Is it legal to have 2 flights in the air at the same time with the same flight #?

Question: My son was flying from a Rochester NY to Washington Dulles on flight 4578. They were to land, pickup passengers, then continue to Raleigh. The flight from Rochester was delayed so late arriving in DC. While in the air, the same flight number left DC to Raleigh - obviously different plane. How does that happen?
Comment: I've written about a similar situation regarding [United 237](http://travel.stackexchange.com/questions/22888/is-a-flight-number-unique-for-the-schedule-origin-and-destination/22890?s=1|0.1917#22890)  Delay 1 of the flights and you get 2 flights with the same number in the air at the same time.
Comment: I think the question @Karlson answers might be marked as a duplicate, even though it does not directly address the legality point.
Comment: @Vince I don't see any reason to address legality of this...
Comment: @Karlson I suppose you don't because flight codes most likely do not have much to do with legality. Which shows that the OP is confused with what a flight code stands for, overall.
Comment: Related: [How are duplicate call signs dealt with?](http://aviation.stackexchange.com/q/14382/755) on aviation.se.
Answer: Yes, and No.
Flight numbers do frequently get used for multiple flights on the same day. For example today UA712 is used for both a Chicago to San Diego flight and a subsequent San Diego to San Francisco flight.  In this case, both of these flights used the same aircraft (an Airbus A320, United "ship" number 4616).
On Saturday, UA338 will fly from Salt Lake City to Denver, and then Denver to Dallas Fort Worth - but in this case each of those legs will be flown by a separate aircraft.
Even in cases where the same aircraft is scheduled to fly both legs, delays and changes can mean that different aircraft end up being used for the two flights.
So that certainly means that two aircraft with the same flight numbers can be in the air at the same time.  In fact, it's even possible that both flights will be very close to each other (a delayed flight arriving, whilst the on-time one after it with the same flight number is departing from the same airport).
To avoid confusion in situations like this, the flight number that the aircraft uses for the purpose of flight planning, air traffic control, etc will be changed in cases like this - frequently by the addition of a letter after the number.
So if flight UA111 is delayed, then the next segment with the same flight number may be referred to as UA111T, or UA111 "tango" or similar.  As a traveler on that flight you won't see this - it'll still be referred to as UA111 because from a traveler perspective there's no confusion - there's still only one UA111 departing so there's no opportunity to (for example) catch the wrong flight.
One exception to this is if a flight is delayed until the next day.  In this case there might be two flights with the same flight number departing the same airport on the same day.  To avoid confusion here, airlines will either change the flight number completely (one of the XX123's becomes XX234), or they will add a letter similar to above (XX123 becomes XX123B). In this case, boarding passes and airport displays would all show the modified flight number so passengers would know which of the two flights they were on.
Answer: It's fairly common for a single flight number to cover multiple flight segments (legs): for example, Qantas flight 1 (QF1) is both Sydney to Dubai and Dubai to London.
In the US, it's apparently common to use the same flight number on separate services flown by separate planes, leading to situations like yours.  I don't think this serves any practical purpose except allowing airlines to dupe people into buying "direct" flights that aren't.
In most of the world, the same physical plane flies both legs.  However, if the originally planned plane is delayed/cancelled for the first leg, and there's lots of passengers waiting for the connection, and the airline happens to have a plane available at the connection point, it's rare but possible for the second leg to be flown by a different physical plane.
Updated to account for American exceptionalism.
Comment: In fact it's extremely common for the subsequent flights with the same flight number to be flown by a different aircraft.  Happens all day every day in the US.
Comment: Well, there are some practical purposes. Preserving flight numbers is one of them. As far as "American exceptionalism" is concerned, you will find that the U.S. is actually quite exceptional in regards to the number of scheduled airline flights, so preserving flight numbers is actually a valid concern with the larger U.S. airlines. Delta, for instance, [operates an average of over 5,400 flights per day](http://news.delta.com/stats-facts) with nearly a thousand from Atlanta alone. Once codeshares are accounted for, Delta would literally be running out of flight numbers if they didn't do this.
Comment: QF1 now flies via Dubai.
Answer: You ask if it's legal. Yes, otherwise as for the reasons explained in the other answers, airlines could not operate delayed or multi leg flights using the number,
To expand on the other answers you need to remember that each plane has its own identifiers, so when an airline books a slot with air traffic control it will be saying,for example, Plane GB-AAA , flying from LHR (London heathrow) to BRS (bristol) operating as Flight Ba1111.  So then if for some reason there were delays the airline could then book with air traffic control a second flight Plane GB-BBB flying from LHR (London heathrow) to BRS (bristol) operating as Flight Ba1111. which could be in the air at the same time,
Flight numbers identify the route and scheduled timings for the airline, what air traffic control get is a plane identifier, which has to be unique.
Comment: Actually what ATC uses is the flight's _callsign_. In general aviation the callsign is usually the aircraft registration, but scheduled airline flights usually use the flight number as their callsign (with the two-letter IATA prefix replaced with a three-letter ICAO operator code, e.g., BA becomes BAW, pronounced "Speedbird"). Of course, when there are several instances of the same flight number in the same airspace at the same time, one or both of them needs to use a different callsign.
Comment: When talking to ATC, your callsign will not be "GB-AAA operating as BA1111." That would be too long and would waste frequency time (which is important in busy airspace.) In the U.S., your callsign will normally be your airline callsign plus your flight number (i.e. "Speedbird 1-1-1-1" for BA1111, as Henning pointed out.) In Europe, sometimes the aircraft registration number is used instead of flight number for airlines, just like it is in GA in the U.S.


Do we know how Senju Hashirama died?

Question: The wiki says that Hashirama died shortly after the creation of Konohagakure.  Do we know how he died?  I mean, he was powerful enough to stand up to Madara, so I feels like it would be no small thing that could kill him.
Comment: Well.... I may have something to do with it :)
Answer: It's unknown exactly how did he die, but here's what we can find. His wiki page says:

 Hashirama died shortly after the founding of Konoha in one of the many
 wars that were raging during this revolutionary era, but not before
 passing on the title of Hokage to Tobirama.1

However, if we head to the Konohagakure wiki page, we will find a more specific note:

 Hashirama died during the First Shinobi World War, necessitating his
 brother Tobirama Senju replace him as Second Hokage.1 Tobirama would
 also die during the war, appointing his pupil Hiruzen Sarutobi as his
 successor before sacrificing himself to ensure his pupils' escape from
 Kumogakure's ninja.2

Now, here's what we know about the First Shinobi War (emphasis mine):

 The First Shinobi War was the first of the great wars that involved the majority of
 shinobi villages and countries. The war started not long after the system of one shinobi
 village per country was established by the founding of Konohagakure. To try and
 maintain a balance of power, the First Hokage divided the tailed beasts among the
 other five villages3 when he began his peace talks with them.

So it indeed looks like he died in the First Shinobi War, which is not too surprising, considering that

 his brother - the Second Hokage Tobirama Senju - died in the same war2, in which other Kages and Tailed Beasts were involved.

1 Character Databook 1, page 116
2 chapter 481 pages 4-10
3 chapter 404 page 14
Answer: In my opinion, the First Hokage is meant to be a more mystical aspect throughout the series.
They start off at a very early point in the original Naruto series explaining how powerful he was, and they reference that continuously more and more throughout the series. The same can be said for the Sharingan. Orochimaru is obsessed with research concerning both if them, and we see plot developments all throughout the series with both of them.
My theory is that Hashirama was killed off in order for these plot developments to occur. Unfortunately we don't have much information on this, but I think that the reason why it's so gray in that area is to allow for future plot developments to happen.
Obviously the First Hokage was incredibly powerful. Madara even goes so far as to say that even with his Rinnegan/Eternal Mangekyo/Mokuton jutsu, he still wouldn't be a match for Senju Hashirama. It's kind of hard to believe that he died in a random shinobi battle.
Lets not forget that Hashirama's Mokuton-infused cells granted Madara an enhanced life span, but they also grant insane chakra-reinforced strength and chakra-enhanced abilities. With Mokuton cells, Danzo was able to use Shisui's Kotoamatsukami once every four days, rather than   once every 10 years.
We know that he is dead during to Orochi and the Third's battle. So maybe he was killed by a random group of vague assassins that never get mentioned again in the series. If that's the case then that is one big gray splotch on an otherwise colorful canvas. Because if there is one thing I've come to respect out of Naruto, it's the writers attention to detail and the complexities of the series... Not some half-assed plot tie up where the most powerful ninja in the known world gets vaguely killed in the first shinobi world war.
Answer: It says that he died sometime before or at the early stages of the first shinobi war, Tobirama also died during that war and Hiruzen became Hokage then
Answer: During Orochimaru's reanimation of the 1st hokage, based on the reanimation he's still wearing a combat armor which means he's in a middle of fighting, neither assassinated, sacrificed for something or died because of some reasons.
Or maybe since he's also one of Orochimaru's primary subject's for experimentation, Orochimaru might have done something on the 1st's body, he might have poisoned it or something. No one really knows this is just only my theory. But if our theories isn't still right the death of the 1st hokage still remains a mystery
Comment: I know I'm late, but Madara died right after telling Obito what to do, he didn't wear any armor, but when revived by Kabuto, he got the armor.
Answer: I believe that Hashirama's story is a lot colder, different and more true to his character, then what people presume.  Hashiramas life was an extremely difficult hardship to bear and not anyone could just be, what he was.  When I say this, I don't just mean physically but emotionally and mentally, as well.  He spent his life, trying to juggle peace, family, friendship and justice for everyone.  He was constantly being tugged by opposing opinions of what peace truly was, or what kind of consequences would come of his actions as a hokage....who would it benefit? who would it hurt?  Would peace truly come of all this, between the Senju and Uchicha clans....or any clans!?  I believe that Hashirama became tired of it all.  He coudlnt balance all this - and no matter what he did, true peace would never come of all his goals.  When Madara read the Naka Shrine; he found out that true peace just wasn't possible; for it was all an endless cycle of death and hatred between clans.  After much time and many years of Hashirama fighting, fighting and more fighting - he started to understand what Madara was trying to say but could never get to that extreme of an solution.  He probably couldn't convince himself of what was right and wrong anymore.  True peace was a catch-22.  There was no way to really reach it.  This could've had a big part to do with Hashiramas standards of peace, since they were so high.  He couldn't bear the fact that he failed(at least by his standards), and like he always says "conflict, no matter what the era".  Even the most powerful people in the world have a limit.  His heart could only take so much killing and blood spilling.  Think about this: A man who speaks of nothing but peace and love....seeing nothing but war and hate.  The Hashirama that we all know, was a genuine human being with a soft heart and eventually that heart cant take anymore pain.  Yeah, im saying it, because this is what I believe his character truly reflects:  I think he let himself die in war -or- killed himself.  He was just tired of it all and saw no more purpose or meaning, so he hands the title to his brother and goes off to war with the intention of dying without people knowing it was premeditated.  Maybe he wanted people to learn a lesson from his death, if they could figure him out.  A great and extremely significant character like Hashirama, has to have a very significant death, not just by dying in battle.  He was either truly depressed of this fate that could not be altered by his leadership and skills.....or......he wanted his death to be something that people could learn from.  He figured, he goes out with a mark on the world.  His death maybe would be another component of people in the future finding something more close to true peace.  All his successors would learn from him.

