Formation of the event horizon seems impossible with singularity inside seems impossible

Question: According to what I was reading, the formation of an event horizon appears if the mass becomes compact enough.
Unfortunately, due to time dilation the time for mass to fall into the event horizon becomes infinite, so that nothing can cross the horizon within in the life time of the universe.
Another thing is, that energy loss because of hypothetical hawking radiation would take place in finite time.
Consequently, there must be something wrong with these models. Which means, there is neither a singularity nor a real event horizon existing out there.
Comment: *"so that nothing can cross the horizon within in the life time of the universe"*  -  that fact that nothing can be observed to cross the horizon by an exterior observer doesn't mean that nothing *in fact* crosses the horizon.
Comment: possible duplicate of [Can black holes form in a finite amount of time?](http://physics.stackexchange.com/q/5031/)
Comment: No, according to the equation no mass can pass the horizon.
Comment: Seems so, then it really shouldn't be possible. I was wondering, but why is wikipedia not writing about the fact that black holes cannot exist. Just stars which approach their properties?
Answer: "Unfortunately, due to time dilation the time for mass to fall into the event horizon becomes infinite, so that nothing can cross the horizon within in the life time of the universe."
This can not be understood as any objective statement about coordinate-independent physical realities, since it's only true in certain coordinates like Schwarzschild coordinates. In general relativity it's the geometry of spacetime, defined by the proper time along arbitrary timelike curves and the proper distance along arbitrary spacelike curves, that's fundamental and coordinate-invariant. To elaborate on this a little, if you have two coordinate systems on the same patch of spacetime with a coordinate transformation between them, then if you describe a curve (a one-dimensional physical path through spacetime, which in the case of timelike curves could be some slower-than-light particle's world line) in terms of one set of coordinates, you can use the coordinate transformation to describe the same curve in the other set of coordinates. Then you can express the metric in terms of each coordinate system, and use it to calculate the proper time or proper distance along the curve (assuming it's timelike or spacelike rather than lightlike), and both should give the same answer, which is why proper time/proper distance is considered more "physical" and objective than any coordinate-dependent measurement.
When people talk about things taking an infinite time to reach the horizon, they aren't talking about the falling particle's own proper time, but rather about the coordinate time in some coordinate system like Schwarzschild coordinates. But even in these coordinates, you can show that the particle's own proper time approaches some finite value T in the limit as coordinate time goes to infinity. It's possible to construct other coordinate systems where the same particle crosses the horizon in finite coordinate time, and these coordinates will agree that the particle's own proper time reaches T at the moment of the crossing. One example is ingoing Eddington-Finkelstein coordinates, graphed below in a diagram from this page (the event horizon is the vertical line which has the label r=2m at the bottom):

Another example is Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates; shown below is a diagram from the textbook Gravitation by Misner/Thorne/Wheeler, showing the surface of a collapsing star (the boundary of the gray region) graphed in both Schwarzschild coordinates (which has the weird property that inside the horizon, the collapsing surface is actually moving backwards in time relative to the time coordinate) and Kruskal-Szekers coordinates (where the surface crosses the horizon, the dotted line marked r=2M, at a finite coordinate time and then continues moving forward in coordinate time until reaching the singularity, whose coordinate position is marked by the black sawtooth hyperbola):

Note that the Kruskal-Szekeres diagram also shows what curves of constant Schwarzschild position coordinate (the hyperbolas labeled r=2.5M, r=3M etc.) and constant Schwarzschild time coordinate (the straight lines labeled t=35.1M, t=44.3M, t=45.4M etc.) look like when transformed into Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates.
Another point is that this kind of issue can also crop up in the flat spacetime of special relativity--for example, in the non-inertial coordinate system known as Rindler coordinates in which a group of observers with constant proper acceleration are represented as being at rest, there is a boundary called the Rindler horizon which the accelerating observers can never see beyond, and any particle moving towards it will take an infinite coordinate time to reach it in Rindler coordinates. But in an inertial coordinate system, the same particle crosses the Rindler horizon in finite coordinate time. Drawn in the coordinates of an inertial frame, the Rindler horizon is a lightlike boundary, which would be the edge of some future light cone; and the accelerating observers, who in Rindler coordinates have a fixed coordinate position, would in the inertial frame have worldlines that look like hyperbolas which get closer and closer to the Rindler horizon but never quite reach it. The diagram below shows how things look in the inertial frame, with the Rindler horizon represented as the diagonal dotted line and the accelerating observers (or equivalently, the lines of constant Rindler position coordinate) represented as black curves, and gray :

Note that these curves of constant Rindler position and time coordinate, when transformed into inertial coordinates, look just the same as the curves of constant Schwarzschild position and time coordinate when transformed into Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates. So conceptually it may be a useful analogy to think "Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates are to Schwarzschild coordinates as Inertial coordinates are to Rindler coordinates".
Comment: You say the particle/surface "crosses the horizon in finite coordinate time" in Kruskal-Szekeres coordinates, but that's not what I'm seeing in the figure from the book. The horizon I'm seeing it cross is a solid line labeled $r = 2M, t = \infty$ (not the "dotted line" you mentioned, which is at $t = -\infty$). After it crosses, you say it "continues moving forward in coordinate time until reaching the singularity", but I'm seeing coordinate time ($t$) decrease just as it does in Schwarzschild coordinates.
Comment: @GumbyTheGreen - I'm defining the time coordinate as the vertical "v" coordinate. I guess this is just a matter of terminology, but see the part of my answer where I said the diagram shows "curves of ... constant Schwarzschild time coordinate (the straight lines labeled t=35.1M, t=44.3M, t=45.4M etc.)", i.e. it's showing what happens when you take a line that has constant t-coordinates *in Schwarzschild coordinates* and map it into the Kruskal-Szekeres diagram. Also note that whatever you choose to call the v-coordinate, any line parallel to the v-axis is "timelike" in the physical sense.
Answer: No, relativity is about reference frames. The person falling into a black hole will pass through the event horizon, but due to time dilation, no one else can observe it.
Comment: @dgrat The problem is that you are confusing reference frames. The falling person would experience no time dilation.
Comment: @dgrat all the effects of relativity are on the "other guy"
Comment: If the formation of the black hole takes infinite time, how the person will ever fall into the hole? Even if you swap the time frame and even if this is theoretically possible it would also mean, that the person will see the universe to end before crossing the horizon AND that the black hole with decay because of hawking radiation before the person will cross the border.
Comment: Ah I got it, but the universe around the scope of the black hole would end before the persons crosses the border anyway?
Comment: @dgrat exactly, only to the observers would (s)he never cross
Answer: I can only offer an opinion rather than a peer-reviewed authoritative response. But I hope it's of some use.
We can read various descriptions about falling into a black hole, such as this on Baez. There's also Andrew Hamilton's website. I'm afraid to say I think they're wrong. Take a look at The Formation and Growth of Black Holes on mathspages, and you can read this:
"Historically the two most common conceptual models for general relativity have been the "geometric interpretation" (as originally conceived by Einstein) and the "field interpretation" (patterned after the quantum field theories of the other fundamental interactions). These two views are operationally equivalent outside event horizons, but they tend to lead to different conceptions of the limit of gravitational collapse. According to the field interpretation, a clock runs increasingly slowly as it approaches the event horizon (due to the strength of the field), and the natural "limit" of this process is that the clock asymptotically approaches "full stop" (i.e., running at a rate of zero). It continues to exist for the rest of time, but it's "frozen" due to the strength of the gravitational field. In contrast, according to the geometric interpretation, all clocks run at the same rate, measuring out real distances along worldlines in curved spacetime. This leads us to think that, rather than slowing down as it approaches the event horizon, the clock is following a shorter and shorter path to the future time coordinates. In fact, the path gets shorter at such a rate that it actually reaches the future infinity of Schwarzschild coordinate time in finite proper time..."
This ought to say depth of potential rather than strength of field, and the author originally referred to Wheeler and Weinberg until I queried it with Weinberg, but no matter. The important point is that there are two interpretations of GR. One leads to a black hole akin to Oppenheimer's original frozen star. The other leads to the black hole as its usually described, with a point singularity in the middle. But see where the author talks about the infalling clock reaching future infinity in finite proper time? I think that can't be right because it hasn't happened yet, and because it goes to the end of time and back. Then like Susskind's elephant, it's is in two places at once. You can kind of see this on this picture cropped from figure 32.1 of Misner/Thorne/Wheeler. Note that the plot is truncated vertically, and that the infalling body is at two locations horizontally.

Because of the above, and because of issues to do with the speed of light, I think the original frozen-star interpretation is the one that's correct. Nothing passes through the event horizon. But I don't think that this means a black hole can't form. Think in terms of a hailstone. Imagine you're a water molecule. You alight upon the surface. You can't pass through this surface. But you are surrounded by other water molecules, and buried. So whilst you can't pass through the surface, the surface passes through you. I think there's something similar going on with the event horizon, which expands outwards from the centre of a collapsing star. Black holes exist. There is something very small and very massive at the centre of our galaxy. But I would venture to suggest that point singularities do not.


What is the difference between print and slide film when the target is a digital file?

Question: I'm looking to take some film with me on an upcoming trip and am not sure which to buy. I don't plan on making physical prints of the photos, just having them developed and then transferred to a CD.
Comment: I am not sure I understand what you ask - in the title you compare slides to prints (as in "what will give more quality photos, print or slides?") whereas in the body you ask about types of flim and disregard the prints (like "what slide film type/brand will give best results?"). Can you clarify?
Comment: FWIW, I never shot slides nor do I know anything valuable about film, but I think people swear by Fujichrom Velvia, especially for landscapes.
Comment: @ysap I think my question is pretty general. I only added the extra information in because it's a required field. That said, perhaps this will help clarify. If you browse for film on say bhphoto.com, there are many types you can purchase. Two of the are "slide" and "print" respectively. What is the difference between these film types? Are there differences in quality?
Comment: I got you now - you meant film for print vs. film for slides. OK I see.
Answer: Colour negative film has a wider dynamic range than transparency film. Depending on the quality of the scanning at your chosen developers, you may be able to get more detail in the highlights and shadows using negative film, and you will also have greater latitude to correct over- or underexposed photos.
Slide film, on the other hand, (especially Velvia as ysap has indicated) generally has much more saturated colours, and depending on what you will be shooting, will produce images with more immediate visual appeal. Velvia is also a low ISO film which means finer grain and hence, effectively, higher resolution. Whether this will be relevant to you depends on the resolution of the final digital files.
There are low ISO negative film brands available, but they are not as common as slide film.


