How long would it take us to notice Pluto disappearing?

Question: Self-explanatory. I have a planet-eating entity moving slowly across the solar system towards Earth and I wanna know how long it would take for us to notice its presence once it starts consuming Pluto (assuming we had no prior warning or knowledge of its existence).
Comment: How many people have seen Pluto in the first place?
Comment: As an interesting twist it ill begin with amateurs posts about not able to see Pluto in [Astronomy SE](http://astronomy.stackexchange.com/)
Comment: If it eats Pluto, it will probably be eating a hole in the Kuiper belt before getting there. Depending on how dense it actually is (i have no idea) we might notice something going wrong before Pluto itself gets eaten
Comment: For what it's worth, technically a planet-eating entity would ignore Pluto and start with Neptune.
Comment: How big is this thing and how quickly / obviously is it consuming Pluto?
Comment: Unicron? Is that you?
Answer: Within Two Days After Pluto is Eaten
I want to clarify a point that I'm not sure other answers are giving here, which is that we have a really, really hard time seeing Pluto.  It's literally easier to look at another galaxy than that planet, even from the Hubble telescope.  Here is the best picture that I could find from a large terrestrial telescope:

Of course, observatories aren't looking at Pluto much because there's frankly not much to see.  So instead we rely on amateurs to track it day-to-day, with this being a good result:

So basically we rely on amateurs seeing a dot to know it's there most of the time.  If a being approached it that wasn't enormously larger the dot might look a bit bigger, but we would have no idea that it was eating Pluto.  Even when it was done, presumably the beast would be at least the size of pluto so we would assume the dot we saw in its place WAS Pluto.
Now once the Pluto-dot disappears because the monster moved away from where Pluto should have been, or once it starts coming closer and we see the dot getting noticeably larger, we're going to say something is happening.  Of course it's going to take a day or two of "odd" observation reports coming in before a big telescope is re-oriented in that direction (doing so will disrupt the observations it is currently taking and so involves a lot of bureaucracy).
Given the astronomical distances involved however — and the fact that even Jupiter is small compared to a distant galaxy — we aren't going to actually know WHAT happened until that sucker gets pretty close.  Depending on size it may have to be about as close as Saturn or closer before we could get any real definition.
EDIT / Update
Note that if the planet-eater is MUCH larger than Pluto we would see that SOMETHING was different because we would see a much larger dot.  We would know that SOMETHING was happening, but still would have no idea what.  Exactly how close it would have to be before we could identify what was happening would be a function of the size of the creature, which is unstated.  Keep this image in mind though:

Something the size of Earth could easily swallow Pluto and still not be properly visible even if it were as close as Saturn.  I like to use Saturn as an example because we can get a pretty good picture of it from Earth... as in decent resolution, clear images.  But it's also MANY, MANY times larger than Earth.  So be sure to adjust the distance away that we can properly see it to its size.
Unless your monster is large enough to eat giants like Neptune or Uranus I think you'd be safe saying we couldn't get a clear enough image to understand the threat until it was as close as / closer than Jupiter.  If it is on the scale of gas giants though, then by the time it hits Saturn's distance we can probably tell you the color of its eyes.
Comment: @SRM That's a misreading of the article. The Chandra X-Ray telescope had a look at Pluto to coincide with New Horizons flyby *last year*. The data is only being processed and reported on now. "*Chandra made four observations of Pluto before and during New Horizons' flyby, in case comparing its measurements to science from New Horizons gave them something to chew over.*"
Comment: We observe Pluto very closely, just not in visual bands. Particularly right now, we have observatories directly monitoring it. I think we would notice it missing pretty quick.  http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/09/20/plutos_emitting_xrays_and_nasa_doesnt_quite_know_how/
Comment: @SRM - There are only about [40 orbital telescopes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_space_telescopes) that have ever been launched orbit which could be basically used to detect Pluto; but a great number of those have been deomm'd already.  For example, that number includes satellites like Uhuru which was launched in 1970 and decomm'd in 1973.  At this point we have less than two dozen that could see it.  Given how little we can see of it, it's very rare for any of them to point at Pluto.  New Horizons was a rare and worthwhile opportunity for a few of them to do so.
Answer: It will take a minimum of 4 hours because of the speed of light.
Since it can be observed by amature astronomers it will be noticed pretty much right away.
Worst case scenario would be if the sun was occluding Pluto it might be unobservable for a month or so.
Comment: Because of its inclination, can Pluto ever be occluded by the Sun from Earth's POV?
Comment: @Schwern: Pluto does of course pass through the plane of the ecliptic (twice every 248 years), and its orbit doesn't resonate with Earth's, so the position of Earth when that happens could be anywhere. So some proportion of those times, Pluto and the Sun will be in conjunction when it happens. I don't know when it'll next happen, though, so I don't know how far in the future the story would have to be set, if the author wants to take advantage of that delay.
Answer: Months at most, I think. Such an entity would be big enough for its gravity to perturbate Pluto's orbit before eating it, and the perturbation would be picked up by instrumentation in Earth. The astronomy community would point telescopes to Pluto, find the entity, and sound the alert.
Answer: Something that hasn't been mentioned is the New Horizons probe. It's out near Pluto right now. It passed Pluto last year and as of this writing is 500 million km away. Could it have noticed? The answer is "it depends".
If it had happened last year while New Horizons was actively observing Pluto during its flyby we'd know immediately. During its approach and flyby starting January 2015 New Horizons was taking photographs in many spectrums. If there was a chunk missing from Pluto it would see it. How quickly it would see it depends on how big the chunk was. The first low resolution photographs would arrive in about five hours (the fastest they can with the speed of light).
Ultimately in July 2015 New Horizons mapped Pluto at a resolution of about 1 mile per pixel with certain areas as fine as 50 m per pixel. If there was evidence of Pluto being gnawed on within those resolution ranges, New Horizons would have seen it.
But New Horizons is done observing Pluto and has moved 500 million km past it. Now it's observing Kuiper Belt Objects beyond Pluto. If your planet eater showed up now it wouldn't see it. But it might feel it. It depends on how massive your planet eater is.
The gravity from a very massive planet eater, significantly more massive than Pluto, arriving at Pluto now would very slightly pull New Horizons off course. How much depends on how massive. The smaller the anomaly the longer it would take to be noticed. Even then the conclusion would not be "there's something eating Pluto" but it would be chalked up to something out in the Kuiper Belt, perhaps evidence for Planet X.
Answer: The way your entity consumes Pluto could be the key here. The (essentially hard sf) novel Eater by Gregory Benford has a similar premise: a sentient black hole starts doing something similar, and is first spotted as a result of the resulting flares of radiation. This would be much easier to spot than the absence of Pluto, which as other posters have noted is difficult to see at the best of times.
Comment: I have difficulty reconciling 'hard sf' and 'sentient black hole'.
Comment: @Xavon_Wrentaile Well, it boils down to how much information can theoretically be stored in the magnetic fields associated with a black hole. If you want to debate it with him, best of luck. Honestly, my money would be on the physics professor with over 200 scientific publications who specialises in astrophysical magnetic structures, though. :)
Comment: @Xavon_Wrentaile. In that case, I suggest you read Gregory Benford's EATER to see if you think he succeeded. The novel is also Benford doing his version of Fred Hoyle's THE BLACK CLOUD (1957), with an intelligent black hole instead of a sapient cloud of gas and dust invading the solar system.


