for everything I do on Internet including charting on all social media and other general sites.
Answer: In theory, yes.  Wifi encryption (if present), only protects data sent from your PC to their access point.  After this it is sent without additional encryption so messages could be read and captured if the Wifi owner really wanted to do that.  In practice, even capturing unencrypted data and reading it requires a higher level skill, beyond the regular systems administration skillset.  If you're a spy or access personal banking information you should worry about it and avoid using untrusted Wifi without additional encryption like a VPN.  If you are just posting social messages, chances are no one wants to try hard enough to read them.
In addition to possible Wifi encryption, your applications could be encrypting your login, password, and the data as well.  For example using an HTTPS browser URL means the data is encrypted between your PC and the system that serves the page, regardless if Wifi provides any protection.  Encrypted data can be captured but not read, in most cases.  If the URL starts with HTTP then there is no encryption and Wifi owner could eavesdrop on your messages.  On top of that, DNS queries which reveal which sites you visit will be visible.
Wifi Encryption relevance:
WEP: extremely easy to crack
WPA: easy to crack
WPA2: cracked in 2017 but patched Access Points should prevent most of the risk.
When applications don't use the browser the question is harder to answer.  You should research if your non-browser applications encrypt credentials and data and then you will know if Wifi owner has any means to capture and read your messages.
Comment: You might also want to add, that DNS is usually unencrypted. Therefore the router will be able to know, which domain names you tried to resolve. Also wifi encryption strength vary. Are we talking about WEP, WPA, WPA2, ...?

Wifi usage and control


Creating nested messages in OpenPGP

Question: I need to create a nested message in OpenPGP (my understanding is that the protocol itself should support it).
Let's say I have Payload ("Time in Lordran is convoluted").
I do the usual PGP encryption routine with a public key PK1, and as a result I get encrypted session key SK1 and encrypted payload EncPY1. I can combine this output OUT1 as a single PGP message.
Now, I want to do the same thing again: encrypt OUT1 but with public key PK2 to get OUT2. The problem here is that OUT1 is going to generate a Literal data packet instead of Symmetrically Encrypted Data Packet.
It means that to retrieve the Payload, the decryption of OUT2 by GnuPG will happen in two passes (gpg -d OUT2.gpg | gpg -d) instead of one (gpg -d OUT2.gpg).
Excerpt from the RFC that confirms theoretical possibility:
   The Symmetrically Encrypted Data packet contains data encrypted with
   a symmetric-key algorithm.  When it has been decrypted, it contains
   other packets (usually a literal data packet or compressed data
   packet, but in theory other Symmetrically Encrypted Data packets or
   sequences of packets that form whole OpenPGP messages).

I have tried OpenPGP implementation in Go and there is no API to facilitate what I need. I would like to know if there is a library in Java, Python or any other language that fits my use case.
So far I haven't seen anyone in the libraries that I looked at that has tested creation of nested messages (except for compression).
Answer: I figured it out. All you have to do is to use Bouncy Castle Java library. All other libraries are absolute garbage.
None of the libraries have docs, but at least this one is not a binding to a thirty-year-old C code.
Comment: Moderator note: please tone it down a notch and reserve your strongest adjectives for much worse code, which does exist (trust me on that one). Also, have you reviewed all libraries?

Creating nested messages in OpenPGP


Micro-BFD LAG and OSPF

Question: When configuring a Micro-BFD session on a LAG, is it preferred/recommended to still also tie BFD to the OSPF adjacency that is established over that interface?  I would think not as the BFD session for OSPF would be hashed over a single link, during a failure of that link in the bundle the OSPF adjacency would go down, but LAG would stay up (assuming other measures such as min-links is not met).  Is it preferred recommended to only configure BFD tied to LAG and allow that failure to trigger the OSPF process?
Answer: Failover of a LAG connection means that the traffic would failover to the link(s) still up. It is much, much faster than STP failover. It is even faster than routing protocol failover.
Your BFD and OSPF session would remain up if there is at least one link of the LAG still up.
Don't confuse the LAG interface, which OSPF and BFD use, with the individual interfaces of the LAG links. As long as the LAG interface is still up, and it will be if even one of the LAG links is still up, then OSPF will continue to run on the interface. The LAG interface decides which link a flow will use, and it will shift flows to remaining links when any link goes down. This is invisible to the flow. This happens very, very fast, and there is no way that OSPF would miss enough Hellos to decide the neighbor is down.
Comment: I align that OSPF would not miss enough hellos to decide the neighbor is down but what if BFD was tied to the OSPF adjacency with timers of 300ms x 3 for instance.  Seems there are scenarios without micro-bfd that LACP did not detect a failure faster than BFD on 'bad' member link.  If the BFD session is hashed over that  link the LAG would still remain up but wouldn't it be possible that BFD failed before the re-hash of traffic on the "bad" member link effectively dropping the OSPF adjacency.
Comment: Well, 300 ms is probably two orders of magnitude longer than it takes LAG to fail over. The LAG interface will never go down (as long as one link is still up), which would trigger OSPF to see an immediate failure. STP fail over is usually measured in seconds, routing protocol fail over is measured in hundreds of milliseconds, and LAG fail over is often measured in microseconds (depending on the vendor).
Comment: @00_tlb_00, all I can say about it is that we have never had a routing protocol (OSPF or BGP) or BFD detect a down condition when a link in a LAG interface fails, and this is from many thousands of LAG connections. If something enters a LAG connection where at least one interface is up, it will get sent to the other side. You are looking at the delay of what it takes to run the hash table, and, in any case, that would preclude BFD from running on a LAG.
Comment: I was also thinking of scenario where issue didn't occur at the phy level and rehash relied on default slow timers of 30s. If bfd was hashed over that link seems it could cause failure situation. appreciate the insight to into your experience too within the field.

