What is the relation and/or difference between freeware and free software?

Question: Freeware and free software sound very similar. What is the relation between them?
Comment: I really wish they should've called it **Freedom Software** instead of free software. This would've brought more attention to the concept and it sounds more clear.
Comment: http://opensource.stackexchange.com/questions/620/what-is-the-difference-between-free-as-in-beer-and-free-as-in-speech is more about language, where this question is more about the concept, but they are closely related. I'm Not sure if it's a full dupe.
Comment: The tags [tag:free-software] & [tag:freeware] can also answer.
Answer: Freeware is software that is released and can be downloaded and used without cost. No other rights are implied by the freeware label (although the author might offer more). So freeware doesn't imply:

access to the source code
commercial use
right to redistribute
right to change

All things free software does allow. Free software is defined by the four freedom it grants:

Freedom 0: The freedom to run the program for any purpose.
Freedom 1: The freedom to study how the program works, and change it to make it do what you wish.
Freedom 2: The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor.
Freedom 3: The freedom to improve the program, and release your improvements (and modified versions in general) to the public, so that the whole community benefits.
Comment: Yes except: The term "freeware" has no clear accepted definition, but it is commonly used for packages which permit redistribution but not modification (and their source code is not available). These packages are not free software, so please don't use "freeware" to refer to free software. http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.en.html
Answer: "Freeware" is free as in free beer.  "Free software" is free as in freedom.
The difference is elaborated on in the answers to this question.
Among the restrictions commonly imposed on freeware are:

No source code is provided (so you cannot adapt or review for security holes).
No permission to adapt, even if source code is provided.
Restrictions on type of use. (E.g. "This program can only be used for good, not evil.")
Restrictions on type of users. (E.g. "This program can not be used by the military.")
Restrictions on distribution. (E.g. "You're not allowed to redistribute its program. it shall only be available for download from the website example.com.)

However, this list is by no means complete.
Free software on the other hand, obliges the author to make available the source code to anyone who receives the program, and the owner (or others) can not impose any restrictions on type of use, type or user, or distribution.
Answer: Why does Freeware and Free Software sounds similar?
The English adjective free is commonly used in one of two meanings: "for zero price" (gratis) and "with little or no restriction" (libre). So, "free" is ambiguous (i.e. freedom/cost).
For clear understanding visit the wikipedia article : Gratis versus libre.

Definition

Freeware:

Freeware is computer software that is made available free of charge, but which is copyrighted by its developer, who retains the rights to control its distribution, modify it and sell it in the future. It is typically distributed without its source code, thus preventing modification by its users.

Free Software:

A program is free software if the program's users have the four essential freedoms:

The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0).
The freedom to study how the program works, and change it so it does your computing as you wish (freedom 1). Access to the source code is a precondition for this.
The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others (freedom 3). By doing this you can give the whole community a chance to benefit from your changes. Access to the source code is a precondition for this.

Difference

Terminological
The "free" in "freeware" refers to the price of the software, which is typically proprietary and distributed without source code.
The "free" in "free software" refers to freedoms granted users under the software license (for example, to run the program for any purpose, modify and redistribute the program to others), and such software may be sold at a price.
License & Rights

Freeware:

Software classified as freeware may be used without payment and is typically either fully functional for an unlimited time, or has limited functionality, with a more capable version available commercially or as shareware. The software license may impose various additional restrictions like:
Restriction on use e.g only for personal use, private use, individual use, non-profit use, non-commercial use, academic use, educational use, use in charity or humanitarian organizations, non-military use, use by public authorities, restricted use in a combination with some types of other software or with some hardware devices, etc.
Prohibited distribution over the Internet other than linking to author's website, restricted distribution without author's consent, restricted number of copies, etc.

Free Software:

The term free-software is used for the software that gives users the freedom to run the software for any purpose as well as to study, modify, and distribute the original software and the adapted versions.
License grants the recipient of a piece of software extensive rights to modify and redistribute that software.

Above difference is also given (shortly) in this answer.
From wikipedia template:

Freeware falls in category - compensation model
Free Software falls in category - license

Though, According to FSF :

The term "freeware" has no clear accepted definition, but it is commonly used for packages which permit redistribution but not modification (and their source code is not available).These packages are not free software, so please don't use "freeware" to refer to free software.

So, It is better to use gratis instead of freeware while talking about free of cost software.
They also provide translations of term "free software" into various languages with distinguishing it from "gratis".
This graphical information (from catagories) may also helpful:

There is no relation between Freeware and Free Software And the difference is only terminological because actually comparable/distinguishable thing is "Free software vs Proprietary Software" (and may be "Freeware vs Payware").
Comment: You can't really judge freeware against Stallman's definition. The FSF doesn't get to redefine our language that way. The comparison needs to be the other way round. Freeware (and shareware, which is what the 'free' actually relates to) predates the FSF by a few years, coming from the earliest days of MS-DOS (as far as the pubic is concerned). There were also other forms of open source before then (DECUS for one, Usenet for another).
Comment: @kdopen Edited/Revised
Answer: Because the terms can be, and are, so easily misunderstood most of us who have worked in this area avoid them and instead refer to specific licenses, which grant specific rights while reserving others. The Apache license, the partly or fully open versions of the Creative Commons family of licenses, and MIT's open-source license are among those which I've seen corporate lawyers approve of. The FSF/Gnu family has some versions (most notably the infamous "infectious" version, now mostly gone) which they wouldn't approve. And so on.
Whether it's called free, freeware, shareware, open-source, or Fred, read and understand the licence before downloading, and if you can't live by the rules set in that license find another program.
(The Free Software Foundation is certainly entitled to define what they mean when they use these terms... but there's no guarantee any other author/publisher agrees will use the terms exactly the same way. Read and understand and obey the licence. )


What is "stagnation in the prostate"?

Question: What does "stagnation in the prostate" as described as a clinical symptom in serious evidence-based medicine mean? Or is this just a "pop-culture and mass-media" buzzword?
Answer: You can search using operators "site:gov" or "site:edu" and find texts, such as this one from PubMed:

Sexual behaviors represent potential modifiable risk factors and may
  influence prostate cancer development through a variety of specific
  mechanisms. One biological mechanism involves prostatic accumulation
  of potentially carcinogenic secretions, which may create more
  opportunity for prostate cancer development, sometimes referred to as
  the prostate stagnation hypothesis.

The term "blood stagnation" is not related to prostate stagnation hypothesis and is mentioned as a problem after prostate cancer surgery, for example in this article about acupuncture treatment after prostate surgery.
Comment: It's a hypothesis that suggests a possible risk factor for prostate cancer. It's not a symptom (something what you experience as a feeling or own observation) or a sign (what a doctor can find during an examination). It's a proposed mechanism that has not yet been proven so far, but may or may not be in the future. New hypotheses (this one is several decades old, though) often comes with new terms that at the time sound "constructed" but later become widely accepted, such as irritable bowel syndrome, for example.
Comment: Thank you. I had seem this. Exactly after this I have decided to ask that question. Am I right that this confirms that "prostate stagnation"  is not a clinical symptom description, but just some kind of mental construct?
Comment: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3942-masturbating-may-protect-against-prostate-cancer also talks about this
Comment: Some pop medicine articles talk about blood stagnation others about prostate secret stagnation.  I would like to ask authors of https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5040619/ why you need those weakly defined terms? and why it is not enough to stay just with "ejaculation frequencies"? What I do not understand there? Symptom defined through statistics is common place now?
Comment: I added a link to an article that mentions blood stagnation, which is not related to prostate stagnation hypothesis. Scientists often invent new terms. The term prostate stagnation focuses on the mechanism. It's their business how to name something and you can like it or not.
Comment: I agree that such name focuses on mechanics, but question is "what is also known about this mechanics?" (complaints, observable degenerative changes)  - in other words is it a symptom or just a "name".
Comment: In cancers, in general, mechanisms are rarely known in detail. But risk factors are often known. To see what is currently known about the mechanism of prostate stagnation, you can read what has been published so far. I don't know. But this mechanism, if it really exists, does not need to cause any symptoms. Just like atherosclerosis is a mechanism involved in coronary heart disease, but may have no symptoms for a long time.

What is "stagnation in the prostate"?


Was Artemis a lesbian?