Animating a rotating pie slice in Photoshop

Question: I'm trying to create a rotating radar type effect in Photoshop CC 2018. So I created a circle and a pie slice from that circle and linked them up. When I rotate the big circle the pie slice animates like an independent object rather than part of a circular rotation.
Answer: Instead of linking the slice to the circle and animating the circle, try grouping the circle and the pie slice and animating the entire group. This should fix everything.
Comment: Thanks. I had tried a group, but I quickly noticed that groups don't take key frames. I don't know why I didn't think to make the group a Smart Object. [A final rotating radar type effect](https://i.imgur.com/jSOlQ1G.gif)


Can VHF/UHF antennas have different orientation

Question: I am communicating about 1000'. Is the orientation of the antennas critical, can a vertical antenna communicate with a horizontal antenna?
The equipment is spec'd as VHF 148-174MHz and UHF 400-470MHz.
Comment: Your question title says HF but you give specs for VHF/UHF. Which is it? Please edit your question for consistency.
Comment: what type of "equipment" is this, can you elaborate on brand/model/type/power-out ? -- reason is: 1000' is not a lot, and judging on the spec you mention I suspect that you are using a "chinese HT" which are quite popular at the moment. If that is true, then 1000' is easily done with the stock-antenna they come with, even when used inside on both ends.
Answer: For line-of-sight communication between two antennas, they must have compatible polarization. Monopole and dipole antennas (as typically used for VHF/UHF communications) emit and absorb waves with a polarization the same as the orientation of the wire/rod.
If you mount two such antennas such that, viewed along the line between them, they are perpendicular to each other, then theoretically, you will observe no signal at the receiving antenna. In practice, imperfections in the antenna system and reflections/refractions from nearby objects will result in less than complete loss.
To answer your question directly, no, you cannot have one vertical and one horizontal antenna.
You do not have to have both antennas exactly matching, however. For linear polarization, the signal is reduced by a factor of the cosine of the angle, squared. For example, if you have one vertical and one at 45°, then that's a factor of 0.5, or −3 dB.
Another option is a circularly polarized antenna. With CP on one end and LP on the other, you always get −3 dB — no less, no more.
Comment: It's not quite that bad to have vertical vs horizontal antennas, because there is always some coupling between V & H modes.  The antennas aren't built precisely, or there is scattering along the way that mixes the polarizations.  But it's normally much better to use like polarizations.
Answer: Going back to a bit of electromagnetic wave theory:
A (TX) antenna's job is to generate an electromagnetic wave. To do so, the usual way to go is to generate a time-varying electrical field, and let the Maxwell equations do their job (thank Hertz for proving that these equations actually lead to energy propagating through space with finite speed!).
The polarization of an electromagnetic (EM) wave is the axis (or more generally, curve) along which the electric field component of that wave varies. Generally, the magnetic field is perpendicular to that.
In the case of simple dipoles, it's pretty easy to see that, since the current travels in a linear "rod", the magnetic field lines are "circles" around that rod, and since, due to the speed of the light, there are voltage differences along that rod, the electrical field is parallel to that rod.
The wikipedia page on antennas actually has a good animation on that:

Note that there is absolutely no electrical field perpendicular to this dipole's orientation/polarization!
If you put any conductor oriented the same way that the wave is polarized, you'll notice a voltage across its ends, and a current flowing through it – the exact qualities of that conductor as a receive antenna depend on its discrete shape, material, and size relative to wavelength – but if you took the same conductor, rotate it by 90° so that it's now perpendicular to the plane in which the E-field happens, you'll see nothing. (This fact, by the way, is often exploited by people who need to have two channels on the same frequency; but this leads too far.)
A quick geometrical sketch makes it clear that only the dimension of a dipole in parallel to the E-field contributes to the voltages that build across it.
Hence, these voltages go with cos(θ), and θ being the angle between dipole "axis" and polarization. Power goes quadratic with voltage, and hence, the polarization loss factor is
PLF = cos²(θ)
So, whatever you do, make sure your antennas are not 90° (or 270°) degrees offset.
That was for the case where the wave travels directly from TX to RX antenna – as Kevin points out, that's the Line-of-sight (LOS) scenario.
In other scenarios, a specific reflection that turns polarization by 90° might be the main path of energy. In that case, you're fine.
A common HAM usage for relatively lower frequency communication is using diffraction in the atmosphere, which often has a gradual "spin" of polarization to it.
If you, for example, have a GHz wave going through trees, then the leaves will wildly, and quite randomly, scatter the waves, and give you an unpredictable mixture of linearization.
So, no general answer can be given. You'll have to be able to rotate your antenna, or have two perpendicular antennas to chose from (or combine! In fact, you can, with adequate delay lines, generate/receive any linear polarization with two perpendicularly linear polarized antennas), or be able to live with the LPF.
If you, however, look at satellite TV, you'll notice that it'll be a good idea to use neither horizontal nor vertical polarization – as it's absolutely unclear which spin the atmosphere will give the ways on their way from satellite to dish. Now, ASTRA et al solve this by simply using circular polarizations. Those are a bit more funky do draw, and antennas typically have some "spiral" shape, but it's one good way to avoid the dilemma you're in.
Answer: The simple answer is:  It depends... on a lot of stuff... power, interference, quality of service requirements, antenna type/height/location/obstacles, antenna system performance- gain, tuning, and yes orientation.  But communicating only a thousand feet over VHF/UHF should generally not be difficult.  In theory it is all critical.  In reality everything has a lot of flexibility and trade offs.
Preferably antennas at each location should be the same orientation. Yes it does work much better that way.  However, using a horizontal antenna I've contacted 2-Meter stations with vertical antennas even 17 miles away!


How do I convert an .mkv video to iPad format with subtitles?

Question: I have a .mkv video with SSA/ASS subtitles & I want to convert it to .mp4 so I can watch it on my iPad. The video converts without errors but the subtitles are not there. How do I fix this?
Comment: You might want to include details like with what software you are converting the video.
Comment: I'm using Miro Video Converter
Comment: tried with iVl, same result
Comment: best converter, and I've tried around 15, is smart converter, available on the App Store, for free, and pro version, it also adds subtitles and other information automatically, also, its super fast, mkv movies are always done within a minute on a ssd
Answer: I know relatively easy and free way that I will share

Subtitles have to be converted to SRT format. You may do that with Jubler.
Then I'm using Handbrake to convert to h.264 with soft subtitles. Here is the guide.
Alternatively you may use MKVTools to convert video without reencoding (in case it's already in h.264) to save time and after that add subtitles with Subler. You may try to import SSA subtitles (I don't have such on hand now to check if SSA will work with Subler so please report back if it will)
Comment: Subler was enough for what I needed. Thx x x x
Comment: Samantha Have a look at MKVTools it's the fastest way to convert to iPad compatible format for many .mkv files (you don't need to re-encode video usually since usually it's already in h.264)
Answer: Subler is a utility designed specifically for what you want to do. It will not only rewrap, and not transcode, the video to a friendly format, it will transcode the audio from ACC to AAC if necessary, and it will optimize the location of the mpeg-4 atom in the resulting file for iTunes friendly use. It uses a friendly drag and drop paradigm. Download Subler, unzip into your Applications folder and launch Subler. Type command-n to begin, and drag your mkv file into the window, and choose from the simple available options to accomplish precisely what you are asking to do.
Alternatively, this bash script apparently uses ffmpeg, SublerCLI and HandbrakeCLI to batch rewrap, transcode or otherwise convert video files of various codecies and iTunes/iOS incompatible wrappers to iTunes/iOS friendly formats, automatically choosing a method that retains the best possible quality resultant file. It, however, doesn't, do subtitles, takes bit of reading and understanding the script to get it to install its dependencies, and will take a lot of time to complete processing if set upon a lot of HandBrake transcodes, and while doing so eventually eat up all your free memory in the process, but it is covenient once it is working and set in your $PATH, and nondestructively will place original files in your ~/.Trash so you can preview the resultant files before eliminating the originals.


Expandable active filter list - user flow

Question: I am trying to implement active filters list to a fixed side filter bar. When a user scrolls through data, they will always be able to preview the active filter list without having to scroll to the top of the landing page. The issue appears when the user chooses many filters and the list starts becoming really long. To simplify the preview of the side filter bar we decided to limit the amount of data to 4 rows: this way user learns that such a section exists and is able to expand the list to preview all active filters.
All filters:
Filter Preview limited to 4 rows:
My concern is - when the user expands the active filters view and decides to close it afterward, what's the best user flow? Close it at all or return to the initial state when the user is able to preview a few rows of active filters? My thinking is that if the user closes the active filters then he's not interested in seeing them anymore and the opened section will cause a scrollable side filter bar which can decrease its usability.
Does anyone have some suggestions regarding good user flow? Additionally, it would mean that this element might have 3 different states. I'm just concerned if that's an appropriate approach?
Expanded list of filters:
Comment: is this a mobile view?
Comment: no - it's just side filter bar zoomed in
Answer: can the filters be categorized? From the designs it seems like they can be based on color. The filters could be broken into multiple smaller/ bite-sized filters. An example is LinkedIn. When the filter list is small, the selected filter checkboxes can be displayed in the dropdown itself.
Comment: thank you, I checked this option - but it's in my design you can preview the category with the amount of chosen options for each category under the preview I showed above. In this case, this solution wouldn't make much sense.


Diplomacy: What happens when two units attack each other with unequal support?

