VMware View Connection Server - User not entitled to use system

Question: I've been trying to setup a VMware View connection server. I feel like I am getting it close to having it working, but haven't had success yet. The current issue is that the connection server tells me I am "not entitled" to use the system after logging in with my domain credentials. I don't know why this is the case, because I am explicitly set as an administrator to the system!
So my question is slightly two-fold I guess...

Where do user credentials come from? I am assuming they are from Active Directory, since that is what I am prompted to log into a domain.
How do I give a user privileges to access the system? I have looked all through the web admin interface of the connection server. There is a section to add users, but when I search for a domain user in here no users are returned. In fact, there are no users at all.

Thanks for any help you can provide!
Answer: I guess I have this figured out now...

Users come from Active Directory, as I thought.
To add entitlements to a user, you must FIRST add a desktop source and then entitle a user (even a new user) to use the resource. It seems backwards to me, but that's the way it works.


Why are stresses of continuum systems described via a tensor?

Question: The tittle pretty much says enough. I have always been told so but no one really motivated it.
So, I would like to know why do we use a tensor to describe the stresses in continuum mechanics.
Answer: Applying a force in the $x$-direction might change the shape of the material in the $y$-direction. The only way to capture such an effect is through a tensor.
If you have a general force acting on your body
$$ \vec F = (F_x, F_y, F_z)^T$$
and you are interested in the reaction of the body by looking at its deformation $$ \vec \epsilon = (\epsilon_x, \epsilon_y, \epsilon_z)^T$$
the deformation in the x-direction $\epsilon_x$ should (in the Hook limit) depend linearly on the forces, same for the $\epsilon_y$ and $\epsilon_z$, i.e.
$$ \epsilon_x = E_{xx} F_x + E_{xy} F_y + E_{xz} F_z$$
and similarly
$$ \epsilon_y = E_{yx} F_x + E_{yy} F_y + E_{yz} F_z$$
$$ \epsilon_z = E_{zx} F_x + E_{zy} F_y + E_{zz} F_z.$$
These three equations can be captured by a vector equation
$$ \vec \epsilon = \tilde E \vec F$$
or in components
$$\epsilon_i = \sum_{k=1}^3 E_{ik} F_k$$
Of course, there can be the special case that all off-diagonal elements are zero, then you just recover $\epsilon_x = E_{xx} F_{x}$ and similar for $y, z$.
Finally, how do we know that $\tilde E$ is a tensor and not just a set of numbers? For this we need to look at transformation properties. The Force obviousely is a vector, i.e. under rotations (employing Einstein's convention)
$$ F_i \to R_{ij} F_j \quad \text{or} \quad \vec F \to \mathbf R \vec F$$
also $\vec \epsilon$ should behave as a proper vector
$$ \epsilon_i \to R_{ij} \epsilon_j \quad \text{or} \quad \vec \epsilon \to \mathbf R \vec \epsilon$$.
Plugging this into our vector equation we find after rotation
$$\mathbf R \vec \epsilon = \tilde E'\mathbf R \vec F.$$
In order for the right-hand side to be a vector it has to have the form $\mathbf R (\tilde E \vec F)$, which implies that under rotations
$$ \tilde E \to \tilde E' =\mathbf R \tilde E\mathbf R^{-1}$$
which is exactly the defining property of a tensor.
(note on notation, I used $\tilde{}$ to identify tensors and bold face for rotations matrices).
Comment: Could you please develop a little more this statement?
Comment: @silvrfück Added to post to develop the statement "a little more" :P
Answer: It is a quite famous theorem due to Cauchy.
Consider an internal portion $S$ of a continuous body $C$. There are two kinds of forces acting on it: Forces proportional to the mass, of the form $$\int_V \mu(x) \vec{f}(x) d^3x\tag{0}$$ where $\vec{f}(x)$ is the density of force acting on $x \in V$. And forces acting through the surface $\partial V$, the boundary of $V$, due to the remaining part of continuous body surrounding $V$. Those forces have the form
$$\int_{\partial V} \vec{s}(x, \vec{n}(x)) dS(x)\:,$$
where $x \in \partial V$ and $\vec{n}(x)$ is the outward unit vector normal to $\partial V$ at $x$. The vector $\vec{s}(x,\vec{n})$ is the stress at $x$ in the direction $\vec{n}$. For a fixed $\vec{n}$, it is noting but a surface density of force at $x$.  Actually, since $V$ is any portion of the continuous body $C$, $x\in C$ is a generic point and $\vec{n} \in \mathbb S^2$ a generic direction.
The above mentioned theorem due to Cauchy establishes that, under suitable (very mild) physical and mathematical hypotheses on $C$, there exists a symmetric (Cartesian) tensor field $C \ni x \mapsto \sigma_{ij}(x)$ such that, for every $x\in C$ and $\vec{n} \in \mathbb S^2$,
$$s_i(x, \vec{n}) = \sum_{j=1}^3\sigma_{ij}(x) n_j\:.\tag{1}$$
$\sigma$ is called the stress tensor (field) of the continuous body.
The said physical hypotheses are just that only the two kinds of forces act on every portion of the continuous body and that the usual Newton's laws of mechanics hold for every portion of the body. Mathematical hypotheses instead  simply concern the regularity of the involved functions.
It is important to stress that the result is valid for every type of continuous body, not necessarily elastic or plastic or fluid. In the first couple of  cases, however, $\sigma$ is a function of the deformation of the body.
ADDENDUM. Cauchy's theorem proof is quite easy. One writes down "F=ma" for a sequence of  portions $V_n \subset C$ of continuous body tending, for $n\to +\infty$, to a fixed common point $x\in \cap_n\partial V_n$  while preserving the direction $\vec{n}$ at $x$. In the considered limit  the mass force as in (0) as well as acceleration disappear more quickly than surface forces. Hence the surface forces must have vanishing resultant. As  one sees, this last fact is mathematically equivalent to say that the function
$$\vec{n} \mapsto \vec{s}(x,\vec{n}) \tag{2}$$
extended by linearity to generic vectors $\vec{n}$ (thus also with $|\vec{n}|\neq 1$) is linear.
A well known theorem proves that any linear map is described by a tensor. Therefore there is a tensor $\sigma(x)$ describing (2) as in (1). Symmetry of $\sigma$ can subsequently (easily) be proved from the third law of Newtonian dynamics.
Answer: Take a flat, rectangular material. Remaining 2D, you can apply forces at the edges in different ways. You can exert:

a "squeezing" force along vertical edges, that will be the $xx$ component of the tensor,
a "squeezing" force along horizontal edges, that will be the $yy$ component of the tensor,
a shear force along the vertical edges, that will be the $xy$ component of the tensor,
a shear force along the vertical edges, that will be the $yx$ component of the tensor.

In 3D, pairs of directions in ${x,y,z}$ give nine components. Thus you can see why you need $d^2$ components to describe the stress at any point.
Answer: Stress has to be a tensor because it describes momentum flux.
Think about the analog of current $j_i$ and mass given by a density $\rho$. The component $j_i$ gives the component of the mass current in the $i$th direction. To fill out the analogy, we will mention the continuity equation $\frac{d\rho}{dt} = - \partial_i j_i$.
Now let's think about momentum. Like mass, it is conserved but can move from one place to another. There we can define a momentum density which I will just call $p_i$ and a momentum current. Now this momentum current will have two indices: the first specifying which component of momentum (because each component is conserved indiviually) and the other specifying which component of the current. So the second index is analogous to the single index of the current we had in the case of mass. The momentum current is denoted $\sigma_{ij}$. To continue the analogy we would expect a continuity equation $\frac{dp_i}{dt} = -\partial_j \sigma_{ij}$. In fact, because of a sign convention the continuity equation is $\frac{dp_i}{dt} = \partial_j \sigma_{ij}$, but it is the exact same idea.


Build a faster computer using old cpu?

Question: I have a bunch of old CPUs lying around in my house...
Most of them are Pentium D or Pentium 4's...
Is there a simple way in which I can bunch them together and build a better computer?
Or anything I could do to put themm to a good use?
Answer: The best way to put them to good use is either to assemble them in to a fully working computer and give to a charity or alternatively, sell on eBay and donate the money!
I wouldn't recommend mixing CPUs (and not sure you can from different generations) but you may find an entry level server board which can take multiple desktop grade CPUs. However, for the price (and cost of electricty usage) you are probably much better off in the long run simply buying a new Core based machine which should be a lot faster than several older CPUs.
As for clustering, if you are actually talking about splitting a single computer workload out amongst other machines, it is technically possible (see here (Beowulf Cluster) but the latency involved makes it not very practical for every day usage.
The only time I would recommend or can see a benefit is for actual heavy workloads such as rendering or similar where you usually have the ability to install agents and split workloads. However, again, you have to look in to the true cost - Whilst it wouldn't be as much fun, it would probably cost less in  electricity and time to do one hours work on a Core I7 based machine than 2 hours on 3-4 Pentium 4 based machines.
Comment: As AJ said. Because computing power per dollar increases exponentially, and power consumption per processor-dollar decreases, it is rarely worthwhile, either economically or ecologically, to continue using very old computers.
Answer: Check this out: Building Your Own Super Computer. It will teach you about setting up a cluster of older machines to work together.

Build a faster computer using old cpu?


Would aliens that evolved on low gravity planets be able to cope with Earth's gravity?

