Why did Data call the French language "obscure"?

Question: In the video below, Data refers to the French language as "obscure". Picard objects to this and Data is about to make a remark as to why the French language was indeed obscure.  Is there any indication given in any other materials as to why Data considered French to be an obscure language?
Jean-Luc Picard insulted by Data - YouTube
Comment: @RoyalCanadianBandit: You can't compare those two series. One is a ground-breaking, award-winning, genre-shifting piece of sci-fi genius. The other is *Star Trek*.
Comment: @JamesSheridan: As a Canadian, I believe you may be overthinking this. :-) It might simply be like Futurama, where French is considered an "incomprehensible dead language": http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/Universal_Translator
Comment: Maybe he's just stating the obvious. He often does that.
Comment: In fact, French is so obscure in the Star Trek universe that the automatic translators can't even translate when Picard says "merde".
Comment: French is an offshoot of Vulgar Latin. Knowing the first season of *TNG*, one of the monkeys in the writing staff confused the words 'vulgar' and 'obscure,' and also wasn't smart enough to figure out that "Vulgar," in linguistic terms, has a specific meaning that is different from the common usage. Obviously offending every black person in the world wasn't enough for "Code of Honor;" it felt the need to piss off the French, Belgians, Swiss, Canadians, and half the Polynesians, North Africans, and Middle Easterners as well.
Comment: @JamesSheridan - Futurama was a trite piece of crap.
Comment: @JamesSheridan I've heard countless jokes about the German language in so many tv-shows and movies. Being a German I can say: A lot of them are funny. And some of them make me even proud and I think "Yes! That's us!" I'm pretty sure, if I were French I'd love Data's joke!
Comment: @Einer Many French people got a different sentiment regarding such jokes from what I know (and also a more intense national pride). Also they're even more picky in regards to reading or listening to suff in French over any other language - even more so than most Germans or other non-English speakers.
Comment: I have always assumed the joke about French in Futurama was a reference to that line in TNG. To the point that I forget what Data actually said.
Comment: Picard is from France, but he acts English to all intents and purposes. A real Frenchman would be drinking red wine instead of Earl Grey tea, to start with. My theory is that sometime between now and the events of ST:TNG, England and France fought another Hundred Years War, the French were completely defeated and the English took over their land. (This doesn't preclude Picard feeling some sort of sentimental attachment to France, in the same way as a descendant of English settlers in Wales might consider himself Welsh.)
Comment: @Mario Maybe so. But I almost wet my pants as Rose (from two and a half men) invented the "German" word "glaukenstucken" (the feeling of being sorry for having felt Schadenfreude). If a Frenchman cant feel the same about an analogous joke he's simply struck with a distorted sense of national pride.
Comment: Hm... that doesn't make any sense. Maybe it's been "Glockenstocken" or something like that? Haven't seen the English episode, most likely the German dub only so far. Back on topic: I think they just had to pick a language with different origins than English that is known to many in the audience - and as such French was quite attractive I guess.
Comment: @Mario I'm far away from topic, I know. No, it was "glaukenstucken". It doesn't make any sense (neither "glaucken" nor "stucken" has any meaning, [your suggestion "stocken" - by the way - hasn't either {I take that back: "Verkehr kann stocken"}]), it's just funny that we have a word for it. It's a cliché. And that's what it makes funny. And the same goes for the French-Being-Obscure-Joke.
Comment: @MrLister There is the running theory (based on the TOS description of universal translators and all the Klingon that's never translated) that it can detect the speaker's intent as to whether or not it should be translated
Comment: @SJuan76: Actually, the French version uses German as the "obscure dead language." And in regards to the other comment directed at me; I don't respond to trolls.
Answer: I keep going back to the Writers Guide again and again, as well as in this case.  The description of Jean-Luc Picard states among other things:

Born in Paris, France, Picard betrays a gallic accent only when deep emotions are triggered. Otherwise, since ethnic accents are no longer common, he carries only a touch of French phrasing in his speech. In discussions with friends, he pretends to believe that France represents "the only true civilization" to appear on Earth -- and that it delights him when a witty companion wants to prove the same for England, Italy or China. He is definitely a 'romantic' and sincerely believes in concepts like honor and duty although on issues that affect the safety if his crew and starship he can be completely pragmatic and tough as hell.

"Federation Standard" is the common tongue for Starfleet and Data, who not only know this and French but also a huge range of other languages, presumably classify languages with fewer then N users to be obscure. If we take the first definition of obscure from Merriam Webster:

not well-known : not known to most people

it is fair to assume this is a direct cold fact way of presenting it from Data's fact-ridden way of thinking.

When it comes to the particular clip it is clear that they intended it to be a humorous awkward moment precisely because of Picards love of France. This is further underlined by the reaction of the crew. A situation we all know; when someone unknowingly is stepping on someone else's toes ;)
Comment: Any language could be described as *"obscure"* if it is only spoken by a subset of the sentient population of a single planet in the Federation. Non-obscure languages are spoken on multiple planets.
Answer: This isn't a great answer, but it's fairly heavily hinted throughout the "modern" series (TNG, DS9, Voyager) that the official language of the Earth is standardized English, and that other languages are basically of hobbyist and research type use only, the way Latin is today. There is also more than one reference of inferior cultures that don't have a common language, and that is one indicator of them being inferior.
As for why French was used specifically, it may be for a light comedic moment with Picard. Or for the reasons of being one of the most widely spoken languages (geographically) in the world, mainly competing with English for geographic spread.
French is also the language other than English that business is conducted in at the UN. Other languages were added as additional working languages later. Some committees and offices in the UN only use English and French to this day (Per Wikipedia). Also CERN requires most staff to speak, write, and read both.
Answer: While Picard states that French was the dominate international language, it has been in decline as English has become the defacto standard since World War 2. Wikipedia

Once the key international language in Europe, being the language of diplomacy from the 17th to mid-20th centuries, French lost most of its international significance to English in the 20th century, especially after World War II, with the rise of the United States as a dominant global superpower. A watershed was when the Treaty of Versailles, ending World War I, was written in both French and English. A small but increasing number of large multinational firms headquartered in France are using English as their working language even in their French operations, and to gain international recognition, French scientists often publish their work in English.

With the center of Starfleet being located in San Francisco, you can imagine it has an English-centric influence on the planet. Additionally, which Africa has been growing in use of French in the last few decades, we don't know what affect World War 3 and the forming of the African Confederation (or the United States of Africa) had on their continued use of French.
Based on Data's statement, we can assume that by the 24th century, French has become a niche language.
Comment: Actually there's quite a lot of French used in TNG, DS9 and voyager.
Answer: Data frequently "gets it wrong" when repeating quotes and imitating human behaviour.
Throughout The Next Generation TV series and movies, Data imitates examples of human behaviour that he has observed.  He often misunderstands the original context of these behaviours, making his reenactments misguided and inappropriate.
Examples:

Growing a beard similar to Riker's, to project authority and thoughtfulness ("The Schizoid Man", TNG 2x06).
Learning to tap dance (at times very robotically) in preparation for ballroom dancing at a wedding ("Data's Day", TNG 4x11).
Provoking a lovers' quarrel with his girlfriend Jenna D'Sora, in an attempt to strengthen their romantic relationship ("In Theory", TNG 4x25).
Talking about the weather to Picard, because humans use small talk to fill awkward moments ("Starship Mine", TNG 6x18).
Pushing Dr. Crusher off of a sailing ship, because the crew laughed when Riker made Worf fall into the ocean (Star Trek Generations).
Engaging in "girl talk" with Worf, in imitation of a conversation Troi and Dr. Crusher had regarding a rejuvenating effect of the Ba'ku planet (Star Trek: Insurrection).

Data's quote about "an obscure language known as French" is from "Code of Honor" (TNG 1x04):

DATA: It is a highly structured society in which people live by strict codes of honour. For example, what Lutan did is similar to what certain American Indians once did called counting coup. That's from an obscure language called French.
— Transcript

As one of the earliest stories involving Data, this episode is set during a time when his social skills are least developed and when such gaffes are all the more likely.  Data may simply be repeating something he heard or read,(1)(2) without understanding that the quote is inappropriate for the new context.
Another possibility, again based on Data's social inexperience, is that this is his attempt at allowing his crewmates to save face.  The pause in Data's speech after he mentions "counting coup" suggests that he intends to end the description there.  Then, when Picard and the others do not react, Data's reference to the obscurity of French could be his attempt at giving them an excuse for not recognizing the term.
French is apparently a living language on 24th Century Earth.  French accents still exist, as spoken by Picard's mother ("Where No One Has Gone Before", TNG 1x06) and the people in the Café des Artistes ("We'll Always Have Paris", TNG 1x24).  The degree to which these recreations match the in-universe reality is unknown(3), but Picard doesn't think that these speech patterns are out-of-place, so it does not seem that French is "obscure" according to the common conversational use of the word.