Question: The material I was taught in school spoke of how Artemis never sought the company of man (romantically or sexually). Said material merely described the huntress as 'celibate', but this was sort of a PG, kid-friendly interpretation of mythology (for a Catholic school, no less) and since then I have occasionally come across more, shall we say- explicit versions of the legends. Was the sexual orientation of Artemis ever described in detail?
Answer: I agree that there isn't evidence that Artemis was exclusively a lesbian, and no myth as far as I know that explicitly states that either, but there is was such an implication.
In the Callisto myth, Zeus takes on the form of Artemis in order to have sex with Callisto, one of her followers. He does this to "lure her into his embrace".
So even though she might not have been popularly thought of as such, Zeus and Callisto at least share enough belief that Artemis might have sex with her female follower for Zeus to try it and Callisto to fall for it.
I agree that she was definitely not strictly a lesbian, and maybe not at all, but there was some implication of homosexuality even in ancient times.
Comment: +1 For '...Share the belief that...'
Answer: Artemis doesn't seek the company of man, that is true.
She is the virgin goddess of the hunt, and she usually is escorted by young virgins.
Virginity is linked to purity, and Artemis is one of the symbols of this.
She fell in love only one time with Orion. But he was killed by Gaïa because he threatened to kill every beast on the earth in his mad hunt with Artemis. That is from the Homer and Hesiod myth.
Another explanation for his death is that Apollo didn't agree with Orion being with his sister, and challenged his sister to shoot a target, which was Orion's head.
Anyway, the constellation of Orion exists because Artemis asked Zeus for a memorial for Orion.
She also killed the only man who saw her naked, Actaeon.
There is no mention of Artemis being a lesbian, and, as I said, we know that she was at least in love with one man.
Answer: The thing is, the ancient Greeks and Romans simply didn't have categories for "gay" or "lesbian".  In modern times, their idea of sexuality is described as "polymorphic perversity", which translates to "whatever feels good" -- men, women, children, animals, whatever.  While data on women is sketchy (their doings were beneath notice for most writers), we do have Sappho's erotic poems making it clear that women did have sex with other women at least sometimes.  Men might well have a wife, perhaps concubines, fool around with their slaves, and/or sleep with male friends (which last was considered unremarkable and routine).  Some people were known to prefer men or women exclusively, but this was considered simply a matter of personal taste.  There is at least one dialogue where two writers "argue" the comparative benefits of male or female lovers.
That said, male/female relations still had political ramifications, because of potential children (and marriage), not to mention drastic power issues.  The three "virgin goddesses" (Artemis, Hestia, Athena), and later the Vestal Virgins, were called that not because they were sexless or even chaste, but because they were not bound to any male.
Answer: On the subject of Orion, in the true translations it was never stated that Orion and Artemis fell in love, in the original translations they shared a mutual interest in archery, and in some they even were enemies- with Artemis asking Zeus to get rid of him, because he was chasing after her friends the pleiad nymphs. The entire love story between the pair came from newer translations, where the translators thought it would make a better story line. I think that it could have been implied that Artemis could be what our society calles a lesbian or bisexual, as she did lead a group of huntresses who force-weared the company of men, and that can be interpreted in many different ways, but she also might be under what our society calles the acesexual, and/or aromantic spectrum(s), as Aphrodite the goddess of sex, love, romance and beauty holds no power over her along with Athena and Hestia, wich could imply that she has no desire for sex and/ or romance with another. Also she may have been represented differently, depending on where her myths were told, or the time they were told.
Answer: I don't even know if OP will even see this, but...
I believe that Artemis could be described as queer, if not bisexual for the reasons described in this fantastic and in-depth article: Artemis Is the Queer Girl Goddess BFF of Your Dreams.
Comment: Please post the relevant details here.  Answers consisting of just links are not particularly helpful and are liable to be deleted.
Comment: It's a solid argument, and although the article is not scholarly, the Ovid quote is supports the thesis.  I'd recommend including that quote in your answer here, so it's not just a link, and possibly synopsizing the article.

Was Artemis a lesbian?


What is the proper technique for holding a Century-style body shield for use in Taekwondo?

Question: My family just won a Century body shield as part of a raffle to help raise money for our school's booster club. We don't often use a body shield in class (in fact, I only recall having used it in one drill and that was when helping a younger student whose aim was somewhat questionable) and so I'm at a bit of a loss on the proper technique for holding the shield for various drills typical in Taekwondo (particularly kicking drills). Simply put, what is the proper technique for holding a body shield?
Comment: It depends on what type and brand. For the large Tae Kwon Do pads, you hold them touching you body with one hand on each hand hold, lower palm facing towards you, and upper palm facing away from you. The real importing part is to keep the pad close.
Comment: And me thinking this was about a hoplon, scutum or a kite shield...
Comment: can you add a link to the specific shield? different ones have different handles!
Comment: Great add - updated!
Comment: Good point - modifying the question to be art specific.
Comment: Adding a picture would be a little better than just a link. If that link disappears or its content changes, then you'd still have to rely on the textual description.
Answer: I never used these when I briefly took Tae Kwon Do when I was younger, but we use these same kicking pads in my kung fu classes. The way we hold them depends on the kick, but in general we tend to hold the pad close and braced against our bodies while in a grounded stance. I don't quite recall the stances in Tae Kwon Do, but I'm sure there is some analogue to what we do in kung fu.
For some thing like a roundhouse kick, we use stand in a stance where one foot is front of the other (knee bent) and the back foot is extended out. I believe "walking stance" (gunnun sogi, ap kubi) is the general terminology of what I'm describing. In terms of holding the pad, we wrap one arm in the two back handles and use the other to hold the side handle. The placement of the pad is either to the right or left of our body (depending on what side leg is doing the kick).
For something like a front kick or side kick, we use the same forward leaning stance while holding the pad the same way (one arm wrapped in the handles, the other holding the side handle), but with the pad in front. For some people, it may be easier for them to hold the pad on their side while in a "sitting stance" (annun sogi, jumchum sogi, horse riding stance, or middle stance). I find the latter to be better for absorbing the impact from these type of kicks though.
For axe kicks, crescent kicks, or spinning kicks, I would hold the pad in a way so that the eventual momentum transferred to the pad is unrestricted (in the direction of the kick). For a  crescent kick, I would just hold the pad out facing sidewards and let the other person swing the leg and kick the pad. Don't try to resist the incoming force; just move with it and let it go. If the pad flies out, it's not a huge issue.
Sometimes you will have to adjust your stance based on how much room you have in relation to where the kick will be traveling. You may also have to adjust for height differences, but that is as simple as kneeling on the floor for young and small children or just standing a little higher in your stance. One thing I do not recommend doing is extending your arms out. You don't want the impact to shoot straight into your arms (as you could hurt your elbows or shoulders in the process) as much as letting the impact disperse throughout your whole body.
These pads are meant to be tools to help in the practice of techniques. There is responsibility that falls on both the person kicking and the person holding the pad. When holding it, there is some level of understanding that the person kicking isn't going to go all out as a safety precaution to the other (and this can vary depending on skill level) while the  person holding the pad can be trusted to help train the other.
Comment: just to add on, in my TKD school we don't use the straps and just hold the shield on diagonal corners.  That way your arm doesn't smash into your body every time!
Answer: This shield is often used to practice the power of forward/front kicks, as an alternative to a kicking bag. Usually is used for front kicks (ap chagui), side kicks (yeop chagui) or back kicks (tuit chagui).
If you have few or no kicking bags available, it may be more effective to use this type of shield to have students practice in pairs.
From my experience this is how you should use it:

You should put the shield on the side, facing the person practicing the kick.
Your front facing arm should go inside one strap, and that hand should firmly grab the second strap.
Keep than arm close to the side of your body, but leave the elbow outside, so that it doesn't hurt your ribs when you receive the kick.
The lower part of the shield would usually be on your hip.
Place your free hand on the back of the upper part of the shield, for additional support.
Lower you gravity center, with a long stance, so that you don't loose balance when receiving the kick.
On the moment you receive the kick, do a small back sliding step to better absorb the blow. Back kick are particularly powerful and you will surely need this for them.


Install Unity 2d as default to save much needed resources

Question: I think that I would prefer to use Unity 2d. Is there a way during a clean install to choose 2d instead of the 3d even though my hardware would support 3d? My main applications that I use are for graphic design and photography and need all the resources I can when working with large files and/or large number of photos. From all the reading, 2d is lot less resource intensive, is this true? I switched from the LTS to xubuntu, but I really would like to learn this new UI.
Answer: In Oneiric Unity 2D is the fall back mode. If the hardware is not capable of running Unity 3D then Unity 2D is installed. You may find that the video drivers that come with the installation are capable of running your video card in 3D. In this case Unity 3D will be installed. I think this happened when I installed 11.10 alpha four months ago.
In this case you need to open the Ubuntu Software Center and search for Unity 2D and install the four parts of Unity 2D. Then reboot and at the login screen after you have clicked on your user name you will see a menu with the option to load into Unity 2D. Ubuntu in that menu is Unity 3D.
The login manager will usually load the last chosen mode. So, next time you boot you will already be set up to run the Unity 2D desktop.
On my system I have set myself up as two different users so I can switch between 3D and 2D without rebooting. I wanted to compare the two setups. You might find that useful.
Correction: In the menu Ubuntu is Unity 3D and Ubuntu 2D is Unity 2D. I have just tested the accuracy of my reply.
Regards.
Answer: Sure, you can select Unity2d during the installation when installing from the minimal iso. Obviously, you'll also have to select and install the other packages manually as well.


Who determines the target creature or player when a card says "deals 1 damage to target creature or player"?

Question: Vigilante Justice says "Whenever a Human enters the battlefield under your control, Vigilante Justice deals 1 damage to target creature or player." Do I decide if the damage goes to the creature or player or does my opponent?
Answer: Whoever controls Vigilante Justice chooses the targets. The ability is a triggered ability, and the rules for triggered abilities say

603.3a A triggered ability is controlled by the player who controlled its source at the time it triggered, unless it's a delayed triggered ability. To determine the controller of a delayed triggered ability, see rules 603.7d–f.
603.3d The remainder of the process for putting a triggered ability on the stack is identical to the process for casting a spell listed in rules 601.2c–d. If a choice is required when the triggered ability goes on the stack but no legal choices can be made for it, or if a rule or a continuous effect otherwise makes the ability illegal, the ability is simply removed from the stack.
601.2c The player [who controls the ability] announces his or her choice of an appropriate player, object, or zone for each target the spell requires.

