U.S. Fiance and I (EU) getting married and want to stay in UK. What's the process?

Question: My fiancé and I are getting married in a few months. He is an American currently living here in London on a student visa. I am born in Germany, with a polish passport, so fully EU, living in London since 2006.
His visa is running out at the end of January and I was wondering if anyone has any insights or experience as to how and what the procedures are.
Comment: What's your current situation in the UK? Are you working? When and where will the marriage take place? In the UK before his visa runs out or elsewhere?
Comment: Possible duplicate of http://expatriates.stackexchange.com/questions/2441/can-a-non-eu-citizen-with-a-eu-partner-live-and-work-in-the-eu
Answer: If you're living in London legally (i.e., you're working, looking for work, self-employed, studying, or self-sufficient, or you have a permanent right of residence) then your husband can stay with you and apply for a UK residence card.  You probably have permanent right of residence as you have lived there for longer than five years.
As I understand it, as your family member, he doesn't even need that document, but he could be stopped at the border if he is suspected of overstaying.  He can't actually overstay if he's your husband, but if the border guard doesn't believe that he's the husband of an EU citizen resident in the UK, that fact does not help.  The residence card would serve as proof.
For more information, consult Direct Family Members of EEA Nationals.
If you get married after his visa expires, however, you have to find out whether he will need to leave the UK.  As an American, he may be able to stay.  I do not know.
Comment: This answer makes a number of assumptions. You do state them explicitly but I don't think it's a good idea to post an answer that might or might not apply before the OP clarifies her situation. And we already have questions covering basic EU free movement rules.
Comment: Also, "living in London legally" and "being a qualifying person" are not necessarily the same, the things you list (working, looking for work, etc.) are the reasons to qualify as a sponsor under the EU treaty and free movement directive. But EU citizens that don't make use of their treaty rights are not necessarily illegally present in the UK, they just don't have a right of residence that would protect them should the authorities ask them to leave.
Answer: You should try to get married before his expiration visa otherwise he will need to ask a new Visa and if there are not anymore the conditions for any long-term type Visa he will need to ask a Tourist Visa.
Wherever you decide to get married the important thing is to register the marriage in your country (Poland) directly there (or by embassy). Of course if you decide to get married in Poland, the registration is immediate, and you will have the marriage certificate sooner.
Marriage certificate (or document of a registered partnership) issued by the EU-citizen country is the required proof all over Europe of the existence of a family relationship that gives to the NON-EU citizen all the EU Family member rights.
Although these rights are the same all over Europe, each country apply different administrative procedures and often they required additional documents.
To ask a resident card as EU Family member you'll need to prove that you have enough economical resource to live in UK without ask social benefits. Usually they will ask to provide:
-Tax certificate or Job contract/payslip or evidence of the EU-citizen activity in the country; According to your status employ, sole-trader, job-seeker, "rich-person" they can ask different docs (professional certificates, bank statements...)
-Health Insurance for both of you (comprehensive sickness insurance)
-Registered House Rent Contract or other proof of address.
You find the full document list and information here:
https://www.gov.uk/family-permit/documents-you-must-provide
Good Luck!
Answer: The UK government website at
https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships/giving-notice-at-your-local-register-office
gives detailed information what you need to do if you want to get married in the UK, including information what to do if you are not a UK citizen, and not a EU citizen.
I would assume that the Polish government has a similar website; you should go there as well and compare. It might be easier, or it might not. Depends on the Polish rules, whether being a Polish citizen makes things easier, or whether things are generally easier in Poland.


What have been the most common causes of mishaps or failures with various cubesat mechanisms & components?

Question: I am keen to know more about common CubeSat mechanisms & components (antenna / solar array deployments / thruster / momentum wheel / robotic arm problems) that have worked well in the past and those that a fairly risky or unreliable etc. based on past experiences?
Eg: thermal knife mechanism (ISIS) for CubeSat antenna deployments seems to have been flight proven so it looks reliable
Also keen to know about other factors that may have contributed to failures or mishaps? Eg. not all space environmental factors considered etc.
Comment: "[No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error.](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film))"
Comment: Welcome to Space Stack Exchange!  We need to refine the question to make it answerable. That definition of mechanical/robotic is a start but could make it much broader than you intended. Do you want people to give examples of antenna / solar array deployments / thruster / momentum wheel problems (you might get lots of examples of these outcomes but its hard to delve into the most common causes) or are you really interested in things that look more recognizably like robotics (unfortunately also quite hard to define). How about class of mission, e.g. are you most interested in cubesats?
Comment: I am not sure how an antenna deployment mechanism is "robotic". Seems more purely mechanical. What exactly are you asking about?
Comment: I meant common mechanical or robotic mechanisms ... i.e activated by either a human being remotely OR by a set timer OR by any sensor onboard the spacecraft OR space environment etc.
Comment: Seems pretty broad, but I'll with-hold judgement for now.
Comment: Ya agree .... As I have limited space system engineering experience .. keen to know if there are any gotchas I should be aware about.
Comment: @Puffin Yes I am interested mainly in cubesats and common antenna / solar array deployments / thruster / momentum wheel / robotic arm problems
Comment: @rsf I suggest putting cubesat in the title and the rest of that clarification in the question body.
Comment: Thanks .. made corrections
Answer: This graph shows the common failure modes experienced during the first 100 cubesat missions.
Note the large fraction of failed missions that never made contact with the ground after launch; no failure analysis on those.

I assume ADC is Attitude Determination and Control, but it doesn't say so in the paper.
Source
Answer: This question mixes up a few concepts.
First, something being "flight proven" in a cubesat is far different from being "flight proven" in a traditional large spacecraft. It is not being successful in space once that makes a device reliable, but rather the quality control of the production facility and the extensive testing done on ground, both prior to integration on the final satellite.
So if tell me that a star tracker flew on a commercial geostationary satellite from a traditional manufacturer, I'm pretty sure it is very reliable! Even then I'll ask for documentation about the past tests conducted on engineering and qualification units, and should there be any change on the design or the production method, I'll ask for delta-qualification tests, to ensure the change will not introduce failures. Also, I'll check statistical reliability studies so I can estimate the likelihood of failure over time. These testing and documentation process is costly, expensive and (AFAIK) done only for operational missions. (i.e. commercial, military or scientific, but not tech demonstration).
Meanwhile, it is already praiseworthy if a cubesat team has conducted thermal analysis properly. Maybe they did some basic testing such as putting into a vibration or thermal chamber, maybe they didn't. If they did, I really doubt that every component underwent a qualification campaign at equipment level, yet the cubesat got launched. This doesn't mean that every piece will fail, but rather tells that you can't assume that all the care taken on a large mission was also taken for a cubesat, which effectively lowers the value of a piece of hardware having being "flight proven" in a cubesat. I would also not be so sure you would hear about a cubesat failing, so maybe a given component was flown on a mission that never made first contact as is often the case, yet detailed information on the failure would be hard to find.
Usually, if you need figures for the reliability of a component you'd have to ask your supplier. Because the cubesat market is not that mature yet, no manufacturer can boast large reliability figures, and is working on improving their practice and methods. This means that you'd need at least an NDA to receive such information (which would be subject to change without prior notice). Even then, I'd expect you to receive inconclusive information, and only after a purchase order is signed.
Keep in mind however that the mentality around small satellites is that one is better building multiple satellites such that the loss of a few of them can be afforded. I.e. launch three cheap, small and unreliable satellites for less than the cost of one big expensive and reliable one.
Comment: @OrganicMarble My exact point is that the question (although reasonable) cannot be well-answered. This answer explains why and what I recommend OP should do to achieve what he would expect to achieve if one could answer his question.  That should be more helpful than no answers. Say I ask in MathStackExchange if Riemmann's Hypothesis is true, should my question remain unanswered indefinitely or should someone answer that this is an open problem in mathematics, and why it is hard to approach it?
Comment: And I am unconvinced that it is impossible to prove Riemann's hypothesis. Yet, as pointed out in my answer, a very common situation with cubesats is lack of first contact, which renders the actual failure almost impossible to identify. And changing products characteristics makes the past history a poor indication of expected performance which is what OP wants to know.
Comment: This does not answer the question "What have been the most common causes of mishaps or failures...."  If you do not know the answer, it  is best not to post an answer.
Comment: I am unconvinced that it is impossible to put together a history of cubesat failures.


What is a webmaster?

Question: I asked a question (1095) and Jeff Atwood told me it was too much of a programming question. Fair dos. Perhaps I have misunderstood what a webmaster is.
What actually is a webmaster? I thought it was someone who was trying to master a website?
Answer: Well, I consider myself a webmaster, in the sense that we run many websites, and I am obviously also a programmer.
I'd say it's easier to ask "is a question only programmers would care about?" and for your specific question, that is definitely true.
In other words, your question should have been more about validating the HTML and not so much validating the PHP.
(I could see a JavaScript type question being much more of a grey area, by the way -- certainly you might want to pretty-format and generically validate the JavaScript you serve as a webmaster without technically being a programmer.)
Comment: Thanks Jeff - "is a question only programmers would care about?" makes it clear for me. Not that real programmers care much about PHP. *snigger*. I really only asked that question here because I wanted to support the new site and I wondered whether it was relevant. Now I know.
Answer: Also, see the FAQ:

Pro Webmasters - Stack Exchange is for professional and enthusiast webmasters. If your question generally covers the operation of websites which you control, then you're in the right place to ask your question!
If your question is about …

Programming, ask on Stack Overflow.
Networking, servers, or maintaining other people's PCs and contains no source code, ask on Server Fault.
General computer software or hardware troubleshooting, ask on Super User.
Web design and HTML/CSS layout, and your job title is "designer", ask on Doctype.
Answer: Pure programming question have been defined as off-topic for this site. The main reason is that there is StackOverflow and your question fits more in the site definition of StackOverflow then here. This site is more aimed at everything that is related to websites that isn't only about programming languages.
To answer your question, a webmaster is often defined as a jack of all trade. It's someone that can do coding, knows about SEO, can setup servers, etc. Your question fits in what a webmaster should be able to do, but it doesn't fit in the site definition and there is an other site where you will be more likely to get better answers.
I can suggest you to look at the other existing websites of the Trilogy (StackOverflow, ServerFault and SuperUser) so that next time you will be able to ask your question at the right place.
Comment: Thanks for your advice and feedback - It cleared it up for me :-)
Answer: When my title was "webmaster" I had to deal with a ton of content related stuff in addition to the coding, server build/maintenance, and day-to-day business operation of the site.  Suprising that content related questions haven't popped up to date.  Also, a big part of the heartburn caused by being a webmaster is clients/coworkers...suprised that those questions haven't popped up.  Perhaps I should seed a few questions in that arena....
Ironically, even now that I do UI and Application-related coding, I still get the company's content assignments (albeit less frequently)  They seem to cause 95% of my problems!