(1) Chekov made several exaggerated claims about his Russian heritage, and Scotty wore a kilt as part of his formal uniform.  In some situations, cultural pride and good-natured rivalry is still an acceptable part of life in 23rd (and presumably 24th) Century human society.  Data would have trouble understanding, for example, that a taunt he overheard at an international sports match doesn't necessarily have any basis in science, or that the use of a word in conversation carries different connotations than its use in a scientific journal.
(2) Data's creator Dr. Noonian Soong, proud and highly opinionated, has little care for polite niceties, so he is a possible source for socially blunt quotes.
(3) The French-accented English dialogue that the audience hears could be meant as French in-universe, the way the Klingon language is translated for the audience during the trial of Kirk and McCoy in Star Trek VI.  Conversely, both scenes are based on Picard's memories, and they may sound French only because they are tinged by his nostalgia for the French language.
Answer: Data is a graduate of Star Fleet Academy.  There is a good chance he is quoting a professor, and thus the opinion of Star Fleet in general.
Comment: Hello and welcome to scifi.stackexchange, and thanks for your contribution.  We do, however, try to avoid answers that are mostly or entirely speculation, as there are a lot of fan theories out there.  A good answer will contain evidence from canon or other sources which supports the argument that it's trying to make.
Answer: Star Trek is written in English, targeting its main audience; the English-speaking population. That's all! It was a nice light jab at the Franco expense and it was humorous. I'm French and I thought it was cute.


What are some differences between Scribus and Indesign?

Question: I recently heard that scribus is a good free alternative option to Indesign. I recently opened Scribus up, and none of it makes any sense, and it doesn't look like it'd be a good fit for what I want to do. What are some pros and cons for each?
Answer: I'd say if you're just starting out without having existing InDesign files, and customers/colleagues working with InDesign, Scribus could be good. But for more serious work, you run into its limitations pretty quick.
Scribus pros:

Free
Available for Linux and other OS's
With that, you can theoretically collaborate with anyone

Scribus major cons:

Much less advanced typography capabilites
Lacking documentation and community/knowledgebase is much smaller
Cumbersome and rather slow UI
Can't open or write INDD files
Doesn't support Pantone colors
Requires scripts to do many things InDesign does natively, like Data Merge
Answer: Like most open source graphic design software, it's competent and capable, but isn't going to posses the same range of features that the commercial alternative will typically have. In addition, OS graphic design software is often lacking in CMYK/Print support.
So, generally speaking (applies to most OS graphic design software):
Pros:

price (free)
no licensing hassles

Cons:

typically limited feature set
not as widely supported in the industry
may have a less polished UI


Is it still relevant to include a Sitemap page?

Question: SEO has moved on over the years, so do you feel that it's still necessary to include a sitemap page on a site (For UX purposes, as well as SEO)?
Comment: According to this article, it is. http://www.seoconsult.com/on-page-search-engine-optimisation/what-effect-do-xml-and-html-sitemaps-have-in-relation-to-seo.html
Comment: What is the user experience aspect of your question? SEO seems to be rather off topic as such, even though sitemaps may not be. You might want to add more information to your question.
Comment: Do you mean a Sitemap page, or the sitemap.XML?
Comment: I'm taking about a sitemap page. There are accessibility advantages, which is a good reason to include one, but are there any others? Many mobile versions of sites don't include a sitemap page, this is what's trigged my question.
Answer: I vote no for UX and yes for SEO (with a caveat).
If your site requires a sitemap for a user to find their way around, then that's a smell that you have a poor information architecture. I don't buy the argument that they support users who know what they are looking for - like an index in a book. A website and book are sufficiently different that the comparison isn't useful. Use search if you need the user to find one piece of content from within volumes of it (think Amazon or Wikipedia).
The SEO story is different. A sitemap can help in that circumstance, especially if some content isn't accessible through normal user flows. The caveat is that using a sitemap XML file is probably more effective and doesn't bear the burdon of needing to be digestible by an end user.
Comment: The architecture of the site in question requires work. As for search, well that's not to great, but that is being worked on.You make a good point about the XML version of the sitemap. I guess this is getting to the bottom of my question - wether to reveal a sitemap for users.
Comment: Check out the Wikipedia page on sitemaps. It talks, about the XML sitemap protocol. Good, short read.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitemaps
Answer: If your home page (or first landing page) is not intuitive enough, then a sitemap will be useful for not-so-tech-savy users.
Also, sitemaps always help in making your site more accessible to search engines no matter how much SEO has moved on.
Comment: I would challenge it is the other way around.  A not so tech savy user isn't going to know to look for a site map, where as I jump straight to the site map if the UI is so messed up (err, I mean "modern") that it is impossible to find anything quickly.  This is kind of like the concept of an index (in the book sense), simply having a good Table of Contents does not make an index useless.  Different ways of organizing information offer different experiences.  A site map lets a user that knows what they want find it, while a page layout may be designed to lead a user, but not be helpful for...
Comment: finding a particular value. I'd say it is comparable to the automated phone systems that make life easier for 95% of people, but on that 5% that need something that it doesn't cover, 0 should still give you a live person.
Comment: @AJHenderson I agree, it can be looked the other way around also. However, though a not so tech savy user may not look for something that is called 'sitemap', but may still click on a button called 'help' or 'search text field' and look for whatever he needs to find out. A typical example could be a first time user who wants to find out customer service number for his telephone connection, will come to a site and will either go to help (which will internally have a site map or FAQ) or will go to search box.
Answer: Site maps are still useful in the same way that an index is still useful in a book that has a table of contents.  It provides a different way of organizing information.  A great website will naturally lead the users to where they want to go normally, particularly if they don't know exactly what they are looking for, but a site map is invaluable for quickly finding one particular thing that might be an uncommon activity.  It's also similar to how automated phone systems are great for helping direct a large portion of calls, but when a caller can't be helped by that system, you still need a way to get to a person that can look at the actual directory and send them to the right people.
Answer: I think a simple HTML site map is useful when the user is looking to find something. Search engines are smarter than before and so there may be no need to build a site map especially for them.


Choosing character names is a constant difficulty

Question: I find it hard to name my characters. Every normal name sounds funny if applied to a product of my fantasy. If I take a common name, I may get the image of someone I know into my head. And that may influence my vision of the character in a way I didn't intended. If I choose an uncommon name or invent a name (for a fantasy story for example) it sounds silly to me. How do you name the characters of your story?
Comment: Just some comments from a reader's perspective: please, for the love of all that's holy, give your characters names that *start with different letters*. If one character is Alethea and another is Alexis, I don't care how different they are, I *will* confuse them in my mind.
Comment: It doesn't matter whether the name sounds silly at first. With repeated exposure it will start sounding less silly, and eventually will sound like an ordinary name.
Comment: If the name of a person you know matches your character but you don't want to use that specific name from whatever reason, you could use a name recommendation tool like http://thenamestork.com to find names of the same style.
Comment: @Martha So not a fan of Crime and Punishment then...
Answer: So Sméagol, Gandalf and Bilbo Baggins do not sound silly?
Honestly, don't care too much, if they sound silly or not. First, you can change them, second, I've read some great stories with very silly named characters.
If you want make up fantasy names and have no good idea how to start, here is what I do:

Find out what the profession/status of this character is (Let's say, he is the elder of a village)
Play with this profession/title. Put it in reverse: elder -> Redle - Would that be a good name?
Play with the acronym: The elder of the village -> TEOTV -> Teotev? Totav? Teotive? Totiv? Theotrev?
Put some accent and apostrophes in it. People love that: Téo'tev, The'òtrev
Translate the profession/title into a different language (I prefer Latin). Play with that word accordingly.
Well, just play :)
Comment: Accent and apostrophes give a certain "foreign" feel very easily, but come hardcore fantasy readers are a bit sick of them, so consider the possibility of overdoing it. Some readers like names they can unambiguously pronounce in their heads. Remember, don't pull the reader out of your story by stopping them to work out a difficult name.
Comment: Strongly disagree about accents and apostrophes.  Not popular with this reader.
Comment: To add to this, you could always draw a couple letters out of your scrabble bag and jumble them around until you find something worthwhile.
Comment: Heh... PG Wodehouse gave his characters silly names almost exclusively:  Bertie Wooster, Gussie Fink-Nottle, Cyril  Fotheringay-Phipps, Roderick Spode, etc.
Comment: I'm an avid reader of fantasy, and one thing that takes the fun out of many a book for me are stupid, unpronouncable names. Good fantasy names sound good in either your mother tongue or in English (as a language whose sounds and names everyone is familiar with due to American cultural exports).
Comment: When Tolkien writes about hobbits, you can hear his friendly humor, so a "funny" name befits a hobbit well. Tolkien did not make up Gandalf, it is a name from norse mythology. Smeagol is a version of Old English smygel. Tolkien created many of his names from his deep understanding of Germanic languages and their phonetic laws. They all sound good. Even Bilbo Baggins has a good sound to it, once you get beyond the funniness.
Answer: No parent takes naming their child as an indifferent thing.  Before the baby is even born, the name we give the child is an identity that will stick with him/her for the rest of that baby's life.  Or to quote Orson Scott Card: "A name is part of who a person is.  It's the label that stands for everything you've done and everything you are." (Characters & Viewpoint, p. 41)
I suggest taking a "parental" role to naming characters - just like a parent doesn't know who their child will ultimately be before they're born, that doesn't stop them from giving the baby a name.  An identity.  A label that stands for everything they are and have done and will do.
As for how you choose your names, here are some tips that I've found very helpful over the years:

Buy a naming book, like Sherrilyn
Kenyon's Character Naming
Sourcebook or a baby naming book.
There are websites that help with
this, too.  I prefer books that give
meanings to the names (even though a
good sound is usually more important
than an appropriate meaning).
Sometimes looking for an
appropriate meaning to a name can be
a starting point.  If a character is
brave, then looking for names that
suggest bravery or heroism in their
meaning can be good.  But I wouldn't
get too bogged down with that if you
don't find anything.
Think of a characters nationality
and ethnicity.  That will almost
always suggest certain names and cut
off others.  If your world is a
fantasy world, think of the speech
patterns you might like them to
exhibit.  Are their names more
"sing-songy" or perhaps harsher?
You can use (altered) real names to
create good sounding fantasy names.
Russian or Polish might work well
for gutteral harsher races, if
that's what you're aiming for.
Indian / Hindi names are more
flowing and pleasing to the ear.
Irish names tend to suggest a gaiety
that make people smile.  These names
almost always draw certain images
into our minds, certain associations - which can be particularly helpful in establishing a mental picture of
the characters.
When you hear names that you
like, be sure to write them down.
Keep a custom "naming dictionary"
for yourself and update it as often
as possible with names you like.
If you can't think of a "real"
name for a character just yet, then
try to think of a single nickname.
It might suggest a real name to you.
If you do have a real name, I still
suggest thinking on whether there
are any good nicknames for the
character.  It adds to their
realism.
Vary the first letter of the main
characters' names, and try to vary
their syllables, as well.  If you
have two one syllable names, then
try not to use anymore of those - go
for two and three syllables.  That
will also help to narrow down the
field and suggest other names to
you.  This makes it easier for
readers to keep track of them, and
it also makes them more real.
The fact that somewhat more
common names remind you of people
you know isn't always bad. I have
noticed what I think are common
characteristics of the Rachels,
Jeffs, Mikes, Annas, etc. that I
know.  I've heard the same
observations from others, too.  You
don't have to copy your friends'
traits - but they might suggest some
characteristics that you hadn't
otherwise thought of.
If you're having difficult
getting past the names and the
strong associations with people you
know, you might try writing a list
of every single person you can think
of with a given name - friends,
family, celebrities, authors, etc.
Instead of focusing on their common
characteristics (as in #7), focus on
all of their differences.  Put it
into your mind that, though they all
share the same name, they are all
individuals in their own right - and
so is your character who shares that
name, too!
If you have a particular
personality in mind for the
character, you have two options:

Choose a name that sounds like it fits.  A action powerhouse hero named Walter doesn't fit quite as well as Bruno or Mike.  A prim, proper, and beautiful princess would sound weird named Gretchen as opposed to, say, Allegra or Serena.
Do just the opposite.  Name the muscle strapped action hero Milford, Benedict, or Lawrence.  Though, if you do that, it should definitely be something that other characters poke fun at, or is seen as an oddity as some way or other.  The name becomes part of the character's identity in a way he might not necessarily enjoy.  Think Johnny Cash's Boy Named Sue.
Comment: I especially like the idea to keep a name dictionary.
Answer: If the characters are strong, the name gets molded to the character; if they're weak, it's the other way around.
"The World According to Garp" makes a pretty big deal about Garp's name - both the word "Garp" and why Garp's mother selected that name play important roles.  Nonetheless, I don't think the story would have had a significantly different impact on me if Garp had been named "John".  We identify with characters based on who they are - their name becomes a convenient flag for that.
Comment: I've believed this about many logos/titles/names in the past. If it's good, then it's fine. If it's not a good company/product/story, it doesn't matter what it is named.
Comment: -1 because of Johnny Cash, "A Boy Named Sue"
Answer: One bit to add about names: if you use fantasy names (because you are, like, writing a fantasy story ;-), take care to make them consistent.  Meaning names of people belonging to the same race/people/whatever need to sound/feel "similar" in style.  Hard to give an example (I'm bad at finding fantasy names myself :D), but... well, if you give all characters that come from the same region of your world names with lots of accents, then it would look weird (and feel wrong) if suddenly someone from that regions shows up and is called "Bruno".  Except...
Comment: Yes. If the characters from the Rothnule race are named Chip, Lar, Blum, and Arbumorpholomerillion -- that screams for an explanation. And it's not just length. How about Chip, Lar, Blum, and Xzyrg?
Answer: Another writer friend of mine went through NaNoWriMo last year, writing furiously to make her 50,000 words, without naming her characters at all.
Naming isn't easy.  Sometimes a character will have a name that fits, perhaps, but often not.  If you find it difficult put it off.  Don't let it get in the way of your writing.  Instead write.  If necessary, get all the way to the end of your story.  Then tackle the naming problem.
How do you tackle it?  Do it with a baby name book.  Use an online baby naming resource.  Take a name and change it up a little in your head as if you are a parent who simply has to have a unique name for Baby X.  Pick the name you always thought you were going to call your daughter until your spouse overrode it.  Use the middle name of your friend who least or most resembles the character.  Flip through your college yearbook and pick the kid who most looks like your character.  These are just a few ideas.  There are tons more.  Just write.  Then name.
Answer: I find much easier to first imagine the character, see it wading through the planned story-line, get emotionally involved with its (mis)adventures, then I can think a name that matches that stronger image of the character I've built.
If you don't really feel your character alive, it really doesn't call for a proper name (yet).
Also it may be easier, for supporting or eventual characters to just give any name, and rename it later, when it gains truer life in your imagination.
Answer: Use variations on names from Ancient history/mythology. Greek, or Norse, or Mayan, or whatever, pick your flavour.
This can give you a very wide variety of fictional names that are still similar to each other (for a rich, "realistic" feel).
Most of my "fantasy world" style character/place names come from my old testament reading.
This is a complete list of Bible place/person names:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biblical_names
I change them around a bit (try different letters and syllables, to get a different sound).
Examples:
Hale, Marish, Baltasar, Elam, Kir, Addramalech, Sherd, etc
I get some good metaphors too, but I don't have a link to a list of those.
Examples:
The Sword Bathed in Heaven, fed their enemies on the bread of affliction and the water of affliction, a shadow from the heat, a refuge from the storm, etc.
The Old Testament in particular can give a very authentic "ancient civilisation" feel to native English readers, probably because of the influence the Bible has had on English speaking culture (including fantasy novels) over the centuries.
Answer: Try this to put the importance of character names into perspective: Begin with nothing more than a person's name, and then write the story. Does she truly end up typecast as the similarly-named girl you knew in fourth grade? Or does she take on different attributes - do you give her reactions and thoughts fit for the character you're creating? More likely the latter.
Naming your character might be the least important thing you do with respect to what that character becomes and how you (the author) think of her. When the character's name actually plays a role in defining who she is, however, or when the name is representative of something that defines her (such as Garp's name in The World According to Garp), keep in mind that in life we don't usually choose our names: our parents do. Give the charater's father a moment's thought: would he have named his daughter Chaersogih, Purple Sunlit Mai Tai, or Katie?
By the way, take the undue pressure off of your mind about having those corrupting outside influences infect your creative vision. There's nothing wrong with allowing someone you know lend a trait or two to one of your characters. While you're still getting to know the character, go ahead and let the name give you ideas. If you're dead set on who and what she is, the name won't be able to stop you even if it (or if Chaersogih from fourth grade) tried.
Comment: Good advice on the "someone you know lend a trait to your chars".  JK Rowling for example has stated on multiple occasions that many of the characters in HP were inspired (*that* is a great word to know the meaning of for any writer ;-)) by real-life friends and acquaintances of hers.
Comment: Do you mean "inspire" as in have an idea (or life!) "breathed into" something? That _is_ a good word. Never knew that about Rowling. Imagine reading your internationally famous friend's book and starting to think, "Wait a minute. Is this sidekick me?"
Answer: I either use an existing name and change something like adding a letter or swapping two: Boris -> Borsi. Ken -> Kan.
If that fails, I pay this site a visit: http://www.fakenamegenerator.com/index.php
Answer: My advice is to start collecting names in a file on your computer. I've have categories of names that have appealed to me over the years. For example, one of my favorite categories is "computer generated names". Some of them are hilarious: Zhamak Boobs, Parveen Farmiloe, Jimbo Razi, Hercules Hook. I got these from computer generated spam who's 'sender' names were obviously created by a computer program choosing to combine list elements from various lists of peoples names and objects. But I collect real names too.
Answer: If setting your story in the real world, be careful of the social connotations of choosing foreign names.  In the US, Billy Bob and Chuck carry certain connotations (southern and down-to-earth respectively).  Likewise in the UK, Charles and Oliver will have social connotations. If you are an English speaker, you're probably aware of these already.
Therefore, be aware that the same is true for other countries.  Eg, Jens, Pierre, Bjorn all have social connotations too.  If in doubt, ask a native speaker of the language you go for.
Answer: There is a great great great resource for naming characters. It is a random name generator you can choose the influences and the origin of the name and each name has a meaning when it is generated. A real meaning. All names come from most of the cultures that inhabit our dear planet.
On the same page you can search for names according to meaning and/or sex.
Another technique for inventing names is just cutting a word you see in half, example:
I just saw the word community so I cut it to the piece I like the most like Munity or ity.
Then I take another word I see, for instance answer, and cut it, ans or wer or we.
Then I produce the name, result: Itywé you can always put an accent to make it fancy. But as everything don't abuse it.
Answer: This is an interesting article about using markov chains to generate realistic sounding character names http://www.dgames.org/markov-chain-name-generator/ in this case it generates Hindu and ancient Greek names but the same principle can be applied for whatever.
Also there are any number of baby name sites that I use. You can look through names of certain origins.
Comment: Wow, great find. That could work and should be simple to implement.
Answer: For me, I figure out the background of the character. After I come up with the characters backstory, personality, and such, then I research for names that have meanings that correspond with who the character is.
For me, it helps to go in depth and see about creating an ethnic background for my character. This usually helps narrow things down.
Sometimes, I also find it easy to build a character based on a name. Creating a character around the meaning of their name can sometimes save me a lot of grief.
Hope this helps :)
Answer: I wish there was a single reference book for given names from around the world, but I haven't been able to find one. I have a couple of books on my shelves that have been quite helpful:
Concise Dictionary of First Names (OUP)
http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/9780198662594.do
African Ethnics and Personal Names (Ariko)
[ new user, so I can only post one link - google it! ]
There are a lot of 'baby naming' websites out there; they tend to be pretty poor quality and unhelpful, but others may have better luck.
As for fantasy names, Tolkien was a linguist (or 'philologist' as they said then), and the reason there is such a strong consistency in the names is that they are part of languages he not only spent a long time on, but applied his knowledge of real languages to them. You can tell when people have taken short cuts.
Comment: Not just names from around the world, but *historical* names from around the world: [Medieval Names Archive](http://www.s-gabriel.org/names/)
Answer: Critique Circle has a random name generator, but it is more useful for modern stories than fantasy. You can choose gender and change the level of obscurity.
http://www.critiquecircle.com/tools.asp?page=names
Answer: I find it helpful to research the names. If your fantasized world is similar to an existing country, find out what language they speak and try those names.  If your fantasized language sounds like an existing language, do the same thing.  I have found that names always fit the characters better if their origin is similar to that of the character.
Answer: You asked how "I" name a character. I create my character and give him/her a name that fits the social and geographic location of the character. It's like picking names for children. You just do it.
I've heard that some people use a phone book. Some these days use a name generator. I have one friend (unpublished) who visit cemeteries.
If you are really having problems you might be over-thinking the problem.
If you can create a story I'm amazed you can't create names for your characters....
Comment: Looking at cemeteries is a good idea.
Comment: Another alternative to cemeteries and phone books I love is to take any movie from the country of your choice (depending on the origin, sounds you want you character name to have) and to look at the end credits. It's a giant name bank.
Answer: What I've done for names:

Browsed a nice thick baby-name book, which is organized by ethnicity.
Looked in Wikipedia for a list of names of the appropriate ethnicity. For example, if a certain character is descended from Haitian immigrants, I might look up the membership of the Haitian national legislature to get a sense of what last names are common there.
Checked the US Social Security Administration's most-common-first-names database, which is organized by gender, state, and birth year.

If you're trying to come up with names for a fantasy world, I suggest coming up with some phonology for a language in your fantasy world, and then generating a bunch of words that match it. (You can add flavor by creating multiple languages with different phonological rules, or by imposing a rule that the pattern of sounds communicates something about a character's gender or status.  In Mindy Klasky's "Glasswrights" series, for example, the higher a character's caste, the more syllables were in his or her name.)
I agree with Martha above that you shouldn't give different characters names that start with the same letter.  (Michael Chabon's The Mysteries of Pittsburgh has an Arthur and an Art, but I think Chabon was just showing off.)
And one other tip: full names sound better if the first and last names have a different number of syllables.
Comment: I disagree with your statement about symmetrical syllables, and I think many of the most iconic characters from both classic and modern works would side with me on this:

I mean, there's Jane Eyre, Jake Barnes, James Bond, Bilbo/Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Holden Caulfield, Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Luna Lovegood, Peeta Mellark, Finnick Odair, Effie Trinket, Edward Cullen (He counts), Arthur Radley, Owen Meany, Billy Pilgrim, Patrick Bateman, Clarissa Dalloway... Even Jay Gatsby's *real* name was James Gatz. If that doesn't count, there's always ever-popular Scout Finch.
Answer: I don't know why, but I like naming conventions of Post-Modern writers like Pynchon's Oedipa Maas and Dr. Hilarius or DFW's  Hal Incandenza.
They're absurdist, but suggest additional meaning which makes them intriguing.
I suppose, though, that naming conventions are tied to genre.  An example that comes to mind is that I've seen characters referred to as only a letter in shorter fiction, but that may become tedious to the reader in a full length novel.
Answer: Two commonly recommended strategies for character naming are the perusal of popular names lists and looking up the meaning of names. Both aren't very useful.
If you have to look up the meaning of a name, your readers won't know it either and it won't influence their perception of a character.
And popular names aren't always perceived as positive. For example in Germany the name Kevin is one of the most popular and widespread names, but it is chosen mostly in low income families and has become associated with ADHS and low performance in school. So much so that teachers show prejudice towards pupils with that name, as research has shown.
But what can you do?
I am German, so the names I use as a writer are German. A research group at a German university has researched the associations that people have for certain names: how old do they imagine an Alexander, how intelligent is a Julia, how attractive a Ben? The research is still limited to a small selection of names and attributes, but it is a valuable starting point.
One German website lets users judge names and gives top 50 lists for attributes like intelligence, attractiveness, age, masculinity/femininity and several character traits: http://www.onomastik.com/Vornamen-Lexikon/
If I want to use a name that has not been researched, I ask friends how they imagine the person with that name. I was often surprised what negative associations people have for names I like. Some names sound fat, others unfriendly.
Maybe there is similar research for names from your culture?
Answer: I liked some of the answers above, but I also want to through some ideas on the table.
If you already have build your character (profession, background, psychosynthesis, etc, etc) and don't want something like Bilbo etc, try to find a name that shows all the aspects of it's character. For example the name Alexander mean the one who defeats the other men (his enemies), the strong man and fighter till the end.
Another idea would be to give names of historical/iconic persons, ex: Fidel, or Pablo, or whatever you like.
Good naming and good stories!
Answer: I choose my names based on 3 things.
Rarity: How common or uncommon the name is depending on genre and timezone of the story
Meaning: What the name's personality(cause they have personalities), definition, and region/origin is.
Gender: Of course I don't even have to explain this one.


What is the theological position of Arya Samaj?

Question: I would like to know how Arya Samaj perceives God(Brahman).Do they consider themselves Advatins or Dvatins (Or even Vedantists for that matter)?
Comment: They view it as impersonal to be united with as the rays of the sun are people and god is the sun.
Comment: @Wikash_ so they are Advatins...
Comment: @Ikshvaku really? I agree with you except with the only rig veda part..they promote all 4 vedas as far as i know.
Comment: I updated answer
Answer:
What is the theological position of Arya Samaj?

Arya Samaj is a modern, Hindu reformist movement that was heavily influenced by Western beliefs. It was founded when India was under the iron fist of British rule, and its founder, Dayananda Saraswati, was a British-educated Indian nationalist and social reformer.
From Wikipedia:

Arya Samaj is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the sannyasi (ascetic) Dayanand Saraswati on 10 April 1875.1 Members of the Arya Samaj believe in one God and reject the worship of idols.2

Its beliefs are:

Belief that moksha is not eternal
Rejection of idol worship
Rejection of animal sacrifice
Rejection of many rituals such as shraddha
Rejection of the supernatural and "superstitions"
Belief in only one God
Emphasis on Agnihotra and Gayatri mantra
Rejection of the Upanishads as part of the Vedas
Rejection of the Puranas
Belief that the Vedic Samhitas are revealed, whereas the Upanishads are authored
Interpreting the Vedas in an allegorical, metaphorical, or speculative way
Rejection of the caste system and belief in caste and gender equality and equal rights (feminism)
Anti-Brahminism

From britannica.com:

The Arya Samaj opposes worship of murtis (images), animal sacrifice, shraddha (rituals on behalf of ancestors), basing caste upon birth rather than upon merit, untouchability, child marriage, pilgrimages, priestly craft, and temple offerings.

As you can see, this movement was heavily influenced by Western beliefs.
The Arya Samaj is also fulfilling many of the prophecies of Kali yuga:

It has worked to further intercaste marriage

This sect is rejected as heretical by the Orthodox followers of Hinduism such as the followers of the Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, and Shankaracharya sampradayas.

Do they consider themselves Advatins or Dvatins (Or even Vedantists for that matter)?

They believe in a philosophy that is similar to Dvaita Vedanta (Dualism of Jiva and Paramatma). They are not Advaitins.
Comment: Can you cite some sources? AFAIK they equally criticize both Advatins and Dvatins.


Should I revise and resubmit?