Do we know how Senju Hashirama died?


Why might the villages do nothing about the slavery?

Question: So, out in Den Colorado many slavers make profits from buying and selling human slaves. The often prey on small tribes and settlements, like Boulder and Five Families. The slavers ride into town, take some people, and then leave, with those people captured subjected to unimaginable suffering as a slave. There is one thing in my plot that doesn't make sense, however. What would be a plausible reason why the people in these towns wouldn't try to fight back?
Comment: Maybe they do, and they fail. Maybe the slavers are better armed and organized. Maybe the slaves are actually sold to the slavers by the chiefs of the tribes. Maybe this is simply how it is -- remember than in most of the world for most of history slavery was a perfectly normal station in life.
Comment: This is too broad by far.  Real stories of this kind exist as far back as recorded history goes (e.g. the Roman empire was both victim and perpetrator).  The reasons are complex and many.
Answer: In the early days of Africans being taken into slavery by Europeans, often the local West African rulers would sell their prisoners of war (rather than their own people) to the slavers.  http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/pathways/blackhistory/africa_caribbean/africa_trade.htm
The people of Boulder & Five Families might (whether openly or under the table) use the slavers as a way to get rid of their "undesirables" -- petty criminals, social rejects, etc.
Comment: Very good point.   The "Roots" myth,  that Europeans would make land at a random piece of rocky coast,  then set of into a jungle they were totally unfamiliar with and unprepared for,  to capture a group of skilled Bantu warriors on their home turf as if they were wild game,  is totally implausible. Slavers bought their wares wholesale in markets,  without risking their own previous skins.
Answer: Combination of factors.
1: They stand to profit by selling their own criminals and captured enemies or assorted other undesirables to the slavers.
2: They own slaves, and a good number of those slaves come from..... you guessed it. The slavers.
3: Cultures change over time. We consider slavery reprehensible now (not enough to stop using Cambodian toddlers to make all our stuff but I digress). Owning slaves is entirely accepted in the post apocalyptic culture. It's a profitable way to build large things cheaply in with little to no industrial capability.
4: Slavers are respected, working for them is a very profitable opportunity everyone aspires to, its a fast track to wealth and power.
5: The slavers are smarter than one dimensional cartoon villains and don't mindlessly attack allies cuz "WE SLAVERS! WE BAD! FIGHT YOU NOW!" They operate like the Colombian narco-lords. They provide services and charity to their people, they act as a de facto police and government in a time where there is little or no social cohesion. Slavery becomes the punishment for most serious crimes, giving a crude sort of justice system to the wasteland. They make allies, cultivate friendships, do brisk business, and always ensure their neighbors have the right balance of fear, respect, admiration, and dependency to never think of attacking. But lastly and most importantly, they cant sell slaves to people if they get a reputation as mindless violent idiots and kill or enslave potential customers.
Answer: People pay protection money to the slavers. Those who don't pay are the ones collected.
People don't need to fight back as long as they are paid up......
Like every sort of criminal organization, a protection racket is a great source of income with a low level of work required.
The slavers hit the town taking a few every so often. After awhile someone comes into town offering protection from the slavers for a price.
Eventually, those who don't pay up are actively targeted for slavery. The remaining townsfolk feel it's cheaper to pay than fight as the slavers have stated they kill burn the town and kill everyone that resists and enslave everyone else should they try and rebel.
Comment: A very (maybe too) succinct answer, which has been flagged as low quality due to short length. Would you mind beefing it up a bit? Perhaps explain how your scenario developped; how it's maintained; etc.
Answer: If you're set on the idea of slave raids (as opposed to the slavers buying or extorting people from their settlements), consider making them stealthier. Slavers are basically predators, after all, and when falling on herds predators always single out the weak and isolated. Now weak victims don't make all that useful of slaves, so logic dictates they'll go after people who are alone or in small groups - tending the outlying fields, say, or on journeys to other villages. Each settlement has a fortified core that can repel slaver raids, but sooner or later somebody has to take a chance and venture further out.
Alternatively, what if they bring back indentured servitude? In a society like this, most people are going to be spending most of their time performing manual labor anyway, so doing it for someone else isn't that big of a change, and it can be safer working under the thumb of a domineering landlord than taking your chances as a subsistence farmer. Depending on the circumstances, your lot in life might actually improve. ("It sucks having to do what Mr. Johnson says, but at least there's clean water and no dire coyotes.") There's no need for raids and corrals and guards if the slaves volunteered.
Answer: They fought back a generation ago and it did not end well. At all. Better that a few suffer rather than all of them like before.


New to bass trombone

Question: I usually play a tenor trombone or baritone. I'm completely new to the concept of bass trombone. All i know is that its obviously in Bb, with an F attachment key. Im also not used to playing notes below the staff, as i am the only soloist for our band. What should i do to have a better tone on low notes and what is the second key for? I've tried asking people in the band to help and nobody has any experience on it nor has anyone ever seen one.
Comment: What make and model of trombone is it?
Comment: Jinbao JBSL-831S
Answer: This question is really broken into two parts:
1) What are the functions of the first and second valves on a bass trombone?
and
2) Why do I not sound like I do on a tenor trombone on a bass trombone?
Bass Trombone Valves
Virtually all bass trombones come in one of three types of configurations, based on the number of rotors/valves they have. "Plug" is a slang term that you might see used as well, and simply can be used interchangeably with the term valve. These variations are:

Single
Dependent
Independent

A single rotary bass trombone is typically pitched in Bb/F, just like a conventional tenor trombone.  This means that without the valve depressed, it is in Bb, and with the valve depressed, it is pitched a fourth lower, in F.
The Dependent configuration has two valves, and there are several variations. Bb/F/Eb and Bb/F/D are the most common, with D being more common than F on modern horns.  Dependent configurations are not as popular as they once were, but you still see a number of them come up used and some companies still produce them from student through professional horns.  The way you'd interpret this is that with no valves depressed, it is in Bb. With one, it is pitched in F as with a single horn. With both valves depressed, it is in Eb or D, respectively.  This gives access to CC in 4th position on a Bb/F/D horn.
The reason that dependent horns were once popular and are still used by some today is that the trombone neckpipe (the tube that touches your neck) is not a purely cylindrical tube. It is actually cone shaped on the inside, but very gradually.  When you put two rotaries on a trombone, the each rotor can take up to a few inches of space, turning the instrument from cylindrical to conical. Or in simpler terms, it reduces the amount of taper.  Some players don't mind this, others do. Those that do prefer dependent because you get the benefit of having easier access to lower notes but you dont' give up that extra inch of tapered tubing. This can have an influence on response if you are very familiar with your instrument.  Many players will not be able to perceive this difference.
Independent, which is what your configuration is, is often pitched in Bb/F/Gb/D. Meaning without the valve open, it is a Bb. With the thumb valve alone depressed, it is pitched in F. With the Gb alone (the ring/middle finger) depressed, it is in Gb. With both valves engaged, it is in D.
This means you can play F in first with the first valve depressed and Gb in first with the second valve depressed.  With both of them depressed, you can play D in first position.
So what you can do with this is use alternative positions with the valves to facilitate technique. For example, Bb at the second line of the bass clef staff can be played in a flat 3rd position on the F attachment, making a pattern such as Ab -> Bb -> D in the positions 3 -> Flat 3 -> 4, which is easier than 3 -> 1 -> 4.
There are many possible combinations, and if you're interested it would probably be good to ask another question such as what the possibilities are because one could easily fill up an entire answer on the uses of the various turnings.
Bass Trombone Sound
In some ways, a bass trombone is a big tenor trombone, at least in a contemporary context. However, there are some key differences that you should be aware of that give bass trombone a sound that is distinct from a tenor trombone.
First, Jin Bao do occasionally make a good horn, but they can be inconsistent.  Depending on how you acquired it, it may be a "dud." There are companies such as Wessex and Mack Brass that get Jin Bao instruments and play test them before shipping. Retailers on eBay have a tendency to not do this. It is not unheard of for people to receive horns with rotors that are not aligned properly, for example, which can make a horn very difficult to play - especially in the lower register.  I would have a tech check your instrument for defects to make sur eyou aren't having trouble on something that even a professional world be having trouble with!
Secondly, your mouthpiece choice for baritone and tenor trombone is very much not likely to work, or at least not produce a characteristic trombone sound.  The smallest mouthpiece out of any professional I am aware of playing is a Bach 2G. Typically when you start on bass, most pedagogues will start out around there, or perhaps a 1.5G, although there are some players who double that use a smaller mouthpiece. I used a Doug Elliott 104 rim size, similar to a Bach 3G rim size, on bass when I was primarily a tenor trombonist. It was fine when paired with a deeper cup, but it doesn't produce as characteristic bass trombone quality as something even just a little bit larger.  If you put in a large shank 6.5AL and were wondering why you couldn't play low notes, while it is possible to play a bass trombone with a size that small, it is not typically done and will take much more work to make it work than by using a larger mouthpiece.
Finally though, if you are used to playing on something small, don't expect to be able to switch back and forth without putting time into both instruments. Most players do not switch back and forth without putting in at least half an hour on each rim size per day. Or perhaps less once they have a very developed embrochure for both sizes. This would be work outside of your band classes as you aren't really putting in much face time in an ensemble setting as a developing musician.
It can greatly expedite the learning process to find a teacher, in person if possible or online if not, who is very knowledable at putting out other good bass trombonists. There are lots of people with opinions and there are lots of good teachers out there as well. Being able to get even a few lessons off of the latter is going to be way better than studying weekly with the former.
Answer: All modern bass trombones are basically large-bore Bb tenor trombones, plus attachments.  They read the same notes, at the same pitch, but are optimised for lower notes. The basic bass trombone is the same as a tenor trombone with F attachment, just a bit larger-bore and with a larger mouthpiece.  Modern ones usually have a second valve, taking it down to E or D.  This allows a fully chromatic range down to the pedal notes - with just an F extention low B natural is missing.   There are other, more complex arrangements possible. See http://www.rathtrombones.com/custom/bass-trombones/ for some examples.
You get good at the lower notes by practicing them!