Micro-BFD LAG and OSPF


Possible to put XBOX 360 Controller inputs with logic bricks?

Question: I am making a game on Windows with BGE and was trying to add a controller instead of a mouse and keyboard.  I cant seem to get blender to recognize the buttons on the controller when I press them like I would with a keyboard or mouse. Is it supposed to recognize that or is my controller driver not working properly? Help would be awesome!
Answer: I think you can use the Joystick sensor; However, you do have to configure it accordingly, using the button and axis numbers.
Comment: @CrazyPoo Glad I helped; If it solves your problem, you can upvote (up arrow) and accept (the check mark under the arrows) my answer ;D
Comment: http://www.elysiun.com/forum/showthread.php?205580-Use-Xbox-360-controller-triggers-and-analog-sticks-in-BGE
Answer: Yes it's possible! Just make sure and calibrate your controller first just to be safe. You need logic bricks, python script and game object (player and ground) to see the results bge-style. Follow these instructions to see how to rotate the cube and make it jump. Okay, let's assume we're starting a new Blender project using the original startup. (I'm using Blender 2.66a for 64bit windows 7 and an XBox 360 wired controller).

Prepare the scene - In the 3d view window, add a plane mesh object and scale it will be the ground. So now we have Camera, light, plane and cube. Then select the cube, in the property's window switch the physics type from static to dynamic.
Prepare the bricks - Then in the logic editor window add one ray sensor, two joystick sensors and one python controller for that cube we selected. Name the ray sensor (I'll be naming mine "Ground"), True & Neg Pulse On, -Z Axis, Range 1.0. Then name the Joystick Sensors (mine will be "Leftstick" and "Jump"). Here's the settings for joystick sensor named "Leftstick"-True Pulse on, Event type: Axis, Axis Number: 1 and all events enabled. Next is "Jump"'s settings-Just simply select Tap. Then link all sensors to the python controller brick.
Prepare the code - In the text editor window add a New script and name it. Back in the logic window, in the python controller brick, select your new script. Go back to the text editor window to write the script. The script should look something like this...
When you play it, you'll be able to rotate cube with left stick and jump with A button!


How to show the "Home" folder for SSRS 2008 in SQL Management Studio

Question: I just installed SSRS 2008 on a development server and when I connect to it with SQL Management Studio I do not have all of the items in Object Explorer that I had with our SSRS 2005 installation. For example, we are missing the "Home" folder which lists all the reports. When we browse to our /ReportServer URL we can view and run our reports, so I know they are on the server. Does anyone know if this is a permissions issue or something else?
Answer: Unfortunately Microsoft decided to take out the duplicate functionality between SSMS and the Report Manager web pages in SSRS 2008.
Most of the report functionality (uploading rdls, data sources, maintaining security, etc.) has to be done through the web interface now.
Wish I had better news...
Dan


When (the year) and where (the place) did Moses write Genesis?

Question: When and where did Moses write Genesis?
Comment: A [related](http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/22209) question.
Answer: Jon D. Levenson states:

"In Second Temple and rabbinic Judaism, however, Genesis is treated as part of the Torah of Moses. Despite a number of demurrals on a few particular passages by major rabbis in the Middle Ages, this became the consensus of the tradition. Historical-critical scholarship, however, has identified three main sources, which it denotes with the symbols J, E, and P, that have been woven together to produce Genesis." 1

According to modern scholarship the question about date and place of the writing of Genesis is impossible to answer as there were multiple contributors at different times and places.
On the other hand, Jewish scholars living at the time of Christ attributed Genesis to Moses. Philo of Alexandria writing his commentary on creation cites the text in Genesis and begins:

While among other lawgivers some have nakedly
  and without embellishment drawn up a code of the
  things held to be right among their people, and
  others, dressing up their ideas in much irrelevant
  and cumbersome matter, have befogged the masses
  and hidden the truth under their fictions, Moses,
  disdaining either course, the one as devoid of the
  philosopher's painstaking effort to explore his subject
  thoroughly, the other as full of falsehood and imposture,
  introduced his laws with an admirable and
  most impressive exordium. He refrained, on the one
  hand, from stating abruptly what should be practised
  or avoided, and on the other hand, in face of the
  necessity of preparing the minds of those who were
  to live under the laws for their reception, he refrained
  from inventing myths himself or acquiescing in those
  composed by others. 2