Question: In a game of diplomacy I am playing, a Turkish army in Moscow is attacking Warsaw with support from Ukraine, Galicia, and Silesia. A Russian Army in Warsaw is attacking Moscow with support from Livonia and St. Petersburg. Finally, A Russian Army in Prussia is attempting to move into Warsaw. What happens?
Answer: Moscow is moving to Warsaw with strength 4 (itself + 3 supports). Warsaw is moving to Moscow with strength 3 (itself + 2 support). The Army in Prussia moving into Warsaw is irrelevant (It's of strength 1, which is also less than 4). The MOS-WAR move has greater strength, so succeeds and the Army in Warsaw is dislodged. The Prussian army remains in Prussia.
Answer: The Turkish Army in Moscow moves to Warsaw.  The Russian Army in Warsaw is dislodged and must retreat (although in this situation, it will have nowhere to retreat to, since all adjacent territories are occupied, so it will be disbanded).  The Russian Army in Prussia doesn't move.
Breakdown
Rulebook can be found here: https://media.wizards.com/2015/downloads/ah/diplomacy_rules.pdf
The key rule is:

A  unit  moves  with  its  own  strength  combined  with  all  of  its  valid  supports.  It  can  complete  its  move  unless  it's  opposed  by  a  unit  that  is  supported  equally  or  better.  One  unit  supporting  another  provides a combined strength of two and will defeat an opponent's unsupported  unit.  Likewise,  a  unit  with  two  supporting  units  (strength of 3) will defeat an opponent's unit with only one support (strength of 2).

Also relevant:

Units  can't  trade  places  without  the  use  of  a  convoy.

There are three separate moves that are in conflict:

The Turkish Army in Moscow has strength 4 (3 supports).

The Russian Army in Warsaw has strength 3 (2 supports).

The Russian Army in Prussia has strength 1 (no support).

Because of this rule, Turkish Army in Moscow moves to Warsaw because it has 4 strength, which is greater than either of the opposing moves of 3 strength and 1 strength.   Meanwhile, the Russian Army in Warsaw and the Russian Army in Prussia are each opposed by an order of more strength (3 vs 4 and 1 vs 4 respectively), so given that and that the Russian Army in Warsaw cannot trade places with the unit in Moscow, both of the Russian orders fail.

If  the  unit  that  was  attacked  had  no  orders  of  its  own  to  move  elsewhere,  it's  defeated  and  dislodged  from  the  province.  The  dislodged  unit  must  retreat  or  be  disbanded.

Given that the Russian army in Moscow cannot move (it's move order fails), and it is being defeated (the Turkish Army in Moscow is successfully moving to Warsaw), the Russian Army in Warsaw is dislodged.

A unit can't retreat to:
• a province that is occupied;
• the province from which the attacker came; or
• a province that was left vacant by a standoff during the same turn.
If there is no available province to retreat to, the dislodged unit is immediately disbanded and removed from the game board.

There is no possible retreat for the Russian Army in Warsaw since all surrounding territories are either occupied or the province from which the attacker came, so it is forcibly disbanded.
What Russia could do better
The fundamental problem is that Russia moving Prussia to Warsaw doesn't contribute to the defense of Warsaw.  Because it's a separate maneuver rather than supporting or attacking one of the supporting units in the main conflict, it doesn't help in the strength comparison in the Warsaw - Moscow conflict.  Instead, it's a follow-on move assuming that Warsaw completes its attack successfully (which does not happen in this case).
Russia could prevent the loss of Warsaw in this situation by moving Army Prussia to Silesia.  This would cut the support of Silesia, which would make the opposing moves between Warsaw and Moscow each 3 strength, thus causing a standoff where neither unit moves.


Irish passport holder travelling from Australia to Spain then Ireland. Does my spouse (Indonesian) require Schengen visa

Question: Quick question which I am find it difficult to find the correct answer.
I am travelling to Spain from Australia on an Irish passport & will stay in Spain for 1 week then fly to Dublin.
My Indonesian spouse is travelling with me (Indonesian passport) with a valid Irish visa; does my spouse require a Schengen visa?
Answer: Yes, she does, but she should apply as the spouse of an EU citizen, so the visa should be free of charge and granted "on the basis of an accelerated procedure."
See http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-family/index_en.htm.
Comment: Note that she does not have to fill the most complicated fields of the form, either. The proof of the family relationship *replaces* finances, etc.


Can't set up Unicode support

Question: I am creating a toy website locally with XAMPP and I want it to support Unicode.
index.php contains a simple form that I can use to add a new entry (a UTF-8 string) to a table "myTable" in the DB. In addition to that, I am also echoing with PHP every entry from "myTable" on the body of index.php, so that I can see if the UTF-8 strings that I am entering through the form make all the way into the database and back without any issues.

Here are the measures that I took toward Unicode support:

Every file on my website (ex.: index.php) is encoded in UTF-8 without BOM;
<meta charset='utf-8'> everywhere applicable too;
mysqli_set_charset($myConnection, "utf-8"); in my "db.inc.php" file;
At the phpMyAdmin "control panel" (?), under "Database Server" I see "Server charset: UTF-8 Unicode (utf8)";
I created a database and a table for this specific purpose. Here is the result of SHOW CREATE TABLE `myTable`:
CREATE TABLE `myTable` (
`row1` varchar(16) COLLATE utf8mb4_bin NOT NULL,
`row2` varchar(32) COLLATE utf8mb4_bin NOT NULL
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8mb4 COLLATE=utf8mb4_bin

The outcome was as follows: when I print the entries of "myTable", everything does get displayed correctly on the browser indeed, however only owing to a stroke of luck, because apparently my strings are being internally represented badly. When I browse my table with phpMyAdmin I see mojibake, and I looked over at myTable.ibd and I see the same mojibake.
The string joão e maría for example, is displayed as joão e maría; for the first ã -> ã, it could be UTF-8 bytes being interpreted as latin-1, though I see ã even when I tell npp to interpret the file as UTF-8.
Running the query SELECT `row1`, HEX(`row1`) FROM `myTable` WHERE 1 I see 6A6FC383C2A36F2065206D6172C383C2AD61 as the bytes of joão e maría, so in fact the mojibake is "correctly" encoded as UTF-8 (C3 83 C2 A3 is UTF-8 for ã).
Ideas?

UPDATE
After more careful inspection I verified that mysqli_set_charset($myConnection, "utf-8"); was returning false. I replaced it with mysqli_set_charset($myConnection, "utf8"); and voilà, strings with fancy characters that I enter through the form now make it all the way into the database unscathed. However, these new strings aren't correctly displayed by the browser.
For example: the string bênção is inserted into the DB through the form. I query the table with SELECT `row`, HEX(`row1`) (...) and find out that it is stored as 62C3AA6EC3A7C3A36F inside the table, which is the correct UTF-8 representation of the string in question. I access index.php and I see b�n��o being displayed. I download the HTML of the webpage and inspect it, and I find that the offending bytes are respectively EA, E7, E3, which, surely enough, correspond to ê, ç and ã in latin-1.
Comment: What is the charset of the web page where you are trying to display the characters? In the head section you should have ``.
Answer: <meta charset="UTF-8"> -- correct for outside MySQL
utf8mb4 is the term you need to use inside MySQL, including
mysqli_set_charset($myConnection, "utf8mb4");

ã is Mojibake for ã.  This happens when latin1 is mistakenly somewhere in the data flow.
Hex EA E7 E3 is the the latin1 encoding for êçã.
Hex C3AA C3A7 C3A3 is the UTF-8 (utf8mb4) encoding for them.
Since you have presented different symptoms, let me present to you 'Best Practice' and how to diagnose the symptoms for 'black diamond with question mark', 'Mojibake', etc.  Note that there are 4-5 places where you have to consistently use UTF-8.

Can't set up Unicode support


What is the difference between a kofer and apicorsis

Question: I always hear the terms "apicorsis" and "kofer״, along with "kefirah" and amaratzit. What is the definition of each?
Comment: You should know that due to censorship over the years, many of these derogatory words have been interchanged, so you should be careful before reading too much into their different usages.
Comment: In Hazalic Hebrew, kofer is a transitive verb; one is always kofer in something. The term "kofer" as a stand alone term, comes from the Arabic usage of kaffir.
Answer: "Am Haaretz" just means "ignoramus" colloquially but the rest are defined by Rambam in Hilchos Teshuvah Chapter 3 among the thirteen categories who "have no share in the world to come."

3:6וְאֵלּוּ הֵן שֶׁאֵין לָהֶן חֵלֶק לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא אֶלָּא נִכְרָתִים וְאוֹבְדִין וְנִדּוֹנִין עַל גֹּדֶל רִשְׁעָם וְחַטָּאתָם לְעוֹלָם וּלְעוֹלְמֵי עוֹלָמִים. הַמִּינִים. וְהָאֶפִּיקוֹרוֹסִין. וְהַכּוֹפְרִים בַּתּוֹרָה. וְהַכּוֹפְרִים בִּתְחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים וּבְבִיאַת הַגּוֹאֵל. הַמּוֹרְדִים. וּמַחֲטִיאֵי הָרַבִּים. וְהַפּוֹרְשִׁין מִדַּרְכֵי צִבּוּר. וְהָעוֹשֶׂה עֲבֵרוֹת בְּיָד רָמָה בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא כִּיהוֹיָקִים. וְהַמּוֹסְרִים. וּמַטִּילֵי אֵימָה עַל הַצִּבּוּר שֶׁלֹּא לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם. וְשׁוֹפְכֵי דָּמִים. וּבַעֲלֵי לָשׁוֹן הָרַע. וְהַמּוֹשֵׁךְ עָרְלָתוֹ:

