Invention ideas without a prototype?

Question: If one had an idea for an invention, but had no ability to make such a device, can you make the "idea" legally yours, insofar as it is specific?
Answer: You do not need to able to make it but your application needs to explain how to make it and use it. If a workable implication needs the expertise of a mechanical engineer, you can hire a mechanical engineer.  It may turn out that it is impossible, it may turn out that the mechanical engineer needs to be listed as a co-inventor, or it could be straightforward for the engineer to implement your great idea. To ultimately be yours, you need to get one or more granted patents.
Comment: Probably depends somewhat on the nature of the patent sought. At a minimum it must be possible to prototype by someone with ordinary skill in the relevant area of expertise based on the patent. Also, some devices also might call for expertise other than a mechanical engineer's (e.g. it might be an electrical device).
Answer: Nobody owns "ideas".
To get a patent you have to describe something in sufficient detail that it could actually be built.
Comment: Would be nice.  I've looked at some software patents and not known how to implement them, and I'm more than ordinarily skilled in software development.
Comment: A patent is much more a protection of an idea than a copyright (which is a particular expression of an idea). The idea has to be quite specific and is limited to certain kinds of ideas that can be implemented in some useful way, but I don't think it is accurate to say that you can't own an idea.

Invention ideas without a prototype?


US Citizen/Ecuadorian resident traveling to Cuba

Question: We are US citizens holding Ecuadorian residency cards living permanently in Ecuador. We want to travel to Columbia first then Cuba. Can we do this? Or do we have to travel to Cuba only from Ecuador?
Answer: You can fly to Cuba via any airport with service to Cuba.
The restrictions on Americans is in regard to what you do once you are there.  US citizens are limited to 12 specific travel reasons, many related to family and business, but as few, such as supporting the Cuba people, Humanitarian, Education are being used as "tours".  The most common being a "People to People" tour, an itinerary with some cultural or educational exchange component.
The fact that you are permanent Ecuadorian residents does not relieve you of this, as you still travel under US Passports. And most tour operators in Cuba are aware of and abide by those rules, as they want to benefit from a new potentially huge market.


Carrier Weathermaker 8000 AC not stopping

Question: I have a Carrier Weathermaker 8000 that is a furnace but also controls the AC from outside and the blower and everything int the house.  I was told by last HVAC gentleman that the AC wouldn't turn off without turning the "Cut-off" switch off to the whole system, otherwise the AC continues to run without stopping.  I actually rode it out like this for two years, testing out electric heat and yes my electric bills soared, but I finally bought the correct ICM replacement motherboard as he said I would need to correct the issue.  I have put in the new motherboard, connected everything right as best I could and ... its doing the same thing.  I can actually get the heater to turn on (no gas hooked back up yet) but the AC is running too!  I would appreciate any help!! THanks!! ZEE
Answer: The outdoor unit's contactor is welded shut, most likely
My first port of call at this point would be to check the contactor in the outdoor unit that turns power to the compressor on and off based on the Y signal from the thermostat -- if the contacts on that are welded shut, then the air conditioner will run constantly no matter what the thermostat and control board have to say on the matter.
Comment: YouTube has plenty of [test ac contactor](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=test+ac+contactor) videos, might even be able to see & hear the switch clicking shut & open, or manually move it (carefully, with something insulated)


Redistribute MS Word as a part of application

Question: I need to provide an editor as a part of my application.
The MS Word lends itself as a most convenient one but the GUI customization API in versions above 2003 is not flexible enough for my needs. So it has to be Word 2003. All my users have MS Office
installed but many of them have version 2007 and 2010. I want to setup MS Word 2003 as a part of my
application. Office 2007 or 2010 and 2003 function well side by side so no problem here.
But the question is: Is it legal? Can I add the MS Word 2003 setup MSI to my installation package?
Answer: You won't be able to legally distribute MS Word 2003. Are you writing a Windows Forms application? If so, why not use the RichTextBox widget as part of your app?
Answer: It's not legal, if you readed the License whe you install it, you should know that redistribuitable (i think it's mispelled) is not an option.
Sorry, you should find another way
Answer: To the best of my knowledge, the answer is No. This isn't legal. A possible recourse is to use COM+ or DCOM.


Are the words "backdrop" and "background" interchangeable?

Question: Are the words "backdrop" and "background" interchangeable?
Comment: To be perfectly clear, if you're talking about **graphic design or image processing**, then it's only "background". You could not use "backdrop".  (Conversely, if you've ever worked on a photography shoot you'll know what a "back-drop" is; and you can't really use "background" for that.)
Comment: In short, sure, they basically mean the same thing.  But "backdrop" is very obscure, just use "background".
Answer: No doubt many people think of the two words as interchangeable, but to me backdrop (a US coinage from about a century ago, originally a literal reference to the backcloth of a theatre stage) potentially has much more restricted applicability.
In general, I expect a figurative backdrop to be something apparent to me (the observer) at the time when I'm viewing (or otherwise "focussing on") some foreground referent.
On the other hand, a figurative background might be something I'm completely unaware of until someone else tells me the backstory behind whatever we're talking about or looking at.
In terms of prevalence, even among people who treat the words as equivalent, background is far more common, but arguably backdrop sounds more artistic/intellectual/"cultured" to many.
Comment: Hmm, I don't think that's very surprising: "background" is the everyday word in this context. "backdrop" would very rarely be used.
Comment: @Josh61: As I write the first sentence of this comment, I haven't actually checked (but my expectation is *background* will be more common by at least an order of magnitude). By the time of this second sentence, I've checked NGram, and I'm surprised to see I'm *only just* right - ***backdrop*** continues to gain relative currency, and is now only about 12-15 times less common than ***background*** (50 years ago it was more like 100 times less common).
Comment: you can't say backdrop music
Comment: @JamesRyan: Good point. But you *can* say [*the music was a backdrop*](http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=FyyqKcy_ZeMC&pg=PA273&dq=%22the+music+was+a+backdrop+the%22&hl=en&sa=X&ei=odvnU6zOEsHgyQOC8YCgDw&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=%22the%20music%20was%20a%20backdrop%20the%22&f=false). And even if you didn't *want* to listen to it, you wouldn't need to ask someone else purely in order to establish that it was present (i.e. - it *is* "apparent").
Answer: from my experience, backdrop implies a sense of physicality in its definition, being used as a verb:
"lie behind or beyond; serve as a background to."
Background:
"the part of a picture, scene, or design that forms a setting for the main figures or objects, or appears furthest from the viewer."
Do you see the difference? I would say no, they are not interchangeable.
Answer: No; in some isolated contexts the words may be interchanged, but overall they have different definitions.  For example, people and things can "blend into the background", but usually not into the backdrop, and there is no such thing as a "backdrop check" although most readers will be quite familiar with the concept of a "background check".
A backdrop is literally "a painted cloth hung at the back of a theater stage as part of the scenery", whereas "background" is much more general of "anything that goes behind" including temporally as well as physically.


How does the size of a modifier affect light coverage?

Question: How does the size of the modifier affect coverage? I watched a YouTube video yesterday comparing different size umbrellas, wherein they claimed that the size of the modifier does not affect the area of coverage, but only the hardness/softness of the light. Can someone confirm that this is true ONLY if you change no other variables – specifically the intensity of the light and the distance from the subject? I'm trying to reconcile this with some things I've read about beauty dishes, such that a larger dish (than say 22") is needed for 3/4 and full body portraits.
Comment: Photography is not a pen & paper game. In real life, other variables *do* change. Maybe a 22" worked for a 3/4 for some photographer with their setup, it might even work for some majority of photographers, but not necessarily for you. It looks like you are very concerned about making the best possible prediction on what you need, which is fine. But in the end, photography *is* a game of experience, go get some by renting that 22" for a day or two and see if it works for you or not.
Comment: My question is a theoretical one -- not about any specific modifier or practical application. Photography is a pencil and paper game insofar as it follows the laws of physics. Armed with such information, I can make better use of my time experimenting and eventually practicing. It's how I learn photography.
Comment: Minus one? Please explain how I can improve the question.
Answer: I consider that channel a good source of tips. But in this case, they are making a not so good job. Let me explain some flaws and "omissions" on the video.
Do you see that big bright hotspot on the center of the umbrella?

DAM! if you have a 72-inch umbrella, but you put the flash 10 inches away from it you are wasting it... It is almost the same as if you have a half size umbrella. (It is the same case if you have a reflective or a translucent one)
They never ever consider the distance of the flash to the umbrella.
Here is an example with a simulated softbox with a strobe located very close to the fabric (A), further away (B), and probably with a secondary diffuser (C). This makes a real difference on how this modifier diffuses the light. In case (A) you are wasting your big diffuser.

This "internal distance" (literally inside the softbox) can be somehow "added" to the distance to your subject, and this distance from the light to the subject is one of the factors that affect coverage.

But it is not the only omission on the video.
Any concave reflective umbrella has to some extent a "focusing" effect. Of course, not all are close to parabolic, but they all have it, and one of the variables to "focus a beam" is the distance from the internal light to the focal point.
The more focused beam, the less the coverage of the light (regardless of the diffusion) A lot of flashes have a "zoom" feature. They are all hard spotlights, but you can focus the beam, and this affects how much light is on what area.

Some factors that can affect the coverage of the light are:

Distance from the modifier to the subject.

Distance from the light source to the modifier.

Characteristics of the material of the modifier. For reflective ones the glossiness or diffuseness of the surface. For "thru" materials, the translucency of the material.

The shape of the modifier.

Size of the modifier.

The "flagging" of the modifier. You can add grids, or flags to stop light from spilling. Add some more variables here with the distance from the flags to the modifier and the distance to the subject.

A subjective measure of the falloff. If you still have light, you still have light!