Philo not only recognized Moses as the writer; he considered the creation account part of "his laws".
Additionally, the Samaritan Pentateuch is historical evidence that ancient scholars recognized Moses as the author of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. While there is no consensus on the date the Samaritan Pentateuch was first written, there is little question it was written before the time of Christ. The Samaritans not only recognized Moses as the author of the first 5 books, they rejected the other books as part of the Law.
Principles of source-criticism may be applied to this question. If the highest value is assigned to the oldest sources, the Second Temple tradition and the Samaritan Pentateuch means Moses was the author. Since the Hebrew and Samaritan scholars of the Hebrew text 2,000+ years ago recognized Moses as the writer of the first five books, Moses was the author of Genesis.
Therefore Genesis should be dated to the time of the Exodus. "Those who believe that there was an actual Exodus generally fall into two camps: those that believe that it happened in the 13th century BC, and those that believe that it happened in the 15th century BC." Byrant G Wood places the date as 1446 BC. 2
There are there two periods during which Moses could have written Genesis: before returning to Egypt or after leaving. If before the location would be Midian; if after the location was the "wilderness" (which could also include Midian). So the location can be narrowed down to the Sinai Peninsula and the date to the time of the Exodus.

Notes:
1. Jon D. Levenson, JPS Study Bible (2004), p 11
2. Philo Volume 1, Translated by F.H. Colson, G.H. Whitaker, p. 7 [Philo Volume 1]
3. Bible Archeology
Answer: It's not even agreed by scholars that Moses was the one that wrote Genesis, nor when the Exodus occurred. This makes dating the writing of Genesis completely based on opinion. For those scholars who still believe Moses wrote Genesis, (which is very few; this belief comes from rabbinical tradition) dates range widely on the basis of a scholar's dating of the Exodus.
Furthermore, if, as according to Documentary, supplementary or fragmentary hypothesis there was an individual or several individuals who later redacted the Tankah, it makes saying when it was "written" even more difficult as the complete work as we have it today was redacted much later than the earlier sources and the earlier sources may have varying dates.
Comment: Thanks for the VtO. I tend to agree that although this is a fairly sloppily constructed question showing little research effort, the _answer_ to it in this context is to point out that no definite answer can be given and name the difficulties that make it so, which is what both answers have done.
Comment: @kmote The notion that "`...that "very few" scholars still hold to Mosaic authorship...`" also happens to be true. See e.g. the (conservative) work by Provan, Long, and Longman *[A Biblical History of Israel](https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dmI4eW8qvOYC&lpg=PP1&pg=PA112#v=onepage&q&f=false)* (Westminster/John Knox Press, 2003) pp. 111ff., which includes the observation that "demonstrating that Moses did indeed write the patriarchal narratives is impossible" (p. 112).
Comment: Your opinion that "very few" scholars still hold to Mosaic authorship is unsubstantiated, unnecessary, and reflective of the liberal bias that seems to have taken over this (previously useful) website. How unfortunate.
Answer: I Agree With that statement the Garden of eden is where it was created and when it was created is around 1450 BC
Comment: Welcome, Brayden, from another relatively new member! If your response doesn't get much positive action, there are likely two reasons. First, most activity is with recent questions; the question you are responding to was submitted three years ago. That doesn't mean that you should not respond to older questions, just that your response might not be seen. I only saw it because I responded to a notice that a "first answer" had been submitted. Secondly, most members like to have citations/references included with answers, so they can check the sources.


Why does 'government consumption'in NK models not add to utility

Question: In almost all NK models public government consumption (like coastal defences) or private government consumption (like primary and secondary education) is by default 'wasteful'. Government consumption as we measure it is however defined as production of goods and services by the government which are used/consumed by households). But it seems silly to assume that a privately paid nurse is, by definition, productive while a government paid nurse (working for instance at the NHS in the UK) has zero productivity. So, why is government consumption (again: government production which is consumed by households) not included in 'utility'? Same for government investments. Addendum: not including it means that institutional differences between countries (the NHS!) make it impossible to use NK models to compare countries.
Answer: You can include government consumption in the utility function of the representative consumer, but why? When we add exogenous government purchase shocks to a macro model, we enquire about the dynamics of the agent's consumption and labour supply change. This concept is clear and easy to measure.
Let's assume that you are including government spending in an additively separable utility function. For example, the representative consumer is happy because of the government is investing in coastal defences. But he is unhappy about the state's Olympic games project. It's all OK, but how are you going to defend these assumptions empirically speaking? I think you should introduce a few agents plus. How do you describe the preferences of agents about the different government spending projects (defence forces, park building, etc.)? It's a normative assumption, what makes this research Economics no more. This research becomes Political Science. Unless you find or do a reliable research on the preference of agents about government spending projects. But keeping in mind, political preferences are very far-fetched from the so-called rationality. There is always an emotional factor, which makes a spending project likeable or not. How to make these "soft" questions into "hard" science? It's a very hard question.
Anyway, what is the purpose of including include government consumption in the utility function? I can imagine an OLG model with a social choice problem. E.g. children want playground, adults park, and elders hospital.
To answer your sub-question, government purchase is wasteful by default in Macroeconomics, unless this purchase don't effect the production function in a positively. In any other case, the welfare of the economy can be suboptimal. If government buys tablets for every pupils in schools, it may makes the workforce more productive in the long run.
You can measure the effectiveness of government spending considering the fiscal multipliers indicator. It's a stylized fact that the effectiveness of government spending depends on the countries structural features (income, openness,  exchange rate regime, etc.).
See also: Enrique G. Mendoza, Carlos A. Vegh , Ethan Ilzetzki - How big are fiscal multipliers? New evidence from new data (01 October 2009)


Calling from China to Home country (India) without internet access

Question: I am from India, will go to China. I want to make call from China to INDIA. I am not sure about internet access to use Android Apps like Skype or Google talk. What is the best possible way to make call? I have heard about calling cards. Does it require Internet access or local number to call?
Comment: Skype works in China.
Answer: No. You should be ok with a phone card. You do not need internet access to use a calling card. But it does require you to have a telephone with an associated phone number. You can even use a pay phone (if you can find one). If you have a mobile phone, you can buy a sim card with an international calling plan.
What that said, Skype will be ok to use in China. Google talk might be blocked. Alternatively, you can use WeChat or Whatsapp to make calls over the internet.