Question: I have just received a decision letter for my submitted manuscript to an Elsevier journal. It was a revise and resubmit (R&R). Two reviewers comments were included in the decision letter. One of the reviewers suggested minor revisions. The other reviewer on the other hand recommended rejection and his comments were really unfair. Evidently, he hasn't bothered reading the manuscript completely.
I am really disappointed and don't really know how to even respond to his comments. what do you recommend me to do? I am really frustrated.
Comment: If the reviewer recommends rejection, then they may indeed not read the entire article. As an author, you have to write in a way that hooks the reviewers, as well as you can.
Comment: There was something later in the paper that the reviewer didn't see?  (I guess that is why you say he didn't read the paper completely.) Something important?  Maybe it should be mentioned in the abstract.
Comment: I some times do not finish reading a paper. Usually it is because there are so many things wrong with the paper that I gave up.   For examples, false claims, poor English, the authors show lack of knowledge, poor methodology, problem is old and not interesting, lack of motivation, etc.
Answer: Most journal articles are often a revise and resubmit before they get published.The final article that you see in journals is often never the first submission attempt but rather, crafted through continuous revising and editing.
You should revise and resubmit, you would be doing yourself a disfavour if you don't.
The editors had two very contrasting reviewers for your piece, one who suggested a minor revision and the other an outward reject, so a Revise and Resubmit is a pretty good outcome from that, but also highlights a stark contrast of views.
When you receive harsh comments, it's good to take a step back for a few days and let the anger and frustration that you undoubtedly feel to disappear. At the moment you might feel like it's a bit of a personal attack, and have used language such as 'it's unfair' and 'he hasn't read the article completely.' These are emotional responses and are not helpful for your success.
Why are the comments unfair and how can you determine whether they've read the article completely?
When you are ready, sit down and read them with fresh eyes, highlighting what you can do to improve the article. There will be things in there (difficult to find) that you can utilise to strengthen the quality of your article. You don't have to address everything the second reviewer says but you might be surprised that once those personal feelings die down, the number of things you might find helpful from that second reviewer.
When you do your revision, you'll need to prepare a summary report regarding all the comments, highlighting what you changed, and what you didn't. The things you do not change you provide justification for in your summary report.
You would be surprised by the number of academics who never bother to revise and resubmit a paper to a journal, the numbers are outstanding. Revising and resubmitting allows for you to continue to improve your ideas and produce something of high quality.
Answer:
one of the reviewers suggested minor revisions. The other reviewer on the other hand recommended a rejection and his comments were really unfair.

Welcome to peer review. Yes, it sucks to have a reviewer criticise your work so much, especially if you feel the comments are unfair. However, both, the editor and the other reviewer seem to give the manuscript a chance. You cannot throw your work away as soon as somebody disagrees with it.
As a sidenote, try to get a bit perspective and figure out why the second reviewer hated the paper so much, without thinking that (s)he is just an idiot. The reviewer didn't bother to read the paper to the end? Yes, that's bad form, but clearly your paper wasn't exactly compellingly written either. The reviewer didn't "get" the paper at all? Maybe your descriptions are not that great. The reviewer thinks your contribution isn't strong enough? Explain better how your paper improves the state of the art. Oftentimes, the most negative comments are the ones that help you most in improving your research, even if they are clearly the ones that hurt the most.

Should i revise and resubmit?

Yes!
Answer: Yes, you should revise and resubmit, if you still want the article to be published in the journal you originally targeted.

Evidently, he hasn't bothered reading the article completely.

This may be true, but once you've waited a day or two and digested the comments, look at it again. This kind of review might highlight that some readers of the journal would not understand your paper properly! Even if you think the comments are unfair, be sure to include them in your response. Treat them thoroughly, with evidence from your article and the literature, or include supplementary material with the response letter. Then, ask a co-author or trusted colleague to read over the revised article and response, to check the tone. Good luck!
Answer: First, remember reviewer's "verdicts" are only recommendations. The handling editor evaluate these reviews along with your original submission to see what is a fair balance. Deviating reviews are not uncommon. Editors have two solutions at their hands, either, as in your case, make a decision based on the two, or to add a third reviewer to the mix. The former will likely happen if the editor has good insights into the topic, the latter if the editor may require more input to feel safe with a decision. After all, the editor is chosen to have broad knowledge but will not master everything.
So, you have received a revision decision which means the manuscript is very likely accepted if you provide a good set of revisions and a good account of how you have treated the comments from the reviewers. A "bad" review, can emerge from a nebulously written manuscript so if you think the comments are unfair or even rude. Take them with a grain of salt and focus on whether or not they emerge from some misunderstanding or unclear writing and revise accordingly. The editor should have given you some pointers on how to view the reviews but this does not always happen, You are then left to your self to handle the revisions. Important is to not dismiss any of the reviewers just because they disagree or criticize your work. You need to consider their comments and provide a rebuttal to the editor so that any grounds for disagreement is firmly described.
So carefully revise the paper, provide a detailed and polite letter outlining your actions, make sure the revision fulfils all the journal's instructions for formatting and resubmit on time.
Answer: I would revise and resubmit. Not only that, I would implement as many of the harsh reviewer's comments as feasible and truly warranted. At least it will show that you are taking the journal and its personnel seriously. Remember, only one of the two said "reject". Show a good faith effort to satisfy both of the reviewers. Keep up the effort my friend!

Should I revise and resubmit?


Monte Carlo - Multivariate Simulation of Returns

Question: I am implementing a Monte Carlo simulation in R to generate multivariate correlated returns. In doing this I have used the Cholesky decomposition, applied to the covariance matrix. However, I saw that the Cholesky decomposition could be applied also to the correlation matrix. Which is the appropriate approach?
Answer: You should apply it to the covariance matrix and from that compute the correlation matrix. Here's an example correlating 3 random normal variables.
Let:
$$
\bf Y \sim \mathcal N(0, \Sigma)
$$
where $\textbf{Y} = (Y_1,\dots,Y_n)$ is the vector of normal random variables, and $\Sigma$ the given covariance matrix.
The process is:

Simulate a vector of uncorrelated Gaussian random variables, $\bf Z $
Then find a square root of $\Sigma$, i.e. a matrix $\bf C$ such that $\bf C \bf C^\intercal = \Sigma$.

Then the target vector is given by
$$
\bf Y = \bf C \bf Z.
$$
Here is a dummy matlab code:
<code>N = 500000
u_1 = normrnd(zeros(N,1),1);
u_2 = normrnd(zeros(N,1),1);
u_3 = normrnd(zeros(N,1),1);
u_4 = normrnd(zeros(N,1),1);

rv = [u_1 '; u_2'; u_3'; u_4'];

VarCov = [Some positive semi-definite matrix here 4x4];

ch = chol(VarCov);
result = ch * rv;
</code>
Then just divide each entry of the result matrix by the product of the standard deviations to get a correlation matrix.
Comment: Thanks a lot for your answer.This is exactly how i´ve done it. So just to be sure, the generate time series could be considered as forecasted values (simulated) in which the historical correlation of time series is taken into account. Please correct me if i am wrong. Thank you.


How did the spirit rover land right way up after bouncing

Question: After watching an animation of how the Spirit rover landed on Mars, I was wondering how the rover managed to end up the right way up after bouncing around?
Answer: Mars Pathfinder, Spirit, and Opportunity all could come to rest on any of four sides of the tetrahedral-shaped lander. Just by chance, Mars Pathfinder and Spirit landed with the base petal down. However Opportunity landed on one of the side petals.
The system was, of course, designed for that. The three side petals all have motors to drive them open to be co-planar with the base petal. The computer detects which side is down using the accelerometer in the inertial measurement unit. For Opportunity, the side petal that was down was driven open first. The motor had more than enough torque for that side petal to push the whole lander over so that it fell onto the base petal. Then the other two petals opened.
This video shows a side petal landing at 3:50.
Comment: Photo of the lander that shows the petals: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/94/Opportunity_Lander_Petals_PIA04848.jpg/800px-Opportunity_Lander_Petals_PIA04848.jpg


Mountain Lion - Does it allow different users to share database files using iCloud?

Question: If a small business wanted to share a common database between all of its employees, is it possible to create a single iCloud account for a specific App rather than for all the iCloud related software on the iOS device?
Answer: iOS and OS X only support a single account to access iCloud. It can't be done on a per-app basis.
Furthermore, the iCloud syncing stuff isn't really designed for concurrent multi-user access, it's built for the sort of syncing that needs to happen for personal devices - i.e. that you're using only one device at a time. It's also worth noting that from a developer's standpoint, iCloud is far from perfect, particularly with regards to the Core Data (database schema) syncing and storage.
You don't say exactly what your needs are, but I strongly suspect you'd be better served looking somewhere else for a business-critical app.
Answer: I would certainly be more inclined to look at Google Apps for this kind of task, and if you need a database program specifically they have cloud SQL
Answer: I'm not a developer, but I play one --- oh wait, I am a developer. Serioussly, I really agree with CanuckSkier that iCloud is not ready for mainstream user development unfortunately, and that at present, it's not really used in multi-user applications.
I haven't used Google Apps much (I will look at them!), but have been playing with both Dropbox and Parse. Parse (www.parse.com) seems ideal for sharing a multi-user database.
Both Parse and Dropbox have developer forum, have tons of documentation and sample code.
They are terrific to work with too.
Hope this helps..
Answer: Seems you had some vision Douglas. Apple finally did come out with CloudKit that allows multiple users. Apple CloudKit provides both a public and a private data store.


How to start a cut when using router templates

Question: I have a template and a router, and am told I need a plunge bit. If I put the template on top of the wood, how do I start the hole? Do I cut a hole in the wood to have a starting point then follow the pattern?
Comment: Do you have a plunge router or a fixed base router?
Answer: The bit on the left has spiral flutes and a tapered end, so it can plunge (ie, you can press the board straight down over it and it will drill into the wood just like a drill bit).   The bit on the right will not, because it's square on the bottom and does not have a spiraled flute.