The "source" of the ability is the object that has the ability, which in this case is Vigilante Justice, so Vigilante Justice's controller controls the ability. When the ability triggers, as part of the process of putting it on the stack, that player chooses the targets.
Answer: Whoever controls the Vigilante Justice and the Human chooses which creature or player it will target.
This is because whomever controls the Vigilante Justice controls its trigger [603.3a] and whoever controls the trigger chooses the targets [601.2c]
Answer: Whoever controls vigilante justice and the human entering play decides.
Comment: The fact that it only triggers when creatures enter the battlefield under your control has nothing to do with who controls the ability or chooses the targets. Without that last clause, the answer would be the same.
Comment: Silly me. Edited appropriately.


Get a DVD onto my iPhone

Question: Is there an official way to take my DVD and put it on my iPhone?
Comment: Please clarify what "offical" means to you. I'll assume you mean a commercially available and supported product.
Comment: Well, I was hoping there was an apple solution.  Failing that I will take whatever is normally used by the community.
Comment: I trust by *official* you actually mean *legal*.
Answer: There isn't an "official" way but a common and easy method is to rip the DVD with a utility like HandBrake and then drop it in iTunes to sync with your iPhone. The US Supreme Court ruled that

nothing in the agreement prevents you
  from making copies of DVDs. Nothing
  requires that a DVD be present during
  playback.

So yes, it is legal. source
Comment: Good point; I'm not an American and I tend to forget about that court decision. I've deleted my earlier answer.
Comment: I'd point out that that ruling only applies in the US. Any international users who read this would be advised to consult their own lawyers first about the legality.
Comment: Apparently more than HandBreak is needed.  I ran it on my DVD and it was filled with all kinds of artifacts/noise and the audio was choppy.
Comment: @Vaccano I don't have a lot of experience using HandBrake since I don't own DVDs, but a lot of people on the EiC forum swear by it. Maybe a tutorial will help? http://www.everythingicafe.com/forum/threads/tutorial-put-your-dvds-on-your-iphone-step-by-step-instructions.6047/
Comment: Two awesome [alternatives](http://alternativeto.net/software/handbrake/?platform=mac) to the great Handbrake: [Adapter](http://www.macroplant.com/adapter/) and [the discontinued but still great iSquint](http://www.techspansion.com/)
Answer: Actually, it's pretty straight forward.
Comment: Hilarious, and technically a valid answer.
Answer: I would recommend the program RipIt by the little app factory if by official you mean a commercially available and supported software to accomplish the task of ripping a commercial DVD into a format that will work with iTunes to play DVD content on iOS. There are free solutions, but I prefer paying for an interface and a manual and most of all, support and someone paid to develop new fixes to the ripping software when new discs come out with different tricks to prevent ripping. (It's a game of cat and mouse between the movie studios and the rippers unfortunately.)
The company is very responsive in supporting its customers and has been around for some time. Well worth the money for the time and aggravation it saves me. Their passport bundle is a great value if you will use more than two of their products.
If you want legal advice whether doing this is wise, do check with a local lawyer.
Answer: The best, and also a very legal, way to go would be Handbrake (as styfle says), however many DVDs come now with a digital copy, where you get a code which can be used to download a copy for iTunes (full DRM so only in iTunes), from there you can sync it to your iPhone. This method is probably easier for a non-techie (although Handbrake is pretty simple), but it's a lot more restricting.

Get a DVD onto my iPhone


Can the new WannaCry affect Linux ext4 file system data from Windows?

Question: So every now and then I switch over to my Windows 10 OS from my Linux partition. Whilst I am there, I am fully aware that I can be infected with WannaCry which will encrypt all the files on the system. But will it affect my Linux partitions? If it only affects the Windows partition then I will have nothing to worry about as I barely have anything on Windows, but if it affects the Linux partitions (which from what I know, you can't really access from Windows) then I will have to do something about it! Anyway would it affect my Linux ext4 filesystem from Windows?
Answer: There are different variants circulating but some can. Once infected it damages/modifies the master boot record prior to windows even being loaded, then yes it can. Once it does, then it attempts to encrypt the full disk.
Comment: Most ransomware works without admin privilege, which is what's disconcerting about them. Modifying the MBR would've required admin privilege.
Comment: @LieRyan Local root exploits are considered relatively cheap, though.
Answer: No it is not vulnerable to the same variant of WannaCrypt.
WannaCrypt leveraged vulnerabilities in Windows which are now patched.
It made use of a Windows specific exploit known as EternalBlue to exploit a vulnerability in the Windows implementation of SMBv1 to spread as well as a Windows specific backdoor known as DoublePulsar.
Once a host is infected it will search the Windows filesystem(s) for specific file types (the most common file types used by users jpeg, doc, mp3 etc), encrypt them and change them to the '.WNCRY' file type.
As you point out your Windows install cannot access your EXT4 filesystem on the Linux partition.
However if you were to mount the Linux partition within Windows, or create a samba sahre so Windows could access it, it is likely that the files would be encrypted by WannaCrypt.
This is not to say that there isn't malware with similar behaviour that will impact Linux/EXT4 (ransomware spreading via samba for example), but not this variant of WannaCrypt and not in these circumstances.
The diagram below summarizes the WannaCrypt infection cycle and
demonstrates how it impacts Windows only.
TLDR: WannCrypt only impacts Windows and encrypts specific file types, in your circumstances your Linux partition is not impacted, however if you were to mount the Linux partition or create a samba share within windows so windows could read and write files to it, it is likely that files on that drive may be impacted.
Technical analsys can be seen here.
Comment: Good answer but I think the diagram is a bit confusing. It doesn't actually show what wannacry will encrypt which is what the question was about.


dry hopping in primary?

Question: Okay, so I am currently working on my first batch that I Intend to Dry hop. I am getting a ton of mixed messages and want to see what the majority thinks. So I have finally come to the conclusion that for a small 5 gal batch, racking to a secondary is more risk than just leaving it in primary for the entire fermenting period. According to John Palmer, bigger breweries just rack to secondary vessels because the amount of sediment is MUCH greater than what we are dealing with and can cause off flavors. The only time we should rack is with fruit additions, or other fermentables and or if we intend to age. Well I'm finding a lot of brewers telling me they ONLY transfer to secondary if they are dry hopping or making additions. Then I have others telling me you can just dry hop in primary a week or so before bottling. Everyone is contradicting each other and just when i think I'm solid on what I believe, someone changes my mind. Let me know what you guys think!
Comment: Welcome to homebrewing, where there are 3 correct answers for every question! :) Remember that most people work on "this works for me", and it might, but something else in their system/technique might be the magic. I only dry-hopped in secondary once because there was no way that 600g of whole hops would fit into my carboy!
Answer: It's not contradictory so much as it's all valid. :)
To answer the titular question: yes, you can dry-hop in primary. Long-term aging is really the only reason to rack to secondary. Dry-hopping, fruit additions, &c. can all happen in primary just fine. Anything that happens w/in 6 months can happen in one vessel (primary) or two (primary and secondary).
Answer: In my opinion a "secondary" should be viewed as a tool. A potentially useful tool, but best used by someone who really has a grip of their brewing process and using it for a very specific purpose. I agree with Palmer, dont chase what the big brewers do, they have different issues then homebrewers. I would definitely suggest dry hopping in your primary vessel but AFTER FERMENTATION IS COMPLETE (I did when I bottled), fermentation will drive off volatile components of the hops. There is a lot of contradictory information out there, Take it all with a grain of salt most things "work" and some work well. As you gain experience you will start to see what works for you!
Good luck and keep us posted!
Comment: Thanks for the info! You solidified my belief. I am sticking to primary only from now on, unless I want to age for more than 3 months or have a fruit addition. I am going to dryhop my double ipa with 3 oz citra and a oz simcoe a week before bottling! I opened up the primary yesterday and it smelled amazing. No more airlock action and it's been in for  week and 3 days, but I'm leaving it be for another 3 weeks.

dry hopping in primary?


How can I remove hard water build up from a washing machine?

Question: What is the best way to remove any sediment build up from having hard water from a washing machine?
Answer: There's a product called CLR (Calcium,Lime, Rust) that you can pour on a sponge and scrub down the drum.  Use gloves!  It probably wouldn't hurt to pour the rest of the bottle in and run a small load (no clothes) to clean out the piping as well.
Answer: Pretty much anything acidic will do the trick.  There is an overview of citric acid-based products you can purchase, and home remedies such as lemon juice and vinegar.  Here are more details on using vinegar.