What is a webmaster?


Are lichens healthy for trees?

Question: I've always thought lichens were neutral to tree health, and I think they are attractive, but someone recently told me to get rid of them, because they will cause rot and harbor disease. Do they really do that? Is that why so many trees have hollow centers?
Comment: A hollow center is usually/always the result of decay, usually from a wound too large to heal over, either accidental or from bad pruning.  Decay goes down the center of the tree from the wound.
Comment: @winwaed, are sapsuckers beneficial? They eat plenty  of bugs, but pull a lot of sap out of my spruces, leaving long white stains down the bark.
Comment: The sap can attract other creatures (incl. squirrels & hummingbirds). They can also be an indication that the tree is damaged/weak. I asked MrsWinwaed (ecol.prof/ornithol.) & she replies: There's a good article at the following link:
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-7561.pdf

The big challenge with sapsuckers is that they drill differently from other woodpeckers, and make horizontal sets of holes on the tree which may lead to girdling on small trees.  As with all migratory birds they are protected by law, and you can't shoot them or get rid of them, only deter them.
Comment: I agree with @kevinsky's answer. There are a lot of myths like this. Eg. some people think woodpeckers are bad as well (if anything woodpeckers are beneficial due to all the grubs they eat)
Comment: So yes as sapsuckers are classed as woodpeckers, you may have found an exception, although I think it is more complicated than a simple beneficial/neutral/pest classification in their case.
Answer: Lichens are considered to be neutral to tree health.  They are not symbiotes or parasites. They just hang around.....   ;)
However a tree in poor health may not be able to grow new bark faster than lichens can encrust it.  Normally no control measures are necessary for lichen.  Stimulating the tree by feeding, mulching, watering and applying a foliar feed is usually enough.
In regards to the common sight of a tree with a hollow centre this is due to the different way trees grow than people.  A person with a hollow centre would be....hungry or dead but a tree only uses the centre of it's trunk for mechanical support and food storage.  All the living tissue is contained within a cylinder running up the trunk.  The tissue is surrounded by protective bark and backs onto the storage area in the interior.  If the interior rots out it is like not having an attic or basement. You can still live in your "home".
Answer: Lichens are autotrophic species, that means that they produce their own food. It is possible thanks to a symbiotic association of a fungus (a lot of species exists) and an algae (four main groups exist, among which green and cyanobacteria (photosynthetic in fact).
That means that lichens don't take energy or nutrients from their host. So no worry for your trees.
An abundance and diversity of lichen indicates good air quality, so this species is useful to assess the air quality of your surroundings!

Are lichens healthy for trees?


What happened to the letter ĥ during the evolution of Esperanto from Zamenhof to our times?

Question: There is a strong tendency in Esperanto to replace the letter ĥ by different means (e.g. arĥitekto becomes arkitekto). What happened to the letter ĥ? Why is it singled out as a target for replacement?
Comment: To be honest, I don't think that `h` is a good tag as it's cumbersome and doesn't add information by itself. We could create a whole lot of (totally useless) tags for each letter of the alphabet, which will be ridiculous. I suggest removing it.
Comment: Hope it stays. How am I supposed to speak of my nationality without ĥ? Mi estas ĉeĥo, ne ĉeko! :-(
Comment: I believe the issue is that many people are not able to pronounce it. However, this also happens with _r_ and, in this last case, Esperanto just included alternative pronounciations, so I am not sure why this did not happen with _ĥ_.
Comment: My theory would be that it's an unusual letter to use with that diacritic; C or G with a circumflex are more familiar to users of other languages, whereas I have not come across ĥ outside of Esperanto.
Comment: @LaVo-o: Eble vi povus esti ĉeho?
Comment: I agree with @ForceBru; "h" is not a very useful tag.
Comment: @ForceBu: I agreed, too. This should be discussed in http://meta.esperanto.stackexchange.com/ though.
Comment: ĥ is hard to typeset too. It looks like ḧ in some fonts because it's too tall and there's too little space for the hat so it ends up looking like «¨».
Answer: The letter ĥ is extremely rare, and for that reason, people tend to eliminate the few words (none of them very common) were it does appear. Esperanto learners who struggle with it get little chance to practice it. On the other hand, one cannot simply tolerate a variant pronunciation (as one does for r) because the two most similar sounds, k and h, already exist in Esperanto.

La litero ĥ emas malaperi pro ĝia ekstrema malofteco. Opinias la PMEG:

Ĥ estas la plej malofta el la Esperantaj sonoj. Multaj opinias, ke ĝi estas tro malfacila, ĉar ĝi mankas en kelkaj lingvoj. La vera kaŭzo, ke Ĥ estas malfacila por iuj, estas ĝia maloftegeco en Esperanto. Se oni havas malfacilojn pri Ĥ, oni preskaŭ neniam havas okazon ekzerci sin pri ĝi.

Jam en la Zamenhofaj verkoj ĝi estis la plej malofta litero. En la Fundamenta Vortaro aperis nur 13 radikoj kun ĥ:

arĥitektur'
  eĥ'
  ĥaos'
  ĥemi'
  ĥimer'
  ĥoler'
  ĥor'
  iĥtiokol'
  meĥanik'
  monaĥ'
  monarĥ'
  paroĥ'
  traĥe'

Fakte malpli radikoj enhaves ĵ (nur ok), sed iuj el tiuj radikoj estas tre oftaj:

aĵ'
  deĵor'
  ĵaluz'
  ĵaŭd'
ĵet'
  ĵongl'
  ĵur'
  ĵus

Ekzemple, en la Dua Libro de l' Lingvo Internacia ĥ aperis nur kvinfoje. Eĉ y, kio tute ne estas esperanta litero, aperis dufoje (en anglaj nomoj). La sekve plej malofta litero estas ĵ, kio aperis dekope pli ofte.
<code>  8521  11.81%  a
  7367  10.21%  i
  6697  9.29%   e
  6395  8.87%   o
  5929  8.22%   n
  4559  6.32%   l
  4362  6.05%   s
  4183  5.80%   r
  3995  5.54%   t
  2478  3.44%   k
  2380  3.30%   m
  2352  3.26%   u
  2274  3.15%   j
  2127  2.95%   d
  1775  2.46%   p
  1603  2.22%   v
   837  1.16%   g
   757  1.05%   b
   727  1.01%   f
   721  1.00%   ĉ
   512  0.71%   ĝ
   500  0.69%   c
   415  0.58%   ŭ
   243  0.34%   h
   213  0.30%   z
   139  0.19%   ŝ
    52  0.07%   ĵ
     5  0.01%   ĥ
     2  0.00%   y
</code>
delCano komentis, ke ĉe r oni simple akceptis la aliajn elparolojn; ĉe ĥ tio ne eblas, ĉar la proksimaj konsonantoj estus k kaj h, kiuj jam estas esperantaj literoj. Tamen, oni ofte kreis/kreas alternativajn vortojn sen ĥ per anstataŭigo de ĥ per k, se tia vorto ne jam ekzistas.
Comment: @Nathaniel: Mi komprenas Esperanton sufiĉe. Una angla resumo helpas aliajn uzantojn.
Comment: There's a note in the Russion version of the Fundamento http://www.akademio-de-esperanto.org/fundamento/gramatiko_rusa.html that gets very little attention and says: (according to Google Translate) "Persons who do not know any other alphabet of Russian, can at the beginning pronounce h as Russian х, and ŭ as Russian у." (russian х is ĥ).

While it's aimed only at beginners, we can deduce that Zamenhof thought about it and decided not to overemphasize the difference between H and Ĥ and that could explain why it's so rare.
Comment: You might consider including an English summary of this answer, since the question was asked in English (in case jknappen doesn't speak Esperanto as well as you do).
Comment: @Nathaniel: Povus esti, ke mi ne sufiĉe scipovas la anglan :p Fakte, mi faros tion.
Answer: Historically there was a movement to do away with ĥ as the alternative k was offered. Nowadays there are still some "difficult" letter combinations (rĥ) for some language speakers (French?). Nowadays one is a bit more relaxed and the letter has made a come-back. As native Dutch I very much like the letter. And it can be found in many European languages: Bulgarian, Dutch, Greek, Russian.
So the reformistic (ĥ-to-k) phase passed, and now both forms live together.
Comment: As a French native, despite I personaly do love to use /x/ (ĥ) and /r/ which aren't used in French, I must admit that according to my experience French speakers generally don't like /x/
Comment: @psychoslave There ere some almost French critical comments in the forum, but seen in the light that the French esperantist have contributed much / were quite successfully active (PIV, SAT) and were a welcome counterweight to the German central European influence (tago, monato, jaro - lundo, mardo, ...) one cannot be too thankful. I wonder how the sound û (fr), uu (nl), ü (de) would have fared if it would have been in Esperanto.
Answer: If I can't write a letter, I prefer using a letter I can use. Now most modern computers seem to have some kind of Esperanto keyboard, but when there isn't…
That personal reflection aside, here is a practical example from the history of Esperanto, where a word was deliberately changed. Gaston Waringhien, in his Plena Ilustrita Vortaro (PIV) changed the words psiĥologie and psiĥa to psikologie and psika. In the Fundamento de Esperanto, these are written with the ĥ.
Source: La bona lingvo, Piron, C. s. 9
Why change ĥ and not ŭ? My guess would be the sound it makes. Ĥ and k are different. It might be because of the influence of a native language, where the k-sound is expected.
Comment: This doesn't explain why only ĥ and not, for example, ŭ, disappeared.
Comment: The example I used is specifically hx. Maybe I can clarify it, but it seems to me as if Waringhien targeted hx. I'd have to read more about it, though.
Comment: I mean, the difficulty of typing ĥ also applies to ŭ. Why did Waringhien change psiĥa and not, say, baldaŭ?
Comment: Yeah. I agree with you. But I guess you'd have to ask Waringhien.  maybe he just didn't like hx? It probably didn't relate to typing. I'll change my answer to make that clearer.
Answer: Because the letter Ĥ itself is already very rare and the least common in Esperanto. Most words containing it are Greek origin. With that said, also H is not a common letter to be seen with a diacritic. For the reasons above, people tend to substitute the Ĥ with the closest letter possible, usually K. As with R, R is already very common in Esperanto so subbing it with another letter would cause too much change in the language. Ux is also fairly common an subbing it with U could also cause some change in Esperanto. But because already there are very few words with Ĥ, none of them really common, it's easy to sub these words with another letter K.