Question: Let's say an alien species discovered Earth and wants to land here and establish contact, however their homeworld's gravity is only 46 percent of Earth's, Would it be possible for them to be able to walk on Earth? Is it possible for them to adapt to Earth's gravity? They are 1-2 ft tall and walk on two legs. Weighing about 50-60 pounds on their homeworld.
Comment: no, but if an alien is capable of interstellar travel, they can have nano-suits or exo suits which help them to live in earth like gravity, a 46% (50) reduction would be similar to doubling your body mass, would be really hard to walk in two legs for long times. walking on 4 would be a lil easier.
Comment: @Chinu Or develop some kind of drugs, as for example in "The expanse".
Comment: "46 percent of Earth's [gravity] ... 50-60 pounds on their homeworld" So we are talking about a force of approximately 110-115 N? ($ 0.46 \times 9.82 \times \frac{55}{2.2} \approx 113 $)
Comment: Isn't this the same as humans surviving being centrifuged at 2 g?
Comment: Why are they so small? I would think they'd be larger than humans since their world has such low gravity.
Answer: Short answer: it depends. The anatomy and physiology of your aliens will determine a lot.
For instance, their hearts are going to be working much harder to pump blood around their bodies, particularly when pumping upwards. Compare aliens which look like a 2 foot tall dog and aliens which look like a 2 foot tall ostrich or giraffe. The vertical distance between heart and brain in the ostrich-aliens is much greater than the dog-aliens. So the ostrich-aliens' hearts will be under much more strain. Their hearts will be pounding away like they've just run up a flight of stairs, even when they are just sitting watching TV.
Similarly, skeletons come with safety factors built in. When those safety factors are exceeded, bones break. For instance in humans, the force your leg bones has to bear when standing still is equal to your body weight. When you walk, that force doubles. When you sprint or jump over things, it is higher still. However, your bones can take all these forces, plus a bit extra for the safety factor.
Your aliens have come to a gravity more than double their own. So standing still will be the equivalent of walking, walking will be like jogging, jogging will be like running an Olympic hurdles race, and so on.
If their species has evolved to bounce around like gazelles (huge leaps, gaits called stotting and pronking), or is like a monkey species which habitually hurls itself out of trees onto the ground (as opposed to climbing down or jumping tree to tree) then their bones will be designed to take a pounding and have HUGE safety factors. So they may still be able to walk and jog, but should avoid running and jumping. If their ancestors evolved a more 'normal' lifestyle - zebra rather than a gazelle, or a normal monkey rather than a 'parkour' monkey - then walking may be the limit of what they can do without breaking bones, getting sprains and strains, etc.
Consider the elephant. Zoos have concrete moats round the elephant enclosure, because elephants are at the limits of the safety factors their bones can take. Elephants can't jump over that moat - they'd break their legs. In fact, elephants can't even run or trot, because their leg bones can't take it. A charging elephant is speed walking!
EDIT TO ADD EXAMPLES: at 1g a horse can walk, trot, gallop and jump over fences. The much heavier rhino can walk, trot and gallop but not jump over fences. The Elephant can only walk (partly weight and partly due to not having bones as thick as it 'should' for an animal that heavy - i.e. reduced safety factors). So your aliens may be 'horses' on their homeworld, but 'rhinos' or - if they are really unlucky - 'elephants' on earth.
Your aliens muscles will slowly get stronger as they adapt to the gravity. They may lay down some more bone to reinforce their skeleton. But the bone they'll be making is more of the same 'low gravity' bone with low gravity safety factors. Evolution won't have given them the tools to make 1g bone.
There will also be a lot of wear and tear on soft tissues. Knee cartilages will be feeling the strain, spine compressing on disks, sole of the foot taking a pounding, and so on. They may spend all their time with bad backs and aching feet.
Comment: From the musculo-skeletal point of view, doubling your weight is tough but not that unmanageable. Take a reasonably fit person and give them a backpack equal to their own weight. They won't be happy and they sure won't be able to hurdle, but their ankles won't instantly splinter to pieces if they run. I think the limiting factor is the first thing you said: doubling the pressure required to get blood to the brain all day is a big ask for a vertical earth-like species. Humans in high-G centrifuges suffer from this quite quickly, even sitting still.
Comment: Ooh, apparently NASA have done quite long trials (22 hours at 2G, albeit sitting down): http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2003/07feb_stronggravity/
Comment: @SteveJessop You might want to make an actual answer around that link, actually.
Comment: @MichaelKjörling: Maybe, but summarizing the results and saying, "we can now wildly speculate about all the activities not tested here" feels anticlimactic. Please, if anyone fancies it, don't hold off waiting for me ;-) I intended the link as supplying some more info about something DrBob already mentions in this answer.
Comment: @SteveJessop - good point. Will edit to add some 1g examples.
Answer: Walking for the low-gravity aliens would be like running a marathon. This is something that is best done in small doses.
While exosuits are feasible. An alternative is mobile flotation tanks. The aliens will wear a protective suit, and rest inside the mobile tanks in a floating position. With medical equipment in case of "gravity stress" problems and possibly cardiovascular apparatus to take the load off their bodies.
One aspect about low-gravity aliens visiting Earth is the fact that their spacecraft, when they land and take-off from planet Earth, will have to be at relatively low acceleration, compared to the kind of rocket take-offs we know, and be for a much longer duration. Unless their ships are propelled by a super-advanced field-drives which either neutralises or considerably reduces the g-forces accompanying the acceleration.
Comment: Yes, let's indeed hope that these aliens' rocket scientists did their homework and adjusted their delta-v budgets accordingly.
Comment: I know what you mean, but the Mixed Metaphor Police say that if you run a marathon in small doses, that's just running ;-)
Comment: @SteveJessop As long as they don't run me out of town.
Comment: @MichaelKjörling, alien rocket scientists always do their homework like good little alien rocket scientists. Otherwise their careers tend to crash and burn.
Answer: If their bone structure can withstand the stress, then they can, but it will be exhausting and highly uncomfortable. For comparison, imagine carrying around your own body weight in extra weight all day and night, evenly distributed over your body. Every step will be a chore, lifting your arms and even your head will feel like workout, every breath you take is a struggle. Not even lying down is much comfort because you will be pulled down so hard.
You will want only your most able-bodied aliens to ever visit Earth, and even they will require some sort of mechanical exosuit or strength-boosting medication to get through the day without too many problems.
Answer: If the aliens have arrived via a long spaceship journey, and if they knew what was waiting for them when the got here, then they would have been well advised to use the journey as preparation.
Their spaceship should have some kind of artificial gravity. Whether by some high tech plating (per Star Trek) or simply the craft revolving (per Space Oddesey), the strength of this gravity could be increased steadily through the journey time to help the travellers adjust to the conditions at the destination planet. A regime of weight training and exercise en route would be necessary as well.
Picking suitably strong individuals for the journey in the first place would also be a consideration of course. Weaker individuals would struggle to adapt, but for stronger individuals coming off the ship after a journey helping them to adapt, they should be in good shape to cope with conditions on Earth.
There is one other caveat to mention though. Breathing.
If the aliens' planet has a lower gravity, then it follows that it also has a significantly lower atmospheric pressure. Even if their air composition is similar to ours, breathing air on Earth may cause them to hyperventilate. They will therefore likely need assisted breathing aparatus of some kind. This will appreciably add to the weight that they need to carry with them, which in turn will make adapting to the increased gravity a bit harder still.
Comment: Venus has a lower gravity than Earth (0.89g), yet has a much higher atmospheric pressure (about 90 atmospheres). Of course, most of that is CO2, and life on Earth has been merrily turning CO2 into limestone for eons, so maybe there would be a thinner atmosphere on Venus if it had life...?  I suppose that 46% gravity might not be able to hang onto lots of lighter gases? Hopefully it can keep oxygen!
Comment: It's still possible to have Earth's standard air pressure at 0.46 G, Titan with only 0.12 G has a denser atmosphere than Earth.
Answer: Assuming they are biologically similar to humans, question boils down to this. Would you be able to carry 117% of your own weight? For me the answer to that question would be no, but for some, this might be possible.
Comment: But you weren't selected for a landing on a planet with 2.17x your own planet's gravity. Like Hackworth said, you'd probably pick the individuals to make such a landing based in large part on their individual physique. Even among humans there is a huge variety in physique; the question gives no reason to believe that these aliens would be any different in that regard.
Comment: I guess there would be people who could pull that off, but even for them it won't be easy and practical, not that it cannot be done. It would be much easier for them to communicate from orbit or a spacecraft or ask humans to come to their spaceship, as lower gravity does not have any adverse effects in the short term.
Comment: I'm not saying it would be easy for the aliens if they were to land on Earth, I'm just pointing out that a single example (yourself, "for me") is hardly proof that it couldn't be done.
Comment: I didn't stated as proof that is why I said for me no. That depends on the person visiting. Editing to make it clearer.
Comment: It's definitely much clearer now. Which, incidentally, is what comments are for. :-)
Comment: I think most human astronauts are more than capable of carrying their body weight. Elite athletes and active military tend to be able to carry multiples of it as well.
Answer: 2.2g
That is how the aliens experience Earth.
Assuming they are otherwise made of flesh similar to ourselves, this should be difficult but not nearly impossible.
However, you also have them at only 1-2 ft tall.
There are two factors that make high gravity a problem.

everything weighs more, thus needs more muscle power to move effectively.

and much much more important.

your heart has to pump blood up against the gravity, and your feet need to resist the static pressure of supporting a column of blood as tall as you are. These vascular issues are the main problem with higher (and lower) gravity.

For your aliens, this second factor is GREATLY diminished, because they are so short!
In all, in my opinion but supported at least a bit by facts, your aliens will be fully mobile just tiring much quicker than normal. They will also tend to be clumsy, as they fall over following an imbalance more than twice as fast.

The problem of STAIRS!
If your biped aliens are proportioned anything like humans:
To a 1-2ft tall, biped, operating in a 2.2g (for them) environment, normal stairs will be IMPOSSIBLE to climb! Even a normal sidewalk with a vertical riser of 6 inches will be a WALL somewhere between knee height and navel height to them.
You try climbing a wall that high, while in 2.2g gravity

And at 2feet tall, weighing 60lb on their home planet, they will weigh 132lb here. That makes for a very short, squat, heavy little alien! Not agile climbers by any concept.


Problem with exchange email account aliases in Mail for Mac OS X Mavericks

Question: I've always used Mail in Mac OS X but one day I decided I would try Outlook 2011 so I could manage rules and filters without having to go to OWA. I was not very happy with Outlook 2011 so I removed it and decided to go back to Mail for Mac OS X. Since trying Outlook 2011, I'm having problems setting up the Exchange account in Mail.
My company uses email@example.com and firstname.lastname@example.com for our email address/alias.
When I setup the account, auto discovery finds everything just fine and logs me in and downloads all the mail, rules, filters, etc. stored on the server. The problem is in Internet Accounts in System Preferences, I now see two Exchange accounts. One for first.last@ and another for flast@
I didn't think too much about this since mail seemed to be working fine, but one day I noticed something when I did a reply all to a mail message. It included myself in the reply to fields. I thought maybe it was a setting in Mail that I overlooked when setting up the Exchange account. As it turns out though, the problem is that the first.last@ account is now somehow the default mail account on Exchange and the flast@ is what I'm replying with.
Checking System Preferences, I noticed that the first.last@ Exchange account doesn't have checks in the selection boxes for Mail, Contacts or Notes, but it does for Calendars and Reminders.