What are recommended computer programs for learning No Limit Texas Hold'em?

Question: Are there a good computer programs one could use for learning No Limit Texas Hold'em? Many responses say that best way is to play with real oponents but I would like to learn without losing any money in the process
Comment: if only there was a typing tutor for poker...
Comment: This question was formed by dividing the original http://poker.stackexchange.com/questions/1582/what-are-best-books-programes-and-sites-to-improve-texas-holdem-limit-and-no
Answer: You can use some ICM-training programs, like: ICM Trainer - it can help you understand how to play late phase of a tournament (when to push/fold).
You can also use some Equity calculators - using those you can understand relative hand strenght in given circumstances. I recommend: Equilab
There are also many programs, which can help you analyze your game. Most of the software I'm thinking about here is designed to help you during the play (by displaying a HUD with your and your opponents stats), but you can also use them to review your previous games (i.e. to find leaks). Examples here would be: Poker Tracker and Holdem Manager.
Comment: This is not a very good answer in my opinion, because the question is about a beginner who wants to learn the game. These suggestions are for advanced players who want to enhance their play, and are just plain wrong for beginners.
Answer: Even if you read all books all strategies ,you will not play that way. you need some practice.
play for some cent blinds and learn from it.
best program to learn poker is :  pokerstars.exe
I played some years and when i stop for some time and start again i sometimes still do stupid mistakes. It's simple and easy, you need practice to stay good.
"programs" do not exist. afaik.
but  you can register at pokerstrategy.com and even win something for free i guess :)
Answer: I have bought and am utilizing Poker Genius (www.poker-genius.com) to learn Texas Hold'em.  As a successful Blackjack card counter for 25 years I know the value of meaningful practice and Poker Genius training software is the best I have found. Not only can I play realistic games from a technical standpoint, but I can play against a variety of life-like opponents. I can learn card playing strategy while also becoming adept at learning to "read" and react to the other players. Let's face it – not playing against the house as in other table games introduces a whole new dimension to poker. Poker Genius has modeled this aspect of the game wonderfully, giving you a variety of table playing scenarios, while allowing you the flexibility to create your own table scenarios, even to the point of creating your own specific opponents. As you play the other players learn your style and react accordingly just like in real money games. The Poker Genius statistical analyzation reports are a wealth of information guiding you to your strengths and weaknesses. There are many other benefits too numerous to list, I suggest you download their free trial. Take a few hours to read the well written user manual and try some games yourself. I received timely, thorough responses from their support department when I e-mailed several times with questions. (I am in no way connected with this company – I am just a serious student of the gambling games I play.)
Comment: You should be their company spokesman. Thumbs up!
Answer: I don't recommend not using money, learn how to play the basics from books.  then set yourself a spending limit IE £20,  deposit that into a good site and play.  trying to lose as little as you can out of maximum hands,  without playing too tight. When you're not using money you don't make decisions that you would do realistically and it doesn't feel right. You learn best from mistakes and when you're losing fake money; you're not really making mistakes.
Answer: If it's just about not loosing money, you should try Play Chips on PokerStars. Once you manage to build up a nice stack of play chips and hold on to it, you should also be able to do the same at the pennypoker that PokerStars offer.
There are as of yet no robots that play any kind of proper No Limit Holdem. The only thing you could learn from playing against robots like that are bad habits.
Read books, read and post on forums and practice a lot. That's the only recipe to become good at the game.
And once you've become a little bit proficient, you can start using software to enhance your game like the accepted answer suggests, but these are not tools for beginners, and will not help to learn the game.
Answer: This is STRICTLY anecdotal, but it is a great fun story nevertheless.
I "trained" a very reluctant student after twisting their arm, who sat with ~300 other tournament winners for her FIRST ever sit down poker session.  She got to the LAST table!!  (Or next to the last--She won more than 1x the entry fee, I know that.)  Here are the details:
STORY setup
I was visiting my sister in AZ and decided to go to a Casino at one of the Phoenix / Mesa Indian reservations.  She was an avid slot play, and that's it.  Although she had played board / other card game cards, NEVER any kind of poker.  While she was feeding the machines at the casino, there happen to be a poker tourney starting, with about 30-50 tables (300-500 players), with an entry fee of about $110.  I entered, and played down to the last table, just barely..  And then got shut out with a lovely jacks over 10s or something close, and was beat by aces over something.  (Since then I've honed up on my "last table skills", which at the time were lacking--they DO play differently and better!)
Winning a seat in a future tourney
As I was leaving and collecting my "winnings" which was only $10 more than the entry fee, they also told me that, since I'd reached the last table, I also won a free entry into the "winners tourney" next month, that had a normal entry fee of ~$300.  Oh, cool... except, I live 2,000 miles away.  So, I asked if there was any way I could get someone else to substitute for me.  They were non-committal, and likely a bit gun-shy of me "selling my seat", which was not their intent to allow.
Begging my sister to take my place
On our way home, I started trying to sell her on how easy it would be to learn just a bit of poker, and how much fun it would be, telling her she'd be great...  She wasn't buying it.  I flew home, but I didn't give up.  I finally convinced her to at least try to learn how to play, and MAYBE use my $300 tourney ticket.
I sent her a PDF of "Texas Holdem for DUMMIES", (which BTW is a GREAAAT book, even if you are an expert).   I also signed her up for an account at PokerStars so we could play together a bit.
Learning to play Holdem for the first time
I don't know how much of the book she read, but I think she skimmed it.  (Maybe someday I will go back and really study it..)  She also played with me for maybe two hours, total.  I did finally convince her to go and take my seat at the tourney, and I also convinced the casino to allow her to take my seat.
Beginner's luck?  Or a great teacher?   RESULTS:
She called me after the tourney and amazed me when she told me that she advance through 5-6 tables and ended up at the last table!!  UN-believable!!  So, HOW did she do it??  As she told me what all happened, mostly they were about who said what... And, how she acted, and NOT much about the cards, (with more than a few stupid Holdem questions).
Here's HOW you become an expert --- >>
I'm sure you will read all about becoming an expert from lots of "experts".  But just understand this:  Holdem is NOT a technical game... It is learning how to control yourself, your emotions, your appearance, and EITHER reading people, strategy, or the situation, (or preferably all of these).  Technical knowledge helps, but... that will NOT get you very far!!
How she played so well the first time out
MY play
When I play, mostly I play online 98% of the time, (since I live nowhere close to a casino.)  I have played maybe 10 times live in Reno, and Biloxi, ships, and Vegas mostly at the Orleans, which is known as a very local cloud of regulars.  For me IRL at the table, I just do NOT read people all that well.  But I am great at strategy, situational awareness, and great fearlessness.  So, I do very very well online and also at the tables (paid for several vacations in 2-3 hours of play per night).
HER play
It should be obvious to me and also to you by now, she was pretty clueless with holdem.  However, she DID learn enough to to not screw up too badly.  What she WAS great at however, was reading people.  Even as a novice, if you are very strong in just a few of the key strengths I mentioned:  self control, reading people, strategy, situations; you will do very well, and better than most.
FINAL advice:
DO pretty much what she did
1.  Read some good material--DUMMIES is good.
I've skimmed quite a few of the Dummies series books, and find that to be the quickest and most efficient way to learn as much as you want to know.  You will certainly know more than you need to, and more than 99% of the folks you will be playing.
2.  Get an account on PokerStars and PLAY... it is F R E E
Do a variety of different games, but do ALL Holdem. -- Turneys are not the same game as regular table play, where you are sitting with the same folks for an hour in regular play.  10 or 100 players or 2 or 3 players make a huge difference.  Also, I looked at some of the materials that Pokerstars had to teach you, which was pretty good.
Get rhythm... and you won't be singing the Blues [--Johnny Cash :) ]
Other than the amount you bet, check, or fold, the ONLY other variable you have to communicate with, is how LONG you take to play...  I find it not much different in person, IRL.  Unless you are a great actor, using different faces won't work.
Find your weakness and conquer it.
I found I had to learn how to play with 3-4 people tourneys and most always win, or I could never do better than to JUST REACH the last table.
Just get up, and play another day when you feel that the "world is out to get you".
I also had to learn that, when you feel "life has been unfair", IRL OR at the table, you will NEVER win...
Good luck!  And... Have FUN, or you won't ever learn much.
Answer: I am a professional poker player and been using all kinds of tools over the years, and do not imagine any reasons not to take advantage of these programs. There is a list of my recommended poker software.
These tools will surely help you learn strategy much quicker than just playing and just as you said, it will prevent you from losing money. From GTO solvers to artificial intelligence trainers, it is something that every serious player uses to improve.
To add on top of that, I would not recommend following some of the advice that was given in this thread. Things that will not help you:

Playing for play chips - you will not learn much because players in free games are doing random stuff, so you much better of investing a couple of bucks and playing "real" games to learn it. Practice makes perfect after all.
Reading books as a learning tool - why books can be interesting and even useful to some extent, it is by far not the best way to learn poker. These days you can find much more up to date and valuable information on poker blogs, or just work on your own with poker software.

I hope this helps.


Why can't I reset a Due Date in a customized Approval Workflow?

Question: I have a customized Sharepoint 2010 Approval Workflow that has triggered a Task. I want to be able to edit the Due Date manually, but when I try, it is a Read Only field. Any help?
Answer: You should create new task form fields . You can achieve this in SharePoint designer:
-Add a workflow for a List.
-Add a 'Start Approval Process' action in the workflow.
-Click on 'these users' to add the approvers.
-Click on Approval(1) to edit the task process.
-Add a new task form field named "New due date".( Add a task form field here will automatically create the field in the list after publish it).
-Click on Change the behavior of a single task .
-Define a workflow variable named "Var due date".
-Add a "Set workflow variable" in "When a task completes" section .
-Click on "workflow variable" and choose "var due date".
-Click on "value" and select "Current task:Approve(1)" as data source .
-In field from source dropdown list you can see all the task form fields.
-Choose "New due date" and click OK .
Now you have the new due date value in "var due date" variable. Then follow these steps :
-Add another 'Start Approval Process' action in the workflow.
-Click on 'these users' to add the approvers.
-Click on Approval(2) to edit the task process.
-Click on Change the behavior of a single task .
-In "Before a task is assigned" step add "Set task field" (in Action / Task behavior action)
-Click on "Field" and select "Due Date".
-Click on "Value" and select "Workflow variables and parameters" in data source .
-Select your variable (varduedate). then publish it.
I hop it's useful for you .
Answer: You can add a new task form field in SPD and get new due date from approver and add a new action to update your due date  .
Good luck .
Comment: Can you please extend this answer. It needs more detail to be really useful