Where exactly does entanglement appear in Shor's algorithm?

Question: One deals with the notion of superposition when studying Shor's algorithm, but how about entanglement? Where exactly does it appear in this particular circuit?
I assume it is not yet present in the initial state $\left|0\right>\left|0\right>$, but how about in further process, after applying Hadamard gates, the controlled-U gates and the inverse Fourier transform?
I understand that the first and second registers have to be entangled, otherwise, the final measurement on one of them wouldn't collapse the other one, which gives us the period (well, kind of, we need to use continuous fractions to infer it).
Comment: It is worth knowing that *every* interesting quantum computation on pure states has to contain entanglement somewhere. If it doesn't, the circuit is easily simulated on a classical computer. Of course, that doesn't explain the 'where' for a particular circuit, but that's already in your answer!
Comment: @Mauricio necessary is not the same as sufficient!
Comment: @DaftWullie entanglement is not enough for quantum advantage, per [Gottesman-Knill theorem](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gottesman%E2%80%93Knill_theorem).
Answer: Your question contains the answer, as you mention the controlled-U gate which is an entangling gate. You will see in the page I linked, that the action of c-U on $|+\rangle|0\rangle$ for example can turn the state into one which cannot be written as a product:
$|+\rangle|0\rangle = \left( \frac{|0\rangle+|1\rangle}{\sqrt{2}} \right)\otimes |0\rangle =  \left( \frac{|00\rangle+|10\rangle}{\sqrt{2}} \right)= \left( \frac{|00\rangle+|1\rangle U|
0\rangle}{\sqrt{2}} \right) = \left( \frac{|00\rangle+|1\rangle \left(u_{00}|0\rangle + u_{10}|1\rangle\right)}{\sqrt{2}} \right)$
In the last step, I used the definition of $U$ from the linked controlled-U description:

An example where this gate is entangling is where $u_{00}$ = 0 and $u_{10}=1$, which is just the $\rm{CNOT}$ gate. In that case we get $\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}(|00\rangle + |11\rangle)$ which is the Bell state and is maximally entangled.
You may also be interested in this article on: "Entanglement and it's role in Shor's algorithm".
Comment: Thanks for the insight. So one can for sure say that after Hadamard gates there is still no entanglement. It can happen only after the c-U gates and the degree of entanglement further is already harder to analyze. Correct?
Comment: You are absolutely correct that the Hadamard's do not entangle anything. They are single qubit gates. Entanglement is about two or more systems. Entanglement is defined as not being able to write the state as a product. Hadamard turns |0>|0>|0>|0> into |+>|+>|+>|+> which means a product state remains a product state. You are also correct that the degree of entangment is hard to analyze. For 2-qubit entanglement it's not so bad, but for multi-qubit entanglement there's two many different ways to characterize the entanglement. Look up "entanglement witnesses".


Is my batch contaminated / infected?

Question: Me again with another question.  So there's not been much activity from my brew lately (no bubbling, only 3rd day in the fermenter).  I opened up to take the gravity and temperature (1022, 21C), so it hasn't  finished fermenting yet.  The picture below shows my beer (it's supposed to be a pale ale).  Is it infected?  It doesn't smell bad.
Comment: It looks delicious. Making me very thirsty...
Answer: Looks OK to me.  What you're seeing is a combination of CO2 coming out of solution, hop trub, and coagulated proteins.  Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew.
Comment: And close the lid before it does get infected. :P
Answer: One more thing.  I am a fan of not opening the lid more often than necessary.  I don't take temperature and if I take gravity it is only at the very beginning and end.  Keep in mind that every time you open it up is a chance for contamination.  Most contamination will be benign which is why these little things so rarely cause problems, but once in a while you will get unlucky.

Is my batch contaminated / infected?


Substitute whole eggs for egg whites

Question: I will be baking a weight watcher friendly brownie https://sweetsweetrecipes.com/one-point-weight-watchers-sugar-free-chewy-chocolate-brownies
that calls for 3 egg whites. I want to use whole eggs instead. Is this doable and if yes, how many whole eggs should I use?
Thanks
Comment: Related: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/32511/replacing-egg-whites-with-whole-eggs-when-baking-cookies?rq=1
Comment: If you're going to use the yolks, the calorie/fat content will change and your points will go out of the window.  So you might as well find a different recipe
Answer: That would be a difficult substitution, because egg whites and egg yolks have very different roles in baking. It is even worse that the recipe is already not a robust standard recipe, but a lowfat, low-sugar recipe, where all tolerances have probably been used up in engineering a texture which works with the current substitutions. It is doable, but it is not a matter of "one look and one can tell what will work out", you would have to go through a process of trial and error.
To kick off your recipe redoing, start with the eggs only. The closest results will be by obtained by using two whole eggs. This will certainly give you a different outcome than intended by the author, it will be wetter, and may bake differently. If you don't like it that way, for the following attempts, start reducing the applesauce in 10% steps. This will dial back on the wetness problem. If that doesn't work and the change in applesauce amount only moves you between a dry, crumbly texture and wet, soggy texture, you might have to dial back to using only one whole egg and adding one or two egg whites, doing half the substitution so to speak. Another improvement may be gained by adding more fat back in, for example in the form of using cocoa powder with a high fat content.
In the end, it also depends on your personal preferences. For some people, only the best texture will do, and then the task is very difficult. For others, any brownie is a good brownie, and you can just drop in those whole eggs and enjoy.

Substitute whole eggs for egg whites


Is there a word that means something along the line of "add information in order to clarify what really happened"?

Question: Is there a word that means something along the line of "add information in order to clarify what really happened"? Sometimes, someone tells the truth, but they omit to mention relevant details in order to build a narrative for their political gains? What's the action of doing the opposite and making sure important information aren't omitted in a discussion? Is there a verb or a phrase that means exactly that? I looked up "precise" and couldn't find any relevant word, and precise is a bit too vague.
Answer: The first phrase that entered my mind is in detail.
This two-word phrase gets its own definition in several dictionaries, such as Oxford, M-W, Wordnik, and Cambridge:

in detail (phrase)
  As regards every feature or aspect; fully.
We will have to examine the proposals in detail.
in detail with all the particulars
explained the job in detail
in detail (adverb, idiomatic) thoroughly (including all important particulars); including every detail
in detail including or considering all the information about something or every part of something

You could use this phrase in a sentence like:

You need to tell us what happened in detail.

which would mean:

You need to provide all the information necessary to clarify what really happened.

which is something along the lines of what you want.
Answer: The best single verb I can think of is elucidate:

[Merriam-Webster]
transitive verb
  : to make lucid especially by explanation or analysis
  // elucidate a text
intransitive verb
  : to give a clarifying explanation

The most common instruction to somebody in this context is:

Please elucidate.
Answer: I like expand on
<code>to give more details about something you have said or written:
</code>

"We're going to cut taxes and lower the deficit"
"Sorry, can you expand on that? How?"


How to investigate cherrypy crashing?

Question: We have a cherrypy service that integrates with several backend web services. During load testing cherrypy process is regularly crashed after a while (45 minutes). We know the bottleneck is the backend web services we are using. Before crashing we see 500 and 503 errors when accessing the backend services, but I can't figure why cherrypy itself will crash (the whole process was killed). Can you give me ideas how to investigate where the problem is? Is it possible that the thread_poll (50) is queueing up too many requests?
Comment: Does CherryPy throw any exceptions when it crashes?
Do you use multiprocessing.Queue anywhere?
Answer: In my early CherryPy days I had it crashing once. I mean a Python process crash caused by a segfault. When I investigated it I found that I messed with MySQLdb connections, caching them in objects which were accessed by CherryPy threads interchangeably. Because a MySQLdb connection is not thread-safe it should be accessed only from the thread in was created in. Also because of concurrency involved the crashes seemed nondeterministic, and only appeared in load-testing. So load-testing can work as a debugging tool here -- try Apache JMeter or Locust (Pythonic).
When a process crashes you can instruct Linux to write a core dump which will have a stack trace (e.g. on MySQLdb C-code side in my example). However alien low-level C environment is to you (it is to me), the stack trace can help find what library is causing the crash or at least narrow a circle of suspects. Here is an article about it.
Also I want to note that unlikely problem is in CherryPy. It is actually very stable.

How to investigate cherrypy crashing?


What kind of wing-surface area would Curiosity need to be able to fly in the atmosphere of Mars?