However the flast@ is exactly the opposite; it has checks in the selection boxes for Mail, Contacts and Notes, but not Calendars or Reminders.

When I try to enable Mail, Contacts or Notes in the first.last@ Exchange account I get an error dialog stating "There was a problem setting up the account. An unknown error occurred."

I do not experience this behavior on my iPhone 4S or my iPad Air.
I'm using Mac OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 and iCloud for my home accounts and connecting to an Exchange 2010 work account. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.
Answer: chflags nohidden ~/library
go to drive>users>XXXX>library>MAIL>V2>ACCOUNTS.plist
edit the email address and save.
Comment: Thank you for your comment, Max. Unfortunately I don't work with that employer anymore and am unable to test and verify this as a fix.


In Puerto Rico If only one prospector is chosen during a round, does the other one get a coin placed on it?

Question: If only one prospector is chosen during a round, does the other one get a coin placed on it?
Answer: Yes.
Any role not chosen at the end of the round gets a coin placed on it.
I can't find the official rules online, but I can point you to the Universal Head rules summary, which says, under "Reset the Roles":

Place one doubloon on each of the three role cards not
  chosen this round and then return all role cards.
Comment: The card is the role. The two prospector cards are different roles, they just happen to have the same name.
Comment: @John Robertson - But there will be one Prospector role card in a player's possession and one Prospector role card not chosen - one of three. The Prospector role card a player took will obviously not receive a doubloon, but the unchosen card **will**.
Answer: Yes,
From the rules, pg7 under "A new round ..."

Now, the governor takes three doubloons from the bank, placing one each on the three role cards that were not selected during the round.
Answer: Although "prospector" seems like one role, there are two people playing it. Call them prospector 1 and prospector 2.
If prospector 1 is chosen for the current round and prospector 2 isn't, prospector 2 will get a coin placed on him. Meaning that he will be chosen the next time someone needs a prospector.
The prospectors were inserted in the game as a "mechanic" to keep the number of agents greater than the number of players by three. There are no prospectors in a three person game, one in a four person game, and two in a five person game.


What is a good proxy for government quality?

Question: Is it ok to use corruption as a proxy for government quality?
Comment: Your title and your body is asking two different questions, I like the title more :)
Answer: Using corruption is part of it but a bit restrictive way to measure government "quality". You may use aggregate indicators as the one developed by the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) project from the World Bank. They reports aggregate and individual governance indicators for over 200 countries and territories over the period 1996–, for six dimensions of governance:

Voice and Accountability
Political Stability and Absence of Violence
Government Effectiveness
Regulatory Quality
Rule of Law
Control of Corruption

What is Governance ?
According to the WGI project Governance consists of the traditions and institutions by which authority in a country is exercised.  This includes the process by which governments are selected, monitored and replaced; the capacity of the government to effectively formulate and implement sound policies; and the respect of citizens and the state for the institutions that govern economic and social interactions among them.
Comment: Thank you but since it was only from 1996 I used Bayesian corruption index instead so that I could have more data.


母 (haha) and お母さん (okāsan)

Question: What is the difference in meaning and usage between 母 (haha) and お母さん (okāsan)?
Answer: 母 and お母さん differs in the level of politeness the speaker uses to address someone and changes based on the situation. As rule of thumb 母 is humble and お母さん is respectful. So if your addressing your mother you would call her お母さん on the other hand when talking about your mother with someone else calling her お母さん would come off as rude, so you call her 母, but would call the other person's mother お母さん.
In general Japanese makes a great deal of linguistic distinctions based on the relative social positions of the speaker and listener. You can check out more here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorific_speech_in_Japanese.
Answer: Easy way to describe the difference is,
母 (haha) = mother
お母さん (okāsan) = mom

When a grown-up talks about his or her mom with someone else, it's funny to say "My mom is xxx." Well, it may not be so uncommon in English-speaking world, but in Japan, unless you are in elementary school or younger, you are expected to describe your mom as "mother." It's simply more formal.
Like H. Ha said, it's also possible that お母さん can be used by the person who describes herself. Though the sentence in the example,
お母さんは愛しているよ。

does not sound natural Japanese unless there are sentences before or after this one.
Anyway, there are several more ways to commonly describe "mother," but these two are probably the most common ones.
When you describe your mom, you'd want to use 母, while when you describe someone else's mother, you hardly say 母. You need to say,
"あなたのお母さん" or "あなたのお母様" = "your mom"

Hope this helps.
Comment: The part at the absolute top strikes me as potentially misleading. Correct me if I'm wrong but my sense is that people don't say 母 for other people's mothers in polite speech? (thus breaking the mother = 母 suggestion).
Comment: @virmaior ,you are right. We don't use 母 when we describe someone else's mother. In English, it's common to say, "your mom or mother is xxx," but in Japan, somehow, we tend to say "your mom is xxx" and hardly use "your mother is xxx." there are a few other way to describe someone else's mother and it is also not uncommon to use お母様 to describe someone else's mother. We (Japanese) just pay extra attention to describe someone else's mother or other family member. Hope this helps.
Comment: ごめんのですが、率直に言えば、それは一切役に立たないです。I'm not grasping the Japanese you're writing in English. 特にどの言葉は「Mom」とどの言葉は「Mother」の訳にしていますか。それを定義にしないとわからないです。上記のように翻訳すると、英語母国語のものとして、当ていないと思います。僕の個人的な意見で、"mom"は「はは」で、"mother"は「お母さん」か「母上」と似ている言葉です。
Answer: お母さん (okāsan) is more colloquial, and can be used as YOU (second person).
These answers seem good:
https://hinative.com/ja/questions/1826

ex. お母さんは愛しているよ。 (mom says) I love you.

Great point.    お母さん can be 1st person.
or it can mean "your mother".

Thanks for the note re: *[お母さんは愛しているよ。] not being natural Jp.
If Fujiko Hemming were a mother (or if Kuwata Keisuke was female and a mother) (or if 忌野 清志郎 were alive, and ...), she would say that.
追記 :  たしかに *[お母さんは愛しているよ。] ってのは少し不自然なんだが、
きょうび日本全国で毎日 数百人(またはそれ以上)のお母さんが自分の子供に
*[お母さんは愛しているよ。] と語りかけている、と想像するのは、それほど困難ではないでしょ。
Comment: `たしかに*[お母さんは愛しているよ。]ってのは少し不自然だが、 きょうび日本全国で毎日数百人のお母さんが自分の子供に *[お母さんは愛しているよ。]と語りかけていると想像するのはそれほど困難ではないでしょ。` ->  そういうのを屁理屈と言います。「不自然だ、でも日本には1億人もいるんだから、誰かが言うかもしれない」ような日本語をわざわざ選んで日本語学習者に教えないで、もっと自然な例文を教えてあげてください。
Comment: そもそも海外の人がほぼ知らない歌詞とか人物とか作品を引き合いに何かを説明しようとするのは止めたほうがいいと思うのですが…(忌野清志郎や桑田佳祐の口調やキャラなんて僕もほとんど知らない)
Comment: `If Fujiko Hemming were a mother (or if Kuwata Keisuke was female and a mother) (or if 忌野 清志郎 were alive, and ...), she would say that.` -> Do you mean "Fujiko Hemming and Kuwata Keisuke would use it, so the phrase is natural/good/okay." or "The phrase is not natural/good/okay, but Fujiko Hemming and Kuwata Keisuke would use it because their Japanese sucks."?

母 (haha) and お母さん (okāsan)


Is it allowed to quote a Buddhist teaching in a fiction book?

Question: I am writing a romance book. In it one of my character's recites a portion of the Dhammapada. If I publish my book, will I be violating any copyright laws? How would I go about getting permission to put the quote in my book?
Comment: See also related question; [*"Does illegal downloading or viewing of copyright material violate the second precept?"*](https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/2847/does-illegal-downloading-or-viewing-of-copyright-material-violate-the-second-pre?rq=1).
Comment: Also: https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/17952/dharma-should-be-free
Answer: Buddhist scriptures are so old they are not under copyright. Translations maybe. Some are made freely available. Best is just ask the author or do your own translation. Also quoting a small portion may be acceptable as fair use.
Answer: This is a contentious issue in Buddhism because the Buddha taught the Dhamma is to be given freely & because the translators are only translating rather than creating anything original. To quote:

This is the best of gifts: the gift of Dhamma.
AN 9.5

An example of 'Buddhist' copyright clauses are here: Buddhanet Copyright Details and here (bottom of page): Piyavagga: Affection.
A discussion is here: Copyright on the Dhamma and here: Dharma should be free?
The easy solution is to simply change of few words and claim it as your own translation.
If the Buddha was alive, he would say: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn".
Comment: Couldn't have said it better. With metta...
Answer: I think you mean "legally allowed", which isn't really a question about Buddhism (for example maybe it would be more on-topic at writers.se).
Anyway my understanding is that copyright laws vary from country to country. Ancient works might not be copyright, but modern translations of those works might be copyright.
You might find "copyleft" or "public domain" translations, for example here.
You might assume (correctly or incorrectly) that quoting a small portion counts as "fair use" and use it (possibly with attribution and without prior permission).
Or, getting copyright permission might be a job for your publisher (unless you self-publish).
Otherwise I think you get copyright by contacting the copyright-holder (who is usually identified, in a publication) and asking for permission.
Answer: When one uses Dhamma for commercial purposes, on does nothing good for one self and for others. If one uses Dhamma to even increase unskilfull ideas, not only to make benefit from others greed (after love here) and spreads wrong view, using it, its even more worse.
And there is nobody who could ever give you the permission to make commercial use of the Buddhas Dhamma. Everybody doing so, is involved in a thief (in measures of Dhamma). So knowing such one might maybe seek for a dealer and fence or, after wise considerations change either this or that.
Here a such a live-story of same case in fencing: On Human Right, Kamma and trade with Dhamma. They are not of much shame and if not public the trades in Dhamma, do it discrete and most would do on even if telling, even deliberatly knowing it.
One is the way in the world and on Nibbana, its not possible to take the other with it and that is what is the place of gaining path: by letting go of what gives just short pleasure.
One can ask at the worlds biggest and most succesfull public fencing place of Dhamma but there are also other around, sometimes more near.
(Note: This is a gift of Dhamma and not meant for commercial purpose or other wordily gains)