October Topic Challenge: Navajo mythology

Question: This month, we will go with Heather's suggestion:
The Navajo mythology
A topic not much covered on the site, which also is readily readable about.
Example myths/topics:

Diné Bahane' - Navajo creation myth
The origin of the Blessingway ceremony (link is to explanation of ceremony)
Characteristics of Coyote

What is a topic challenge?
During a topic challenge, community members read and ask questions about a particular topic.
Participation is not obligatory in any sense, and questions on other topics are always welcome as well, but they won't count as a part of this challenge.
How does one participate?
To participate in this topic challenge, all one has to do is ask or answer a question related to Navajo mythology anytime during October 2017. That simple! Questions asked in the scope of this topic challenge should be tagged with navajo.
What else?

Vote here for the next topic challenge, or propose your own!
Comment: [Navajo Legends, Myths, and Stories](http://www.native-languages.org/navajo-legends.htm)
Answer: List of questions for October's topic challenge:

What is the significance of the kinds of wood used in sweat lodges?
How does one become a skin-walker?


Why do bigger blocks make it more expensive to run a full node?

Question: Does it cost more storage?
For the transaction verification, to which extent bigger blocks make it more computational intensive?
In terms of computational complexity, is the verification process a O(n) computation or anything else?
Answer: Short answer: For big players the cost is mostly negligible.
Longer answer (independent of the current block size debate):
Hard Drive Cost:
A bigger block will take up more disk space. Right now the block size is limited to 1 MB. If the block size is increased to 2 MB and assuming all blocks are always being filled to the max size then you will need about twice the hard drive space to store the same amount of 2 MB blocks as you needed for 1MB blocks.
Network Bandwidth Cost:
If block size is increased, a full node has to relay a bigger size block. Sending and receiving more data will have an impact on cost as well.
Real Time Computational Cost:
A full node has to hash a block and verify that the hash has n amount of leading zeros. Increasing the block size will result in hashing a larger amount of data which increases verification time.
Big O Complexity:
Big O would depend on whatever the Big O is for sha256.
Comment: You're forgetting: signature validation (which is currently still the majority of the CPU cost) scales linearly with the number of hashes. Signature hash computation scales O(num_transactions * avg_transaction_size^2). Database lookups/updates scale O(inputs) and O(outputs), and each will get slower over time as the UTXO set grows.
Comment: Only the block header is hashed for the nonce puzzle, so increasing the block size can only increase the transaction merkle root computation cost.


Why doesn't the gradient tool appear over the object I've applied it to in Illustrator CS6?

Question: Why doesn't the gradient tool appear over the object I've applied it to in Illustrator CS6? I have to click and hold down to adjust the size of the gradient on an object or just use the gradient window. But now I am unable to edit the perimeters of a radial gradient like I use to do in CS5. In CS5 the bar would stay visible over the object until you clicked out of the gradient tool. Is my software bugged or is this simply a disappointing new feature in CS6?
Comment: WHat's the nature of the object? Compound Shape? Raster image? Group? Clipping Mask?
Comment: You should be a mind reader by now Scott
Comment: Just FYI I've got the exact same problem going on and I just got Illustrator a few weeks ago so I know that I have the current one. It is very frustrating.
Comment: Just had the same experience, pressing G didn't do anything. I closed and reopened the document and then I could see the gradient annotator. The Annotator should show up every time the Gradient window is called, I think that would make way more sense. Yet another counterintuitive Illustrator feature...
Answer: Kind of late but hope my answer can be of help.
So the control that you are looking for is called the "Gradient annotator" can might be switched off accidentally by pressing the shortcut "cmd + opt + G" for mac. Not so sure about Windows.
To reactivate it simply press the shortcut again or go to View > Show Gradient Annotator and you should have the gradient controls back on.
Comment: Or press `Alt+Ctrl+G` (for Windows)
Answer: All good answers (I'm working in CS 5.5) I've had this problem and also noticed that even though groups and compound paths may cause issues with gradients, they do not make gradients impossible.  Sometimes you have to Ungroup, Release Compound Path (Object/Compound Path/...), then re-make the compound path (if there was one to begin with) and re-Group.  Usually this will fix the problem for me.
Comment: I spent a long time tearing my hair out before I realized that I had accidentally created a group of a single path.
Answer: I didn't see a response for the Windows version, but there it is Ctrl+Alt+G to turn it back on.
Comment: It worked like a charm @asdfsadf
Answer: They haven't removed this feature. Make sure that you have the object selected, a radial gradient has already been applied, and you have the gradient tool currently being used.
Comment: Thanks for your help Adam. My software must be bugged. I've done all that. The tool in the picture example you have shown above that appears over the objet, straight up, does not appear. Like I said, when I click and drag I can adjust the size of the gradient but as soon I release the mouse button the tool (the bar with swatch tabs and the perimeter ring) disappear. And I have no way of adjusting the hight or width of the perimeter and am only able to adjust the color swatches using the gradient window.
Comment: Might be worth a reinstall depending on how important that feature is to you.
Answer: I've run into this bug for years. It's most definitely not cause by groupings or compound paths, as I've used the gradient tool within them plenty of times. Sometimes simply restarting illustrator will bring the tool back, but not always. I've never found a consistent method for fixing this outside of just remaking the object and re-applying the gradient.
It seems to happen most often when I'm running low on memory.
Answer: This was driving me nuts, but it's simple.
If the Gradient Annotator (⌥⌘G) is enabled / hasn't been disabled, and the little Gradient Window (⌘F9) is open; just select the relevant object and hit G.
It'll make the proper switch to the Gradient tool, and the device will appear. When you switch to a gradient via the main colour selector, it doesn't make the switch. That's all it is.
Answer:
Is my software bugged or is this simply a disappointing new feature in CS6?

This is not a bug. Check that your shape isn't a Compound path or grouped.


What would a player character need to better eat live animals raw?

Question: Ok, so I mentioned in another question an idea for a character known for "(eating) small animals live and fresh with all the dignity and etiquette of a nobleman eating a sandwich"; would a character need any certain feats, stats, or skills to be able to do that? I know there were feats referenced in that article that would be useful for that, but they were more for being able to eat things regardless of decay (Scavenging Gullet) or just being able to bite into them better (Deformity(teeth)). Are there any other such feats, or do you even need a feat to eat meat raw like that?
Answer: No, a character does not need a feat to eat meat raw.  There's no rule for that in D&D, and if there were, it would be laughable if anyone didn't disregard it. "Good thing I'm third level, I can go to sushi bars now!"
You mentioned in the other question that you're not even necessarily playing a human character, but some Unseelie Fey right? Different people and cultures and races eat different things, and even the ridiculously legalistic world of 3.5 hasn't seen fit to mechanize that yet, thank goodness. Various races in the Monster Manuals are described as eating all kinds of things ("prefer human flesh...") but there's nothing in their stat blocks about it.
Then, see @Discord's answer for how this should be treated as a "non-RAW" activity.
Answer: I think a certain amount of gastronomic flexibility is expected of an adventurer. Dragon vol. 328 lists Fussy as a potential character flaw, wherein "you are uncomfortable ingesting anything but a small range of preferred foods and drinks." (The mechanics don't back this up all that well, though, since all it is is a chance to become Sickened when you drink a potion and a penalty to saves against ingested poisons.)
Furthermore, "getting along in the wild" is a DC 10 Survival check. That is, the average person could do it without training; in the modern world that's not really accurate (most of us city-slickers, at least, would probably eat a poisonous mushroom inside a week), but within Dungeons & Dragons it seems to be. So again, the rules seem to assume that adventurers are going to be flexible about eating what they find out there.
There are ways to benefit especially from certain kinds of gruesome meals – particularly cannibalism – but those have more to do with being Evil and demonstrating it through food practices than it does with strange dietary choices. Most are magical benefits, taking that kind of thing to a ritualistic level.
For just eating, it seems to be a thing unmentioned by the rules. Adventurers do seem to be expected to be willing to eat just about anything edible, though most would probably kill the rat first. Something like this seems to be purely a matter of how you describe your character.
Answer: As far as I know, there are no feats that govern being able to eat raw/live animals. It's really a matter of whether it's flavor for your character, (pun intended) or if you actually want game mechanics for it. Different cultures on Earth eat a lot of different things that would make other cultures sick and that would definitely be expanded in a fantasy world.
For really small animals (mice, insects, shrews) I would rule that a feat or roll wouldn't be required if the character has acclimated to eating these things. I would consider things like: the character's cultural/racial background (everyone of the particular race or city eats live mice), back story (the character lived as a feral child with no access to fire) or past practice. (Maybe the character has spent several months 'training' do this.)
If I character doesn't have practice eating these sorts of things, I'd go the Fear Factor route and have them make a Constitution check or Fortitude save to avoid becoming nauseated/sick.
Comment: I think he's asking if rules already exist, not what rules might be invented.
Comment: And now I have an image of someone "training" to eat live mice.  It is not a pretty image.
Answer: Well, the one rules that refers to this is the Ex ability Swallow Whole. It explicitly allows you to swallow a live creature one size smaller than you, and it details the grapple checks required to do this. Saying (as a house-rule) that all creatures with mouths have Swallow Whole for creatures 3 sizes smaller than them doesn't seems too crazy. And it gives the creature a chance to escape within the rules.
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/specialAbilities.htm
Comment: "The mouse has cut its way out of your intestines with a light slashing weapon.  Muscle activity immediately seals the hole, so the other mice will have to cut their own way out.  One of them makes its grapple check and begins to crawl out of your mouth..."
Answer: RAW: First, picking up the live lizard to eat it requires a grapple attempt. Since the lizard has a grapple bonus of -12 due to its Tiny size and Strength score of 3, it's quite difficult for it to escape your grasp.
Since humans lack the Swallow Whole ability, you technically need to kill it first. This involves making a bite attack, which a human can perform as an unarmed attack. Unless he is a monk or has the Improved Unarmed Strike feat, he takes a -4 attack penalty in order to deal lethal damage. A lizard only has 2 hit points so you are likely to succeed.
Once the lizard is officially killed by your bite damage, it becomes just meat, and eating food is covered under mundane actions that don't require skill checks.
Comment: This is like the game of d20 Star Wars a guy joined, only to find that the group thought it was normal to use combat rounds, initiative, and the grid to walk around and talk to NPCs in a cantina.
Comment: @Cobalt This is a real answer but also a joke.
Comment: Just don't ask for the RAW on how to go to the bathroom. There's a lot of CMB checks involved.
Answer: Keep in mind that if you are of the Dragon type, including half dragons and dragon kin type creatures, you have a Draconis Fundamentum which is an organ that's a part of your digestive system and allows you to process pretty much anything. You can find out about this in the Draconomicon. If your DM is lenient enough, you could swing that, due to a distant ancestor being a dragon, you've developed at least a partial Draconis Fundamentum which allows you to process uncooked animals or what have you. Kobolds, from what I've been told, also can process nearly any ingested material and, genetically, they're really far removed from the Dragons they revere.