Question: The rover - without wings - has around 1000 kg of mass and Mars has 38% of Earths g. The density of the atmosphere is 1% of that of Earth. Assuming the surface area of the wings could be used for photoelectric cells having an efficiency of 40% at 500W/m^2, what wing dimensions, power and speed would this airborne rover need?
Comment: [Related](https://what-if.xkcd.com/30/)
Comment: There's a massive range for this, are we assuming a fixed amount of storable battery power? How long is the "runway" area available? How long should the flight be? (Time/distance?). What material is the wing made of? Are we to account for this in the weight of the lander? How much load must it handle? Should the wings be foldable for flight? This is more of a physics question, although for reference, a Cessna 172 is roughly 1000kg :)
Comment: [Interplanetary Cessna](https://what-if.xkcd.com/30/): "X-Plane tells us that flight on Mars is difficult, but not impossible. NASA knows this, and has considered [surveying Mars by airplane](http://marsairplane.larc.nasa.gov/). The tricky thing is that with so little atmosphere, to get any lift, you have to go fast. You need to approach Mach 1 just to get off the ground, ..."
Comment: @MichaelKjörling have you clicked on my link? :P
Comment: @Federico No. Should I have? ;-)
Comment: @JonStory: Don't let XKCD mislead you: The [Boeing Condor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_Condor) would be a much better basis for this task.
Comment: I actually hadn't seen the XKCD link when I commented - I was basing it on weight :)
Comment: I overlooked to close the iteration and had to revise the post. Sorry for all the confusion, but now the results make sense and the airplane is smaller.
Answer: Our Flight Environment
First the basics: Mars atmosphere is mainly carbon dioxide and has an average temperature of -47°C and an average pressure of 0.004 to 0.0087 bar. The speed of sound in these conditions is 238.2 m/s, the dynamic viscosity $\nu$ is 1.14$\cdot 10^{-5}$, and for my calculations I use an atmospheric density of 0.0234 kg/m³.
Now I owe all you early upvoters an apology. The earlier answer used an unsuitable methodology; now I have improved the answer with different results.
Operating Point
Next step: The electric power supply makes a propeller the right choice, and for propeller aircraft the minimum power to sustain flight can be achieved when the lift coefficient is
$$c_L = \sqrt{3\cdot c_{D0}\cdot\pi\cdot\Lambda\cdot\epsilon}$$
This makes your zero-lift drag the real sizing parameter: Make the aircraft a little more draggy, and you get punished with a big size increase. Therefore, we strive to keep the zero-lift drag coefficient $c_{D0}$ down to 0.008 in order to keep the aircraft small.
This allows to get an idea which aspect ratio will be best: At minimum power the total drag is four times the zero-lift drag, and the lift coefficient should be as high as possible to keep the aircraft's size small. Realistically, our flight $c_l$ will not grow above 1.6 (which is the best that low-speed airfoils can manage at a reasonable L/D), so the aspect ratio is
$$\Lambda = \frac{c_l^2}{3\cdot c_{D0}\cdot\pi\cdot\epsilon}$$
which yields an aspect ratio of 35.74 when $\epsilon$ is 0.95.
Available Power
Now we can follow the procedure in this answer to calculate power demands for your solar-electric propulsion. Solar radiation on Mars is a lot lower than on Earth, but very reliable as there are no clouds to obstruct the sun. Beware of dust storms, however!
Since you gave the Martian solar constant in your question, I will use it here: The wing will be covered to 80% with solar cells, and each square meter of them will produce your optimistic 200 W (500 W radiation times 40% efficiency). Per square meter of wing we can achieve 160 W, and with an electric efficiency of 96% and a propeller efficiency of 85% this translates into a propulsive power per square meter of 130.5 W.
Matching Thrust to Drag
Now we can equate the drag $D$ and the available thrust $T$ from the power $P$, like this:
$$D = T = \frac{P}{v} => 4\cdot c_{D0}\cdot S\cdot\frac{\rho\cdot v^3}{2} = 130.5\cdot S$$
Luckily, wing area $S$ can be canceled, and we get a result for the airspeed $v$ at which the aircraft's drag can just be supported by the power the wing can generate independent of wing area:
$$v = \sqrt[3]{\frac{130.5}{4\cdot c_{D0}\cdot\rho}} = 55.857 m/s$$
Now for the real size: If we assume that the payload fraction is 25%, the mass of the full aircraft will be 4 tons. To lift this at the dynamic pressure of 36.5 N/m² which corresponds to the found flight speed we need a wing area of 254 m². This can create 40.65 kW of power, 33.17 of which are transformed into thrust. The wing span will be a whopping 95.28 m. How you get this to Mars I leave to your imagination - after all, this is just a tad less than the wingspan of the Hughes H-4.
If you can achieve a higher payload fraction, the wing will become smaller: At 30% the full aircraft mass is only 3.333 tons, and the wing size will become 211.74 m² large. Its wing span will be 87 m. With these dimensions I doubt that a higher payload fraction will be possible. The closest aircraft to this design was the Boeing Condor, which had an empty mass of 3.6 tons (with a propulsion system weighing close to the mass of Curiosity) and a wing span of 61 m.
Last Checks

Mach number: 56 m/s is just Mach 0.2345 on Mars, so we should not run into compressibility effects which would limit the assumed lift coefficient.
Reynolds number. The bigger wing has an average chord of 2.66 m and the smaller one still 2.43 m chord, and per meter the Reynolds number in -47°C cold carbon dioxide at 56 m/s is 4,900,000 - plenty enough to make the selected lift coefficient possible. Size helps here!
Comment: Where does this value for the product of $c_l$ and $Ma^2$ come from? Why not use $L=c_l 0.5\rho V^2 S$?
Comment: @ROIMaison: I learned it from Mark Drela. It is better to express speed in terms of $Ma$, because the Mach number  limits your $c_{l max}$ at higher speeds. Just replace $v$ by $Ma \cdot a$, and your lift equation will contain all essential elements.
Comment: I understand, and will the value of 0.4 still be valid on Mars? As there is a different 'air'-density.
Comment: @ROIMaison: As long as the atmosphere behaves like an ideal gas the flow phenomena at the same Re and Ma numbers should be the same. And with its low pressure and temperature I have no doubt that the atmosphere on Mars is very similar to Earth's atmosphere 31 km up.
Comment: I'm afraid the available solar energy is only half - 500 W impinge on the surface, but solar cell efficiency is 40% at best, so it's 200 Watt/m^2. I should have multiplied the efficiency and the raw energy in my question!
Comment: @SebastianHenckel: I screwed up myself. I rewrote the answer using a different and hopefully better methodology, but I doubt that solar-powered aircraft will soon take off on Mars.


How to trigger a form and pass variables to $form_state with jQuery?

Question: What is the way to trigger a Drupal form via JavaScript, and pass new values to $form_state while doing so?
I have a main form, which has an element that triggers a jQuery UI dialog with a form in it. When submitting the dialog form, I want to bring the values back into $form_state. I want the main form to display and save the values from both forms. Both Ctools Ajax example and MonoDialog show examples that just manipulate the DOM of the main page/form after submitting a form in a dialog.
One thing I could maybe do is populate a hidden form field with the values from the dialog form in JSON format, and then trigger an ajax button with jQuery. I rather not do this as it doesn't sound like a clean solution.
What I try to achieve is kind of like the views ui interface, which has a form with form in dialogs. Submitting the dialog forms, updates the main form.
Code example
<?php
function example_main_form($form, &$form_state) {
  // The main form is defined here. Includes a button which triggers a
  // callback function (example_main_form_callback) to open up a new form
  // in a dialog popup. Upon this ajax trigger, it also populates $form_state
  // with some values to pass to the dialog form.
}

function example_main_form_callback($form, &$form_state) {
  $commands = array();
  // open dialog
  $commands[] = ajax_command_invoke('#dialog', 'dialog', array('open'));
  // dialog title
  $title = t('Configure:') . ' ' . $form_state['dialog']['values']['title'];
  $commands[] = ajax_command_invoke('#dialog-title', 'html', array($title));
  // dialog body
  $body = drupal_render(drupal_get_form('example_dialog_form', $form_state['dialog']));
  $commands[] = ajax_command_invoke('#dialog-body', 'html', array($body));
  return array('#type' => 'ajax', '#commands' => $commands);
}

function example_dialog_form($form, &$form_state) {
  // include this file in build_info
  form_load_include($form_state, 'inc', 'example', 'example.forms');
  // The popup dialog form is defined here.
  // the submit button has an ajax callback, which calls
  // example_dialog_form_callback below.
}

function example_dialog_form_callback($form, &$form_state) {
  // This callback closes the dialog, but I also want to populate the
  // form_state of the main form with the values of this saved form. The values
  // are available in this callback's $form_state, but I'm not sure what the
  // best way is to pass them on to the main form. Is it possible to trigger
  // another form programmatically using jQuery?
  $commands = array();
  // close dialog
  $commands[] = ajax_command_invoke('#dialog', 'dialog', array('close'));
  return array('#type' => 'ajax', '#commands' => $commands);
}

I think I could attach the dialog form values to the Drupal.ajax.example_element.options.data object. In this way, when the main form is programmatically triggered for an Ajax callback, the values in options.data will be added to the main form $form_state['input']. That's the cleanest approach I found so far, but still not straightforward. A separate function is required to populate options.data. One options is to extend options.beforeSerialize(), but in my case the Ajax element is dynamic. (See  How to extend or "hook" Drupal Form AJAX?)
Thus this approach would work better:
In the dialog form callback:
<?php
function example_dialog_form_callback($form, &$form_state) {
  $dialog_id = 'dialog-id';
  $commands = array();
  // close dialog
  $commands[] = ajax_command_invoke('#dialog', 'dialog', array('close'));
  // Call function which attaches the dialog form values to Drupal.ajax.{dialog-id}.options.data.
  // After triggering the dialog ajax callback, the dialog values will be added to the $form_state of
  // the main form
  $data = array(
    'id' => $dialog_id,
    'values' => $form_state['input'], // for example, but could be cleaned up.
  );
  $commands[] = ajax_command_invoke(NULL, 'dialogValues', array($data));
  // trigger dialog button
  $commands[] = ajax_command_invoke('#' . $dialog_id, 'trigger', array('click'));
  return array('#type' => 'ajax', '#commands' => $commands);
}

The jQuery function:
$.fn.dialogValues = function(data) {
  // dialog ajax id
  var dialogAjaxId = data.id;
  // add values as JSON, so we can pass multi dimensional arrays
  Drupal.ajax[dialogAjaxId].options.data._dialog_values = JSON.stringify(data.values);
};

Is there a better solution?
Comment: Good explanation for `ajax_command_invoke`. Thanks :)
Answer: I can think of two ways that might work for you:

(a) In example_dialog_form_submit() (not in your question), get the submitted values from the values key of $form_state (values from the dialog form). Lets say we call this a record. You can either save the record using the $_SESSION super global or the CTools object cache.
(b) Now, when the main form is being validated, use the values from the record in the validate callback, say example_main_form_validate(). On failed validation, ignore. On successful validation, add values from the record to the $form_state of the main form using form_set_value(). Now, your main form submit handler can always assume that it'll have the values from the dialog form as well. (somewhere in its own $form_state tree)
An alternative way by which you can structure your forms is:
(a) Instead of loading your dialog form using AJAX, you can make it a part of the main form itself as a set of elements. #limit_validation_errors can help you define the boundary for the dialog "form" within the main form.
(b) On submit inside the dialog, you can just do a $form_state['rebuild'] = TRUE to allow the form to rebuild. In the AJAX callback, close the dialog and refresh the main form.
(c) In this approach, the form submit handler in the main form will always have the values from the dialog and it is easier to debug. Only caveat is if the form inside the dialog has a lot of elements in which case an AJAX load (like you are doing already) might be better.
Comment: As for 1. I'd like to avoid dependency on CTools or a $_SESSION global, but I do like keeping the forms separate. I think that'd be the best approach for when I create a 'no javascript' fallback.
Comment: I updated the original post with another approach.
Answer: FWIW/others: Rather than extending jQuery you can extend the Drupal.ajax commands, and thereby the commands you send back from Drupal to the JavaScript.
javascript:
Drupal.ajax.prototype.commands.mymodule_command = function(ajax, response, status) {
  console.log('mymodule_command', ajax, response, status);
  console.log('arguments', response.arguments);
};

php:
$commands[] = array(
  'command' => 'mymodule_command',
  'arguments' => array(...),
);


Is there any relation between the Cyrillic Ш (sha) and the Chinese 山 (shān)?