The next two simanim differentiate for you apikoros (< Gr. Epicurean אפיקורוס) and kofer (כופר to cover over; "denier"):
3:7 Five kinds of min ("atheists"): Atheists or deists (one kind); polytheists; corporealists; those who deny creation ex nihilo; and those who worship intermediaries. (Min comes from the word for "species" or "kind" and might refer to sectarians.)
3:8 Three kinds of Apikoyris ("infidels"): One who denies the existence of prophecy; one who denies all or some of Moshe's prophecy; and one who denies the idea that God knows what people are doing.
Three kinds of kofer ("traducers"): One who denies the divine origin of any portion of the written Torah; one who denies the validity of the oral Torah or the authenticity of it's teachers; and one who says that the mitzvos or any given mitzvah has been replaced with something else.
3:9 Among Yisrael, two kinds of mumar (< lehamir=to exchange; "apostates")..
Comment: Care to summarize it for us?
Comment: @CharlesKoppelman I was taught both versions as well but I'm more inclined to think it was a general term for sectarians because of certain contexts in which it is used in the Talmud (v'ein comments makom l'harich)
Comment: Rambam is referring specifically to those who deny the Torah; not to "kofrim in general, since there is no such thing, as 'kofer' is [not a technical term](http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/36706/what-is-the-difference-between-a-kofer-and-apicorsis/36707#comment228258_36706)
Comment: Done, see new edit.
Comment: I was taught that `min` may have originally been rashei teivot for `Ma'amin Yeshua haNotzri`
Answer: "Apikorus" derives from the Greek Eπικουρος (epikouros) - the name of a philosopher ("Epicurus" in Latin) who believed, among other things, that the gods had abandoned this world after having created it. An epicurean, in this context, is one who rejects any belief in divine providence, God's involvement in human history and in revelation. According to the Mishna (Sanhedrin 10:1), such a person does not qualify for the world to come.
"Kofer" derives from the Hebrew כופר ("one who covers up") and refers to one who actively denies something that they should otherwise know. In practise, it refers to one who denies the existence of God altogether. "Kefirah" is an abstract noun formed off the same root ("the act/nature of covering up").
"Amaratzit", as you spelt it in your question, is an abstract noun formed from the phrase Am haAretz (עם הארץ), which means "people of the land". Originally a plural designation, it has come over time to function also in a singular capacity. It is attested several times within Tanakh, but takes on  a substantially more negative nuance in the rabbinic literature. Some passages that speak of the Am haAretz are decidedly harsher than others, but today it has more of the sense of "ignoramus", rather than anything malicious.
Comment: "*...takes on a substantially more negative nuance in the rabbinic literature. Some passages that speak of the Am haAretz are decidedly harsher than others...*" That's apparently because the term itself varies radically in its definition throughout rabbinic literature. On one extreme, it can mean something like "malicious anti-religious antagonist and/or potentially murderous brute."
Comment: @Fred - That may be true, but there's nothing in the Talmud to explicitly denote that. The earliest attestation for that understanding of Am haAretz is in the geonic literature, the authors of which sought to explain passages like Pesachim 49.
Answer: Here's something on "apikoros"
Tov Halevanon commentary on shaar yichud ch.2 of Chovos Halevavos:

The word "apikoros" refers to the name of a man who was called
  "apikoros", yimach shemo, who would completely deny the existence of
  G-d, the Moray (Maimonides' guide for the perplexed) mentions him in
  the end of the first chapter, those drawn after his views are called
  "apikorsim", this term was also borrowed to refer to those who
  denigrate the Sages, and falsely give misinterpretations of the torah,
  or the like, as brought in tractate Sanhedrin


Can I use ratchet straps to lift a dolly into a truck bed?

Question: I may be moving a 200lb appliance without help.  I have some 1" width strap ratchets rated at 500lb from home depot (4pack).  Could I stand in the bed and ratchet up the dolly backwards? Anyone done something like this and tips?  I also have some 1000lb pulleys available.
Comment: The smart thing to do is rent a truck with a lift gate.  The second smartest thing is to kidnap a stout helper.  But don't use "strap ratchets" no matter what -- they're not designed to pull a load, only hold it.  If you go it solo, obtain a proper "come along" you can buy them for as little as $10; or rent one.  Use stout coils of rope to attach it in a "V" manner to the appliance dolly handles.  Be sure and have a camera filming so that we have fresh content for "Redneck Repairs".
Comment: I am a big guy, and rarely get a chance to use my size to benefit society.  If I was walking through a parking lot, and saw a man struggling to put an appliance in his truck, I would stop and help him.  I also don't mind when people ask me to come along with them to help them with these types of transactions.  I encourage to give the problem another look from this perspective.  Our society works so much better when we work together to solve problems.
Comment: When I've needed help moving something heavy and didn't personally know anyone who could help, I just posted an ad on craiglist.  I would usually offer $20-$40, even if it's just 5 minutes of lifting.  Much less than that probably isn't worth the gas money for most, but even $40 is worth avoiding the risk of injuring myself or dropping an appliance (which can cause a *lot* more damage than its own value, depending on what it lands on)
Comment: You should just ask someone for help lifting.  It sounds like you are working really hard to do this alone.
Comment: I need to do it on a weekday when people are at work. Its complicated. I may be able to get someone but if they fall through I want to have a plan.
Comment: @conman : there might even be a home improvement store nearby where day-laborers congregate.  When I've seen them, they tend to be near one of the entrances ... usually the one closest to a nearby convenience store, but then it's just a short walk over for them to make $20.  Of course, you also have to figure out how to get it *out* of the pickup truck safely once you're on the other side.  (and a chain hoist works better than a come-along for that)  If you really have to, you can get a few inches by releasing the air in your back tires (but only do that if you have a way to re-inflate them)
Comment: What sort of appliance?  Can it tilt?
Answer: Having had to manhandle quite a few appliances on my own I would do this. Put the truck tray down. Tip the appliance over until the top just rests on the edge of the tray. Lift the back of the appliance and push forward. Use cardboard under it if you don't want to damage the side. Once it is all in, stand the appliance up. This way you are never deadlifting the appliance, more pushing and rotating it. You can use rachet straps like lifting straps to get better purchase if you want.
Answer: I have a local delivery service and use a hand truck and the sides of my tray as ramps to load and unload large furniture on my own. It only takes a second or two to wheel modern fridges and most other items up this way.

For anything requiring a dolly I keep a light, cheapo steel block and tackle in my kit, which were left over from a kid's flying fox, but that's slower. I've used ratchet straps too, but as you're only getting 20 or 30cm of movement before needing to reset with another strap, that's just unprofessionally slow.
Comment: @BruceWayne Refrigerators specifically should not be laid down at all, although modern ones may be more tolerant. Their manuals typically mention that if they have been they must be left upright for 24 hours for refrigerant to return to the reservoir before switching them on.
Comment: +1 just for the pic of what a safe truck load looks like.
Comment: Ah, thanks! I figured there was a good reason :D
Comment: Just curious why you wouldn't lay it down? Could that hurt the load?
Answer: Motorcycle-style ratchets don't do well for this. Their levers are short, meaning you don't have much pull, and when the spool gets full of strap you're done until you reset, which means you need to temporarily support the load. I suggest looking for a ditch and some 2x10 lumber, then just wheel it up.
Comment: If something bad happens, it's extremely useful to have someone who's able to call 911 and doesn't have a fridge on top of them.
Comment: Normally one person doesn't attempt to do so. Even with a long ramp it's dangerous to the health of the person _and_ the appliance.
Comment: @JimStewart if it's on a proper appliance dolly one person can lift surprisingly heavy stuff by leaning it on an angle and just pulling up -- the dolly itself acts as a ramp and they often have skids or one-way belts on the back to help lift. Also most modern appliances aren't as heavy as they look -- I once worked with a guy who could move crazy stuff up stairs etc. Of course he was very experienced and pretty tough; experience & practice 60%, brute strength 40% I'd say. None of this applies to OP, so I'm not suggesting it for him. (unless he's also a powerlifter and didn't mention it)
Comment: Normally there is no ditch available. How could one person lift, for example, a refrigerator into the bed of a pickup?
Comment: With nobody around and you inside the bed there's got to be a way to get it up safely using the ramp. Failure mode would be the appliance falling down I guess maybe damaging the truck.
Comment: I dont know what a ditch is  I assume they mean a sloped ground.  Anyway ramp seems key then probably pulley system within bed.  Otherwise youtube showed someone squatting behind base and pushing dolly upward with leg force (from below bed)  but I want to avoid that.
Answer: Those straps aren't rated for straight lifting, and I wouldn't recommend that anyway.  Ramps are the way to go, and I would combine ramps with those straps, along with some sort of friction modifier such as the appliance's wheels or bars of Ivory soap.
Just expect it to fail worst case at any time, watch what you are doing to assure it doesn't, and move an inch at a time.  Slow and steady wins the race.
It's unbelievable what a rigger can move when he loads with his brain and a lot of patience.
Answer:
The ratchet straps are good for fixing the appliance securely on  the hand truck/flat bed dooly and later on the car.
250 daN straps are IMHO quite flimsy. IIRC the 25 mm straps we use are rated at 400 daN. Don't underestimate the force you have on a strap when properly securing the appliance to the car (or dolly).
If you put, say, a 2.50 m ramp to get up to the car's bed at ≈ 90 cm above ground (pick up), instead of lifting 120 kg, you'll lift 0.9 m / 2.50 m * 120 kg ≈ 45 kg. For a van (trunk sill 55 - 60 cm), you'd have < 30 kg.
Make sure the ramp is safe and cannot shove off the sill, if needed support it halfways.
When loading single-handedly, I'd always pull the hand truck (unless you have a very nice concrete floor, that's anyways easier): if something goes wrong, and the appliance rolls down again, you're on top of it, not beneath.
A helper may help by pushing, but for a load of only 100 kg the ramp should make that totally unnecessary - leaving the helper free to e.g. put something blocking the pulley against rolling down and to take care of any emergencies.

Depending on the height of your sill and the of the appliance (height, center of gravity, is the suitable side able to take the load), you may be able to load the appliance "over the sill" (not really sure how to express this in English).

The most important muscle for this type of work is the one between your ears ;-)
Answer: if you have a garageor a balcony or like that, you can just lift it up and attach to the ceiling and then drive the vehicle below it. same for unloading. not move the furniture, move the truck! sorry my english is bad
Comment: Hello, and welcome to Home Improvement. Thanks for the answer; keep 'em coming. And, you should probably [take our tour](//diy.stackexchange.com/tour) so you'll know how best to contribute here.
Answer: I have done somewhat of the opposite of this. When bringing home a large bookcase on top of my SUV I found myself needing to unload it alone. I used a few ratchet straps anchored to my roof rack as safety stops while lowering it so I would not have to hold it's full weight myself and could take frequent breaks.
Were I you, I would lever the appliance upward, tighten a strap to hold it there, and then take a small break and re-set the lever for a higher lift. Once it is halfway up you should be able to tip it into the truck bed.
Alternatively, You could bring a few larger pieces of wood and make a ramp, or use a pully to lift the appliance into a tree and simply park your truck under it and lower it back down.