How to force weights to be non-negative in Linear regression

Question: I am using a standard linear regression using scikit-learn in python.
However, I would like to force the weights to be all non-negative for every feature. is there any way I can accomplish that? I was looking in the documentation but could not find a way to accomplish that.
Answer: What you are looking for, is the Non-negative least square regression.
It is a simple optimization problem in quadratic programming where your constraint is that all the coefficients(a.k.a weights) should be positive.
Having said that, there is no standard implementation of Non-negative least squares in Scikit-Learn. The pull request is still open.
But, looks like Scipy has implemented the same.
PS: I haven't tried the scipy version. I found it solely by googling around.
Comment: what about ridge regression where it forced to positive?
Comment: @CharlieParker I have never heard that ridge regression aims to force the coefficients to be positive.
Answer: I use a workaround with Lasso on Scikit Learn (It is definitely not the best way to do things but it works well). Lasso has a parameter positive which can be set to True and force the coefficients to be positive. Further, setting the Regularization coefficient alpha to lie close to 0 makes the Lasso mimic Linear Regression with no regularization. Here's the code:
from sklearn.linear_model import Lasso
lin = Lasso(alpha=0.0001,precompute=True,max_iter=1000,
            positive=True, random_state=9999, selection='random')
lin.fit(X,y)

Answer: As of version 0.24, scikit-learn LinearRegression includes a parameter positive, which does exactly that; from the docs:

positive : bool, default=False
When set to True, forces the coefficients to be positive. This option is only supported for dense arrays.
New in version 0.24.
Answer: There are is a constrained least squares method scipy.optimize.lsq_linear. Another option is to use an optimizing solver for Python. Here is one of the options (Gekko) that I maintain that includes coefficient constraints.
# Constrained Multiple Linear Regression
import numpy as np
nd = 100 # number of data sets
nc = 5   # number of inputs
x = np.random.rand(nd,nc)
y = np.random.rand(nd)

from gekko import GEKKO
m = GEKKO(remote=False); m.options.IMODE=2
c  = m.Array(m.FV,nc+1)
for ci in c:
    ci.STATUS=1
    ci.LOWER=0
xd = m.Array(m.Param,nc)
for i in range(nc):
    xd[i].value = x[:,i]
yd = m.Param(y); yp = m.Var()
s =  m.sum([c[i]*xd[i] for i in range(nc)])
m.Equation(yp==s+c[-1])
m.Minimize((yd-yp)**2)
m.solve(disp=True)
a = [c[i].value[0] for i in range(nc+1)]
print('Solve time: ' + str(m.options.SOLVETIME))
print('Coefficients: ' + str(a))

It uses the nonlinear solver IPOPT to solve the problem. It is a good option for problems that aren't too large because there is some waisted computational effort on calculating exact 1st and 2nd derivatives for possible nonlinear functions. It may be faster for larger problems with the APOPT solver with m.options.SOLVER=1.
Answer: Here is an example of why you would want to do it (and approximately how).
I have 3 predictive models of housing prices: linear, gradient boosting, neural network.
I want to blend them into a weighted average and find the best weights.
I run linear regression, and I get a solution with weights like -3.1, 2.5, 1.5, and some intercept.
So what I do instead of using sklearn is:
blendlasso = LassoCV(alphas=np.logspace(-6, -3, 7),
                     max_iter=100000,
                     cv=5,
                     fit_intercept=False,
                     positive=True)

And I get positive weights that sum (very close) to 1. In my example, I want the alpha that works best out-of-sample so I use LassoCV with cross-validation.
The sklearn docs state that you shouldn't set alpha to 0 for numerical reasons, however, you can also use straight Lasso() and set the alpha parameter as low as you can get away with to get a reasonable answer.
Comment: Your work converts LassoCV to Linear Regression (if it not exactly, maybe approximately)
Comment: @Redhwan yes, if you set the lasso alphas close enough to 0 it approaches linear regression, with weights constrained to be positive, so it's a hack, and really the only thing it adds to adarsh-chavakula's answer above is it lets you try additional alphas


Stuck or dead pixels on ipad 1st generation

Question: I have an ipad 1st generation that has a strip going across the screen about half way down. It's in the area where the icon shows up when you set the volume. It runs completely across the screen and is about 2 inches wide. It stays grey/black most of the time. But if you try to watch a movie on the ipad it changes to all different colors. I've been told that its either stuck or dead pixels. If that is the case, is there a fix for this? Would a new digitizer help at all?
Answer: Since that would be almost 200,000 pixels, I do not think they are dead or stuck, at least not in the traditional sense. I'd say there is something else that's broken.


Where did Jesus' belief in the devil come from?

Question: In Jn 8:44, Jesus tells some people that their father is the devil. I have read that in Judaism there is no devil, so I was wondering where did Jesus' belief in the devil come from.
Comment: @SolaGratia see the book of Job
Comment: There is no "Devil" in the old testament, but this figure appears under different names  like "the Accuser."
Comment: Debatable. Which Old Testament? Catholic/Orthodox or Protestant?
Comment: @JosephHinkle The ancient Hebrews didn't have an evil "accuser" or "tempter" as Christians do but instead their "Accuser" is a figure who works for G'd or even is just a metaphor. https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1093498/jewish/Can-You-Sell-Your-Soul-to-the-Devil.htm
Comment: @SolaGratia If I remember correctly all three of them.
Comment: @JosephHinkle Please read the article in the link I posted above, which addresses Job.
Answer: In Judaism, there most certainly is a devil, first alluded to in Genesis 3. The serpent mentioned that deceived Eve is known to be the devil, and we can specifically see a more direct reference to the devil itself, named a garden cherub, being cast from "the holy mountain of God" starting in Ezekiel 28:15.
Further, the story in the book of Job has its premise in a direct conversation of God with Satan. We know Jesus had read Job, because he was wise in the Scriptures, and the Hebrew writer (someone contemporary with the birth of New Testament Christianity) referenced Job in Hebrews 11:4.
Most definitively, we have the encounter of Jesus with the devil directly as he was tempted in the desert for 40 days. Jesus knows he is the Son of God, and the devil knows it, too, and tries to get him to bow before him, but of course he fails, and leaves upon hearing "Begone, Satan!" in Matt. 4:10.
The Jews of Jesus' time also spoke of demons frequently, even going as far as to question if Jesus' miraculous casting out of demons was by the power of 'the prince of demons', Beelzebub/Beelzebul (Matt. 12:27) (which of course, it was not, because it was done by the authority of God.).
Those are just some of the tangible ways we can see that Jesus could have known about the devil, not the least of which was in Scriptural records and oral tradition. However, do not forget that as Christians, we believe that Jesus is holy and descended from heaven itself, and had all spiritual knowledge needed to teach the world what it needed to know. The demons (sometimes called 'unclean spirits') I mentioned previously also were familiar with Jesus, just as Jesus is familiar with them and the devil they serve, demonstrated in Acts 19:15 when the sons of Sceva unsuccessfully tried to exorcise a demon. The demon, upon hearing the command to come out of a man in the name of 'the Jesus that Paul proclaims', replied "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?".
In short, the Bible is filled with references to Satan, both in the Old and New testaments. The Old testament, which Jesus evident ally studied much of, references the devil plenty. I am not familiar with the modern practice of Judaism, but in ancient times they still had more than just the Torah, they had the books of the prophets (especially Isaiah). The new testament, that was written concerning Jesus, references interactions with the devil and demons frequently, as proof that Jesus was familiar with, interacted with, and had power over them.
I hope my answer was clear enough.
Comment: A very good series of excerpts from the Old Testament which reference Satan. The only thing I could think of that might improve the answer is to clarify that Jesus would have studied the Old Testament growing up, and to maybe reference the time Mary and Joseph found him in the temple. You have implied that Jesus knew the scriptures, I would just make it more explicit. Good answer.
Comment: @Kyle C I think in Judaism the serpent in Eden is not the devil. I heard that the serpent is considered a metaphor for sexual desire.
Comment: @freethinker36 I have not heard this take before, but nothing in the text of Genesis or references to it in later books indicate to me that it was anything other than an actual snake. It does not make sense to me that 'sexual desire' would cause Eve to eat fruit from a forbidden tree- unless you think the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil is a metaphor also? And if THAT were a metaphor, it would make little sense for God to send cherubim to guard the entrance to the Garden after they were evicted; sexual desire can be pursued anywhere.
Answer: It depends on your definition of 'Old Testament.' If you mean the Catholic or Orthodox/pre-Reformation Old Testament, then you have quite a few Old Testament references to the devil or devils, whereas the Books contained in the Protestant canon do not so much mention them.
For example,

Tobit 6:14, 16 (DRB)
Then Tobias answered, and said: I hear that she hath been given to seven husbands, and they all died: moreover I have heard, that a devil killed them. ...
Then the angel Raphael said to him: Hear me, and I will shew thee who they are, over whom the devil can prevail.
Tobit 12:14 (DRB):
And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son's wife from the devil.

(Tobit tells of events that transpire in 800 B.C., though since we humor 'scholars,' is at least 200 B.C. as to the date it was penned.)
Or,

Wisdom 2:23-24 (DRB)
For God created man incorruptible, and to the image of his own likeness he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world: and they follow him that are of his side.

(Wisdom is generally dated around 100 BC. give or take.)
This intertestamental belief on the devil fits nicely with e.g. Matthew 4:1, and the rest of the development in the New Testament on the person of Satan:

Matthew 4:1 (DRB)
Then Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil.

(Matthew is dated mid first century A.D.)

Revelation 12:9 (DRB)
And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

(Revelation is generally dated to around 90 A.D.)
Keep in mind Jesus was speaking in 'the Old Testament period' during the early part of His ministry. St. John the Baptist is technically an Old Testament prophet in addition to the herald of the very presence of Christ.
But besides these more explicit references (not that if the Bible didn't mention a word about 'the devil' this wasn't what God's people believed!), the devil is clearly what is meant by 'the Accuser' or 'Satan' in the so-called proto-canonical Books of the Old Testament—even if a 'proper' use of 'the devil' would only later become more normative.
For example, we read in Job that Satan is undoubtedly 'smug:'

Job 1:9-11 (DRB)
And Satan answering [God], said: Doth Job fear God in vain ? Hast not thou made a fence for him, and his house, and all his substance round about, blessed the works of his hands, and his possession hath increased on the earth? 11 But stretch forth thy hand a little, and touch all that he hath, and see if he blesseth thee not to thy face.