Highlight autocorrected words

Question: I've been using my Android phone for typing more lately, and decided to turn on autocorrect to try it out (it was off by default). While it's handy, as the entirety of the internet already knows it's frustrating to have an autocorrected word change to something completely different, and then have it be a total pain in the ass to try and get it to type what I meant to type.
For example, I was searching for 'Wifi Direct' recently, but it kept being changed to something like 'whifflefart' or something else completely wrong. Tap-holding the autocorrected word didn't give me any options, and I eventually had to type 'direct', move the cursor back, and type 'wifi', so it wouldn't consider the two words as one word. This is the most egregious one, but it's happened fairly frequently, especially for unknown terms.
The solution I'm imagining is having each autocorrected word highlighted similar to how urecognized words are, with the word being squiggly-underlined in blue or green or something. This would help you notice words have been autocorrected so you can check them before sending, and then you could tap-hold the word to get a list of other corrections or have it revert to what you typed.
I've tried to search for an app or utility that does something vaguely like this, but haven't found anything remotely relevant. I'm not really sure what this type of app would be called, though, which hasn't helped in my search... if it even exists in the first place!
I'm using Android 4.1.2, rooted, and the default keyboard.
Thanks for your help!
Answer: As far as I know, there is no such app. But you can still solve your problems. There are many keyboards available to try out whose auto-correction features are totally acceptable.
You can try these from Play Store:

Swift Key
Fleksy
Swype
Answer: Assuming you're using the standard AOSP/Google keyboard, any auto-corrections can be immediately undone by pressing the backspace key.

Highlight autocorrected words


Solspace freeform & solspace calendar

Question: Is it possible to use freeform like channel form to add events to calendar? My goal is to include in my freeform form to allow clients to request an appt on the calendar ?
Answer: Solspace Calendar is not a module that allows making "reservations" or "appointments". It's a module that allows creating events in a calendar.
The only form that allows creating events from the front-end if Channel Forms. Freeform cannot create Calendar events.
Comment: Is this still valid? I need to do same schema. I need flexibility of freeform pro and ability to create event in calendar. This would be really awesome.
Comment: Calendar still does not allow this
Comment: Too bad. Really it would be great if you can use them both

Solspace freeform & solspace calendar


Using the same php sofware for multiple domains inside the same apache webserver?

Question: Basically, lets say i have a webserver and i resell hosting specifically for local churches.
i have 5 churches as clients, i have a simple CMS made for them they are equal copies of the same files, for each website i install the CMS , database and the website, i think it's a waste of resources.
i would like to know if i can do the following, afaik most webhosts have the following structure:

A main directory (home)

www.church1.com (church1)
www.church2.com (church2)
www.church3.com (church3)
www.church4.com (church4)
www.church5.com (church5)

basically i want the CMS to be on the Home directory, and each one of the Churches (clients) would only have a Config file, a Database ant the template regarding their websites.
so the system source code would be shared, but the website design and the database files would be completelly separated.
i'm not a webhosting or a development expert, but i know my way around, i'm sorry if the question is too basic, i'm having a hard time finding if this is possible.
EDIT: I Think Rudu's reference pretty much solved my problem!
Comment: Similar to [How do I run multiple websites on the same server with the same code base in PHP?](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/3805702/how-do-i-run-multiple-websites-on-the-same-server-with-the-same-code-base-in-php/3805734#3805734)
Comment: Look for information Regarding Multi Tenant Architecture.  It is entirely possible, and not that hard.  But you need to code your CMS to handle this. Basically you alias all of the domains into the same homedirectory, and then your code can use the HTTP HOST header to determine which site/content to show, how to scope your DB queries etc..
Comment: You can certainly do this but are you looking for a pre-built CMS that can do this for you or are you looking to re-engineer your own to have this capability? Please provide more information.
Comment: @Jarrod i'm looking for a way to make my own software , but i you can point me some opensource software that does this i'm open to learn  as much as i can :)
Comment: @Rudu thank you i'm already reading on this one , iknew someone have asked this before!
Comment: Joomla is capable of doing this using an extension, but does not natively support a multi-site architecture. You could look into using it - it will give you most of the CMS capabilities you're looking for (probably).
Answer: Since you are building it yourself, put the include files (application logic) in a folder or include path that is accessible to all the domains. Then you can put your template files, images and stylesheets in the individual domain folders.  If you are database driven you can check the domain $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] and load results from a certain table or database based off of that. You really can go a lot of different directions here if you are building it yourself.
Answer: It is possible - the answer. Exactly - there are some settings ( and now i dont remember them ) that can block it - but set up in all sites that libraries are there and be happy


Should I tell the new hiring manager about last short probation period?

