Are there accepted criteria to define an author's institutional affiliation?

Question: I ask this question because there are institutions that pay authors an honorarium to add the institution as an additional affiliation when the authors publish, even when those authors do not have any kind of contract or appointment with the institution, nor do research or teach there. This is clearly a way to game the system and increase the number of publications accounted to that institution. This is evidently not ethical, but I do not know if there are any stated policies or regulations on this practice. The end result is that a university that does do not provide funding or resources for research will have the same number of publications as the university that does conduct and foster research.
Comment: Related question: [What should you do if a co-author has an unethical affiliation?](http://academia.stackexchange.com/q/47505)
Comment: Even closer: http://academia.stackexchange.com/q/41684/19607
Comment: I recall a similar question that was asked some time ago, but at a first search I couldn't find it. My feeling is that only the main institution can have rules against such fraudulent affiliations. Note however that many researchers have perfectly ethical (unpaid) multiple affiliations because they collaborate with several institutions (e.g., I have a double affiliation).
Answer: This is pretty old, but I will provide an answer to an increasingly relevant question. Affiliation is understood to be where the major part of the work was done. If this is not the author's current primary employment, then those details should be included in the contact details and/or acknowledgements. Any paid affiliation is unethical. Surprisingly, I did not find any reference to this "creative affiliation" in the COPE standards https://publicationethics.org/.
Many publishers include a statement about what to do if affiliation changes during the publication process - i.e. how to credit the institution where the work was begun and the institution where the publication was finalized. For example "Present/permanent address. If an author has moved since the work described in the article was done, or was visiting at the time, a 'Present address' (or 'Permanent address') may be indicated as a footnote to that author's name. The address at which the author actually did the work must be retained as the main, affiliation address." from Elsevier Guidelines for Authors (https://www.elsevier.com/journals/journal-of-archaeological-science/0305-4403/guide-for-authors, but they all include this). It seems that what the OP describes is so unethical that no one has addressed it explicitly (yet).
Answer: Don't be afraid to be an independent researcher.  No affiliation may be fine if you are not truly concerned about who gets to "own" your research. I have seen papers where the person does not have an affiliation.
Answer: As far as experience goes, an author's institutional affiliation matches the location of their name on a payroll, regardless of their publishing.
In other words:

on the payroll of University of 123 = institutional affiliation is 'University of 123'
on the payroll of no research institution = 'independent scholar'

Any other arrangement may be characterized as 'creative affiliation'(along the lines of creative accounting).


mysql hardware refresh + version upgrade

Question: currently I am running MySQL 5.0.80 on windows server 2003 (x64), 64gb memory, I have a master and 2 slaves.  It's a large 400 gb Database.  I am setting up all new hardware (SAN + dedicated MySQL servers with 256 gb memory running windows server 2008 r2.  I need to come up with a good plan for moving everything over while minimizing downtime.  Is it absolute truth that you cannot go from 5.0 to 5.6 even when using mysqldump to move the data?  I was originally hoping to run mysqldump during off hours from master (don't fully trust the slaves data integrity), then make master available to users again while I source the sql files into a new 5.6 server and use it as a slave for a day or so until I knew all was well, then promote to master.  Not sure that is feasible because of the jump in versions as well as the replicating (temporarily) from 5.0 to 5.6.  Does anyone have suggestions as to a work plan for moving the master and two slaves onto new hardware with a version upgrade?  Every time i dump the data it will take 5+ hours and sourcing it in even longer so I am trying to be smart about this since my organization is so sensitive to downtime.  thank you.
Comment: 5.0 -> 5.6 is a big change. I would upgrade slaves first, made sure they're in sync with the master (pt-table-checksum) let it run for awhile and then do promotion. You need to be able to switch back in case the app doesn't work well with 5.6
Comment: and by 'upgrade slaves' you mean install a fresh 5.6, dump and import data and make it a slave to the 5.0 master?
Answer: I think your plan is largely sound, and is how I handled a similar upgarde (albeit 5.0 > 5.5). What I did was to take a Dump from the Master in the quiet hours like you said, and then set up a new Slave on one of the new 2008r2 boxes.
This allows you time to 'play' with the new 5.6 database so you can tweak the config, and make sure the data replicates correctly.
Bearing in mind that as akuzminsky mentioned 5.0 > 5.6 is a big change, and a lot of things will have changed (binlog_format and GTID to name two of the big ones), and various settings will have been deprecated, or removed entireley.
In this way you get to keep the original Master and two slaves in production use, whilst you get up to speed with the 5.6 database. You can also repeat the process with a fresh install and different settings  if things don't quite work as planned.
Once you are happy with the new slave, then you can set up two additional 5.6 slaves connected to the new 5.6 database giving you a new 5.6 system (master and two slaves), allowing you to do more checks.
Finally, once you are completely happy with the new 5.6 system, you can then simply move your application(s) to look at the new master and slaves at a convenient time.
Also, a bit of advice from someone that's been there, keep an eye on your error logs on the new servers. The later versions are more sensitive to errors, and I suddenly found my error logs filling up very quickly, requiring a bit of time to re-write some of the queries in our applications to make them 'replication safe'.
Comment: thank you, your summary makes me feel better about my plan.  What about MySQL's documentation indicating you have to follow the path 5.0=>5.1=>5.5=>5.6 ??  That seems safe but very time and resource intensive.  It sounds like guys by and large are are not doing that.  Does using mySqlDump to move the data negate that warning?
Comment: also do I have reason to be concerned about the interem time I will be replicating from 5.0 to 5.6?
Comment: I think the 5.0=>5.1=>5.5=>5.6 they mention is if you were upgrading your server in place, rather than creating a completely new instance of it. As far as I know MySQLDump should work OK, it's going the other way (5.6 > 5.5 or less) that can be problematic. Also remember to run mysql-upgrade if you include the MySQL tables, as there are structural changes in these.


Counting trees in a graph

Question: I would like to know how to modify DFS/BFS in order to return the number of the trees present in a graph. I know that a tree is an acyclic connected graph, and I think that I have to initialize a counter somewhere, but I don't know where. I made the procedure "is-tree(G)" where G is the graph. It returns true if the subprocedure "is-connected(G)" also returns true and if the number of the arcs in G = number of nodes in G - 1, otherwise the procedure returns false. At this point I don't know how to count all the possibile subgraphs which are also trees.
Comment: Perhaps you should give it a few more days.
Comment: Find cicles, remove all nodes that are in the cicles. Then count trees starting from a leaf for each Island. Keep in mind that number of trees grow very fast. a "V" (with 3 nodes) has 6 trees! You should define more precisely what trees are because it is likely you will run out quickly of 64 bit integer field even for modestly sized graphs.
Answer: So here is a pseudo code of what i proposed. Maybe i was not clear.
1) Start with a node (Your start node)
2) For each node from root node, try to find a node (if it exists) that has atleast one node that is not visited. (If the graph is a cyclic, this condition is true). To do this, you may use a hashset of visited children for each iteration.
3) do the above till you reach a node which has no children. Thats the end of the algo where you found 1 tree in the graph. For back tracking i think you want to maintain a hashmap of all the nodes that you started with and the value field contains all the connected nodes to the graph. The point you reach a leaf node without violating point(2), you start back tracking to find the parent of the current node; ie the leaf node to the start node.
Thats your subgraph which is a tree.
PS- Leaf node in this case would be a node which has no nodes connected to it/all the other nodes connected to it are already visited previously/only inward connections
Answer: One way to approach the problem is through Euler Tour for Trees and hashing.

For each node in the graph:
1.1 Perform DFS starting from this node. Store all encountered nodes in the Euler Tour Tree format ( eg., while moving from say node 3 to node 1, you add an entry [ 3 - 1 ], but dont add nodes while backtracking ) . Let's denote this by set 'S'.
1.2 Sort 'S' and compute a unique hash for the set. If the hash has already been seen before, then ignore the set and go back to 1. . Else go to 1.3. (This step is to make sure that you are not counting isomorphic trees multiple times.)
1.3 If size of the set(S) = N, number of subtrees = N * (N+1) / 2;
Sum all the number of subtrees obtained in step 1.
Answer: So for each node in the graph, initially treat it as a n-ary tree, where it contains the following
class node{
int val;
List<node> = [List of all connected nodes]
}
Since you are doing BFS/DFS, you are sure to visit every node.

- For each node Check if the nodes in the above list has a leaf node.
- Keep a backtracking mechanism (using a map or any other data structure) which
   links to the root from where you started.
Thats your Tree inside the graph. Repeat it till all nodes are visited while updating the count when you get a tree.
Comment: I'm sorry but I don't understand this at all. What do you mean by "check if the nodes in the above list has a leaf node"? A leaf in what? How do I determine that? How do you propose to manage backtracking? What's the relevance of linking to the root? Why do you need to visit every node? The question doesn't ask about spanning trees.

Counting trees in a graph


BLU phone having trouble downloading apps

Question: I have a BLU Advance 5.0 and a 64 GB SD card already in it. I changed preferred install location to the SD Card and I also change the default write disk to the SD card. But after every download from Google Play Store, I have to manually put each app onto the SD Card. And now, even though I have every app on the SD Card and have everything set to the SD card, the phone still tries to download every app onto the internal storage, that is still saying "insufficient storage". What should I do?
Answer: called the company of Blu. they will be sending a new update that will fix app problem. They were aware of the problem.


Drupal User ID Token

Question: In civicrm contact summary we see Contact ID / User ID, where User ID refers to the drupal. I will need to customize a token for this User Id which I am supposed to use in civimail. Here in this link https://wiki.civicrm.org/confluence/display/CRMDOC/Customized+%28and+Custom%29+Tokens ,drupal username can be fetched. But I need it for Drupal Id. Please suggest.
Answer: The example calls $result = civicrm_api('UFMatch', 'get', $params); to get the Drupal user id that it passes to user_load() to get the rest of the  user info.
If you just want the id then it is the value being passed to user_load():
$result['values'][0]['uf_id'])

Comment: Thanks for the reply. Yes I got it immediately after posting the question. Sorry for not closing the question.