Answering your specific question
How does the size of a modifier affect light coverage?
You tell me! How much fall-off vs. softness are you willing to take, on your full-size portraits?
There are two scenarios on how you want to play with the distance vs fall-off relationship.
You want a fast fall-off but illuminating a big area.

You don't care that much about the diffusiveness of the light, but want to minimize the fall off.
The bigger the light, the further away can be (vs a smaller one)  maintaining the same relative "diffuseness", but reducing the noticeable fall-off from the closest part to the rest.

So, in any case... the bigger the better.

An additional thought...

is needed for 3/4 and full body portraits

No modifier is "needed". It is a matter of style. Is your subject female? Male? A kid, an old cowboy with a nice white beard and hat?
You can use a single direct flash without any modifier, you can bounce it, reflect it, use a window, a softbox, a dish, a handheld flashlight, or paint your subject in phosphorescent make-up.
You need to choose what look you want.
In my opinion, a softbox is more versatile than a beauty dish. One interesting to try is a strip box.
Answer: The size of the light modifier does not affect coverage.  This is because the modifier is not the light source, the flash inside of it is.  Think of it this way:  You have a 3' soft box which has an area of 9 sf, and the flash inside of it illuminates 8 sf of the total area.  If the box was 56 feet you'd still have an area of 8 sf being illuminated. The only time the size of the modifier affects coverage is when you go to a smaller one.  Say, for example, you went from a 3' to a 1', in this case the light output from the flash exceeds the total area of the soft box thus reducing coverage.
Here's an interesting article that goes into much greater detail: http://photographic-academy.com/lighting/86-lighting/145-modifiers-do-not-make-lights-larger
Comment: That linked article is too simple-minded. Softboxes have foil-lined reflective interiors (wrinkled a bit). Instead of a narrow fresnel speedlight, they use bare-bulb studio lights so that the flash tubes can output light at up to 180 degrees in there. This of course reflects every which way inside the box, many paths, multiple times, affecting angles of diffusion. But yes, the standard rule of thumb for sufficiently soft lights is about size (about the angles of large), specifically to place it at a distance about equal to its diameter, to cover about that diameter at the subject.
Comment: If you're not lighting the entire modifier, then the unlit part really doesn't matter at all, and there'd be no reason that unlit portion of the modifier would create a softer light. So I don't think that's what the video is trying to say.


A questions about affiliate software was inappropriately closed as a duplicate of a question about content management systems

Question: This question asks about affiliate software, but it was closed as a duplicate of a question that asks about CMS software.
Affiliate software is different to CMS software. Please re-open my question.
Answer: Looks like that question is over six years old (from 2011), and since it's seeking a recommendation for software, which is considered off-topic for this site, it can't be reopened.
If you check our Help Center's FAQ's on what topics can I ask about here, you'll see:

Recommendations for sites and resources -- Questions that ask for
  recommendations of external websites or resources attract lots of self
  promotion and spam answers. In addition, answers to such questions
  quickly become out of date. Such questions are closed as off-topic.

Based on the sentence I'm not sure what CMS or shopping cart software to use yet, but it will need to include an affiliate system to allow advertisers to push customers our way, it might appear that you were looking for a CMS that includes an affiliate system, which is why John likely marked it as a duplicate of our community wiki that's a catch-all for any questions related to finding a CMS.
You might be able to ask this over at Software Recommendations, but I'd suggest adding a list of objective requirements (a minimum set of features) and a purpose (a task to accomplish) first.
Answer: I have unmarked the question as a duplicate and re-closed is with the more appropriate reason:

Questions asking for recommended external websites, tools, resources, and software are off-topic as they tend to attract opinionated answers and spam. Recommendations for software are permitted on Software Recommendations, but be sure to read their quality guidelines before posting there.


In general, do chamber musicians prefer to play from a score or from an individual part book?

Question: Specifically in the context of Baroque trio sonatas. If part books are preferred, then what is the point of printing such works in score in the first place?
Answer: A huge amount of scanned, period music at imslp.org is parts only.
That's frustrating to me when I just want to study the compositions, not perform them.
I've assumed the absence of an ensemble score is because:

the music was printed primarily for performance where each player only needs their part, and
printing was much more expensive then so they wouldn't have added the expense of the extra printing. From the typesetters perspective, they have to do double the work!

With modern software and printers, it's easy and cheap to print full score and parts.
I don't know what chamber musicians prefer but regarding why print a score?, it seems one important reason is study and analysis.
Comment: I had thought of that of course, but I wonder whether there would be enough demand for study scores of obscure works for it to be worth the (my) trouble. :-)
Answer: When you are practising on your own, separate from the other members, then an individual part book is more convenient. You have less music to look at and follow, fewer page turns to make.
When you are playing together, having to co-ordinate what you play with the other members of the group then a full score is essential so that you can follow what the other members are playing in places where you have a rest marked and so that you know exactly when to come in when your part starts again.
Comment: @RosieF: "Everything you wrote while practising is on your individual part" Not true. A lot of what I wrote has been rubbed out because I changed my mind. In fact it looks a mess and some of what is there I really don't need anymore. Fortunately I didn't write all that on the full score. Late on I can copy really important stuff onto the full score and maybe later I will end up adding things that only become apparent when all are playing e.g. in bar 10 I should play that note a little sharp because otherwise it doesn't sound quite right with the Cello.
Comment: How would that full score work? Everything you wrote while practising is on your individual part. I exclude keyboardists from this, because they always play from a full score.
Comment: When you are playing together, at best only the leader needs the full score. I never needed to read from the full score in any of the school concert bands I was in--the conductor got to do that.
Answer: I happen to disagree with some of the acccepted answer.  It only takes a couple rehearsals to know enough about what the others are doing in your rests that single parts work just fine.   You want a reference score available to coordinate questions and check for misprints.  The advantage of single parts is  that you have far fewer page turns to deal with.
That said,  some quartets are transitioning to tablets rather than paper music. Once you do that, page turns don't matter much (just a foot-tap), so the use of a single part vs. full score is entirely up to each player's discretion.  As a side feature, it's really easy to add and remove markings!


How to import custom data via XML, CSV, etc

Question: We have about 10 years of custom blog-style, databased content that we want to import into a clean install of Wordpress. There doesn't seem to be an importer plugin that works with custom databsed content so has anyone done a direct INSERT into the Wordpress tables to achieve this? I can easily create custom INSERT statements for each of our custom rows. Does someone know what tables need to be touched for this or is there an easier or more conventional way to do this? Thanks
Comment: We made a plugin called WP All Import that can do this: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-all-import/
Answer: To insert i a wordpress way would be to use wp_insert_post() function which handles the actual database insertion.
And i have used a CSV 2 POST Free Data Importer plugin before on version 3.0 and as far as i know it should work with 3.1.1


Are there any companies that assist in pre-patent research?

Question: Are there any companies that assist in pre-patent research? I have Googled this extensively and have only found The Davis Group, whose initial fees for a prototype and market research exceed $20,000.00.
Comment: There probably are companies for that, but I think a patent search should be carried out by whoever is filing the patent  The one exception being if that person if totally tech-phobic (in case the patent is a non technology related), in which case they need to have someone who understands the patent, adn can Google, help them with the search. Lawyers are going to be very expensive and you know your idea much better than them so yo are paying them to learn from you and then they are just going to go to Google and locate relevant patents.  Writing up the patent filings is a totally different.
Answer: First of all the term pre-patent research is vague to me. I can see two main meanings of the term: 1) research as to whether your product would be feasible from a technical or economical pojnt o view and 2) research as to whether your invention would be deemed to be patentable.
Since the first is just a feasability reasearch - and although you mention such an example in your question - I assume that this is not meant by the term 'pre-patent research, because in principle the word patent then would be misplaced.
This thus leaves the meaning of research into the patentability. Again two possibilities are included herein: 1) whether the invention fulfills thecriteria of USC 101: is it patent-eleigible; and 2) whether the invention fulfills the criteria of USC 102 and 103: is it novel and not obvious?
For an answer to the first question you should get legal advice from a patent attorney. For an answer to the second question you need a patent information specialist to provide a prior art search and maybe a patentagent or patent attorney to interpret the results of such a search.
Companies that provide patent searches are abundant, as well as in the USA as abroad (e.g. India). I would suggest to contact a patent agent or patent searcher to find a reliable one.


What is the execution context of the function registered via the Wire.onReceive() method?

Question: I'm basically wondering if it's OK to Serial.write() or print in the function I register to be called when I2C data is received.  I can't seem to find the execution context or any warnings.
http://arduino.cc/en/Reference/WireOnReceive
Answer: Looking at twi.c in the Arduino libraries, it seems the callback function is called from within the I2C interrupt service routine (ISR). Any code in the call back will lengthen the ISR so it will have to be short. I don't think Serial.write will be too much of a problem; the TX interrupt will be delayed to the end of the I2C ISR which finishes straight after the callback and the Serial.write function is fairly short.
If you need to have a longer function run, you could instead have the callback store bytes in a ring buffer, then check for any available bytes in the main loop().. but this is what the Wire class helps with already.
Comment: Serial.write blocks if the serial buffer is full and waits for the buffer to have room before continuing. Conveniently, Serial.write checks to see if interrupts are disabled when it runs; If they are disabled, it runs the interrupt routines itself when a new character needs written to make space in the buffer, preventing lockup. In any case, if the buffer is full, printing on serial can take as long as it physically takes to output that many characters.
Comment: @BrettM thanks, I'll edit question with that (or edit it yourself and I will accept)


Is it possible to add an intervalometer to a Nikon D3200 with a replacement firmware?