Indiscernibility of possible worlds

Question: According to Lewis, possible words are indiscernible from each other, that is, an individual in a possible world cannot say in which world it resides. It's somewhat similar to the indiscernibility of inertial frames of reference or to the indiscernibility of models of natural numbers created using ultraextension. My question is: does it follow merely from the fact that possible worlds are causally isolated or are there some other necessary conditions?
Comment: Ultraextension?  Indiscernibility of inertial frames?  What exactly are you talking about?  It does sound sophisticated.
Comment: @RonRoyston 1. I mean Einstein's principle that you can't distinguish inertial frames from one another if you're in one of them. 2. Ultraextension is a method of extending a model of natural numbers via ultraproducts. The two models can't be distinguished from one another from within.
Comment: @jobermark I didn't say that frames of reference are causally independent. Possible worlds are causally isolated. But inertial frames of reference are indistinguishable from within.
Comment: The comments are too long, I moved them out to an answer.
Answer: This is not quite right. Individuals in Lewis's worlds are world bound, in other words, each one only appears in a single possible world. In this sense, Lewis is the polar opposite of Kripke, whose individuals can be rigidly designated and appear in multiple worlds. In Lewis's modal realism Kripke's rigid designators, even proper names, will fail to refer except in a single world.
Perhaps what you mean is the problem of transworld identity for external observers. It is hard to pick the right referents in different worlds considering that we have only outward characteristics to go by, and there may be "twins" or "duplicates". Lewis resolves this problem in an unexpected way: there are no "right" referents, or rather all similar enough copies are right enough. So much so that for the purposes of reference there may be multiple counterparts of me even in the same world as me.
This is based on Lewis's interpretation of counterfactuals, sentences like "it is not possible for me to speak Finnish right now". How can we interpret this without transfering individuals into other possible worlds? His solution is the counterpart theory. Such counterfactual is true if "someone similar to me", my "counterpart", can speak Finnish right now. For Lewis this "similarity" is highly contextual, and the same someone may count as counterpart in one context, but not in another.
For more see Wallace's summary of modal realism:"To borrow one of Lewis' examples, it is not possible for me to speak Finnish right now, since I don't know the language. But it could have been that I learned Finnish when I was younger, or that I had just finished Intensive Finnish for Philosophers-in-Training, in which case it is possible for me to speak Finnish right now... Part of what contributes to the fact that our modal intuitions are so flexible from context to context in this way, Lewis thinks, is the fact that the counterpart relation is based on similarity relations, and such relations are highly flexible and malleable sorts of things.".
Comment: I didn't have transworld identity in mind but it's an interesting point. I have to think it through.
Comment: @Atamiri I had a feeling that you meant something else, Lewis's position on haecceitism perhaps? http://web.mit.edu/bskow/www/research/haecceitism.pdf (p. 8). But it still does not quite fit. Looking at your source would help.
Answer: Indiscernability does not require more necessary conditions.  In fact, it requires only one aspect of the causal isolation you are presuming.
Frames of reference are not causally isolated, but they are already indiscernable.  To the degree that I still can't tell the world where I am in absolute motion from the world in which I am at absolute rest it must be the case that causal isolation is not a requirement.  (I can frame this in terms of places in our world, or in terms of possible worlds, with equal meaning.)
What 'World identity' has in common with the other two phenomena you note is that the situations are absolutely relative.  Identifying a privileged world is impossible because no such world exists, just as there is no 'right' aleph-3 cardinality model of the real numbers and no absolute resting frame of reference.
This proceeds from only a part of the causal isolation: that any causal interactions must be completely relative and not directed.
We can affect one another in relative frames, as long as there is a causal 'loop' or reversibility, that allows each of us to attribute the cause separately.  We can both attribute it to a third party, or we can attribute it to one another.  Since all cross-frame causes are reversible and not directed, we cannot follow the causes back to a privileged frame, and we lose the ability to determine which inertial frame we are in.
Extended models have the same sort of problem, where causal traction is removed by projecting your results onto another interpretation of the same model so that you cannot tell you were not already working in that model.
Of course having no causal links at all implies that no causal links are directed.  But only the latter is a necessary condition to establish the relevant lack of identifying attributes.

Indiscernibility of possible worlds


Feeding 125 sub-panel from 200 amp main

Question: I have a house that has a 200-amp box, with only the 200-amp disconnect, at the pole.
This feeds a 200-amp subpanel, with its own 200-amp disconnect, in the main house.
We're building on a 200 sf bedroom addition.  I anticipate 3 new circuits, but the subpanel is maxed out in terms of available space.
As I see it, I have two options: A) rebuild the subpanel or B) feed from the outdoor main.
Concerning Option B, can I run wire from the main lugs in the outdoor main?  If so, what wire would I use for a 100 or 125 amp sub?
Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks!
Comment: What make and model are the main and subpanel boxes?
Comment: Are you sure you need new circuits? A 200 has a lot of slots. My guess is that you have a number of lightly-loaded circuits you could be splitting.
Comment: Not likely that you'll be able to feed the panel from the disconnect at the pole, unless it has extra unused terminals.
Comment: @Tester101 isn,t there a rule that there must be a shutoff switch inside each building?  As in one?
Comment: @Harper If I recall, there has to be one *on* the building, or within a certain distance inside the building (from where the service enters).  But it sounds like there's on in the panel in the building, which would fulfill that requirement.  It's unclear what type of enclosure is at the pole, but if it's a simple disconnect, it's not likely to have additional terminals.
Comment: There's no such thing as a 1-inch "skinny" 2pole breaker, except on GE Qline.   However this requires little cruciform "pins" on each of the busbars. And then they must be applied in half-positions straddling 2 *spaces*, with a 1/2" breaker above and below 1 or more 2-pole breakers.  Regardless, if your buses don't have the little cruciforms you can't do it.  There is no other option for double-stuff for Qline.  So you will not be double-stuffing that panel.  Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, GE is a great panel and I would not scrap it lightly.  I would go the sub-sub-panel route.
Answer: Option A is necessary if your present panel is Zinsco or FPE Stablok, but we can do that in a sneaky way that isn't so impactful.  Otherwise, option C.
Option A-1 is to install a replacement panel right next to the defective panel, fit double-lugs in the original panel so you can daisy-chain the new panel off the old -- then cut over one circuit at a time at your leisure.  Once all the circuits are gone from the old panel, bypass and remove it.
Now I'll discuss why option B is out of the question.

NEC: There must be a main disconnecting switch installed at every building to disconnect all service wires, either underground or overhead, and that it be located in a readily accessible place as near as possible to the point where the wires enter the building. This disconnecting means must be arranged to cut off the entire current.

This referred to DC power; the Code edition was 1897.  Current code says the same but splits it up, all in Article 230. Nonetheless, its terse language implies several things.
Only one set of service conductors per building.

230.2 Number of Services. A building or other structure served shall be supplied by only one service unless permitted in 230.2(A) through (D).

And those exceptions call out fire pumps, generators, apartments, too-large services, and different voltages/phases.  There's some blather about 230.40, which is full of very confusing terms and you will need to keep referring back to Article 100 to clarify them  - but there's nothing there that helps you.
One shut-off switch per service, practically

230.70 General. Means shall be provided to disconnect all conductors in a building or other structure from the service-entrance conductors.
230.71 Maximum Number of Disconnects. (A) General. The service disconnecting means... shall consist of ... a combination of not more than six switches and sets of circuit breakers, mounted in a single enclosure, in a group of separate enclosures, or in or on a switchboard. There shall be not more than six sets of disconnects per service grouped in any one location.
230.72 Grouping of Disconnects. (A) General. The two to six disconnects as permitted in 230.71 shall be grouped. Each disconnect shall be marked to indicate the load served.

This is no good at all.  It means even if you can snake two sets of service conductors by the inspector by snowing him with 230.40, the panels need to be right next to each other.  The service conductors would be uselessly doubled, lay right next to each other.
This "Rule of Six" is a liberalization of the 1897 rules, often seen in obsolete split-bus/"Rule of Six" panels.  Note that if your service panel is a split-bus/Rule-of-Six, a second panel would be a seventh throw, violating the Rule of Six.  The exception "6 per service" doesn't work because you have only a single service.
Option C
Being out of space is an intolerable situation.  We constantly advise people to get the largest panel they can bear to get, and then some. I aim to finish projects with 50% of spaces unused. Where we see full panels, we often see twin/duplex/"double-stuff" breakers, which have hazards of their own, not least, they actively impede upgrading circuits to AFCI/GFCI.
So right off the bat, I recommend a subpanel right next to your "main" subpanel, and cutting over circuits from the main to the new sub, as convenient. This will free up spaces at your leisure and at a scale that is DIY viable.