Drupal User ID Token


What is the downside of using GO SMS Pro and / or Handcent?

Question: All I've been seeing about these apps are the positives. I want to know the negatives of using them, apart from me having to install an additional app to do something that the phone can already do by default. I'm looking to using one of the two because of the built in support for backing up SMS and MMS, something that will come in very handy especially since I text often.
Comment: for what it's worth, there are apps to backup text messages, without relying on a third-party messaging app. That being said, there are still advantages to third-party messaging apps.
Answer: I can only comment on  GoSMS which, while being a great app, has a few obvious issues.

Texting via GoChat is, at best, unreliable. With both parties connected to hi-speed broadband, texts take their own sweet time to deliver. These texts shouldn't expire but they do. Given a certain amount of time, texts stay undelivered.
If you have root access and are thinking of uninstalling the stock SMS app (which would be the logical thing to do), bear in mind that GoSMS notifications don't work hand in hand with the app's UI. Meaning, if you see a notification in the status bar and press on it, it will lead you to the main app interface but you may or may not see the actual message. This happens often when you receive more than one or two texts at the same time. Strangely, even though you can't read the texts (I assumed they were lost), you will have an irritating notification indicating that you have unread texts (that you obviously can't read because they don't show up). Having the stock app ensures that GoSMS shows all texts, unread or otherwise. Also, when you have read the text in the stock app, the notification from GoSMS disappears.
Local backup only works when you aren't connected, either via Wi-fi or mobile data. With the latest version of the app, everything gets backed up to GoCloud. This happens only if you have signed up with GoChat.

Hope this helps.
Answer: Although no one writes about this, the downsize of installing one of those apps is the fact of consuming more resources than the built in app.
Cons:

More disk space used
More RAM used

But the increase is so irrelevant that it doesn't even count as a downsize by most reviewers.
Comment: it's more important on very old devices with 256 MB internal space; most newer devices ships with gigabytes for internal spaces and so the couple extra megabytes needed for installing third party SMS apps are not worth talking about. The only reason for installing third party SMS/Phone/Launcher/Keyboard/Browser/Mail apps are purely a matter of free choices and preferences; some apps implemented things in different ways which some people liked better compared to the stock versions which others just can't stand.
Answer: I advise against Go SMS Pro. A major vulnerability was discovered in November 2020 that shares content to a publicly available unencrypted and chronological order URL.
Answer: You will have to experiment with the apps to see if they play nice with your keyboard and spell-check behavior.  I don't know if this is still the case, but previously, when I used Go SMS Pro, I didn't have desirable spell-correct behavior with my keyboard (which was, ironically, Go Keyboard).  My keyboard would display corrections if I went back to a word I already typed in applications such as Gmail, Facebook, etc... But this was NOT the case inside the Go SMS app.
Answer: lack of badge notifications.  the little 1 in a circle that indicates you have one message waiting.  I know there are other third party apps that let you do this.. but now you have 2 third party apps and besides.. i have a Samsung Note 2 and the third party notificaion badge apps do not work with touchwiz
Answer: The app v7.77 (latest as on date) is having the facilities similar to MIUI messaging app but with additional private box. It is very aggressive and uses cpu in background  but not fast in starting (it takes 7 sec when it is already not in memory,   stock needs less than 0.5 sec and  Textra needs 1.5 sec under similar conditions) it is slow in retrieving messages. It consumes excessive battery unnecessarily accessing cpu, data / internet on foreground as well as background (the battery consumption is as high as 10 to 25 % . Surprisingly it consumes 5% of battery  even when it is not the default app, whereas the stock or textra consume less than 1% under similar usage conditions ). I have never seen such poorly designed app in recent times that too with such costly subscription.


Can I restore Google Analytics website profile which has been removed?

Question: I was operating a web site profile using Analytics.
When I changed my site domain, I add new profile and deleted old one.
I want to restore the old one now. No way?
Answer: Once you delete it, it's gone.
Comment: Desperated. But what can I do if it's gone. Thanks.
Comment: Nothing you can do except rebuild:
http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1120985
Answer:
If  you are an adwords customer, you can be rest assured that your
  account will get restored in no time. What you have to do is to log
  into your AdWords account and click on the Analytics email support
  options. (this is what i had done)
You can also write to: "AdWords Support"
You can also post your problem in the forum
  http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Analytics/thread?tid=1b47f1608b93e735&hl=en
and can also visit:
  http://www.google.com/support/analytics/bin/request.py?contact_type=contact_policy
However, please note, for the time when the profile remained deleted,
  you will not see any data in the profiles.

Source: http://www.sourcing2india.com/content/how-recover-deleted-account-google-analytics
Comment: Hi. Link only answers don't make for good answers. If the page linked to moves or is deleted your answer becomes worse than useless. Please **summarise** the relevant part of the page here using the link as a reference.
Answer: Yes, Google Analytics website profile which has been removed can be restored. I have restored my deleted Google Analytics account.
If you have a Google AdWords account, you should be able to recover it with in 24 hours.
I got this answer after emailing firstname.lastname@example.com
You can see more details here: http://support.google.com/adwords/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=8206&ctx=go&&contactus=1

Hello Indramani,
Hope you are doing fine!
I have good news for you regarding your deleted account! I've restored it for you and you should be able to see data in it.
Please check to see if all is fine with the account! Hope I've been of help! Also, I value your feedback. You may receive a satisfaction survey, for this conversation we had, in the next 24 hours--please fill it out. It's a very short survey (we promise!) and your feedback will help us improve our customer service.
Thanks so much for taking it!
Sincerely,
Padma The Google AdWords Team
Answer: You have a month to change your mind. Nowadays, you don't delete Google Analytics accounts, properties, and views. You "move them to the Trash Can." Then if you don't restore them within 35 days, they are permanently deleted.


I'm studying the effect of a law on a sector: how do I select the control group?

Question: I'm planning on using a regression discontinuity design (RDD) to estimate the impact of a sector-specific law on the firms in that sector. I need to create a control group and I have read somewhere in the literature that you should use "a similar sector". When it comes down the selecting the similar sector, I don't know where to start. Does anyone have any suggestion (readings and such)?
The sectors which would be (separately) analysed are: telecommunication, education, construction, banking, finance.
Comment: How & why did you pick this analytic technique if you didn't know how to implement it?  Why are you trying to do an analysis without the appropriate background and training? This looks like it would need a large amount of work, and far more information than you're providing, to give a useful answer.
Comment: i) I know how to implement it. ii) I don't see how this follows from the info provided. iii) The only answer that was given, by @LimonadaPT , has been useful. Thank you for your time.
Answer: Ideally, but not always feasible, the first option would be to select a similar region where the law is not in place and compare them (e.g. different country / State / city)
If it is not possible to compare with another region, then chose a similar industry. I would try to justify it well though, and comparability would be harder to prove. For example, if you want to study subsidised education, you might want to compare it with subsidized healthcare - the argument could be they're both services, and provide basic needs at some point, with standardised outcomes expected.
Comment: Unfortunately there is no spatial discontinuity here. I will try to think about that, but I was wondering if there was any existing literature that could help.


How to change oil in a lawnmower without turning the mower on its side, tipping, or tilting?

Question: Is there some way to drain and change the oil in a lawnmower without tilting it up, tipping it, or putting it on its side? (obviously, the mower doesn't have a drain plug-- that would be too easy!!) I was changing the oil yet again (I use the mower, my sister uses it, friends borrow it, so the oil gets changed a lot) and getting another headache from all the oil and gas fumes. It seems there has to be a way to get the oil out of there without having to tip the mower sideways or up at all. A siphon, a hose, or something. Does anyone know? All ideas welcome!
Comment: I have used the Arnold Gas & Oil Siphon to remove oil from small engines that do not have a drain plug.   If you are in the US/Canada, this siphon can be purchased at home improvement stores and from online vendors.
Comment: Welcome to the site! I edited the words you wrote in all-capital letters, because we prefer not to use them at the site. It's not personal, and this is as much a reminder to others as it is a new teaching for you!
Answer: So long as you're not reusing the oil, the following time tested method will work...
Require:

Length of (3 feet or 1 metre) clear plastic tubing;
Jug of water;
Container of adequate size to contain all oil extracted from oil chamber.

Method:

Place the container next to the lawnmower but at a level/height lower than the bottom of the oil chamber in the lawnmower engine. You might need to elevate the lawnmower onto an elevated platform or workshop bench.
Draw water into the length of the tube, by placing your mouth over one end (air end) and placing the other end (oil end) into the jug of water.
Place your thumb over the air end so that when you remove the tube from the jug, the water remains in the tube.
Place the oil end of the (water filled) tube into the oil chamber of the lawnmower.
Ensuring that the oil end of the tube remains completely submerged in oil, only then release your thumb from the air end - the water should not drain out of the tube into the oil chamber because of the difference in specific gravity (density) of oil and water.
Place your mouth over the air end of the tube and suck. This should begin to draw water through the tube and due to suction, draw oil into the tube. As you remove the tube from your mouth and spit out the water, place the air end of the tube into the container. The intention is that you establish a flow of water and oil that draws all oil from the oil chamber.