Question: I wonder if there is the possibility to add an intervalometer option via firmware to a Nikon D3200 (similar to the one in the D5200). I want to do time lapse photography and also mount the camera on a drone for special uses. In this case I need to take pictures every two seconds.
Answer: Nope. You may want to follow this location for any 3rd party firmware updates for that feature besides any Nikon updates for that model. But in the meantime, your best bet is an external lightweight unit that can be taped to the drone. Here's one helpful guide.
Comment: Um, may want to change the link to [nikonhacker.com](http://www.nikonhacker.com), since most of the information links on Simeon Pilgrim's page direct there, anyway.
Comment: I appreciate the answer, I was suspecting that, and I was looking for a way so save weight for the drone. You are right a light weight wired soultion is the way to go.


client SSL authentication .pem file and .crt files


Update Statistics with full scan for a single table

Question: My application search becomes slow some times in a day.And whenever i update statistics for a particular table,it gets fixed.
So i am thinking of creating a job to  run update statistics every morning by 11 am for that table alone.Currently the statistics is set to update by itself with SQL server default sampling. Is it a bad idea to schedule a job to run Update statistics with full scan for that one particular table.This issue happens in production environment.
Comment: Which version of SQL Server are you on? It may have something to do with [ascending keys](http://sql-sasquatch.blogspot.com/2016/12/sql-server-ascending-key-stuff-change.html?m=1)
Comment: Does the table you are updating the statistics on get updated or reloaded frequently?
Comment: >>>whenever i update statistics for a particular table,it gets fixed.<<< If it fixes the issue of course you should do it regularly as you suggested
Comment: I am on SQL Server 2008R2.
Comment: I don't want the application to go slow and then update and fix the issue.Updating statistics manually whenever issue happens is not a good practise ryt.
Answer: While you could schedule a job to run UPDATE STATISTICS on that particular table, you should also look into Parameter Sniffing. What's likely happening here is that a bad plan was wiped from the plan cache when you updated statistics on that table. Instead of doing a costly UPDATE STATISTICS, remove the bad plan from cache. Once wiped from the plan cache, the query will compile and get a new plan. Whichever parameter values were used at the time of compilation is what the execution plan will be optimized, that is as long as you are not overriding that behavior with the OPTION OPTIMIZE FOR query hint.
If the search function is a stored procedure, you can use the good ol' sp_recompile. Otherwise, use DBCC FREEPROCACHE and pass that command the SQL handle or the plan handle. You can use sp_BlitzCache with ExpertMode = 1 to get the command (it's all the way to the right in the result set).
To help diagnose which plan is causing the issue, I like to use sp_WhoIsActive or sp_BlitzCache. For sp_WhoIsActive, I like to log current activity to a table and then I can go back in time to compare execution plans and see who was the culprit.
For more information on Parameter Sniffing, see Erland's Slow in the Application, Fast in SSMS? post.
Answer: MS recommends not updating statistics too frequently as this can cause queries which use the table you are updating stats for to recompile. If that recompile time exceeds your gain from improving the query plan, there is a perf tradeoff.  However, until this occurs, compiling the queries with the most up to date stats can beneficial (improves the query plan) especially on a very volatile table, which is why I asked was the table loaded or re-loaded frequently.
Comment: Where does Microsoft recommend that?
Comment: Hi Eric, 2nd paragraph at top - https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sql/t-sql/statements/update-statistics-transact-sql
Comment: table gets inserted everyday.


Why is Vedanta called so and what is its relationship with Upanishads?

Question: I know that the word Vendanta has two parts 'Veda' and 'Anta'. Anta means end. I have read that Vedanta is nothing but Updanishads. I have seen people using the term Veda and Vedanta as if they are same. Please can someone clarify why Upanishands are called Vendanta (If so!)
Answer: Vedanta means end of the Vedas, it is the cumulation of the Vedas. The Upanishads which teach the Vedanta are spread throughout different parts of different Vedas. Lord Sri Rama says in the Muktika Upanishad (Adhyaya I):

O Hanuman, listen to Me. I shall truly describe to you the nature of the Vedanta. The Vedas were generated manifold through the exhalation of my breath as Vishnu. Like the oil in sesamum seed, Vedanta is latent in the Vedas.

and later:

Of this there is no doubt. O son of Vayu, these 108 Upanishads, which are the essence of all Upanishads and are capable of destroying all sins through their mere study, have been imparted by Me to you as a disciple. This science of the 108 Upanishads taught by Me, is an occult one and will free persons from bondage, whether they read them with or without knowledge.
Comment: "it is the cumulation of the Vedas" - did you mean culmination instead of cumulation?
Answer: Vedas or Sruti basically consists of two parts- karma-khanda about rituals and Jnana-khanda about ultimate Knowledge. The upanishads which deal with Brahma-Jnana (God realization) is called the end of Vedas, because it deal with the final attainment of Moksha, where as Karmakhanda deal with Dharma and other purushartas.
End of Vedas here refer to attainment of ultimate goal of life- Moksha. Hence, Upanishads are called as end of Vedas or Vedanta. Also the philosophy and world-view based on these Upanishads are called as "Vedanta".
Answer:
Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva are the four Vedas.
A Veda is divided into four parts, namely, Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka and Upanishad.

It can be seen from the division that Upanishad forms the last part of a given Veda. Since Upanishad forms the end part of a Veda it is also called as Vedanta


Export a list through a web part page

Question: So I have a web part page, where I added a list view web part. Though I have no option to export the list items to excel. I don't even have the 'List' and/or 'Item' tabs on the ribbon if I check any of the items. Is this because it's a web part? Can I somehow manage to export the content of the list?
Answer: No. A list is always presented in the same way, using the same web part either if you go to the original list location or add it somewhere else. The only difference there is for your web part page is that the list web part toolbar type has been set to No Toolbar.
If you choose to edit the page and then edit the list web part, you can change the setting Toolbar Type to Full Toolbar or Summary Toolbar. Apply the changes to the web part and save the page.
You should now be able to click anywhere on the list web part zone and the toolbar with the "Item" and "List" option will be available and from here you can do anything you want with the list again, including exporting to Excel. If you click outside the list web part zone the toolbar should disappear again.
Answer: Yes, it is because you are looking at the Items as through a window
If you can see the items in a WebPartPage you have access to the List
Open the original List, usually the Title of the WebPart leads to the List.
Or find the List in Site Contents (left Quick Launch menu or top right cog icon)

Export a list through a web part page


Swap out 20amp breaker with a 15amp for kitchen circuit

Question: I currently have 14 gauge wire going into a 20 amp breaker that is used for the kitchen. I want to just swap out the 20 amp breaker for a 15 amp instead of replacing the wiring. Can I do that? I read somewhere that the kitchen can't have a 15 amp breaker. Need advice. Thanks.
Comment: Is this a kitchen receptacle circuit? If so, does it feed receptacles serving the kitchen *countertops*? Finally, do you already have two twenty amp circuits feeding kitchen countertop receptacles?
Answer: Not a code expert or have any quote here...but I think code might require 20 amp circuits in kitchens, since it's expected to have a lot of extra power draw there.
However, what you have now is a fire safety issue.  Far better off with the 15 amp breaker than having wires too small on a 20 amp breaker.
The ideal solution would, of course, be to replace all the wires with 12 gauge.
Answer: Yes, the National Electrical Code requires 20A circuits in a kitchen. But code also requires that 14 AWG wire be protected by no larger than 15A circuit breaker or fuse.
A circuit is a complete system consisting of an "overcurrent protection device" (fuse or breaker), the wire, and the devices (receptacles, light fixtures) at the other end of the wire. The capacity of the circuit is considered to be the weakest link in the circuit. In your case, that's the wire: 14 AWG wire is only rated for 15 amps.
Since the purpose of the code is safety, the requirement to install a 15A circuit breaker trumps the requirement to install a 20A circuit.
Changes to the electrical code do not imply that upgrades must immediately be installed. Existing wiring may be left as-is. However, your local jurisdiction may require correcting unsafe conditions or the building's certificate of occupancy may be revoked (a fancy way of saying "condemned"). They may also require bringing all systems to modern codes if there is any remodeling conducted.
Answer: Sounds like an option. At least it will prevent the wires from overheating due to excessive current running through them. You need to check the total power of your kitchen appliances and whatever else is running off that breaker. Assuming this is the US, anything greater than approximately 1.5kW will cause the breaker to trip, in which case it will become a nuisance rather than a danger.
Answer: It depends on which outlets in the kitchen that the circuit serves.
You can have additional 15 A circuits that do not service countertop surfaces in a kitchen as long as you have two 20 A small appliance branch circuits as required by 210.11(C) and 210.52(B) supplying all countertop surfaces. I personally have two dedicated 15 A circuits serving my refrigerator and dishwasher.
Applicable clauses per NFPA-70:2014 (a.k.a. 2014 NEC):

210.11 Branch Circuits Required.
(C) Dwelling Units.
(1) Small-Appliance Branch Circuits. In addition to the
number of branch circuits required by other parts of this
section, two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits
shall be provided for all receptacle outlets specified by
210.52(B).

...

210.52 Dwelling Unit Receptacle Outlets
(B) Small Appliances.
(1) Receptacle Outlets Served. In the kitchen,
pantry, breakfast room, dining room, or similar area of a dwelling
unit, the two or more 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits
required by 210.11(C)(1) shall serve all wall and floor receptacle
outlets covered by 210.52(A), all countertop outlets covered by
210.52(C), and receptacle outlets for refrigeration equipment.
Exception No. 1: In addition to the required receptacles specified by
210.52, switched receptacles supplied from a general-purpose branch circuit as defined in 210.70(A)(1), Exception No. 1, shall be
permitted.
Exception No. 2: The receptacle outlet for refrigeration
equipment shall be permitted to be supplied from an individual branch
circuit rated 15 amperes or greater.
(2) No Other Outlets. The two or
more small-appliance branch circuits specified in 210.52(B)(1) shall
have no other outlets. Exception No. 1: A receptacle installed solely
for the electrical supply to and support of an electric clock in any
of the rooms specified in 210.52(B)(1). Exception No. 2: Receptacles
installed to provide power for supplemental equipment and lighting on
gas-fired ranges, ovens, or counter-mounted cooking units.