I was born in the US when my parents were studying there, lived there only 1 year after birth then my parents returned to their country

Question: I was born in the USA when my parents were studying there, then when I was about 1 year old they returned to their country. I have visited the USA like 10 times in all my life. I've been married now for 15 years and I have a daughter 6 years old. We are planning to emigrate to the US, can I apply for DS-2029 (CRBA) for my daughter even though I don't have the 5 years requirement or should I apply for an I-130 for my husband and also for her. I'm currently not in the US.
Answer: CRBA is only for children who were already US citizens from birth. Your daughter was not a US citizen at birth, because you did not meet the conditions to pass US citizenship onto her. Therefore, CRBA is not applicable.
Since your whole family is planning to immigrate to the US, the proper thing to do would be to petition (with I-130) your husband and your daughter to immigrate to the US (i.e. become US permanent residents). When they enter the US with their immigrant visas, they will automatically become US permanent residents, and your daughter will also at the same time automatically (without needing to do anything) become a US citizen, under INA 320, because she will be a permanent resident under 18 living in the US with a US citizen parent.
Comment: Thank you for your answer. Will she get any proof (paper or passport) of us citizenship after entering the us?.
Comment: @COPITO: Not unless you apply for one. She would only get a green card, but legally she would already be a citizen. You can apply for a US passport and/or a Certificate of Citizenship for her immediately after entering if you want. A US passport is the fastest and cheapest of the two to get. Certificate of Citizenship is very expensive to apply for ($1170) and doesn't serve much that a passport doesn't already serve as, but some people like having a separate certificate.


Why is mevushal wine good enough for kiddush, but not good enough for avoda zara?

Question: So the reason why we use mevushal (cooked) wine is that it's seen as a wine inferior and incapable of being offered to an idol (Shulchan Aruch, YD 123). I understand why one can drink mevushal wine in this sense, but why is it good enough for kiddush? Are the requirements for kiddush less stringent then that of idol worship? Furthermore, the mevushal wine we drink today isn't exactly poor-quality. I've heard that even Catholic churches buy Rashi wine for their communions. Isn't there a problem with mevushal wine, at least now?
Comment: Source for your first two sentences? (Hint: they are not universally accepted)
Comment: The fact of wine being repulsive does not disqualify it from being used for kiddush. Those of us who don't drink have to use something even worse: kosher grape juice, which, if it weren't kosher for passover, perhaps wouldn't have to be, as it would not even be served to a dog. Kiddush isn't a sacrifice but a "cup of blessing"-- the only requirement is that you can make "boreh pri hagafen" over it. Presumably gentiles want to sacrifice something quality to their gods, so boiled wine would for sure be disqualified.
Comment: Ironic that Catholic churches choose wine we have deemed unfit for idol worship. Even more ironic is it combined with the fact that they deliberately choose a kosher, Jewish wine. To think about the implications of all this is mind-boggling
Comment: Tatpurusha, I thought the requirement had to do with importance, and not the fact that you can say a bracha "boreh pri hagafen" on it. For example, I once did kiddush on coffee and plenty of poskim rule that I was yotzei in that situation because it was chamar medina.
Comment: So meshushal wine is OK for at least _some_ idol worship, but we don't want to mess with our requirements because why should the idolator's practice set standards for us?  Makes sense as a territorial issue, but is not consistent with the reasoning given in the Shulchan Aruch.
Comment: Mike, good reason (even if it doesn't match what most poskim say). :)
Answer: The Rosh ,based on the two sevaras given in Avoda Zara for the issur, explains that the issur of yayin nesech is not solely an issue of avoda zara but additionally an issue of mingling with non-Jews (משום בנותיהן). If this is so, he asks, why would mevushal wine be any less likely to cause mingling between jews and non-jews?
He also asks even if one just focuses on the nesech issue (that mevushal wine is not good for avoda zara) one does not come out any better because mixed wine (יין מזוג) is also not good for avoda zara, yet there is still an issur if a goy touches it.
His answer (to both questions) is that mevushal wine is not common and the Rabbis did not make a gezera on uncommon things.
While this may not be the sevara given by the Shulchan Aruch it would answer your question...
Also look here for a full discussion of the heter behind yayin mevushal(Gemara, rishonim etc) and their applicability today:
http://www.etzion.org.il/vbm/archive/10-halak/29nesech.php


Why a pitch has extra pitches on both its sides?

Question: Why a pitch has extra pitches on both its sides? There are always 2-3 pitches on one side. And they are always covered with grass.
Comment: Imagine a scenario where a match is scheduled on a particular ground but due to unforeseen events, the pitch gets damaged. So, a ground always have multiple pitches, the one which will be used to play is trimmed while others are left grassy. Fail-safe redundancy perposes
Answer: All grounds have more than one pitch - this is a requirement as a fresh pitch is required for each match, and pitches take time to recover and prepare. Big grounds will have 20 to 30 pitches across the square, while even very small ones will have 5 or 6.
Answer: Pitch creation is a long process, those pitch are in the process to be created. Some pitches are created for net session for both team as well.
Answer: The immediately adjacent pitches (the "square") can be used as spare pitches if the main pitch is deemed unplayable before the game. That's very rare, though, and I've never seen it happen; conditions which would render the chosen pitch unplayable almost always affect the entire ground.
However, the pitches well off to the side are simply practice pitches. They're far too off-centre to be used for play. Teams want to get some practice on pitches as close to the match condition as possible, but using the main pitch would risk damage and is prohibited by law 17 on any day of a match.
Edit to clarify: don't think I've ever seen a pitch swapped once handed over by the ground staff, but it's not uncommon for a club groundsman to change his mind about which pitch to prepare, if one has dried better than another, for eg. Not at professional level though; changing pitches is more complicated because of realigning the multitude of cameras and radar.


Does the Lumia 435 support USB OTG?

Question: I am seeing conflicting evidence online. On the one hand, some forum posts claim that it is not supported yet. However, these are from March-July 2015. An example from this same forum: How do I connect a pendrive using an OTG cable on my phone?
On the other hand, some claim that Microsoft wanted to implement this or implemented it for Windows 8.x.
My Lumia 435 is running Windows 8.1. Would USB OTG work on my phone?
Answer: No in windows 8.1 It is not supported - the OTG depends on the processor used and not only on the OS.Only if you find it the the specs given by the Microsoft says OTG supported, then YES. But Lumia 435 is not.

Does the Lumia 435 support USB OTG?


Text columns in Sketch

Question: Is it possible to set text in columns like you can in InDesign? I can't find anything online about this.
Comment: If you mean with linked text boxes then no, at the moment it is not possible.
Answer: Right now there isn't anything like that out the box. Something like this sounds like it would be in the directory of Sketch plugins, but it doesn't look there is one yet.
Answer: A plugin for this, called sketch-text-tools, was being developed on GitHub, but it appears to have been abandoned. It says it is compatible with Sketch up through version 43.1.

Text columns in Sketch


Is it normal for a long haired doxie to like yogurt?

Question: My 9 month old puppy loves yogurt and I don't know if that's normal or not. Is it normal for a long haired doxie (Dachshund) to like yogurt?
Comment: I see that you attempted to edit the existing question that I linked for you, that's not what the purpose of suggested edits is, the purpose of them is to fix typos and style without change in post essence, the person in the linked question asked about her own dog not about your dog.
Comment: @LILYKURCZEWSKI: your tone is not very nice. lila just tried to explain you the rules of the site. To avoid other misunderstandings in the future, you should read those rules - you can find them clicking on the "?" pictogram on the upper-right corner of the page.
Comment: Please note that all contributions here, including your posts, are licensed under Creative Commons, and this site is collaboratively edited, like Wikipedia. All we want to do is to help you, and to get good answers it is really important that your questions are marked with all the relevant tags, contain proper punctuation and clearly specify the problem. It is also important because the Q&A are not to help just you; they also have to be useful to all the other future readers who would happen to have the same problem. If you are not comfortable with the idea of your contributions ...
Comment: ...being collaboratively edited by other trusted users, this may not be the site for you. Also, please note that unfriendly and unkind language is not welcome here.
Comment: Please see this https://pets.stackexchange.com/q/21235 it's about whether it is safe for dogs to eat yogurt, in short yogurt in itself is safe but it sometimes contains additives which could be toxic to dogs, for example xylitol - an artificial sweetener - is extremely toxic to dogs. And also I assume "doxie" is a slang for Dachshund so I added that to main body of your question. And yes it's normal, many dogs like yogurt but you should always carefully read the labels and make sure it's without any toxic additives.
Comment: stop messing with my posts lila
Comment: its not your account lila
Answer: @lila provided already a nice comment on the safety of eating yogurt.
I will tell you about our experiences. We had one half Pekingese in the past, and another more-or-less Pekingese currently (we = my parents). The story is the same with both of them.
My mother (their main caretaker) discovered that they like yogurt. For a few times, she provided them with readily bought yogurt, the dogs could not be happier. Occasionally they wanted more.
Which led my mother to the idea to make the "yogurt" in the house. They bought milk, and then the milk was intentionally "forgotten" at room temperature after being exposed briefly to room air. Overnight, the milk transformed into a yogurt-ish food. Which the dogs enjoyed equally. No food additives, no limited quantity, no breaking the bank for buying specialized products, everybody happy.
Notes:

the bought milk is industrially processed in the same factories where yogurt is made, so it might have additives as well;
there are claims that the adults of any species should not consume any milk or dairy products, for health reasons.

Bottom line: it is not out of the ordinary for a dog to like yogurt.
Comment: I would warm up too if I would have a chance to get a cup of goat milk, too ( I am a person, not a cat :D )
Comment: @LILYKURCZEWSKI: I am sorry, both for steve, and for your sorrow. I wish you recover soon after the loss.
Comment: thank you my dog gets a spoonful of plain yogurt a day and goat milk in the afternoon if you want to try giving your dog goat milk go to small guys farm supplies  its good for all animals and steve warms up to you as soon as you come in the door (steve is a cat not a person)
Comment: do not drink it, it will make you sick and probably die.
Comment: steve died today of lung cancer. :(


Looking for a way to convert a 3D model I found online into an LDD model (or related software)

Question: I was recently viewing bricklink.com's user gallery and I found a design that I would like to recreate. I know the exact pieces that I need for the design (about 5000), but there are no detailed instructions on how to build it and the only thing available to me is a 3D blueprint of the design provided by the author. I tried contacting the designer for the LDD file but was unsuccessful. Since I know the exact pieces, Is it possible to somehow translate the online blueprint into LDD or a related software?
Comment: I can't offer a way to do what you ask for, just a word of warning: the model is ~112 studs long (give or take a few), which translates to around 90 cm, which is 50% larger than the biggest official LEGO sets ever released: [UCS Millennium Falcon](http://brickset.com/sets/10179), [Hogwarts Castle](http://brickset.com/sets/71043) or [Taj Mahal](http://brickset.com/sets/10256) - moving or even displaying this beast would be an enormous challenge, not to speak of dusting it.
Comment: @Zhaph-BenDuguid thanks for the heads-up, apparently I misunderstood the "dimensions" row of Brickset as the dimensions of the model, whereas they are of the packaging instead.
Comment: @zovits the description on the linked page says *"Size: 90x33x41cm"* and *"it's very heavy and should be exhibited without any other purpose"* so I think we can safely assume OP already knows that.
Comment: @zovits The [Imperial Star Destroyer](https://www.lego.com/en-gb/product/imperial-star-destroyer-75252) measures 110x66x37cm (without its stand), so this is comparable to that.
Answer: The design is created in Stud.io (as all designs on Studio Gallery) and the creator has explicitly chosen to not make his .io file available.
So in trying to recreate this, you would go against the authors wishes, basically committing a copyright violation.
If you could somehow persuade the author to give you the .io file, than you could theoretically export it to .ldr file format (LDRAW file) from Stud.io and import it back into LDD. However for a model of this size and complexity, there would be guaranteed some complications and issues you need to resolve manually... Also bare in mind that LDD is no longer maintained or supported while Stud.io is. The latter has also a much richer feature set, e.g. the ability to order the necessary bricks from bricklink.