The water is used to eliminate the risk of sucking oil into your mouth as you attempt to create the liquid flow. It is not essential for the process to work but is recommended.
Also should mention, once you've finished draining the oil from the oil chamber, flush out the oil from the clear plastic tube using warm soapy water, so you can reuse the tube when you next change your oil.
Answer: Every rotary lawnmower engine has a drain plug in it?
You'd have to elevate the mower onto a pair of sawhorses or something similar, then, look underneath with a good light, for a square holed plug. Roughly 99 percent of them will take the end of a 3/8th's socket extension bar. A few use a plastic plug with a 3/4" hex. (very rare anymore) You simply insert the end you'd normally attach the socket to, and the ratchet where it normally belongs, and loosen/remove the plug.
It does seem overkill when even many manufacturers inform you to drain by turning the dipstick side towards the ground, and draining? Granted, it's not too convenient, but then again, this is usually done when you're "tuning" the machine for seasonal use, and in that process, you'd need to access the blade and clean out the undercarriage anyway?
Good luck.


User created an account using their phone number- how to ask for the user's email as well?

Question: We are working on a mobile app that offers 'give and receive' advice (concerning relationships, life questions, and so on).
In the onboarding flow, we allow users to choose how to create their account - via email & password or phone number. Our management team insists on asking the user for their email address if they chose to create an account using their mobile number.
I already know when to ask this (after they approved the OTP code we sent them), but not sure how to do it - how to present it or even phrase my request? In most cases, the user does not expect to also share their email if they just signed up using their phone number...what do you think is the best way to do this?
Comment: Hi Noa, what have been your ideas so far for phrasing and presenting it?
Comment: Hi Nash! That's what I wrote:
Title: "Your phone number was successfully verified"
Body: "Please enter your email address to complete your account and sign up:"
email field
CTA - "Done" (that's the last screen out of 3 when they tap 'continue' each time to progress. I also added a green 'check' icon above the title.
Comment: Not addressing the UX aspect, but you might want to have a look at [Prevent against OTP abuse in app sign up flow](https://security.stackexchange.com/q/184619/61744) on the Security SX... essentially, if you're going to be asking for emails _anyway_, always doing so first may save you from someone trying to abuse your sending of OTP messages.
Answer: As per my understanding of the use case, in both the cases the end user's email is mandatory. So, you can try to approach a way where both phone and email id should be asked while registering so that it will reduce the additional step when user opt for registering via phone number.
OR
After the OTP approved, you can ask them like "Login with your email account and enjoy the experience"/ "Happy to know about you and help you"  and ask the first name, last name and email.
Hope this helps.


Was Paul referring to the Torah in 2 Timothy 3:15?

Question: What is Paul referring to when he says "scripture"?
Is he referring to the torah?
Comment: Does this answer your question? [What does "Scripture" in the NT refer to?](https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/4316/what-does-scripture-in-the-nt-refer-to)
Comment: Why do you think it is just the Torah ? (I assume you are meaning the Pentateuch.) Would it not also mean the poetical books, Psalms, Job, Proverbs and all the historical books and all the prophets ?
Comment: @ Nigel J: Why would you correct the proper use of the Hebrew word "Torah" and change it to the Greek word "Pentateuch?"
Comment: @ Nigel J: The full Hebrew scriptures are referred to as TaNakh which is an abbreviation of the three sections:  Torah (1st five books), Nevi'im (Prophets - starting with Joshua) and Ketuvim (Writings starting with Psalms).  The Torah is also called Pentateuch or "five books."
Answer: The Hebrew word "Torah" refers to the first five books of the Bible:
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
It was written by Moses, so it is called the "Five Books of Moses," or the "Book of the Law of Moses."

John 1:45 (ESV)
  45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him of whom Moses in   the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Joshua 8:30-31 (ESV)
  30 At that time Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount   Ebal,
  31 just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the people of Israel, as  it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, "an altar of uncut stones, upon which no man has wielded an iron tool." And they offered on it burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings.
Nehemiah 8:1 (ESV)
  1 And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate.  And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the  LORD had commanded Israel.

The Torah is the history of God's dealings with mankind from creation to the death of Moses.
The Hebrew word "Torah" is translated into Greek as "Pentateuch," meaning "fivefold volume."
The "sacred writings" (hieros gramma) and "Scripture" (graphē) referred to by Paul in II Timothy 3:15-16 refers to more than just the Torah.

II Timothy 3:14-17 (ESV)
  14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it
  15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred (hieros) writings (gramma), which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
  16 All Scripture (graphē) is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
  17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

"Scripture" also includes the Prophets and the Psalms, as seen in Luke 24:44-47.

Luke 24:44-47 (ESV)
  44 Then he said to them, "These are my words that
  I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written
  about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be
  fulfilled."
  45 Then he opened their minds to understand the
  Scriptures,
  46 and said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Christ
  should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
  47 and that
  repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his
  name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Yeshua repeatedly referred to "the Law and the Prophets" during His ministry.

Matthew 5:17-19 (ESV)
  17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the
Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill
  them.
  18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
  not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is
  accomplished.
  19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these
  commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in
  the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be
  called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 7:12 (ESV)
  12 So whatever you wish that others would do to
  you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV)
  37 And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord
  your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
  mind.
  38 This is the great and first commandment.
  39 And a second is
  like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
  40 On these two
  commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."

Since prophecy can be found in every book of the "Old Testament," the entire "Old Testament" can be included in what Yeshua referred to as "the Prophets."
Therefore, by this observation, "Scripture" can refer to all of the "Old Testament," or the "Tanakh" ("Tanach").
Answer: Yes. The "Holy Scripture" or "sacred writings" in v. 15 concerns the Torah
According to Thayers Greek Lexicon

c. τά ἱερά γράμματα the sacred writings (of the O. T.; (so Josephus, Antiquities prooem. § 3; 10, 10, 4 at the end; contra Apion 1, 10; Philo, de vit. Moys. 3, 39; de praem. et poen. § 14; leg. ad Gai. § 29, etc. — but always τά ἱερά γράμματα)): 2 Timothy 3:15 (here T WH omit; L Tr brackets τά); γράμμα equivalent to the written law of Moses, Romans 2:27; Μωϋσέως γράμματα, John 5:47. Since the Jews so clave to the letter of the law that it not only became to them a mere letter but also a hindrance to true religion, Paul calls it γράμμα in a disparaging sense, and contrasts it with τό πνεῦμα i. e. the divine Spirit, whether operative in the Mosaic law, Romans 2:29, or in the gospel, by which Christians are governed, Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6f (but in 2 Corinthians 3:7 R G T WH read the plural written in letters, so L marginal reading Tr marginal reading).

On the other hand, 3:16, is intended to include all of the Hebrew scriptures:

a. a writing, thing written (from Sophocles down): πᾶσα γραφή every scripture namely, of the O. T., 2 Timothy 3:16; plural γραφαί ἅγιαι, holy scriptures, the sacred books (of the O. T.), Romans 1:2; προφητικαι, Romans 16:26; αἱ γραφαί τῶν προφητῶν, Matthew 26:56.
b. ἡ γραφή, the Scripture κατ' ἐξοχήν, the holy scripture (of the O. T.) — and used to denote either the book itself, or its contents (some would restrict the singular γραφή always to a particular passage

Since Paul was a Pharisee he would have accepted all three sections of the Hebrew Bible as inspired text: the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Sadducees (and the Samaritans) only accepted the Torah as inspired - the first five books.
Paul writes in Philippians 3:5:

circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee;

Additionally, we know that Timothy's mother is Jewish (Acts 16:1)

Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek.

and it appears that from his infancy she (Eunice)- with help from her mother (Lois) - was faithful in teaching him (Timothy) the Torah.

I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.  2 Tim 1:5

It is important to remember the historical context of the time within which Paul is writing this personal letter to Timothy. There was no New Testament as we know it today. The "scriptures" that Paul used (and the Berean's searched) to prove Jesus was the Messiah are the Old Testament.


My lens doesn't have switches or buttons for focus or VR — does this matter?

Question: I've got a new Nikon D5300 with 18-55mm and 70-300mm lenses. The 18-55mm lens provided with the camera doesn't have switches or buttons to change focus mode and turn on off VR, etc. Does it matter?
Comment: Have you read the manual for your camera? If so, what do you still not understand?
Comment: There are lots of Nikon F-mount 18-55 and 70-300 lens variants. You may get a better answer if you list the full name, as shown on the label which is on top of the lens when it's mounted.
Answer: I'm guessing that your camera came with the new AF-P kit lenses, which do not have any switches on them. Instead, it is all controlled in the camera menu. If you do not see the options in your camera's menu, you may need to update your camera to the latest firmware.
Answer: Does it matter in what situation? It would mostly depend on the situation you want to shoot in. Generally, you will have a "workaround" option.
About focus - you have plenty of focus modes the camera supports and you will mostly be able to focus properly using one of these:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d5300/af-settings.htm
If you shoot video, though, it might be harder to switch focus without the manual focus mode, and the autofocus motor will induce noise in the sound track of the video itself.
As about stabilization - you can always play with larger aperture, or even higher ISO (you have a range ot 100-12800/25600 ISO, which makes the pictures pretty usable up until 1600-3200 ISO and even higher. Ultimately, you can use a tripod (or put the camera on something) if you need a longer exposure time. A good way to avoid camera shake when clicking on the shooting button when using a tripod is use the timer option - e.g. add 2 seconds delay from the button press before the camera actually shoots.
Comment: +1, but note that Ken Rockwell is a [dubious source](http://photo.stackexchange.com/questions/10980/). He compares his own site to parody news sites like The Onion — which I think is unfortunate, really, because he has some good things to say, but also throws in outrageous statements that he may or not really believe (or maybe just didn't put any thought into.) In _this_ article, it's the fear, uncertainty, and doubt about 3rd-party lenses. While it's true that older ones may lack the focus motor the D5300 needs, most new 3rd-party lenses  integrate motors and will autofocus just fine.
Answer: Seems like you are using a new P series lens from Nikkor. AF and VR are controlled from the camera's menu. D5500, D5300 and D3300 support these option. These lenses normally focus by wire . ie: electronic stepper motor inside the lens moves the elements back and forth to get focus. Nikkon say that models released after 2013 supports this lens. Older work on maual focus only.