Does Islam have some sort of creed, or do muslims use creeds and also are there any examples of creeds?

Question: I dont know really anything about Islam so I am asking this from a Christianity perspective..(dont know much about Christianity either though heheh.   But I have noticed that alot of Christians use these creeds to express their belief and i guess to make sure they dont stray from mainstream tradition. But does Islam do something similar, and if they dont, then what would you say is the closest approximation to a creed for Muslims?
Thank you
Comment: Can you define creed please?
Comment: @Casanova    'a formal statement of Christian beliefs, especially the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed.'
Answer: There is no creed in Islam, but there are pillars that form Islam and imān (faith) in Allah from a Sunni point of view. This is well explained in Sahih al-Bukhari, Book 65, Hadith 4777:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَانَ يَوْمًا بَارِزًا لِلنَّاسِ إِذْ أَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ يَمْشِي فَقَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا الإِيمَانُ؟ قَالَ

الإِيمَانُ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلاَئِكَتِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَلِقَائِهِ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْبَعْثِ الآخِرِ

Narrated Abu Huraira: One day while Allah's Messenger ﷺ was sitting with the people, a man came to him walking and said, "O Allah's Messenger ﷺ. What is Belief?" The Prophet ﷺ said:

Belief is to believe in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Apostles, and the meeting with Him, and to believe in the Resurrection.

What constitute imān (faith or belief) in Islam are the following:

Belief in Allah as the only deity
Belief in the existence of angels as Allah's creation
Belief in the books (Qur'an, Injīl [Gospel], Tawrah [Torah]), Zabūr [Psalms], etc.) as revealed by Allah
Belief in the prophets and messengers of Allah ﷻ, the ones we know of and the ones we do not
Belief in the day of resurrection and judgment
Belief in fate and destiny (see 40 Hadith Nawawi, Hadith 2).

As you can see, all articles of faith are without proof other than what we as Muslims are told by Allah ﷻ and the Prophet ﷺ. We do not believe in them because we can prove them, but because we believe in the informer (the Prophet ﷺ). There are ways of proving that Mohammad in Allah's prophet, but this another topic.

قَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا الإِسْلاَمُ؟ قَالَ

الإِسْلاَمُ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ وَلاَ تُشْرِكَ بِهِ شَيْئًا، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةَ، وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ الْمَفْرُوضَةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ

The man asked, "O Allah's Messenger ﷺ What is Islam?" The Prophet ﷺ replied:

Islam is to worship Allah and not worship anything besides Him, to offer prayers perfectly, to pay the (compulsory) charity i.e. Zakat and to fast the month of Ramadan.

What constitute Islam are the following five pillars:

Testifying that Allah is the only deity worthy of worship, and that Mohammad is his messenger
Performing salāh (prayers)
Paying zakāh (alms or charitable donations)
Fasting Ramadan
Performing hajj (pilgrimage) when physically and financially capable (see 40 Hadith Nawawi, Hadith 2).

As you can see, all pillars of Islam are actions or declarations made, and can potentially be all witnessed by others (although this is not a requirement).
Both imān and Islam are what you may say resemble to some extent a form of creed.

قَالَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، مَا الإِحْسَانُ؟ قَالَ

الإِحْسَانُ أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ

The man again asked, "O Allah's Messenger ﷺ What is Ihsan (i.e. perfection or benevolence)?" The Prophet ﷺ said:

Ihsan is to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you do not achieve this state of devotion, then (take it for granted that) Allah sees you.

This is about seeking a high level of both imān (it is related to an unseen, as one cannot see Allah) and Islam (as it pertains to rituals).
Comment: The first link is well-known as the *Hadeeth* of the angel Gabriel. It is also recorded (with slightly different wording) by Imam Muslim as the [first *Hadeeth*](https://www.sunnah.com/muslim/1/1) in his *Saheeh*


Does our current understanding of the mass of black hole only allow for it to be located at the singularity?

Question: Does the distribution of mass or density of mass inside the event horizon matter for a black hole to exist as we currently theorize? Could the mass inside the event horizon be distributed in any way at all, or have any density so long as it is dense enough to locate 100% of the mass inside the Schwarzschild radius?
Comment: You could say that but it isn't exactly the same question. That question is basically are singularities real? I'm asking whether there is anything in the math that makes up our current understanding of a black hole that allows for different distributions and densities of mass inside the event horizon.
Comment: Quark degeneracy pressure (if it's existence can be proven) could theoretically sustain the shape of the collapsed core, while balancing the gravitational forces within the object, much like neutron degeneracy does for neutron stars. All while maintaining a radius less than a Schwarzchild radius. But good luck finding a scientist willing to back that up aloud in public.
Answer: As a star or neutron star collapses to form a blackhole there will, of course, be a moment when the matter is distributed everywhere within the event horizon.  So, there may not be a singularity within a full fledged blackhole, at first.  But, the inward forces within the event horizon are irresistible (considering that escape velocity is greater than the speed of light) and so everything within the event horizon must fall into a singularity.  How long this takes is complicated by the issue of which reference frame you chose to time it.


Chain keeps slipping

Question: I was pedaling my bike, the bike has never been used and sat in the garage through winter. While I was pedaling I switched gears and adjusted the pressure I needed to pedal (don't know what this is called) and the chain slipped and when I pedal now it makes  like a scratching noise and the chain doesn't move. I've put the chain back on multiple times but if I pedal a few  times it happens again I'm 17 and know nothing about bikes. Any help?
Answer: I think your derailleur needs adjustment.  Watch this video

and if you think you can follow those steps, try it.  Otherwise bring your bike to a bike shop and let them do it.

Chain keeps slipping


What does giving up free will and giving it to Jesus mean?

Question: Is there a majority opinion as to what giving up free will and giving it to Jesus means? What does this action look like? Are there any real life examples?
Comment: Galatians 2:20 is the source of this idea. That and Romans 7 would be good places to start.
Comment: Is there particular scripture that led you to ask this question? Some biblical basis? If so, could you kindly add it to the post?
Comment: Affable, Romans 7:19 "For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." - this spoke out to me, in that what we see as our free will can be evil and not the law of the Lord...giving up that free will (evil) could be giving it to our inner being: Romans 7:22 "For in my inner being I delight in God's law;"
Answer: I hope that I can help here.
A couple months ago I got engaged. I prayed a lot about the decision and felt like it was a good move in my life. One that would be hard but would be worth it. Well, 2 weeks ago my fiancee broke up with me. That was one of the hardest days of my life. And it would of been so easy to say, "I prayed; it felt like a good choice, I was doing everything right, why did God allow this to happen?"
I could have blamed God and Jesus for all the pain I felt. Instead because of experiences I have had in the past I turned to Jesus and God and relied upon their love and grace. I have in the last two weeks learned more about my relationship with my Savior then I think I have in the rest of my life. I still hurt, true, but I have comfort in the knowledge that my Savior and my Heavenly Father love me and have a plan for me that will lead to even more happiness then I had with my fiancee.
So to me turning your will over to the Savior means trusting Him in those hardest parts of your life. Knowing that it will strengthen you and that Christ has other plans for you.
Scripture reference was asked for so here goes:

(KJV) Matt 16:24-25 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. 25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.

Applying this to my story above. I could have ignored Christ and tried anything and everything to get my fiancee back. That may or may not of worked but I would not of drawn as close to my Savior as I have in the last couple weeks.
So I see it as literal; I think my burden or cross sucks, but I accept that Christ has a plan for me and I trust in Him and because I do I have found a measure of comfort and peace that I could not have found anywhere else, given the situation.
Comment: Ryan, this is a really good answer - because I'm currently engaged too and always praying about this very big step of marriage. Your answer is miraculously more helpful than you know!
Comment: this is a good answer, but it only incorporates one (Experience) of the four common sources for Christian knowledge: Scripture, Reason, Tradition, Experience. Could you include some of these other sources? You argue from Reason, a little bit, which is good - is there any scripture you can cite to reinforce your answer?
Comment: Yes I can let me think for a little bit.
Comment: excellent, the addition of the passage really helps the answer and makes the story even better. +1 :)
Comment: well said........
Comment: @ryanOptini: i was thinking about your situation looking at this again and it appears to me from what I see here your prayer was actually answered.
Comment: @whoeverdidthedrivebydownvoteayearlater, why?
Answer: I'd like to add some scripture that I think goes along with the scripture @ryanOptini quoted, and will also help answer your question.

(AMP) Romans 12:1-2
1 I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all]
  the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies
  [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice,
  holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your
  reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship. 2 Do
  not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and
  adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed
  (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and
  its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the
  good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is
  good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].

(I quoted the Amplified translation because I like its extra notations.) This is the concept of "surrender", which is vital in letting God take the reins of your life. Many Christians fail to take their faith to the next level. There are sins that we hold onto and don't give to God. We can even reason within ourselves as to why these things might be acceptable in God's eyes. Either way, we take what we want and leave what we don't want. You might hear preacher's call this salad-barring God, or keeping your pet sin's in the closet. Anyway, in this passage, Paul urges us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, as our proper service and worship, so that we can have a renewing of our minds (and be transformed by it), and fulfill and prove the good and perfect will of God in our own lives.
The keyword in most translations is offer, and as Amplified puts it: A "decisive dedication". This is not as hard as you, or at least I, would have thought it to be, as I always thought that I could not fully live for God, because it is way too hard.. and it is just too much to ask (I don't have the willpower). But all it is is simply making a declarative decision to no longer live for yourself, or anyone/anything else, but God (through which of course you will live for the interest of others also)! God's Spirit will then do miraculous work within you to cleanse you of your "pet sins". In your offering, you will be convicted, you will weep, and you will repent; and this will be a continuous struggle for some things as you will not be made perfect. You will still be tempted, and you will still fall; but the key is to not give up and become numb to it, but pray for conviction of the Holy Spirit, that you may have repentance and be reconciled to God in His mercy. Without this, the bearing of your cross, the surrender, or yielding, to God and the Holy Spirit, we cannot be proper disciples of Jesus, and thus the Light upon us and our path becomes darkened.
Sorry if my answer is incomplete to your question. I hope this helps in some way. A great lesson is taught on this subject by Chip Ingram in his R12 study.
Comment: thanks. this does give me more insight into the concept....