At what point does 1 point perspective become 2 point perspective?

Question: I'm trying to imagine a box rotating, and want to be able to draw it without guidelines. Let's just say you're drawing boxes or cubes and you start with 1 point perspective, my problem is when that box or cube is going to have 2 points perspective.
Comment: Possible duplicate of [When to use one-point versus two-point perspective drawing?](https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/64308/when-to-use-one-point-versus-two-point-perspective-drawing)
Comment: Also https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/116025/finding-the-possible-vanishing-points-in-a-landscape/116027#116027
Answer: There is no one point perspective or two, There are countless, the point is that the ones you are using are the ones that the parallel sides of a box have.
Take a look at this answer. Finding the possible vanishing points in a landscape
So if you are rotating the base of your cube, just see where the vanishing point is. It is probably very far, outside of your paper, but there it is.
As you rotate the image at some point one of these vanishing points will be parallel, and from that point, a new vanishing point will form.

I have a two-point perspective (3 actually but let's forget about it), and I start to rotate the cube.
The vanishing points are there but they are also rotating.
At some point, one of the vanishing points (red) is sooooooooo far away that looks as it is parallel lines.
And it starts to diverge, so the vanishing point starts to form on the other side of those same lines (magenta)
And we went back to step 1.
Comment: Just a point about the "so far away it looks parallel"—really, they ARE parallel.  If instead of considering an infinite wall in front of you which contains your picture, you consider a glass globe you are in through which you can see your surroundings in all directions—then all parallel lines are great circles, and the vanishing points for any set of parallel lines are the TWO points (on opposite sides of the globe) where those great circles cross.
Answer: When you rotate a 1 point perspective box that is parallel to the projection plane (eye or camera) in one axis, it becomes 2 point. However, the smaller the angle of rotation, the less obvious the convergence between parallel lines. At 45 degrees the planes in a cube will mirror each other.

Notice that the cube is intersecting the horizon line at the middle. Otherwise you are dealing with a third vanishing point.


is it safe to download Tor browser from other browser

Question: 1.i just learnt about Tor, and i'd like to know where is the best place to download Tor browser,i feel downloading from the google play store or another browser might have a negative effect on the purpose i'm using it for.
2. do i have to use VPN with TOR?
3. how safe am i using TOR browser?
Answer: For the first question: It depends on which OS you are using. If you are using any Linux distribution or BSD. You are better off getting tor via the built-in package manager. They will automatically download, verify and install tor for you. If you are using Windows (I'm not sure about OS X). Getting Tor using another browser is going to be your best option. And if you are technical enough, remember to verify your download using Tor's GPG signature. Verifying detects and stops you from executing malicious code in case someone have tempted with your download.
For the second question, it depends: Unless you live in one of the continues that sensors the Internet or are using Tor under a heavy firewall. You don't.
For the third question, again it depends. Tor is a anonymizing network, and it provides security by giving you privacy Assume for a second that you are a journalist in a war zone. You get killed if the military knows who you are. So you use Tor to avoid that. It hides your IP and identity. It prevents governments and cooperation from knowing who you are given you are using Tor correctly. - That is, don't do stuff that defeats the entire point of Tor. Like, cooperation can still track you if you logged into your account with a real identity connected to it. And, Tor won't block malware nor it prevents phishing. Tor is a powerful tool. But it is not a magic pill for all security problems.
Comment: thanks Mary Chang, i just downloaded the browser now, and i'd like a detailed explanation on how to configure it for the best security. i'd be glad if you can help me.
Comment: I suppose you download the Tor browser bundle? Don't touch the settings. They are preconfigured to be secure.
Answer:
It is perfectly safe to download TOR through your browser.

DO NOT use a VPN with TOR. Adding more hops is discouraged by the Tor Project. Using a VPN with TOR can open you up to more potential security opportunities for your traffic to be tied to you.

For the average person, very safe, much safer than browsing in the clear. There are known vulnerabilities in the TOR Network, though for the most part, only have the potential to be abused by large APT's or Nation State's that have millions in resources.

If you want to just browse sites without being tracked, you're fine using TOR.
Some users go as far as installing a dedicated amnesiac operating system called TAILS that leaves no traces on the computer it is run on. But for most use cases would be a bit extra.


Mercurial move followed by diff

Question: I had two very large projects in my Mercurial repository.
I am in the process of refactoring both of them into smaller sub-projects.
That involves moving sets of sources from a parent project directory into a sub-project's sub-directory.
For most files, I simply moved them.
For some files, I also had to make changes.
Before I commit my refactoring changes, I would like to review any edits that I made to any source files. In the GUI tool SourceTree - it shows me any modifications (in addition to indicating that the file has been moved/renamed). Is there any way to determine what files have also been modified from the Mercurial command line?
Here is a specific example of what I am talking about:
iphonedev:EveryScape cdoucette$ hg status -C Engineering/iOS/ESSDK/src/ESSDK-Miscellaneous/ESDataManagerInMemory.m
A Engineering/iOS/ESSDK/src/ESSDK-Miscellaneous/ESDataManagerInMemory.m
  Engineering/iOS/ESSDK/src/ESDataManagerInMemory.m
How can I compare the old revision with the current working copy in a different location?
If I just do this:
hg diff Engineering/iOS/ESSDK/src/ESSDK-Miscellaneous/ESDataManagerInMemory.m

It shows me the entire contents of the file (since technically it was added in its new location).
Instead, I want to diff between:

Engineering/iOS/ESSDK/src/ESDataManagerInMemory.m (repository copy - previous revision)
Engineering/iOS/ESSDK/src/ESSDK-Miscellaneous/ESDataManagerInMemory.m (working copy)

I did search for similar questions. This post was close - but appears to only make sense if I went ahead and committed my changes. Instead, I would like to find and review my changes before committing.
Mercurial diff not working after move/rename
Answer: I would script it up like this:
hg cat -r <oldrev> <oldfilename> > oldfile.oldrev

diff <newfilename> oldfile.oldrev

Mercurial move followed by diff


What are the efficient ways of keeping track of research literature?

Question: I am about to start a research career in physics. I am trying to read plenty of research papers. Is/are there a smart way/ways (a software or something else) to keep track of the papers I have already read, partially read, wish to read, my favourites and so on? I am sorry to ask such a dumb question. I am being thoroughly overwhelmed by the unmanagable research literature that exists in my field of interest. Do researchers maintain a 'research diary' like stuff?
Comment: Are you looking for a repository to store and organize research papers, a search engine to find papers about some topic, a way to get alerts about new publications of interest, or some way to collect and organize reading notes? For each of these, have you looked for suggestions on this site? What did you find and what remains unanswered for you?
Comment: Good question.  However, due to my myriad of interests, it has become impossible to track research papers.  There is no way one can track 100+ papers per day.  Reading just abstracts will leave too little time to do actual research.
Answer: I would suggest:

Using Mendeley - both their Web Importer and the software, it really helps to arrange the papers in different folders and your notes while reading them.
Keep a daily research journal where you can note down keywords and even author names whose other papers might be of interest to you. This especially helps at the beginning of a PhD.
If you print a hardcopy of the papers, note down the date of printing in the front page(eg. near the title of the paper). That helps to keep track of your reading speed. You can also see later how the topic/s varied over time for the papers you printed.