Boot from Blu-Ray

Question: I'm currently downloading Windows 8 Developer Preview with developer tools which is unfortunately too large for a normal DVD. Since I don't have oversized DVD's nor an USB stick with enogh capacity I'm thinking about how to boot that damn ISO.
Is it possible to burn a DVD ISO to Blu-Ray and can I boot from Blu-Ray images? That might be a silly question but my google-fu found no answers.
Answer: I never tried before, but I know a tutorial that helps you to make it.
Comment: Nice, im curious to know if it works.
Comment: Looks promising. In about an hour I will be able to answer my own question.. ;)

Boot from Blu-Ray


How to stop users from flagging other users if they have a custom taxonomy term?

Question: I'm working on a project where users vote other users using the Flag module. Each user has a department term reference field. I would like to stop a user from flagging another user if they have the same department. Is it possible? Please help! Thanks in advanced!
Answer: Finally I managed to solve my problem by creating a Rule.
Here are the steps you can follow to achieve this:

Create a new Rule and select as the Event "A user has been flagged, under 'your flag'";
Add a condition "Entity has field" and select "flagging-user" as the entity and your field as the "Field";
Add a new condition "List contains item" and select as a list your created field but it must be like this "flagging-user:field-your-field";
Now at the same condition select as the item one of your field value;
Add a AND condition;
Add two more conditions exactly like you did at step 2, 3 and 4 but change "flagging-user" to "flagged-user".
Finally, add an action with "Unflag a User" and select your flag first, then at the User select "flagged-user", at the "User on whose behalf to flag" select "flagging-user" and at "Skip permission check" check "True".

That's it. Hope I helped someone else.
As requested here's an exported code of the actual Rule:
<code>{ "rules_nu_poate_vota_manager" : {
"LABEL" : "Nu poate vota manager",
"PLUGIN" : "reaction rule",
"OWNER" : "rules",
"REQUIRES" : [ "rules", "flag" ],
"ON" : { "flag_flagged_apreciere" : [] },
"IF" : [
  { "entity_has_field" : { "entity" : [ "flagging-user" ], "field" : "field_raion" } },
  { "list_contains" : { "list" : [ "flagging-user:field-raion" ], "item" : "18" } },
  { "AND" : [] },
  { "entity_has_field" : { "entity" : [ "flagged-user" ], "field" : "field_raion" } },
  { "list_contains" : { "list" : [ "flagged-user:field-raion" ], "item" : "18" } }
],
"DO" : [
  { "flag_unflaguser" : {
      "flag" : "apreciere",
      "user" : [ "flagged-user" ],
      "flagging_user" : [ "flagging_user" ],
      "permission_check" : "1"
    }
  },
  { "drupal_message" : {
      "message" : "Nu po\u0163i aprecia colegii de echip\u0103!",
      "type" : "warning"
    }
  }
]
</code>
}
}
Comment: I trust this works for you, however it would clarify your answer if you add an export of your rule (+1 after you do so and ping me via an extra comment) ... Also, step 3 is redundant ... since AND is how multiple conditions are combined by default (try it if you want to check to see it works .... or checkout https://drupal.stackexchange.com/a/228125/39516).
Comment: Just edited the steps, now should work as expected.
Comment: Merci for considering my prior comment. With this improved version I'm not sure anymore about the "AND" (if it is needed or not). Though I must admit that this updated version is even harder to digest/understand .. And hence adding an export of your actual rule would, at least for me, help to really understand/digest your answer. Up to you to yes/no do so ...
Comment: Just updated the question with the export code of the actual Rule in use.
Comment: Merci for adding this exported rule. Now I do understand what your rule does (only reading the exported rule). However, the "AND" condition is really NOT needed for what your rule is designed to do. Also, you're not "stopping users" from flagging, instead your are doing like an "undo" after a user is flagged. Would you agree? Interested in an extra answer to (more or less) do as in your title?
Comment: If you have a better idea, I'm interested, thanks!


Is verbatim copying a data collection plan with citation considered plagiarism?

Question: Cheers, I am writing a thesis using secondary data and need to report on the sampling methods used to collect the data. Am I allowed to verbatim state what is listed in the study documentation? It is fairly complex and thus paraphrasing it changes the meaning.
Comment: Your advisor should probably be able to offer concrete advice having looked at precisely what you intend to copy. He or she is probably familiar with what is considered acceptable.
Comment: See https://academia.stackexchange.com/help/merging-accounts  to merge your accounts so you can write comments.
Comment: This is all indeed helpful. Say I actually copy and pasted paragraphs from the documentation and sprinkled it throughout the thesis. I want to be honest about this and wonder how the best way to do that is? I have seen other thesis that copy verbatim but do not say they did (but do cite it once). That's another question I have. Do I need to cite the data source more than once? I have a few pages on it but it seems not right to cite it in every paragraph.
Answer: It isn't plagiarism, but it may be a copyright violation. Plagiarism is claiming that something is due to yourself that is actually due to another. Your citation covers that. But it may still not be proper to quote it at too much length. Laws on that (copyright) vary by location. Look for any stated license on the work or contact the publisher to be sure.
Answer: Proper way to handle that would be to say you've used the methodology of Dude et al. (20XX), which you have reproduced here for convenience.  That wouldn't violate any copyright.  You dont need the their publisher's permission every time you quote someone. It only matters if you're using a published figure.
Comment: I think your statement "It only matters if you're using a published figure." is incorrect and possibly dangerous if the advice is followed. Some text can be quoted, but there are limits. "Here I have reproduced chapter 3 of _Dune_ for convenience." Boom. Lawsuit. Don't give permissive legal advice if you are not a lawyer.
Answer: If you are copying large chunks of material verbatim, and paraphrasing won't work, then you should give a direct quote with citation to the source and page number.  If the volume of material is too large for a block quote, or if you plan to refer to chunks of the text over and over again, it might be easier to add the entire document as an attachment in the appendix of your own work, and then refer to the parts you need with citation (but without giving the quote) in the body of your work.


Ropsten Test Network

Question: I have created a test token and deployed it on the ropsten test network. I have the full balance in my ether wallet. My question is how can I transfer this token to other wallets? How can I configure the token on other wallets using the rospsten test network?
Thank you
Answer: You can use MetaMask, for example. Make sure you are on the Ropsten testnet and then educate the wallet about your token by giving the contract address. That's all there is to it because ERC20 (assuming that is applicable) standardizes the surface area.
Suppose you set up MetaMask in your browser. You'll get an account(s), and once the token contract is configured, you will see any tokens sent there.
It works the same on MyEtherWallet - also easy to experiment with, and most other wallets you might want to try.
Hope it helps.
Comment: Many thanks Rob. Actually that's where I'm stuck. I created a new wallet on MyEtherWallet and transferred some tokens to it from the main wallet that holds all the tokens, the issue is that the new token is not appearing on the new wallet (the units get deducted from the main wallet but doesn't appear on the new one). My question is what shall I do on the new wallet to make sure I receive the tokens?    I really appreciate your time :-)
Comment: I cant checking right at this moment. Look around for custom token. It just wants an address to know about the contract to inspect for you.

Ropsten Test Network


How to export a transparent clip?

Question: In my node editor I have a small movie clip with a green screen. I keyframed it to get rid of the green screen and I am using a transparent background image. I have realized that most of the video formats don't support transparent backgrounds, so I am trying to just render it frame by frame. However, when I use a format that should support transparency, like png, the pictures just come out with a brown or black background. My goal is to overdrop the clip on another video I have. How do I export this clip with a transparent background? Thanks for any help!
Answer: Nevermind, figured it out. Turns out I was rendering with the RGB preset instead of RGBA.
EDIT: Expanding upon my explanation: I was getting a brown background whenever I didn't check "use alpha" on my output node. So I checked that and it solved that problem. I was getting a black background on my render images because of my answer stated above. On your render options in the properties tab, right next to the type of file output you have 3 options: BW, RGB, RGBA. I was rendering my images with the RGB preset, which stands for Red Green Blue, instead of RGBA which stands for Red Green Blue Alpha. So it makes sense that it previously wasn't rendering my alpha background.
Comment: please expand on your answer a bit, to make it more useful to future viewers.

How to export a transparent clip?


How to mirror the image from a computer monitor to a screen matrix

Question: Say I have twelve flat-screen TVs with HDMI ports that are physically arranged in a 3 by 4 matrix. What would I need to "mirror" an image from a laptop display (also with HDMI port) to that 3 by 4 matrix as if it was a single giant display? Can I do it only through software or do I need a special hardware?
Answer: It's practical to consider that you need special hardware, if only to have the physical capability to connect twelve screens to a source device. A quick search for "tiling computer image over multiple screens" provided too many links covering two monitor wallpaper, but a couple more useful resources.
One of them is an NVIDIA product line called Mosaic. I expect that the company would be able to provide substantially high performance video devices, considering their history in the gaming video world. I did not follow the pricing links!
Another link I discovered also appears to be a commercial resource, but seems to be a service rather than a solution. One of the links from that source sent me to Matrox which advertises "Dual, Quad and beyond," for capability.
AMD appears to offer support via graphics adapter cards up to six displays.
I popped off another search using "How many monitors will windows support," and got a few links to indicate "no limit," except for hardware limitations and performance consideration. The search also provided an article written in 2012 that might be of value https://www.pcworld.com/article/251521/when_two_monitors_arent_enough.html describing alternative devices, which again is a hardware consideration.
You'll be limited by the number of slots in your computer and the number of ports per card, but if you have sufficient room to plug in four cards with three ports, or the reverse, it is suggested in the articles noted above that you should use all the same device, to keep the drivers uniform.


Why do Teshuvah for an accidental חטא (sin)?

