Rename goaccess.io tag

Question: Could you please rename goaccess.io tag to goaccess in SO. The former is the website, the program is the latter.
Answer: Since there were only 12 questions tagged with it, I manually edited each question and created the tag excerpt with the existing content.
goaccess.io should go away when the cleanup process runs.

Rename goaccess.io tag


Surgery or angioplasty after angiography?

Question: After angiography (done for episodes of anginal chest pains), how do doctors decide whether to go for angioplasty (balloon dilatation of blockages of arteries of heart) or surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting or CABG, often called 'cabbage')? Thanks for your comments and answers.tca
Answer: Patients with following features on angiogram have better results with coronary bypass surgery (CABG) than after angioplasty (percutaneous coronary intervetion, including balloon dilatation, stenting etc):

Left main coronary disease
Multi-vessel disease in patients with diabetes mellitus
Triple-vessel disease with left ventricular dysfunction
Double vessel disease, including proximal left anterior descending artery involvement, and left ventricular dysfunction
Calcified vessels
Diffusely diseased vessels
Highly tortuous vessels
Ostial lesions
Bifurcation lesions

These features indicate that angioplasty may be associated with greater likelihood of suboptimal immediate result and/or greater risk of complications later on (such as restenosis or the dreaded subacute thrombosis in the treated artery). Hence, bypass surgery is generally advisable in these cases.
References:
http://circ.ahajournals.org/content/126/25/e354.full
http://sign.ac.uk/guidelines/fulltext/96/index.html
http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2013/08/28/eurheartj.eht296
https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg126
Comment: what about EECP (Enhanced External Counterpulsation) therapy ? would it help some ways to avoid either of these commonly advised methods ?
Answer: There have MANY trials comparing PCI (intervention during the "cardiac cath" procedure) which are well referenced in this guideline update.  (Note, the "Heart Team" approach mentioned below relies on the combination of the expert opinion of the interventional cardiologist was well as the cardiac surgeon.)


What techniques are effective for Scrum teams within organizations that do waterfall release planning?

Question: What planning and prioritization techniques are effective for Scrum teams and Product Owners working within an IT organization that uses waterfall planning behaviors at the release level? Are there ways to optimize the Scrum team's experience or otherwise buffer the team from the ensuring challenges?
Comment: Could you please explicitly state whether the project works in Scrum or in Waterfall?
Comment: Thus far, the consensus seems to be "Add an adapter layer in the form of the product owner and get on with things."  Is that accurate?
Comment: Updated to specify Scrum teams. Good clarification.
Answer: One of tricks I use in agile teams which are working with old-school highly-formalized teams is mapping. The team should map basically every client's responsibility to some team member. It usually goes to project manager as it is the person who is closest to a client.
Then it is about "building the bridges" - effort aimed at translating whatever client said or wanted to the language and process understandable by the development team. In other words it means translating agile inside to formalized process outside.
It doesn't mean there are specific prioritization techniques PM should use. Actually agile techniques don't really tell you how you should prioritize features - they deal more with reacting for planned features. However it's definitely worth the effort to ask the customer to prioritize the list of features so you all know what to cut when times goes harsh.
UPDATE (basing on comment): An example: we have a couple of teams working internally on the same project for the client who has pretty formalized approach to project management. One of teams (team A) prefers to work agile way and introduces Scrum as their method of choice, while another (team B) prefers to work with the old waterfall-like method. The release planning, we want it or not will follow waterfall-like method. I assume project scope can be split among those teams as they work to some point independently. Now we have a few channels of interactions:

Team B with the client. In this case it is simple. Both, client and team follow similar process so the team probably just adjusts to the specific schedule proposed by the client.
Team A with the client. That's where it starts to be different. Client doesn't really care about iterative development, but team works that way. The problem is the team expects feedback from the client on each release. And that's where PM should kick in with their "building the bridges" effort. It's PM who should emulate the client with such tasks, so PM should actually learn, check, verify, etc. what the client really wants and share the feedback with the team. However, generally the scope won't be changing much, as it is BDUF project and the client believes everything was in specs.
Team A with Team B. This is another tricky one, but since both teams are in the same organization a few approaches may be tried. One is the same as between the Team A and the client -- "building bridges" which means that someone, probably the leader of Team A is translating agile approach to formal one used by another team back and forth. Another idea is to let collaboration happen spontaneously, considering the fact everyone works in the same company. Finally, teams can choose they keep their methods but whenever they need something from others they do respect how others work, e.g. when Team B wants some changes in API built by Team A, they respect that Team A don't make changes in the middle of sprint so they will implemented in another one.
Comment: Actually I have. Adopting agile works as long as you do it in some group of people who are somewhat independent on the rest of the organization. It doesn't have to be a single team but then they shouldn't be in place where they need something for others like every couple of hours or so. In this situation the group can isolate themselves to some point, so they can work as they want, as long as they can build connections with outside world (even if "outside world" means team next door) which translate the way they work to the way the rest of organization works.
Comment: Your use of "client" leads me to think I should additionally ask the similar question of how to do effective Scrum release and sprint planning against a fixed price bid as an outsourced organization, but that's been asked and explored many times before in other forums. In this case, I'm specifically thinking for internal IT organizations, and will update the question to match. Have you tried your approach within larger organizations that are mid-transition with some agile and some non-agile teams?
Comment: Could you elaborate on your thoughts for situations are in the "middle ground" ? Not isolated, but not fully codependent either? Both of the current examples I have in mind are single or scattered teams that share an overall release goal, but are to various degrees isolated from their peer teams in the same 50-150 person organization.
Answer:
What planning and prioritization
  techniques are effective for Scrum
  teams and Product Owners working
  within an IT organization that uses
  waterfall planning behaviors at the
  release level?

If I'm understanding correctly, your situation is similar to mine - i.e., we work in organizations where SDLC/ Waterfall is the norm, but there's been a recent push towards agile in isolated pockets of the company.  Even so, we run into road blocks of sorts when it comes time for the code to hit the production environment, because the Release team hasnt embraced the Agile methodology.
In these situations, as pawel mentioned, you can usually get the product owner to prioritize a list of 'stories' that define the release steps for a product.  Its ideal to be able to work as an isolated team, but sometimes the red tape doesnt let you deploy code as a stand-alone release.
Depending on how much sway you have over the deployment process, the worst case scenario is that we can continue to develop via Agile in the QA / Beta environments and respond to real changes on this platform.  When the official release date comes, all the stories can be deployed into the live environment.
Admittedly, this sort of defeats the purpose of 'Agile', especially if you're working on a product thats already available to the public. Another alternative might be to restrict the product release to a select group of users.
To be honest, I'm grappling with this issue myself, and would love to hear what others have to say as well.
Answer: We keep the releases very small -- to 3 months or less. This gives us a reasonable shot at creating a groomed backlog to represent the scope of the release. We actually use a Kanban process to flow the feature requests through research, specification, discussion, review, and approval status while keeping WIP under control. This isn't an ideal mix, but is (for the time being at least) a reasonable compromise between our company's Waterfall and Agile camps.
Comment: It sounds like you have more control over the release definition process than the team I'm looking at.


Will GFCI outlet protect downstream outlets with ground connected to neutral?

Question: Recently in our rental house we replaced the old two conductor outlets with three conductor outlets plus a GFCI outlet at the beginning of the series. Power from the panel is connected to the 'line' side and downstream outlets are connected to the 'load' side of the outlet. Since there is no ground wire in the boxes and the boxes themselves aren't grounded we added a wire connecting the ground screw back to the neutral post. Our testers look good at each outlet and everything appears to work fine with one exception: the GFCI test button on the tester only trips the GFCI at the actual GFCI outlet. At any outlet downstream from the GFCI, the tester doesn't cause the GFCI to trip. My understanding (from this question) is that the initial GFCI outlet should also protect all the downstream outlets. This question also seems to apply but I'm not getting the same results, possibly because of the "ground to neutral" connection. Am I misunderstanding? Or have I done something wrong?
Comment: This is why a licensed electrician is required to work on a rental property. You're more than welcome to electrocute yourself or members of your family by doing your own cowboy electrical work, but you're not allow to kill members of other families.
Answer: Never never NEVER connect the ground of an outlet to neutral!!! Depending on the situation, you can end up with a dangerous or even lethal voltage on the ground and therefore, on the case of something plugged in.
It is legal and advised to use a GFCI to install 3-prong outlets on an ungrounded circuit. This also applies to standard outlets downstream of a GFCI. The outlets must be labeled "GFCI protected, no ground" (labels should have been provided along with the GFCI).
You should remove all of the "bootleg" grounds.
BTW, the reason the tester didn't trip the GFCI is that it works by connecting line to ground through a resistor to simulate current leaking to ground. However, because the outlet ground is actually connected to neutral, there is no actual leakage.
Comment: No. The tester still won't trip the GFCI from a downstream outlet. There is no way for it to work without a separate ground.
Comment: So removing the "bootleg" grounds should allow the tester to trip the GFCI from any outlet on the series?
Comment: Moreover, the tester will not trip the GFCI once the bootleg ground is removed
Comment: I wonder if it would be practical for an electrical-equipment company to design a GFCI for the "no equipment ground" scenario, with a weak connection between ground and neutral (e.g. a pair of series-connected 100K resistors) along with a circuitry to trip if the potential across the first of those resistors exceeds 25 volts (representing a current of 0.25mA)?  That would ensure that if a ground fault develops in a device, the GFCI would trip immediately even if there wasn't yet any current path from the supply hot that didn't return via the supply neutral.
Answer: If you really want to test those down-stream outlets (vs accepting the fact that they will be protected if wired properly), you can do this:

Get one of those 2 prong / ungrounded to 3 prong / grounded adapters. It should have a small metal piece sticking out that would normally be attached to the middle screw of the outlet.
Connect a long piece of wire to a convenient grounding location such as a water pipe or ground wire.
Connect the other end of the grounded wire to the metal tab of your 2 -> 3 prong adapter.
Plug in your tester and press the test button.