Question: Maybe I'm reading too much into this, but the Cyrillic Ш/ш (sha) looks like the Chinese 山 (shān) and have similarity in pronunciation.  Is there any actual relation between the two?
Comment: Highly unexpected question :) You can keep asking in the same manner: ф(fe)  and 中(zhong) (though the sound components are not similar). Г(ge) and 广(厂)(guang,chang), Л(le) and 几(ji)
Answer: No. The Cyrillic script is based on the Greek script, and some other local scripts like Hebrew. The basis for sha is thought to be the Hebrew letter ש (shin).
ש
It's unlikely that shin is based on the Chinese character, either. It seems taken from the Phoenician alphabet, where the corresponding letter looks like a Latin W.
It's worth keeping in mind that at the time Cyrillic characters were invented, Russia did not yet control Siberia. So it was very far from China, and contact between China and the west was limited.
But maybe the Chinese character was influenced by these scripts?
It's not impossible, but the earliest versions of the Character look more like a triangle, so the simpler explanation is that it's just a picture of a mountain:

Considering the evidence, it seems unlikely that these characters are related.
Comment: Paleo-Hebrew was first in use in 1000 BCE, its predecessor in the Phoenician alphabet came in existence around 1200 BCE. On the other hand, pictographs in 甲骨文 were used in 1300 BCE, and its precursors in various stone age cultures have been recorded from 8000 BCE. 山, 月 and similar pictographs are among the most basic and first used. I wouldn't use the term "unlikely" here, but rather "out of the question". Phoenician W (Arameic/Hebrew ש) is also derived from "tooth", and is "s" in the Roman alphabet.
Comment: In fact, even as a Chinese speaker, the first association I had when I saw that letter was with Hebrew. (Naturally it helped though that I know some very very basic Hebrew.)
Comment: info provided above has been readily available at an obvious single site: google "Cyrillic Sha Ш": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sha_%28Cyrillic%29 (see "History",also mostly well known to most students of Russian, excluding fantastic connection to Chinese)


Why is the language of avesta and Vedas similar?

Question: Doesn't the language similarity between avesta and Vedas put "apaurausheyata" of Vedas to question?
Many verses of vedas are repeated in avesta.
Comment: No verses in Vedas are repeated in Avesta.
Comment: Those verses given there are bogus. I will provide the right one afterwards.
Comment: You should post those verses here.
Comment: @Parikshitha read the verses given on this site- http://www.hindupedia.com/en/Zoroastrianism_and_Hinduism
Comment: @Parikshitha Atharva Veda 7.66 / Zhand Avesta (Prishni, Chapter 8, Gāthā 12) **yadi antareekshe yadi vaate aasa yadi vriksheshu yadi bolapashu yad ashravan pashava ud-yamaanam tad braahmanam punar asmaan upaitu**                               avesta- yadi antareekshe yadi vaate aasa yadi vriksheshu yadi bolapashu yad ashravan pashava ud-yamaanam tad braahmanam punar asmaan upaitu
Comment: https://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/17399/why-are-there-so-many-similarities-between-zoroastrianism-and-hinduism
Answer: I got some interesting points from this website. Though I don't know whether they are authentic or not, I am simply summarizing it.

There are no ancient Zoroastrian texts that refer to their language as "Avestan" In fact no one knew of any original Zoroastrian language of any name, be it Avestan or any other name. Then why and how do present day historians and linguists say the Vedas and the Zend Avesta represent separate religions that split off from a common source?
In the late 1700s a man called Anquetil du Perron came to India and lived for a few months with Parsi priests in Surat, who taught him what they knew of Zoroastrian chants (gathas) and rituals. Perron also collected some Zoroastrian texts and returned to Europe where he wrote a book in French called "Zend Avesta – Ouvrage du Zoroaster" meaning "Zend Avesta – the work of Zoroaster.
Perron's work was later validated and corrected by a man called Eugene Burnouf by using a 13th century Sanskrit book by an Indian called Neryosangh Dhaval. That book was a Sanskrit translation of a Pahlavi language version of Zoroastrian holy texts.
So whatever is written in history about the 3000 plus year old "Zend
Avesta" is derived from verbal accounts of 17th century Parsi
scholars, contemporary texts and a 13th century book that was written
in Pahlavi language and translated to Sanskrit.
A 3000 year gap between the original language and the translation
does not inspire confidence about the linguistic theories regarding
the identity of the original Zoroastrian language.
So, the article concludes its first part by saying both the Vedas and religious book of Zoroastrianism have a same source.


What is the point of hiking boots, versus any comfortable walking shoes?

Question: I've always used any old shoes for hiking. Are there any real benefits to using specially made boots?
Comment: One thing not worth its own answer: If you have a heavy backpack, hiking shoes offer you more suspension. This comforts not only ankles, but also the rest of joints.
Comment: What are "old shoes"? Running shoes? Military surplus shoes? Without being more specific, this questions could be reworded as "what are trekking shoes?".
Comment: @Łukasz웃LツThe phrase "any old ___" is idiomatic and means "whatever ___ is available", not "any ___ which is old".
Comment: @jmusser In my experience, I can go hiking in any old shoe. But if I go backpacking the extra weight on my body is strange, so I need very stiff soles in my shoes to compensate over a multi-day hike.
Comment: I have not formed it as an answer but I personally always wear Boots due to suffering some severe ankle injuries.  For those reading it is wise to remember that once you damage your ligaments and they stretch destroying the proprioceptors...the functionality can never be regained.  Your ankle/brain connection informing the muscles that ground is uneven is broken.  Without boots, I now sprain my ankle 10 times a year or more due to damaging the ligament so badly for the first injury.   I recommend boots to everyone as a preventative measure.
Comment: Interestingly almost everyone I know here in soggy old England call the step down from walking boots (what you're calling hiking boots) walking shoes, which are very similar to walking boots but usually never made of leather - just an interesting difference in language usage :)
Answer: You are using your old used sneaker-like city-shoes, sport-shoes or jogging-shoes to go hiking? Well, those are made for really flat paths without lots of surface irregularities and they aren't designed for rough conditions (wet and/or cold, difficult terrain, bigger loose stones and so on). Saying that, hiking shoes/boots are better for those conditions, because:

they offer more stability in the shaft so you aren't that likely to roll your ankle
they have a special lacing which allows for more adaption
they are often designed to be highly water-resistant (including membranes)
they have a coarse structured sole which is anti-skidding
they can have a thicker lining for colder conditions
they are robust and aren't likely to break while on a longer trek
Comment: I'm not going to downvote out of disagreement, but ... *they have a coarse structured sole which is anti-skidding* Running shoes are designed for maximum friction, just like hiking boots. *they can have a thicker lining for colder conditions* And this is a disadvantage in hot weather. *they are often designed to be highly water-resistant (including membranes)* And this is a disadvantage when you aren't slogging through water or mud, and you want sweat to get out.
Comment: @BenCrowell If you are going in hot weather without any chances of rain and you have solely stable terrain, obviously walking/sport shoes are fine as well. I edited my answer, because I said "hiking shoes are better, because...". I thought it's pretty obvious that you have to take into account the actual conditions. But in general you **can** expect some rain or mud so I prefer hiking boots. And I said they *can* have a thicker lining. Of course I am not going on a summer hike with the thick winter boots but you have the choices (which you don't have for the standard sport shoe).
Comment: Running shoes are not designed to cope when you have 15-20 kg on your back, affecting your balance, putting more strain on your ankles. Running shoes usually do not have big heels, something that is a huge disadvantage when walking downhill on slippery terrain.
Comment: @"Running shoes are designed for maximum friction, just like hiking boots"  I Agree!  Which is why I use mud tires for drag racing and racing slicks for rally!
Comment: I think you've misunderstood the phrase "any old shoes".  "Any old ___" is idiomatic and means "whatever ___ is available", not "any ___ which is old".
Comment: @BenCrowell - Running shoes provide no lateral support, unlike hiking boots.
Comment: @GreenstoneWalker So, whenever you are 15kg heavier than your neighbor, you should not use running shoes?
Comment: @njzk2, no, whenever you are carrying 15-20kg more than you *usually carry*. If you spend 156 hours a week carrying your normal weight and 16 hours carrying an additional 20kg then you should use supportive footwear for those 16 hours.
Answer: There are many who nowadays shun boots and prefer to have lightweight footwear in all terrains and most weather conditions.
It's worth having a look at Chris Townsend's website.
He has hiked many long distance trails, including some in the US and has put together an article on his blog about the topic of Lightweight Footwear.
It would be worth reading this article for the argument against hiking boots in most cases.
Comment: It would be good to summarize Townsend's article, so that your answer still makes sense if his blog disappears or the page gets moved, breaking your link.
Answer: My ankles sprain easily. I have good quality walking boots that give good ankle support, because I need them. You may not. Everyone's different. Yes, they're heavier than runners, significantly heavier, in fact, but for my situation, they're worth it. When I'm on rough terrain, and especially if I'm also carrying a heavy backpack, I can sprain my ankles very easily. I never have done wearing my walking boots.
Also, of course, there's the fact that I do most of my walking here in Ireland, where conditions underfoot are often damp. Gore-Tex lining is awesome stuff.
Comment: I wear my boots as my daily walk-arounds because I've twisted my ankle far too many times stepping onto or off of a curb the wrong way, or missing a step, or what have you. Now that I wear the boots full-time, it's been a long time since I've had an ankle roll like that.
Comment: Around house and garden, @Vorac, I'm barefoot a lot of the time. And, to be honest, I probably could easily be barefoot on mountains too if I was carrying no weight.
Comment: Ankle support shoes are so incredibly awesome. Too awesome. Wearing them full time prevents the body from building **reflexes and muscles** for preventing strained ankles!
Answer: Big, heavy "waffle stomper" boots are mainly a relic of the past, along with wool knickers and steel canteens. For most conditions, modern running shoes work far better. Any weight on your feet cuts down on your efficiency much more than a similar amount of weight on your back. Also, the heavier your boots get, the harder it is to keep from getting blisters, regardless of how hard you try to get the right fit. If you find it a nuisance to have pebbles always getting inside your low-cut running shoes, there are lightweight trail gaiters these days that you attach using velcro and a hook. (I buy them from dirtygirlgaiters.com.) For people like me who have wide feet, it tends to be easier to find running shoes that fit properly; in particular, nobody seems to make crampon-compatible boots in wide sizes.
Boots are better in certain specific conditions:

You know you have to walk through mud or cross a large number of shallow streams.
You'll be in snow all day.
You need something crampon-compatible.
You need to do a lot of bushwhacking through chaparral that includes cactus.