What are good Android apps to learn chess from scratch?

Question: Knowing nothing but the rules of chess, I'd like to start learning a bit more. Some kind of tutorial app for my Android smartphone would be perfect as I can use it anywhere. The app should give theoretical explanations of basic concepts and thinking patterns (like controlling the center, pawn structure etc.) and preferably mix in a lot of example positions to solve. Free would be great, but I also would't have a problem with paying up to 10€ if it's worth it. Any suggestions?
Answer: I would suggest LiChess. It is free (of charge and ads) and it has a website + android app. You can practice vs other opponents, solve tactic puzzles. They also have a learning section, where you can learn about simple strategic concepts.
Answer: Free online course full of interactive puzzles https://szachydzieciom.pl/?lang=en
Especially, the Basic Rules Section.
Answer: Why waste your money when you've got free video repository like Youtube.
Watch this video, i think this is perhaps the best video i've ever come across to learn chess.
Some applications on playstore will definitely come handy:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chess&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.chessking.android.learn.ctforbeginners&hl=en
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.co.aifactory.chessfree&hl=en

There are many options on playstore but this three were one of the best options.
Answer: As for anything, just try YouTube app: I find this series of videos by Chess network particularly good.
https://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQsLDm9Rq9bHKEBnElquF8GuWkI1EJ8Zp
Comment: It's not exactly an app, but the videos are still awesome, very precise and thorough, thanks for this!
Comment: I had to mention him, he's got great teaching skills. Glad you like it.
Answer: I play at Lichess and I also recommend it, but another good free app I use for tactics exercises is ChessTempo.
It is just my preference. I find the collection of problems better. Lichess exercises are taken from blitz games analyzed by Stockfish. They are fine and free, but sometimes the selection they do with code is not accurate for a human.
The advantage Lichess has is when you do an exercise you can check the engine. This is useful to realize why the line you played fails. At ChessTempo this is not possible, but on messages you can read from other users why the solution and not any other alternative works.
I also use ChessTempo for my correspondence games, where you are allowed to  check a database, to chose my moves in the opening.
Answer: I am chess coach. I can recommend Max Chess: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dim.maxym.mychess
It's very good for beginners. It has very simple interface and few game modes:

In section "Rules of chess" you can play chess against very weak opponent and using unlimited hints from your virtual coach.
In section "Play vs computer" first levels are very easy.
In section "Solve puzzles" you can choose "Easy" puzzles. Most of them is one move puzzles.
In section "Practice" there are many chess endgames for beginners: checkmate using two rooks, checkmate using one queen and etc.
Comment: Excessive promotion of a specific product/resource may be perceived by the community as **spam**. Take a look at the [help], especially at [What kind of behaviour is expected of users?](/help/behavior)'s last section: _Avoid overt self-promotion_. You'll need to disclose your relationship with the app (are you affiliated with it)?


arduino project for c programming language

Question: i am a student from 2nd semester BCA (Bachelor in Computer Application). My group need some project for presentation from c programming language so i thought of using #ARDUINO project for our presentation . i really don't have any idea in this project so any ideas, answer, guides will be helpful to us.
Comment: Great idea - choose something you know nothing about and then beg others for help.  At least start with having a clue what you want to achieve, then we may be able to help you achieve it. Until then you're on your own.
Comment: I must say. Kind of a silly question. It indicates you've done virtually no reasearch on your own. Kind of like saying, I have a pencil and paper. I need some guidance as to what types of marks I can make on the paper with the pencil. :) Here's something that may give you some insight: see the latter 3 links that I posted in my answer here: http://arduino.stackexchange.com/questions/16413/how-to-change-variable-when-a-button-connected-to-pin-2-is-pressed.
Answer: Good luck with this! Arduino is awesome. I really enjoy using it. You may find this at least a little insightful: http://www.electricrcaircraftguy.com/2014/01/the-power-of-arduino.html.
Arduino is a small computer. It can do essentially whatever you want it to do: drive robots, fly airplanes, control motors, turn on or off TVs, get on the internet, make a home alarm, buzz a speaker, make a touch lamp, fade LEDs, play music (even with no music chip; just using a skillfully-written library), control HollyWood action cameras, talk to your smartphone, read your heartbeat, make a bike speedometer or odometer, read a GPS receiver, etc. Cool stuff!
Answer: I am not going to list example-projects as the possibilities with an arduino are endless. If you are looking for inspiration: take a look at websites like www.instructables.com and www.hackaday.io. Those are websites with mostly starter arduino projects that contain step-by-step guides on how they are created. I would suggest that you browse through those projects and look for something that peaks your interest and then think of your own similar project. You should however think of a project with a certain complexity as it is for your bachelor's. Most projects on instrucables lack the challenge. For getting parts: take a look at ebay. Ebay has some webshops that sell arduino's and arduino extension modules really cheap.
Good luck
Comment: I do agree with you that instructables is not a website for someone looking for a project with a challenge of some sort. Instructables contains examples of easy to follow and replicatable projects. It also has tutorials like "how to upload blink to an arduino" or "How to install the arduino IDE and the UNO drivers". And those tutorials come with step by step instructions and pictures. That's exactly what a total beginner needs. So I stand with by my answer. Your comment however is short and lacks any form of explanation. Maybe you are the one that has some rethinking to do.
Comment: Instructables is the worst site. Please rethink your answer.


Is there any program to delete cache files automatically?

Question: Every time I need to clear cache, I have to go inside each folder and delete the contents. Doing it via terminal deletes the whole folder which is not recommended. What shall I do?
Comment: Why do you need to clear cache and which caches?
Comment: What would be the problem with deleting the folders?
Comment: My favorite program to "clean" macOS (Caches and the like) is https://www.titanium-software.fr/en/onyx.html. Been using it for years, works great. Different version for each macOS version tho.
Comment: one can use os and sys python libraries and write a recursive code with *.file *.plist and all other extensions in the cache folder. Also tools like dr cleaner might work.
if you need to reply to me please tag me, SE doesn't give notifs if i am not tagged.
Comment: I'm not going to cast a binding close vote, but this will need specific detail what a cache file is. And which folder and which command line command is used. There are some useful answers, so be sure to vote and support them and not blame them for a question that could stand some clarification. Please and thanks for being kind and constructive.
Answer: For so many questions like this, I feel folks are answering without asking what the poster's intention is.
Why do you want to delete the cache files automatically? It's generally a bad idea to do so.
I've seen so many questions posted where folks want to delete some system application or cache or configuration file or whatever. This just leads to the point where the OS must be reinstalled or the user complains that the machine is unstable/unreliable and someone must spend hours, days or months trying to diagnose something that never should have been tampered with.
macOS, in particular, is NOT Windows. You do NOT need to purge caches, defragment or whatever. If you're doing that, especially if you're doing that on a regular basis, there's a deeper problem.
I'm writing this response on a MacBook Pro that has not had any explicit maintenance performed since El Capitan; I'm now running the latest Mojave having upgraded dozens of times. I do software development, generally have a ton of Docker containers and Parallels VM's going and do a lot of video editing with FCP X/Motion. I have had extremely few problems and zero crashes across several years of use. Performance is wonderful.
Part of this is because I don't wake up in the morning and, on a whim, decide to delete my cache files, manually edit my partition table or delete key services like Safari.
As I write this response, I see posts about things like "Firefox freezes when I delete cache files and cookies" and "How do I restore an accidentally deleted key chain". Call me stupid AF, but why on Earth are you tempting fate?
All software makes many assumptions about its underpinnings. Nobody can write code that accounts for every possibility. I know I'm deep in rant territory, but you shouldn't be deleting cache files unless you're intimately familiar every line of code that uses those cache files, directly or indirectly. I assure you that neither Apple nor Microsoft have tested that their software functions correctly if some or all of the system cache files disappear...in fact, having an inconsistent set of cache files because you deleted some of them but didn't even know about all of them is precisely how you get into trouble.
And if you still feel the need to muck around under the hood, PLEASE back up religiously. One day you're going to goof and do a "sudo rm -rf /" or create some inconsistency that can't easily be fixed.
Just consider...Humpty Dumpty was pushed...
Comment: Can't agree more. While cache files are temporary and most programs are able to start again, apps actually need those files and deleting them needlessly increases wear and tear and reduces performance, as all the apps need to rebuild them before all works normally again. Cache files should only be deleted when there is an issue, like an app crashing when it's started, and even then ideally only that one's files and maybe what you see from long deleted apps and such.
Answer: Method #1: Using find
You can use standard UNIX CLI tools to do this from the terminal quite easily. The standard tool for finding files and directories is ironically called find.
For eg. here I'm using it to find all .gz files under /:
$ sudo find /Library/Caches/ -type f -name '*.gz' | head
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_oceans/0/0_0.xml.gz
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_waterbodies/0/0_2.xml.gz
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_waterbodies/0/0_0.xml.gz
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_waterbodies/0/0_4.xml.gz
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_waterbodies/0/0_3.xml.gz
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_waterbodies/0/0_1.xml.gz
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_waterbodies/0/0_5.xml.gz
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_waterbodies/0/0_7.xml.gz
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_waterbodies/1/1_2.xml.gz
/Library/Caches//WorldWindData/Earth/PlaceNames/WFSPlaceNamesVersion1.0/toppwpl_waterbodies/1/1_0.xml.gz

You can then build a find that will locate your files and then tell find to delete them like so:
$ find /path/to/some/dir -type f -name '*.gz' -delete

Example
Here I'm making a sample directory called somedir that will contain a bunch of fake .plist files in it just to show how the above command can work.
$ mkdir dir{1..10}
$ touch dir{1..10}/file{1..10}.gz file{1..10}.gz

This will result in sub directories named dir1, dir2, ..., dir10 with files both inside and outside names file1.gz, ..., file10.gz.
Some of the structure:
$ tree  | head -20
.
├── dir1
│   ├── file1.gz
│   ├── file10.gz
│   ├── file2.gz
│   ├── file3.gz
│   ├── file4.gz
│   ├── file5.gz
│   ├── file6.gz
│   ├── file7.gz
│   ├── file8.gz
│   └── file9.gz
├── dir10
│   ├── file1.gz
│   ├── file10.gz
│   ├── file2.gz
│   ├── file3.gz
│   ├── file4.gz
│   ├── file5.gz
│   ├── file6.gz
...
...