This should cause the GFCI to trip, since the tester now has a path to simulate a ground fault.
Comment: There's no guarantee that plumbing is grounded. Most plumbing is plastic these days and PVC or PEX really aren't all that good at conducting electricity.


Tourist from Sweden visiting Philippines

Question: I understand Sweden is one of the countries with free visa entering Philippines, provided the tourist holds a valid passport and a round trip ticket. Do they need to have a proof of hotel or condo reservation?. What if the tourist will stay in my place, a residential place? Should I provide him/her an invitation letter?
Answer: According to the Embassy of Philippines, Swedish citizens can enter visa-free for up to 30 days, given they hold a passport valid for at least 6 months ad have a return or onward ticket. There is no requirement to provide proof of hotel bookings or an invitation letter.
From a practical point of view, it's of course good if the tourist is able to answer where they will be staying. If they are going to stay at your house or apartment, it's a good idea for the visitor to have the address and your contact information, for the unlikely event that immigration officials would want to verify by calling you.


SIM808 can't get GPS fix on custom board

Question: I have designed a board with SIM808 which is connected to the 32-bit microcontroller. There is some extra power circuitry on board - MPPT switching converter. Distance from switching controller to GPS_antenna SIM808 trace is about 30mm.
My SIM808 GSM and GPRS communication works perfect. It connects to cellular network in matter of seconds and everything works. But GPS... can't get it work. Below you can see my board design(both layers "transparent", top layer, bottom layer). On bottom layer, below GPS copper trace and antenna connector, there is plain solid ground copper pour. Surrounding vias are grounds. PCB is 2-layer. Trace width is 0.61mm.

Using standard passive GPS antenna: https://e-radionica.com/en/ceramic-gps-antenna-1575-42mhz-with-ipx-connector.html
System is powered from battery and there are enough capacitors around which should cover current peaks(up to 2A for SIM808).
Tried going outside with it, leaving it for some time, once even whole night :), tried bigger passive antenna - no movement. I have tested if I have got a fix using both LED from 1PPS pin and using AT+CGNSINF command.
I even got so far that I googled bunch of different breakboards with SIM808 and, oddly(or not?), all of them had trace for GPS antenna routed not directly from my pin, but at 90 degrees angle. Don't know if that could be the key.
I am really confused about this one. Before designing this board, I read few online articles regarding antenna and traces and tried to apply those rules as close as possible. It worked for GSM, but for GPS can't not find solution.
Answer: Ground should be removed from top layer right below the connector main trace. See the remark in the data sheet for the recommended connector Pcb footprint.


Proper use of ligature and kerning

Question: I had a disagreement about the correct use of a ligature and kerning in a headline and would appreciate any help in seeking insight on the issue. The issue is with the "f" and "t". One side believes using the ligature creates proper kerning throughout and the other side believes the "f" and "t" should be spaced out slightly more and separated for a better look. I know this may not be a black and white issue but again any thoughts or knowledge about the issue would be appreciated. Thanks.
Comment: I like the connected version, personally. But this is an opinion based question as is and I'm voting to close it as such
Answer: ligatures are designed specifically for this. Well sometimes for stylistic reasons, but combination with "f" will often have collisions. "fi" and "fl" are the most common examples. In these cases it is generally best to use the ligatures available to you. The other option of increased kerning leaves you with unbalanced white space (In your example the space between the "f" and "t" doesn't look good to me).
This is assuming you are using a well designed typeface, with well considered kerning and ligatures and are setting your type with no increased tracking.
Take the following example, with no ligatures and no increased kerning. Hopefully everyone can agree the collisions with the "fi" and "fl" aren't good:

We can fix that by increasing the kerning between the problem pairs.

However you can see the spacing is very uneven and unbalanced:

Swap out the problem pairs for the ligatures and all those problems are solved:

The other option is to increase the tracking, so the increased spacing is more consistent. This isn't a good idea in body text but could be a good solution for headers—but that will depend on the typeface used and context.
Answer: it depends on your intentions with this typographic material.
If it is supposed to be something stylistic, condensed kerning may be an aesthetic approach to some given design choice.
but, if you want to give priority to readability, for a block of text or a headline which function is solely to convey information. The separated versions is the one you are looking for, from far away, or -in an extreme scenario- for someone with a faulty vision, it can easily be confuse with an H, fused up pieces of types may seem a minor issue, but it has its impression on typography and can have some implications depending of many circumstances:
Where this text will show up, the distance x size ratio it will be normally read, if it will be printed out, the kind of print, printing surface, ink type, etc.
If you have a aesthetic reason to glue them together, it is not wrong. but if you are putting it in a block of text, go for the separated one for the sake of readability, and for letting the types breathe, so they don't seem like they're one single character.

Proper use of ligature and kerning


Polar bodies fertilization

Question: Suppose a sperm fertilized a 2nd polar body( haploid) is there a chance of somewhat normal development?
Answer: The 2nd polar body contains almost no cytoplasm, so if only this body is fertilized it contains no maternal genes to guide the development and moreover not enough nutrients. So this wouldn't work. "Source"
Moreover, there wasn't reported even any case of "twin" resulting from the fertilization of 2nd polar body according to this article
There was reported case of twins formed by a mass of fertilized ovum and fertilized (diploid) first polar body. Source
What could happen is that if both polar body and oocyte are fertilized, these two cells merge and form tetraploid embryo. Which is sometimes able to form fetus (sometimes just ends as mola hydatinosa), but definitely not able to produce a viable child in humans.
Answer: Mpribis is 99% correct, except that the polar body does indeed contain the same amount of maternal genes as the secondary oocyte (remember, it's the product of the second division--from diploid to haploid). But like Mpbris said, since the second polar body is nutrient-poor, and lacks full complement of organelles, the odds of it remaining viable if it were fertilized are vanishingly small. Such "polar body twinning" is theoretically possible, but has yet to be documented as of the the time of my writing this.

Polar bodies fertilization


Boss can't articulate how I can improve during performance review. Now what?

Question: I had my yearly performance review, which was the same as it has been for the past 5 years. I was given the middle ranking and all comments are positive. I have never been reprimanded for anything, my attendance has been great (with the exception of an 8-week leave during the death of my father). I have consistently gone above and beyond at my job over the years, received numerous awards, recognition, and accolades during my tenure and only ever received the middle ranking. I asked my boss what specifically I could do to improve my ranking and he could not answer. He said, "That's a very good question." Should I just let this go or is this something I should take to HR? I don't want to rock the boat, but feel I'm not being treated fairly.
Comment: I'd start job hunting; they just don't want to pay you more but don't have any good reason not to.  Find an employer that appreciates the value you add.
Comment: I've never been promoted. I've had 3 different bosses during that 5 year period and received the same ranking every year. The first year I received a 3% raise, then 2%, 2%, 2% and now this year 1.5%. I was told the company is shifting the  scale downward yet others in my department with the same title are getting promoted. I was told I can't get promoted because my salary range was higher than the other person's from the start, so even if I got a new title, my salary is still higher. They are consistently inconsistent.
Comment: Has this been affecting your raise or promotion opportunities? Also, have you gotten any promotions in the 5 years that you've been under that boss?
Answer:
Is this something I should take to HR?

No, because you don't have a specific complaint here. Your boss being vague and unhelpful is unfortunate but probably doesn't violate company policy. HR is not the boss of your manager (unless you work in HR). If and when you can show evidence that law or policy is being violated, ex. you can show that your treatment is due to your race, gender, or other protected class or if policy is that "Meets Expectations" gets a 3% not 1.5%, then you go to HR.

I've never been promoted. I've had 3 different bosses during that 5 year period and received the same ranking every year. The first year I received a 3% raise, then 2%, 2%, 2% and now this year 1.5%.

This sounds like this is an issue with your team, department or the company as a whole, not just your current manager.

Should I just let this go?

No, you should both follow skrrgwasme's advice to sit down with your manager and find out what you should be doing to advance AND you should be job hunting. You're not happy where you're at so don't stay there if you don't have to.
Answer: OK you have to realize that in many places your ranking has nothing to do with how your immediate boss perceives your performance and everything to do with how well he can defend your rating to the other managers. There are almost alawys a limited number of the higher ratings that they have the budget to give out.
If he can't think of anything more you can do, you might be caught in a situation where:

Your boss does not have the political power to get you a higher
ranking even if though he wants to (My rating once shot up like a shooting star when I changed bosses, my work did not change a bit.)
Other jobs are considered more critical than yours and thus need the
limited number of high ratings to go to them
Higher ratings are reserved for lower paid people who can't
otherwise get pay raises (I've worked places where all of the outstanding performance ratings went to the admin staff every year because they were at the top of their pay scale and the bonus money was the only waty to get them more money.)
It is not yet your turn (they hate to say this out loud but it often happens that they have such a limited number they rotate them around)
You don't have enough visibility in the organization to get noticed
in the review process. It is up to you to make sure that other managers know your accomplishments, not to your boss.
Someone above your boss doesn't like you or your boss but he can't tell you that.