Here is the article that is the source of the picture, with an explanation:  http://www.craftsy.com/blog/2014/12/router-mortising/
Answer: It really depends on the type of bit you are using. some bits can plunge by resting the edge of the router and letting it cut through. If there is a bearing or non cutting bottom drill a hole with a drill bit large enough to get started and have fun.
Answer: This can largely depend on your template. Are you going to be cutting through the wood making a complete cutout or are you making a recessed design? alfreema's answer covers the bits that you be using in either case.
However you are not locked to just those tools. Your basic drill can get you started. Again, depending on your template, you can use something like a jigsaw to remove more of the waste. This has the advantage of clear more of the wood and putting less stress on the flute bits. Which are generally more expensive that a jigsaw blade.
Don't forget to clamp the template down as you will be putting pressure on it while you are moving around with the router.


Taking backups into the same disks as datafiles?

Question: Our people who are managing databases (I can't call them DBA's because of the lack of DBA skills) are planning to take backups into the same physical disks as the database data (.mdf) files. Then all these backups are read into a tape. Although they are moving backups into the tape, I think that they should build a new dedicated physical disk for backups. This is because writing backups may cause slowness when reading databases. What do you think?
Answer: It depends on whether or not you have a performance problem, or are close to a performance problem, already. If your disks are substantially under-utilized, there's no issue and cost becomes more of a concern than performance. If there is a problem, obviously more contention will be detrimental. It's impossible to say which is the "correct" approach without knowing whether or not it will actually cause an issue, because it won't in all environments.
As Chopper3 pointed out, the availability concerns are more pressing than the performance ones, especially if you find out after a few days that, hey, the backups to tape haven't been running this week.
Answer: It depends on how long the backups stay on disk before going to tape - if it's very short (<1hr) then it's no so bad, if it's more than a few hours I think they could do a better job yes.
Answer: Assuming you have the space (this can be a very big if), it's usually not an issue.
The backups can cause a slowdown in access to the data, but that's entirely up to them.  It's a matter of when they schedule the backups, and how much of a slowdown they can tolerate at those times.
Maybe it's not a prefect solution, but just feel happy they want backups!
On a side note, writing the data to the tape drive can potentially cause more of a slowdown than copying the data.
Answer: Your post indicates to me that you already know the answer. Yes you are correct this is a very bad idea on more than one level. HOWEVER if performance and recoverability of the instance and databases is not an issue to you then it wont really matter in terms of SQL Server.
One quick point to note, SQL can backup to UNC paths i.e. to another server if separate disk is not available.


Groupon Daily Emails

Question: Can you change the time of day groupon daily emails are sent to you?
Answer: No, the emails are sent by Groupon itself at their own scheduled time.  They're designed to go out just before the deals are available, queued by their own servers.
Due to their morning release schedules, they don't permit you to customize the time of day that you receive the email from them, as they send them out in bulk to all of their subscribers - not individually to users.
The only "timing delay" would be the length of time it takes their application to generate all of the emails and queue them for delivery, and the time it takes to get to your email server!
Answer: Why not subscribe to your local Groupon RSS feed, and then find an RSS to E-Mail service (such as feedmyinbox.com) to send you updates to the RSS feed at a time you specify.

Groupon Daily Emails


Why won't my exported PDF fully load all the text on each page when opening?

Question: GD beginner here. I created a multi-paged document with InDesign. It's not too complicated, just some background images and text with headers. When sending as a PDF, the pages are loading one by one and slowly. Each line of text loads separately and the whole page will take 15 seconds or so to completely load. It's exported as the smallest file size. What else can I do? Thanks in advance.
Comment: That isn't very big for a PDF. If the PDF loads fine on your machine and poorly on another machine then my guess is that the issue is with the other computer. This question is better suited for [SuperUser](http://superuser.com/) but I don't think you have enough information for any of us to really give a definitive answer. I would try opening the PDF either on your phone or another computer to see if it really is the PDF.
Comment: Hi Jimmy, how big is the file size? Does it take a long time to load the PDF on other peoples computers? Maybe check your task manager/activity monitor to see if you're maxed on RAM. Does it take long time to load other PDF's? Does your design have a lot of Vector points?
Comment: Andrew, It's 11.3 MB. It does have a few vector images if that's what you mean. This problem was brought up to me when I sent it over to a coworker. Works fine on mine as do other PDFs.
Comment: Does this include any outlined text or very complicated vector graphics?
Comment: That sounds like an issue with your coworkers computer. Pehaps his computer might not be up to the job, or perhaps he just has too many documents open, too many programs running, a slow internet connection (if downloading), etc, etc - the possibilities for such problems are endless.  11MB for a PDF is not a large file.
Answer: If this is an issue with the PDF and not the computer. You can start by auditing space usage. That will tell you what is taking up the most of the space in your file.
Choose File > Save As Other > Optimized PDF. The PDF Optimizer dialog box opens.
Click the Audit Space Usage button at the top of the dialog box.
Adobe DC documentation
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/optimizing-pdfs-acrobat-pro.html
If you have very complex vectors in you PDF you will see a large amount of space dedicated to content streams. Which can increase the time and resources needed to renderer.


What's the difference between a "developer" and a "programmer"?

Question: What's the difference in this terminology? Is one considered more professional than the other?
Comment: Updated the question to cover new ground.
Comment: The question asked in the title is a duplicate.  The OP should change the title to what's stated in body.  *Example: What's the difference between Programmer and Developer?*
Comment: @sunpech the OP of the related question sniped it from the Area51 proposal
Comment: What about `coder`? What is difference between a programmer and coder?
Comment: programmers.stackexchange.com/questions/36340/what-is-your-definition-of-a-programmer
Comment: Programmers no longer exist. The title has become akin to "janitor" so everyone has jumped ship to developer, analyst, engineer, or architect.
Comment: This awesome blog post nails it: **[The Difference Between A Developer, A Programmer And A Computer Scientist](http://www.skorks.com/2010/03/the-difference-between-a-developer-a-programmer-and-a-computer-scientist/)** - [Computer Scientist](http://i.stack.imgur.com/Lrbri.jpg) - [Programmer](http://i.stack.imgur.com/ovv2d.jpg)
- [Developer](http://i.stack.imgur.com/rdbyo.jpg)
Answer: While the terms can be and often are interchangeable, I view a developer as someone who's involved in the whole process from requirements gathering, through specification and coding to testing and, yes, support. They might not be fully involved in all stages all of the time.
A programmer is someone who just concentrates on the coding and has little involvement in the rest of the process. This may be their choice of course.
As @sunpech points out in his comment most people writing software these days are (or should be) developers. You have to know much more than just how to code to write good software.
Comment: +1 Agreed. The term "programmers" seems so 90s. In today's world, they need more than just someone who can write programs, but someone who can understand the business, gather requirements, support, etc. The programmer job title has evolved to developer.
Comment: If the programmer is only coding, wouldn't "coder" be a better title for that role? That's how I see it anyway, and use developer/programmer interchangeably.
Comment: @sunpech Business understanding, requirements gathering, support provision were needed in the 90s too! I strongly suspect also in the 70s, and probably the 50s...
Answer: It depends who I'm taking to I guess. If I'm talking to average Joe, I just say I'm a programmer because they generally have a clearer picture than "developer".
Answer: As Kenny Tilton says:

I actually had a business card that
  just said "Programmer". Got everyone
  quite upset, they wanted "Systems
  Analyst" or "Software Engineer" or
  "Database Administrator" or something.
  My point was that one cannot program a
  computer effectively without doing all
  those things, so "Programmer" was
  sufficient.

But what's much more important is not what you think the word means, but what others think the word means. If the HR monkey looking at your CV isn't Ken Tilton, chances are they think programmer == code monkey == glorified typist. I mean, where's "Architect" in the job title?!
Comment: Oh, the reactions to exploded business jargon!
Answer: I've generally considered "programming" to be the act of writing code.  A "programmer" would spend most or all off his/her time in front of a screen coding.
On the other hand, a developer is anyone involved in the development of software- they develop it from idea to product.  A developer would, by this definition, be anyone from a code monkey to a tester to a PM.  As such, 'programmers' are a subset of "developers".
This is just the general connotations I have in my mind, not a technical definition, of course.
Answer: Its again a question of context.  Two guys ove beers, one says he's a developer, and one says he's a programmer... there is no meaningful difference.  But its certainly possible that companies may have positions with those titles that have some specific meaning to them.
Answer: I don't know of any real difference in meaning. Mostly the job designation varies across software shops. I've seen people who basically do the same things being called "programmer","developer","IT engineer", etc. A lot of people use these and other similar terms interchangeably.
Another thing that I notice, which is perhaps a local phenomenon and might not apply where you live, is that some people try to avoid associating themselves from the term "programmer" or "coder". Sometimes it is because they perceive that actually writing the code is like manual labour, while calling themselves a "developer" or something else gives them a more white-collar feel. Sometimes its just because people actually do not know how to code very well - and they would get embarrassed if someone starts a conversation about programming, and prefer to avoid introducing themselves as a "programmer" for that reason. Almost always it is a mixture of both cases.
Answer: Nowadays, developer sounds more sex appealing than programmer - developers make those cool shiny apps for iPhone, programmers make accounting software. ;)
Comment: Programmers also making OS kernels, antivirus, etc...
Comment: The difference between a developer and a programmer seems to be the same as between [an app and a program](https://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/33782176.jpg).
Answer: I think it's more a question of fashion. At the moment the "cooler" term tends to be more "developer".
Anyway, I prefer more the term "developer" as I think it implies that the work can be programming, but also other things, like integrate and configure an existing tool in your system. Or take some responsibilities on the management of the project. Or even making some UI design... But that's just how I understand the word, not necessarily that someone defining himself as programmer it's not doing that kind of things...
Answer: The short answer is that there is very little difference (perceived or actual) between these two general labels amongst those of us who make our living in this domain.  However, as many folks have already said, some individuals or organizations apply very specific definitions to these general nouns...and that can sometimes cause a perceived or actual difference, especially to non-technical types.
Basically, if these two terms mean something dramatically different to you, then you either a) have been in a context where different specific definitions were applied to those labels or b) you get your technological savvy from reading InfoWeek (no offense intended to the lovely people at InfoWeek) and the occasional Dilbert.
I also personally tend to think that the term "programmer" was used earlier in history than the term "developer".  For example, you always hear about "COBOL Programmers"...never "COBOL Developers".  The term "developer" wasn't in wide use way back in the day.  If you go look at job titles at technology organizations that were around in the beginning of computing (NASA, IBM, Unisys, Boeing) you either had "programmers" or "software engineers"...never "developers".  And I bet if you troll said companies' sites right now you'd see very similarly titled results in their job opportunities.