Question: Why am I obligated to do Teshuvah if I do a חטא (sin) accidentally, according to Rambam (Hilchot Teshuva 1:1)?  What am I doing Teshuvah for?
Comment: Carelessness? ...
Comment: Why pay a fine if you didn't realise you were speeding?
Comment: @ShimonbM So that people in general pay more attention. But that only answers why some accidental sins of korbanot/payments attached to them, not why they have an obligation of guilt.
Answer: The Ramban (in Toras Ha'adam Shaar Hegemul) brings two reasons why one who sins בשוגג requires repentance:
1) If he was truly worried and fearful of Hashem he would not have done what he did without investigating fully if it was permitted. I remember hearing an example for this that you don't hear of anyone accidentally jumping into a fire. This is also explained in the Rambam (Hilchos Shegogos Chapter 5 Halacha 6) who differentiates between a שוגג and an אונס. In the case of a שוגג the person is at fault for not bothering to thoroughly investigate, whereas in an אונס situation there was nothing he could have done.
2) Even if the person cannot be blamed for his action, the end result is that the sin was committed which affected a blemish on his soul that must be rectified. This is brought out in more "lomdishe" words by the Toras Chesed (O.C. Siman 31) who explains that there are two parts to commiting a sin: the גברא (person) and the חפצא (object). The גברא part means that the individual is commanded to fulfill the will of Hashem, and by failing to do so he is rebelling, and the חפצא part is that by performing an aveirah a blemish is caused to his soul. In the case of a שוגג, although the גברא issue is not present (he is not rebelling since he did not intend to do so), the חפצא part is still present and needs atonement.
[Based on this reasoning some Achronim (Nesivos Hamishpat C.M. Siman 234 Biurim Sif Kotan 3, and see Ohr Sameach Hilchos Girushin Perek 1 Halacha 17) claim that by a Rabinical prohibition which is only on the גברא not the חפצא one does indeed not require attonment for a שוגג.]
(Answer based on this Hebrew essay.)
Answer: The soul is incapable of doing wrong, even by mistake. Such שגגות are possible because of previous sins committed knowingly and by choice.
Based on Rav Ovadya Yosef at
http://www.halachayomit.co.il/displayRead.asp?ReadID=1096
Comment: JNF, welcome to Mi Yodeya! It looks like you didn't quite finish writing your sentence. Please [edit] in the rest if you have a chance.
Comment: @DoubleAA, Thank you. I did complete it, but it was deleted somehow. I rewrote the end.


Was it CO2 or Muriatic Acid?

Question: We had a malfunction with the chlorination system at our pool.  There was a reaction between the Calcium Hypochlorite tablets and either $\ce{CO2}$, Carbonic Acid, or Muriatic Acid.  There was a definite malfunction that led undetermined amounts of $\ce{CO2}$ (or a mixture of that gas dissolved into water, carbonic acid?), into the tank where hypochlorite tablets are dissolved. The tablets became very warm, a yellow/greenish gas was observed, and there was an extreme chlorine type smell that was easily observable from at a hundred feet away.  We are talking $\pu{150 lbs}$ of calcium hypochlorite tablets.  Is it possible for the $\ce{CO2}$ to react this violently with the hypochlorite? Or, is it more likely someone poured some muriatic acid in the water tank or on the tablets?
Comment: Just for more clarification... this was at a public pool.  The two operators were out of town.  The tablets (not powder) are in a hopper.  The hopper sits on top of a tank which sprays a small amount of water up at the tablets to dissolve them.  There is supposed to be 50 lbs of tablets in the hopper but there was more like 150 (lots of fuel).  The "yellow/green" vapor that escaped from the lid when opened  was witnessed by several people (not me) The FD was eventually called as the fumes continued to increase. Next morning the tablets were warm and the plastic tray they sit in was deformed.
Answer: It is almost certain that the gas you saw was chlorine (Cl2). It is a VERY TOXIC gas, so stay away!!
Hypochlorite releases chorine gas when pH is too low. That is why bleach must not be mixed with acid. Never!
In this case it is probably Muratic (hydrochloric) acid that has been added to the hypochlorite in excess. The acid is used to adjust the pH in the pool water, because hypochlorite in itself will raise pH to an unpleasant level.
It is unfortunately a fairly common accident seen in chlorination systems.
Answer: Note that chlorine can be created just by adding water.
$$\ce{Cl- + ClO-  + H2O <=> Cl2 ^  + 2 OH-}$$

Enough $\ce{CO2}$ dissolved in wet tablets of calcium hypochlorite ( mixed calcium hypochlorite, chloride and hydroxide)  would speed up the above, as it would release hypochlorous acid $\ce{HClO}$, which is weaker than carbonic acid.
$\ce{HClO}$, then oxidizes chlorides to free chlorine.
The summary reaction is like this:
$$\ce{  CO2 + Ca^2+  +  Cl- +  ClO- ->  Cl2 ^ + CaCO3 v}$$

The reaction with hydrochloric ( obsoletely muriatic) acid $\ce{HCl}$, would be the most dramatic, if it was present :
$$\ce{  2 H+  +  Cl- +  ClO- ->  Cl2 ^ + H2O}$$
Answer: Calcium hypochlorite is supposed to be added to water. If a little water is added to the hypochlorite, it can start to oxidize and produce stronger chloric acid. The SDS says to avoid water and moisture. To test this, try adding just a few drops of water to a pile of powder or a pill and see if a reaction begins.
Unless you have a vandal, it is not likely that someone would be pouring acid into your hypochlorite. There might be a possibility of moisture getting in thru a small splash of rain or condensation from temperature changes and high humidity; tight closure of containers is advised.
Here's a link to a video where other additives are added. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZOl48Ppanw

Was it CO2 or Muriatic Acid?


Why don't we use tags on the blog?

Question: I noticed on blogoverflow, all of the posts for the blog are filed under 'uncategorized'. Is there a reason for this? Can we categorize them? Should we categorize them?
Answer: Mostly this is just a "we just haven't".
We can categorize and we might consider doing it in the future and going back and adding tags and categories and what not in the future.
However, SEI is considering taking their blogging operation in house and I'm not sure what that will look like. Until I'm sure we're staying on Wordpress for the future I'm not concerned enough about it to go back and retag stuff.
Answer: I think we've been fairly consistent in tagging stuff, we don't categorize stuff.  Tags are usually:

([Denomination], [Topic])

I think we would if we could, but that's because waxeagle is too lazy to make up categories :D and how would they be distinct from the tags anyway?
The other problem is that we can't edit our posts after they've been published, so since we're reliant on the good will of wax and starman we're (or at least I'm) a little hesitant to just ask them to fix something like that if I've forgotten.

Why don't we use tags on the blog?


What counts as ground for Tenser's Floating Disk?

Question: What counts as ground for this ritual, if you have a 5x5 piece of stone/paper/metal/wood under the disk, and that is moved up, say 10 feet, would the disk phase through that stone, or hover 1 foot above it? What about floating over water?
Answer: I don't believe the rules ever formally state what exactly is or is not "ground." With that said, here's what I would use to evaluate this:

Does the item have a large enough surface area to support the disk?
Does the item have a reasonably uniform surface? (i.e. not someone's head and shoulders, not steeply angled, etc.).
How much weight can the item support? It doesn't necessarily have to support the full payload of the disk, but it should be more substantial than (for example) a cloud.
How much is the surface moving? Something that's moving a great deal (like the back of most conscious creatures) is probably not very "ground-like."

At the end of the day, it boils down to a GM call.
Comment: If I were asked that as a DM, I would be inclined to rule that the ground underneath the disk does, in fact, have to support the weight of the disk's contents (i.e., the disk essentially uses a magic "ground effect" to achieve lift.) This could have some pretty interesting corollaries...
Comment: Are you actually allowed to ride on Tenser's Floating Disk in 4.0e?  I thought that you weren't allowed to carry organic things on the disk at all anyway.
Comment: @Zibbobz, There is no such restriction on TFD in 4e.
Comment: What about liquids?
Comment: @dakeyras ... ಠ_ಠ
Answer: "The ground" counts as the ground for Tenser's Floating Disk. It can't be tricked, exploited, or fooled, because it's magic and not physics.
Answer: The Ground is the Battle Map.
While this answer will not satisfy the simulationists out there, it is probably the unspoken principle upon which D&D 4E, a combat-heavy system, is designed around. All the descriptions of various things that I've read talk about things that could be "on the ground" or are different from ground. For example, Tremorsense describes "walls or ground" which suggests that walls aren't ground. But if you're in a cave, what is the difference between a "wall" and the "ground" other than the relative position to the person asking the question? They're all "cubes" of the same contiguous mass of stone.
The fact is, D&D 4E never talks about "cubes" of terrain. Terrain is always portrayed in two dimensions, as squares. In other words, terrain is composed of the two dimensional features that adorn the two dimensional battle map. From this purely "gamist" perspective, Tenser's Floating Disk must always remain on a tile of the battle map and can never float off or above it.
Tenser's Floating Disk presumably ignores difficult terrain, as it is presumably a conjuration. It otherwise hovers over the ground, so it is likely that it would fall through any square of map terrain that a character with no special movement modes would fall through, such as water or a fake floor.
Beyond this, there may be a few other ways to think about three dimensional terrain to figure out what "Ground" is, keeping in mind that these are extrapolations from rules.
Ground is Blocking Terrain.
Although the compendium does not provide a definition for Ground, it does provide one for Blocking Terrain:

Walls, doors, large pillars, and various obstacles that fill squares on the battle grid are blocking terrain, which prevents movement.
Blocks Movement: Creatures can't enter squares of blocking terrain. A typical square of blocking terrain is completely filled, which prevents diagonal movement across its corners.
No Line of Effect or Line of Sight: Blocking terrain blocks line of effect. It blocks line of sight as well, unless the terrain is transparent.