New to bass trombone


Data Security and Location

Question: Does CiviCRM have servers located in Canada and can they assure Canadian clients that their data is stored only on those servers?
Comment: By and large, civicrm is something that you decide where to host, unless you are using Spark.
Answer: Do you mean the "spark" product offered separately by CiviCRM?
You don't have to use spark you can download and install CiviCRM yourself with any hosting company. If you are looking for someone to set it up for you then take a look at https://civicrm.org/partners-contributors
Comment: Indeed, most people utilize their own hosting for running CiviCRM. As such, you can locate a host that has servers in Canada and that your information is only stored there.
Answer: My partner Alan Dixon and I host/store all our client CiviCRM instances/data on a number of private dedicated servers in Toronto and Montreal data centres and also work exclusively with partners/consults in Canada (i.e. we do not outsource to sub-contractors outside of Canada).

Data Security and Location


Do they ever really wake up from the sedative test?

Question: I distinctly remember a scene in Inception when Cobb is testing Yusuf's custom made super sedative. He then abruptly wakes up and goes to the bathroom where he proceeds to splash his face with water and spin his totem. However, before the top can reveal whether he is in a dream or not, it is interrupted and knocked off the counter. Cobb then sees Mal in the reflection of the mirror. Surely Nolan made the scene in order to help the audience understand how Cobb is starting to have trouble differentiating what's real from what isn't. But is there any definitive evidence to prove that the rest of the movie is not just part of a sedated dream he never escaped?
Comment: Sigh, *"definite evidence"*? - No, and there *never* will be. Frankly your theory is as good as any other one.
Comment: There is no "definitive evidence" the entire movie didn't take place in various levels of a dream.
Comment: Related (if not even duplicate): http://movies.stackexchange.com/q/2324/49.
Comment: Okay, perhaps definitive evidence wasn't the right wording. Is there anything to strongly suggest that he ever left this state? @onewho
Comment: If everything was a dream, then there are no rules, limbo means nothing. The entire movie falls apart. It simply comes down to a never ending elaborate dream in some dude's head. Leaves very little to care for.
Answer: In order for this theory to make sense, we need to make a number of fundamental assumptions. Since we see Cobb using the top in the earlier scene with Ariadne (it topples) we have to assume that this is reality. Shortly after he meets her, she takes him into a dream world of her making, with highly complex architecture and filled with imagery from her imagination, not his.
In the scene you've mentioned, he does indeed fail to use his totem correctly and we could, theoretically still be within his dream. The question then is "whose dream is he dreaming?". If the remainder of the film is Cobb's own dream then that beggars the question of who is architecting everything for him.
Are we genuinely to believe that Cobb has sufficient imagination to independently control the actions of a dozen actors, several of whom are working at cross-purposes, at differing speeds within multiple layers of the dream world? After Cobb goes to Limbo, is he still controlling the actors on the higher levels, all of whom are moving thousands of times faster that he is?
Based on what we know of how dreams (in the inception-verse) work, this theory simply can't be true.


Translation of 火箭扫雷车

Question: I have a children's wallchart with a variety of weapons and military vehicles. One of the items is 火箭扫雷车.  I think I understand the meaning (it's a kind of minesweeper that uses rockets to clear minefields); however, I am stumped on an elegant translation. Also I would like to know if this is a vehicle known to the average Chinese mainlander. It's not a weapon known to most westerners.
Answer: I'm not sure if translation questions should be on-topic or not, but I think a literal "Rocket minesweeper" or "missile minsweeper" would be appropriate. Military vehicles don't usually have elegant names.
I found one example of the term "rocket minesweeper" specifically referring to a Chinese military vehicle.
Answer: After searching on google I found "Minesweeping Rocket System" to be a somewhat official translation to "火箭扫雷车".
Answer: It isn't something specific to China. You know China rarely comes out with something original. The west has it long before China and is probably more powerful.
The UK have something called Python Rocket. The news called it a "Python Rocket Mine Sweeping Vehicle".
The rocket system is called Mine-clearning Line Charge(MICLIC or MCLC for short). In the US it is probably named as "M58 MCLC", M58 being the tank. The Wikipedia page also says India has a similar system of which the name is along the line of "MCLC vehicle". Russia has something similar called "Meteorit Mineclearing System".
I would probably call it Rocket Mine-clearing Vehicle, but both Frank and Mr's translations are fine.

Translation of 火箭扫雷车


Who said "Lafayette we are here!"?

Question: My sister has been saying this quote for about a month and says it has historical significance. After searching I can't find anything. What famous person said "Lafayette we are here!"?
Comment: On the historical significance: What he is referring to is that Lafayette both personally helped in the US revolution against Britain and also was instrumental in gaining French support for the revolution. As such, the US involvement in WWI was regarded by some as paying back that help.
Answer: A quick Google search solves this question.

Pausing at the tomb of Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, he [John J. Pershing] was reputed to have uttered the famous line "Lafayette, we are here," a line spoken, in fact, by his aide, Colonel Charles E. Stanton.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Pershing

That statement cites http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/AD_Issues/amdipl_16/edit16_print.html as the source. Here is a quotation

it was not General Pershing who pronounced it [the quote in question], even though he was present for the occasion and made brief remarks. Rather, it was an aide — the general's "designated orator," Colonel C. E. Stanton. "What we have of blood and treasure are yours," Stanton intoned. "In the presence of the illustrious dead, we pledge our hearts and our honor in carrying the war to a successful conclusion." And then the final line of his speech: "Lafayette, we are here!"

This page cites Black Jack: The Life and Times of John J. Pershing (1977), vol. II, 724 by Frank E. Vandiver.
The Wikipedia page on Stanton says

On July 4, 1917 he visited the tomb of French Revolution and American Revolution hero Marquis de La Fayette and (according to Pershing) said, "Lafayette, we are here!" to honor the nobleman's assistance during the Revolutionary War. The famous quote is often misattributed to Pershing.

Wikipedia cites George, John H. and Paul Boller's They Never Said It (1989)

Most of the evidence that Stanton said the quote in question comes from Pershing himself, who denied that he authored the phrase.

In My Experiences in the World War, published thirteen years after the Armistice, Pershing wrote that he could not recall having said "anything so splendid." http://notorc.blogspot.com/2006/06/did-they-really-say-that-q_114981062366646684.html

There is some evidence (although much less credible) that Pershing did in fact say this phrase first.

Despite Pershing's disclaimer, Naboth Hedin, a 33-year-old uniformed American war correspondent, asserted that he heard Pershing pronounce the famous words three weeks earlier on June 14th, the day after the American general arrived in Paris. Hedin said Pershing stepped up to Lafayette's tomb, saluted smartly and said in a loud voice, "Lafayette, we are here." Hedin insisted, "I was about twenty feet away." http://notorc.blogspot.com/2006/06/did-they-really-say-that-q_114981062366646684.html

However, the article I just cited seems to be the only place that gives credence to Pershing saying the phrase. However, the article doesn't even cite any sources.

I would conclude that Col. Charles E. Stanton himself said the phrase, "Lafayette, we are here".

Who said "Lafayette we are here!"?


What biological specimen is this? Seed? Excrement? Fungal form?