Is the letters AS exclusive?

Question: I want to get my boyfriend a ring that has the letters "AS" engraved because they are the letters in his name but I was reading that AS is a term of respect used for prophets. If I got the ring with those letters would it be disrespectful to wear?
Comment: beware !!! boyfriend culture isn't Islamic.
Answer: Using abbreviations like AS or PBUH or SAWS etc. is considered by many scholars (almost all Sunni scholars) as lazy and inappropriate as we are required to fully praise our prophet ():

Indeed, Allah confers blessing upon the Prophet, and His angels [ask Him to do so]. O you who have believed, ask [ Allah to confer] blessing upon him and ask [ Allah to grant him] peace. (33:56)

Some scholars concluded from this order of Allah

... that (writing it in abbreviated form) does not serve that purpose and is devoid of the virtue of writing "salla Allaahu 'alayhi wa salaam (May Allaah send blessings and peace upon him)" infull. Moreover the reader may not take notice of it and may not understand what is meant by it. It should also be noted that the symbol used for it is regarded as disapproved by the scholars, who warned against it. (Source islamqa #47976)

So for a Muslim it is not recommended to use an abbreviation instead of fully sending prayers and blessings to our prophet () and therefore there's nothing exclusive in using any such abbreviation as the abbreviation itself is hardly legitimate.
See also

Islamic Abrreviations
SWT?SAWS etc. is OK?

Further more in Islam a relationship between unmarried people of different gender is basically haram if there's no mahram relationship between both.
Answer: No, it is not. And it is not considered a good practice and it is disapproved by many scholars and even few scholars have considered it as haram as it does not serve the purpose and there is no evidence of using it by companion and Ahle-Ilm.
Comment: What is "it" here?
Comment: @Crimson, Writing AS instead of Alahissalam

Is the letters AS exclusive?


When a nymph is killed, can items stolen by her just disappear?

Question: My caveman had a cursed "tattered cape" (I'm sure it was MR, found in wizard bones pile) stolen by a water nymph in the final room of Sokoban.  I had to back out because I was in the broken doorway, an being triple-teamed. I left a large dog inside that had cleared most of the room (I'm guessing it killed the nymph since she couldn't teleport and was nowhere to be found) by the time I got back in. When the room was completely cleared, I couldn't find the cape.  I moved my pets downstairs, and searched the entire level to no avail. As noted, it was cursed so I'm pretty sure my pets aren't carrying it.  So, after checking the wiki about nymphs and death drops, and learning nothing new, I'm wondering if it just disappeared when the nymph died. Any info would be helpful. Also, I didn't find a potion of OD, nor a mirror.
Answer: My immediate impressions:

No, in general, monster inventory items do not simply vanish on death.  You may or may not get a corpse and/or death drops, but the base inventory is always preserved.
It sounds as if you woke up the entire zoo by kicking down the door.  Don't do that if you can avoid it.  If you can get the door open silently, the monsters will still be asleep and you can dispatch them one by one.
Because your item (probably) got dumped on the ground, we can refer to the stash article for a nice list of all the ways it could have been destroyed and/or stolen:
Gelatinous cubes are an obvious candidate.  They will happily eat any random items on the ground.
Any monster that can wear cloaks is possibly at issue here.  In principle, such a monster could have absconded with the cloak when you ran away.  The set of monsters that wear cloaks is very roughly coextensive with the broader definition of "humanoid" (which includes all @, all h, and a variety of other monsters).  In practice, this is moderately improbable because Sokoban is a closed-off branch of the dungeons; the monster would have had to go past you on the way down.
Answer: Most likely you failed to notice the message "You hear a slurping sound."
Comment: I think you may be right about the gel cube, the room was curiously empty when I returned.  PS the door was booby-trapped, part of why I had to back out.  Thx


Radiator is getting more heated

Question: my indica vista car engine is getting over heated. Is this because of not mixing water and usind only coolant oil, if so what should i doo now can i mix water now in that.
Answer: Yes, you can't just use pure coolant in a radiator.   The coolant raises the boiling point of water, but without water it will not work well.
Replace the coolant in your system with the correct mixture of water and coolant.
Answer: Water has a boiling point of 100c/212f at sea level. A soloution of 67% antifreeze to 33% water raises the boiling point of the mixture to 113C/235F. A mixture of 50/50 will cover most vehicles except for really cold climatic areas of the world. Anything less than around 40% antifreeze solution will allow cavitation of the water and corrosion of most of the metals inside the engine. Most commercially supplied 'coolant' is antifreeze with distilled water, and is not some magic fluid. There are five main antifreezes: Ethylene glycol- Most used by most car manufacturers POISONOUS, Propylene glycol - Considered to be less harmful as it is non poisonous. Found in windsceen washes, Phosphate free, recommended by some car manufacturers as being phosphate free makes it more eco friendly, Organic Acid Technology(OAT) - no phosphates no silicons and used in all late model GM vehicles, Hybrid OAT has an additive to be less abrasive to water pumps.

Radiator is getting more heated


When a Recipe Calls for Expensive Liquor, What's the Purpose and What Are the Substitutes?

Question: As I begin cooking more advanced recipes, I've stumbled across a few that required small amounts (tablespoons) of (expensive) spirits such as Cognac, vodka, etc. The problem is that I don't keep that kind of stuff lying around (Oh God, that would end SO badly). My question is this: When a recipe calls for small amounts of something expensive (like Cognac), what does it (generally) add to the dish? Also, what non-spirit related food items are good substitutes?
Answer: The primary purpose is for flavor.  If it's the expense of a large bottle for a few tablespoons here and there you should be able to buy the mini bottles (as are served on airplanes) from a local liquor store.
If you don't want to use or have it around due to issues with alcohol then look for other items that have as similar flavor to substitute.  Sherry has a sweet nutty flavor to it and apple juice can often work suitably well.  Keep in mind you'll probably not find an exact flavor match but it can be close.  A small amount of orange extract could be used in place of grand marnier. Depending on the item, you might also try flavored syrups that are used for coffee drinks.  Remember that these have a lot of sugar in them so you'll need to compensate by cutting back on sugar elsewhere in the recipe and obviously don't use them where the sweet flavor wouldn't be welcome.
Comment: @Tim Gilbert:  Vodka is only one of many liquors out there.  I agree...I've never really understood Vodka & Tomato sauce myself but in the case of brandy, vermouth, amaretto, chambord, rum, kahlua, etc. they are flavoring elements.  I wasn't even addressing "expense" side other than the size of the bottle vs. what is used.  The amount of alcohol used is in most recipes so so slight that the choice of a more expensive brand over a cheaper one is never going to be noticed.
Comment: @TimGilbert Vodka is used in cooking not for its innate flavor but for the flavors released due to chemical reactions when its added. Alcohol in food, in low quantities creates and releases fruit esters, aldehydes and other aroma molecules into the air. Since our eating experience is a composite of smell, taste and feel, we get an enhanced dish when we add a dash of alcohol, even vodka.
Comment: I disagree with the first sentence as written. If you meant the primary purpose for expensive liquor vs cheap, it makes sense, but I don't think things like vodka are added for flavoring.
Comment: @Tim Gilbert: It depends. I agree that vodka does not add flavor, but try a table spoon of Cognac in a light broth and taste before and after. It's a world of difference.
Comment: Mini bottle availablity will vary by jurisdiction, but even places that ban them will often sell pints.
Answer: My guess is that most of those type of recipes get born out of someone experimenting with whatever is in their pantry.
For relatively small amounts compared to the whole recipe, substituting it with a cheaper liquor, vinegar, juice, stocks, syrup or extract probably won't have a large impact.
However, for best results, you need to be familiar with the type of liquor, and why it is a part of the recipe, in order to know what's is the best replacement for it. Is it included for the acidity, for the sweetness, for the boiling point, etc.
Here is a page that has some recommendations for substitutions. http://ezinearticles.com/?Clever-Substitutions-For-Alcohol-in-Recipes&id=3923408
Answer: You asked what does it [alchohol] add?
Vodka has  good rep when using it in batter, I figure it's mostly because of it's neutral flavour and high alcohol content. See:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/heston_blumenthal/article631377.ece
And:
http://mysocialchef.com/2010/04/vodka-fish-and-chips/
The good news is that you probably don't have to buy a premium vodka to get the same effects. Also the Heston Blumenthhal recipe mentions that the Lager beer is pretty effective (because of the bubbles), so perhaps you can just get away with just the lager.
Comment: It's mentioned in the first link, but so it's recorded here in case of link rot -- one of the advantages to vodka in batters is that it won't develop gluten the same way that water would, so you'll end up with a more tender crust.
Answer: Cognac --> Brandy
Sherry and Port, I generally find a decent inexpensive one - Emu Sherry, Kopke port.
As far as vodka goes, I don't bother.  Vodka is typically added to batters so that the alcohol evaporating drinks some of the oil out of the batter.
A much better option is to use 150 proof Alcool or Grain Spirits.  It's cheap, and works better. (Usually sold as a home-made liqueur base)
Answer: I recently made several batches of fig bread that called for soaking the cut up fresh figs in sherry, and I still had a little on hand. The leavening was baking soda. I found with just that as leavening the breads didn't seem to rise as nicely as with b. powder so I did some reading up on leavening. This said leavenings need an acid and this is more complicated than I can explain  because apparently the fruit itself plays a role too, but my point is that  in some recipes that are leavened if you substitute I would think you need an equally acidic substitute. In general cooking, sherry etc I don't doubt adds flavor.
As for vodka, I don't remember what cooking expert said this, but using it in making pie crust instead of water results in a superior pastry.
I don't think these things go bad so if you cook a lot they should keep. I have had this bottle of sherry for cooking for years.
Comment: The booze in pie crust thing is probably most famously attributed to Alton Brown (although he certainly didn't come up with it). It's all about gluten, and how alcohol doesn't make it when combined with flour. [Good Eats Transcript](http://www.goodeatsfanpage.com/season11/apple_pie/apple_pie_tran.htm)
Comment: Ethanol is also frequently included in commercially made chilled puff pastry - and interestingly, these often taste strongly (unpleasantly) alcoholic to me when baked too thick, probably some of the alcohol vapor gets trapped...