I think it's safe to assume that whatever Ground is, it would follow these traits. If the material in question were filling a square of terrain in front of the characters and the characters could not move horizontally through it, then that material could count as ground.
Water is not ground.
Water is not blocking terrain and creatures can enter water. Furthermore, the glossary entry for Underwater Combat states:

Underwater battles allow for up-and-down movement. Creatures can attack the characters from all directions, not just along the ground.

This suggests that squares of water are not Ground because you are moving in directions other than adjacent to the Ground.
"Weird" and floating terrain is ground.
There are precedents for blocking terrain that defy gravity, such as floating motes of stone or water in the Elemental Chaos. Furthermore, the Planeshaper Epic Destiny provides the following clue:

Fill 9 unoccupied squares with a solid surface, such as stone or wood. If you fill a square with a solid surface that is not attached to another surface (in other words, you create a stone slab 5 squares up in the air), the surface hovers in place.

As the power allows the character to fill squares with a solid surface, and filling a square with a solid is how Blocking Terrain is defined, this seems to suggest that the Planeshaper can create Ground that floats mid-air. Presumably, the Planeshaper could create a tile of ground mid-air, cast the Tenser's Floating Disk ritual, and continue to create a "path" mid-air and have the Disk follow behind.
Ground has no limit to its load-bearing properties.
Another possible way to think about ground is that it is a surface that can support infinite weight. I have never come across a reference to "falling through the ground" in D&D 4e, no matter how heavy something may be. Thus, one possible way to discern ground would be to see if there is a limit to the weight it can hold or if it is breakable.
Tenser's Floating Disk has a capacity limit of up to 2,000 pounds, so it probably isn't ground: you probably can't float one disk over another. However, Tenser's Lift has no load limit, so you probably can float a disk on a lift and use the lift to move the disk vertically.
Comment: There is a reason that we can derive what ground is from the rules: the designers took it for granted that "ground" meant what the English word "ground" means, and this simple assumption is evident throughout the rules. That's why this convoluted textual analysis ends up with "ground = ground".
Comment: Excellent sequence of logic, with references!
Answer: I'd say the ground under the disk does need to be able to support the disk - it's meant to be read as an "effectively infinite" source of upward force.
But, I'd say it doesn't need to be uniform or such. It's essentially a hovercart - it can detect the force it's applying to things on it, apply the necessary counterforce to keep them from falling off, and magically support itself on what's beneath it without the physical restriction of touching.
(Heh. Maybe it can never apply upto 2000 pounds of force, no matter how high your Arcana. Instead, what's increasing is its coefficient of friction. High level disks are sticky.)


Why did Count Dooku erase Dagobah, et. al. in addition to Kamino?

Question: I stumbled across this answer that mentioned that, along with Kamino, Count Dooku erased Dagobah and a number of other star systems from the Jedi Archives.  I understand the need to conceal Kamino, but why the others?  And potentially related, was this why Yoda chose Dagobah? Maybe he knew it had been erased and the Emperor didn't know of it?
Comment: Deleting one planet is suspicious, deleting dozens is clearing out space for more Holonet vids of Twi'leck dancing girls ;-D
Comment: Perhaps they were erased because then it would be less clear which planet was the one they were attempting to hide.  If one hacks a system and takes more data or control than one needs, one could obscure the intended target.
Comment: My answer cite "[Labyrinth of Evil](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Labyrinth_of_Evil)", perhaps the answer to you question lie in this book.
Answer: In the entry in the Wookieepedia for Dagobah, it tells us:

Hundreds of years before the Clone Wars, the Jedi Minch battled and killed a powerful Bpfasshi Dark Jedi in this unchartered planet. The Dark Jedi's energies absorbed into its surroundings, first tainting the planet with the dark side.

Also, from the same article, Dagobah was discovered and surveyed several times, and forgotten almost every time, so whether it was due to the tainting or something else, this was not a planet the Republic had kept track of and there was a good chance that the disappearance of several survey teams may have been connected to the tainting of the dark side.
I'm not clear on the other worlds that Dooku erased from the Jedi archives, but if it was tainted with the dark side and had been discovered and forgotten a number of times, and most survey missions had run into problems, then it's not a good place to be.
And that would make it not only a great spot for a secret base or retreat for the Sith, but it's also what would make it a good spot for Yoda to hide in.  The energy from the dark side would hide his presence there and it would also make it appear as an undesirable place for any Jedi to hide, since the influence of the dark side would, over time, wear them down.
As for the other planets, it's not clear (at least in the Wookieepedia), but one can presume that, like Kamino and Dagobah, they met one or more of a few conditions:

They were "backwater" worlds and would not be missed or sought out by anyone.
They would be useful to the Sith, either because of resources, or dark side energy or other reasons.
They might provide something useful to the Jedi.

I would think the first condition would mean few would meet the third condition, since if they were useful to the Jedi, someone would notice they were missing, which limits it to the 1st and 2nd conditions.
Answer: Also consider that this is one of several places in existing canon (TV and movies) we have seen where padawans have been take to test their mettle vs dark forces and fear (see TESB, Rebels S1, etc).
It is likely that Dooku removed a few planets from the record with significance in this area (i.e. Jedi/defeated Sith cultural relevance) as red herrings nothing more. It also occurs to me that Yoda may have chosen Dagobah because a) the records were erased, b) he had trained Jedi there before and might want to again due to the nature of the test and c) may have even trained Dooku there (hence Dooki singling it out for deletion, even unintentionally).


Junction object fields

Question: I have created a many to many relationship between two objects, A and B, using a junction object. That works fine, and the related lists show up on A and B with standard layout pages. Is it possible to display fields from object A on object B using this relationship, i.e. using the junction object?
How would I reference the fields from A in B on a Visualforce page? Where can I find the name of the relationship?
Answer: In my org, I have three objects, Position__c (Master object), Employment_Website__c (Master Object) and Job_Posting__c (Junction object between the two).
If I wanted to display all related Employment Website data for a Position object through a Visualforce page, I would use a page with a standard controller for the Position object. On this page I would loop through the related job posting child objects, and then for each row reference the parent employment website through the parent relationship api name.
Here is an example:
<apex:page StandardController="Position__c">
  <apex:sectionHeader title="Position: {!Position__c.Name}"/>
  <apex:pageBlock title="Employment Websites">
      <apex:pageBlockTable value="{!Position__c.Job_Postings__r}" var="jobPost">
          <apex:column value="{!jobPost.Employment_Website__r.Name}"/>
          <apex:column value="{!jobPost.Employment_Website__r.Web_Address__c}"/>
          <apex:column value="{!jobPost.Employment_Website__r.Price_Per_Post__c}"/>
      </apex:pageBlockTable>
  </apex:pageBlock>
</apex:page>

I have used a page block table to show the data, but this could be a repeat, or just a plain data table too. If you have a custom controller, you will have to retrieve
the fields using some relational SOQL beforehand, but the relationship references remain the same.
The relationship api names are defined on the master-detail field detail page, found on the custom field list on the junction object definition page. Just don't forget to append '__r' and the end of the relationships (replacing '__c' if it exists).

Hope that helps!
Answer: In your VF page where you'd like to present object B and related list of A objects, you would need to fetch list of related A objects, but queried with the fields you would like to display.
E.g. let's say you have a ObjectB.page:
<apex:page standardController="B__c" extensions="ObjectBControllerExt" recordSetVar="JunctionObjName">

Details for {!objB.Name}

    <apex:form>
        <apex:pageBlockTable value="ABjunctions" var="ABjunc">
            <apex:column value="ABjunc.A__r.Id" />
            <apex:column value="ABjunc.A__r.Name" />
            <apex:column value="ABjunc.A__r.DateCreated" />
        </apex:pageBlockTable>
    <apex:form>
</apex:page>

You would have to form your controller to resemble something like:
public with sharing class ObjectBControllerExt {

    public B__c objB { get; set; }
    public List<A_B__c> ABjunctions { get; set; }

    public ObjectBControllerExt(ApexPages.StandardController controller)
    {
        objB = (B__c)stdController.getRecord();

        ABjunctions = [SELECT Id, Name, A__c, A__r.Id, A__r.Name, A__r.Id FROM A_B__c WHERE B__c = :objB];
    }
}

Written in rush, but I think it should work.
On a side note, even better solution would be to use an inner class as proxy object - in your case, in the controller constructor you could fetch all the junction objects, iterate over the collection and create fully customized list to suit your needs:
public List<MyInnerClass> listOfAobjects { get; set; }

public ObjectBControllerExt(ApexPages.StandardController controller)
{
    objB = (B__c)stdController.getRecord();

    ABjunctions = [SELECT Id, Name, A__c, A__r.Id, A__r.Name, A__r.Id FROM A_B__c WHERE B__c = :objB];

    listOfAobjects = new List<MyInnerClass>();
    for(APN_SRF__c abJunc : ABjunctions) {
        listOfAobjects.add(new MyInnerClass(abJunc.A__c));
    }
}

public class MyInnerClass {
    public string aName { get; set; }
    public string aProp1 { get; set; }
    public string aProp2 { get; set; }
    ...

    public MyInnerClass(A__c objectA) {
        this.aName = objectA.Name;
        ...
    }
}

Of course, in case you would use the solution with inner class as 'proxy object', you'd need to update the bindings in the VF page accordingly. Hope you got the big picture...

Junction object fields


Can't link contacts in Empathy 3.2

Question: I have installed Ubuntu 11.10, with Empathy 3.2. I tried to link any contacts but it does not work. What should I do?
Thank you
Answer: This appears to be a bug and you may have to wait until it is fixed: Launchpad bug report
Answer: just install this lib, libfolks-eds25, and restart empathy and will work fine.
type the command bellow in a terminal window.
sudo apt-get install libfolks-eds25
when asks for your password enter the proper one.
close empathy and start it again.