Question:
Hundreds of these 1-3 mm "seeds" have been found a couple of times this summer on my deck shaded by a large oak tree. But, they are not seeds with typical seed parts.  Too small to be pollen or spores.  I am baffled. They each have one or more deep crevices or slits longitudinally. Structurally, they appear to be composed of tiny (almost microscopic) wood chips. (Though I am sure this is just the appearance they have.) The first time I found them was after a rain and they had absorbed water and swelled to twice or three times their size and had become gooey and almost gelatinous to the touch. Almost looked like hundreds of little piles of brown poop on our deck. This time the weather was dry and they look as pictured in the photo.  I swept up hundreds in a four-foot diameter area.  Another area of the deck had a similar amount.  None on the rest of our deck or any noticed in other areas under the oak tree. My biologist friend was also baffled.  Please help identify
Comment: I meant to say "too large to be pollen or spores."
Comment: Interesting mystery! How do they behave if you cut/break it? Also, you can edit you post to include your correction.
Comment: Caterpillar defecation
Answer: All right, I'll say it if nobody else will.  Insect feces.  The "wood chips" you saw are bits of your oak (or some other over-hanging tree) that have graduated from the arthropod digestive tract, so to speak.  The pellets soak up water because the bugs are on a tight water budget and extract all the water before making a deposit.  Never heard of a gall infestation that produced feces like this, but who knows?  Look for dieing, deformed, or discolored leaves.  Look for bugs on the tree and on fallen leaves.  On the 2nd page of the document linked below is a larger specimen of what you are getting.  http://collier.ifas.ufl.edu/CommHort/CommHortPubs/Stained_sidewalks_under_Oaks.pdf
Comment: Welcome to Biology.SE! I think you've probably got it. Worth mentioning that insect faeces are normally called 'frass' (not least because Googling 'frass' then identifies a few images of caterpillar frass that look broadly similar; e.g. http://bugguide.net/node/view/842314).
Answer: These could be anthers from your oak tree—they look about the right size and shape.
Oaks produce separate male and female flowers. The female flowers become acorns. The male flowers are produced in a bunch on long strands called catkins.
Here's a fresh one.
Here's one where the anthers have opened to release their pollen.
Here's a close-up of a fresh anther.
This has some shriveled anthers still on the catkin.
Take a look to see if any of the catkin strands are on the ground or still on the tree.
(These photos are all from English white oak, so yours may be a little different. All these photos came from here.)
Answer: Since these pellets are found under oak trees, I researched further and found a possible answer on the internet in a different location.  Apparently, they are "galls" caused by insects disturbing the leaf structure of the oak trees.
https://ask.extension.org/questions/157218
Not sure, still, what exactly is raining down in the pellets.  Is it just dead plant material or is it something reproductive for the insects?  I am very familiar with the ping pong ball "galls" that sometimes fall from these trees.
Once they get wet and then dry again, they eventually become very powdery and crumble into dust.


How much web presence should I have?

Question: I am getting ready to release my first fictional novel.  At the moment I have zero web presence (besides E-mail accounts).  I am considering using Amazon's Kindle Direct.
Before releasing should I create a Facebook account, and/or any other type of social media accounts?
Comment: @NofP: I am planning to use Amazon's Kindle Direct, so I believe the answer is a qualified "Yes".
Comment: Is this work of yours self-published?
Answer: You need a website
As a fiction author you should buy a web domain (URL) as close to your nom de plume as possible. Include contact info, and a professional bio. If you want a blog or some personal pages that's ok too, but primarily treat this webpage as a professional address, as if it's your booth at a writer's expo – a little more advertising and splash, but much less personal than social media. Cat photos are probably ok (not really, but cats are sometimes a writer's companions), but not your kids' soccer match.
Have a specific page dedicated to this book, which will serve as a template for your other fiction books. As you write more books give them their pages. When the books are published you'll add links to where the book can be purchased, review quotes, a blurb or longer synopsis, and probably some artwork.
I wouldn't bother with a Facebook Page. There's plenty of evidence that it's nothing but a money scam – and that was my personal experience. No one saw any FB Page posts unless you pay for them.
If you write non-fiction, my advice is to buy a web domain (URL) for the book, and keep an ongoing blog on the non-fiction topic. People who are interested in the topic may discover the blog leading back to your book. This doesn't work with fiction, you'd already need to be famous for a random search about fiction to lead back to you.
Comment: @Igor Hmmm, I would still go with a nom de plume URL, but you might think about how you can create (or join) a community around the biography separately, to attract people who are interested in the *person* or people who are interested in the topic the person is famous for
Comment: `You need a website` This can't be stressed enough. You need your own presence, and you should always have your own space if you want to do business on the internet.
Comment: This book is fiction, however I am also getting ready to release a biography (non-fiction).  Keep both on the same website?
Answer: At a bare minimum, you need a central landing place to direct people to in your marketing.
The important items you want to cover are:

Title and brief description (genre, audience) of your book.
Your name.
Where to buy it.

This can be for just your book/series or for all your works.  If you only have one work now, you can set it up for that and decided later on if you want to change things.
I agree with wetcircuit that buying a domain name and hosting a website is the best choice.  Let me give you a real-life example.
My spouse's comic book series published its first issue last summer.  His co-writer had set up Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  He wanted some sort of marketing material to leave in bookstores, give to friends, and use when tabling.  He was thinking postcard or brochure but I urged him to ask comic book shops and they all said bookmarks.  Note that it's an e-comic only until 4 issues come out, then it will be a collected book.  But the shops were all happy to put out bookmarks even if there was nothing tangible for them to sell yet.
Obviously promotional material needs a point of contact (for big name books or movies, you can get away without that, but even they have something).  My spouse wanted to put the Facebook and Twitter links.  The problem is that those can change, they don't have information in a clear easy to find layout, and not everyone has accounts or apps for those things.
At my urging, we went to our ISP (internet service provider) and added on a new account to our existing one.  It's just $10 USD/month extra (stand-alone accounts are a bit more) and the domain name costs $15/year.  I run the website and I set it up with Wordpress (no extra cost) which gives me slightly less control over the formatting but I get a beautiful theme that automatically changes the graphics as I post new things and links up to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
The bookmarks are clean and art-focused and the only contact information is the website, nameofcomic.com.  Anyone preferring social media can find us either by going to the website (where those links are prominent) or by using the domain name to search for us within an app).
To be honest, we don't get a lot of visitors to the website.  I think it's important to have anyway.  It's a central landing place and it has a ton more info than we can put anywhere else.  We include:

A listing (with quotes) to every review.
Pictures and profiles of the creative team.
Gorgeous art.
Detailed "where to purchase" info.
And, as it comes up: book signing info.

Should you have social media too?  Yes!
Do what my spouse did and wrangle someone else to do this stuff for you for free (his co-writer does social media and I do the website, general marketing, and help with the social media).  If you don't have a web-savvy spouse, co-writer, or child, hire a local teen or college student to set it up for you.  If you can maintain it yourself, the costs will be minimal.
The accounts themselves are all free and you can set up the website so that every time you post it will automatically post to all your social media accounts with a link back to the website.
Twitter is probably the most important one.  Facebook and Instagram are fine to have but not as vital.  Instagram is more if you have a lot of graphics.  I don't bother with Snapchat, Pinterest, video sites, etc.
Don't forget Goodreads.
When you have an actual book (e-book or paper), make sure it's listed on Goodreads and put information, including your website!, on your Goodread's author page.
Comment: +1 Excellent advice of finding a business partner with complementary skills if you intend of going commercial.
Answer: Congratulations on writing your first Novel! In my opinion, the most important aspect of 'web presence' a writer can ever have is an email list. No matter what platform you'll be on, email is the one thing that connects you directly to your reader's inbox. You need that kind of connection to your readers where you can keep them updated and engaged with your story and efforts. You might want to try Mailchimp's free account as it lets you develop a list of 2000 subscribers without paying anything (I do not include a link as I don't advertise for them, look them up if you're interested).
Comment: I disagree. From personal research on the topic, in recent years, mailing lists have lost their importance. There seems to be several factors contributing to this, including the reduced importance of email as a mean of communication in favour of messaging, and the increased amount of spam which reduces the recipient attention towards their inbox.
Comment: I'll also say that newsletters are wonderful when an author has many things to share.  But "my book is out!" and "hey my book is still out!"  and "woo hoo, paperback edition!" isn't really newsletter worthy (totally twitter/blog/etc worthy).  It makes me sad in a way, because email is a wonderful communication method with lots of advantages, but...
Comment: I'm a total email person (showing my age) but I have to say, it's not something we're using right now...perhaps in the future.  I appreciate your holding back as not to appear to spam, but please know it's totally fine to include links to places like Mailchimp (and is in fact helpful).  Links like that are only a problem if you're connected to them in a business way.
Answer: As others have said, definitely create a website with a specific landing page for the novel. You'll want this webpage to include relevant information—the summary, price, length, cover, and a link to purchase.
If you know any renown people have them review the book beforehand and add this to the webpage. Once your novel is published, make sure you push regular people to review. Then you can share those on the landing page, too.
Check out what other authors do, as well. I know some authors may be very active on social media but others may not. It depends on your specific audience and where they tend to drift during their free time.
Think that young adults will be your audience? Post and advertise on Instagram! If a more middle-aged group is what you're wanting, a Facebook page could be worthwhile. Don't forget to reach out to friends and family and have them share your work, too.
An email campaign wouldn't be a bad thing if you have subscribers, but currently, it sounds like you have nothing to pull those subscribers in. Include a form on your website so people can be notified when your book is published and when you write more.
I worked at a print shop for four years and we had almost 20k email subscribers, and almost all of our sales came from them. It works, just depends on your target audience.
If you're doing this all yourself, maybe research some marketing tips for ads. Enlist the cover designer to help with some web work—if they know coding of course.
Comment: Welcome to Writing.SE Trin, please check out our [tour] and [help].  Thanks for starting off with a solid answer based on experience.