I am going to point out that if you are not getting the raises you want, you need to learn how to work office politics. They are a major factor in determining who gets what raises in 100% of all offices (Hint there is no such thing as a meritocracy, no matter what organizations claim.). Please go grab some books on this subject and read them. Playing office politics doesn't mean you have to be a credit-grabbing snake, but it does mean you have a way to defend yourself from credit-grabbing snakes. You are in the game whether you want to be or not, you need to learn the rules and play or you will get pounded. It sounds as if your performance on the technical side is fine, you just need to learn to be more visible and to promote yourself since you boss is not being effective at promoting you to the organization (and really it is your job not his anyway).
Comment: This is so true... unfortunately. Its like the Game of Thrones. No one knows who is playing who but someone is always being played. I am also in this exact same situation: I rely on merit alone to get me through but of late I have come to realize that is not all it takes... unfortunately.
Comment: This is sadly accurate.
Answer: I wouldn't necessarily go straight to HR with this yet. I would follow up with your boss and try to work with him to create a standard rubric or guideline for assigning performance rankings. It sounds like they're arbitrary right now. If he is unwilling to do so, then consider going to HR.
Throughout the process, try to emphasize that you're pursuing this so that you can learn how to improve, not just for the sake of a better "ranking."
Comment: Excellent advice. This topic is a bit foreign to me so I'm not sure how to handle these situations and don't want to come across as bitter. I learned from a coworker who received the same ranking that their raise was 2%. Something seems unfair. Many thanks!
Comment: Never believe what anyone tells you about their pay amount.
Comment: I understand that but it's a trusted friend who told me he got the same ranking with a slightly higher percentage.
Comment: Just because his rating is the same has no correlation to how much the raise will be. There are shades of performance as well as the standard 3-5 ratings that are offical ratings.  I would guess either your boss or the management team think he is more valuable.
Comment: At the company I work for, there are 5 standard performance rankings. Each of those rankings correlates to a certain increase percentage from 1-5%. What I'm trying to say is that a friend/coworker and I fell in the same bucket (that most employees do) but received different percentages. They claim the increases are "standardized" depending on the bucket you fall in.
Answer: Beyond what BSMP and HGLEM have recommended which I agree with, the only thing you can control is you. While its an unfair situation you can't force your manager to be forthcoming. Sometimes there are powers at be which may want to prevent promotion and it may have nothing to do with you or your performance. Take a view of the market for what you do, find what people are doing in the position you want to be, and do that. As long as you're committed to your own growth and promotion even when your manager isn't, there is little which can hold you back. Own your success, don't leave it to chance or others.


Does Fiumicino Airport allow for airside transit on separate reservations?

Question: I have a connection in Italy coming from outside Schengen area flying to outside Schengen area, and I'm wondering if I need to go through immigration and customs in Italy or not. The flights are separate reservations but it's the same airline (Alitalia) and same airport (FCO) and the waiting time between the flights is about 3.5 hours.
Comment: Well, there are definitely more than one airport in Italy and the answer may depend on the airport.
Comment: Edited. It's the same airport.
Answer: There's no difficulty at the airport itself; it is an international airport well equipped to handle transit passengers. Unless you need to re-check a bag, you will not need to go through immigration or customs. Simply follow the connecting passengers route. If you have been unable to check in for your onward flight, you can do so at the transfers desk without going landside.
Your problems come if you are taking luggage—unless you can convince your check in agent to through-check onto the next reservation, you'll have to retrieve your bag and check it in again. You have adequate time for this unless your first flight is significantly delayed. Of course you would need the appropriate permission to enter Italy to do this.
Comment: I would just like to add that recently I had my passport controlled even if I was transiting through Fiumicino.


what's the meaning of "hard copy folders"?

Question: The sentence is "Instruct staff assistant to create hard copy folders of employment files"
what does the "hard copy folders" here mean? I don't understand "hard" at all.
Does it mean the duplicate documents from copier?
Comment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_copy
Answer: A "hard copy folder" is a retronym phrase for a paper folder of printed material.
Other examples of retronyms include "cloth diaper" (once diapers were assumed to be cloth), acoustic guitar (before the electric guitar), et cetera. Just as "acoustic guitar" anticipates the fact that a "guitar" may now be electric, a "hard copy folder" anticipates the fact that a "folder" may now be digital.
Once "hard copy folder" would have been redundant. Then the word "folder" was adopted in computing as part of the "desktop metaphor," beginning with work at Xerox PARC in the 1970s. When desktop user interfaces became popularized in the 1980s and 1990s words like "desktop," "trash," "file," and "folder" also came to mean digital data and digital user interfaces, not just objects of wood and paper. These digital forms are all virtual "software." By contrast with the "soft" digital copy, the physical paper copy is described as the "hard copy."
Returning to the example:

"Instruct staff assistant to create hard copy folders of employment files"

This states that the "folders" are paper, and also implies that, by contrast, the "employment files" that are being copied are digital files, not paper files. Once we guess that the employment files are digital we know that "create" means "print out with a printer" and not "duplicate with a copy machine."
Answer: "Hard copy" is a phrase used mostly in relation to computers.
Hard Copy

A printed version on paper of data held in computer.
Comment: So, how would you interpret the instruction in the question? Your definition seems like a noun - "Would you make a hard copy for me please?" - but in the instruction it seems to modify "folders". Does that mean print out folders on the computer or maybe it means to print out all the files and put them in a physical folder that holds all of the hard copy? It seems like there is a lot more that could be explained.
Comment: It could interpret  many way like print out the hard copy of employment and put into physical folder. I really appreciate your correction .
Comment: thank you. i see this sentence can be interpreted in 2 ways under different context.
Answer:
Instruct staff assistant to create hard copy folders of employment files

This probably means make a folder to contain hard copies of employment files.  A "hard copy" is as @QuokMoon says a printed or physical version of a computer file.  The person telling you this is probably assuming you know that they keep a scan or PDF of various documents on a computer, and they want you to make a folder to also to put printouts of these.
Now, it's also possible that "file" can mean "packet or set of all employment documents that need to be kept together".  In that case what this person likely means is for you to print out all that information, make a folder for it, and put everything in the folder.  Basically make one folder for each person's set of documents.
You should ask the person telling you this for clarification as either thing could be meant.
Comment: thank you, it's detailed illustrated in words i can understand.


Bump Map - 2.80

Question: I realize that Blender 2.80 is still in beta and that bump map painting stems way before this version, but I'm definitely having a difficult time finding any detailed tutorial on how to set it up. I want to do what this person is doing but he's doing it in an earlier version and doesn't explain the set up so that I can bump map paint. Any help with the appropriate steps would greatly be appreciated.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDN4Wwl6EOY&t=33s
Answer: Heres a tutorial I found. It's from 2013 but should work about the same now https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGRG2nXPmQY

Bump Map - 2.80


Format home video for wtv

Question: I've never done anything like this before, but I was wondering whether it is possible to take pre-recorded video, say in wmv format, and convert to wtv, place them in a Windows Media Center folder, and have it display in WMC when recorded TV is selected. My goal is to have friends record a birthday greeting for my roommate and have him see it when he tries to watch the evening news.
Answer: This is probably much too late for your project, but from my research into the WTV format, VideoReDo gives you the ability to edit and create WTV files.  I have not used the program itself as it does more than I need, but might suit your needs.
FYI - it is NOT free, but there is a free trial that might let you do it.

Format home video for wtv


Can I use the Arduino IDE to compile an Arduino sketch to run on the Pi?

Question: Given the popularity of the Arduino IDE and the wealth of existing Arduino sketches, can I use the Arduino IDE to write or compile sketches that will run on the Raspberry Pi?
Comment: Why would you want to do this? Sure, many Arduino sketches could be compiled to run on the Pi, but many more would not because of the differences in hardware.
Comment: The interesting thing is that, so far, we have found very few sketches that a actually don't work and in most cases, these highlight areas where the PiDuino library that provides an implementation of the Arduino library on the Pi hadn't gotten it right.  Obviously any sketches that assume that they are running on ATmel processors or try be super efficient by poking Arduino registers and memory won't work ... but these appear to be the exception rather than the rule.  Other than that, the premise can be that if one learns Arduino APIs ... why not use them?
Answer: Yes you can compile programs on the Arduino IDE on Windows or Linux and the resulting executables can run directly on the Raspberry Pi.  In order to achieve this there are a few steps to follow including installing the Arduino IDE, downloading a tool chain and, most importantly, installing the Github project found here:
https://github.com/me-no-dev/RasPiArduino
A tutorial video illustrating the installation steps can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZvhtfUlY8Y
A tutorial video illustrating how to publish directly to the Pi from the Arduino IDE can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sd5NLSKp1QU
See also:

Use Arduino code on raspberry pi?

Disclaimer: Please note that I am a contributor to this Github project.  If this post is believed to be considered "advertizing" we'll be glad to remove it.  It is felt though that since this is an Open Source project and no similar projects can be found and the topic of Arduino compilation for Pi "feels" relevant ... we honestly believe it to be appropriate.  However, if deemed not to be, we will remove this Q&A immediately upon request.
Comment: The point is not to prevent you from advertising your project here. The disclaimer is needed so that people know your opinion of the project may be biased, that's all.
Comment: If you are the developer me-no-dev or a contributor to the above mentioned project that should be clearly disclosed.
Comment: Thanks Steve .. have added a disclaimer/disclosure ... hopefully this is a useful Q&A in the Pi Community stack exchange but if not, we will be delighted to remove it immediately upon request.


What does an information architect do?