Now to delete all the .gz files:
$ find . -type f -name '*.gz' -delete

Resulting in this:
$ tree
.
├── dir1
├── dir10
├── dir2
├── dir3
├── dir4
├── dir5
├── dir6
├── dir7
├── dir8
└── dir9

10 directories, 0 files

More files
If you need to delete more than just .gz files you can include more -name... arguments to specify them.
$ find . -type f -name '*.gz' -o -name '*.blah'

Here we're looking for files that match the pattern .gz or .blah. The -o is a logical OR operator to find.
Method #2: Using AssetCacheManagerUtil
If your system is making use of Caching content you can use the CLI tool AssetCacheManagerUtil to perform a flushCache.  In case you're not familiar with this functionality within macOS:

Content caching is a macOS service that helps reduce Internet data
  usage and speed up software installation on Mac computers, iOS
  devices, and Apple TV.
Content caching speeds up downloading of software distributed by Apple
  and data that users store in iCloud by saving content that local Mac
  computers, iOS devices, and Apple TV devices have already downloaded.
  The saved content is stored in a content cache on a Mac, and is
  available for other devices to retrieve without going out over the
  Internet.

This CLI has a man page that explains how to operate it.
$ man AssetCacheManagerUtil

You can use this command to see if it's active already:
$ AssetCacheManagerUtil status

To flush cached content you'd use this command:
$ sudo AssetCacheManagerUtil flushCache

2019-04-18 20:25:25.510 AssetCacheManagerUtil[70975:1826791] Content caching flushed its cache.
To flush your personal cached content:
$ sudo AssetCacheManagerUtil flushPersonalCache

2019-04-18 20:26:03.147 AssetCacheManagerUtil[71033:1827060] Content caching flushed its cache.
You can read more about macOS's Caching Service here:

About content caching on Mac
Manage content caching from the command line on Mac


Deleting rows from big table: what then?

Question: I will be deleting 40% of rows from a table that currently has 2.5 millions rows, space reserved 17 GB, 150 MB index, unused space 3 MB.
The primary key is the identity, and records were inserted in order. There are 2 non-clustered indexes. The rows I delete are the oldest. There is a FK pointing to the table, but it is not a problem because it only refers to recent records (which will not be deleted). Columns are mostly nvarchar, including a few nvarchar(max).
The actual deletion will take less than 10 minutes, the database server will not be used by anyone else for a couple of hours, so I am not worried by the deletion itself.
To get the maximum advantage from the point of view of disk size and performances, which operations can I do after the deletion? I don't want to create a new table and move the data, but is there a way I can rearrange the data and reclaim the space?
Comment: If this is a common task, consider partitioning the table. Drop Partion takes seconds.
Answer: Rebuild the table
ALTER TABLE yourtablename REBUILD


Declaring a global Request.ServerVariable variable

Question: After many many years of using Classic ASP, I am attempting to delve into the world of ASP.Net using VB.
I have gotten way to use to being able to declare variables on a page, inlclude that file and use it everywhere.
I am struggling to declare a global variable. I just need

Dim TheUser As String = Request.ServerVariables("AUTH_USER")

Then use it on a page as <%=TheUser%>
I have tried

    Module GlobalVars
         Dim TheUser As String = Request.ServerVariables("AUTH_USER")
    End Module

But then I get "'Request' is not declared."
If I use Dim TheUser As String = Request.ServerVariables("AUTH_USER")
within a Page_Load sub, the Request part is fine, but then I cant use it on my .aspx page. I get 'TheUser' is not declared. It may be inaccessible due to its protection level.
I apologize in advance as if this an extremely remedial question.
I just dont know where I am suppose to declare it, or maybe you can't declare variables to be used everywhere.
Comment: Just one more quick thing. If I use <%= Request.ServerVariables("AUTH_USER")%> on my aspx page it does work, but I really need to set it as a variable to use everywhere.
Answer: Welcome to .Net!
I would suggest that you abandon the Classic ASP way of doing things, and delve into more more web architecture and practices.
With that being said, look at Forms Authentication to start.  You will have access to objects that will have the values you are looking to use globally.
Obviously there are many ways to do things, and this is just one.
Comment: Except that I am want to be able to grab more than just the AUTH_USER server variable. That is just one example of the Request.ServerVariables I want to set as a global variable. Plus, I am going to be using the AUTH_USER for more than authentication.
Answer: You want:
Module GlobalVars
     Dim TheUser As String = Httpcontext.Current.Request.ServerVariables("AUTH_USER")
End Module


Applications of commutative algebra

Question: Hi. I'm preparing a thesis in commutative algebra, and when I say this to my friends they always ask me what are the applications to "real-world", and I don't know what to answer. This let me think that I'm studying something useless. I'm studying on the Matsumura and on the Herzog-Bruns. Any of you know some applications of this abstract algebra to the real-world?
Comment: I'd much rather hear about your thesis.
Comment: I personally do not know of any uses (however, I am positive I will find out about some of them in the answers to this question). But why is it so terrible to be studying something simply because you find it fascinating? Something doesn't have to save lives or build bridges to be worthwhile.
Comment: The two generic answers are "algebraic number theory" and "algebraic geometry".
Answer: The book "Ideals, Varieties, and Algorithms: An Introduction to Computational Algebraic Geometry and Commutative Algebra" by Cox, Little & O'Shea, contains some "real world" applications, specifically chapter 6 (of the 3rd edition) is titled "Robotics and Automatic Geometric Theorem Proving".
Answer: Commutative Algebra and Algebraic Geometry are of relevance to Statistics and in recent years there was quite a lot of activity on this.
See e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algebraic_statistics  (and scroll down, the beginning is perhaps also interesting for your purpose, but what I mean is rather at the end of the page).
For example there is this book L. Pachter and B. Sturmfels. Algebraic Statistics for Computational Biology from 2005.
And there is a fairly recent (I believe) Activity Group of SIAM (Society for Applied and Industrial Mathematics) for Algebraic Geometry (which perhaps is close enough CA), about to hold its first conference http://www.siam.org/meetings/ag11/
(looking up the planery speakers should yield further details; there is a considerable intersection with names I. Rivin gives).

Another topic at the borderline of commutative algebra and number theory is
 Elliptic Curve Cryptography see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptic_curve_cryptography
and also other cryptographic problems, but in part they feeel perhaps too number theoretic for you.

Finally, not really your question, but apparently the motivation: to convince your friends, depending on the background of your friends, I suggest to explain them the (simple) congruence arithmetic behind the final digit of the ISBN numbers. This was the only thing that I found that I felt had some real impact on the opinion of some of my friends on the usefulnes of pure mathematics.
Answer: The answer that I am going to give is implicitly contained in a few answers already given, but it is a bit too implicit, to my taste, so let me give it out and loud: Gröbner bases. When you solve a system of linear equations, you use Gaussian elimination, when you solve a system of polynomial equations of higher degrees, you use Gröbner bases, and it is very clear that solving systems of polynomial equations is something that people have to do for all sorts of applications.
That "very clear" is not just a belief held by a pure mathematician: on a few occasions that I talked about something mathematical to people doing research in some real world questions of statistics, biology, engineering, Gröbner bases would be the only aspect of somewhat advanced algebra, not just commutative algebra, that they would have ever heard of. You can see some relevant bits of software solving applied problems in various areas here: http://www.risc-software.at/en/.
I can't resist from also saying that in some areas of pure maths, for a long time, saying the words "Gröbner bases" was a bit of faux pas, something that a true pure mathematician should rather leave as a discussion topic to people concerned with applications, something as silly and naive and so not worth mentioning as using a calculator to multiply two numbers. However, besides being a useful tool for computations, Gröbner bases and their generalisations also give methods to construct resolutions (starting from work of Anick in 1980s), and in particular to prove that a certain algebra (or an operad) is Koszul etc. So it certainly is something worth being aware of, really.
Answer: Google "Gunnar Carlsson" and "Rob Ghrist" and "Bernd Sturmfels" and "John Canny", and...
Comment: +1 although I'm not sure how the first two apply commutative algebra (beyond coefficient rings for homology)?
Comment: @unknown (google): a fair point, but I choose to be chicken (or is it egg?) @Mark Grant: philistine that I am, I view any subject beset by many projective resolution as part of (or at least almost a part of) commutative algebra.
Comment: @Igor Rivin, thanks for the answer; of course, this is a legitimate point of view.
Answer: Counting (partially) magic squares (and in fact combinatorics and commutative algebra have had really fruitful interactions).
One should also look at this question.
Answer: For applications in physics (string theory) see http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-1-4614-5292-8_2 (Some Applications of Commutative Algebra to String Theory, by P.S. Aspinwall) and http://arxiv.org/abs/hep-th/0703279 (Topological D-Branes and Commutative Algebra, by the same author).