Question: After a long search of several months (with multiple companies), finally got a job offer from company A. I accepted the offer and started working yesterday. Primarily because pay is pretty good and the deadline to accept the offer was about to expire.
To add to the confusion, yesterday company B extended an offer.
This happened because while I was waiting for paperwork for A to get sorted out, I casually interviewed at company B. In reality while I was interviewing with B, I hadn't really accepted the offer from A. I really didn't think B would give an offer when I finally accepted A's offer.
So now I have started working with company A and an offer for B is in the works.
I think I would like to work for Company B if everything checks out. But the primary reason to join company B is because it gives sponsorship to work in the UK after couple of months. Sure sounds promising from their side. Alas, their pay is 13K below what A provides, but I need to think long term.
A on the other hand hasn't really confirmed anything about sponsorship to work in the UK. They are still 'waiting for business to reply.'
So looks like I might join company B after a short stint with A.
My question is:

Should I tell the hiring manger/internal recruiter from company B about this short stint (lets say 1-2 weeks) with company A? I am only seeing it as business and hope they would too.
Would slightly negotiating hurt my chances with B if I were to tell
them the truth? (I am not trying to cause a bidding war)
Could I hide this fact from company B & proceed?

NB: This is my first job in the UK, and I am only trying to do what's right for me.
TLDR: Joined company A. Now thinking of joining B. On the fence about telling B's hiring manager the truth, that it's not really about the short term money, but more about longevity. Also company A has lot of traveling requirements.
Answer: Short answer:
I would go with whoever:
1- Pays more.
2- I "so far" liked.
Sponsorship talks could really change: Who says will sponsor might actually not, and who says will not sponsor (or waiting for business to reply) might actually do.
Comment: Thank you for the reply. Yes I know the sponsorship talks could change. That's the core of my worry. :(
Think going for the money (+ my interested company) makes sense sort of.


Word for something obvious that you've never thought of?

Question: While folding laundry, I realized that if one sock in a pair was inside-out, the other usually would be as well. This thought was obvious after I had it, and also would have been obvious had someone asked me the question, but since it had never come up it was hidden to me. Is there a word for something that is obvious once you think about it, but unlikely to be thought about?
Comment: *"Hiding in plain sight"* doesn't quite fit your socks observation, and neither does *"Not seeing the wood for the trees"* which usually refers to an observer being too involved in the matter. I doubt you'll find a single word answer, but it's a good question.
Comment: Welcome to ELU. Please provide an example sentence how you would use that word, are you looking for a noun, an adjective or even a phrase?
Comment: **Obscure**, perhaps.
Answer: Not a single word, but a useful idiom.
Be (right) under your nose — Cambridge

to be in a place that you can clearly see
"I spent all morning looking for the book, and it was right under my nose the whole time."
"She shoved the letter under her boss's nose (= made certain he saw it)."

See more examples on TFD.


Where was Berit Ben Habetarim done?