There might be numerous other methods of keeping track of research literature, do find a combination which works best for you. There's no one way of doing it.
Comment: @mithusengupta123 I am not sure what do you mean by a research diary, what I meant is a place to jot down the important takeaways from a day's literature search.
Comment: _"Keep a daily research journal"_ Does that mean maintaining a research diary? Thanks.
Answer: Here are two suggestions, but only the first relates to your question.
A simple way to keep track of things is with something as simple as a word processing document, though you can also use spreadsheets or databases in the same way. Simply enter the title and author(s) of the things you read along with a bunch of keywords that are meaningful to you and will let you find documents by keyword. You can also write your own short abstract of each paper, which will help keep the information in your head, not just in the document. This document will let you find them easily in the future. This should be an electronic document so that you can easily search it for keywords and such. Don't forget to do backups, of course.
Entries in this list should be numbered as well. And each paper can have a list of the numbers of other, related, papers. (also see below)
But, the other idea is to keep a research diary that has your own ideas for future papers or research threads that you don't have time for at the moment. Often when working on something and idea will come to you that you might want to work on later. Enter the idea in the diary along with the date and the numbers of any papers (from the list above) that seem to relate to the idea.
If you keep a research diary, keep different ideas on different pages so that you can add to it in the future. Review the diary periodically - especially when you want a new project.
If you are doing patentable work then the research diary should be bound (not loose leaf) hard copy and each page dated. You also want to have the ideas witnessed by someone who signs and dates your pages. This diary can provide evidence of "first use". It is (or was) typical practice at IBM Research for example.
Comment: As for patents, with the US now on first-to-file with the rest of the world, evidence for first-to-invent is no longer needed.
Comment: The first idea can probably be better executed, in terms of organizational effort, with a reference manager tool like Zotero.
Answer: My recommendation for a free option would be Zotero over Mendeley. Neither of them is as easy to customise in terms of output options as Endnote, but people have started to tell me lately that Mendeley is becoming increasingly focused on making it easier to integrate with Elsevier's databases, at the cost of usability with other databases.
Otherwise, check with your institution. Many universities these days have bulk subscriptions to programs like Nvivo or Atlas.ti


Fermentation first time

Question: I need help. First time brewing in my life and I made some mistakes as expected. This was a 1 gallon brew kit. First indication something was wrong was after pouring the wort into the 1 gallon fermenter I maybe had half a gallon of actually wort probably due to the boil temperature. I filled with water as necessary. I then attempted to created a blow off tube. I had troubles with the blow off end staying in the bowl and coming out and the end that was in the fermenter was pushed into the beer accidentally. I finally switched to an airlock but the amount of alcohol in the fermenter has vastly decreased to maybe a quarter of a gallon even in there. Can you help with anything or is this too far gone?
Answer: If your wort has been reduced in volume due to water boiling off, adding water up to the original volume should not reduce your alcohol level as the amount of fermentable sugars remains the same.
Airlocks vs. blowoff tubes shouldn't be an issue, either. If the level in your fermenter has decreased this can't be due to airlock issues.
So I'm not sure what has gone wrong but I can't see it being related to the issues you mentioned.
Comment: So at this point 3 days into fermentation with only about a quarter left in there what are my options? I originally added water up to the full gallon because of what was lost in the boil but most of what was filled went into the sanitized bowl during the blow off
Comment: I think the blow off tube being too far in the fermenter sorta siphoned into the sanitized bowl
Comment: Added the picture
Answer: This would be a sink special to me, best course of action would be to taste your end product to determine any dramatic flaws in the brewing process. At this time adding water to your brew that is mostly fermented would just dilute the beer. This doesn't mean that it will not be drinkable, just that the ABV will be very very low in terms of a beer, and you may ruin the taste of your first brew by diluting it that much. If you are using  a blow off tube, make sure that you have the hose pressed into the bung, it should not be sticking out into the liquid. Another recommendation is to put your sani-bowl for the blow off tube at the same level as the carboy. As for the top off water, if you are using an extract kit, the amount of water you put in is not unreasonable for these kits. To further yourself in the ways of home brewing I highly recommend reading a few books, they are incredibly valuable for beginners. The complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian is one of my favorites. I posted a link to amazon below. As for any issues in the brewing process, it is hard to answer that without more information, it seems more of a mistake with the fermentation vessel and equipment usage in the end. Just remember that every failure is a lesson learned and not a reason to quit brewing.
Good luck on the future brews and cheers
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Joy-Homebrewing-Fourth-Revised/dp/0062215752/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0CS4M4V3XHQREAN9RJCZ

Fermentation first time


Do Muggle trains roll along the Hogwarts Express railway near Hogwarts without seeing the enchanted area?

Question: The Hogwarts Express utilizes King's Cross Station and the Muggle rail line leading in and out of London. Has JKR mentioned if Muggle trains use the tracks all the way to and beyond Hogwarts as part of England's regular rail service without seeing the enchanted magical community as they roll by it, or if the route to Hogwarts is an invisible spur for the Hogwarts Express exclusively?
Comment: Related: [How does the line to Hogwarts fit in to the UK national rail network?](https://scifi.stackexchange.com/q/184504/82909)
Answer: This answer is all supposition, using no direct canon or WoG input that I'm aware of:
Most likely there are no muggle trains use that particular rail line, as the platform for the line is hidden. But even if a muggle train does uses it and goes all the way to the end, it would end up in Hogsmeade.
But, you say, Hogsmeade is a magical town. Sure it is. But it would be easy to set up some kind of monitoring ward on the tracks to warn the village of an incoming muggle brigade. The villagers could then prepare for the impromptu visit and look ordinary, if maybe not quite normal.
My memory wants to tell me that it wasn't uncommon for Hogsmeade to have muggle visitors anyway, to trade for odds and ends and the occasional tourist. But that might be made up.
Comment: I've felt that way in Bavarian towns. Like there might be magic just below the surface.
Answer: No - Muggles can't board at either station.
The Hogwarts Express almost certainly doesn't share its rails with Muggle trains, as Muggles wouldn't be able to board any train on the same rail, since the Hogwarts Express is hidden from Muggles behind Platform Nine and Three-Quarters.

"Harry had caught the Hogwarts Express the previous year. The tricky bit was getting onto platform nine and three-quarters, which wasn't visible to the Muggle eye. What you had to do was walk through the solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. It didn't hurt, but it had to be done carefully so that none of the Muggles noticed you vanishing." - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 5 (The Whomping Willow)

The other platform, where students get off the Hogwarts Express to go to Hogwarts, is in Hogsmeade.

"They didn't talk much during the remainder of the journey. At long last, the train stopped at Hogsmeade station, and there was a great scramble to get out; owls hooted, cats miaowed, and Neville's pet toad croaked loudly from under his hat. It was freezing on the tiny platform; rain was driving down in icy sheets." - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 5 (The Dementor)

No Muggles would be boarding trains from the station at Hogsmeade either - Hogsmeade is an all wizarding village.

"Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade at weekends; he knew it was an entirely wizarding village, and he had never set foot there." - Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 1 (Owl Post)

Therefore, as both ways to board a train running on the same rails as the Hogwarts Express would be inaccessible to Muggles, there won't be any Muggle trains running along the same tracks as it.
Answer: The Hogwarts train is on it's own track, the platform is not visible to muggles, in the same way the tracks are not visible or available to muggle trains.
Even when you fly over Hogwarts in a plane you can not see Hogwarts, this can be easily validated by at http://www.google.com/earth/index.html where satellite images fail to show hogwarts or Diagon Alley, which is located in central London and would be easily identified if visible.
Comment: Actually, Hogwarts on Google Maps has been covered [here](http://scifi.stackexchange.com/q/10431/1234).
Answer: No, I don't think so. After watching all the movies and reading all the books, a muggle train next to the Hogwarts express is never seen/mentioned.

Besides, the track is only meant for one train. And if a muggle train followed the express (even without knowing it) it would end up in hogsmeade station. And then the ministry would send over obliviators to brain wash the muggle.
Answer: Somewhere (I think it was in the Goblet of Fire) Hermione mentions that Hogwarts appears to muggles as a ruin with "Danger" signs posted all over it. Presumably Hogsmeade station is similarly enchanted to look like a disused station. Only a single track runs through it, so most likely it is on a private branch line with a balloon loop to let the train turn round. This would explain why the line does not appear to terminate in the station.
The viaduct we see the train crossing is Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is part of the UK rail network. Rather than have a special magical line running from London to Hogwarts it seems more likely that the Ministry of Magic arranges for the Hogwarts Express to travel on the regular train network without being noticed.


VMWare fusion NAT + host tunnel; access from vm

Question: I'm having trouble accessing a port on my OSX host from a vm.
I'm using NAT in VMware fusion. In my (OSX host) hosts file, I have the ip address for vmnet8 mapped to 'mac'.
From my vm, I can 'ssh user@mac' and it works as expected: I am logged into the host. So, my hosts file is working.
I have a tunnel from my OSX host to an Oracle server at work. I can use the tunnel (localhost:6004) from the host no problem. However if I try to use the name 'mac' instead of 'localhost' this does not work. As a result, I am not able to access the tunnel from the vm, either. (I can't use the localhost name from the vm, obviously).
Why isn't the tunnel accessible using 'mac', while ssh works fine?
Answer: Okay, I got things working the way I want - I think.
10.0.0.1 is mapped to 'mac' in /etc/hosts
<code>sudo ifconfig lo0 add 10.0.0.1

sudo ipfw add fwd 127.0.0.1 tcp from any to 10.0.0.1
</code>
Not a networking expert, obviously, so I couldn't say exactly why this works and my first attempt didn't.
Anyway, it allows me to refer to the host os as 'mac' from my VMs, and in addition allows me to access any ssh tunnels on the host from within the VMs (e.g. mac:9004). In addition, by mapping my VM ip addresses in /etc/hosts (on the host), all VMs and the host seem to be able to communicate flawlessly by name.