Applications of commutative algebra


What makes Bitcoin transaction secure against attackers/hackers?

Question: Wanted to know what is it that makes bitcoin transaction secure and make it less vulnerable to attackers and hackers
Answer: Bitcoin transaction works on low-level primitive constructs of scripting languages and cryptography. In simple terms, you lock your funds to an equation and anyone who can provide a solution to that equation can spend the money. So there are no account level data, just unspent transaction outputs (UTXOs). Every time you need to spend your bitcoins, you just include these UTXOs as inputs to your transaction, provide a solution to the locking equation and send your funds to another locking equation (which can then be spent by providing solution to that equation). Most of this unlocking equations involve asymmetric cryptography of providing signature from your private key.
The most important aspect of Bitcoin transactions is that every information related to a transaction is entirely public. From the moment, you sign your transaction with your private key and broadcast it, the entire data of that transaction becomes a part of the public record (be it in the mempool before confirmation or in the blocks after confirmation). Since the signing process of Bitcoin transactions involve signing the entire transaction data as the message, any person in between cannot change an iota of information as it will render the transaction as invalid (let's leave signature malleability alone for now). This makes transactions secure against attackers who might want to modify the data.
The only thing that needs to be kept secure are your private keys. As the old adage goes, "Not your keys not your funds". Thus, care has to be taken to ensure that you keep your keys safe. Most of the attacks that you read about involving lost bitcoins is because of careless management of keys. You can use cold storage like hardware wallets, wherein your private keys will never enter a network connected device and as such will remain immune to network attacks.
The private key associated with signing the transaction is a random number in the 2256 bit key space. From the private key, you generate a public key using elliptic curve multiplication. This process is one-way - that is you cannot get private key if you know the public key - unless you solve the discrete log math problem or you brute force (try every combination of private key to get the resulting public key). No one has found a solution to the first case, and the second case is impossible due to the energy requirements. Moreover, the public key is hashed using RIPEMD160 and SHA256 hashing functions to generate a bitcoin address to which you send the bitcoins. These hashing functions are also one way. Now, the solution to the equation (in many cases) I was talking to is to provide the public key that hashes to the address and a private key whose signature would be verified using that public key. So if you do not re-use your address, you have a 2-layer security from private key to the address.


Issue in sections of civicrm that use /civicrm/.*/#/.* using LEMP

Question: So civicrm case and extensions like simple donate use a path that includes the # character.  When running on apache these work fine, but when I moved the site over to nginx, they stopped working. so I am assuming that I need a specific nginx location directive to handle this, but haven't been able to figure out what.
Answer: I'm not sure it's an issue on nginx (as the information after the # is never sent to the servers anyway).
It's more likely an issue of a url that is incorrect, for instance if the url of extension isn't properly defined
Do you have a javascript error? (using firebug or your favourite debugger)
Comment: Old thread; would like to return to it if possible. 'incorrect url' @Xavier was asking, is, actually, defined  at civicrm/CRM/Mailing/Controller/Send.php  (as described here: http://civicrm.stackexchange.com/questions/7069/mailings-new-mailing-gives-404-not-found-nginx)   And, unfortunately, solution proposed there doesn't work, so would be nice to make it works somehow. Putting hash sign as a second argument of CRM_Utils_System::url doesn't seems to be a good idea.
Answer: You have an error with the configuration of your nginx that doesn't properly redirect to drupal your url in error (assuming the url is correct, cf my other answer).
What configuration did you choose for your drupal/nginx?
I started with that one and whitelisted a few more urls (in extern/ folder)
https://github.com/perusio/drupal-with-nginx and it works fin


New Analyst SQL Optimization - Multiple Spools

Question: Unfortunately my ability to Query has outgrown my knowledge of SQL Optimization, so i am hoping someone would help a young analyst by looking at this atrocious execution plan and provide some wisdom as to how i could speed it up.  I've read a few threads about spooling, but they were all mostly a discussion about weather an Eager Table spool is good or bad, and the answer is always "it depends".
My execution plan looks like it's Spooling and Sorting the same #Temp Table multiple  times, and it's eating up a lot of execution cost.
My understanding of a Table Spool is that it is temporary storage to be used later, but if the data is already stored for later use, why would it spool the same data over and over again?  My query doesn't require any ordering so why would it need to sort the same #TempTable/Spool multiple times?
I'm so new to this, i can't figure out how to attach the entire execution plan.... so i attached an image of the bottom half of it...
Help me experienced analysts. You're my only hope.
A Little Context.
I currently have a transaction table that tracks all changes made to a lead in my CRM, and i am attempting to create a new table from this data to speed up reporting.
I am pulling data from this transaction table and flagging the first action, first user, and other firsts of a lead by using Row_Number().  I am then inserting every "first" into a #Temp Table, as i know i am going to utilize this data multiple times.
SELECT
ID,
Action,
ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY ID, Action ORDER BY DATE) AS ActionNum,
ROW_NUMBER() OVER (PARTITION BY ID, Actor  ORDER BY DATE) AS USERNUM
INTO #Temp
FROM Table
;

I am then Left joining this #Temp Table many times (10 times actually).  I have tried multiple other ways of solving this issue but using Row_Number multiple times seems like the best solution.
SELECT
*
FROM #temp T1
     LEFT JOIN #Temp T2
               ON T2.ID = T1.ID AND T2.Action = A2 AND T2.ActionNum = 1
     LEFT JOIN #Temp T3
               On T3.ID = T1.ID AND T3.Action = A3 AND T3.ActionNum = 1
     LEFT JOIN #Temp T4
               ON T4.ID = T1.ID AND T4.UserNum = 1
WHERE
T1.Action = A1
AND
T1.ActionNum = 1

I've looked into creating a clustered index on the #TempTable, but i must not be doing it right because it didn't change anything about my execution.
Thanks in advance for all your help! Any good reading material is also greatly apprecaited!
Best,
Austin
Comment: It would be more helpful if you could go to [PasteThePlan.com](https://brentozar.com/pastetheplan), and post your plan there - much easier to work with than a picture.
Comment: From what it is visible,It would be great if you could further narrow down number of rows in #temp table while insert by applying some condition if possible.Or while insert create extra column in #temp table which contain distinct int value for T2.Action = A2 AND T2.ActionNum = 1 and so on.Create index on this column also.so final where condtion will be  ON T2.ID = T1.ID AND T2.Newcolumn = 2.
Answer: Have you considered created a permanent table in the / a database with clustered index creation (and appropriate NCIs)? You can then simply query that table and allow for statistics to build up - presumably and only with a very limited understanding of your actual context, if the data is transactional, you can build up that historical data and re-use it for different use cases.
B


Why is Sanji wanted alive only?

Question: In One Piece manga chapter 801, all the members of the Straw Hat Crew have gotten new bounties on their heads, being shown on those wanted posters. Do you guys have any ideas as to why Sanji's poster only stated wanted: alive only? What makes him so special that the government wants him alive?
Comment: As for now, this is unknown, but many believe Sanji to be of Tenryubito or noble decent, that's why the WG wants him alive. For example when he called himself "Mr. Prince", many believe that to be foreshadowing of him actually being a prince. That's why they think Oda deliberately left his face out of the first bounty poster, not just as a gag, but to prevent people in the OP world from finding out early in the story. It might have left plotholes otherwise.
Comment: @PeterRaeves yes we don't know the true answert jet, but i think there are also enough hints about his past to talk about it. It's not like there are no hints at all.
Comment: @Nube1 I added the actual poster. If you think it is too much, feel free to remove it again.
Comment: I was thinking that the Marineford put only alive on Sanji's bounty because they are not sure if he existed on the first place. Most of the time Sanji acts alone (plus his missing picture on his first bounty, the 2nd one his back was captured on photo, and now a perverted picture) which makes him suspicious.
Comment: if he doesn't exists it's quite hard to catch him alive.
Answer: I also thought about this question and I have to agree that at the moment we can only guess what is the reason behind everything with Sanji.
Here are some facts:

Sanji is the only crew member about whom, we know nothing about (his family and his hometown). We just know he is from the North Blue.
Sanji has a very noble behavior and acts like a gentleman, which could be because of his education.
Sanji calls himself "Mr. Prince" in little garden.

Zoro calls him "Prince of idiots" during the fight with Foxy.
Sanji's following quote is also very suspicious:

Another point is that Sanji mentioned he was born in the North Blue and knew the land "Noland". Additionally, he wore a red-white hat two times (also in his zombie form), which have the same color as the buildings in the Lvneel Kingodm.

And these are just a few clues about Sanji. It seems obvious that Sanji's history must be quite interesting. It's possible that Sanji has some secret information which the Marines need, or he is an aristocrat, or maybe even a World Noble whom they want to get back alive.
Additionally, I remembered this video with lots of speculation about Sanji.
It's  very interesting.
Enjoy.
Comment: That has now become cleared in the recent chapters
Answer: This was unknown when you asked, but later in chapter 812 we learn a bit. Along the line, up to 875, we get the following conclusion.

 Sanji's dad did that. It is because he wants to capture him to marry one of Big Mom's daughters. The reason why Sanji was needed by his father who told him before "Don't you ever consider yourself my offspring again" is because whoever marries Big Mom's daughter becomes her pet. No Vinsmoke wants that. They just want an aliance with her. So his father realizes he had his old "failure of a son" and asked for that condition for the bounty. Before then, Sanji's "gentleman attitude" is a bit not like his father wanted, so he is locked up in a cell and runs away.
Answer: What came to mind was that it would be something to do with his past. With his first wanted poster, the camera had the lens cap on, so there was no picture and so few people really knew who Black Leg Sanji really looked like. But with the new one, the picture finally came across some high up in the government and finally recognize Adult Sanji and child Sanji. And this person being someone with some pull was able to change the bounty to Alive only. But who could this person be?? One idea was that someone that was on the ship that Orbit, that Sanji was on before Zeff and the Cook pirates attacked. Myabe this person felt guilty about Sanji being tossed overboard and not being able to help him, wants to try to help him change his way.
or maybe some female navy officer saw Sanjis picture and flip out, the same way he flips out when he sees any girl. And now she wants sanji for herself.
Comment: I think that's the really the worst hypothesis. How can anyone from Orbit have such authority? And the thing about the marine officer is worse; she'd be punished for that cause sanji is a pirate

Why is Sanji wanted alive only?