One of the justifications traditionally offered for heavy boots is that they gave ankle support, and some people felt that they needed the ankle support when carrying a heavy pack or on particularly rough terrain such as talus. Many people, however, do just fine in these conditions with running shoes. It's true that when crossing talus, boots will make you less vulnerable to an injury from a heavy rock that hits your ankle from the side or that falls on your toe.
Comment: Between dry conditions and *snow all day* can be anything. I was on hike yesterday with an easy (but steep) terrain, melting conditions and sunshine all day. I was sweating a lot. I had no wet feet in my Gore walking boots (no rain but snow/mud on the ground) and I had less problems slipping away compared to *normal* shoes. Weight is a big factor, you are right, but I see the stability of boots (long shaft) being a major advantage. It's not that likely to roll your ankle then. What one should choose depends on the particular hiking style (sure-footed?) and the conditions.
Comment: Great answer. I'd like to add that ankle support is a bit of a myth. To quote Ray Jardine, "What hikers need is not ankle support, but ankle strength." Building up ankle strength over time reduces the chance of a rolled ankle. Wet shoes are also not a problem if you're not planning to hike in the winter or through snow all day. Again quoting Jardine and from my experience, "When I hike in running shoes, I know they will not become massively heavy when soaked, and that they will dry fairly quickly at the first opportunity." An argument for running shoes is in the book: "Trail Life" by Jardine.
Comment: @Andrew Building up arm and finger strength makes it also less likely to fall while climbing. I will still stick to a rope ;)
Comment: @bashophil The choice of boots vs. shoes is often less serious than whether to rope up, but I see your point.  People should choose whatever footwear offers them the most comfort and ability to meet their hiking goals.  Research on boots vs. shoes in terms of 'chance of ankle sprain' seems inconclusive based on a quick search, however in my experience I find I have greater agility in lighter shoes. For someone with previous ankle injuries, they could use flexible brace designed for that.
Answer: The simple answer for me is that my feet hurt less.  There are two factors that cause foot pain with regular shoes.  The first is that rocks poke your feet through the soles.  The second is that without good ankle support, you use more muscles in your feet to balance on uneven terrain.
Personally, I didn't realize how much pain was caused by my shoes until I tried proper hiking boots.  I just thought that was an unavoidable part of hiking.  I recommend trying a pair out and see what difference it makes in the kind of hiking you usually do.  It's hard to explain the benefits without experiencing it for yourself.
The other benefit I haven't seen mentioned is snake bite protection.  Rattlesnakes have pretty good camouflage, and I've had them strike my boot when I get too close without seeing them.
Comment: Ah. Something I hadn't even thought about, since I do most of my walking in a country which is famous for its lack of snakes.
Comment: I was going to upvote, anyway, but the mention of snakes sealed it. I've come way too close to a copperhead or two where I am, and I'm thankful I had my boots on, even though I didn't end up provoking a strike.
Answer: As someone who's done a decent amount of hiking both with proper boots and a standby I used for years, hightop skateboarding shoes, here's the three major differences I've noticed:

The boots definitely win in the waterproofness department.  I would not do an extremely muddy trail in shoes.
The boots have better traction but the significance of this is less than it might seem.  Skateboarding shoes, which have an almost completely smooth, flat sole, only have significant traction on dry, smooth rock -- but the sole is also very supple and flexible, making it easier to feel the ground, twist and torque from the ball and maintain your balance if you have strong ankles.  I started out using them on weekend trips into the Hudson Highlands from NYC, and eventually did the Appalachian Trail through the whole state one week with them, including a fair bit of up and down with a 40 lb. pack, and never felt a lack of confidence in my shoes.  I was way more impressed than I would have predicted this way.
Although I guess it depends on the individual article, the shoes are likely to be more comfortable and cooler than boots, probably because they don't have any rigidity, support, or padding in them.

I was also very surprised doing the Appalachian Trail the number of people I ran into wearing even less substantial things -- such as tennis shoes -- who claimed to be in the middle of doing months worth of the trail.  Perhaps I'd just never noticed this before because I am someone who had always worn boots.
I've got a nice pair of light boots now that are great, but in a pinch I'd say if all you have are running shoes, etc., don't worry about it -- if you're like me, you'll be pleasantly surprised.
I have a friend I've done overnights with who swears by trail type sandles also.   The thing that makes me most trepidatious about that is all the exposed skin, although I've never seen him suffer any because of it.
Comment: The thing with the flat sole of shoes like the mentioned skateboarding shoes are, that you loose the contact to the ground very easily when you go e.g. on a medium slope with some flint on it. And there are also boots which are very comfortable and light. Speaking about comfort and climate for your feet is the material of the shoe. I doubt skateboarding and tennis shoes let your feet breath a lot. I prefer some leather shoes.
Answer: One advantage I'm missing so far is that hiking boots also protect the ankles against the outside (not only against sprainng): from getting scratched by or hitting stones,  wooden branches sticking up, or stuff like blackberry twines (which I find very bad as they scratch heavily over the front part of the ankle, particularly where that tendon is).
Of course it is possible to hike safely on bare feet in these conditions, but it is going to be extremely slow compared to having a kind of boots that allows you to just forget these nuisances.
(For the rest of the legs I find the scratching far less annoying)
Answer: The simplest answer is this. Hiking boots, with their higher top, prevent material such as stones, mud, snow, and water from easily getting into the shoe.
If I hike on a graveled trail for example, I must empty my walking shoes of small stones about every 5 miles. In rougher conditions, it is easy to step into a puddle, or snow drift, that is more than ankle deep, so wearing a high top boot is quite important.
Comment: There is a superior solution to this problem, which is lightweight gaiters, as described in my answer.
Answer: Good hiking boots also provide good arch and foot support. Even without the extra weight of a pack the constant stress on ones arches can be very fatiguing if not even damaging.
Although humans were originally designed to go without footwear, most people today do not have feet that can go miles and miles without proper arch, toe and foot support.
So, if one is going to be walking for miles, it is wise to provide the additional support the feet need to make the trek. Soft soled shoes typically do not provide that support.
A steel shank may also be of benefit to most people, as well, because it provides additional support for the arch.
Comment: Arch support does not differentiate running shoes from hiking boots. If you want arch support, you can get running shoes with arch support, or add inserts.
Answer: The extra weight gives you more of a workout?
I personally only use hiking boots when backpacking - due to the need for good stability.  I have done Whitney 2x, half dome/cloud's rest 10x,  other 14'ers, both climbing rapidly and running down in sneakers.
You can also put on thin/lightweight elastic foot/ankle wraps and/or cotton ankle braces and those will go far for helping avoid rolled ankles while still retaining a much lighter total footwear.
Answer: I find that hiking boots help protect my ankles and feet from twigs and things that can scratch or hit against them, help prevent rain from getting in (I can wear long pants with sneakers but still water will get inside), and protect my toes from stubbing them against rocks and boulders. Also the soles of the hiking boot offer more traction than the typical sneaker. For these reasons, I always use hiking boots when I'm backpacking or even just doing day hikes.
Answer: I only wear hiking boots if there is significant off trail or heavy scree.
The last dozen or so expeditions (1 week + trips ~50 lb pack) I did I mostly wore MEC reef boots, or divers boots, sized to allow medium weight work socks.
The routes we did were mostly horse trails in Willmore Wilderness or in Rocky Clearwater Recreation Area (Alberta).  With this combination, my feet were wet all day, but were warm.  At camp I would change into dry socks and a pair of runners
It was rare that we didn't have a stream crossing per hour.  Waterproof boots do no good in knee deep water. The first few crossings, we'd wait while a few would take off their boots and socks, walk over barefoot, get their socks wet putting them on wet feet...  Then they came to their senses, realized that the socks were getting wet anyway, and would charge on through.
This combination doesn't work in snow.  Feet get cold.
It doesn't work if there is a lot of shale or slate on the trails.  Boots get cut up.
It's fine for rounded rock.
It's not a good solution if you have weak ankles, but I find that wearing this sort of footwear trains a new set of reflexes.  You are far more aware of your foot placement, and you just don't turn them as often.
You walk very differently, with very little heal strike.  You will feel every stone, every root on the trail.  If you like going barefoot generally, you'll like this.  Not recommended for city feet that have spent the month before the trip in city shoes.
In passing I tried sandals. Bad idea.  Stones, twigs, etc come in and park.


Cant Remote Desktop To Server

Question: I am trying to vnc into my server. On my actual server, when I type startx, it boots into gnome. It is at this point that my server will allow me to remote desktop into it.
My problem is right now my server is not booted into gnome by running startx and just sitting at a command prompt. I am not with it and cannot type the startx command. If I ssh into it, and type startx I get the following output:

dan@dvserver:~$ startx

X: user not authorized to run the X server, aborting.
^CInvalid MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1 keyxinit: giving up
xinit: unable to connect to X server: Connection refused
xinit: unexpected signal 2
dan@dvserver:~$ sudo startx
[sudo] password for dan:

Fatal server error:
Server is already active for display 0
        If this server is no longer running, remove /tmp/.X0-lock
        and start again.

Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
         at http://wiki.x.org
 for help.

 ddxSigGiveUp: Closing log

And when i try to VNC into it, it fails. Is there a way that I cant start my x session via ssh and still connect through vnc? Maybe im jsut going about this remote desktop thing all wrong. Also, I am using TightVNC.
Answer: In your server do this:
sudo -i

then
vncserver

then do this in your machine
ssh -L 5902:localhost:5901 server

then you can run your vncviewer as always
vncviewer localhost:2

If you want to read more about it use this link

Cant Remote Desktop To Server


How to get traffic log history from a relay?