Can't link contacts in Empathy 3.2


How to use a spectrum analyzer to help practice an instrument

Question: I recently started playing the trumpet my first brass instrument and I got a tuner to help with practice. I got istrobesoft by Peterson on android, it got a display of its real time spectrum analysis but I don't quite understand how to read it. That is to say what is the desired result for a good tone. It doesn't have to be specific to istrobesoft. I want to know in general how do you use a spectrum analyzer for practice, what to look for and what it means.
Comment: It's going to be either almost impossible or impossible to see good tone on a spectrum analyzer. On the other hand, it will become quite obvious after enough practice to *hear* good tone. And we listen to music, we don't watch it. Use your ears to learn trumpet, not your eyes.
Comment: +1 for this, because it gives a chance to put an answer in;) There seems to be a almost uncanny reliance on spectrum analysers these days for tasks they are quite clearly not suitable for. I suspect this has passed osmotically from the interwebz penchant for 'which is the best mp3?' questions, based on spectrographs of two files. The answer is, 'You cannot use a spectrograph for this. Listen to it.'
Comment: @Tetsujin I was taught to play into a corner and listen to the echos to improve my tone. Ears, not eyes, as you say.
Comment: Hearing is an organic spectrum analyser as the organ of Cortis is tonotopic - each frequency has a characteristic place of resonance along it and excites auditory nerve based on position (and hence on frequency)
Answer: There's tone, then there's tone!
The pitch of a note is often called its tone, meaning is it in tune or not.
The timbre of that note is called its tone, and will vary from player to player, instrument to instrument.
While a tuner will be capable of checking the former, it certainly will not be able to check the latter.
However, one's ears should be able to do both! And certainly should be the articles used when playing any instrument. Relying on a needle or flashing lights may help if one is 'tone deaf', but that's a rare condition. Get used to listening (a muso's best skill) and adjust accordingly. Recording is a good secondary check: most beginners find it difficult to multitask, as in play and listen simultaneously. That comes with experience and lots of critical practice.
So, use the tuner sparingly, and use those ears a lot!
That apart, there are many other aspects of trumpet playing to concentrate on - reading, tonguing, embouchure, to name only three! And no super-fabulous tuner is going to be of much help there, either.
Comment: I strongly agree - you should tune with your ears not your eyes.
Answer: Maybe that's nitpicky: but a tuner and a spectrum analyzer are fairly different things. A tuner will measure the frequency of the fundamental with very high precision. That will tell you if you are in tune.
A spectrum analyzer will give you a real time view of the fundamentals and the harmonics (or over tones). That's more related to tonal balance and timbre and not to precise pitch. This is actually a very interesting method to observe how different ways of playing affect your tone. For example if you play a note on the bass you can plucking with a finger, with a pick or slap with your thumb. Either one will give you the same pitch on the tuner but will look quite different on a spectrum analyzer.
Comment: A spectrum analyzer is also a very cool visualization of the difference between cylindrical and conical wind instrument bores (say, the [clarinet (bottom two tones) and the saxophone (top tone)](https://i.imgur.com/DgGokZE.jpg)). You will see that one of them is simply missing overtones (if I recall correctly, in a pure, ideal world, the cylindrical instrument only has the odd harmonics).
Comment: You may well be correct. However, a spectrum analyser won't actually tell you if one tone is better than another - only which overtones are present.
Comment: A spectrum analyzer may be useful for finding the difference between your tone and someone else's good tone if you understand how it works
Answer:
I want to know in general how do you use a spectrum analyzer for practice, what to look for and what it means.

I will answer that in two parts: the first part is what a spectrum analyzer does, the second part will be why you can't use it for your purpose.
What does a spectrum analyzer do?
There is a mathematical proof that every - really every - curve (said in a very un-mathematicalway: every line you can draw on a piece of paper) can be constructed by adding (a countable number of) sine waves. This was actually found in the 18th century by french mathematician Charles Fourier. This is called the "Fourier-transformation".
Since one can construct any curve by adding sine waves one can also do the reverse process and dissect any curve into the sine waves which - when added - would create this curve. This is called Fourier analysis and comes in two forms: continuous and discrete. Basically, the continuous form is for regularly recurring curves, which repeat a certain pattern over and over. The discrete form takes a certain part of the curve, pretends that this one pattern, does a Fourier-transform, then takes the next part and repeats the process. This is for curves which change over time. Read more about it in Wikipedia. Since tones are basically sine waves (see below) it is easy to see how that relates to music.
A spectrum analyzer now is a device which does such a (usually discrete) Fourier transform of an input signal and displays the results. The input signal is most times an electrical signal, but any other signal (including acoustic signals) can be used too.
What is a tone?
Tones are - in theory - sine waves. The frequency is responsible for the pitch, the amplitude is responsible for the volume. Still, if this would be the case, how comes we can distinguish different instruments? How comes we can tell if the same tone is played by a guitar, a trumpet or a violin?
There are three things which make all the difference: overtones, noise and ADSR.
ADSR (short for attack - decay - sustain - release) or "envelope curve" is the change of a tone over time: you pluck a string on a guitar and the tone develops (attack), stabilizes (decay), sounds out for some time (sustain) then starts to fade (release). It is easy to see that this characteristic looks different for instruments like e.g. guitar (the string is excited once) and violin (the string is excited constantly).
noise is also a part of musical events. For instance, if a bass guitar is not plucked with the fingers but "slapped" with the thumb part of the sound is the produced tone and another part is the noise of the string hitting the fretboard, which, in sum, produces the characteristic sound of "slap bass".
overtones: and lastly we come to the meat of it. A tone in theory might be a sine wave, but a practical tone produced by a real instrument is a base tone (so-called "fundamental") and a whole bunch of overtones, so-called partial harmonics. See also Wikipedia for more.
How an instrument "sounds" depends (aside from the noise and the ADSR) on what overtones are stronger and less strongly emphasized. How much of each overtone gets into the produced mix. This is also called the "colour" of the tone. Noticeable differences are not only between different instruments but also between individual instruments of the same sort and even different players, which is why experts are able to distinguish e.g. a Guarneri violin from a Stradivari or how they can hear if, say, Chet Baker or Miles Davis plays the trumpet.
Why you should concentrate on other things
Above I said that spectrum analyzers dissect a sound signal into sine waves - "pure" tones, as we learned - and display these results. Why shouldn't that help you: first, because what we hear (and what we feel hearing it) is much too complex to express it in mathematical terms. Yes, it is possible, but ten pages of some Riemann sums and other really difficult mathematical expressions will only partially convey what "this is a warm tone" says. Guess, which one is easier to comprehend.
Therefore the display of a spectrum analyzer will be about as helpful for you as a mass spectrometer output will be for a cook. Look at this and tell me if more salt needs to be added. If you want to know where a thrown ball is going to land you can start to calculate parabolic curves - but little children have been known to register on the target even without knowing what a "function" is.
Your brain (with the ears connected to it) is a fantastic device for integrating information. It might paint over many of the details a spectrum analyzer will provide, but it will tell you "good" or "vibrant" or "shaky" or "bad" where the former will give you hundreds of details leading up to that judgement but withhold exactly this. Lastly, though, you aren't interested in knowing if there is more or less volume in the 800Hz-1.2kHz band - you want to know if your tone is "bright" or not. The spectrum analyzer will tell you the former, your ears will give you the latter. Trust your ears.
PS: If you happen to be a sound engineer and need to tweak audio recordings then this (a "Fast Fourier Transform" system) is exactly what you need. These guys need the underlying details, not only the integrated judgement the brain provides. But you, being a musician? Not so much ....
Comment: Are you sure about this "finite" number of sine for the Fourier transform? A real square wave already has an infinite number of overtones.
Comment: You are right, that was an editing artefact. It was meant to say "countable" and I edited it.


What happens to the runner if he misses a base after hitting a homerun?

Question: Scenario: No one on base. 2 outs. Batter hits a homerun. However, while rounding the bases, completely misses stepping on second base. Now, I understand that being a home run, it's a dead ball, and the runner can run without liability. But say he misses second, touches third, hits home, and goes to the dugout. What happens in this case?
Answer: This is governed by Rule 7.10

[The runner is out on appeal when] With the ball in play, while advancing or returning to a base, he fails to touch each base in order before he, or a missed base, is tagged.

So if you miss a bag on your home run trot, you not only have to hit that bag, but you need to go back to each one and re round the bases. IIRC it is still a dead ball so there is no harm in doing so. However, generally if you miss a bag you're going to end up out because you won't know it until the appeal is made.
An appeal is made by either tagging the runner or the missed bag. The pitcher will throw the ball to the fielder and the fielder will tag the base. If there is confusion the fielder will need to verbally tell the umpire they are making an appeal. However, I've never seen a case where verbal communication is required. If the fielder knows to ask for the ball, the umpire has also seen the miss.
Also related to this is MLB rule 7.12

Unless two are out, the status of a following runner is not affected by a preceding
  runner's failure to touch or retouch a base. If, upon appeal, the preceding runner is the
  third out, no runners following him shall score. If such third out is the result of a force
  play, neither preceding nor following runners shall score.

That's a little confusing, but the long and short of it is that unless there is a force play, all the runners ahead of the player who is called out score. The force plays in a bases loaded situation are as follows:

Runner on Third misses home
Runner on Second misses third
Runner on First misses second
Batter misses first.