Or one of the more explicit references to the disobedient and sinful a nature of this angel called the Accuser.

Zechariah 3:1-2 (DRB)
And the Lord shewed me [Joshua] the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord: and Satan stood on his right hand to be his adversary. 2 And the Lord said to Satan: The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan: and the Lord that chose Jerusalem rebuke thee: Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?

Compare also with,

Jude 1:9 (DRB)
When Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the body of Moses, he durst not bring against him the judgment of railing speech, but said: The Lord [rebuke] thee.
Comment: Tobit seems to be using language describing a generic demon, "a" devil instead of the Christian only and head of the forces of evil, the Devil
Comment: I can see how that could be a valid interpretation. However, not so with Wisdom, where the devil is clearly the Satan of Genesis 3:15.
Comment: The time of the origin of Wisdom is disputed, some sources say it was written in the first century CE, and as such could have been influenced by Christian thought.
Comment: It is mostly a foregone conclusion that Satan in Job was considered by ancient Hebrews as an allegory of the evil inclination or at most it was a tempting agent working for G'd, not an independent entity trying to defeat G'd and win human souls as portrayed in modern Christianity.
Comment: A conclusion I don't share. Also, the description of the devil you gave is not modern but as ancient as the New Testament.


One motor on quadcopter broken

Question: I have a small quadcopter and I realised one of the motors does not turn electronically, meaning it can't fly properly. There is no visible sign of something stuck in the motor, like some string or something. What can I do to diagnose/fix the issue?
Comment: What drone is it? That affects troubleshooting.
Comment: @DronesandWhatnot S49
Comment: in that case the brushed motor troubleshooting will probably be the one you want
Answer: So this method will vary based on whether they are brushed or brushless motors.
For brushed:
Spin the propeller with your fingers - is anything actively resisting the motion?
If yes, remove the prop and check for something not immediately visible, like a hair or carpet fibres caught around the motor shaft.
Remove anything you find and try the prop again.
If nothing is resisting motion, check the connections between the FC and the motor.
If all else fails, swap the motor with the one diagonal from it. If the problem travels, the motor is at fault. If not, there is trouble with the board.
It is worth noting that brushed motors are a consumable - the brushes wear out, and most aren't rated for more than a number of hours' use - see the diagram below:

(Image Source)
If the motor is brushless, start by again turning the motor, and check no screws are touching the windings.
Check all motor connections and see if there are any breaks.
If there is not active resistance, swap over two of the motors. If the problem follows the motor, it is likely a problem with the motor. If not, there is a problem with one of the ESCs.
If you do encounter active resistance, look inside the bell and see if any of the magnets have slipped. If they have, use epoxy and tweezers (though a toothpick also works well) to glue the magnet back in place. I'd recommend also buying a new motor as it is now likely to be slightly unbalanced which may cause oscillations.
See diagram of brushless motor:
(Image Source)
Comment: Diagram of brushed motor from https://www.progressiveautomations.com/blogs/how-to/brushed-vs-brushless-dc-motor-an-overview.                                       Diagram of brushless motor: https://www.electroschematics.com/hdd-bldc-motor/
Comment: Motors act as generators when forced to rotate mechanically. Measuring generated voltage might be used to check for broken windings.
Answer: If the motor seems mechanically sound, and the wiring seems OK, first inspect for burnt windings or burnt FETs on the ESC.
If the FET has burnt it may burn the 'good' motor, so don't plug a new motor on a 'possibly bad' ESC, unless you are using a smoke stopper to protect the 'good' motor.
Same applies in reverse if you connect an 'possibly bad' motor to known good ESC, a shorted motor can burn a good ESC.  If in doubt, always use a smoke stopper.
If there is no sign of burning, connect a smoke stopper, and connect the 'bad' motor to an ESC that you know can spin a motor.  If the 'bad' motor now works, and a known 'good' stops working on the old ESC, then you know the ESC, or the wiring to the ESC, is the problem.
If you narrow it down to being the ESC, inspect the components on the ESC, and the wiring, especially the signal wire from FC to ESC, confirming electrical continuity with a multimeter.
If the wiring seems good, replace the ESC.
In rare cases the Flight controller can't make the output to the motor, this is usually a solder bridge shorting the output that should go to the motor.
In rare cases with analog ESCs, the calibration factors get lost, and the ESC needs re-calibrating.  This cannot happen with digital protocols like ProShot or DShot.  For digital protocols, if you can connect to the ESC that confirms the signal connection status.  Sometimes re-flashing the ESC will get it to work.  If you have communication with the ESC but a known good motor won't spin, then you know the ESC has had it.

One motor on quadcopter broken


Neumann KM 183 Stereo Pair

Question: Just wondering if anyone has had any experience of using these for recording outdoor atmos and quiet room tones?
I would like a pair of omnis to record open outdoor spaces and from what I understand are also good for quiet room tones (or air) as omnis have low noise. Would like to know how these compare to the Schoeps CMC with omni capsule or the Sennheiser 8000 series omnis.
Cheers.
Comment: Thing is, I like the idea of getting the Neumann's but I don't want to be wishing I'd spent a bit more and went with Schoeps or Senn - particularly ones with exchangeable capsules as I would like a good MS set up eventually too.
Answer: I have a pair, so far I'm very pleased with them. I'll record some room tone and put it here so you can have a listen.
Comment: an quiet outdoor atmos recordings would be great to hear too if you have any at hand
Answer: Hi
Neumann is always great, they are my favorite! Very good sound quality, very good signal to noise floor-difference and also robust design and very reliable. I work since many years with the KM140 and the figure-8 AK20 as an MS set. I made recording all over the world from hot places and icecold wintermountains. Never had any problems.
I think the KM184 (cardiodid one) is one of the most flexiblest microphones. Other than sound recorders or a pro tools system, good quality microphones keeps it's price and if you want to sell it once, you will not loos lot's of money if the mic is still fine. For a sound recorder you get almost nothing after some years.
Also neumann is great with the price, you can purchase 2 neumann microphones from the KM-Series for the price from one high-quality schoeps mic. And also for loud level are the neumann great. Others like the schoeps (they are great too, but much more expansiv) get harsh and sharp.
Best
Guido
Answer: Here's a quick room tone recording inside a playback/conference room I made just now with the KM183:
http://we.tl/KRqYmKPAch
(this is the original 96 kHz 24bit wav file) (re-uploaded Feb. 25th)
Neumann KM183 spaced omni pair, about 1m apart, into a Sound Devices 788t, 60 dB of gain. No filtering, no editing.
The background SPL was 31.0 dBA (measured).
The buzz you hear is a pair of Genelec subwoofers that is switched on.
At the moment, I don't have any quiet outdoor atmos on hand. Maybe I'll get around to it later.
Comment: Thanks so much. To me it sounds great, way less noise than the ones I use from my library.  Definitely tempted. Don't worry about the outdoor ambience, it was only if you had one already. Cheers

Neumann KM 183 Stereo Pair


Can I substitute chocolate chips for cocoa powder in my frosting?

Question: I just ran out of cocoa while making a cookie sheet cake.  Had enough for the cake, but not for the frosting.  Can I substitute chocolate chips?
Answer: You cannot substitute chocolate chips for cocoa alone, as they contain sugar and cocoa butter (fat), as well as cocoa solids—assuming you have quality chocolate chips that are true chocolate.  The ratio of these ingredients will depend on the exact chips you have.
A reasonable approximation for the general case per What's Cooking America assuming you have semi-sweet chocolate chips is:

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1
  tablespoon butter, margarine or shortening for every 1 ounces of
  semi-sweet baking chocolate.

However, frosting is a specific application, and your recipe almost certainly has its technique based on powder, not melted chocolate.  You would be better off looking for a recipe that starts with melted chocolate.
The easiest (and one of the best in my opinion) if you have cream on hand, and again assuming the chocolate chips are real chocolate, is to make a ganache; see Ina Gartner's recipe for reference.
See also:
The reverse question:  Can I substitute cocoa for semisweet chocolate?
Answer: you can use the chips, just understand the frosting/topping will be different (sweeter and harder to blend)
melt the chips, add 2/3 to 3/4 of the ingredients from the original recipie, and add the rest to taste and consistancy (if it is too liquidy add sugar, if too thick add a liquid, if too sweet add fat etc) also note that the topping will thicken as is cools.