Question: I've always imagined that Berit Ben Habetarim was done in Eretz Yisrael, but someone recently told me it happened in Haran.
Anybody have any sources for either?
Answer: There is a spot on a mountain slope in the Western Golan region of Israel, right next to the border with Lebanon.
It is called Mount Betarim , and there are various sources to suggest that this is where the "Covenant Between the Parts" really happened.
The Kabbalists of Tzfat used to make a pilgrimmage to Mount Betarim, some time around Parshat Lech Lecha.  They seem to accept as authentic a Muslim tradition that this is the correct spot.
Today, there is an organized group that ventures to Mount Betarim once a year, on the Friday before Parshat Lech Lecha.  Unfortunately, because the site is right next to the border with Lebanon, individuals cannot make this hike alone.  Only pre-arranged groups are allowed, and IDF soldiers accompany the group at all times.
There is a shelter of sorts which marks the spot , and the hikers go up there with a Torah scroll, and read the passage of the Covenant Between the Parts (without a bracha or aliyot l'torah).  Source for this last point: my own eyes and ears.  I did the hike several years ago.
Answer: Although according to a simple reading of the Torah, the Covenant Between the Parts occurred after Avrohom came to settle in Eretz Yisrael after the age of seventy-five, the sefer Seder Olom here says that it took place in Eretz Yisrael when Avrohom was seventy, and he then returned to Haran for five years, returning to Eretz Yisrael with Sarah and Lot when he was seventy-five. This is also the opinion of Tosafos in Berachos 7b.
I have seen this discussed in several seforim (e.g. Binyan Ariel and  צמח ה' לצבי), all of whom state that it happened in Eretz Yisrael.
Answer: The Rosh In Yevamos 6:12 writes that the bris ben habsarim took place when Avraham Avinu was 70 and was in Eretz Yisrael. He then went back to charan and left again at the age of 75(parshas lech lecha).
Answer: The question is a matter of Machlokes in Rishonim on the relevant Pesukim.
I believe the Ibn Ezra (Just checked, and it isn't him, but I saw it somewhere, I'll check around, B"N) takes the position that the Bris Bein HaBesarim is dated 430 years before the Jews left Mitzrayim. According to that, Avraham's first revelation was while in Charan. (If the 400 years of the Bris Bein HaBesarim is counted from Yitzchak's birth, then he only left Charan 25 years earlier, placing him there at 430 years before).
Other opinions put the Bris Bein HaBesarim around the events where it is described - after the war where his nephew Lot was captured, which would make it in Eretz Yisroel, and the 430 years counts from when he left Ur Kasdim five years before he left Charan, as that was the true beginning of the journey that culminated in the Exodus from Mitzrayim.
This in turn turns on where he was born. Ibn Ezra holds Charan (thus it is his birth place that he leaves in the beginning of Lech Lecha) - his family moved to Ur Kasdim and then back again. Thus leaving Ur Kasdim isn't a significant enough event to create the 430 year mark.
What Rashi holds in this is a long discussion - on the one hand he says Charan was not the birth place - rather the "birth place" is continue traveling from Charan like you traveled from your birth place - on the other hand, he says that the "decree" of the Bris Bein HaBesarim is where the 430 years start. If I ever have the time, I have a long convoluted question to ask about it - if I ever get to untangling it I will ask here.
Answer: Simple peshat Berit Ben Habetarim was done in Eretz Yisrael AFTER the war of 4 kings vs 5 kings. Pereq 15 pasuk 1.  אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה  also see Rambans Commentary.
The question of the 430 years is simple .
Yetziat mitzraim was in the year 2448 according to Seder Olam.
430 years earlier was year 2018 Abraham was 70 years old when his "Older" brother Haran (Sarah wasn't concived when her father was 8 years old) was killed in Ur chasdim.  HKBH told Abraham lech lecha meartzecha (Ur chasdim) oh-melodetecha (continue traveling along the fertile cresent after you've reached the city of your birth, Haran) oh-mebeit Avicha (you may leave your father in Haran).  Abraham left Haran at the age of 75, five years after he heard the commandment of Lech lecha in Ur chasdim.  HKBH delayed Abraham's departure to hieghten his desire for the land (this last sentence is from a comentary 16 century tsfat I recently heard in a shiur.  I'll reedit once ask the Rabbis name).
Ibn Ezra places Abraham in Ur chasdim when HKBH told Abraham Lech Lecha.
Comment: Welcome to Mi Yodeya! Please take a moment to look over our [tour] as this site is different from others you might be used to. Can you possibly [edit] your post to include sources that it for sure happened in Eretz Yisrael? You and I both know you're just spelling out Rashi's understanding of events, but an uninformed reader on the site might not know that.
Comment: Thank you for welcoming me,   I've edited my post to give some sources.

Where was Berit Ben Habetarim done?


What's the effect of the recent renewed interest in Star Wars on statistics?

Question: Not surprisingly, there has obviously been a major uptick in star-wars-related activity as there is renewed interest and presumably as people have been rewatching the Star Wars movies leading up to the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Is anyone interested in writing the queries and providing a (possibly ongoing) analysis of the trends of activity on Star Wars-related posts?
Comment: I'd consider it once I've seen the film; right now I'm maintaining as far a distance as I can from anything to do with the [tag:star-wars] tag.
Comment: @alexwchan that might be best SEDE tends to lag behind.
Answer: There has been an awakening1.
I'm using star-trek as a baseline, because they're my graphs and I want to.
Question growth over time

The above graph shows question growth in absolute numbers. Star Wars questions (blue line) have been growing more-or-less constantly since July 2012, and slightly slower (at least recently) than Star Trek (red line) questions. There is, however, a very slight uptick in the last few days. In the interests of exploring that better, I modified my query slightly

You can see the Star Wars line (now the yellow line, not blue) begin to grow fairly significantly starting on December 17.
Percentage Question Growth

The above graph shows the change in percentage of Star Wars questions. There has been an uptick, beginning in about August, that got suddenly very large near the end of December. Looking just for the month of December, we can see that this very closely resembles the previous graph:

Question Statistics
This one is going to be less scientific.

Compare to my graph from last week:

And to an analysis I did in November:

We can see that views on Star Wars questions have gone up a fair amount in the intervening period, but other statistics have grown only a small bit. Average answer score has actually gone down, which I can only attribute to a sudden influx of low-quality but not-deleteable answers from new users.
There are, of course, always exceptions; all of my numbers here are averages. A particularly extreme example2 is In what order should the Star Wars movies be watched?, which has gone from 341K views and +167 score in April 2015 to 787K views and +190 score at time of writing.

1 Disclaimer: at time of writing, SEDE was last updated December 20, so these stats are a few days out of date. I'll revisit this after SEDE updates on December 27, subject to my own schedule
2 Nod to CreationEdge for pointing out this edge case
Comment: More stats: [This SW question](http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/1520/in-what-order-should-the-star-wars-movies-be-watched) had [341K views in April](http://meta.scifi.stackexchange.com/a/6864/31178) and it grew to [572K in October](http://meta.scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/6862/can-i-comment-on-my-own-question-asking-people-to-vote-more#comment20222_6864) and is now at 786K views. That's a *tremendous* amount of growth for a 4 year old question.
Comment: @CreationEdge That seems like it would be a popular one in the leadup to a new movie. Thanks for pointing it out!
Comment: have you acounted for some TFA questions lacking [tag:star-wars]?
Comment: @DVK I did not, but there are only [five of them](http://scifi.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/the-force-awakens+-star-wars), so they wouldn't have much of an effect anyway
Comment: @JasonBaker - makes sense. Seemed a lot more, but I suppose people fixed that via edits
Answer: Just look at the tag statistics (as of today, 22 Dec at around 18:30 UTC):