These are the plays that negate the entire home run if the force is a third out. Any other play will only negate the following runners if it's the third out.
Comment: Comments are not for extended discussion; this conversation has been [moved to chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/127788/discussion-on-answer-by-wax-eagle-what-happens-to-the-runner-if-he-misses-a-base).
Answer: See Section 4.09 of the official MLB rule book "How a Team Scores"
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2014/official_baseball_rules.pdf
A few examples are provided for different scenarios, for example:
APPROVED RULING: Two out, bases full, batter hits home run over fence. Batter, on
appeal, is declared out for missing first base. Three outs. No run counts.
Answer: The short answer is that the run counts initially.  On appeal, the runner will be called out and the run will no longer count, but the opposing team needs to initiate the appeal.
Answer: First let's go over the appeal process.  It is basically the same for any appeal in any situation.
After the play is over the pitcher will engage the mound/rubber.  Then step off and then throw to the base where the infraction occurred.  There is no need to tell an umpire what you are appealing.  They would understand that this is an appeal and make their decision.  For instance if the runner missed first base and the pitcher stepped off and threw to third base the umpire would signal a "safe" sign.  The pitcher may appeal to every base after the play is over.
When is the play over?  This is a judgement call by the umpire but basically the rulebook states when a player has officially retreated from the play.  Meaning the player has begun to go to the dugout or is in the dugout or "quit" the play.  Note that this is not when the player hits homeplate or crosses home.  For instance a player could round the bases, cross home, run another 10 feet and a team could yell, "Go back and hit first!"  The player then would have the opportunity to hit home, then third, then second, then first, then second, then third and home again to complete their homerun.
It is crucial for the defensive team to not let on that they will appeal until the play is over and why you will notice that teams are very quiet/sneaky when they feel like something is missed.  The rulebook in my opinion gives the offensive player too much of a chance to correct their mistake.
The rule is that no run shall count with two outs if a player misses a bag and is out on appeal.
Read reference from the book:

APPROVED RULING: Two out, Jones on second, Smith on first and batter,
  Brown, hits home run inside the park. All three runs cross the plate.
  But Jones missed third base, and on appeal is declared out. Three
  outs. Smith's and Brown's runs are voided. No score on the play.
Comment: This actually fails the answer the question "What is the status of the runner with no men on if he misses the base."  Also, where is your rule cite *from*? It's hard toe verify an answer with uncited quotations. Also, in your citation, the out at 3rd is a force (runner on second is out). The runs don't count becuase it is a force (and additionally the lead runner).


Tournament vs gambling

Question: In law, would this be considered as gambling - an investment tournament where people pay an entree fee and then pick a portfolio of 3 stocks. After some period the top 3 portfolios share the pot of entry fees.
Comment: Interesting question. I guess it would matter if stock picking was considered a game of luck or a game of skill...are entrants making their own portfolio of 3 stocks, or are they selecting a premade one?
Comment: I presume that is an entry fee and not somehow linked to one's choice of dinner.
Answer: In most jurisdictions if it was called an investment there would be strict regulation. As a game, it could be said to be skill-based although you don't say what the winning criteria are to be (if the top portfolio is picked at random, you're gambling).

Tournament vs gambling


Paris layover requirements for visa

Question: I am travelling from India to Greece in the month of June and hold Indian passport. My flight is via Paris with a layover of 9 hours and wish to roam around in Paris in the meanwhile. What are the visa rules for this
Answer: The rule is that you will enter the Schengen area in Paris and will be free to leave and return to the airport.  Your flight from Paris to Greece is an internal Schengen flight, effectively a domestic flight, with no systematic immigration controls.
If there is a passport check (either at random or because of emergency measures as noted in a comment), it will not create additional visa requirements.  Such a passport check will not result in any stamps in  your passport, because you will not be leaving or entering the Schengen area.
Comment: Let's note for the record that the flight from Greece to Paris, even though it should not be subject to systematic immigration controls, currently is under the temporary emergency rules. It does not change the requirements for visas, but it means additional scrutiny both before boarding and after disembarking.
Comment: @jcaron thanks for pointing that out.  I have added a paragraph to address that.

Paris layover requirements for visa


If there are long-lived elements in the Island of stability, why are they not present in Nature?

Question: To my understanding, some (but not many) physicists speculate that the Island of stability may contain long-lived elements, as in a billion or so years. But couldn't we rule that out just by the nonexistence of such elements in Nature?
Comment: We couldn't rule it out completely, but we can set limits in their abundance in Earth's crust or matter from the solar system by accelerator mass spectroscopy techniques. I can't tell you where the current limits of such ultra-trace analysis techniques are. There is, as far as I can tell, no irreducible background that can't be overcome, so it's probably just a matter of money for the right experiment.
Comment: Some of these probably do exist in nature, but in unusual places like the crusts of neutron stars.  See https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/231981/heavy-element-production-from-supernova#comment505498_231981
Comment: If they really are that stable, that won't help their detection either. An Israeli scientist claimed a few years back to have detected one in uranium. Turned out to be a dud, though.
Comment: @igael: For heavy elements? I doubt it. I don't think optical detection would work, to begin with. It's not sensitive enough if there is background. I would do mass spectroscopy and use a simple, high throughput mass filter to get rid of everything below let's say uranium, then maybe another filter for the heavier nuclei and then a trap for the target nuclei. If we capture something unexpected, we want to keep it for further analysis. And while all of this sounds cheap, I don't think it would be. We are talking about something like a small isotope separation facility.
Comment: @CuriousOne : is all the spectrum of a new element predictable from the equations ?
Answer: Because no rational process can make them. I've been over the tables, and there are only a couple of possible reactions to get there for any nuclei, and they require two rare ones. Alpha particle capture just isn't going to cut it. Look at the curve; you need more neutrons.
We remember that all elements heavier than iron have primary sources as neutron star collisions and supernovae. The s-process stops around lead or gold (depending on who you ask) leaving the r-process to extend to higher levels. However, the r-process itself is only so rapid and must be bounded by the nuclear decay rates themselves. In order to reach the island of stability by the r process, it would be necessary to pass through the boundary layer around element 109 where several isotopes must be passed through in a row that possess half lives measured in seconds to milliseconds. However my tables show it doesn't even get here but caps out at Neptunium*. Either way, this leaves induced fusion as the only possible pathway.
Unfortunately the induced fusion reactions require rare nuclei. You don't get much chance of a concentrating event of certain elements and try again. Yeah sure you could have a planet collide with a giant star a few hours before said supernova; however consider the odds of getting the result of that exceedingly rare event (consider the timescale) in the gasses required to form our own solar system.
So no, not expected at all.
*One of the Plutoniums (244) has enough half life long enough to last until it gets here, and it's not found that way either, but by direct production in Uranium ores.
Comment: As you know, the superheavies don't stick around long enough for neutron capture to build them up.
Answer: Producing ultra-heavy elements in nature is not easy. So their absence "in nature" does not mean they cannot exist or cannot be created given the right conditions.
Some details:
The valley of stability becomes increasingly n-rich, so neutron capture reactions are essential.
To get beyond lead requires rapid neutron capture in the r-process. The requirements here are a dense flux of neutrons and a capture timescale that is shorter than the beta decay timescale trying to take the nuclei back towards the stability valley.
Once the neutron flux diminishes (these things happen in explosive events like supernovae and neutron star mergers) then beta decay does dominate and takes the nuclei back to the stability valley.
In principle, stable elements of any atomic number could be formed in this way, but ultimately you have to compare neutron capture rates with all the processes that act to destroy the intermediate neutron rich nuclei, such as photodisintegration and fission. For the really heavy nuclei the principle problem is fission - the n-rich heavy nuclei just break up before they can capture any more neutrons given the neutron fluxes that exist in "natural sources".


Rotate text with curve modifier without spiraling

Question: I'm working through this watch creation tutorial, and I have text with a curve modifier added to it, using a bezier circle as the targeted object.  The problem I'm having is that when I attempt to rotate the numbers into correct position, regardless of whether I rotate either the bezier circle or the text object, the text begins to spiral.  Is there a way to rotate without the spiral happening?
Comment: Also possibly related https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/80298/how-to-add-numbers-to-a-dial/80300#80300
Answer:
The transformation axis in the screenshot is X.
If you rotate your text, the X values of the text are different and it spirals.
Solution:
Translate the text only on the X axis (G-key followed by X-key). This way the text moves along the circle.


Can I work part-time on a H-1B visa?

Question: Can I work as a part-time employee if I have a H-1B visa from another company?
I would still be working as a full-time in the sponsor company.
Answer: No. While on H-1b status, you can only work for the employer that petitioned you for H-1b status. You are authorized to work only through 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(9):

(b) Aliens authorized for employment with a specific employer incident
to status or parole. The following classes of aliens are authorized to
be employed in the United States by the specific employer and subject
to any restrictions described in the section(s) of this chapter
indicated as a condition of their parole or of their admission in, or
subsequent change to, the designated nonimmigrant classification. An
alien in one of these classes is not issued an employment
authorization document by DHS:
(9) A temporary worker or trainee (H-1, H-2A, H-2B, or H-3), pursuant
to 8 CFR 214.2(h), or a nonimmigrant specialty occupation worker
pursuant to sections 101(a)(15)(H)(i)(b)(1), 101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(a),
101(a)(15)(H)(ii)(b) and INA 101(a)(15)(H)(iii) of the Act. An alien
in this status may be employed only by the petitioner through whom the
status was obtained. [...]

Furthermore, an employer other than the petitioning employer, that is following the rules, should not hire you, since you do not have the documents to pass the I-9 process. For your own employer, you can use your passport plus your H-1b I-94 as a List A document for the I-9, since the employer got an approval for the H-1b petition they filed for you, but that will not work for any other employer who did not petition you for H-1b.

Can I work part-time on a H-1B visa?


Is this mathematical explanation of "except" and "other than" right?

Question: This question is derived from this one.
Assume "not including" and "including" have two mutually exclusive meanings. It is impossible "not including" and "including" at the same time.
The Oxford dict gives this example of except.

They work every day except Sunday

In the form of set (math), we have 2 sets in there

on set_1 = {Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday} they work
on set_2 = {Sunday} they don't work

set_1 is not including Sunday, this is what "except" does mean, "other than" has the same meaning. Is my understanding right?
Answer: Yes, except means everything but that thing, i.e. not including.
Except Sunday would mean all the days but not Sunday.
Oxford dictionary defines "except" as

not including; other than.