Question: Do they just create site navigations? Or do they have do to more? If so, what are the most important tasks an information architect has to do?
Answer: What Information Architecture is and what an Information Architect does/did are different.
Information Architecture is the creation of navigational and meta data structures that affect the end experience, as mentioned in the previous answer.
In reality an IA deals not only with information but also functionality. In my past role as an Information Architect I did all the tasks I now do under the title User Experience Architect or User Experience Designer.
In short an IA will do more than just create site structures. There are still IA tasks that a good UX person will handle and a knowledge of Information Architecture is vital unless you are a interaction/visual designer who is just working under the banner of UX. Any UX person working beyond microsites should, in my view, be a capable IA.
For example if you've no knowledge of faceted navigation, controlled vocabulary and  then it's worth reading up more on IA.
The recommended book on the subject is the classic 'polar bear' book. Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large-Scale Web Sites
Comment: I really appreciate the details and book recommendation. Thank you.
Answer: Information architects' tasks are:
Mandatory

create information categorization/classification
create site navigation

Optional, migrated from content-editor role

define content specification
assess current content
create new content and metadata

Frequently in a team there is not separate information architect's position, so this role is taken by UX designer.
Comment: "create new content" -- this was surprising.
Comment: For the mandatory tasks, I would use create and maintain instead of just create.
Comment: And instead of the wording "site navigation" I'd go for "navigational structure" or something as broad as that.
Comment: You've described what Information Architecture is - not what an Information Architect does - which is rarely the same thing. Before User Experience became popular Information Architects did the same role as UX architects / designers and often still do.
Comment: @StupendousMan We are not in ideal world, the roles are frequently mixed, so content matters could be assigned to one person.
Comment: @AlexeyKolchenko Certainly. Never thought of that though :)
Comment: @StewartDean Information Architect does Information Architecture, the question was not how did he do it ). I've listed IA's responsibility areas, the essence of his job.
Comment: "Information Architect does Information Architecture". So does a UX person. Typically an IA's responsibility extends outside of what you listed quite radically and does not include content creation.

What does an information architect do?


Is JavaScript wallet generator available at bitaddress.org relatively secure?

Question: I wonder if it's safe to use JavaScript generator available at bitaddress.org.
Even if I'll generate it offline, how can I know if the algorithm is not using any pre-computed / pre-planned way of generating the addresses?
Answer: It is good to consider the security of a system in which you are relying.
The HTML and Javascript served is not obfuscated so the code is easily verified.
While there have been no formal security audits, at least not that I'm aware of, there  are many people with strong skills in cryptography, programming, math and security that have looked at the code.
The method used to generate an address draws from other open source tools (e.g., Crypto-JS) as well as a subset of Bouncy Castle for the ECSDA ported to Javascript.  In other words, BitAddress isn't doing anything that hasn't already been implemented elsewhere, it just implements them in Javascript.
Comment: That said, unless you use a browser extension like blockchain's one, you are never really safe https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/my-wallet-verifier/kcapglakfcodkajgllmkiddclghogkic
Comment: Related .. how to verify the source is authentic: http://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/a/9115/153


How did the White Witch know how to pronounce the deplorable word?

Question: How did the White Witch know how to pronounce the deplorable word, anyway? No one could have spoken it to her, because that would invoke it...
Comment: She used to be hooked on phonics.
Answer: Just speaking the word isn't enough: there are ceremonies involved as well:

"That was the secret of secrets," said the Queen Jadis. "It had long been known to the great kings of our race that there was a word which, if spoken with the proper ceremonies, would destroy all living things except the one who spoke it.  But the ancient kings were weak and soft-hearted and bound themselves and all who should come after them with great oaths never even to seek after the knowledge of that word.  But I learned it in a secret place and paid a terrible price to learn it.

(From Magician's Nephew, chapter The Deplorable Word).
Even if just speaking it was enough, that doesn't preclude writing it (phonetically).
Answer: It would make sense that the White Witch learned how to pronounce the Deplorable Word by just saying it since, as quoted in "The Magician's Nephew," the word would only go into effect if pronounced with the proper ceremonies.
I'm just interested in learning what the actual word is. I mean, it's POSSIBLE that C.S. Lewis DID come up with a unique word to represent the Deplorable Word....This word just boggles my mind. It's so deep to think of such a word that could destroy all life in moments! If Lewis did indeed come up with the Deplorable Word as he was writing the book, it would be incredible to learn not only what the word IS, but how to USE it with the proper ceremonies. (not that I actually WANT to destroy every living thing on Earth, though :3)
Comment: Hi, welcome to SF&F.  I'm afraid this isn't a great answer, since it spends far too much time on thoughts unrelated to the answer.  If you could provide a quote to back up your first sentence and left it at that it would be a good answer.  Please read [answer] for more help.  The rest of your post you could maybe turn into a question if anyone knows the deplorable word.


Why didn't Eddard send Theon home before riding South with Robert?

Question: Theon has been Lord Stark's ward since the Greyjoy Rebellion. He has now come of age and Balon has behaved himself so it would have made sense for Eddard to send him home, or at least ask Robert to clarify his position. There seems little point in making him stay at Winterfell.
Comment: I would assume it is because having ones only and eldest son is one hell of a bargaining chip. And as it was related to the politics, Robert would need to be the one to give permission for it. Add to that that at the start of the story, Theon is 15. (I am unsure when Eddard considers people 'of age')
Comment: He expects Robb (also 15) to function as the Stark in Winterfell so informally I think Theon must be considered to have come of age.
Comment: Actually Theon is 19 so most definitely come of age.
Answer: Theon wasn't being kept as a reward for Balon if he behaved well, Theon was a hostage to be used against Balon if he misbehaved.
With that in mind, consider what was happening at the time. The King's Hand has just died, and Eddard receives hints that it may not have been natural. Robert has come to visit Eddard and ask for his help. This is a time of stress for the kingdom. Why would Eddard or Robert even consider removing what they consider to be powerful leverage against dangerous neighbors?
Comment: Holding Theon is his duty and honor to protect his kingdom. There was no agreement I know of to hand Theon back when he was a man - indeed, if this [wiki](http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Theon_Greyjoy) is correct he already is at the start of GoT. (I don't have the books here now to confirm Theon was ten when he was taken.)
Comment: Eddard doesn't deal in political realities but in duty and honour. He took Theon as his ward at Robert's request and now the boy is on the verge of manhood. He can't keep him as a ward any longer. He would have surely raised the matter with Robert who would have probably told him to bring Theon with them, or send him home.


Can I develop iPhone apps in Windows?

Question: I would like to develop iPhone apps without using Mac OS X.
Is it possible to do this on Windows OS?
Comment: What do I do when I just want to run an .ipa file in windows?
Answer: Nope, you have to use a Mac. All the tools are on the Mac, as is the simulator program you'll need to test in.
Even if you could somehow finagle the whole thing running in Windows you still need a Mac to submit to Apple to get it on the App Store.
Cheapest scenario you're looking $699 for a Mac Mini and $99 for the iOS Developer Program (which you won't need until you want to run the thing on a real phone). You can go cheaper on the hardware if you buy it used but something to keep in mind is that it must be an Intel-based Mac running Leopard (10.5) or higher.
Answer: While you can't develop iOS apps on Windows using full-on Xcode, Objective C, and Cocoa Touch, there are some Windows alternatives that will allow you to develop apps. You lose the flexibility and power of the full programming environment and language, but it's no longer impossible.
Here's an article that lists a number of current options. It's not the route I'd go (nor the route I chose), but it's no longer impossible.
Comment: ... but you still need a real Mac to submit the app to Apple ...
Comment: @torbengb Indeed, though you could technically have a friend -- or a publisher of some kind -- do the final build for submission.
Answer: Not supported and borderline with piracy but if you dig on Internet you can find how to create a virtual machine with VMware that run OS X. I do not post the link here but using Google is quite easy to find a really well made tutorial about how to proceed with detailed instructions.
I did it before purchasing a MacBook Pro to test how a Web Application I have work on a Mac and so I also used it to install Xcode, if you have a powerful Windows machine the performance are not so bad, but it's useful just for testing and seeing how the different iPhone developer tools works, if you want to develop something business related your only real option is to purchase a Mac.
Regards
Massimo
Comment: Off-topic: Actually using hackintosh exactly for this made me ultimately buy a MacBook, so I think it's not so bad and it's probably taking people off of Windows and into Mac as I did.
Comment: Exactly my experience!!! Used Mac OSX inside a VM for a couple of months of occasional use and got totally addicted, purchased a MacBook Pro as soon it was possible for my finances.
Answer: No it is not possible for full development and submission unless you want to run OS X in a VM on your PC.
You can develop, to an extent, on other platforms, but as far as I know you need a Mac to submit.
Answer: Depending on what you want to do, you can develop web apps that look pretty much the same as an actual application, start from the home screen and even hide the navigation and URL bars. Take a look at Glyphboard, for an example.
Native apps require Mac OS X, as far as I know.
Answer: Yes, you can. Check out this website called macincloud.com. Most people are trying to install Mac OS to PC hardware, sometimes it works, the drawback for that is newer mac updates often break the installation. macincloud.com actually allows you to rent a mac and access the Mac remotely. Therefore you always have the latest Mac OS and it is a good way to start developing iphone apps right away since you are actually using a native Mac system. Hope that helps.

Can I develop iPhone apps in Windows?