How much web presence should I have?


How to describe POV characters?

Question: I want to describe my first person perspective character who's narrating without doing the Wattpad "mirror scene." How would I go about this?
Comment: **Wattpad Mirror Scene** is the name of my J-pop band. LOL!
Comment: Is there a good reason for revealing any physical attributes of that character? There's often not.
Answer: Have other people comment on their appearance.
If they are an underdog, a random stranger could be judgmental either to be cruel or out of ignorance. You can easily get broad strokes from an epithet: race, hair color, body type, gender appearance. It could also be a backhanded compliment (assuming they are too young to drink, for example).
They might have an insecure parent or ambitious spouse who attempts to coach them how to dress or groom. It would serve dual purpose because we'd be learning what the other character values at the same time.
A friend could compare themselves as different "types", which the MC might not really agree with. Similarly, a relative could compare them to an older relative in a neutral matter-of-fact way. Again we're learning about 2 people at once, or the truth is filtered through another character's eyes.
Answer: As naturally as possible, which means it depends entirely on the character's personality and the actions they are doing.
One thing to keep in mind is to refer only the most important physical features. Here are a few examples.
1. (partially inspired by my brother)
I was already late and wondered if I should spend the time to put on my lenses. I still wasn't used to putting them fast, but ended up deciding against the glasses. As usual, it didn't fir properly at the first attempt, but when I had finally finished I looked at myself in the mirror. I could see how the dark brown of my eyes became slightly different. My sister insisted she could see no difference, but I was sure the lenses made the dark duller. It was depressing, really. Mousy lackluster brown hair matching now dull brown eyes. Oh, well. Anything was better than glasses.
2. (also partially inspired by my brother)
I put on my jeans and decided once more I needed to start exercising. A few sit ups every morning would surely put an end to that flacid abdominal folds every time I sat down. Or I could get a new pair of a different size. Only then my ass - which was my best asset - wouldn't be as visible. Besides, I doubt my mum would let me get another pair. She'd just bought me a pair of Nikes and she'd complained about how expensive all my stuff was.
I put on a T-shirt and grabbed my hair gel. I had had my hair cut with the now fashionable stripes on the sides, but the short bangs in the front insisted in going all spiky. I applied a bit of gel and carefully combed it with my hands till it looked right.
"John! You're going to lose the school bus!"
3. (inspired by a small cousin of mine who used to enjoy praising the eyes of everyone)
"Look at me, aunt Ginny. Oh, your eyes are so, so pretty! I wish my eyes were blue like yours."
"Don't be silly, Nina. Your eyes are pretty too."
The girl embraced my waist fretfully and I sat her up on my lap, letting her rest her head on my breasts. At least she didn't say they were better than all her big pillows anymore. The firt time she'd said that, I'd been at a wedding and I could have died of embarrassment.
"When I grow up, I want to have blonde curly hair just like you."
I laughed! Those curls were the bane of my morning routine.
"How about I get you a new hair pin, honey? Something with silvery glitter to shine in your hair like a princess's?"
"Yay!" She clapped, sliding off my lap. "Mummy, mummy! Aunt Gina is going to buy me a princess hair pin!"

As per the examples, make the description organic and natural, both for the scene and for the character's personality.
Comment: Your poor brother! :D
Comment: @To be honest, he was so keen on sport, he never did have to worry about his abs. But we all made fun of how long his short hair needed to be ready.
Answer: +1 wetcircuit; my initial thought as well (have other people comment on their appearance). So, something different:
You don't need a mirror for the MC to comment on themselves, particularly with friends. The key here is that if her/his looks matter to the story, there are consequences (and if there are no consequences, the looks don't matter).
And those consequences, in their personality and interactions and thoughts and relationships and even behavior, can reveal the details of their looks. If the character cannot reach something on a high shelf in a grocery store, she's short, she asks a tall guy for help. Vice versa: If you want to tell us Mike is tall, have him pass by a short girl (or grandmother if you want to ensure no romantic interest) that asks him for help reaching something; and he does her a favor.
If you don't tell us anything, we'll presume your MC is average, or above average, since we tend to project our own desires on them. Figure out how the unusual features have impact on their life, or make something up so they do.
e.g. for a female MC with green eyes (her unusual feature):

Karen said, "Guess what? On my shift I saw a little girl with exactly the same green eyes as you! Isn't that weird? Maybe you have a half-sister out there!"
I said, "Well, since they are my Mom's eyes, it would mean she had another baby after me and gave it up. I think I would've have noticed!"
"Oh you're so literal. Maybe you had a baby and didn't notice!"
"Sure, that's it. When I was twelve. I felt really weird one day, must've been then."

e.g. for a female MC that is plain:

"I'm not like you, Karen, if you ask him to dance, he'll be happy. For me, there's a good chance he'll say no thanks, and you know Karen, right? Does she like me?"
"Then tell him I don't, because he's a jerk!"
"That's not exactly the outcome I'd be hoping for."
Karen rolled her eyes. "So if you think Jay is a jerk, why do you like him?"
"He is such a jerk! But remember Mike used to get grabby with Linda, all the time? You know why he quit? Jay pushed him off. And Mike was pissed off, and Jay was like, c'mon pussy! And ever since then, I can't get him out of my head."
Karen frowned. "Well now I like him!"
"Great, you two will be so wonderful together."
Karen laughed. "How about I will like him for you. We have to get him to know you, somehow. Like work on a project together."

I make these examples purposely long to demonstrate a technique; you find a way for the trait to have some consequence, minor or major, but you bury the reveal of the trait in a scene that isn't all about the trait. It comes out in conversation, or personal thoughts, or the reactions of others. It is surrounded with other information. It is conveyed in character. You can do this with multiple scenes for multiple traits (but most people don't have too many unusual traits). The reader will still get it, but you haven't pulled out the "mirror inventory" scene.
Comment: +1, I like the example of the tall/short person because you can use it to get across character traits as well as describing how they look (maybe your short character is easily frustrated, or the tall character is polite and considerate).
Answer: Most people don't constantly think about their own appearance, which can make first person appearance describing a little awkward.  But there are some legitimate times we do think a lot about how we look --usually when we're insecure about our looks or self-critical for some reason, or when we have some strong reason for picturing how we appear to others.  Consider:

I felt so self-conscious --the only black person in the room, and the only person under drinking age.

or

Forty is when I started to notice those changes in my body --a bit more padding on my belly, a bit more gray, salted in with the black in my hair.

or

I know they considered me unfeminine.  They talked behind my back about my short-cropped red hair, my defiantly unsexy glasses.  But I didn't care.  I wasn't here to fulfill their fantasies, and the sooner they understood that, the better.

These descriptions do double or triple duty. They give you some visual information, but they also provide hints towards context, relationships and attitudes.  That's always the right approach for adding descriptions that aren't going to bring the narrative to a screeching halt.
Answer: This depends on whether you're using past-tense or present-tense narration: whether the narrator is looking back at things that have already occurred, or describing events as they occur.
If you're using past-tense narration, the narrator can always describe themselves while setting the scene, just as a normal third-person narrator would do. One of my novels uses first-person past-tense narration, and I set up her description of herself like so:

Apart from the [giant robot] in my backyard, my life really wasn't that interesting up until my first battle. But I suppose I should talk a little about it anyway.

She then provides a paragraph of personal information, a brief physical description, then segues straight into the actual storyline.
If you're using present-tense narration, it's going to look a bit odd if the character suddenly pauses the action for a couple of paragraphs to describe themselves. The best approach may be just to drop bits and pieces here and there when they become relevant, either through the narrator themselves or through other characters pointing them out.
Answer: +1 to all.
Have your viewpoint character reflect on what they think of their physical attributes. (If this suggestion is in the comments above, I missed it...)

He ran into the Marshalls, headed straight for the clearance rack and
started rifling. God what he'd give to be double-X large right about
now.
One shirt--bright green with stripes--was small enough that it
might fit. He grabbed it, threw his last fiver at the clerk and ran
back out.

^^ That sort of thing.
Answer: Have them be mistaken for a celebrity
He felt a tap on his shoulder. It was the woman who was staring at him before.
"Excuse me, aren't you... No... Has anyone ever told you you look just like..."
Yes, lots of times.
Comment: What if the story is set in the past? In the future? In a different world? What if the character doesn't in fact look like any celebrity? You offer a way out that would work in only extremely narrow circumstances.
Answer: How does their appearance affect their actions?
I'm short, so I have to get BBQ tongs to reach spices on the highest shelves.
My hair's not naturally this red, so I have to decide on a box of color or schedule out a block of time to get it done at a salon.
Glasses can be dirty (especially after crying) or also protect against impact.  They also make it hard for me to look at websites with possible hair/make-up things and be able to envision them on myself.
My pale skin means I strategize before spending a day outside - I always have sunscreen in my bag, but for an all day thing, I hope I can take breaks in indoor hiding spaces?
My skintone also influences clothing choices.  Bold/Jewel tones are mostly great, but BLUES make me look like a corpse -- they bring out my blue-undertones in my skin.

How to describe POV characters?