What does this code for SetUICulture() do?

Question: Say I want my programs to work correctly on anyone's computer in the world.
I have no clue how much work this takes but I figure it's easier to get right with a console app so I started by decompiling MSTest.exe entry point and found:
<code>private static void SetUICulture()
{
    Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture =
        CultureInfo.CurrentUICulture.GetConsoleFallbackUICulture();
    if (
        (
            (Console.OutputEncoding.CodePage != 0xfde9) &&
            (Console.OutputEncoding.CodePage !=
             Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture.TextInfo.OEMCodePage)
        ) &&
        (Console.OutputEncoding.CodePage !=
         Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture.TextInfo.ANSICodePage)
    )
    {
        Thread.CurrentThread.CurrentUICulture = new CultureInfo("en-US");
    }
}
</code>
It looks like the intention here to look at the "fallback" culture, and then look at some conditions that would prevent it from being "good enough" and if so set it to us english.
What is is the 0xfde9 doing?
Does this effectively internationalize a console app?
Answer: The 0xfde9 code page is UTF-8. So the code says, if the code page is not UTF8, OEM, or ANSI, then set the culture to US English.
Now, your application should work correctly assuming the presence of the version of the .Net Framework your application requires, but the issue is whether or not the end user will be able to understand what your application is trying to tell them.


Cannot access any files on Samsung Tab 4 7"

Question: I have a Samsung Galaxy tab 4, 7", rooted but running stock OS (Android 4.4.2. It was rooted using Odin 3.09 and TWRP recovery. I then enabled adb root with the adbd insecure app by Chainfire. It would appear that everything is good to go but when I run Droid Explorer with the tablet plugged in and USB debugging on, it appears to load correctly but then I do not have access to any files or folders. All I see on the left-hand side is a file labeled "/" but I cannot actually open it and it shows "0 objects" at the bottom. I would really appreciate some help here, thanks.
Answer: Figured it out! Turns out I had failed to install busybox, my mistake!


Getting error in JMeter while testing with android application

Question: I have connected mobile phone with my IP config and set port which I have set in JMeter. but while start recording in JMeter and start the application in a phone then it showing an error in JMeter
Answer: You need to install JMeter's self-signed certificate so JMeter could decrypt and record HTTPS traffic.

Locate ApacheJMeterTemporaryRootCA.crt file under "bin" folder of your JMeter installation
Send it to mobile device vie bluetooth or email or whatever way plays for you
Tap on the certificate in email attachment or file manager and follow Android OS instructions to get it installed
Remember that the certificate has limited life time so you will have to repeat the procedure each 7 days

See HTTPS recording and certificates section of the HTTP(S) Test Script Recorder User Manual entry for more details.
Also be aware of an alternative solution of recording mobile device traffic, it automates not only certificate installation process, but it's capable of exporting recorded scenarios in "SmartJMX" mode with automated correlation applied, it means that it will generate all the necessary Post Processors to handle dynamic parameters, see How to Cut Your JMeter Scripting Time by 80% for more information.


Does clicking on "new circuit for this site" too often risk deanonymization?

Question: I have a (probably stupid) quirk/OCB: When I want my traffic to a website to be particularly hard to backtrace, I click dozens of times on the new circuit for this site button (sometimes for >15 minutes) until I get a combination of countries which don't cooperate with each other, therefore making it harder to potentially trace back the traffic to me. Once I have a route I like, I start using the website.
However in this process I create dozens of routes from me to this site, thereby probably drawing unwanted attention to me and making it easier to deanonymize me. It also wastes Tor resources.
I would be thankful for a technical analysis of how valid my concerns are and an assessment of whether or not the advantage of a geopolitical advantageous circuit outweighs the drawback of the multitude of potentially denonymizing trials I need to get there.
Answer: Well, it is not an issue, but you should elaborate using Tor Control Protocol via Stem or a similar library to build a circuit you want a way faster
Comment: Thanks. Sounds interesting. Can you give a bit more details please?
Comment: will do on Monday - I'm away from my main PC for a vacation


How can I conditionally reference an entity?

Question: I would like to have an inline entity reference form that will optionally provide a write-in text form if the entity doesn't already exist. Here's the use case: I want to reference a faculty profile that is associated with a particular research project; but I want the option to also associate another person who does not have a profile on the site. In a corresponding view, if the associated person has a profile on the site, their name will link to their profile, otherwise it will simply appear without a link.
Comment: What do you mean by associate? By username?
Answer: Use Entity reference module to insert the references of the existing users to the content type.

This project provides D7 versions of the 'node_reference' and
  'user_reference' field types, that were part of the CCK package in D6,
  at functional parity with the D6 counterparts.

For the rest of the users, you could use a textfield.
Comment: Yes, that's what I've done. I currently have three fields, one for the entity reference, one for the text field, and a third Boolean field that asks whether users would like to add an external participant. The second and third fields are dependent, so that the text field only appears on the form if the user checks the box for "Add an external participant." This works, but I don't find it very elegant, so I thought I'd ask for other people's input on this question. Thanks!


What's the difference between "to stroll" and "to wander"?

Question: I see a lot of people claiming that these two verbs really mean the same thing always or are used interchangeably, but I'm not sure about it because I think two words can share the same meaning for a certain context (i.e they can be synonyms)- but in some cases one communicates the idea better than the other. So, what's the difference between "to stroll" and "to wander"?
Comment: I agree with @Michael Harvey and would add that you can wander in a leisurely way, or not.
Answer: To stroll is to walk in a leisurely way, and the focus is on the mode of travel. To wander is to walk or run, at any speed, without a fixed course or destination, and the focus is on that. You can stroll with a destination in mind, or not. If you stroll aimlessly you are wandering.
The verbs may be used together, and often can be interchanged, depending on the emphasis intended:

I wandered around the park, strolling from tree to tree.
I strolled around the park, wandering from tree to tree.
Answer: "Stroll" is about speed. "Wander" is about direction.
To stroll is to walk slowly, or as a noun, a stroll is a gentle hike.

We strolled from the town centre back to my home, chatting all the way.

If you wander, you don't walk straight.

We wandered through the forest, sometimes following the stream, sometimes walking away from it.

Both imply that you are not walking urgently, and often you would wander at a strolling pace, or while you are on a stroll, you would tend to wander.


Name of Book/Book Series Involving Time Travel By Dreams Throughout History to Protect It

Question: I'm trying to remember the name of the book or series involving time travel through dreams. It would have been published pre-2004-2010 and was a young-adult book. I can't recall it having won any awards at the time of reading.
The plot involves a boy either in middle or high school who is part of a secret society who protect/travel through time to maintain it without messing it up or stop people from changing it. The story starts with him being told that although he has accomplished enough to earn some very high rank and "wings" he needs to to one more thing before he receives them. He needs to train some girl to be an new member. I seem to recall her at some point being in the same class and some scene with a pen (I think). They time travel by sleeping and their minds are transported and they either take the appearances of others or inhabit their bodies for a time. At some point the two travel to England and they almost get caught so they go into a room and pretend to be making out to have an excuse for why they are in the room. I recall that during this scene the boy's father wakes him up causing him to leave his partner as he was worried he wasn't waking up.
Things happen and it turns out the father used to be a part of this secret society until something went wrong with his partner, who is now the villain. I think there was something about going back in time during a plague and either the dad or his partner gives a vaccine for it to a women. I can't exactly recall what happens just mention that being the only survivor would drive her crazy or make her seem a witch to others. I don't remember where in the book, but the boy tells the girl that they must be careful in their interactions in the past so they don't mess with it and gives an example of some inventor and his invention never being invented due to time meddling.
Things happen and in the end the boys father decides to join his son to fight the big bad they succeed (either completely or to a degree) and the boy gets his wings. Actual wings as I recall.
I can't recall if this was a standalone book or the first in a series. I hope someone can help me remember the name of the book.
Answer: After a lot of searching I found out the name of the book. It is called The Named by Marianne Curley and it is the first in the Guardians of Time trilogy.
Comment: Feel free to add some quotes or summaries to this answer if you want. They might help other people searching for this.
Comment: Great! Sorry that we could not help you find it sooner. After two days or so, you should be able to accept your own answer.


Has anybody created an Arabic inspired shorthand for english?