Ideas for a C/C++ library

Question: I thought one of the best ways to familiarise myself with C/C++, is to make a helpful library. I was maybe thinking like a geometry library, like to calculate areas, surface area, etc. It would be useful in game programming. Or maybe an algebra library, like for different formulas like the distance formula, quadratic formula, etc. Or maybe like a standard library for very simple functions, like calculating the number of items in an array.
Comment: I have a hammer, where can I find a nail? ;)
Answer: If it is for the sake of an exercise, writing a library to deal with fractions is a good one.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fraction_(mathematics)
Implement the basic operations and a way to print them.
Answer: Find a problem that you need to solve. Look around to see if a library exists already. If not, then solve it in a way that others can benefit and put the library up on something like github.
But please be prepared to support it if you want to really see it being used - nothing worse than a open source project that isn't well supported.
Answer: I'd encourage you to try and come up with an application that would make use of the library. A game, a business app, whatever. Maybe even come up with an application idea first then determine what libraries you would need that aren't readily available.
That way you know you'll be creating something of practical value and not just undertaking a purely intellectual exercise. Try and avoid just plucking a library idea out of the air as you'll inevitably reimplement something that already exists. That's fine for you to learn but it would be awesome if you could create something others could benefit from in the process :)
Also, your application will provide a ready made test for your library.
Answer: Much of what you're listing has been done and can be found in Boost and or GSL. If learning is your goal, how about write a Qt application that uses some of these math functions?
Answer: Creating 'toy' level libraries doesn't help much on learning C++. I'd suggest you look at the libstdc++ bugs, try to understand and help fixing some ones.

Ideas for a C/C++ library


My espresso shot is extracting too quick, what am I doing wrong?

Question: If my espresso shot appears to be extracting too quickly, what factors could be causing this?  What should I change to try to get a better result?
Comment: What type of grinder are you using? What espresso machine?  Is this at home or in a commercial setting?
Comment: Its a good clarification question, but this is a transferred sample question from the Area 51 Coffee proposal, so fortunately I have no details to provide.
Answer: Without more details, it's hard to pinpoint, but here's a few suggestions:
Start by checking the setting on your grinder.  You may not have it set fine enough for espresso. NOTE: if the coffee is really stale, as in many months old, the shot will start blonding early.
How much are you dosing?  If it's too low you can get channeling and fast extraction (we tend to use 17-21 g depending on the beans).  Also take into account the size of the portafilter basket.  For example, if you try to put 17 grams of coffee into a triple basket, you will never get a good pour. I would suggest trying 18 g in a double basket and see if you notice an improvement.  You should shoot for roughly a 25 second extraction.
Double check how you are distributing the coffee in the portafilter.  If you are tamping unevenly, the grinds will be more likely to cause channeling with an uneven shot (check out the WDT method to help ensure proper distribution).
Otherwise, make sure you're fully engaging the portafilter into the grouphead and it is not loose when pulling the shot.
Comment: Also make sure that you are tamping with enough pressure. David Schomer and many coffee professionals recommend about 30 lbs of pressure.
Answer: This can be due to a few factors:

Grind: the more coarse the grind the faster the water will flow through.
Compaction: if you are not compacting the grounds sufficiently, the faster the water will flow through.

The "formula" tends to be:
~20g coffee grounds + 24-27 sec of water == ~30mL (~30g) of coffee.


how to install a certificate in WP10

Question: How I install a certificate on WP10. Before in WP8.1 I could email it to myself and execute it. Now Outlook says it cannot run as isa risky file.
Marcin
Answer: I was able to do this by hooking it to my computer by usb. I transferred the files to my documents folder. Then I used a program called "files" that I got from the app store. I used the files program to navigate to the cer file. Then it opened and installed. Now I can use self signed certs from my company domain.
Answer: Lots of ways to do this.

Zip the cert and email it to yourself, open the zip, and tap on the cert in the zip viewer app.
Transfer the cert file using USB, and then use a file browser app to open it on the phone.
Send the cert file to your phone using Bluetooth (pretty easy if the phone is synched to your PC via Bluetooth; right-click in Explorer and select Send To -> Bluetooth device).
Send the file to OneDrive and open it using the app on your phone.
Send the file over some other app (Messenger, maybe Skype, etc.) that doesn't have Outlook's (mildly absurd) restriction on such files.
If the file is hosted online anywhere, open it in the phone's web browser. This works even if you have to tell the browser to ignore an untrusted certificate just to load the page where the cert is hosted.
If this cert is for a business, your IT people may be able to push the certificate to your phone if the phone is enrolled for mobile device management (business account set up on the phone).

Hope that helps!

how to install a certificate in WP10


How can I differentiate between the different Emacs packages on Ubuntu?

Question: What is the difference between each of the following.

emacs22
emacs22-nox
emacs-snapshot
emacs-snapshot-nox
emacs21
emacs21-nox
emacs22-gtk
Answer: Emacs snapshot is the CVS version of Emacs.  GTK is compiled with GTK support. NOX means compiled without X support.  vNN are the version numbers.
Note the latest stable release of GNU Emacs is 23.1.  emacs-snapshot is the closest to this.
Answer: The number denotes which version of emacs - so v22, v21, etc.
NOX denotes that the release doesn't have X Window Support (I would imagine that it would thusly be CLI only).
Snapshot .. not sure, but it probably is a snapshot in between revisions of the software.
GTK is a library for building GUI's - this is a gui release of emacs.


Share Cart and checkout pages on multi websites in Magento

Question: I have three sites like dom1.com and dom2.com and dom3.com.I want to share there cart and checkout pages like if someone buy products from dom1 and then come to site2 so on cart page his first site products are also visible on cart page.So he can place order on any site.As this possible in magento ? My Products will be different on each site so i can't code custom for that.I have searched and found code for separate carts
Comment: You can give [this a try](http://marius-strajeru.blogspot.ro/2013/01/share-cart-between-websites.html). It worked for me some time ago on EE 1.12 but I'm not sure I covered all the possible cases.
Comment: @Marius Great thanks it works.I created module and test it on 1.9 for different sites and stores and it worked.
Answer: Based on the comments....
Magento already shares the cart between store views under the same website.
The idea is to create an extension that changes the method that checks which store views are allowed to share the cart (Mage_Sales_Model_Quote::getSharedStoreIds) and make it return all the available store views.
Also, the reference to the quote id, is kept in the session with a reference to the current website. This is done in the method Mage_Checkout_Model_Session::_getQuoteIdKey. This also needs to be changed in order to return the same value for all websites.
I described in this article what worked for me on ee 1.12. It might work on other versions also.
Answer: yes you can do it with magento.
here is very useful article
Please refere point 3 in detail
you just need to change
the Mage_Checkout_Model_Session class. Copy this file: app/code/core/Mage/Checkout/Model/Session.php to: app/code/local/Mage/Checkout/Model/Session.php.
hope this will work for you.
Comment: Thanks for your replay.I created multi sites using this link `http://inchoo.net/magento/how-to-set-multiple-websites-with-multiple-store-views-in-magento/`.I tried your mentioned way but it didn't worked.I have two sites with different stores and store views.


How can I describe cold work and atomic structure?

Question: A copper wire (42 cm x 0.25 cm diameter) twisted to failure did not change its dimensions significantly. How can I visualize or quantify the cold work done (tensile at the exterior, compressive in the interior)? Does it still have a regular crystalline structure, or is it just a bunch of dislocations held together by copper atom chains?
Comment: Sounds like a Baushinger affect test. Get a degree in metallurgy to understand.
Answer: The stress state of the wire under torsion is neither tensile nor compressive, but pure shear. The shear strain is zero along the axis of twist, i.e. the central axis of the wire, and increases as you move radially away from this axis. Specifically, the shear strain at a point is given by the distance between the point and the axis of twist, multiplied by the twist per unit length of wire.
You're correct in that the number of dislocations increases as you cold-work the material. However, by definition, you need a crystal to have dislocations, so it's incorrect to assume that the material no longer has a crystalline structure. During work-hardening (i.e. plastic deformation), dislocations are created at a density on the order of the twist per unit length divided by the Burgers vector of a dislocation.
For more information, refer to section 2 of Fleck, N. A., Muller, G. M., Ashby, M. F., & Hutchinson, J. W. (1994). Strain gradient plasticity: Theory and experiment. Acta Metallurgica et Materialia, 42(2), 475–487. doi:10.1016/0956-7151(94)90502-9.
Answer: The deformation of the copper wire was extreme: 89% elongation calculated for the outer fiber from the number of turns to fracture. The diameter did not change, but some length increase occurred (~2%). It was brittle, and snapped when bent a little. I don't think it had lots of dislocations in a primarily crystalline structure; I think it had random packing to some extent, on the outside, anyway.
Copper has FCC structure (first photo, 6 x 6 x 6 atoms, from WebElements). The second photo is a random-packed 11 x 11 x 11 cluster. FCC and HCC structures have the densest possible packing of spheres: 74%; irregular packing generally comes in at about 64%. Jammed sphere packing from a diluted or tunneled FCC crystal can be as light as 49.365% packed, with over 50% of void volume (third picture). https://arxiv.org/pdf/0707.4263.pdf.

Irregular packing is reminiscent of liquid or amorphous (glassy) metals, and might be a fair description of the wire at its surface, but probably not so at the center, on the axis of twist.
Thank you @Chris and @blacksmith37! Now I have a better idea of what I was looking for by building on your answers.
So now a more refined question is, what would be a good way to describe and quantify the packing from the axis to the surface of the wire? Measuring density would give only an average. Or how could we measure the change in crystallinity across the diameter of such a wire? Is there an easy way to polish and etch (at an amateur level) across the diameter?