Grave Betrayal vs. Blightsteel Colossus

Question: My opponent has to sacrifice a creature. He sacrifices a Blightsteel Colossus. I have Grave Betrayal on the battlefield. Will my opponent get to shuffle the colossus into his deck again, or will it return to the battlefield under my control?
Comment: @Cruncher: Well, not in this particular case because Grave Betrayal doesn't happen until the end step. But you are right if the reanimation were immediate.
Comment: This question is interesting if you consider it with emrakul(that actually enters the graveyard), or undying/persist creatures. In general, you win in these cases if you kill the creature on your opponents turn because of APNAP
Comment: @ChadMiller Oops, I didn't fully read the card
Comment: So I assume Emrakul would come under the opponents control whereas Blightsteel Colossus would not?
Answer: Consider this portion of the text on Blightsteel Colossus.

If Blightsteel Colossus would be put into a graveyard from anywhere,
reveal Blightsteel Colossus and shuffle it into its owner's library
instead.

This text creates a replacement effect. A replacement effect "watches"
for an event to happen. For example, regeneration is a replacement effect that watches for the creature to be destroyed.
The rules for replacement effects neatly state that the event being replaced never happens.

614.6. If an event is replaced, it never happens.

So, when Blightsteel Colossus starts to head for the graveyard, instead, he is revealed and shuffled into his owner's library. The event that got replaced never happens.
To die in Magic has a specific meaning:

700.4. The term dies means "is put into a graveyard from the battlefield."

Blightsteel Colossus never went to the graveyard, and so Blightsteel Colossus never died. Therefore, Grave Betrayal never triggers.
Comment: Maybe it's obvious, but the other part of the answer here is that "dies" means specifically "is put into a graveyard from the battlefield", so a creature that sure seems like it's dying but for whatever reason doesn't go to the graveyard doesn't actually "die".
Answer: It never goes to the graveyard and so it does not get affected by the delayed triggered event of Grave Betrayal.
They get to shuffle it back into their deck.
Comment: Even if Grave Betrayal _could_ set up its delayed trigger, it wouldn't be able to find the Colossus after it changes zones, so the trigger would resolve and do nothing. The same thing (ie: nothing much) would happen if the opponent reanimated the creature before the end step.
Answer: It will be shuffled into his deck.
To die is to be moved from the battlefield to the graveyard[CR 700.4]. Blightsteel Colossus never dies because he moves to its owner's library instead of moving to the graveyard when he is sacrificed[CR 614.6]. As such, Grave Betrayal's ability never triggers.

700.4. The term dies means "is put into a graveyard from the battlefield."

614.6. If an event is replaced, it never happens. [...]
Comment: It's ironic that in Magic, dying is the act of going to the graveyard, where as in real life dying is the cause of going to the graveyard.
Comment: @corsiKa which is likely the cause of the intuitive disconnect in these kinds of cases.
Comment: Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/14766/discussion-between-jefromi-and-ikegami).