How do I determine where the off-flavors of my brew are coming from?

Question: Is there a website I can visit that will describe where different off-flavors come from? For instance, if the beer tastes malty, fruity, or bitter, where can I go to determine why?
Answer: How To Brew by John Palmer contains a good summary of common off flavours:
http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html
Comment: Went through that list looking for inaccuracies.   Only found one:  "In beers which use pre-isomerized hop extract and very little flavoring hop additions, the beer will be fairly immune to damage from ultraviolet light."      ---  Uh, it's REDUCED hop extracts, not just pre-isomerized, that are resistent to photodegradation.
Answer: I'm writing various articles about this on my blog.  Not as many posted yet as I'd like, but I also have a life and a job to attend to.  Look up the "Fishbone" diagram on my site for lots of good information about sources of quality issues in beer.
Beer Sensory Science


Is spot metering just an EV compensation?

Question: I can expose a scene based on EV compensation or spot metering.  If I spot meter...can I achieve identical results with EV compensation?  Or is spot metering more than just a generic EV adjustment based on your target area?  So a photographer that is good with EV adjustments technically wouldn't need spot metering?
Comment: By varying the EV compensation *as needed* to achieve the same results as spot metering gives, you can achieve the same results, yes. A given EV compensation value will not achieve the same results across all scenes, of course.
Comment: What camera are you using?
Comment: You could also say, unless there are only very bright and very dark objects around you, having spot metering obsoletes the exposure compensation dial :) Just point it at anything that is at hand and has the appropriate brightness and lock. Especially workable with exposure-simulating EVF systems.
Answer:
Is spot metering just an EV compensation?

Metering, regardless of type, and exposure compensation are different functions with different purposes. Metering is used to obtain exposure exposure settings (ISO, aperture, shutter speed), while exposure compensation is used to modify those values. It is basically the difference between nouns and adjectives.
There are typically several metering methods to choose from:

Average – The entire scene is averaged and compared with some reference (usually middle gray).
Center weighted – The scene is averaged with emphasis on the center of the frame. (It is given more "weight".) The result is compared with the reference.
Spot – A small portion of the frame ("spot") is compared with the reference. It usually covers about 1-2% of the frame. In some cameras, it is always the center point. For others, it follows the focus point.
Evaluative / Matrix / Multi / Etc – These are proprietary methods that vary by make and model. A commonly described method in this group divides the frame into several parts that are evaluated separately. The pattern can be compared with entries in a database to find an appropriate exposure setting.

Exposure compensation takes results from any of the above metering methods and adjusts it to increase (+) or decrease (-) exposure. The amount of compensation to use depends on the desired result and photographers' judgment.

If I spot meter...can I achieve identical results with EV compensation?

While it is possible to obtain the same settings from any of the metering methods by applying an appropriate adjustment, exposure compensation would be determined on a scene-by-scene basis by comparing the settings produced by different exposure modes. There is no single EC setting that will transform results from one metering mode into that of another.

So a photographer that is good with EV adjustments technically wouldn't need spot metering?

Spot metering isn't needed, though some may like to use it. A few cameras have only a single metering mode.  On such cameras, exposure compensation is the only way to control exposure.
Answer: Yes, you could match the spot metering result by some degree of EV compensation, if you knew how much compensation.  We typically may not know, so we instead meter it to be able to manage that.
Spot metering only analyzes the light intensity in that small spot. Regular metering looks at a much larger spot, closer to the full scene. Suppose you are photographing a person in the shade, but with a very bright background behind them, like bright sky. The regular meter will see the sky and assume it is important, and will try to expose it to be mid-tone. This will greatly underexpose the persons face, to be dark. We must choose one of them.
So we might spot meter on the persons face. The purpose is that the small spot specifically excludes the troublesome bright background.  So then the sky surely burns out to be blank white with no detail, which we expect, but we don't care if the important face comes out well. But of course, we ought to learn to choose a better background. Or to add fill flash. Or something that involves thinking a second about what we're doing.
Even then, it is very incorrect to imagine spot metering on anything will correctly expose that spot. That's not how reflected meters work. Reflected light meters (including spot meters) simply try to make all metered areas average out to mid-tone.  We typically call that mid-tone "middle gray", but it could be bluish or greenish, whatever the color is.  It just means mid-tone.  But reflective metering is not about "correct", it is about mid-tone. It might be about correct if that spot should actually look mid-tone, but many things don't.  Instead, Incident meters do the "correct" thing very much better.
All reflected meters simply strive for this middle gray result, however not all subjects are correct as middle gray. We would want a photo of a black cat in a coal mine to come out near black, and a white polar bear in the snow storm to come out near white. However, a reflected meter will make both of them be middle gray. That is how meters work. If spot metering a typical Caucasian face, we learn to increase exposure about one stop compensation to correct it, so it won't be middle gray. But when spot metering, our dominant idea should be "how much brighter or darker compensation (than middle gray) should this spot area have?" Otherwise, it should come out mid-tone, correct or not.
So the general concept of EV Compensation is to know to adjust the middle gray metering result to be the correct result that we desire. That's where the photographers knowledge comes in. The skill is easy with a little experience. It involves just looking at the subject, and thinking a second.  It is NOT point and shoot, but beginners typically don't understand the concept of thinking a second.  Light meters are not smart at all, they only know to try for a middle gray result, not too bright, not too dark, regardless of what it should be. The meter does not recognize what it should be, but the photographer's brain should have a good idea about it... if he uses it.
Comment: As someone who grew up with a black cat I know it can be a problem!
Answer: It doesn't matter how you arrive at the three exposure relevant parameters time,aperture, and ISO. Whether you set them manually or via any of the automatic modes doesn't change the final result.
EV compensation just tells the exposure automatic that you want it to set the values for a darker or lighter result than it thinks to be correct; Spot metering tells it to base its judgement only on a small part of the scene. If you choose the EC value rsp. the targeted spot accordingly, you'll get the same exposure values.
Which one you should choose depends, then, on which is more adequate / convenient for the situation.
Answer:
Is spot metering just an EV compensation?

No. Spot metering only measures a small area of the total image. It bases exposure calculations only on the small area which it measures and totally ignores the rest of the frame.

If I spot meter...can I achieve identical results with EV compensation?

It doesn't matter how one gets there. The same ISO, aperture value (Av), and time value (Tv - a/k/a "exposure time" or "shutter speed") will produce the same image of the same scene.

Or is spot metering more than just a generic EV adjustment based on your target area?

There is no EV adjustment inherent in spot metering. There is only an adjustment in the amount of the total frame that is being metered. The result of spot metering is based on what a correct exposure is calculated for the area of the "spot" being metered.
Assuming the "spot" being metered is in the center of the frame (a few cameras allow spot metering at other than the center of the frame, but most that even have spot metering do not):

If the entire frame is uniform in brightness, there will be no difference in the result of metering regardless of what metering method is used.
If the center of the frame is much brighter than the rest of the frame, spot metering will result in a darker exposure than other metering methods. This is because the camera wants the bright thing in the center to be exposed as a mid-tone (medium gray).
If the center of the frame is much darker than the rest of the frame, spot metering will result in a brighter exposure than other metering methods. This is because the camera wants the dark thing in the center to be exposed as a mid-tone (medium gray).

So a photographer that is good with EV adjustments technically wouldn't need spot metering?

The best photographers typically use all of the many tools at their disposal at various times. One reason they are great photographers is because for a particular shooting situation they can look at the scene and recognize which tool will work best to give them the result they want.
Sometimes spot metering is the simplest and most effective way to get proper exposure of a specific area of the overall scene.
Sometime other methods are more useful for other types of scenes.

A Case Study
I shoot a lot of night sports outdoors under artificial lighting.

Why uncompensated Evaluative Metering doesn't work: If I were to use Evaluative metering with no Exposure Compensation the camera would recommend exposing the scene too bright because a lot of the frame includes dark sky or areas outside the stadium that are much darker than the field of play. The camera thinks it needs to make these areas bright enough to see details. Well, except when one or more of the stadiums light towers are in the scene and the camera wants to expose too dark.
Why uncompensated Spot Metering doesn't work: Most sporting events involve one team with white jerseys and another team with colored jerseys that are usually fairly dark. Spot metering on either would not give proper exposure. If the white jerseys were spot metered, the camera would expose them as medium gray and the entire scene would be too dark. If the darker jerseys were spot metered, the camera would expose them as medium gray and the entire scene would be too bright.
Why Center Weighted Averaging doesn't usually work: Metering results will change, sometimes quit drastically, from frame to frame as different bright and dark things occupy the center of the frame. Again, when dark things dominate the center of the frame (say there is a receiver on the left side of the frame and a defensive back on the right side of the frame jumping in the air to catch a football - the center of the frame is very dark sky in the background that I want to be black in the resulting image) the meter will recommend overexposure. When there is a very bright thing near the center of the frame (like a light tower behind a player) the meter will recommend underexposure.