Doing PhD with a 'star' professor

Question: I have recently been admitted to a few PhD programs, and have to decide where to attend. One of them has a massively famous professor (over 50k citations, 'Reuters Highly Cited Researcher'). Other potential supervisors at other institutions are still quite famous (~15k citations). Could anyone share some potential differences in my experiences if I work with someone who is that famous, or not? The group sizes/number of current students are all comparable.
Comment: It's a better idea to prioritize other aspects. For instance, how well do you get along with the person? How is he/she as an advisor, despite his/her status or citation counts?
Comment: Fame is irrelevant. Are you interested in the topic that the prof offers? Would he be able to help you develop? Do you get along with them? Only then, as low-priority target, you ask, do they have a good standing in the community which may help creating contacts in the future? And note, they may be famous because they are great self-promoters, not necessarily promoters of their grad students. Counting citations does not tell you *anything* about this. You are worried about the wrong things.
Comment: @mm, I have indeed thought about different aspects including the ones you mentioned, but I have no insight about how the professor's fame would affect my experience, and while not the most major issue for sure, it is something I would like to know more about.
Comment: I always prioritize only one aspect: the subject. Is it interesting to you? Is it exciting to you? If it is, chances are you will succeed. If it's not, even a star professor would not help.
Answer: I knew somebody who started a PhD with a super-rockstar in Computer Science. He told me he met with his advisor thrice in a year or so, once (a short meeting) when defining the thesis topic, once crossed him in a hallway, and came across him at a conference. It turns out the rockstar was on the road almost 24/7. He changed to a not-so-famous advisor, and was much happier.
Comment: On the other hand, there are some very famous professors who don't travel much at all.
Comment: This has been a similar experience in my own doctoral career.
Comment: MY GF is having a similar experience.  She gets a lot more detailed help from the non-rockstars on her committee.
Answer: Agreed with vonbrand's answer, but I would like to add one thing.  If the rockstar professor is nearing retirement, he could actually have a great deal of free time to supervise you.
I took a topics course with a "massively famous professor"; there were only two of us in his course.  After classes every week, he invited us into his office for casual conversations about his life in grad school and in academia - and what were the biggest surprises in mathematics during his younger days.  We learned that he hadn't taken on a student in many years.  My classmate convinced him to advise him on his thesis.  The problem given to my classmate is an especially tough one, it seems, but he is thrilled to be working with this famous, yet gracious, professor.
OTOH, if the professor that you are thinking of is still highly active in research, he will likely be on the road often -- he may not even attend many of the classes that he is assigned to teach for the semester.  I've also experienced this, too.
Good luck with your decision.
Comment: *he could actually have a great deal of free time to supervise you* — or not.  If this is the situation, @user51024 should really talk to recent or current PhD students to find out how the supervision is in practice.
Answer: I recommend you perform the following experiment.  Choose several established people in your field whom you admire.   Look up who their advisors were.  See whether or not they were, themselves, ``famous''.  Draw your own conclusions.
Answer: As indicated in a couple comments, using citation counts (solely) to judge what kind of advisor someone is a bad idea.  First, citation count isn't an accurate representation of how good a research is for many reasons, one of which is citation counts vary greatly within subfields.  Another is that they change over time and comparing citation counts of younger versus older researchers is unfair.  What would be better is to visit the groups and get a feel for them if possible, and find out where the advisor's former students ended up.
However, here are some possible things to consider with rock star versus cover band advisors:

A famous advisor is likely to have a stronger group, particularly if they are at a more prestigious institution.  This can benefit you in many ways (learn more, explore better ideas, stronger collaborators).  Cf: University rank/stature - How much does it affect one's career post-Ph.D?
An eminent researcher may have a more refined/greater perspective on the field, which you can absorb by osmosis.
An eminent researcher may have better connections, providing more opportunities and "advertisement" for you.  This includes benefiting from the chance to meet many established researchers coming to see your advisor.
An eminent advisor may give you better problems/give you better tools to solve problems.
A rock star advisor may not have much time for you, and may not even remember your name.  Therefore, you may be expected to be more independent (but this expectation is not limited to rock stars).
Comment: You forgot another problem with citation counts: they include self-citations. This is then easily manipulated.

Doing PhD with a 'star' professor


Reporting Shapiro-Wilk and Levene's test results

Question: In light of questions such as this: Interpretation of Shapiro-Wilk test and others. I was wondering if it is better to state that "data were (formally) tested for violation of normality (p < x) and equal variance assumptions (p < x)" instead of stating that "data were tested for normality and homogeneity of variance"? Or is this not what these tests do?
Answer: I think it's fine to say "data were tested for normality and homogeneity of variance" if that's what you did; it will be understood.
While it's important that people understand that you cannot confirm that you have either normality or equality of variance, making sure they know this is not the purpose of what you're doing - you're not teaching people statistics and you're not responsible for making sure they understand that hypothesis tests can't confirm that the distributions that the data were drawn from are normal or have the same variance.

should not have included it in the question. I have been asked to include a test (such as Shapiro-Wilk) instead of using QQ-plots, but my sample size is relatively small.

In the same situation if I could not convince the editor of the pointlessness of the test, I would probably be inclined to do one and report it at face value but I would not be able to resist adding a sentence pointing out how pointless it is to do so with a small sample (or indeed, with a large one, for the converse reason).
Comment: I would agree with this from Glen_b and would add (to the OP) that you've not made a case for using the word _formally_ or even said what you mean by it. It sounds like a cop-out as in "I know this is a rigmarole, but I've gone through the motions". If you think a test is defensible, you need not be so evasive. If you think a test is superfluous or ridiculous, don't use it. Admittedly, these are counsels of perfection, as most of us face gatekeepers who insist on certain actions and wording that they prefer.
Comment: @Nick Cox Yes this is exactly what 'formally' meant in this case. I am sorry, I should not have included it in the question. I have been asked to include a test (such as Shapiro-Wilk) instead of using QQ-plots, but my sample size is relatively small.
Comment: @Moritz I've added a comment to my answer on that issue


The Kokyuu! (Holding down strings on bowed instruments)

Question: I'm trying to learn a Japanese instrument called the Kokyuu (here, on the right), but I'm not sure if I should press the strings all the way against the neck, I was wondering if someone could help me think this one out? I can't tell what characteristic the notes in the linked video have, but I do know that I can make notes just by touching the string at a certain position- but I believe that creates overtones which might not be part of the traditional playing style. I was wondering if anyone could provide insight as to whether or not it would make sense to press the string all the way down, and also whether or not the linked video looks/sounds like the player is pressing the strings all the way down.
Comment: My guess is that she is pressing the string down- especially since she does vibrato sometimes. On guitar (or most string instruments) you usually hold the string down but you can also play harmonics but just touching the string in the right places and plucking/bowing (these are probably the overtones you are getting).
Comment: Take a lesson from someone who knows how to play the instrument.  You won't regret it.
Comment: @CarlWitthoft I would, I don't exactly know where to find Kokyuu players though. I think they're kind of rare, escpecially outside of Japan.
Comment: As with other stringed instruments, you can generate "natural harmonics" by gently placing your finger at the appropriate places.
Answer: I did some research on this and found some very strong indicators that the string is indeed pressed against the fingerboard.
The most convincing point is offered in this book on composing for japanese instruments. The chapter on the Kokyu starts at p.112 and likens many techniqual aspects of playing to the Shamisen, where the strings do indeed touch the fingerboard.
p.121 even has a paragraph on the technique of 'kokiotoshi', that goes a bit more into left hand technique and includes strong hints that the strings are indeed pressed down against the fingerboard.


Why doesn't Ash use his old Pokemon?

Question: Why doesn't Ash uses any of the Pokemon he caught in previous regions, apart from Pikachu? We only seem him use Charizard in Best Wishes and a few examples in Diamond & Pearl (only so far though because XY&Z haven't finished). I get how he wants to start fresh with each new region and use new Pokemon to beat the league (to make it more adventurous), but is there a specific reason for why he doesn't use them?
Comment: Because they need to introduce more pokemon to the series. If they keep showing the same pokemon, new pokemon would have less time to shine. Gotta catch 'em all.
Comment: @AyaseEri but new pokemons get the whole entire series/season(not quite familiar with how western countries do it) and they can maybe drop in a few of his old ones while battling the league which isn't taking up that much time, only a few episodes out of the one hundred to two hundred episodes per series
Comment: maybe laziness? if the games are anything to go by you have to go to a Pokemon Center, access the PC, access Bill's PC, put away one of your pokemon, go through the list of Pokemon in one box and realize you on the wrong one, change boxes and scan though that and repeat until you find the pokemon and go though the prompts to withdraw it.
Comment: It's a rather simple marketing thing IMHO. I think that Ayase is correct. Yes it wouldn't be "hard" to have a throwback battle or two but the main point of the show is to supplement the game and give a more common view of all the new pokemon and attributes that players can take into play. So having throwbacks would be kind of against that. But I agree it would be very VERY cool. Imagine a battle royale with Charizard and every other fire dragon. It'd be phenomenal.
Comment: He used few more pokemon again, Snorlax , Taurus etc.
Comment: Isn't it strange, in every part at end he is shown as strongest traini
Comment: Another annoying part for example in xy theres some old pokemon he has caught before but he acts like he has amnesia and doesnt know or talk about his old pokemon
Comment: Isn't it strange, in every part at end he is shown as strongest trainer. But in every newer he seems to be a newbie, again with all his lacking as in all previous parts. He becomes very weak and showns as had no mental growth earlier. Also, his age, isn't it a con in every manga. So, such questions like why he doesn't use are rather simple that because after every part at end he becomes so powerful that writing further becomes tough for writer. So, he write as a freshman, so , he can write further and earn money.
Answer: From S05E275 ("Gotta Catch Ya Later!", second to last episode of Master Quest)

Ash: Professor! I've decided to start a new journey too, and only take Pikachu with me. I want it to be just like the first time I left Pallet Town."
Pikachu: Pikan~~
...
Tracy: And you can count on me to take care of your Pokemon for you!
Ash: Really? Thanks a lot, Tracy.