Question: I'm currently running a TOR Relay.
I'm monitoring it with nyx and is pretty good because I can see every connection coming in and out from my relay.
But what I'm asking is how can I find a full list of all past connections to my node.
Just in case someone (police?) ask me to give information about a certain IP I want to query this log for get this data.
Is that possible? What I have to do?
Thanks in advance.
Answer: Neither Nyx nor Tor support this out of the box.
However you can do this with the Stem library using the connection API.
Answer: The purpose of Tor is to anonymize it's users.
If you are running an exit relay, you do not know the client IP and have nothing to tell anyone because their request was relayed through a guard and middle node.
If you're running a guard and can see client addresses, any abuse request will never make it back to you because the public IP in question will be the exit.
So for the sake of the community, please don't keep any Tor connection logs.  If you run an exit and aren't prepared to deal with possible abuse reports, subpoenas, or other requests for information then consider switching to a guard or relay only and don't allow exit traffic.


nginx: SSI working on Apache backend, but not on gunicorn backend

Question: I have nginx in front of an Apache server and a gunicorn server for different parts of my website. I am using the SSI module in nginx to display a snippet in every page. The websites include a snippet in this form:

For static pages served by nginx everything is working fine, the same goes for the Apache-generated pages - the SSI include is evaluated and the snippet is filled. However for requests to my gunicorn backend running a Python app in Django, the SSI include does not get evaluated.
Here is the relevant part of the nginx config:
location /cgi-bin/script.pl {
    ssi on;
    proxy_pass http://default_backend/cgi-bin/script.pl;
    include sites-available/aspects/proxy-default.conf;
}

location /directory/ {
    ssi on;
    limit_req zone=directory nodelay burst=3;
    proxy_pass http://django_backend/directory/;
    include sites-available/aspects/proxy-default.conf;
}

Backends:
upstream django_backend {
    server dynamic.mydomain.com:8000 max_fails=5 fail_timeout=10s;
}
upstream default_backend {
    server dynamic.mydomain.com:80;
    server dynamic2.mydomain.com:80;
}

proxy_default.conf:
proxy_redirect off;
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;

What is the cause for this behaviour? How can I get SSI includes working for my pages generated on gunicorn? How can I debug this further?
Answer: Just found out what happened there: It seems that nginx is not able to parse SSI includes if it receives zipped responses. In my Django settings.py I had the django.middleware.gzip.GZipMiddleware enabled. After removing this, the SSI includes are working fine.


What causes a 7 year old to be overly affectionate

Question: My 7 year old daughter has very recently become very affectionate with her soon to be step dad. What could cause this? She doesn't see her dad often, but calls him daily. Could it be as simple as she see's me hugging or kissing my boyfriend, so she assumes she should do the same? She seems to always be asking him for hugs or cuddles or trying to kiss him on the cheek. She isn't overly affectionate when it is just the 2 of us at home, only when he is around recently.
Comment: Hi and welcome to Parenting.SE! Could you add a few more details about her relationship to her dad and your boyfriend, e. g. how long has she (and you) been knowing your boyfriend, when did she lose contact with her biological dad (and had to rely on calls) etc.?
Comment: Could be as simple as he's a good father figure and she approves; that she gets the fatherly attention she doesn't otherwise get?
Comment: Have you tried asking her? I have found that children often respond really well to being spoken to normally; almost as if they were adults. Just ask her why she likes him so much. Maybe he's just nice. You prefer him to her father, so maybe she does for similar reasons.
Comment: It's just occurred to me that she may blame herself for her father leaving. Maybe she's being extra nice so that he won't leave too. This also explains why she doesn't show you extra affection; you're dependable and she trusts you won't leave her.
Comment: On top of what was asked by @AnneDauntedGoFundMonica I am wondering... What made you ask for possible causes? Is it just that it is very recent that you have noticed this? How long has he been in your daughter's life?
Answer: Seems to me that your daughter is mimicing your behavior as she begins to explore her sexualtiy. It's only natural that she would model her behavior after your own. While kissing on the cheek and cuddles appear innocent enough, there are times when they are appropriate and times when they are not. When someone leaves (for school or work), a kiss on the cheek or a hug goodbye is ok. When you say goodnight, she probably kisses you (or you her). But to just clammor up onto the couch and want to kiss and hug is not, what I would think of as, typical behavior.
It might be a good idea to discuss the relationship you share with your boyfriend (privately with her). Ask her opinion, using specific questions, about him, about her, her father, about the four of you and how the relationships fit together dynamically. Address any concerns she might have. And let her know that if she ever has any questions, that you will listen and answer as honestly as you can.
I expect this goes without saying, but... Guide her through this in a compasionate and loving manner. Be considerate of not hurting her feelings. She doesn't realize that she wants your boyfriend to love her, too. She thinks that getting that love is accomplished by hugs and kisses and cuddles as opposed to understanding that those are things that adults do after feelings develop (not before). It's likely that she doesn't really understand that there are different ways to love.
While I was able to find plenty of material one the developmental stages of sexuality, there was nothing in regarding sexuality and child-adult relationships. Quite probably an indication of our current social norms. More than a few articles indicated that sexuality was an involved process that starts at birth and continues throughout our lives. This passage was, perhaps, the best:

Sexual development is a multidimensional process, intimately linked to the basic human needs of being liked and accepted, displaying and receiving affection, feeling valued and attractive, and sharing thoughts and feelings. It not only involves anatomic and physiologic functioning, but it also relates to sexual knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and values. Sexuality should be considered in a context that extends beyond genital sex to include gender-role socialization, physical maturation and body image, social relationships, and future social aspirations. Sexuality of Children and Adolescents With Developmental Disabilities
Comment: These kinds of affections are not necessarily sexual in nature. In many cultures, kisses and cuddling can be either romantic or completely platonic. I would recommend _against_ guiding her away from this.
Answer: Maybe your child feels they're not getting enough attention and she showing you how to do it
Comment: This is a possibility. It would be a better answer if it were fleshed out a bit.


Yawning while singing

Question: I was told breathing correctly helped so stop yawning while singing, but I don't exactly know the correct way to breath while singing so I am still yawing. So what do I do?
Comment: Sing something less boring?
Comment: True story: A famous college band director, William Revelli, was guest conductor at summer music camp. Our rehearsals started at 7:30 AM. Some poor slob yawned and Revelli screamed "In my XX years of conducting I've never once yawned!  Now concentrate!"
Answer: I have never had this issue, so first would recommend to get more sleep. Singing is a taxing event, similar to an actual run or exercise, so need to be well rested. Another thing that comes to mind is to massage the back part of the throat and gradually move the two-finger circular massaging motion forward just adjacent to the adam's apple. Supplement that with two-finger circular jaw massages right before performing.
Answer: Well it shows that you are singing in a proper way, its really normal in the beginning, just because you are lifting your soft  palate, try to don't lift too much (till to get used to that position) when you are yawning you are lifting your soft palate as well and your brain gets confuse when you sing and do the same movement so try to sing as you are talking do not change your voice too much(do not try this over high notes) after this you can lift your soft palate little by little.

Yawning while singing


Do left and right mic buttons control both headset microphones?

Question: The aircraft I was flying today has a push to talk integrated button on each control yoke. I was sitting in the right seat, but my headset was plugged into the jacks on the left side of the cockpit. When I pushed the right mic button, the tower could hear a carrier wave but no voice transmission.  It was only when I pushed the left mic button that they could hear my transmission. Is this normal?  Seems like pushing either mic button should allow a transmission from either headset.
Comment: Thanks for all these responses. They make perfect sense to me now, although I wish the operation of the G1000 audio functions had been explained to me when I was first getting up to speed on it. They might be buried in the several hundred page operation manual, but I got bogged down in it after the first hundred pages! I'll be sure to let any of my future students know they have to switch plugs when they use a different PTT switch!
Answer: This is the expected behaviour. The other pilot might make some sound or even talk to someone else. You don't want any noise interfering with your own voice during transmission.  Two microphones picking up your voice might also decrease the sound quality because of the small delay between the two locations.
Comment: The speed of sound over a few feet won't matter at all; you just don't want noise from the other mic. Also, if both pilots try to key up and talk, it's better that one of them (the first) gets heard and the other gets locked out, rahter than ATC or other pilots hearing a garbled mess.
Comment: @StephenS: I agree that the extra noise is more a problem than the voice echo, but there is no doubt that 3 to 6 ms multi-path delay (depending on the size of your cockpit) is noticeable and impairs sound quality.
Answer: That's what is supposed to happen. The person in the right seat might be having a conversation with another passenger and you don't want their conversation to be transmitted to ATC.
Most audio panels also have a button that lets you isolate the pilot or crew from the rest of the passengers. I use that button all the time when on takeoff and landing so that passengers can continue to talk to each other and I don't get distracted and miss important checklist items or radio calls.
My audio panel even lets the pilot and co-pilot talk on different frequencies.

We can both be listening and able to talk on Com 1 radio or Com 2 radio. Or the pilot can be on Com 1 and the Co-pilot on Com 2 and vice versa. On my little plane it isn't too useful, but it can be handy.
The pilot can be monitoring and talking to ATC for flight following while the co-pilot is talking to Flight Services and getting updated weather or filing a PIREP (pilot report of weather). Or if it is a busy frequency, the co-pilot can listen to the ATIS without having to pick out the details over the chatter on the main frequency.
Knowing how this works can be important. I have had the PTT switch fail in flight and the only way to communicate with ATC was to plug the headset into the other set of jacks and use the PTT switch on the other yoke to communicate.
Comment: Your audio panel doesn't support a separate mic that either pilot can grab and use in case of  headset failure? My Cessna 177B with PS Engineering intercom (one of the 6000 series) has that.  Also I use two comm's frequently, such as having a pilot passenger grab the ATIS while I monitor ATC when approaching a busy airspace and I don't want to be off frequency.
Comment: @CrossRoads My audio panel doesn't have a mic input, but there is one in the plane. I probably should test it some day to see how it works. I also have a handheld that I can connect to an external-antenna jack in the dash. And I have called them up on my cell phone when the radios failed. So I guess I was overstating it a bit when I said that the only way to communicate was by using the co-pilot set of plugs.
Comment: I have a jack for a handheld also, plugging it in connects to one of the antennas and disconnects the panel radio so the handheld isn't fighting the panel radio.