FLS and CRUD check for User object

Question: I have a code which is inserting user object. It is created when the end user creates his account from force.com site. Since we cannot control FLS for user fields at profile level do we have to check it in code or can i skip it?
Answer: If you're using a Visualforce page and a standard controller, SFDC automatically checks this for you. In case you're writing custom controllers, you'll have to manually run the CRUD/FLS checks. These are enforced at the visualforce layer, not apex. This is a good blog post that contains some examples as well as a bit of an explanation on how it works and how it can be implemented.
Keep in mind though that FLS for any apex:inputField will be enforced, regardless whether you have a standard or custom controller.
As per the documentation (and Keith's Answer):

VisualForce will also remove fields for which users do not have FLS
  visibility when rendering edit pages. Additionally, all
  apex:inputField tags will be rendered as read-only elements for fields
  that are set to read-only through FLS. Please note that using other
  input tags such as apex:inputText or apex:inputTextArea with SObject
  fields indicate to VisualForce that the fields should not be treated
  as SObject fields and prevent the platform to automatically enforcing
  FLS
Comment: Can you clarify a bit more that `apex:inputField` respects FLS settings whatever the controller is? So it is fields that are not being presented (via `apex:inputField`) but are being update by the controller that require the explicit FLS checks.
Comment: Boris, its a standard controller with extension class.
Comment: You'll have to handle the CRUD/FLS yourself

FLS and CRUD check for User object


how to stop configuring network services

Question: My computer upon start up taking about 5 minute during boot time configuring network and allowing 60 seconds to complete its task. how to stop these services. it starting this services every time upon start up. could me help me on above issue.
Answer: This is a know bug . Check out launchpad for more details about the bug.
There is a workaround for this issue. You may need to reinstall the network-manager and ligthdm . Please refer this blog for more details about this workaround


Does the American government restrict the countries its citizens may travel to?

Question: This question is quite simple but at the same time quite interesting, morally. For the longest time, Americans weren't "allowed" to travel to Cuba, and yet would a dual citizen be considered guilty of a crime for traveling there on his/her other passport? What about an American/Cuban dual citizen? Does the United States restrict where its citizens are allowed to travel?
Answer: The restrictions on travel to Cuba have always been rooted in sanctions in the form of a trade embargo. The US government has long restricted its citizens from spending money with certain individuals or entities abroad (see, for instance, the Trading with the Enemy Act of 1917). This impacts travelers since virtually every trip will involve spending at least some money (there's an airport tax for one thing). You can see our previous question Travel to Cuba as dual citizen (USA+other)? for information on that situation.
Starting last year, there are also travel restrictions to North Korea, which apply to US passports:

Travel to, in, or through North Korea on a U.S. passport without this special validation may justify revocation of your passport for misuse under 22 C.F.R. § 51.62(a)(2) and may subject you to felony prosecution under 18 U.S.C. § 1544 or other applicable laws.

There's a procedure to apply for a Special Validation Passport if you think you have an acceptable reason. There are also financial sanctions that apply to North Korea.
The regulations for passports permit the Secretary of State to issue other restrictions on where US passports may be used in the case of war, armed hostilities, or imminent danger to health or safety.
Comment: What about a dual French/American citizen traveling to North Korea on a French passport, assuming no such restrictions from France?
Comment: @TheEnvironmentalist: That doesn't violate the restriction, as it is not using a US passport.
Answer: The US government issues travel advisories for their citizens via the State Department, and they are listed at this website.
Each country is ranked from 1 to 4, 4 being the most restrictive suggestion of "Do Not Travel".
As of this writing, there are 11 countries rated 4:

Afghanistan
Central African Republic (CAR)
Yemen
Iran
Iraq
South Sudan
Mali
North Korea
Somalia
Syria
Libya

US citizens have never been banned from visiting Cuba. Commercial embargoes meant that it was difficult to get flights to Cuba, but this did not prevent travel there.
As there are no exit (immigration) controls at US borders, effectively the US cannot ban you from leaving. It is upto the receiving country to stop you from entering.
However the State Department (well, the Secretary of State) has the right to issue restrictions on US passports in times of war, armed conflict, or if there is imminent danger to health and safety.
In practice, this usually means you require special permissions, such as the case of North Korea:

Individuals cannot use a U.S. passport to travel to, in, or through
  North Korea without a special validation from the Department of State.
Comment: This answer seems to conflate travel advisories which advise against travel while the original question is about US imposed restrictions which incur penalties applied by the US government.
Comment: @TheEnvironmentalist Travel-related _transactions_ are restricted, rather than travel itself. As a practical matter, there isn't much of a distinction, but there's no inconsistency. And if you meet [the criteria](https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Pages/cuba.aspx) laid out in the regulations (or get a special license for some other purpose I guess), such transactions are permitted, not banned.
Comment: So they are not banned, just restricted. There is a difference.
Comment: "Us Citizens have never been banned" I see this on the department of treasury website: "Is travel to Cuba for tourist activities permitted?
No. Consistent with the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (TSRA), travel-related transactions involving Cuba are only permitted for the 12 categories of activities identified in the CACR. Travel-related transactions for other purposes remain prohibited. "
Comment: @djna That would seem to indicate some inconsistency within the law regarding whether or not traveling to Cuba is actually "banned", as in not allowed under penalty of imprisonment or other punishment.


Why is the Quran so hard against those who questioned the prophet?

Question: There are obnoxious people like Abu Lahab and Uqba Mu'ayt who lived during Muhammad's(pbuh) lifetime . They were skeptical of the prophet, got physical at him, and threw excrement at his house. They were hated people and died painful deaths. But why does things have to get so personal that Quran should mention them by name as the inhabitants of Hell, and describe what would be done specifically to them. Shouldn't the Qur'an and the prophet be beyond these insults and simply ignore these clowns. Why don't we just get over these people?
Comment: can you provide references?
Answer: If God Ignores such clowns no one would ever remember them and would continue to do same bad deeds. If God gives people example of past events and warns them that if you did similar you might get same punishment this stops other to repeat same bad deeds at least they would think before they leap.
This is same as a child learns from his parents. If he is not stopped/scolded he continues or else he learns from experience which gets painful most of the times.


How granular should we get when tagging the Sitecore version

Question: In my opinion, one of the most important pieces of information you can give me to help me solve your issue/challenge is the Sitecore version you are using. On SO, we already have a few version related tags, both for major and minor versions. Are we happy with those? Should they still say Sitecore8.1 or is v8.1 enough seeing as we're on the Sitecore StackExchange site? What about including the revision/update? Naming convention?
Answer: I've been removing a lot of Sitecore 8.1 tags earlier today, as none of the questions involved - in my opinion - were specific to the actual version.
I'm a bit worried we'll end up in a situation where questions get marked for 8.1 or 8.2 for instance, while being relevant to users of Sitecore 6 as well.
However - I also agree - the version matters; in many instances. But should it be a tag?  or should it be something we ask to be clarified (when we feel it could be relevant) in the question text itself?
I'm leaning towards that. That we ask for clarification/update the question text - rather than it being a tag - since we can't really do a "sitecore-6.2-sitecore7.2" tag either.
But excellent question; let's get the ball rolling and see what people think :-)
Comment: I think the general consensus of this post is; we add version information to the post itself - if and when necessary. This is also the advise we're getting from @Robert Cartaino (below)
Comment: I believe asking for clarification on to the Version of Sitecore in question is better than using tagging. Instead, leave tagging for things like "exm", "fxm", modules names, design pattern names, dare even I suggest pipeline names? pipeline names as tags would be cool from a facet pov.
Comment: @MarkCassidy, I just saw your tag edit on one of my questions, and I think you made the right call. I also think we should look at [how other SE communities have solved the same problem and follow suit](http://meta.wordpress.stackexchange.com/a/639/2007). I like the simplicity of how the wordpress site has tags for specific versions, but only uses them when a question is related to that *specific* version.
Answer: Unless the question is about the subject of the version itself, tagging questions with version numbers is usually incidental to what is actually being asked. If the version number is relevant for getting the correct answer, that information should be included in the body of the post.
But I rarely find it useful to categorize questions broadly by version number — tags are for search. If knowing the version number is important to getting the correct answer, you definitely should not be using tags to provide important context.
Answer: I agree - I don't think it is useful to have tags for each version number. If your question is version specific, include it in the question not via a tag.


What causes the "Flash busy" message (Canon EOS 1100D)?

Question: Yesterday I was faced with a situation where I often saw the message "flash busy" with no chance to shoot. As I understand it, this can happen when battery power to flash is low, but I only used the built-in flash (default kit flash). Please explain when and why this happens.
Answer: The "flash busy" message is shown when the flash is charging and not yet ready to be used.
The flash works by slowly charging a capacitor from the batteries and then discharging all that power in a very short time.
If your batteries are low on power or you have low quality batteries it will take longer to charge the flash and so you'll see a lot of "flash busy", also, if it's dark and you need to use the flash on high power it will take longer to charge.
Comment: @Edward83 - every flash, the flash needs to generate a lot of light in a very short time, a lot of light requires a lot of power, a battery can't provide lots of power in a short time - so you need to get the power out of the battery slowly and store it in something where you can get it out into the "lamp" quickly
Comment: Nir thank you! Does flash from kit has it's own capacitor?