If someone resigns from a firm while their patent application is under processing, will their name be used in patent application

Question: I couldn't find any law/rule stating that if a person resigns from a company after the company have filed for an patent by that person, whether his/her name will be considered in the patent if it is granted ?
Comment: What does your employment contract say regarding IP you help develop and patents?
Comment: It says they are would be part of the company. Even if they are part of the all patents have name of the author and co-author. I am wondering whether my name would be there in the patent or not.
Comment: There likely isn't a law.  You need to check company policy or check your contract or ask your manager.  This might be a better fit on workplace.stackexchange.com.
Answer: There is a law (35 U.S.C. 115 ). In the U.S., the actual true inventors are the actual true inventors and must be named as the inventors. Look to your employee agreement and state law to understand the issues of ownership.
Answer: This happened to me. I contributed to an invention near the end of the 20th century and then left the company. The company applied for a patent in the early 21st century; I was asked to sign the application. The patent was eventually granted. My name appears in the patent as an inventor.


Is there an EXIF standard for tagging people in photographs?

Question: There are a number of websites that let you tag people in photos, such as Facebook and now flickr, but is there an EXIF standard for tagging who is in a photo, and where they are?
Answer: Adobe's XMP metadata standard supports information defined by the Metadata Working Group (MWG), which includes a definition of how to store face tagged data.  See:
Adobe XMP: http://www.adobe.com/products/xmp/standards.html
  MWG: http://www.metadataworkinggroup.com/
  where you can click on the specifications, download the PDF, and then look at page 51 onward.
So while this isn't "EXIF" per se, it is metadata stored in the image.  I'm just starting now to explore how widely supported this is.
Answer: There is not.  IPTC, another image metadata standard, also does not contain a "People" field.  There's a Contact field, but that is used for contact information for the photographer.
Most people I know will store people as keywords.  The main debate is whether or not to include spaces (would a photo of me be tagged as aaronhockley or as "aaron hockley"?).  I don't use spaces since that simplifies things at times, but it's pretty subjective.  I think the main thing is consistency... pick one method and stick to it.
Comment: I love standards ... especially since there are so many to choose from
Comment: A comment about spaces....or perhaps better stated, separate keywords for first and last name. By separating the two, it makes it easier to search for everyone in a family. For example, if I want to find all of my family, I simply need to look for the keyword "rista". Trying to do the same with joined first and last name is a bit tougher and slower.  However the reverse, searching for both a separated first name and last name individually, is pretty strait forward and does not require more complex forms of string searches.
Comment: In a very varied collection, mere names are inadequate. For a collection mostly limited to a historically European cultural context, it may help to enter names like many do in the bibliographic software BibTeX: "{von last, jr, first}". This will facilitate searching by the value that we tend to call last name and the value that we tend to call first name.
Answer: I don't think there is ... you can take a look at the EXIF specifications at http://www.exif.org or http://www.jeita.or.jp/cgi-bin/standard_e/pdfpage.cgi?jk_n=47
EXIF is a technical standard for images files ... not the content / subject of the image.
Answer: The MetaDataWorking Group, section 5.9 (face regions), is the best standard going forward for managing people tags.  Right now Picasa, MS Photo Gallery and Fotobounce support this standard.  Hopefully Adobe will jump on board since they are on the committee for this standard...
Answer: The only metadata field to store the people inside the file as metadata at the moment (according to MWG and XMP standards) is XMP:Iptc4xmpExt:PersonInImage
MWG also assumes to describe and store people faces as Randy said above.


Proper translation of John 1:1

Question: Is there any particular reason why "kai Theós ēn ho Lógos" is translated "and the Word was God" and not "and God was the Word"?
Comment: possible duplicate of ["A god" or "God" in John 1:1?](http://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/1161/a-god-or-god-in-john-11)
Comment: @Wikis This is a different question. This asks to distinguish between the subject and the predicate. The other asks whether  θεὸς is definite and proper.
Comment: The answer by Susan is only half-correct. Since "ο λογος" has the definite article but "θεος" does not, the subject must be "ο λογος". But the answer is wrong on the correct translation. See [this post](https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/a/70356/38799) explaining what "θεος" means, as well as [the ancient Coptic version of John 1:1](http://inthenameofwhowhat.blogspot.com/2008/05/early-coptic-translation-and-john-11c.html).
Answer: Yes. This is a predicate nominative construction. That is, both θεὸς (God) and ὁ λόγος (the word) are in the nominative case, and they are joined by an equative verb (here, a form of "to be").
John 1:1 (NA28):

Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

In English, we generally distinguish the subject (S) from the predicate nominative (PN) in such constructions based on word order. Greek is characteristically loose about word order but shows other patterns for making this distinction. In this case, the subject can be identified if one of the two nominatives falls into any of the following categories:1

a pronoun
an articular noun (i.e. preceded by the article)
a proper name

If both nominatives have such a tag, the analysis is more complex. However, in the case of John 1:1, only ὁ λόγος (the word)  — an articular noun — fits.2 Thus, it is correctly translated as in the ESV (and nearly every English translation):

…and the Word was God.

You may (or may not) be interested in considering the semantic distinction between the S and its corresponding PN. Given that they are joined by what I have called an "equative" verb, you may wonder if they should be interchangeable. We know that in English they are not, or you would not have asked the question. Greek is similar in this regard. The most common relationship is what Wallace calls a subset proposition.3 The S is a narrower group within the broader PN. In John 1:1, "the Word" (S) comprises a subset of a larger category called "God" (PN).4
(See also this related question for a defense of the translation "God" rather than "a god.")

1. Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: an Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Zondervan, 1996), pp 42-46.

2. Note that θεὸς (God) is not a proper name in Greek.

3. The less common relationship is that of a convertible proposition in which the equative verb essentially becomes an <code>=</code> sign. This construction can be identified when both nominatives carry one of the grammatical tags marking the subject. This is not the case in John 1:1 (see note 2).

4. If you would like to try this out elsewhere, skip down 13 verses: "the word became flesh." Here this subset relationship is more obvious. "Flesh" is the broader term; it would make no sense to say, "flesh became the word."
Comment: Susan, **(A.)** If I am not mistaken, to identify "Word" as the (S)ubject, and "God" as the (P)redicate (N)ominative, you had to make a choice--to apply the "Subset Proposition" rule, or the "Convertible Proposition" rule -- **(B.)**  What brought you to conclude that "God" is a broader "set" than "Word" in Genesis 1:1?  **(C.)** From the text, I can understand how the articular "Word" would narrow it down, and from extant-literature, I could understand how "God, interpreted as 'divine'" would be a broader category-- **(D.)** but what ruled out "Convertible Proposition" for you?
Comment: @e.s.kohen Updated answer. Note that I'm basically summarizing Wallace's argument here. I think most would agree that he has some legitimacy as an expert on syntax, but I don't doubt that there are those who would disagree with him.
Comment: Your final comments about a "subset" relationship was of great interest to me as people generally take the phrase as indicating "identity" which is incorrect. Should I understand this to be a more modern way of expressing the idea of "qualitativeness"? My own reading is "and the utterance was divine utterance" (quality). Does that work with subset? IE: that the feature of the LOGOS being discussed is that it is divinely uttered and therefore irresistable?
Answer: To understand the implications of the last clause, you need to understand Greek syntax. First, Greek distinguishes the role a noun plays in a sentence by changing the case. In general, if the noun is the subject, it is in the nominative case. If it is the direct object, it is in the accusative case. However, there is a strange class of verbs that do not take a direct object, instead, they take a predicate. There are three verbs that do this in Koine Greek. This means that you have two nouns that are the same case (nominative), where one is the subject, and one is the predicate. So, if both are in the same case, how do you know which is the subject, and which is the predicate?
Here are the rules: Notice, I said these are rules. You can't ignore them, you can't change them, you can't remove them, and you can't add to them!

If both nouns have the article attached, then the first is the subject, the second is the predicate.
If NEITHER noun has the article attached, then the first is the subject, the second is the predicate.
If one has an article, but the other does not, then the one WITH the article is the subject, and the one without the article is the predicate.

So in the phrase "και θεος ην ο λογος", we see that λογος has an article (o) and θεος does not. Thus, o λογος is the subject, while θεος is the predicate.
When translated into English, because λογος is the subject, we have to put it first. English has syntactical rules that must be followed as well. So, this is properly translated "And the word was God."

Proper translation of John 1:1


Polynomial multiplication coefficients

Question: I was wondering about the following interesting questions:
Polynomial multiplication can be done in $O(nlog(n))$ using FFT where n is the degree of the polynomial.
What about finding a specific coefficient (or even deciding whether it is 0 or not) of some degree $k$ of the multiplication of an input? It is trivial to see that linear time in k is a must and sufficient as stated by D.W.
If one can preprocess the polynomial and query some specific coefficient is there an interesting $o(polynomial-multiplication)$ preprocessing and $o(k)$ per query ?
Comment: $o(\text{polynomial})$ does not make much sense since both $n$ and $n^3$ are polynomials. It looks like you want $o(n\log n)$ multiplications. Can you edit the question to clarify?
Comment: The questions concerns computing a specific coefficient(of the resulting polynomial of multiplication) in sublinear time. One is allowed to pre-process the polynomial but the time for pre processing is less than the time it takes to multiply two polynomial (otherwise one can just compute the multiplication of the two polynomials and lookup specific coefficient in constant time)
Answer: Yes, there are more efficient ways.  If you have two polynomials $p(x)=\sum p_i x^i$ and $q(x) = \sum q_i x^i$, then the coefficient of $x^k$ in $p(x) q(x)$ is given by
$$\sum_{i=0}^k p_i q_{k-i}.$$
This can be computed in $O(k)$ time, which is more efficient than multiplying the polynomials and extracting the coefficient of $x^k$.
With preprocessing, you can just multiply the polynomials during the preprocessing phase and store all of the coefficients.  Then looking up any desired coefficient can be done in $O(1)$ time.
Comment: That's the trivial solution to the problems stated. What I am curios about is a strictly less than polynomial multiplication time for pre-processing and strictly less than linear time per query.