Weight gaining with or without gym

Question: I am 25 yrs old standing 173cm and weighing 53kgs.
I have job which is totally sitting one for at least 8 hrs a day.
After that also I dont have much physical work.
I want to gain weight so where should I start first.
Should I start eating more and after join the gym or take the gym with more food intake.
I heard that peanut butter is great to start off with.
I am vegetarian so my diet will be accordingly.
Thank you.
Answer: TLDR: Yes, joining a gym to work out and eat more (good) food will help you gain weight, and I'll explain how to start off.
First off, 4 years ago I was right where you are. I'm 184cm tall and would weigh about 56kg. In the first two years I gained about 20kg, but I had to work very hard for it so don't think this will come easy.
You'll need to start working out, I advice either 3 or 4 days a week. I would advice to do a mix of weight training and bodyweight training. So things like benchpress, deadlifts, squats, shoulderpress, combined with things like push-ups, pull-ups, planking. This will give you a well rounded plan which will incorporate every muscle in the body.
You'll also need to adjust your eating habits. Since you'll be burning a lot more calories because of all the working out, you'll also need to consume loads more, especially because you want to increase your weight.
Since you are a vegetarian, things like beans, lentils and all kinds of nuts will be good to increase your caloric intake. You'll also need to consume enough protein, quark-yoghurt is a good source for this for vegetarians. What worked for me is to also consume a lot of carbohydrates, so I eat about half a bread each day with things like peanut butter.
One of the most important things to note is that gaining weight won't happen overnight. You'll need to be patient with it. I hope this helps, if you have any furthuer questions feel free to ask them. Also, if I missed anything feel free to add it in the comments.
Answer: If you want to gain aesthetic weight don't bulk heavy just a 250 calories surplus, with progression.
1 year 250 surplus, the next year 300 then 350 and so on.
A good example for a diet is : 1 meal of pasta/rice 1 meal of beans/grains 3 snacks of nuts 10 snacks of fruits/veggies and maybe some fruit juice or almond milk.
If you have thyroid problems stay low on your carbs, if not then just eat normally.
Don't join any gym, it's not worth it unless you live in a really cheap country. 1 year of gym membership is 500$ or 600$ and it's only 1 single year which is not enough to make any substantial change to your body, you might gain 9-15 lbs of muscle mass and you need to pay again to keep the muscle or build more.
By buying what i listed down there you will be able to train every single skeletal muscle in your body from your toes up to your jaw. You can get a big  back, huge chest, huge legs and biceps and so on for a total cost of only 269$, this is all equipment that will last forever which you can keep in your closet or your garden. Don't listen to biased powerlifters or dogmatic people, you don't need a gym for either speed,strength or muscle.
Prices are the averages you will find
a pull up bar : 25$
two adjustable dumbbels of 6lbs to 64lbs : 44$
two adjustable dumbbells of 65lbs to 200lbs : 130$
two 33 lbs bands : 7$ each
two 176 lbs bands : 25$ each
two hand grippers : 3$ each
for dips or inverted rows all you need is two chairs. or if you want to be fancy buy another pull up bar and put at chest height.
It might not seem much but with this stuff you can do about 500 exercises and each one of those can be done in different variations, and the average gym rat only does 8-9 exercises and it's all he knows.
on top of those 500 weighted exercises you can also add over 200 calisthenic moves to your options.
You can start with a simple routine. I suggest training 3 to 4 times a week and each day do full body workouts, also change exercises every day of the week.
Example for your back :
Monday 5 sets 10 reps shotgun rows.
Tuesday 3 sets 5 reps pull ups.
Thursday 5 sets of 5 reps dumbbell rows.
Saturday 5 sets of 20 reps rear delt flyes.
Comment: Why are you saying he shouldn't join a gym? And why are you claiming it will cost him 500-600$ a year to join one? We don't even know where he is from. In my country, it costs about 100€ a year to join a gym, which gives me access to about 40 gyms all around my country.
Comment: your country is not the majority of the world, it's unrealistic to assume he lives in your specific country. That's why i take assume he lives in either America, Europe or Russia where the prices are pretty much the same with little exceptions.
Comment: I live in Europe, and I know prices in the majority of western-europe atleast are pretty much the same as in my country. That's why I'm saying that. I'm the one who isn't assuming where he lives, you are, since you imply a certain price.
Comment: and if gym membership cost varies around countries so does the price of equipment.
Comment: I am from India and gym membership varies from 100$-500$

Weight gaining with or without gym


How do I protect a port that I need to open for my VPN server?

Question: I used the program pivpn to build my vpn server on a raspberry pi 3. When the build was completed, I forwarded the correct port in my router to my raspberry pi. Now I used one of the web programs on grc.com to test my ports and found that the vpn port is open. Is there any way to protect this port and still have access to my vpn? Thank you.
Answer: You could use port knocking; using something like knockd (See details here https://www.vultr.com/docs/port-knocking-on-debian or here https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-port-knocking-to-hide-your-ssh-daemon-from-attackers-on-ubuntu). Basically what it does is that all ports appear to be closed, but if you try to access a sequence of ports in a specific order and within a certain time, knockd will detect it, and you can configure it to open a specific port when that happens.
It is also possible to enable port knocking using only iptables, if you prefer.
On your router, you will then have to forward all the ports used for port knocking to your Raspberry Pi. One thing I am not sure of is how these ports will appear to a port scanner like the one on grc.com. You could do a test beforehand. Forward a port from your router to your rpi that you know is closed on the rpi, and perform a scan using grc.com to make sure that port appears as being stealth.


Relation of the diminished chord to the circle of fifths?

Question: Within each key there are seven chords. If I understand it correctly the "first" six correspond to the minor and major variants of the current key and its immediate neighbors in the circle of fifths, i.e. standing on their respective tonics (e.g. for C these are C, a, F, d, G and e). But the seventh one is the diminished, and I'm not clear on what I should think of that one. At what point in a chord progression would it make sense? Could I use it in moving e.g. from C to G, e, D or b?
Answer: The diminished chord has the function of a dominant chord and wants to go back to the tonic chord (the I chord). For example in the key of C major, Bo would want to go to C.
If you're familiar with the concept of the dominant 7th chord (V7) this should make sense as  the dominant 7th chord  also goes to the tonic the diminished triad is contained within the dominant 7th chord. In the key of C, the dominant chord would be built of G and G7 would contain the notes:

G  B  D  F

If you were to  build just a Bo triad you would have the notes

B  D  F

Which you can see are all in the G7.
So pretty much anywhere you could use a G in the key of C major you could also use Bo.A simple example of a progression you could use a Bo in  the key of C major is:

C  F  Bo C
Comment: A good note to make is that the vii° chord is also called the "leading tone chord" because it wants to lead back to the I chord
Answer:
Relation of the diminished chord to the circle of fifths?

It's the chord between IV and iii in the circle of fifths harmonic sequence:
I IV viio iii iv ii V I

At what point in a chord progression would it make sense?

You can break out two major categories of harmonic progressions: functional and sequential.
Functionally the viio can be treated as dominant harmony. It can lead to the tonic chord, frequently it is in first inversion: viio6 I or viio6 i. You can think of this diminished chord as a sort of V7 dominant seventh chord, but with the dominant omitted.
When viio is used sequentially it does not act as a dominant. The circle of fifth sequence above is the primary example.
Keep in mind that when in a minor key the position of the diminished triad changes to the iio chord...
i iio III iv V vi viio i
...the iio chord is diatonic and functions as a sub-dominant normally in first inversion and moving to a dominant chord iio6 V.
Notice that in minor keys there can also be a viio like in major keys. That particular diminished chord is chromatic and is created by raising the ^7 tone of the scale to create a proper leading tone. viio in minor has the same function as in major acting as a kind of dominant chord.
There are cases in minor harmony where viio isn't used but the unaltered bVII chord is used. For example when the bass descends from the tonic to dominant in minor.
And finally, regarding sequential harmony in minor keys, generally use the unaltered diatonic chords, the major dominant triad may be used to create cadential harmony, so the circle of fifths sequence would be...
i iv bVII bIII bVI iio V i
Answer: First, lose this idea than being 'in a key' restricts the notes and chords that may be used.  It merely establishes a framework of which chords are plain diatonic vanilla, which are exotically chromatic.  It would be a very sad, restricted musical world if every chromatic chord made us leap into another key where it was predictably diatonic!
Back to your question.  The vii chord can be usefully considered as the upper structure of a V7.   It contains the two main tension notes of a dominant 7th, the leading note and the 4th degree of the scale, forming the tritone interval with its strong tendency to resolve to the root and 3rd of the tonic chord.
Extend the diminished triad into a full diminished 7th chord (and yes, although it contains the b6 of the tonic scale, it doesn't mean we've entered or even visited another key - yet!) and all sorts of interesting possibilities open up.  But that's another lesson.
Answer: There's also flat ii, flat iii, flat iv, flat v, flat vi....all in the same key.  It's not that there are only seven tones it's that we commonly harmonize the 7 scale tones.  The cool thing about a diminished chord is that every note in the chord can be called the root note.
Comment: I think your last sentence applies to fully diminished 7th chords but not diminished triads. For example, any combination of B, D, and F is almost certainly a B dimished chord, but add in a G# or Ab (depending on the key) and it becomes ambiguous, or determined by the lowest sounding note.
Comment: You appear to be confusing dim chords and dim intervals - which are certainly confusing, but not exactly related in the way your answer portrays.
Comment: @IHeartPoodles, I think there's a good answer here, but more elaboration is necessary. In order to fully answer user66554's question, could you describe (a) some examples of diminished chords that are built off, e.g., the `♭vi` and (b) some examples of how diminished chords resolve (including the vii o chord, as this is what user66554 originally asks about)?


Installing Java 6 on Ubuntu 10.04 fails on missing Java 6 JRE package

Question: I'm trying to install Java 6 on Ubuntu 10.04 and it's been harder than it should be. In another question about installing Java on Ubuntu/Linux it said that I needed to do the following:
sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://archive.canonical.com/ lucid partner"

However, that failed and I kept getting:
sudo: add-apt-repository: command not found

The solution to this, was to run:
sudo apt-get install python-software-properties

So, that seemed to work and the command above to "add-apt-repository" seems to complete with no errors.  And I have run the following to confirm it got added.
sudo vi /etc/apt/sources.list

But, now when I run the following:
sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre

I get:

Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree
  Reading state information... Done
  Package sun-java6-jre is not available, but is referred to by another package.
  This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
  is only available from another source
  E: Package sun-java6-jre has no installation candidate

Where do I go from here?
Comment: [Answering your own question](http://blog.stackoverflow.com/2011/07/its-ok-to-ask-and-answer-your-own-questions/) is perfectly acceptable, just make sure you put the answer portion as an actual answer by clicking on the "Answer..." link below.
Comment: Gotcha...  I will do that next time.  :)  Thanks for the suggestion.
Answer: So, the problem here was that I needed to run:
sudo apt-get update

Then running the command:
sudo apt-get install sun-java6-jre

works! But, you then are prompted to accept the user agreement.  I'm using Windows and Putty and it wasn't at all clear how accept this (clicking OK does not work).  I had to hit tab until it was highlighted.
This finally seemed to work.


Cannot access database through linked server

Question: I am using the SqlBulkCopy Feature to store bulk data in to Sql database.
For Ex: bulkCopy.DestinationTableName = "employeetable". This code works fine. But In a scenario, where i don't have access to the Destination database directly through Connection string. A linked server is only provided to the destination database. When i am trying to connect the Destination database through the Linked server(Code Below)
For Ex:
<code>using (SqlBulkCopy bulkCopy = new SqlBulkCopy(destcon, SqlBulkCopyOptions.Default, sqltran))
{
    bulkCopy.DestinationTableName = "LinkedSeverName.database.dbo." + employeetable;
    bulkCopy.WriteToServer(dt);
}
</code>
I get the following error,

Cannot access destination table 'LinkedSeverName.database.dbo.employeetable'. ---> System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Could not locate entry in sysdatabases for database 'XXX'. No entry found with that name. Make sure that the name is entered correctly

Is there any other way to overcome this error and achieve the task. Any help is highly appreciated.
Answer: One thing you can look into is, four part name is case sensitive. Make sure that you are specifying correct case.