So what's a photographer to do? It depends on what the photographer wants the results to be.
In my case, I want the white jerseys to be on the verge of maximum exposure without blowing out. To get there I can start by:

Spot metering the white jerseys using about plus 2-3 stops of EC.
Use Center Weighted Averaging on an unoccupied area of grass (being careful to meter an area that is not a particular "hot" or"dark" spot compared to the rest of the field). If it's natural grass that is still mostly green, it should usually be right around that "medium gray" brightness the camera's meter is looking for. If it is artificial turf it can usually be anywhere from a stop darker to a stop brighter than natural grass. Dial in the appropriate amount of EC. If it's the smurf blue turf in Boise State's Albertsons Stadium, all bets are off!
Use Evaluative Metering (with my Canon cameras - other brands and even models within the same brand will vary based on the proprietary algorithms used for their Matrix/Evaluative/etc. metering scheme) of a wider scene that includes the field, the dark sky, and some of the lights with about -1 stop of EC dialed in.

From there, I set all three exposure parameters manually and look at test images to see if the white jerseys are where I want them on the histogram. Overexposure warning "blinkies" are also useful. When I've got exposure where I want it, there are just a few small, isolated spots on the white jerseys blinking in the preview image, which is based on the jpeg preview image appended to the raw file and displayed on the camera's LCD screen. Adjust exposure as necessary and repeat until that is the result.
Answer: I do not know about modern cameras and how they are programed but in analog metering of the past Spot metering is exactly what is sounds like, metering a specific area or spot in the composition ( A percentage of the overall )  as opposed to the entire composition being averaged or even center weighted.
Answer: Basically, yes.  The problem is that if any dynamic curve or ISO adjustments come into play (automatic gain contrast system, i.Dynamics and whatever else they are called), the metering method might influence more and/or different parameters than just using exposure compensation would.  So if you have switched off all automatisms (like you would for creating image stacks or panoramas), the effect of metering area choice should be equivalent to some exposure compensation.  If you tend to correct your metering based on zebraing, there is little motivation to change the metering method providing the initial guess.


I'm downloading Minecraft for the first time. Will I need to buy anything?

Question: This is the first time I'm seeing Minecraft. I don't know what it is I've never played it. I saw a "Buy now" button but I didn't press it. I instead clicked on a button that said download and I started downloading the 270KB .exe file. Is there anything I will be missing out on by not buying the game???
Answer: You're not actually downloading Minecraft — you're downloading the official game launcher.
That launcher will, given valid log-in credentials (obtained by signing up and purchasing the game), download Minecraft and allow you to play it. So by not paying, you're missing out on the entire game, as it were.
Answer: You can play a free version of Minecraft here so you can get the basic idea of the game. But beware, the current version offers so much more than this classic version that to really make up your mind you should have played the full version.
To name few things you are missing out:

Crafting (huge part of the game)
Redstone circuits
Survival mode (fight against mobs)
Enchanting
Alchemy

There are certainly many more I forgot to mention.
Answer: You are probably using the demo of Minecraft.
The demo is a free version that lasts for 100 minutes, but with no creative mode, multiplayer or skin changing.
As always when downloading, make sure you're downloading from official sources only, or you risk compromising the security of your computer.
You can purchase the full version for £17 - £20. It's good to use the demo first as it will allow you to determine whether or not your system can cope with the full version of the game, and it hasn't cost you any money to find out.
Answer: The download will only gain you access to the launcher. The launcher can be used to play Minecraft but requires login details which you can only get by purchasing the game.
You can play Minecraft for a limited time for free using PC Gamer's Demo and this demo includes all features which Minecraft includes. Click here to go to the download page. The demo includes things as crafting, survival mode and all the good stuff you find in the full Minecraft version.
Thought I'd point out the PC Gamer Demo as it's easily forgotten about.


Could the Hulk have an adamantium skeleton implanted?

Question: If they managed to get adamantium onto Banner's skeleton (somehow repressing the change like they tried to do in the movie), and then allow him to become the Hulk - would this stop him from growing (bone wise)?
Answer: I will admit that this is an interesting question.
In the Ultimate Universe, Ultimate Hulk has broken adamantium.  I'm not clear if he can in the current canon for the mainstream Marvel Universe.
My expectation is that it would NOT stop a Hulk transformation.  As Banner's bones grew, they would strain the adamantium.  They would be compressed.  The spine is adamantium-coated as well - it would likewise be compressed.  During the first transformation, Banner/Hulk would be in immense, crippling pain - very little compares to having your spine compressed, pain-wise.
At some point in the transformation, Hulk would take over.  Bones being compressed wouldn't limit Hulk's mind - it would still surface.  Hulk's mind has consistently had a single reaction to pain.  When Hulk is in pain, it makes him mad.
The madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets.  Typically, the stronger Hulk gets, the bigger Hulk gets (to a point).
I expect that after a seeming eternity of pain (during which Hulk would surface and become extremely mad) Hulk would become strong enough to shatter the adamantium bonds on his bones.  They wouldn't go all at once, but in sequence.  I expect Hulk would even beat his own body, providing more pressure on the adamantium.
He would then be walking around with adamantium shards embedded in his muscles and flesh, jabbing, cutting, poking.  I can't imagine how much pain this would cause, or how angry it would make Hulk.
Past a certain point of rage, anyone's thinking, reasoning mind just stops.  Even more than normal, adamantium-razor-filled Hulk would be a beast of instinct.  He wouldn't understand what caused the pain, and would lash out at anything he could.
That Hulk might just crack the world in two.
Alternatively, it's much more likely Banner (who lacks a healing factor) would die during the process (which would most likely trigger a transformation instead).  Hulk would then either smash his way out of the tank (and not have adamantium) or get his very own, Hulk-sized adamantium skeleton.
If Hulk had an adamantium skeleton, it would threaten to break free from Banner's puny body whenever he started to change back.  That would either cause him to revert to Hulk status or make a BIG mess.  Either way, it wouldn't be pretty.
Answer: Besides making an interesting thought-experiment, the answer would be: No. There would be no way to make it safe enough for Banner to survive the bonding process. Without regeneration, he would die on the table or revert to the Hulk, stopping the process.

Banner could never survive the initial process. The adamantium bonding technology is supposed to be lethal to anyone without extreme levels of regeneration and even with extreme regeneration, it is still killing the subject (in the case of Wolverine, it is reducing his regenerative abilities).

While the Hulk possesses the regeneration capacity his body would be likely to reject anything that was not a part of him, since his superhuman immune system would deem the foreign material as "not Hulk" and expel/repair his cellular structure minus the offending material.

Since the Hulk's regeneration processes is even faster than Wolverine's, it is unlikely the process would even be usable on the Hulk unless his metabolism could be greatly slowed to prevent the rejection process. If somehow it could be done, it would prevent a transformation back to Banner without killing him during transformation.

Ultimately, why would he need an adamantium skeleton?

Without it, he has already proven he is one of the mightiest mortal beings on the planet. It would be like adding gold electroplate over a brick made of gold. It would bring so little value to the Hulk's capabilities as to be not worth the effort to do it.

When your adage is "the Hulk is as strong as he needs to be" or "the Hulk has the capacity to split the crust of the planet, extinguishing all life on Earth" except maybe for himself, what else could he need?

In the Marvel Universe, in terms of damage resistance and damage dealing, he is already, "The Man Who Has Everything."
Comment: This answer seems plausible enough as to why anyone would make someone as unstoppable as the Hulk even more dangerous. Why would someone do that? The Hulk is nigh invulnerable, and can recover from incredible abuse. I would adimt that having *Banner* implanted wit an Adamantium skeleton to prevent him changing would be an interesting theory. I've always wonder if a bottle of ether and the good doctor taking a drug-induced nap would do the trick. It's probably been answered, as I haven't read too many of the Hulk comics as I was more partial to the X-Men.
Comment: Brevity?  I think you need at least 4 more paragraphs to answer this question properly.
Comment: Not easy to do on a phone. But even if I were near a computer, I just don't see why you would want to entertain a Hulk with an adamantium skeleton. How unstoppable does he need to be when he can already defeat nearly every metahuman on the planet, even if they all fought together...
Comment: ...You added more.  It was a joke, man.  Way to turn a good answer into a great one, though.
Comment: Funny, I hadn't seen your answer. Accursed phone. I think you sum it up nicely. No good things could come from the inclusion of adamantium in the Hulk, except for "cracked crust syndrome."
Comment: @Jersey: Why not ask a question?
Comment: @Jeff: because life needs a little mystery to it. :)
Comment: "In the Marvel Universe, in terms of damage resistance and damage dealing, he is already, 'The Man Who Has Everything.'" I would have to disagree.  Deadpool's healing factor is greater i believe.  didn't Deadpool regenerate from a single freaking cell?
Answer: If Banner were stuck as the Hulk and the adamantium bonding process took place while the Hulk was the Hulk, then that would be interesting.  There have been periods where the Hulk took over and never transformed back into Banner for a long period of time.
Comment: Earlier answers pretty much rule out implanting anything artificial on the Hulk and expecting it to take hold. Do you have any examples of the Hulk being able to maintain a grafted or bionic limb or other embedded technology?