Humming as an interruption during Birkat Kohanim

Question: Is the humming by the kohanim during birkat kohanim considered a hefsek of their bracha? Please be clear what halachik reasoning allows or disallows this humming.
Comment: Related: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/14931/humming-during-shmoneh-esre
Answer: The Mechaber rules (OC 65:1) that if someone pauses in the middle of a mitzva an amount of time in which he could have performed the entire mitzva (henceforth: a long pause) he does not have to start over with the exception of Tefillah (ie Shmoneh Esrei) where one would have to go back. The Rama rules that for deoraita requirements, one would have to go back if the pause was forced (באונס) and not voluntary. For derabanan requirements he would allow one to not go back, per the Mechaber, and make one always go back for Tefillah, also per the Mechaber. (All the above is as explained in Biur Halacha to OC 65:1 sv Kar'ah.) The amount of time sung by the Kohanim is IMO definitely longer than the time it would take to just say all three pesukim responsively.
So we have three issues:
1) Is this singing considered a forced interruption? The Magen Avraham quotes two opinions if forced means that one was halachically unable to continue (eg. something unclean passed nearby) or if one was practically unable to continue (eg. armed robbers passed nearby). He seems to side with the former definition while our case would seem to be more similar to the latter (the Kohein could go ahead and say the final word loudly while everyone else was singing, I suppose).
2) Does Birkat Kohanim count as Tefillah and would therefore need to be restarted even without a forced long pause for the Rama? So I can't say for sure, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it were. Consider the full name of the Rambam's section: הלכות תפילה וברכת כוהנים. Birkat Kohanim is said as part of Shmone Esrei, and utilizes the Chazzan and Minyan to do so. The Mishna in Rosh Hashana 4:5 even calls the last Bracha of Shmone Esrei (about peace) "Birkat Kohanim". So the two are closely related. I'm not sure though if that carries over into the laws of Hefsek or not.
3) Does the length of time to say all of Birkat Kohanim include the singing, since that is the custom? The Biur Halacha there mentions this as a possibility but leaves the matter for further study (צ"ע). I don't get the feeling he is particularly convinced by this option.
So if you assume Birkat Kohanim is not Tefillah and you either hold like the Mechaber or hold like the opinion that this type of case is not considered forced, then even if you hold the time spent singing does not combine to the action's length you would not have to go back and restart Birkat Kohanim for singing too long.

All this is at least on a bedieved level. The Aruch haShulchan (OC 65:5) writes that for sure in all cases one should not make such a long break lechatchilah and it is only permitted to do so for great need.
Does Birkat Kohanim count as great need, ie can a Kohen go up if he knows singing will take place? Well, it is a mitzva deoraita, but on the other hand, if a he were to leave the Minyan before the start of the 3rd to last blessing of Shmone Esrei (Retzei...) he would not be obligated in this mitzva, so no loss. CYLOR for a final ruling.
Does reciting the prayers regarding dreams count as a great need, ie should a shul abolish the minhag of singing? Well, it is an old minhag, and the dream-prayers date back to at least the Gemara (Brachot 55b), but on the other hand see the Levush OC 128:26 who records the minhag of the Kohanim singing "the ך in וישמרך, the ך in ויחנך and the ל in שלום [because that way they have finished the bracha at hand (groan)]" thereby avoiding extended pauses. CYLOR for a final ruling.
Comment: Assuming then that it is a hefsek, is it halachikally correct for one to respond Amen to such a blessing?
Comment: @PM Well, if they are not yotzei the mitzva then the bracha before would seem to be levatalla, and we don't say Amen to those.
Comment: https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=628&st=&pgnum=43 kohanim would sing after וישמר before ך
Comment: See RYEH's note in the Luach for duchening first day of RH.
Answer: I spoke this out with a Rov who said this is simply the Minhag and says that the Cohanim should m'varech (bless) the am (people) b'ni'imah (melodically).
Although a "source" I don't have for this.
Comment: How does biniimah explain why it is or is not a hefsek? And how does its being the minhag explain that?
Comment: singing the words of the beracha or interrupting in the middle of the words to hum?
Comment: @Double AA  -- What I understood from the Rov is this is just how Bircas Kohanim is done therefore not shayach to call it a "hefsek." Or to have the kasha...The singing is "part" of the process of the Kohanim blessing the people.
Answer: It seems from this answer that making sounds that are not words does not constitute a hefsek in general. This answer indicates that what makes something an interruption is the fact that it distracts one from what one was doing, so something that doesn't change the subject would not be an interruption.
Comment: Baruch, that is true, but long breaks can sometimes be considered a hefsek in and of themselves.
Comment: @Double AA, Hopefully the addition I made to the answer helps to clarify that point.
Comment: It does, but again it is not a solid proof as the rules of interruption between washing and motzi are often significantly more lenient than other cases.
Comment: agree with @DoubleAA I find the humming often extends for much longer than the actual bracha


How can I transfer money to Thailand?

Question: I'm in Thailand for 6 months. I already spent all the cash I brought over (not much) and I can refill from an ATM. I have enough money, but what is really bugging me is the horrendous fees for using ATMs. It's $5 to use an ATM anywhere, + a rather poor exchange rate. I tried opening an account at a bank but that seems impossible with a tourist visa alone.
Comment: Having used it, Western Union (or similar) will almost certainly have (much) worse exchange rates / fees than ATMs. I'd reserve that for emergencies only.
Comment: If you can transfer the money from your account (perhaps online banking?) to one of your friends or family, and then ask him/her to send it you by Western Union or Money Gram..
Comment: Hm, W/U has worse exchange rates, no fees, but 7 day waiting time for bank transfer. Also Thai banks don't have the same routing standards, it's much more complicated and poorly documented, not understood by the banks own employees either... So getting the money into it via WU isn't easy, but it is an option.
Answer: It is still possible to find ATMs which do not charge the 150 baht fee for international withdrawals. As of Jan 2013, the Aeon ATMs skip the fee. They are in many shopping malls (e.g. Siam Paragon, Terminal 21), but usually difficult to find. Citibank used to allow this as well, but no longer.
Exchange rates at ATMs are consistent and almost always better than in other places. Do watch out for hidden and public fees on your home bank's end -- some banks add a 1-2% "exchange fee" plus some amount in fixed "because we can" fees.
Policies on opening bank accounts in Thailand vary by branch. There's no law or consistent set of rules, even within a single company different branches have different rules. If you try several banks/branches, there should be one that lets you open an account without a longer-term visa. A basic ATM account should be cheap and easy. Once you have a local account, you can use a wire transfer to get money into it from abroad. The send/receive fees are usually fixed ($30-$50; check both banks), this works out cheaper than international ATM fees for large amounts. When wiring money, send USD and have the Thai bank do the exchange to THB.
Unless in a huge rush, avoid Western Union: their fees and exchange rates are atrocious.
Comment: So from an american bank to a Thai bank, wire xfer is pretty much the only way? IE: they do not allow ACH transfers?
Comment: @Zombies ACH is US only. However... there is one Bangkok Bank branch in NYC, so if you have an account there, you could probably do an ACH and then their internal transfer to Thailand. Seems complicated to set up, I haven't actually tried it (and don't know how expensive/lengthy it is).
Comment: I withdrawn money from a Citibank ATM in Bangkok in February 2016 and was not charged any fee by the ATM.
Answer: Here's an approach that may or may not work, depending on the type of credit card you have and their rules.
What you need is a credit card that will allow you to put the balance into credit, has high limits for cash advances, has low or minimum foreign exchange fee, and low or capped cash advance fees.
First, with internet banking, put the credit card into credit (if they allow you to).  Just a card you don't have any balance on or use for any other purpose.
Then, go inside a bank and ask for a large cash withdrawal (enough to keep you going for a long while, but within the card limit).  The amount available in a branch should be larger than at an ATM (you can find out from the credit card company beforehand).  Expect good identity checking.
(if you can't put the card in credit beforehand, pay it off right away, same day if possible).
Possible fees include the currency exchange (you're already paying), plus maybe cash advance fees.  If the cash advance fees are capped then for a large amount this could work out cheaper, you'll have to run the numbers beforehand.  For some cards, there are no cash advance fees if it comes out of the credit balance.  Check.
Another approach is to use a debit card often for small transactions, and take the maximum cashback each time, if that is available there.  Assuming of course the debit card does not have a foreign per-transaction fee!
Answer: If you don't have access to a local credit card (know a local person) then I have found myself to be out of luck. I simply withdraw large amounts each time, once per month maximum. So 6 times for 6 months, will cost you $30.
But that is cheaper than wire transfer charges anyway, which often is 3%+ on top of whatever they charge for currency conversion.
In my experience it is easier to withdraw larger sums and bite the sour apple than any other solution I've found. Apart from bringing larger sums of cash from the origin country.

How can I transfer money to Thailand?


What are some good alternatives to Whisper for blockchain messaging?

Question: I have been experimenting with Ethereum and I achieved good results with Whisper in a private network. The main problem though is that it is pretty slow even when nodes are running in the same computer because messages take between 300-800ms to be received. What are some faster alternatives? My requirements are to be able to send small JSON messages as fast as possible.
Answer: Whisper
First of all, Whisper is kind of a database to spread announcements to the Ethereum network - or more precisely, to all geth nodes who have enabled Whisper. By default, Whisper is hidden behind a flag.
Whisper can be used to send messages. Sending messages will have the following properties:

Receiver anonymity: no one knows who the actual receiver is
No sender anonymity: a global passive adversary (e. g. your network service provider) can see the origin of the message
Uncertainty whether a message reached its destination. You can increase the probability by using a higher TTL value but this comes with the drawback that you need to equip the message with a significantly more difficult proof of work.

The problem of Whisper is that each message is flooded through the network until its TTL is reached - even if it has reached the desired destination. And to prevent people from spamming the the network, Whisper nodes only accept messages with a certain proof-of-work which is closely related to the TTL value.
In private networks, this is not a problem. But the bigger the network becomes, the worse it gets.
Anonymous / Privacy preserving communication
There's the anonymity trilemma which states that you can achieve only two out of the following properties:

Strong anonymity
Low latency
High throughput

So when, you want to send "messages as fast as possible" you need to live without strong anonymity.
Alternatives
At the moment, there something like a Whisper 2.0 for point-to-point messaging under development. The project is called hopr. Its goal is to have:

provable anonymity / privacy preserving communication as it uses the SPHINX packet format
incentivations for the parties / nodes that relay messages
adaptable anonymity - the user can choose to some extend the degree of privacy / anonymity by sacrificing

latency or
low relay fees or
privacy guarantees

A working group has been formed, including Status.im, Validity Labs and Web3 Foundation.
Answer: PSS (Postal Service over Swarm) has no benchmarks, but it sends a message only to a registered node, so I assume it to be faster.
Disclaimer: I work with the Swarm team.
Comment: That's interesting. Is there any fee to use PSS?
Comment: Not at the moment. We're working on introducing an incentivisation model.