Question: I'm thinking of a system where all fricatives look similar to each other, all plosives look similar, etc; the same base shape could be used for similar sounds using the dots placed above/below letters (see I'jām) to distinguish between voiced/unvoiced. For example ز and ژ could both be fricatives but one voiced & one unvoiced with the number of i'jām dots indicating voiced & unvoiced. As an example 1 dot (خ) could be unvoiced, & 2 dots (ت) could be voiced , 3 dots (ش/چ) could be digraphs(?) like sh/ch/th etc;. Their placement above or below could even mean something (پ/ث)? vowels could be diacritics like how Arabic harakat are used. I'm not really talking about adapting Arabic itself to write english. Plenty of those have been done, some good, some bad. I'm talking about a script inspired by Arabic, but that is really suited to write English because it is designed for English. Dots & vowels could even be omitted to further speed up writing if the dots/vowels could easily be inferred from context as in (Rasm). To use an example that can be typed: 'تُن' could be 'dot', but without diacritics could be 'date' depending on context & with i'jām reversed it could be represent 't-d'. 'O' wouldn't have to be  ُ  (damma), I'm just using that as an example. I like the look of connected letters but disconnected could be used too. It could be designed to be written in either direction by rotating certain letters to face in the direction of writing as was done with Egyptian hieroglyphs. It would be easier to learn because similar sounds would look similar which is rarely the case in Arabic. Has anybody created something like this or could it be created? The table is here
Comment: see https://www.key-shortcut.com/en/writing-systems/%EF%BA%95%EF%BA%8F%D8%A2-arabic-alphabet/

For example [ك/ڬ/ڭ/ڮ]
[ں / ڼ / ڽ]
other examples:[ڌ/ڍ/ڎ/د]
[ڥ/ڤ/ڢ/ڡ]
Comment: One actually exists for Spanish: https://languagelearning.stackexchange.com/q/2342/2167
Answer: Do these count?
Anglo-Arabic

Anglo-Arabic, created by Pangus Ho, is a fully phonetic writing system that can be used to write English. It borrows the shape of Arabic letters so that it looks like Arabic at a glance, however few of the letters have the same sound as they do in Arabic. For example the letter "nūn", which is used to symbolize the sound /n/ in Arabic, is pronounced /t/ in Anglo-Arabic. The main objective is to make similar consonants have similar letter shapes. Consonants, long vowels, and diphthongs are represented by letters, while short vowels are represented by diacritics.

Angrezi (انگریزی)

Angrezi is a method of writing English using the Arabic script devised by Adnaan Mahmood. It is designed so that each sound of English is represented by one letter, and to be a standardised way for transcribing English in the Arabic script. Adnaan also thought that if the large population of English speaking Muslims want to write English in the Arabic script they could do so by using this version of the alphabet which includes vowels for easy reading and comprehension.

The name of the alphabet comes from the Urdu name for English, انگریزی (angrezi).
Comment: I have seen them but what I was meaning was something on the order of gregg shorthand, but deliberately designed to resemble Arabic, taking advantage of how similar sounds often look similar & only have slight differences, like پ for 'p', & ب for 'b'. The idea is to do like rasm, allowing you to leave out the dots for brevity. Gregg is too messy in my opinion, & lacks the beauty of Arabic, for lack of a better way to explain it. There are several systems for merely adapting Arabic to English. For example: https://alternatescriptbureau.wordpress.com/2020/03/27/arabic-script-for-english/
Answer: I created a script, سۛٗط࣫ٮ࣭هَں࣪ٮ࣮ shorthand:

Arabic
English

ط࣪ / ط࣫
r / l

ک࣮ / ک࣭
k / g

ح࣪ / ج
v / f

ٮ࣮ / ٮ࣭
t / d

ٮ࣫ / ٮ࣪
p / b

س࣪
z

ی
y

و
w

ں࣪
n

ں࣫
m

ز
j

ه
h

س࣫ / س࣪
z / s

عُ
u

عٗ
o

عِ
i

عؘ
e

عَ
a

ٮِۛس࣫ عِس࣫ سۛٗط࣫ٮ࣭هَں࣪ٮ࣮/ٮس عس سطٮهںٮ
Unvoiced have one dot above/below, voiced have two. Letters don't match their sounds in Arabic in most cases.
Edit: Here's a spreadsheet. The keyboard is linked there also. I have a chromebook, so it installs as a chrome extension, then can be used as an input method.
Comment: The edit looks good @rek. Nice avatar.
Comment: this can be written with or without diacritics/vowels to speed up writing. عؘںۛطِ࣪سۛ/عںطس would both be "English".
Comment: Please add a table showing the mapping between the letters and their English phonemes. Is your proposal to write English in [rasm](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rasm) but with the phonemes of English distributed onto the letters in a way that doesn't totally match the values of the letters in Arabic?
Comment: I changed some of the letters. Here's a spreadsheet with the mappings. Most of the sounds aren't the same as Arabic. I just tried to make similar sounds use the same shapes & use the i'jām to distinguish them. س࣪ is 's' سۛ is 'sh', ح࣪ is 'f' ج is 'v'.
Comment: It doesn't have to be like Rasm, it can be as minimalist as you want it to be. عࣦںۛطِ࣪سۛ or عںطس for "english".


How can I install photoshop cs6 on ubuntu 14.04?

Question: How can I install photoshop cs6 on ubuntu 14.04? Anyone help me ?
Comment: Question and answer already exists here http://askubuntu.com/questions/244795/how-to-install-photoshop-cs6/348280#348280
Answer: Step 1. Install the Wine Team Ubuntu PPA
First start by installing Wine. By the way, it's a utility to install windows apps in linux :
open the Terminal and :
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install wine1.7 winetricks

Step 2. Using winetricks to get install dependencies for Photoshop CS6
Now that we have the most recent build of wine, we can get started on fetching the necessary build packages to run the Photoshop installer.
Here's the command to issue and pull those dependencies
winetricks atmlib gdiplus msxml3 msxml6 vcrun2005 vcrun2005sp1 vcrun2008 ie6 fontsmooth-rgb gecko

If a few errors pop-up, don't worry – chances are this install will still work.
Step 3. Running the Photoshop CS6 installer
Now that you have all dependencies required to run Photoshop CS6, you can now run the Adobe setup. Either right click Setup.exe, or from the terminal:
cd /home/user/path/to/installer
wine Set-up.exe

If everything worked as intended, you are now done. Photoshop should install like any other program via wine. It should even automatically appear in your programs list!
Comment: check the executable file it's may be corrupted during the download process if you are using a download accelertor op try the folowing comman `sudo apt-get install p7zip{,-full}`
Comment: @Inquisitive 64bit is not yet stable, use the 32bit version
Comment: When install by command wine Photoshop_cs6.exe then show error 7-Zip: Data Error The archive is corrupted
Comment: Showing me when run khan@raselkhan:~$ `winetricks atmlib gdiplus msxml3 msxml6 vcrun2005 vcrun2005sp1 vcrun2008 ie6 fontsmooth-rgb gecko`
[sudo] password for khan:
------------------------------------------------------
wine cmd.exe /c echo '%ProgramFiles%' returned empty string
------------------------------------------------------
Comment: the step to pull dependencies give an error like the package does not work on 64bit installation
Comment: @RaselKhan You should run wine config at least once so it creates the user settings and folders (and env vars like %programfiles%, %windir% and such).
I think the answer should include that step too.
Comment: shows me `wine: cannot find L"C:\\windows\\system32\\user-setup.exe"` and `fixme:ole:RemUnknown_QueryInterface No interface for iid {00000019-0000-0000-c000-000000000046}`
Comment: `sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-wine/ppa     > !!! PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS REPOSITORY IS DEPRECATED !!!`
Answer: PlayOnLinux supports Adobe Photoshop cs6.
Install PlayOnLinux like so:
wget -q "http://deb.playonlinux.com/public.gpg" -O- | sudo apt-key add -
sudo wget http://deb.playonlinux.com/playonlinux_trusty.list -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/playonlinux.list
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install playonlinux

After the POL installation has finished, click on install and, search for Adobe Photoshop cs6, click install, and follow the setup wizard.
From the Adobe PhotoShop cs6 support page:

NOTE: This application does NOT work on Intel graphics (at least not
  that I have seen). Nvidia and AMD graphics should be used.
Answer: A more general answer:
Install Virtualbox from Ubuntu Software Center.
Alternatively visit the displayed "Developer Web Site" and get the very latest (look for Ubuntu *.deb files). Please note that this requires a more manual installation method not described here - link https://www.virtualbox.org/.
Note that "VirtualBox Extension Pack" is required for faster USB (2.0+) speeds.
With Virtualbox you will be able to install full versions of Windows versions
(prior to "10" supported fully at this writing, VB 5.0.2).
This allows to create "Virtual machines", each running a "guest OS" on your Linux-based "host OS".
Most USB devices will be fully functional, others may depend on actual support from Virtualbox; expect Screen/Color calibrators, Image scanners, Barcode scanners, Printers and so on to be fully or partly functional - issues may exist with specific brands or models.
Network is supported in a few alternative modes, file shares can be crated, clipboard works in both directions host to guest and vice versa.
Depending on settings it may be possible to run software in a mode that makes it appear as if it were on the Linux OS (look for: Seamless windows).

Recommended: Run Windows as a network isolated guest and skip the use of all antivirus and malware software - expect at least a 10% performance increase compared to a similar true machine due to this.
Answer: Photoshop is only available for Windows platform
But on linux you can use Windows software through wine. So to use photoshop cs6 on ubuntu  first install wine using
 sudo apt-get install wine

Once it is installed, install photoshop using it.
Comment: See also: [Adobe Photoshop CS6 in the WineHQ App database](https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=version&iId=25607).


Why did the ram allocation model change?

Question: In the old version, it approached infinite cost at max allocation. I thought in the old videos explaining the allocation, it said that there was a disincentive to buying more than needed. However, in explaining the new market based system, the post says there was an incentive to buy more than needed in the old system... i.e. exactly the opposite. What changed? Am I misremembering the old videos?
Answer: According to Dan Larimer's Medium post, they determined that users who acquired cheap RAM would have no incentive to release it if they weren't using it since there was no financial incentive to do so.  By switching to a market-based approach, holders of staked RAM are now incentive to "sell" any RAM they aren't using on the market, which makes it available to users who need it.

The downside to this approach is that those who buy RAM cheaply have no financial incentive to free RAM for other users after it gets more congested. Under Dawn 4.0 the system contract now buys and sells RAM allocations at prevailing market prices. ... Overall this will result in the market balancing the supply and demand for RAM over time.
Comment: That covers the new messaging, but when they explained the old one in a youtube video they said there _was_ a disincentive to buy more than needed under the old regime, as far as I can remember.
Comment: BTW I gave you +1
Comment: @ChrisChiasson In the original model, the price of RAM ramped up as more and more of it was reserved.  If you had acquired RAM at a low price point, there was no incentive to give it up since re-acquring the RAM later would cost exponentially more than what you had originally paid.  Thus, by cheap and hold to insure you don't get hit with high costs later.
Comment: I am pretty sure he anticipated that and explained why it wouldn't happen in the original video, which is the crux of the question.
Comment: The only comment I remember is that to avoid people staking large chunks of RAM, you would pay the "final" price of the chunk you were buying based on capacity remaining after your stake.  That doesn't resolve the problem of me staking a reasonable amount of RAM at a cheap price, not using it for anything, and refusing to unstake it for fear of needing it later and not being able to afford it.