How can we reduce Test Cycle time using manual test execution?

Question: I'm working on a project where we will not use test automation in this starting stage, at least not until first stable build is released. As we are executing test cases manually, I need your help and tips on how to reduce the Test cycle time for using manual test execution.
Comment: As you are adding the code (features), you will need to add manual testers (or decrease the quality). Manual testing does not scale, as you learned. You are in the hole, first is to stop digging. The longer you take to switch to automated regression testing, the worse mess your project would be.
Answer: Can you try:

Analyze your existing test cases, see if there is any double-handling / overlapping.
Break down your manual test cases into groups based on their priority and likelihood of being executed, always execute test cases with high priority first.
Break down large test cases into smaller ones
Review your test cases after each test cycle, if there are test cases that are not catching bugs, down-grade their priority and after a while, eventually remove them
Answer: There are few ways that you can try to optimize time and requirements.

Create test plan that will cover core functionalities and make sure that this plan doesn't take more than half an hour to perform/execute, with these cases you will make sure that main functionalities are working properly.
Divide cases into several modules and if development team is performing fixes, change requests or some alteration in code you will be able to quickly run test that are only affected by latest change.
Create regression test that will go through all functionalities but without using edge cases, this test should be performed when there is time to check global project, but should be used as a best case scenario where you expect that everything works
Answer: Prioritize.
Identify the core 20% test cases which covers the 80% base functionality.
Remove redundants:Identify reduntant test cases/ test steps throughout the test suite.


How do I enhance my handwriting?

Question: I'm an adult, yet my handwriting looks like a child's. I would prefer an answer from someone who used to have a bad or ugly handwriting, and fixed it.
Comment: 1) Try cursive (faster than printing). 2) Don't worry, be happy.  The important attributes for most handwritten notes are that **you** can read it, and that it's fast to write.
Comment: Hi Donnie, Welcome to Lifehacks.StackExchange. We hope you enjoy your stay and sharing with us.
Comment: Don't overthink this too much, almost everything you write should be in pc anyways. And if you handwrite sth is mostly for you
Comment: its _readable_, the only childlike thing is it isn't joined up.
Answer: The pen you write with makes a lot of a difference. Dark-inked and thick-pointed pen will make your handwriting look 'smooter', if that's what you are after.
However, I think that as long as your handwriting is legible, and yours IS legible, you shouldn't really worry about it. I am said to have very ugly and illegible handwriting but I don't understand why people find it ugly - I'm quite fond of the way it looks. In the same way I don't see why you call you handwriting ugly and child-like - I actually find it to be very distinct and interesting.
Comment: As a person with poor penmanship, I disagree about the thickness of the pen.  I have found the opposite - that a fine-tip pen makes my penmanship slightly better.
Answer: Sadly, there's no lifehack for this.  The only way to improve any physical skill (skiing, ice skating, drawing, or handwriting) is practice.
Unfortunately, with the advent of computers and smart phones, modern schools don't do a good job of teaching penmanship; most no longer teach cursive writing at all (the elegant, connected style our parents and grandparents used), so you may be on your own for learning as an adult.
Fortunately, textbooks are still out there -- when I was in grade school, I learned the Palmer Method.  My handwriting was generally not very good, but I learned, in my thirties, that it improved greatly if I just slowed down a little -- trying to write fast was a recipe for illegibility.
Get an old textbook that teaches cursive writing, penmanship, or calligraphy, and practice.  Follow the exercises.  Follow the stroke direction and order illustrations.  Spend time on learning every day -- and stop when you get tired (you gain nothing by practicing mistakes).
It'll probably take months, maybe more than a year (I spent 45 minutes a school day for three years practicing penmanship in grade school, but an adult can probably learn it faster) -- but in the end, you can have, if not beautiful writing, at the very least an adult-looking, legible cursive and manuscript hand.
Answer: Is your goal to be able to take quick notes or write things down quickly for your own reference later, or is it to write letters or notes to be (formally) delivered to other people to be read?
If this is for your own purposes, don't worry about it. As long as you yourself can read it, it's fine. No one else is looking at it, and the "quality" of your handwriting is totally irrelevant.
If this is for formal purposes, or intended for other people to read, change your approach. Rather than "writing," think of the process as "drawing the letters." Slow down, and take the time to detach the meaning from the form of the letter. This does take some practice, but it's a very effective way to produce neat, legible handwriting without having to move into something excessively fancy (i.e. calligraphy), and takes considerably less practice than those techniques as well.
I used to make my living as a sign writer, and I have dreadful handwriting, but anyone looking at my signs would never have guessed; people who saw both were frequently surprised that they were written by the same person.
Answer: When I was in middle school or high school, I made a switch; instead of using upper-case and lower-case letters, I started using upper-case and smaller upper-case letters. It didn't fix the problem for me, but made it SO much better.
Comment: That's also called big and small "caps" in graphic design and in typography.
Answer: Your sample is not handwriting. It is printing. The difference is that the letters are not connected. You also mention that your handwriting [sic] "looks like a child's."
The first thing that I noticed is that you ignore the ruled lines that normally are used as the baseline for all the letters to sit upon. Correcting that will go a long way to normalizing the unruly childlike appearance. Ironically, the time you take to print is longer than the time it takes to do your messaging in cursive script (the fancy way to say handwriting.)
I'm going to suggest you don't even try to improve your "handwriting." It looks as if that "look" has become part of your personality. It'll take too long to re-train yourself and you'll probably feel foolish doing that with a keyboard sitting near you.
Learning to write is kid's stuff !
Instead, I'm going to turn you on to CALLIGRAPHY which is handwriting on steroids! It's easy, very distinctive, doesn't take much more time to do than print. And it's so impressive that you'll have people thanking you for sending them a card with a hand-lettered word or two on it.
Have a look at this link: How To: Calligraphy | Easy and Inexpensive  There's no end of these lessons online and waiting for you at your public library.
You'll be astonished at how many different styles there are. Find one that appeals to you and go for it.
You'll be doing beautiful hand lettered work faster than you ever believed possible.

If you wanted a lucrative part-time business, hand lettering names on certificates, documents, and diplomas is in high demand. Hand printed cards and greetings are very appreciated mementos, too. Hand Made still means something.
Oh, and use the baseline for your document lettering vertical alignment or move to plain unruled paper so your rebellious nature is not so evident.
Answer: Do you always use print (block) letters?  Have you ever experimented with cursive?  That might be something to consider.
To make your current handwriting look more mature and sophisticated:

Make sure you don't use capital letters in place of a a lower case letter at the beginning of a word.  In your limited sample, I see this occurring with the G and the P.  (If you give us a more complete sample, I could give you more complete feedback about individual letters.)
Reduce the size of the r, and modify it so it looks less like a V.  Here's how: Begin with your pen a little lower than you usually do, and on the upstroke, go almost all the way back to the starting point before you begin the curve to the right.
I get the impression you might be a leftie.  If so, congratulations are in order -- you've come up with a handwriting that is much, much clearer and pleasant to read than most lefties.
Look at the general slightly leftward slant.  This is natural and fine for lefties.   Occasionally you depart from the general leftward slant, though, and that might be contributing to what's bothering you.  If you allow your letters to slant more consistently, it would give your writing a more uniform look.
Get a style book (e.g. Strunk's Elements of Style) from a second hand store, or read some style blog posts about punctuation, so you can take a more meticulous approach to punctuation, with more confidence.  (https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/punctuation?sort=frequent&pageSize=50 would be another possible source of information about this.)
I noticed that in the second-to-last line of your sample, you'd probably want to put a comma between the first you and the close quote.
Bring your periods lower down.
Work on the content of your writing -- i.e., learn to edit your drafts for style.  As you gain experience with this, you'll be able to write better first drafts and single-draft writing.  This will create a more sophisticated, mature impression.
I noticed that in your limited sample, many sentences started with "She (verb in simple past)."  It's nice to vary the sentence structure a bit.  Or you can combine things into a bulleted list or an in-line list, for example

She provided plenty of positive feedback to the students (e.g. "good job," "very good").

Be aware of the strengths of your current handwriting.  What I noticed in this limited sample:

It's clear and easy to read.
It comes across as positive and open, and draws the reader in.
I have the impression you're able to execute it at a good speed.

I think points 5, 6 and 7 might be the most important.

How do I enhance my handwriting?


Modeling Diodes in Autodesk CFD

Question: I'm extremely new to Autodesk CFD, and I'm working on a project that deals with diodes heating up and cooling down based on a fixed temperature regulated by a temperature switch. Basically, I have a string of 6 diodes soldered together hooked up to a temperature switch, and when the diode temperature reaches 150C, the current stops flowing through the diodes. Another parameter is that this diode chain is immersed in an aluminum bottle of oil, so convection currents come into play. My problem is, I'm trying to model this on Autodesk CFD, and I'm not really sure how to go about modeling something that is fluctuating in temperature, AND has convection currents surrounding it.
Answer: The natural convection of the oil shouldn't be an issue and can be solved without any 'assumptions' to be made.  The challenge comes with the diodes temperature control. CFD doesn't currently have a temperature controlled heat flux, so some assumptions will have to be made. The simplest assumption would be to just assign a temperature of 150C and assume it is always running at the hottest.  This would assume that the diodes do not cool down much before current is passed back through again.  If we assume this fixed temperature then the analysis is a simple steady state and the setup can follow the guide in the help:
http://help.autodesk.com/view/SCDSE/2019/ENU/?guid=GUID-A7E7C4B9-701B-4A4E-9F98-2E7C0BD1CB31
We can get more complicated than that (transient, fixed volume of oil), but I would recommend taking your question to the Autodesk CFD forums.
https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/cfd-forum/bd-p/330