Ash wants to experience the thrill of discovering the wonderful world of Pokemon all over again- a feeling he knows he won't experience if he only relies on his old Pokemon.
He remembers how much he loved the experience of being introduced to a whole new realm, and how he had to work at leveling his Pokemon and growing with them to be able to eventually win the Orange League Championship.
He decides to leave his Pokemon so he is forced to level native Pokemon, knowing he will grow as a person during this process.
He leaves his Pokemon at Professor Oak's Laboratory because he knows they'll be well taken care of.
Throughout the Pokemon series, Ash only ever brings Pikachu with him to each new region, as Pikachu is his best friend and they are inseparable. The are two execptions to this rule: the Johto region, due to behind-the-scenes expectations (Pokemon was originally only going to have Gen I and Gen II), and Diamond & Pearl, where Aipom sneaked aboard the boat Ash took to the Sinnoh region.
Answer: From producers point of view, Ash using new Pokémon  means that those  Pokemon got time to shine. Sure they can have Ash use his old pokemon, but there are 2 problem with this. First is there will be less time for new pokemon to show their skills which translates to less time for them to attract people to buy their merchandise. Second is that if the old pokemon lose to the new pokemon, old fans would get upset.This was the case with Kamen Rider tokusatsu series where fans of Kamen Rider Kabuto would get upset at Kamen Rider Decade (the character and the series) due to Kabuto losing to Decade.
From Ash's point of view, he collects the pokemon. In battle there is always the risk of his pokemon getting injured or worse killed. Sure he can just go back to the previous area to catch it again. But this will cost money and time. Using new pokemon that live in the region he is in means that supposed that the pokemon got killed in combat he can capture another with less time and money spent.
Comment: thanks for answering but with the buying the merchandise problem, all they had to do was do something special with the new pokemon. a great example is greninja, it is voted the number 1 pokemon in Japan due to Ash-Greninja so that problem's solved. and i see where you're coming from with Ash's point of view but Ash isn't that kind of person, he doesn't collect pokemon, he want to meet them. he only catches the pokemon that are willing to go with him (with some exceptions). from our point of view and a player of the games' point of view but personally as a Fan of Ash, i can't agree with you.
Comment: I think there is a slight problem with this answer, but I will need to check with another question.

Why doesn't Ash use his old Pokemon?


How to consider gravity for the state space modeling

Question: I'm trying to find the state-space model of the following ball-in-tube system.
I designed the SISO system, with the h(ball height), w(angular velocity of propeller), and I(current) as the system states. I tried to find out the stat-space model by using the state-space model of DC-motor and dh/dt = Kw - v0 (experimentally obtained, where K is constant, v0 is an intercept).
The question is how I can deal with v0 to obtain the state-space model form of dx/dt = Ax+Bu, y = Cx +Du.
Comment: The motion equation $\dot{h}=K \cdot w-v_0$ has no physical meaning, at least for working points close to $w=0$. We know that for $w=0$ the ball shall fall subject to gravity (and possibly viscous friction), therefore its velocity cannot be constant and equal to $-v_0$. You should rethink your experiment.
Comment: Start off with the physical description of the motion of the ball: $m \cdot \ddot{h} = T - mg$ (neglecting the viscous friction), where $T$ is the thrust generated by the propeller. $T$ is somehow linked to $w$, which in turn is determined by the DC motor input voltage $u$ according to the transfer function $w/u = A / (\tau \cdot s +1)$.
Comment: Can you state the actual equations?
Answer: As Ugo Pattacini said, the experiment must be rethought taking into account the dynamics of the ball. In this case, your system will have 4 states: current $j$, angular velocity $\omega$, ball height $h$, and ball speed $s=\dot{h}$.
As pointed out, the dynamics of $s$, neglecting viscous friction and other aerodynamic effects, can be modeled as $\dot{s}={T\over m}-{g\over m}$. The last term (gravity) can be seen as a disturbance $\delta=[0\;0\;0\;{g\over m}]^T$ in your system that you can reject using your control loop.
You can rewrite your state-space model using $$\dot{x}=Ax+Bu+\delta.$$
You can estimate the thrust $T$ running an experiment where the ball gets balanced at multiple heights.
Answer: Make gravity a state that doesn't change, like:
$$
\left[
\begin{matrix}
\dot{x}\\
0
\end{matrix}\right] = \left[\begin{matrix}
A & 0 \\
0 & 0
\end{matrix}\right]\left[\begin{matrix}
x \\
g
\end{matrix}\right] + \left[\begin{matrix}
B \\
0
\end{matrix}\right]u
$$
Then gravity is a state and you can include it with whatever coefficients you need. You of course won't be able to control the system, because there is no path back to manipulate the gravity state, but you can go for the lesser "stabilizable" system and control the states that actually matter.
Comment: Gravity is perfectly known so state augmentation is not a good option here, I think. Also, the state-space model above looks kind of weird to me: the first raw of the dynamic matrix cannot be [A 0] otherwise $g$ won't have any effect on $\dot{x}$. It should be rather something like [A b], but then b is right what the OP is asking for.


Entropy test for AES Key Schedule

Question: According to the article "Lest We Remember: Cold Boot Attacks on Encryption Keys" there is a quick and dirty entropy test that can help to find possible AES Key Schedules in memory dumps. Although there are references to this algorithm in blogs of other famouse cryptographers (for example, this post), I haven't been able to find any explanation why it works and why this algorithm is correct. Is there anybody who can provide me with a proof of correctness of this entropy test or can just explain me why it actually works?
Comment: For a very graphic illustration of a cold boot attack, see [there](https://www1.informatik.uni-erlangen.de/frost)
Answer: The way you worded the question is misleading, as the entropy test is performed AFTER they have extracted an AES key from memory. The test is used to confirm whether it is a likely encryption key or an AES key used for benchmarking or algorithm verification.
The actual procedure involves cycling through the entire memory space, and examining each block of memory that could be the size of a computed key schedule, which may look daunting, but is actually quite fast, due to the simplicity of the key schedule. They cycle through the memory space in word increments and compute the first iteration of the key schedule. If it matches the next words in memory, the entire key schedule is performed and compared. This is about 134 million iterations in total on a 4GB memory space, which only takes a few minutes; it is especially if the testing system has AESNI instructions on multiple cores, the search may only take seconds. The full key schedule is 10 iterations for a 128-bit key.
Update: It looks like they used an automated entropy test to eliminate memory blocks before the final (manual) entropy analysis of the key. This is done by cycling through memory blocks and counting duplicates. If any one byte value comprises 5% or more of the block, it is flagged as non-key. The block search size is 11 round keys or 176 bytes. This is faster than computing the key schedule in their code, but slower if you have code with AESNI instructions (3rd party code to perform the same search).
The only time this becomes slow is when there is memory corruption, such as in a cold boot attack. In that case, the missing bits need to be extrapolated, and a slower algorithm needs to be used to find candidate keys.
The key schedule only performs 4 operations on the master key, and these can be computed forward and reverse at almost any point in the key schedule. Additionally, 3 of the operations are not done on every word of the key. If memory corruption is present, a 4 word block is selected, and the key schedule is computed in both directions (128-bit key). If there are word matches in either direction, that area will be flagged for reconstruction of the entire key space.
Once AES keys are identified, an entropy analysis is performed to determine if it is a likely key for the application using AES. Then the various combinations of found keys are used with the application until a successful decryption is performed.
Comment: `The way you worded the question is misleading, as the entropy test is performed AFTER they have extracted an AES key from memory.` I don't think so. Take a look at the function "find_keys" in aeskeyfind. At first they run this simple entropy test. As for the other part of the answer - you are quite right. They use this test not to find but to reject possible false positives. Thank you!
Comment: The code I have seen to do the same thing was more recent, and skipped that part of the search (it was not from the authors of the paper). I have updated my answer with how their entropy test eliminates memory blocks

Entropy test for AES Key Schedule


HVAC one unit Residential system dual zone forced air

Question: Have a Residential system.  One unit,  dual zone forced air HVAC. 2 thermostats.  Is this type of unit designed to run the heat downstairs, while running the AC upstairs at the same time?  The house/unit is 2 yrs old. We have had multiple issues with the system from inside and outside fans running nonstop. AC not wanting to come on upstairs, Fan downstairs will run continuosly but doesn't keep up to the temp of 71 that it is set for, Vice versa with the AC upstairs.
Comment: There is no such thing as a dual zone system with a single air handler that can do heat in one zone and AC in another. Have you had someone out to look at your system? What do they say?
Comment: Maybe I'm describing system incorrectly.  1 unit outside, 1 air handler in attic, 1 Thermostat 1st floor, 1 thermostat 2nd floor.  We have had 3 different AC companies here.  The one company is coming out for the 3rd time.  They were originally called out for a loud thumping vibration noise when the system came on.  Then all the other issues started happening.  They aren't sure what the issue is.  He has ordered a fan motor.   If I'm understanding u correctly, it cant work that way.
Comment: Based on the details you just mentioned I think @longneck is correct. Hope you get some good info on it!
Answer: No, that won't work
Residential single-air-handler zoning systems like yours are effectively small variable air volume (VAV) systems without any reheat functionality -- the air handler delivers a single temperature of air, while zone splitting is accomplished by using a damper to modulate airflow to the zone.  Larger commercial systems have a heater in each zone that can turn on to allow for larger temperature splits between zones, but this is a bit of a waste of energy and also requires more control hardware, so it's not done in residential zoning systems.