Grave Betrayal vs. Blightsteel Colossus


How to start playing electric guitar

Question: Recently I've been wanting to play electric guitar, because it just sounds better than classical or acoustic, for the songs I want to play at least. I already know the basics and probably more, since I learned to play classical guitar for 6 years. (I'm 16, f btw) What I'm mostly interested in is the transition and gear: what's best to get started on, is it very different, is it better if I buy something cheap at first or really invest in it.  I don't personally know anyone who plays electric guitar to help me with this. Also should I find a teacher or someone? I don't have much knowledge, but I have enthusiasm.
Comment: "Ps sorry for the spelling mistakes I'm to lazy to double check it." ...Sorry for the downvote & close vote, I'm too lazy to look up all that information for you.
Comment: @Tetsujin You're right I'm sorry. I sounded like a bitch. English isn't my first nor second language and I usualy don't notice mistakes even if I do double check it. I didn't want to make it seem like I don't care or as if it's normal or something. I'm very sorry.
Comment: Regarding buying cheap: If you end up playing a lousy guitar (eg one with high action or won't stay in tune), it makes it hard work and you won't get much reward when playing it. You'll just end up disliking your style. o rather than sayingt "go for somethign expensive" it's probably more a case of avoiding the very bottom end of the market. As others have said below, try a few guitars out. You're going to have a LOT of fun :-)
Comment: Re using a teacher: You dont haveto ! it's all on the fretboard somewhere just waiting for you to find it - and as you have some guitar experience already, you're well ahead of the game. Might be worth having just one lesson to talk you through the less obvious diffferences between classical and electric guitar.
Comment: Ah that's okay I got pretty elaborate answers anyway
Answer: "What's best to get started on? "
It seems like a good idea to begin with a versatile guitar. Strat-style guitars with three single-coil pickups are very versatile, easy to play, easy to intonate, and hold their tunings well. Gibson-style guitars, i.e., Les Pauls, ES 335s, etc, have two humbucking pickups, and a (typically) shorter scale-length. Humbuckers have a distinctive sound, but these can be pretty versatile too. The shorter scale-length means that these guitars are a little harder to intonate and don't hold their tunings quite as well as guitars with longer scale-lengths. If you like the warm sound of humbuckers, I would suggest getting a guitar with coil-tap switches so that you can select single-coil modes for more versatility.
In any case, it would be best to go to some music shops to play on as many electric guitars as possible before buying one; some will feel better than others to you. When you find one you like, have the store guitar tech check the intonation and string action (and make any necessary adjustments) before you buy it.
"Is it better if I buy something cheap at first or really invest in it?"
I would suggest that most beginners should get an inexpensive guitar and amp to start, but since you already have been playing for 6 years, demonstrating some level of commitment, you could consider a better instrument if the funds are there. In any case, don't buy an instrument that has obvious defects or that plays poorly. You don't have to pay a lot of money for a very decent guitar to learn with, and there is no need to spend a lot when you don't know exactly what you will need in a few years. You can always trade up to a better instrument.
"Is it very different?"
String-spacings are typically quite a bit wider on classical guitars than on electric or steel-string acoustic guitars, and necks on electric guitars are often a bit slimmer than necks on classical guitars. Fender-style necks tend to be slimmer than Gibson-style necks; you might be aware of this when you are trying out different instruments to see what feels best.
The mechanics of play are more-or-less the same, but you will probably be playing with a plectrum on the electric guitar. Picking technique may be a new thing that you will need to work on.
Adapting to new styles of play will likely be one of the biggest challenges. How to comp and fit in with other players? How to integrate chords and melody? How to play compelling melodies? How to improvise melodies? How to improvise accompaniments? All players have to wrestle with these things, but it is easy to take for granted what you already know in styles that you are comfortable in; when you try a new style, these questions need to be addressed anew.
"Should I find a teacher or someone?"
Yes. But this is not a requirement; you may do perfectly well on your own, especially given that you have several years of classical lessons behind you. Still, a good teacher can help you identify problems, make technical adjustments, and help you with new techniques (like picking technique). A good teacher can also help you answer some of the stylistic questions mentioned in the last paragraph.
It would also be beneficial to find ways to see live music that interests you. Watch the players that you like and try to figure out what they are doing. If you can, talk with some of these players. You can pick up all kinds of useful information by talking with serious players.
Comment: Great comprehensive answer +1. Never noticed that shorter scale guitars are any more difficult to intonate than others. Same with tuning stability. In fact, Strats, with their vib. system, are more prone to unstable tuning. Nevertheless, you beat me to it !
Answer: (In addition to David Bowling's excellent answer, I'd like to give a few practical and specific suggestions. Some things will obviously overlap with his answer.)
Choosing a type of guitar
When buying a guitar as a beginner, especially if you're switching from classical guitar, feel and playability are more important than details of tone. Especially the width, thickness, curvature and scale length of the neck will be much more important than the shape of the body, the number and type of pickups, or the type of wood used for the various parts of the guitar. So I would suggest you go to a guitar store and play several guitars for a few minutes to get an idea of how they feel. You don't even have to plug them into an amp, just play something that you're used to playing on your classical guitar, and see how you get on.
Most electric guitars you will find in your local guitar shop will be based on a handful of classic designs from the 1950's and 60's, like the Fender Stratocaster, the Fender Telecaster, and the Gibson Les Paul. If you can try out only 3 guitars, try to play a Fender (or its subsidiary Squier) Stratocaster or Telecaster or Jazzmaster (these have a 25.5" scale thin neck), a Gibson (or its subsidiary Epiphone) Les Paul or SG (these have a very different shape and feel and a shorter 24.75" scale neck), and a Fender (or Squier) Jaguar or Mustang (these have a short 24" scale). The neck width decides the distance between the strings, and the difference in scale length not only means that the distance between the frets is different, but also that the tension on the strings is different.
Additionally, you could try a semi-acoustic hollow-body guitar, like a Gibson ES-335 or an Epiphone copy of a Gibson or Gretsch model.
Choosing an affordable guitar
Once you've decided which guitar model works best for you, there is a wide range of brands, qualities and prices to choose from. As mentioned, both Fender and Gibson have subsidiary companies that make cheaper versions of their well-known models; for Fender this is Squier, for Gibson this is Epiphone. But many other companies make guitars in these styles.
If you're interested in a Stratocaster or "ST-type" style guitar, the obvious choice is Squier. However, for someone who already has had 6 years of guitar lessons, I would avoid the cheapest "Bullet" range, and go for the "Affinity" range, or preferably the "Standard" or "Vintage Modified" range. These come in the classic version with 3 single coil pickups, but also in a version with a humbucker and 2 single-coil pickups, which may be interesting if you want to use both clean and heavy distorted rock sounds.
A good alternative for the Squier Stratocaster is the Yamaha Pacifica. Again, in your case I would avoid the cheaper "012" range and go for the "112" range. Both the "112J" and "112V" models have a humbucker and two single-coil pickups, but the "112V" model comes with "coil splitting", which means you can use one half of the humbucker as a single-coil pickup, for greater versatility.
For a Telecaster or "T-type" style guitar, what I wrote about Squier Stratocasters is good advice here too: avoid the "Bullet" range and preferable also the "Affinity" range. You can get Squire Telecasters with the standard 2 single-coil pickups, or also with 2 humbuckers, depending on the style of music you want to play.
A good alternative for the Squier Telecaster with single-coil pickups is the Ibanez Talman TM302, or the TM303 which adds a third single-coil pickup.
The shorter-scale Jaguar and Mustang and also the Jazzmaster are very much their own unique thing, with few imitations from other brands. So again I'd suggest a mid-price Squier version.
For an affordable Gibson Les Paul or SG style guitar, Epiphone are quite unbeatable. They have many different ranges and the naming conventions are somewhat confusing, so it's difficult to give general advice, but again I would avoid the cheapest range, and you should be able to buy a decent Epiphone LP or SG for slightly more than a decent Squier. A semi-acoustic hollow-body will unfortunately cost around 50% more.
If you want to play any genre of metal, the look and sound of Ibanez or Jackson guitars will probably appeal to you. However, if you find other brands more comfortable to play, be assured that you can get the heaviest of rock sound out of almost any guitar with humbuckers, even if it doesn't look very "metal".
Some guitar models come with a "tremolo" system, to bend the pitch up and down by pressing a handle attached to the bridge. These are fun to play with, but make it harder to keep the guitar in tune, especially on cheaper guitars; I'd advise you to only buy a guitar with a tremolo if the style of music you want to play requires it.
Buying the guitar
If you buy a new guitar in a shop, tell the salesperson that you're switching from classical guitar, and what style of music you want to play, and let them advise you on what strings to put on it and how to set it up correctly, or have them do it for you.
If you want to buy a second-hand guitar, try to take someone with you who has more experience with electric guitars, otherwise you won't know what to look out for, and someone may try to sell you a terrible guitar that looks okay to a beginner.
About amplifiers
Tube (or "Valve") amplifiers will probably be above your budget, but the additional sound quality they offer isn't really relevant for a beginner. A decent transistor amp for home and practice use can be really affordable. However, some of the really small amps you see offered as a package with beginner guitars can be of dubious quality; a good example is Fender: their cheapest range, the "Frontman" isn't worth much, but one step up, the "Champion 20", sounds decent and is very versatile. Most amp brands, like Vox, Marshall, Orange or Blackstar, make similarly priced small amps of comparable quality.
Recent advances in digital audio technology have led to a class of "modelling" amplifiers that are able to replicate the sound of many different amplifiers and effect pedals. These amps are extremely versatile, sound convincing and have become surprisingly affordable. The obvious example is the Boss Katana range. For someone in your situation, there's no reason to buy any amp that costs more than a Boss Katana 50; it's all you could ever want as a beginning electric guitar player. (Although it gives you so many sound options that you may get lost tweaking your sound instead of practicing your playing; if you think there's a chance of this happening, get something simpler.)
About effect pedals
As mentioned, many affordable amplifiers now come with at least a few built-in effects, like reverb, delay, chorus, tremolo... and offer different "crunch" or "drive" sounds with varying levels of distortion. As a beginner, you should have all the sounds you need to practice any style of music (except maybe the more extreme metal genres) right there, without the need for additional effect pedals. Again, as a beginner, buying effect pedals may cause to you concentrate on tweaking your sound instead of practicing your playing, so leave this for later.
The only possible exception would be a looper pedal. These allow you to record a few bars of your playing while you're playing, and then play it back in a loop so that you can use it as an accompaniment and play over it. This is great for practicing many aspects of your playing, and prepares you for playing together with other musicians.
About teaching
If you can't find a teacher, or can't afford one, there is always the internet; there are so many video tutorials online, explaining every possible aspect of guitar technique and musical theory, that there's bound to be something that fits your technical level and musical taste.

NOTE: You'll notice that I didn't mention any famous players to describe the guitars. That's because playing like your favourite guitar player, sounding like them, and looking like them, are very different things. A guitar that works for them may not work for you, and a guitar that you associate with a particular genre may work well for you in a totally different genre. Telecaster were initially favoured by country musicians, but in the 60's and 70's they became the signature sound of some iconic rock musicians. Stratocasters were initially associated with the clean tones of 60's instrumentals, but were later used by some of the noisiest artists you'll ever hear. The Les Paul is synonymous with 70's hard rock, but is also favoured by many jazz guitarists. And the Jazzmaster was never really popular with jazz musicians, but has made a comeback thanks to a few alternative rock bands from the 90's. So give each guitar you try a chance, and don't limit yourself to what you think looks cool.
Comment: OP could also try out Squier's Classic Vibes series. Great pickups and good quality.
Comment: @Veronika1234 Here's a video with two guitarists testing two £200-ish amps (Boss Katana 50 vs Fender Champion 50XL) with a £230 Ibanez with humbuckers and a £300 Squier Strat with single-coils. It's a good demonstration of the sort of gear I mentioned in my answer, and the sound you can get from it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ee4Y968MUXQ
Comment: @Veronika1234 And from the same Youtube channel, here's a test of a few surprisingly affordable hollow-body style guitars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqKPae47QyA
Answer: My suggestion would be to take some time before you spend money and go to a number of guitar  stores  and try a number of different guitars and amps. You may find one you absolutely love, if you do, keep looking to see if you can out do yourself  and find one you love even more. Maybe you will and maybe you won't, but at least you'll know you tried. The quest for the right guitar never ends for some people and the same can be said for the right amp. A lot depends on what kind of music you wish to play and the size of room you'll be playing in, and even more depends on your ears and what you wish to be hearing. These days, there is something for almost everyone, but you've got to have an idea of what it is that trips your trigger. No one else can decide that for you.
Answer: Rather than stick with the "cheap is good for a first guitar" advice, I'd mention that one reason for starting off on a higher quality instrument is resale value, if it's not something you persevere with. Or if you decide to sell it because a different style of guitar suits you better.
Apparently there are parts of the world where pawn shops are filled with lightly used low-end Stratocasters sold by people who didn't persevere. Good for you if you want to buy second hand as you may get a bargain (which is also often-given advice). Not so good if you're trying to sell a low-end Stratocaster that you've decided you won't stick with...
Also, more expensive guitars are generally better quality (up to the level of diminishing returns for your money), more likely to hold a setup well (compared to many low budget guitars), and just all-round nicer to play. Therefore you'd be more likely to pick it up and play it, and enjoy it. And they hold their value better if you should come to sell it.
All very subjective of course: an expensive guitar can be a dog and a cheap one can handle beautifully.
Comment: "more expensive guitars are generally better quality" – although obviously the trend does go this way, it's hapharzard to assume this even as a rough rule. Especially for electric guitars. There are lots of way overpriced guitars on the market that only sell because of brand image, and conversely also some surprisingly decent ones in the budget segment.
Comment: @YourUncleBob FWIW, I still use my Frontman after all these years! Not as a serious live amp obviously, but it's perfect as a spare to keep around for trying out strange effects etc.. But yeah, for guitars it's true that the very cheapest models are usually really not much use.
Comment: @leftaroundabout I guess the important thing for a beginner looking at the budget segment is to recognize that there's an "entry level" range that is geared towards parents who want to buy their teenager a guitar and amp for christmas without spending much because the hobby may only last a couple of months. I mentioned the Squier Bullet range and the Fender Frontman amps, but as a general rule for most brands it's best to go at least one step higher up if you want something that'll serve you well for a couple of years.

How to start playing electric guitar