story-identification: 36 asked this week, 121 this month
harry-potter: 13 asked this week, 74 this month
star-wars: 33 asked today, 194 this week
star-trek: 11 asked this week, 74 this month
lord-of-the-rings: 15 asked this week, 49 this month
movie: 11 asked this week, 23 this month
short-stories: 16 asked this month, 357 this year
doctor-who: 7 asked this week, 65 this month
marvel-comics: 22 asked this month, 300 this year
star-trek-tng: 9 asked this week, 36 this month
tolkien: 19 asked this week, 34 this month
books: 5 asked this week, 14 this month
marvel-cinematic-universe: 27 asked this month, 392 this year
game-of-thrones: 7 asked this month, 159 this year
comics: 7 asked this month, 95 this year
a-song-of-ice-and-fire: 10 asked this month, 137 this year
There have been more Star Wars questions in the last 7 days than in all the rest of the top 12 tags put together.
Now that's what I call a disturbance in the Force site!
Comment: Please note that this doesn't even account for the fact that plenty of SW7 questions **are deliberately not being asked yet**. I have a list of about 30 pending questions I have, from watching or reading novelization, and didn't post even one of them because of rep cap.


Reverse geocoded address

Question: Is it possible to get the address and map it into Account's standard addressess based on the long lat?
I have a code which gets the current long and lat and updates the details of the account in button click. Im just wondering if the long lat can get also the address of the area atleast city, region,country.
Answer: Yes, but you'd need an external data provider for this. For example, you could use Google's Geocoding API to feed it a latitude and longitude and get back the most likely address, including country, region, city, and street. There are some providers on the AppExchange that have applications that do this as well, so it's definitely possible.

Reverse geocoded address


Sharing information between users on QR codes - better to pull from a server?

Question: I'm building an app that revolves around users scanning each other's QR codes and sharing information.  This would be the main feature of the app, but often times the information in the QR code can get very large, and so it gets harder and harder to scan.  In this case, should I encode only a URL in the QR code and pull the information from there? Obviously this approach would require Internet connection.
Answer: I think it will depend entirely on exactly how much information you would like to store. After a certain point QR's storing the data directly becomes unwieldy if not impossible.
Taking a look at this website: http://www.qrcode.com/en/about/version.html
You can see that as you add more data the QR code must become much bigger.

If you want to store just 500 alpha-numeric characters with Low error correction (may not be preferable if it can be printed) then your QR code will need to be 65 x 65 modules, not pretty but usable. If you need more data than that stored you can have up to 4,296 characters with version 40, the highest supported version, although your QR will look like that 177 x 177 monster on the right of the picture. Any more than that and you have to use a URL to point to your data (or find another encoding than alpha-numeric).
Using a URL also has the benefit of it being dynamic after the QR is created. So if the app generates a new QR evry time this may not be an issue, but if you'd like your users to have their own QR that doesn't change, allowing them to print it or share on social media yet stay updated then you'd want to point to a URL.
Answer: This is a good idea but let's go a step further? Why are they exchanging information and what's the frequency?
Can we use Bluetooth and pair them and send it back and forth?
Even better what about nfc? Maybe bump them to send it or bump them to establish a bluetooth connection and send the large data.
But large QR codes is going to be annoying after a point test it on some users and see what they think.
Comment: Bluetooth might be slower than just scanning a QR code though.
Comment: But what about the frequency you said back and forth sure for one time but if they go back and forth a few times they are already paired. We need to know more about the setting
Comment: QR Codes can be used over a large sistance where the users aren't near each other. I could send it as Photo, print it on a poster or fax it. NFC and Bluetooth dont seem like the best solution to me
Answer: Going with the existing approach of your app, without requiring internet, you might consider using multiple QR codes. Two could probably be displayed on a smartphone, for example, at the same time. Beyond two, this might start seeming unwieldy, though.
Putting a URL in a QR code, as you noted, is a commonly used solution. It will scale better to a much larger data size.
Overall, however, the main thing about QR codes is that it is a "standard" that (almost) any QR code reader should be able to consume. Do you really need your app for the communication part, or just to store and use the exchanged data in some way? If your app is focussed on the communication, then there are methods of communicating that are much more scalable to bigger data. These include bluetooth and WiFi, for example.
Comment: I think that a QR code would be the quickest exchange of information.  The idea is that they scan the code and bam they're done.
Comment: Actually, with something other than QR codes... the exchange of information could happen with a minimum of consent/acknowledgement from the user, or, potentially, even in the background. Scanning a QR code requires you to get both devices out, facing each other, with apps opened, decent lighting for focus/recognition, etc. The main thing about QR codes is some "universality". You could scan a QR code off of a roll of toilette paper, for example.
Comment: Right, but with something like bluetooth they would have to pair their devices.  I'm not finding fault but do you think bluetooth would actually be faster?
Comment: There is also the iOS "Multipeer Connectivity Framework". That might be worth looking into.
Comment: Hm, so it's just for iOS?
Answer: I agree with @someone in that QR code is better and faster solution in exchanging some kind of data and agree with @David too ,in that it's not the best for some other data types.
good discussion: What are the key differences between QR codes, NFC, Bluetooth and RFID?
I think you should determine your app scope.for example it's goal can be exchanging short texts,email addresses,contact information and URLs. a minimal app with high functionality with focus on sharing without any need to WiFi or Bluetooth.
with acceptation this approach,you wont require Internet connection.