As we've discussed, double-feeding it is utterly futile.
You could daisy-chain it off the lugs of the "main" subpanel, but second main breakers aren't free.
Or you could wire it as a sub-sub-panel off the "main subpanel", using, say, a 100A feed breaker in the main-.  The sub-sub-panel must have an ampacity rating at least that of the feed breaker. It does not matter whether this subpanel has a "main breaker" or not**.

As we will always recommend, go really huge on the panel.  Space is cheap, regrets are expensive.
You can move circuits at your leisure from the main-sub-panel to the sub-sub-panel.  Right away move enough circuits to liberate two spaces for the sub-sub-panel's feed breaker.
My recommendation for the addition is a second subpanel, so liberate 2 more spaces.
Option C part 2: Service to the addition
I gather from your question that you'd rather have a panel in the addition serving loads there. Just another sub-sub-panel.
If you can accomplish this with only the addition sub-sub-panel and move enough house circuits to it, that will suffice.
Again, the addition sub-sub has its own feed breaker in the main-sub.  The wire between the two decides the size of the feed breaker (and this is picked out of the tables for branch circuits, 310.16, not for service drops).  If you're looking at #4 or larger wire, seriously consider aluminum, it works extremely well for feeders like this, and the lugs are aluminum anyway.   Again, the sub-sub-panel's rating must be larger than the feed breaker. (or equal).
I recommend two subpanels to make it simple to describe, and because being out of spaces is a major annoyance.  If you can reroute enough circuits from the main-sub to the addition sub-sub, then perhaps that is the only one you will need. Regardless, don't scrimp on spaces.  A 42-space subpanel is not excessive at all. Doing all the work to install a 12-space, and then running out again, is excessively wasteful of your time.

** However, if your main subpanel is old, and maybe worthy of replacement, it would be clever to choose a sub-sub-panel which is capable of performing all the functions of the main-sub. Then you can slowly migrate every circuit over to the sub-sub, and one day, switch the service conductors over and eliminate the old main-sub entirely.
Answer: The disconnect at the pole will be the one the fire department uses, a new sub panel could be fed from the pole location since there is a disconnect there. I would evaluate the load on the inside panel and probably add some tandem breakers to the inside panel and feed the new sub panel from the inside panel to save on wire cost.
Answer:
As I see it, I have two options: A) rebuild the subpanel or B) feed from the outdoor main.

A third option would be to buy some tandem breakers and replace some of the regular breakers with tandems. Thereby adding additional circuit space to the existing panel.
Much cheaper than A or B.
Good Luck!
Answer: I'm not sure how to respond to everyone's input, so I hope this works.
The box at the pole has only the single 200-amp disconnect.  No other terminals.
The main panel inside the house is, I'm assuming, an older model GE.  The "blades" on the bus bar run parallel with the breaker vs. perpendicular.
My original thought was to replace several of the 2" double pole 50-amp breakers w/ 1" "skinnies".  Alas, no such animal exists, that I can find, to fit the "blade" configuration.
I've pretty much decided to replace the interior panel, opting, as someone suggested, for a (decidedly) larger panel.
Thanks for all the input

Feeding 125 sub-panel from 200 amp main


I can't use the terminal while gedit command is running

Question: I recently installed 12.04.
When I try to edit a file with gedit, I can't use the terminal until I close the editing file or I have to open a new terminal. But I think I didn't have this problem with 11.04, however I'm not sure.
Is there anyway to avoid this and to use same terminal while editing files.
Answer: Short Answer
In the unresponsive terminal:

Hit Ctrl+Z.
Type bg and enter.
Type disown and enter.

Long Answer
In the unresponsive terminal, hit Ctrl+Z, this will "pause" the process (or "job") and return the console control to you. However, you'll notice that gedit becomes unresponsive and you can't use it.

Extra: if you want to, you can execute the command jobs, you'll notice that it'll read Stopped for the gedit command, that's why you can't use it.

To make the job successfully run in the background (i.e. to make gedit responsive again), execute the command bg (meaning background). You'll now be able to use gedit, and at the same time have the prompt to yourself.

Extra: now, if you  execute jobs, you'll notice that it'll read Running.

You can overcome all of this from the very beginning. When you're launching gedit from the terminal, add an & to the end of the command, so something like this gedit /path/to/file &. This will launch gedit in the background from the first place (you might need to hit Enter a couple of times to get the console control back).

Extra: if you were following these extra notes, you might have noticed that the second time you did jobs, you could see that bash added a & to the end of the gedit command.

Once you get used to this system, you might notice that if you close the terminal, gedit will also terminate, without even a confirmation dialog. To prevent this from happening, run disown, which will detach the gedit process from the terminal, removing it from the list returned by jobs.
Comment: It's always surprised me that there is no way to immediately background a process that's running in the foreground. You *have* to pause it first, which sometimes isn't viable.
Comment: @detly read the part "You can overcome..." again!
Comment: @guntbert - Doesn't help if the process is already running...
Answer: Just type:
gedit <filename-to-edit> &
This will immediately return the command prompt to you.
Comment: This is an important unix idiom, and worth knowing. Any command can be run in the background this way. Tools that are interactive obviously will be confused by this treatment, but for example bubblesort war_and_peace.txt % will allow your sorter to crank away at the masterpiece (for a long, long time) while you get on with your work (say, implementing quicksort or something)
Comment: @JonKiparsky Amusing example - does make the point.
Answer: You could use the nohup to prevent the GUI to be attached to a terminal:
nohup mupdf some.pdf &

This will allow you to close the terminal you are launching from, without the program being closed.
You should also notice, that the nohup command will create a file with the stdout and stderr of the command you run. If you want to prevent that, add &>/dev/null before the &.
nohup mupdf some.pdf &>/dev/null &

Comment: "nohup" stands for "no hang up". This dates back to early Unix, when (physical) terminals were regularly attached via telephone lines, and you'd therefore close a terminal by hanging up the phone.
Comment: Additional information: The nohup command will create a file `nohup.out` containing output from the command. This is useful if you want to view error messages. If you don't want the file to be created, add redirection as follows: `nohup mupdf some.pdf &>/dev/null &`
Answer: You can also use disown command. It is particularly useful when you've already started the process you no longer want attached to the terminal.
The basic procedure if I remember correctly, is something like this:
$ > firefox      #Oops
Ctrl + z         #Suspend the process
$ > bg           #Push the process to the background
$ > disown       #Detach most recent process started or stopped
$ > exit         #Terminal gone!