Polynomial multiplication coefficients


XNA C# 3D game Wall collision response glitch

Question: I have been working on a reliable physics system in my code and so far it's ALMOST working. :D
I am aiming for wall "sliding" style of collision response, like you'd expect it to work in commercial games.
I have implemented a system that gets a collision geometry from an FBX model. Geometry with specific names will not be rendered, instead they'll be used to construct Oriented Bounding Boxes, further from which a set of Triangle structures will be constructed.
So far, everything went as expected. Triangles are correctly deduced from their parent bounding boxes, each Box having 12 triangles. I have used helper classes to render out the triangles alone, along with their normals, and I know for certain they are transformed and positioned correctly inside the world.
I am using a Ray-Triangle intersection math to determine which triangle is the closest to the player, and from that, grab a normal from which the Physics Vector will later be reflected.
For some reason this all works but only on surfaces of some specific orientation. I have grabbed a screenshot with walls that are successfully collided with marked in Green color:

Against these walls the collision works perfectly, as expected.
Against all others, the collision somehow fails and player can simply walk through.
I have made 100% sure that my triangles are all correctly picked from mesh and positioned in the world and that their normals are correct (I can render all this as helper objects in 3D world).
The most important bits of my code are as follows:
Triangle construction:
for (int i = Part.MeshParts[0].StartIndex; i < Part.MeshParts[0].StartIndex + (Part.MeshParts[0].PrimitiveCount * 3); i += 3)
                {
                    Triangle temp = new Triangle();

                    temp.Normal = Vector3.Transform(modelVertices[modelIndices16[i]].Normal, NormalTransform);

                    temp.Normal.Normalize();

                    temp.Vertices[0] = Vector3.Transform(rawData[modelIndices16[i]], Transform);
                    temp.Vertices[1] = Vector3.Transform(rawData[modelIndices16[i + 1]], Transform);
                    temp.Vertices[2] = Vector3.Transform(rawData[modelIndices16[i + 2]], Transform);

                    Triangles.Add(temp);
                }

(also a copy for this for 32 bits, not important now),
This is a part of a function that returns Triangle[], which is a part of CollidableGeometry structure:
 public struct CollidableGeometry
        {
            public OrientedBoundingBox OrientedBox;
            public Triangle[] Triangles;
            public Vector3 TriangleNormal;

        }

Now, the most important is the collision detection part.
By this part, we know that OrientedCollisionGeometry[i] is colliding with Player's box:
for (int x = 0; x < OrientedCollisionGeometry[i].Triangles.Length; x++)
                        {
                            Ray PlayerMovement = new Ray(Player.player, -OrientedCollisionGeometry[i].Triangles[x].Normal);

                            OrientedCollisionGeometry[i].Triangles[x].Intersects(ref PlayerMovement, out tempDistance);

                            if (tempDistance != null)
                            {
                                if (Math.Abs((float)tempDistance) < Math.Abs((float)distance))
                                //if (tempDistance < distance)
                                {
                                    closestIDX = x;
                                    distance = tempDistance;
                                }
                            }
                        }

                        if (closestIDX != -1)
                        {
                            ///Final collision decision:

                            Player.CollisionReflectionVector += OrientedCollisionGeometry[i].Triangles[closestIDX].Normal;

                        }
}

This code roughly translates as:
We know there's an oriented bounding box that intersects player's bounding box.
We go through all 12 triangles that make up a box:
   For each triangle, construct a Ray that starts at Player's position, and in the direction of that triangles normal (in negative).
   If the ray goes through the triangle, record the distance at which it does.
The triangle with lowest distance from the player is marked as most important one, and it's Normal is recorded as the one we need to reflect the player's direction of.
In short, what I know for 100% is NOT wrong:
-The triangles are correctly placed in the world.
-The triangle's normals are correct.
-The oriented box collisions are correct, and determining which OBB from the mesh is colliding with the player is also correct.
SOME surfaces works exactly as expected, and those are all of specific orientation.
The rest produce NO effect.
I can pack up the compiled game, or entire source code if somebody wants to play around and take a look.
I'm completely stumped over this for several days now. Worst part is that it DOES work normally as expected for some walls.
I have picked up the Ray-Triangle intersection from this resource link:
http://www.discoverthat.co.uk/games/xna-triangle.htm
As far as I know, winding order of the triangles is also not the problem because you'd be stuck inside the wall (if you were already to go through the outside surface).
So, help?
Answer: I have figured it out.
Turns out, my logic was correct, however the imported mesh had it's normals messed up for whatever reason. Maybe I used incorrect settings when exporting FBX file from Max.
I have calculated my own normals so now everything is correct.
            Triangle temp = new Triangle();

            temp.Vertices[0] = Vector3.Transform(rawData[modelIndices16[i]], Transform);
            temp.Vertices[1] = Vector3.Transform(rawData[modelIndices16[i + 1]], Transform);
            temp.Vertices[2] = Vector3.Transform(rawData[modelIndices16[i + 2]], Transform);

            Vector3 Normal = Vector3.Cross(temp.Vertices[1] - temp.Vertices[0],
                                  temp.Vertices[1] - temp.Vertices[2]);

            Normal.Normalize();

            temp.Normal = Normal;

            Triangles.Add(temp);

Some more tweaks and playing around will be needed but it's working fine for now, I like where this is going.


Do I need one preamp for each microphone

Question: Im looking for a usb interface for recording some jam sessions. So I want a usb interface where I can put 8 Microphones (for drums, guitars, bass and voice).
My question is do I need a preamp for each microphone, because Interfaces like the Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 2nd Gen say, they have 8 analog inputs, but only 4 preamps and with additional equipment its possible to have 18 channels?
I thought about buying the Behringer UMC1820 U-PHORIA, it has 8 preamps, but do I need them to record 8 Microphones? It also says 18 ins / 20 outs?
Im kinda confused about what is necessary and what do I need to get a decent sound. I guess you can split up preamps or something like that, but your gonna lose some quality?
Answer: In/out counts are usually heavily inflated and count S/PDIF, internal mixes, headphones and whatnot.  They are more or less what is available digitally, and even then you might not get everything at once (like having to decide between ADAT and S/PDIF inputs).
You need a preamp for every mic.  There are boxes with 8 preamps from several manufacturers: basically the price range is something like €150 to €2000 for them.  Of course, there are always more expensive options.
"Recording some jam sessions" with 8 mics suggests thinking about pitching for a mixer with digital output instead which you'll need for PA purposes anyway (well, the mixer, not necessarily the digital output).  Note that a mixer is quite more bulky than a mere recording interface.  You can either get an analog mixer with recording outputs in which case you'll still need something taking 8 analog inputs, or one with digital interface built-in.
Note that you are already at 8 mics and you should leave room for extensions.  Mixers with more than 8 inputs are particularly bulky.  For drums, it is not uncommon to use a separate submixer.
At any rate, the most important ingredient to "get a decent sound" is a sound engineer.  A band member setting up mics and afterwards trying to figure out how to make something nice from it is going to be hit and miss at best.  Particularly if he still has to learn his sound engineering chops.
Having someone running around and adjusting and trying things during the rehearsal is going to lead to likeable results a lot faster.


Are there meaningful ways to offset greenhouse-gas emissions through carbon offset schemes?

Question: There are various schemes offering carbon offsets. What attributes would make such a scheme meaningful? That is, where would my additional money into the scheme lead to lower global emissions than without it?
Comment: [**This site**](http://www.endscarbonoffsets.com/) provides a list of carbon offset providers, and lets you filter them based on various criteria. There are also 4 Australian organisations mentioned [**here**](http://www.choice.com.au/reviews-and-tests/household/energy-and-water/saving-energy/carbon-offsets.aspx).
Comment: Replacing coal with methane gases that are bound to leak into the atmosphere in the coming centuries.
Answer: Based on the question as currently worded, I believe you're concerned about fraudulent and 'anyway' offsets - paying money for a business to do what they would have done anyway.  For example, if a company knew it was going to install solar panels on a roof that they were already going to install solar on because of tax incentives, you wouldn't want to give them money for what was already economic for them.
Here are a few characteristics of carbon offsets that you may want to purchase:

you are paying into a new low carbon energy infrastructure, as opposed to existing infrastructure.
you are purchasing from a well regulated electricity market where claims can be verified.  Try to avoid schemes in distant, unregulated countries, unless you have good reason that there is truth in the carbon offset claims.
the offsets you are purchasing are not redundant to government incentives or pre-existing market benefits (eg don't pay for a company to go from incandescent to cfl - they should already be doing it because it will save them money).
you are driving a new technology to market and scale.  Your dollars are best placed in technologies that not only offset the carbon you paid for, but promise to do more in the future.  For instance if there is a new wind turbine blade that is already cost competitive with others on the market, but will likely drop further in cost as they are more widely adopted, support it!

The Economist did a great debate piece on this.  Check it out.
Comment: As a short summary of The Economist debate, the votes sided **against** carbon offsetting 55% - 45%.  I'd probably have to agree, in that carbon offset trading sounds like a terrible idea to me, albeit probably for different reasons than the average The Economist reader.
Comment: That Economist link is dead; could not find anything in The Wayback Machine either.


How much bandwidth needed for bitcoin bigger blocks

Question: If the Bitcoin blockchain would support 2000 transactions per second, how big would the blocks need to be (with segwit at 100% lets say), and most importantly, how much bandwidth would be necessary for a miner to propagate the blocks to 8 peers?
Comment: The very question is, "Bitcoin can be support the 2000 transactions per second?" so I think to exist other component work on bitcoin for improving transaction speed
Answer: If you consider that Bitcoin currently does 2000 transactions each 10 minutes, you'll need blocks 600 times bigger, or more-or-less 1.2 GB each. Now you need bandwidth sufficient for that peer to transmit 9.6 GB each 10 minutes (1.2 GB * 8 peers -- I have no idea of what you meant by "necessary" bandwidth).
That's doable if you only have one miner in the entire network.