Origin of "make ends meet"

Question: Wondering why make ends meet means to have enough money to live on. I am interested in knowing the origin of the idiom. Can anyone help me on this?
Answer: I have found several versions of its origin: you get to choose! None is confirmed.

The origin is from sailing ships with lots of masts. Some were attached by ropes that moved. Some were hung with ropes that were permanent. When the lower ropes broke, the Captain would tell the men to pull the ropes together, splice them to get the ends to meeet again, pull and tug on the canvas, so that the masts would be productive for sailing again.
Make ends meet - budget tightly - the metaphor was originally to do with wearing a shorter (tighter) belt presumably because you have been frugal, and are eating less, your belt would more easily fasten.
It's old enough that it has centuries ago become an idiom, a turn of phrase that we don't usually stop to think about at all, though we understand immediately that to make ends meet is to have enough money to live on. The oldest example I can find is from Thomas Fuller's The History of the Worthies of England of about 1661: "Worldly wealth he cared not for, desiring only to make both ends meet; and as for that little that lapped over he gave it to pious uses", but the fact that Fuller is making a little joke using it suggests he already knew of it as a set phrase.
Where it comes from is hard to be sure about. It's often said that it's from bookkeeping, in which the total at the bottom ("end") of the column of income must at least match that at the bottom of the expenditure column if one is not to be living beyond one's income. The phrase is also known in the form to make both ends of the year meet, which might strengthen that connection if we think of the usual end-of-year accounting, except that that form isn't the original one and wasn't recorded until Tobias Smollett used it in Roderick Random in 1748.

I would go with 1 or 2.
Credits to JaneB and Robert Priddy for original research. I verified all the references before posting.
Comment: I recall when I first heard this phrase and I took it as making "the end of the month" and "the end of the money" meet. In Germany you get paid once per month. So there is a funny familiar saying "at the end of the money, there is always so much month left".
Answer: The answer is google-able, in fact. In this piece, Michael Quinion says it might be from book-keeping, where the the sum at the end (bottom) of two columns must be tallied.
In any case the origin is not precisely known.
Answer: The OED's earliest citation is from the mid-seventeenth century:

Worldly wealth he cared not for, desiring onely to make both ends
  meet.
Comment: That does not explain the origin, nor does it even give a source for the citation.
Comment: No, but it's surely a contribution to which others can no doubt add.
Comment: A reference from Thomas Fuller's The History of the Worthies of England of about 1661: "Worldly wealth he cared not for, desiring only to make both ends meet; and as for that little that lapped over he gave it to pious uses", but the fact that Fuller is making a little joke using it suggests he already knew of it as a set phrase.
Comment: Barrie, all I'm saying is that if you've gone to the trouble of giving a citation, it wouldn't be that much more effort to give the source the OED would have listed.
Comment: Would anyone be all that interested, and would it have made any difference, if I'd said the author was Thomas Fuller?
Answer: This is a long response....and also under construction but I hope it is pointing in the right direction.
The question is "Wondering why make ends meet means to have enough money to live on."
I was wondering the exact same thing recently so I'd like to make a contribution to the discussion. It seems no one knows for definite — not even the great OED.
The answers so far refer to:
(a) accounting — making the financial ends of the year meet [personally I don't get that one]
(b)sailing ships — the ends of two ropes meeting, a rope that is deployed to safeguard the masts and that the survival of the ship may therefore depend on
(c)economics — frugality leads to a smaller girth and the two ends of your belt would more easily fasten.
I googled "make ends meet"and I also looked at the site http://www.phrases.org.uk/ which entertained me with ECONOMICS FOR SAUSAGE MAKERS - [make ends meat]. That's a funny take for sure.
Etymology can be funny. And serious. Take "silly". That comes from an old Germanic word for "blessed". The link is innocent — now it kinda makes sense, no?
Anyway, there seems to me to be three types of etymology. 1. Scholarly etymology 2. Folk etymology 3. Spurious etymology.
On this site I'm guessing that people are only interested in No. 1. As am I. But scholarly etymology does not always yield concrete uncontroversial answers. Sometimes the historical documentation simply doesn't exist. Or maybe has not yet been uncovered. In such cases "origin unknown, many guesses" is apt.
So, here is my contribution. Each word in the phrase "make ends meet" has more that one meaning.
Make: OED records this many meanings....
Ends: OED records this many meanings....
"Meet": Meet, meat, mete.
Meet: OED records this many meanings....
Meat: OED records this many meanings....
Mete: OED records this many meanings....
I will come back to this with my research and findings within two days. I.e. before 5 September. Looking forward to comments of the civilized variety.
Comment: It's been about 3 fortnights since you posted that you will update your answer..!! now that's silly or is it "blessed"?!! :P

Origin of "make ends meet"