Note that disown is bash specific.
This blog post explains both methods pretty well.
Man page for disown
Comment: A shortcut: `firefox & disown`
Answer: From man gedit:

-b, --background
         Run gedit in the background.

So, if you run gedit with -b option, it will start in background:
gedit -b [FILE-NAME]

Moreover, next you can create an alias for gedit -b (see here how to create a permanent alias):
alias gedit='gedit -b'

From now, in the future you can use gedit [FILE-NAME] as normal and it will start in background.
Comment: It's a bad idea to use alias to redefine common commands. You'll find lots of threads about it on stackexchange. It is fine to use an alias with a different name. In a nutshell, aliasing existing commands creates unexpected behavior on your machine if someone else ever uses it (like when trying to help you fix some other problem) and it does the same thing to you when you use another system without those aliases and your commands don't work as you expect. One of the poster children for this is alias rm='rm -i'. It gets you used to deleting things with a second chance that's not always there.
Answer: Just type:
gedit FILENAME & disown

Ending a command with & in bash runs that command in the background. However, that process is still attached to the terminal.
Without disown, if you close the terminal, gedit will close, without even prompting you to save an edited file. disown detaches the background process from the current terminal, so that if you close the terminal, gedit will continue to run as normal. Turns out I was wrong, this is not the case for bash, but it is the case for zsh. You still need to run detach after doing ctrl-z and bg, though, even in bash.
You can find out more about the built-ins jobs, disown and the & metacharacter in the manpage for the bash command , especially the section labelled "job control".
Comment: with `disown` I was able to keep the gedit open after terminal closed. I didn't get what you said about " this is not the case for bash, but it is the case for zsh"
Answer: This is probably because you opened gedit via terminal. When you do this, you see the command line output that is normally hidden if started via the GUI. The best way to fix this is to open a new terminal window. The other will become available after gedit closes. You can also use the switch the above user suggested.
Comment: A new terminal window just clutters the desktop, even if it's minimized. Using & with or without disown is much simpler and cleaner.


Export telegram and whatsapp contacts to vcf?

Question: I have lost most of my contacts on the phone account, but they still exist in my telegram account. How can i move them to phone or export them?
Answer: It's very easy to transfer contacts from telegram account to your android smart phone:
Just install a contact backup software from google store like "+contact backup" and after that make a back up from your contacts; it automatically collect all of your contacts from every account that you have on your phone: telegram,google,phone etc.
after completing your back up you can import the created file to your phone or google account.
it's finished
Comment: Can you please suggest any such app, with its link? I don't seem to able to find any such app with the particular functionality of backing up for each Account as you say..
Answer: For WhatsApp, here's a trick that might work, but you need to use WhatsApp Web to do that:

Download your WhatsApp Contacts with the help of the bookmarklet here.(The contacts get exported as a CSV list)
Now you can convert the CSV file to .vcf using some tools available..
Here's a tool that you can try: CSV to vCard
Comment: Unfortunately, [I don't find any such tricks for Telegram](http://android.stackexchange.com/questions/146157/how-do-i-export-telegram-contacts-to-my-phone).


How can I force a Photo Stream sync on the iPhone?

Question: The Settings page says that Photos will automatically by sent to Photo Stream when I am connected to Wi-Fi, however I've waited several minutes and don't see them in iPhoto. I believe they haven't been sent to iCloud yet. Is there any way to force them to be synced to iCloud from the iPhone?
Comment: Yea, here you go: http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/32899/how-do-i-force-iphoto-to-download-new-photos-in-my-photo-stream -- there's no way to force an update. I'm wondering if killing the PhotoStreamAgent process would work though?
Comment: it seems that the iPhone won't start sending photos up to Photostream unless it's on wifi AND the phone has greater than 20% battery life. I noticed some of my photos starting syncing once I charged my phone beyond 20%. Apple seriously needs to give some feedback about why Photostream isn't syncing in their UI like Dropbox does.
Comment: I'd bet good money the problem is with PhotoStream on your Mac pulling down updates from iCloud. Check PhotoStream on your iPhone: are they showing up there? I'm trying to find the question that deals with forcing iPhoto to resync your PhotoStream (the answer is not a happy one).
Comment: a further symptom is that inside iPhone's Photos app one can see that new photos on the Camera Roll album can not be seen in the iPhone's Photo Stream either.
Comment: Update: Murphy's law though the actual photos I really care about seem stuck in Photostream purgatory and won't appear on other devices. Perhaps this is why Steve Jobs was rumored to have offered Dropbox so much money to sell?
Comment: Remember that each photo (on the 4S) is about 4MB. How fast can you normally upload 4MB files to the Internet and then download them again?
Answer: Fastest solution (iPhone restart NOT needed!): I've found that if I open Photos on my iDevice after taking a photo, and then (after the spinning icon goes away) open Photos* on my Mac, the photo appears in my photo stream.

Notes:
This is way easier and faster than rebooting or resetting Wi-Fi.
It's also faster and more likely to work than just killing Photos Agent and restarting Photos.
(Further evidence showing WHY this works: When I open Photos on my iDevice, I see the spinning icon on my iDevice - IFF  I've just taken a photo.  If I access my photo stream on my Mac‡ without having opened Photos, the new photo is not there.)

*(or iPhoto if you haven't switched to Photos)
‡(such as by clicking Photo Stream under Media in the standard File..Open dialog box in recent versions of MacOS)
Note: Photo Stream only syncs the last 30 days of your photos.
2020 UPDATE: Recently, Photos was changed; when you open it you may need to take an additional step to cause the upload - but if so, you'll see a prompt about it.
Comment: Also, I've found that only photos taken after [PhotoStream is set to On] will be transferred.