Why do some viruses cease being a problem even though no vaccine or cure is found?

Question: No vaccine or cure has been found for SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV yet the world is not too concerned about them. How can it be? Did all people who had those viruses die or do viruses just randomly decide to stop being infectious at some point?
Answer: Infections spread in a population when the number of new infections caused by an infected person is greater than or equal to 1.
If each infected person spreads the virus to less than 1 person, eventually no one will be infected, without a need for any sort of cure. Of course, the longer a deadly infectious disease spreads in a population, the more people will die during this process. Ideally you want to get the number of transmissions as close to zero as possible as quickly as possible.
SARS and MERS are each a bit different, but share some similar characteristics. Compared to COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2, both are more severe in a larger fraction of the people infected (note: all three viruses are closely related betacoronaviruses). This made it easier for public health officials to identify and isolate infected individuals.
The MERS virus is really not gone at all: it lives on in animal reservoirs, like camels (so it is primarily only a concern in places where those reservoirs live). Cases continue to occur sporadically. However, MERS is usually not that transmissible between people, having a natural transmission rate that is already less than 1: that means that most people who get it get it directly from an animal, and don't continue to spread it to others besides occasional infection of individuals with close-contact, like a family member. There have been exceptions where isolated incidents involved substantial human-to-human transmission. Some of these incidents were associated with "super-spreaders": particular individuals who got infected and spread the virus to way more people than the average. See https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/2/19-0697_article for more.
SARS caused by the original SARS-CoV virus indeed seems to be gone, with no cases reported since 2004. The elimination of SARS from the human population occurred via controlling the human-to-human spread through isolation and contact tracing. See https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/70863 for a report on the epidemic and how cases and spread in different locations were handled.
Viruses don't have any agency: they can't decide to do anything. However, humans can, and our best response to outbreaks of novel diseases is to trace the spread and try to limit transmission as much as possible.
Comment: Good answer. It at first puzzled me how a disease with R0<1 could spread in the first place, since on average, the case count won't be continuously increasing. But that's just an average, it's still possible for patient zero to spread it to several other people, some of whom will then spread it again, with the final result being an outbreak, but one that has a quickly and naturally decreasing case count. It's the super-spreader events you mention that cause sporadic (but not ongoing) problems, and those are by definition rare given the low R0 of those diseases.
Comment: To belabor the obvious, if you get a disease from camels, it's not going to be a problem for people who never come into contact with camels.  It's basically the same reason why many tropical diseases aren't a major problem outside the tropics: they have vectors (usually insects) that don't tolerate cold.
Comment: @personjerry Yes.
Comment: @NuclearWang Yeah, it's particularly interesting that mutations don't seem to be a factor in the different rates of spread among MERS cases. Well, at least not mutations in the *virus*. Instead, it's particular people that just dump a lot of virus to the environment they share with other people, especially when they are sick and in a healthcare setting. The CDC report I linked has more on this.
Comment: @personjerry viruses have as much of an agenda as rocks, or grass. They don't live, they are the biological equivalent of snippets of computer code. Those snippets that happen to be packaged in a way that they get injected, and that also happen to cause the cell to create more replicas, those are what we call a "virus"; snippets without these properties exist but we don't even notice them, let alone give them a name.
Comment: Are we sure that viruses have no agency?
Comment: Nice answer! I wonder about one thing: as SARS and MERS are both more severe in a larger fraction of the people infected, could SARS-CoV-2 (going through it or being vaccinated) pandemic positively impact our resistance to these two?
Answer: Bryan Krause's answer addresses the reasons pertinent to SARS and MERS. If you meant those two as examples but are interested in the title question more generally, I can note an additional mechanism. This is herd immunity, which fits the bill in that it can occur when "no vaccine or cure is found" and when it is neither the case that "all people who had those viruses die" nor "viruses just randomly decide to stop being infectious". After a significant fraction of the population has been infected and recovered, herd immunity can bring a virus with $R_0 > 1$ to an effective rate $R < 1$ if those that are recovered are immune to reinfection and this immunity lasts for long enough.
Answer: And considering the title more broadly,
We learn to live with them, manage the infections, and consider a significant death toll or other related injuries as "normal".
For example, a measles vaccine was only developed in the 1960s. Before that, it was just known as one of the diseases children would usually get when they were young, because the virus was endemic in the population. On average, 2.6 million people a year died of measles globally, and that was just expected. (For comparison, that's now down to 122,000 by the way, and most of them are in extremely poor countries who either can't afford the vaccine or can't reach clinics.)
For an alternative case, the rate of congenital disabilities or birth defects in children was simply accepted as what it was - something which just happened without any cause. It was not until 1941 that the connection was made to rubella (German measles) causing up to two-thirds of all birth defects. Before that point, we didn't know that this wasn't "normal".
And currently of course we still have no solid vaccine for flu. The vaccines we do have are relatively effective and certainly do reduce the impact, but they are not effective to the same extent as, say, the MMR vaccines. As a result, we still have thousands of people dying of flu every year, and currently that is "normal". Maybe one day we'll crack it, but until then we'll just expect people to continue catching it, doctors and hospitals to continue treating it, and some people to die from it.
Answer: One more effect: a pathogen that is both deadly and highly contagious either triggers strong response (when we talk about humans, human pets, cattle, etc) or simply wipes out the population it infects (and disappears with it).
This creates a strong selection pressure over the pathogen. In order to successfully spread, it either becomes less deadly, or less contagious, or both. The generations of the pathogens change quickly and mutation rate is usually high, so the pathogen (given time and groups of hosts to infect) will react to the selection pressure.
The groups, once survived the less-deadly version of the pathogen are at advantage - they are most probably immune also to the original. The pathogen is also at advantage - it gets less organizational reaction (quarantines, vaccines, etc) and more hosts to infect (because survived hosts reproduce and the new hosts are not immune).
p.s. a second-order of the same effect is the pathogen becoming less dangerous only to minors of the host. We all know a lot of examples.


Google Maps marking

Question: How do I mark a company on Google Maps, so it could be added to contact page via iframe?
Comment: What exactly do you want to display on your website? A map with a marker or what?
Answer: The Google Static Maps Wizard makes it easy to mark a location in a map & embed it in a web page. Google Static Maps API accepts inputs to generate a map through querystring values.
Google's Driving Directions gadget shows a map & also provides driving directions based on    the address of your company's location that you can preset & the starting point specified dynamically by a customer.
Answer: You'll need to go over the Google Maps API.
You'll probably use a simple info window or simple marker (more examples).
This question may be better suited for Stack Overflow if you need help with the code.
Answer: The first thing to do is to add your company to Google Local through the Google Places interface http://google.com/places This way people will find it not only graphically through a user-defined placemark (which is actually what you were asking about, but really not what you want to do!) but also by searching Google.
See also Google Places for Business http://places.google.com/business
Answer: And once it is added, you may use the embed code to add it to your website. You don't necessarily need to add it to places to have a marker and map added to your site (but I agree with msanford that's what you should do). Simply, you can search [address (business_name)] add then use the embed code for that result.

Google Maps marking


Do limitations on computability and computational resources have any consequences for epistemology?

Question: Do Turing undecidability and computational complexity considerations (NP-hardness, etc...) have consequences for epistemology? If X function or propostion is undecidable or requires an intractable amount of resources to be calculated, is it still considered knowable?
Comment: A related question would be whether "knowability" is intrinsic to a function or proposition, or if it can only be stated with respect to a larger environment within which the knowing occurs.  A related physical analogy might be a slip of paper with some words written on it covered by a piece of cardboard.  One could say the words on the paper can be "knowable" because you can lift the cardboard.  Now put the paper and cardboard into a large bonfire which you are several paces away from...
Comment: If it is reasonable to assume the paper will burn before you can find a way to rescue it, are the words on the paper "knowable?"
Answer: So far considerations based on computational resources are consequential only to a small group of philosophers known as radical anti-realists, who extend strict finitism to epistemology. Unlike constructivists and moderate anti-realists (intuitionists) like Dummett, who are usually satisfied with computability in principle radical anti-realists insist on more than that, "practical feasibility". In particular, they would reject the law of excluded middle even for computable predicates.
One of the suggestions for epistemic logic of radical anti-realism, given by Dubucs and Marion, is to use polynomial time computability as formalization of "practical feasibility", so presumably they would be sympathetic to the kind of concerns like NP-hardness of reducing higher level theories to  lower level ones. For now at least, classical and even mainstream anti-realist epistemologies are satisfied with doing it "in principle".
See Vidal-Rosset's review, and Dubucs-Marion original paper.
Answer: I would say YES regarding the NP problem. See the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetics. It is a theorem, so it is knowable as being true and demonstrable. However, if you can factorize a number in NP time then you're a god and you screwed the whole Internet.
Studying propositions as being a valid reasoning has nothing to do with the involved time or number of steps. The implications NP/NPC/NPH would have are similar to the implications of God's Machine trying to detect a collision: It is just an annoying matter of time, but not of reasoning validity.
Regarding the problem of undecidability, the emblematic problem here is the Halting Problem, and yes, it has epistemologic implications. Basically: There are some limits to your ability to prove something under your own system and, under a Turing-scheme system, such problem is expressed in terms of undecidable (or semi-decidable) problems like this.