Modeling Diodes in Autodesk CFD


"Settings" is crashing after installing gapps

Question: I've install custom rom called JELLYTIME on my HTC Desire HD phone. Recently I tried to update it to most recent version. After the update I installed google apps from this website: http://goo.im/gapps. I installed version 20130301. Since then the settings section works very badly. It crashes often and I can't connect to any wifi network for example. I'm afraid that I installed the wrong version of gapps but according to the table I should have installed that version for android 4.2.2. Can anyone please tell how can I fix the problem?
Comment: Did you wipe data/cache? If the answer is no, that would explain why settings is crashing (you were coming from a different ROM prior to this?).
Comment: Yes I tried it several times. I used the same ROM, just tried to upgrade it.
Comment: Used "*same ROM?*" What version was it prior to upgrade to 4.2.2?
Answer: I don't know why and how but in one case I solved this problem using wifix manager app. Just installed it and wifi started to work normally. Hope this helps anyone.
http://www.fardjad.com/android/wifix/


Why is borole not considered aromatic

Question: I came across a problem which stated that borole isn't aromatic. I thought that borole is similar to pyrrole so it should be aromatic, but that isn't the case. Can I know why isn't it aromatic?
I was also wondering if we replace the nitrogen in pyridine with boron then will the compound remain aromatic?
Comment: Draw the pi orbital system, then fill in the available electrons. You will hopefully then be able to answer your questions.
Comment: I see that boron has 2 electron available. So won't they go into resonance?
Comment: @Safdar Boron has empty p orbitals, but can resonance of borole not involve delocalisation of electrons in the vacant p orbital from the neighbouring pi bonds. Won't this cause charge seperation and negative charge formation on boron. This idea is different from pyrrole where the ring has negative charge but can it not occur?
Answer: A very basic way to do this would be to draw a diagram that shows the p-orbitals going above and below the plane.
For Borole, the bonding orbitals would look like as shown below (taken from the wikipedia page on Borole):

Natural Bonding Orbitals of Borole. Structure optimised using ORCA BP86-D3BJ and def2- TZVPP basis set. The calculated occupencies of the obitals going from left to right are $0.13$, $1.9$ and $1.9$ respectively.

[emphasis mine]
The point to be taken here is the sentence in bold, the occupany in the empty p-orbital of boron [left most diagram and first value given] is small compared to the other two π-bond orbitals. This means that there is no complete delocalisation in borole. Only the double bonds are in conjugation.
A reason for this is that the orbital of Boron is an empty p-orbital and so the total number of electrons that can potentially delocalise is $4$ and so not of the form $4n+2$. If anything, the compound would become "anti-aromatic" if conjugation were to happen and so that delocalisation doesn't take place.
Now, on your second question, the lone pair of nitrogen in pyridine doesn't contribute to the aromaticity since the lone pair is out of plane of the ring. So adding placing boron shouldn't affect the aromaticity.
Answer: Simply for the beginners in organic chemistry, this explanation of aromaticity is good enough:

An aromatic (or aryl) compound contains a set of covalently bound atoms with specific characteristics:

A delocalized conjugated $\pi$ system, most commonly an arrangement of alternating single and double bonds.
Coplanar structure, with all the contributing atoms in the same plane.
Contributing atoms arranged in one or more rings.
A number of $\pi$ delocalized electrons that is even, but not a multiple of $4$. That is, $4n + 2$ $\pi$-electrons, where $n = 0, 1, 2, 3,$ and so on. This is known as Hückel's rule.

Hence, borole ($\ce{C4H5B}$), which has mimicked pyrrole ring follows first three rules but the forth. It is planner with contributing atoms arranged in a single ring in same plane. It has a conjugated $\pi$-system with consecutive $\mathrm{p}$-orbitals along the ring, but one of them is empty (still valid to count for aromaticity; e.g., tropylium ion, $\ce{C7H7+}$). However, borole has missed the most important rule: Hückel's rule. It does not contain $4n + 2$ $\pi$-electrons, therefore not aromatic.

Why is borole not considered aromatic


Learn to type in Pinyin for a Zhuyin user

Question: After years of frustration about not being able to distinguish ㄥ ㄣ, and nearly no improvements on iOS Zhuyin keyboard layout. I decided to switch to Pinyin for both mobile usage and daily desktop (I am a Mac user). What's your suggested ways of learning and your experience?
Comment: `Pinyin->Zhuyin` is difficult, as there're many symbols to remember, but `Zhuyin->Pinyin` would be much easier, as they are (almost) one-to-one mapping and you have already know English. Just practice for several hours.
Answer:
There is an (almost) one-to-one mapping from Zhuyin to Pinyin, replacing symbols with letters. In my humble opinion, Pinyin only save one from remembering symbols.
Neither Pinyin nor Zhuyin is perfect. Better learn both of them.
Pinyin is the result of an attempt of romanization, everything is going well except that, after all, Chinese language is quite different from Latin family languages in many aspects, spelling, pronunciation, logic, or the way of thinking, so a perfectly matched mapping can be really hard to realize, if not impossible. So it's not surprising when the Pinyin transliteration is found to be a little strange to English pronunciation rules, e.g. in qi vs. chee, or gu vs. koo. A more intuitive transliteration is Wade-Giles. As a citizen of China, one had better learn and use Pinyin as Pinyin simplifies and boosts the learning or the input in digital devices in many situations. Chinese romanization is still in progress, and we all might contribute to it. Personally speaking, it is quite controversial to put Pinyin into the position of official representation of Chinese language pronunciation, say, for the lacking of cultural heritage, abrupt as a centaur. When it comes to input method, I prefer the faster heuristic Pinyin (such as Google's, QQ's and Sogou's) than Zhuyin.
Zhuyin, based on a system invented by the late philosopher 章太炎 in 1910's. Zhuyin symbols presents a concise representation, which implies a simplification of pronunciation patterns, in other words, a standardized Mandarin would prevail and dialects or variations had to fend for themselves. Zhuyin is still officially in use among Taiwanese people, some of which feel it hard to move to Pinyin, for many reasons, such as personal habit or belief. Say it practically, Zhuyin has some advantage: some vowel Zhuyin symbols may give less keyboard hits than Pinyin, e.g. ㄠ (L) vs. ao (AO).
Comment: Why was the comment impolite? If it was, that's definitely not the intention.
Comment: Could you elaborate on 'neither Pinyin nor Zhuyin is perfect'?
Comment: Could you elaborate on 'you'?
Comment: 'You' here refers to the person who wrote this answer, whom the system suggests there is no need to mention with '@' symbol.
Comment: I refuse to reply to someone who doesn't show politeness.
Comment: Oh, alright, then please give me some time to update it :D
Comment: Let's [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/10614/discussion-between-congliu-and-ns-x)
Answer: I had a similar experience learning Chinese (My first teacher was from Taiwan, so we learned Zhu Yin). I found that the best way to learn pinyin was through chat room practice. Live conversations gave both contextual and applicable meaning to the pinyin I was using, and therefore helped solidify my understanding of pinyin.
I recommend going to http://www.zhongwen.com/ and clicking on Liaotian! and start chatting.
That site gives a comprehensive pinyin learning experience by displaying the pinyin dictionary right next to your chat room- so looking up words is convenient.
Answer: Being a Chinese in mainland, I never learnt ZhuYin.
I learn PinYin at my primary school.
But my mama learnt ZhuYin(60 years ago).
And I remember that my old Chinese dictionary has both ZhuYin and PinYin.
Comment: Zhuyin also appears in the appendix part of new version `新华字典` and `现代汉语词典`.


What rules govern when a new option series is issued?

Question: As I'm typing this, the CBOE quotes and data page lists GOOG and FB options with expirations of September, October, November and December of 2012. But AMZN and GS only get September and October of 2012. Why is this?
Answer: The CBOE Rule Book, Section 5.5 explains exactly what programmes are available, how and when they will start listing and expire.
The super-concise summary is: It's a per-underlying decision process, though there's some rules that may provide you with a minimum set of options (e.g. the quarterly programme on highly capitalised stocks trading for more than $75, etc.)
For greater detail, for better or worse, you will have to scan the New Listings service regularly.
Answer: Without researching the securities in question I couldn't tell you which cycle each is in, but your answer is that they have different expiration cycles.
The following definition is from the CBOE website;
"Expiration cycle
An expiration cycle relates to the dates on which options on a particular underlying security expire. A given option, other than LEAPS®, will be assigned to one of three cycles, the January cycle, the February cycle or the March cycle."


Can I restore an app I removed from list on my Droid Razr?

Question: I just got a Motorola Droid Razr M. I've deleted some apps by accidentally tapping Remove From List rather than just swiping them off the screen. Is there a way to get these back?
Answer: You probably haven't actually deleted the app, as that would have to be done via the Play Store or Settings menu. Remove From List should only remove an app from the multi-tasking list, or at most close the background process.
Check the list of apps in your task launcher and you should still find it available.
Answer: If they are the apps came originally with your device (and are not available for download in the Play Store), you can back up your phone and go for a factory reset. Restore everything afterwards. This option would be fine since your device is still new.
If the apps are available for download at Google Play Store, simply go there and install them. This option will save some trouble for you.


Is it possible to setup and Svn repository on an existing hosted web server?

Question: In this case I don't have full access to it. (hostgator) Can I install/use a svn repository for my code ? I'd like to kill two birds with one stone since I already run a website off of it.
Answer: Short answer is no..
I would look at outsourcing it to store your repo in another location then your website. 1 disaster you lose the site and your repo.. Not a good idea
Answer: Visual SVN Server should allow so.
Please see some features here: VISUALSVN SERVER // Features.
During the repositories creation, you should be able to specify the URL somewhere in the configuration. The full URL might demand the Repository name in it, though. That is more likely what you want, if you don't want any user to come to your repository source control page whenever one type your URL.
However, I guess you will have to use this same server for your repository. What I mean is that you will have to install Visual SVN Server on this Internet-exposed server.
I just can't say whether it is possible to install it on the LAN-side of your network, and expose your repositories through your website URL. This might be doable too, and would benefit of a greater security, I guess. Visual SVN allows for HTTPS connections. This might be sufficient.
Such configuration might get risky over time if your webserver gets hacked or whatever, and you lose your repository...
EDIT #1
Sorry! I assumed you had your own webserver infrastructure home/office. With such hosting, I wouldn't recommend doing so, but this might be doable. Take for instance SourceForge which offers different source control URLs for different open source projects.