Eg photoA exists on my phone, and the setting PhotoStream is off. If I turn PhotoStream on, then take photoB, then photoB will be transferred immediately, photoA is not, and must be transferred via normal sync.
Comment: Thanks! NEW!?: The ios photos app now has a weird "feature" : even when the battery isn't low and Wi-Fi is available it doesn't automatically upload photos! It does pop up a notification to let me know, and does start automatically when I plug in my phone. I would guess that most people prefer the old behavior.
Answer: I had this very problem today. I had taken 40 or so photos on iPhone 4, iOS 5.1, and when I got back to WiFi connection, I waited more than an hour for the photos to appear in PhotoStream either on the iPhone or my iPad, and they didn't.
None of the following worked:

Switching the iPhone to Airplane mode and back
Killing the Camera and Photos apps
Turning off Photo Stream in the iCloud bit of the Settings app (this told me it would delete all PhotoStream photos on the iPhone, so I cancelled)

Eventually, after an hour or so, in desparation I forced the iPhone to power-down, and turned it back on.
Today's photos then started appearing straight away on the iPad. In the time it has taken me to type this, most of them have now arrived already.
Comment: Unfortunately, even a reboot of the iPhone did not copy my Camera Roll photos to iPhone's Photo Stream. One possible explanation could be that Apple is currently working on their Photo Stream data base?
Comment: @K.-MichaelAye: Did you try my answer (currently below and marked 0)?  It's much faster to try too!
Comment: Well, I'm catching up!  My answer is now in second place; it was close to last.
Answer: Echoing this answer:

Open up Activity Monitor
Search for Photos Agent and quit it.
Restart the Photos app.
Comment: That totally worked!
Comment: Sadly, this worked. C'mon Apple.
Answer: I found this post after having the same issue - needing to grab an image from Photo Stream that wasn't coming up.
I found that I had wandered outside my WiFi range, and had reverted to a 3G connection. Upon reconnecting to my WiFi, Photo Stream immediately updated (and I mean immediately :)
I checked this by opening my Photo Stream within the Photos app, and taking a screenshot. Within one second my phone started uploading the new image, and within 10 seconds it was live within my Photo Stream.
If you're having long delays check your WiFi connection - This may not be the only reason for a delay, but it helped me in my situation.
Answer: In my case, it was nothing mentioned in the other answers. My problem was that I didn't have enough space.

I don't quite understand why it needs space locally to upload something though.
More info in this forum thread.
Update:
Another realistic reason could be this:

So make sure you're connected to a wireless network.
Comment: I found the answer to protection. Your associated bonus does not count. You needed to earn 10 rep here to answer a protected question. I think I fixed that with my vote up of this excellent answer. Thanks for pinging me - I learned something I didn't know too. It's covered in [help] under ***What are protected questions?***
Comment: Thanks for the follow-up explanation and the vote. And, I learned something new too. Also, I can't find `What are protected questions?` on the link you gave.
Comment: Search for "protected" - second paragraph in the description. Also, thanks so much for reaching out on this.
Comment: Oh, you meant [Help Center > Privileges > Protect Questions](http://apple.stackexchange.com/help/privileges/protect-questions). And, you're welcome.
Answer: Go to iCloud Preferences > Photo Stream. Uncheck "Enable Photo Stream", then click apply. Turn Photo Stream back on in preferences (check "Enable Photo Stream"). After a few seconds, iPhoto will start to download all the photos again. Depending on the number of photos, and your bandwidth, it may take awhile.
(Disable Shared Photo Streams on the SUBSCRIBER device, then enable again.)
Comment: @MatthewElvey Its only overkill if there is an alternative.
Comment: I couldn't disable Photo Stream as it asked me to confirm the deletion of all images..
Comment: Massive overkill.
Comment: @AndréHoffmann copy to another folder first.
Comment: @TobyAllen There is an alternative!  See my answer (currently below and marked 0)!  That's why this answer is massive overkill.
Answer: I figured out if you turn off Photos and start again it starts working.
Comment: does not work for me.
Answer: I've been searching this question too.  I found that if you go to the iCloud control panel and uncheck the photo stream box.  Hit Apply.  Recheck the photo stream box.  For me. hiting Apply again, my pc started to pull down the new photos right away.
Comment: It's not so much right away, when hundreds of photos of the stream have to first be downloaded again.
Answer: Nevermind, read this instead: https://apple.stackexchange.com/a/48270/15253
Comment: Ignore my answer, this is the only sure-fire way: http://apple.stackexchange.com/a/48270/15253
Answer: Make sure Low Power Mode is turned off. It blocks all syncs of images.
Comment: Also turning Low Power Mode on and then off seems to force a sync.
Answer: In a similar situation, just keeping the Photos app open on the iPhone caused photos to start syncing immediately for me. (iPhone4/iOS-5.1.1)
Comment: How do you even define 'immediately' when you said you just keep Photos app open? How long did you have to wait? Any physical answer renders 'immediately' to be incorrect. ;)
Comment: I don't see what's wrong with this answer. At least for iOS 6, I can confirm that if the Photos app on the iPhone is open, photos are synced to Photo Stream without delay. This is also indicated by the spinning network indicator in the menu bar.
Answer: I was trying to load 1200 photos to my new phone, kept geting time out type message, i tried 200 and it loaded. 200 more over and over until they all loaded.
Comment: How exactly did you throttle a photo stream sync of 1200 photos so only 200 synced at a time? It sounds great, but it's not clear how to accomplish this task.


Using another domain with Google App Engine

Question: I'm trying to change my google app engine domain (domain.appspot.com) to the domain I bought from 1&1.com (mydomain.com). I went into the google app engine settings and added the domain. After making a Google Apps account, I was asked to verify my domain. The directions say that 1&1 doesn't allow me to create TXT records, so I can't use that method for verification. Their alternative is to upload an HTML file to my server, but I didn't buy hosting with my domain, I just bought the domain. My files are on domain.appspot.com. How can I make mydomain.com point to domain.appspot.com? I've added the ns1.googleghs.com as my nameservers in my 1&1 DNS settings, but I still can't verify my domain with Google Apps.
Answer: 1and1.com does allow you to set up your own MX records. If you set them up and enable the email without verifying the domain, it might work.
the mx servers for google are at http://support.google.com/a/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=174125
Might be worth a shot.
However, in future it would be a good idea to move to a registrar that allows you manage your dns without the need for hosting.


SharePoint 2013 AppFabric Installation Error

Question:
I have installed SharePoint Prereq in an offline mode and all the configuration running well
I have configured AppFabric and connect it to SQL Database
The IIS identify the AppFabric and the AppFabric 3 services running and started
When i am trying to install SharePoint 2013 on Windows server 2012 an error massage say that AppFabric not configures try to UN install it and install it again !!
Comment: did you install the app fabric as part of pre-req or you installed it manually?
Comment: i install it manually at first then run the prerequisiteinstaller.exe and all successful , system restat then trying to install SP2013 an error massage say AppFabric not configures try to un install it and install it again.
Answer: Looks like you install the pre-req offline / manual.
This was caused by manually double clicking the file "WindowsServerAppFabricSetup_x64.exe" instead of allowing the SharePoint Prerequisite Installer to run this.
The resolution was to run "prerequisiteinstaller.exe" with command line parameters to directly specify the filename for each prerequisite.
/AppFabric:prerequisiteinstallerfiles\WindowsServerAppFabricSetup_x64.exe
/KB2671763:prerequisiteinstallerfiles\AppFabric1.1-RTM-KB2671763-x64-ENU.exe

Here are steps:
Uninstall first.