Strange creatures that bite you and never let go

Question: I read a short story years ago and don't remember what it was called. It was about a man in a desert who had heard about strange creatures that were likely to come after you and if they bit you their teeth would never let go - I think they looked like papery old skin ... inevitably the story ended with the man seeing them approaching and presumably meeting a nasty end.
Does anyone know the title or the author please ?
Comment: Do you remember approximately when you read that story? Was it in a collection, do you remember what other stories were in that collection? Were the creatures fantasy creatures or did they turn out to be a real animal? Was this more of a horror story, or about a fantasy world, or a space colony?
Comment: It sounds like a Snipe hunt, gone terribly terribly wrong.
Answer: Sounds like it could be Anthony Boucher's "They Bite," a wonderfully creepy little story. Here's a taste:

You see," the young man began, "the desert's so big you can't be alone in it. Ever notice that? It's all empty and there's nothing in sight but, there's always something moving over there where you can't quite see it. It's something very dry and thin and brown, only when you look around it isn't there. Ever see it?"

"They Bite" was first published in 1943. The ISFDB shows that it's been reprinted many times. You can read the complete story at archive.org,
Comment: That's brilliant. I am sure that is the story - I'll check it out. Thank you so much.
Comment: Yes it is "They bite" - a fantastic story. I read it as a teenager and was bound up in discovering Manly Wade Wellman and all sorts of sci fi writers - I just couldn't remember anything other than that I was impressed by the story. Thank s for enabling me to rediscover it !
Comment: @missjif: If you return, don't forget to click on the checkmark by the voting buttons to accept.


What penalty should the Dummy receive for telegraphing to his partner after play has started?

Question: What penalty should the Dummy receive for touching cards or moving cards forward?
After play started, when his partner led to the diamonds, Dummy arranged them again in my mind to make sure she knew there were 7 cards. I have also had the Dummy push forward a winning card in a ebu competition. I welcome your answer.
Answer: According to the Laws of Duplicate Bridge (2008), the specific Rights and Limitations of Dummy are listed as Laws 42 and 43. Notable limitations in this context are:

Law 43
DUMMY'S LIMITATIONS
  Except as Law 42 allows:
  A. Limitations on Dummy     ...
     1. (c) Dummy may not participate in the play, nor may he communicate anything about the play to declarer.
  ...
   2. (c) Dummy may  not, on his own initiative, look at the face of a card in either defender's hand.
B. If a Violation Occurs
  1. Dummy is liable to penalty under Law 90 for any violation of the limitation listed in A 1 and A2 above.
  ...
LAW 90
PROCEDURAL PENALTIES
  A. Director's Authority
  The Director, in addition to implementing the rectifications in these laws, may also assess procedural penalties for any offense that unduly delays or obstructs the game, inconveniences other contestants, violates correct procedure, or requires the award of an adjusted score at another table.

Additionally Law 45 F states:

F. Dummy Indicates Card
  After dummy's hand is faced, dummy may not
  touch or indicate any card except for purposes of arrangement, without
  instruction from declarer. If he does so, the Director should be
  summoned forthwith and informed of the action. Play continues. At the
  end of play the Director shall award an adjusted score if he considers
  the dummy suggested a play to declarer and the defenders were damaged
  by the play suggested.

In a duplicate game, if a dummy at my table touched any ,in any manner other than to play a card indicated by declarer by name or to mark tricks in the prescribed fashion, I would immediately call Director for protection. I want the action to stop and to not be resumed, and the appropriate way to do that is to call Director.
As described by you, both instances of dummy's behaviour are in my opinion clearly in violation of Law 43 A 2 (c). As A Director, I would award an adjusted score (under Law 45 F) if there was the reasonable possibility that damage occurred by any play that might have been suggested by dummy's action. I would then give a stern warning to both members of the offending partnership, and (except for novices), assess an additional half board penalty (under Law 90 A) to the offending player. A repeat occurrence by either member of that partnership in that game would get the offending player an additional full board penalty (again under Law 90 A).
Comment: The explicit wording "except for purposes of arrangement" appears to render your proposed penalty in the first case unfair if not illegal; the motive *may* have been improper, but no director can assume so.
Comment: @TimLymington: In tournaments, "except for purposes of arrangement" is only available by requesting, and receiving in advance, permission to do so from the opponents. Failure to request or receive such permission renders the clause impotent. However, from time to time in playing the card called by Declarer, Dummy inadvertently ***covers*** another card. It is always appropriate to immediately *arrange* the cards to reveal the inadvertently hidden card, stating the intent as one does it.
Comment: So failure to 'state the intent' (which isn't mentioned anywhere) incurs a penalty? I suspect the problem (besides different standards of formality) is that we are drawing opposite conclusions from insufficient information. Literally all we know about the problem is that one defender believed the arranging was done for an improper reason.


How do I reverse my cake-like brownies to chewy?

Question: I'm making brownies for the first time, so I went with cake-like but everyone wants chewy. I agreed but realized it was too late. They're already in the oven, how do I fix it to chewy?
Answer: Take them out a bit before they are completely cooked through, just short of done. They will collapse a bit but the result will be denser and chewier.
Answer: Take a look at this video for mode details, but what makes a diference between fudgy&chewy to a cakey is the fat ratio.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIonKbKM-tE
Answer: Since the brownies are already in the oven it is likely too late to increase the amount of butter in the brownie batter. Your best bet is to add a metal baking sheet at the bottom of the oven and add about a cup of water. The goal would be to have steam rise from the baking sheet add some moisture to the brownie. While this is no substitute for more butter in your brownie batter it will lend itself to a more chewy texture. You may also want to bake the brownies for slightly less than you would normally do so.
If the brownies are already cooked and out of the oven at room temperature, you could try steaming them in manner similar to the way restaurants steam already cooked bread to give it a warm and soft texture right before serving to guests.


What is a good food to train a dog on?

Question: I am going to adopt a dog in the next week or two and I was trying to research care and training. Ive seen online that people train dogs on cut up hotdogs and I was wondering if this is healthy or if there is other healthy and good foods to train with? People online say it cant be chewy and ideally it would be soft. Ive heard sliced apples are good too but I was just wondering if there is a recommended food to train a dog on
Comment: Ill pick a best answer after a week or two of owning the dog
Answer: Use part of their dinner. Basically anything the dog normally would eat is fine. Dogs are good like that. Food = happy. Just cut/break up any large bits so that you have a larger number of bits food to offer so you can keep training them for longer. Dogs are happy with receiving food even if it is only a tiny bit.
It is important when training a dog with food rewards to not double up their food intake. This is where the using part of their dinner comes in. If you measure out their food for the day ahead of time, and take from that for training purposes, then at the end of the day give them what remains of their dinner then they will still only be eating a healthy amount of food each day.
Even dry dog food will work if you don't leave them a bowl of this dry dog food out during the day for them to snack on whenever they feel like it. Take the food bowl away at the end of their meal. Then they will enjoy the dry food as a treat.
Comment: SOME dogs are like that.  Many really aren't.   I've trained plenty that wouldn't even look at kibble if there was anything interesting going on.

Kibble is *usually* not a high value food and will not convince a less-foody dog to do anything.  I have met plenty of owners who did the 'just take kibble' thing only to find that their dog would not pay any attention to them : a swap for warm sausage or sardine cake can often help these people a lot.
Answer: It really depends what your dog likes - just as with humans, dogs can be picky, and some foods will upset their stomach, so it's often trial and error to find a good 'reward' food.
I have found that most of my foster dogs like meat and cheese, and chunks of hot dog or small cubes of cheese are easy to buy, carry and hand out.  Most dogs will work harder for 'special treat food' than for bits of kibble, although there are exceptions!
Some also like carrots and apples.  Some will work for bits of their normal kibble, others will eat kibble only if it's well mixed with other food and definitely not as a treat!  I have one dog who cannot eat any kibble, for some reason all the dry biscuit-format foods upset his stomach.  This is unusual.
If you really want your dog to think you are awesome, you could bake him liver, tuna or sardine cake - these ingredients have a strong smell, and most dogs find them irresistible, even in very small chunks.
Here are some recipes:

http://www.bdws.co.uk/2011/09/11/homemade-liver-cake-recipe-worlds-greates/
http://www.bdws.co.uk/2012/12/15/tuna-loaf-dog-treats/
http://www.bdws.co.uk/2012/12/06/sardine-oatcakes/

(you can make smaller quantities, I know the liver cake recipe looks a bit daunting!  If your dog gets gassy when he has wheat flour, as many do, you can make all of these with just porridge oats instead - add a bit more water so you don't clog your blender.  Or potato.)
Bear in mind that when you first bring your dog home, everything will probably be a bit overwhelming.  He might be scared, or super excited, and he may not be interested in food right away.  If this happens, don't make a big deal of it -  give him a few days of calm to settle and try again.  You can store liver cake in the fridge for a few days, or freeze it.
Comment: look nice and disgusting to me haha, he will probably love it. ill wait to see if there is anything that he is particularly stubborn with and maybe try this if all else fails. Good suggestions! although i think in the tuna loaf i probably wont use garlic but maybe if he is being particularly good ill reward him once in a while
Answer: You have to strike a good balance of delicious but not so desirable that your dog can't focus. I bought these freeze dried liver treats for my dog once that were TOO good and made it hard for my dog to focus.
I've had good luck with chopped up hot dogs, bits of cheese, and broken up larger treats. It depends on what your dog likes. One of mine really loves apples.
The size of the treat is very important to keep in mind -- you want to keep it small so your dog won't get too fat and won't get full while they're training.
Comment: The point about 'no so desirable that your dog can't focus' is a good one for very food-focussed dogs, labradors being typical.  I have to say that in several years of fostering rescue dogs, I have yet to encounter the over-foody dog, so I tend to just use the food that the dog considers of highest value.   One of my own dogs will accept cheese, but won't touch freeze-dried liver, she doesn't like it.  You just have to experiment and find out what's best for each dog as an individual.

What is a good food to train a dog on?