Now run the commands.

http://www.spjeff.com/2012/07/19/fixed-sharepoint-2013-setup-error-appfabric-is-not-correctly-configured/
Comment: if this solve the problem, than mark it answer other will get advantage of it.
Comment: In my case was necessary to copy the AppFabric .exe files on the prerequisiteinstallerfiles folder of the unziped version of the image with the Sharepoint 2013 installation (If you dont have the iso, you can download the iso of the Sharepoint 2013 server edition on msdn.com). Everything is OK now. Thanks everybody.
Answer: In my case prerequisiteinstaller.exe went into a loop for the very last prerequisite: KB2671763.  Installation failed over and over again. The prerequisite installer log file didn't help much, almost seemed as if there were omitted lines.
The patch log (C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\E-Business Servers Updates\Updates\Uninstall2671763\setup.log) itself contained an error message like:

failed to copy the .msp file

Before getting a correct resolution, I tried simply applying the .msp, but it was clear that although the versions of core files were updated, the patch was not complete.
For example, the expected registry entry missing at:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\E-Business Servers Updates\{96E70525-4CD1-4920-9C0B-91055C79A962}

Because of the only-partly-successful patch, I uninstalled AppFabric 1.1 completely and reinstalled manually using the manual command line in an elevated prompt:
WindowsServerAppFabricSetup_x64.exe /i CacheClient, CachingService, CacheAdmin /gac

The installation succeeded. TechNet gives this as the way prerequisiteinstaller.exe installs AppFabric, apologies for having lost the link, but you can find it I'm sure.
I rebooted and ran AppFabric1.1-RTM-KB2671763-x64-ENU.exe manually from an elevated command prompt.  First the patch put up a messagebox about "failed to copy the .msp file" (as mentioned above).
After clicking Retry it succeeded. Everything showed up where it is supposed to be, and the log file showed success as well.
Summary
For SharePoint 2013 SP1 on fully-patched to 11/26/2014 Windows Server 2012 R2, prequisiteinstaller.exe apparently will not work, because it will not retry the initial failed copy operation during installation of AppFabric 1.1 CU1.
Why the copy fails the first time, and succeeds the second time when the Retry-button available, I cannot explain.
Credits go to spjeff and rafael and everyone else in this post for putting me on the road to successful prerequisite installation.
Comment: When installing AppFabric via command prompt I am getting a command line syntax error: Duplicate command line argument. Paramtere name: install -
Why is that happening? ... Edit: Answer ist to remove the space between CacheClient, CachingService, CacheAdmin.
Answer: I ran into this problem myself.
If you are installing offline then you HAVE to let the prereq installer install the appfabric. The installer also does some behind the scenes configuration that is vital for sharepoint to install properly. If you install the appfabric manually then that configuration work doesn't get done and Your installation will fail.
Comment: ok system restart now after using the CMD way of installation
thanks.
Comment: That is not true. You can defenitely do the prerequisites installation without the native installer. Just use the command line for AppFabric like described by mike.
Answer: I have the same issue. the following solution resolved my issue:
The issue can be caused due to the following:

The path to the PowerShell executable that is needed for the AppFabric installation is incorrect.
In some scenarios, repeated uninstallation and re-installation does not fix the issue. This is because the installer does not remove the PSModulePath entry in Environment Variables during un-installation and the installation fails because the entry already exists.
If you are trying to install all the prerequisites manually as the server does not have a connection to internet.

Note: Appfabric installation and configuration has to be done by the prerequisite installer ONLY and not in a stand-alone manner.
You can implement any one of the two solutions listed below
Solution 1
Append the following path to PSModulePath entry in the environment variables – %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0

Go to My Computer, right-click Properties
On the System page, click Advanced System Settings on the left-side pane.
If you receive a UAC prompt, click on Yes to launch the System Properties dialog box
From the Advanced tab, click Environment Variables
Within the System Variables section in the lower half, select PSModulePath and click on Edit (or double-click PSModulePath)
Append the following path to PSModulePath entry in the environment variables
%SYSTEMROOT%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\
Ensure that the PSModulePath entry looks like this:
C:\Windows\system32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules\;c:\Program Files\AppFabric 1.1 for Windows Server\PowershellModules
Comment: where is solution 2 ?
Comment: reference URL: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/praveenh/2013/02/21/sharepoint-2013-prerequisites-fails-with-msi-installer-error-code-1603-while-installing-appfabric-1-1/
Answer: I would suggest to do all windows updates before, then you have to do less manually.
First make sure all necessary features are enabled and installed. To do so, insert Windows Server install disc and execute this command:
# Edit the drive letter that has your Server 2012 R2 media.
$drive = "E:"

Import-Module ServerManager

Add-WindowsFeature NET-WCF-HTTP-Activation45,NET-WCF-TCP-Activation45,NET-WCF-Pipe-Activation45 -Source $drive\Sources\sxs

Add-WindowsFeature Net-Framework-Features,Web-Server,Web-WebServer,Web-Common-Http,Web-Static-Content,Web-Default-Doc,Web-Dir-Browsing,Web-Http-Errors,Web-App-Dev,Web-Asp-Net,Web-Net-Ext,Web-ISAPI-Ext,Web-ISAPI-Filter,Web-Health,Web-Http-Logging,Web-Log-Libraries,Web-Request-Monitor,Web-Http-Tracing,Web-Security,Web-Basic-Auth,Web-Windows-Auth,Web-Filtering,Web-Digest-Auth,Web-Performance,Web-Stat-Compression,Web-Dyn-Compression,Web-Mgmt-Tools,Web-Mgmt-Console,Web-Mgmt-Compat,Web-Metabase,Application-Server,AS-Web-Support,AS-TCP-Port-Sharing,AS-WAS-Support, AS-HTTP-Activation,AS-TCP-Activation,AS-Named-Pipes,AS-Net-Framework,WAS,WAS-Process-Model,WAS-NET-Environment,WAS-Config-APIs,Web-Lgcy-Scripting,Windows-Identity-Foundation,Server-Media-Foundation,Xps-Viewer -Source $drive\Sources\sxs

You have to execute the AppFabric Installation via command line like described by mike:
WindowsServerAppFabricSetup_x64.exe /i CacheClient,CachingService,CacheAdmin /gac

Then make the CU1 for AppFabric via normal installer and also install the rest of prerequisites you need.
Here is a list with all other necessary download links for the prerequisites files:
click me
No native Prerequisites Installer needed!
Answer: This issue is as a result from some security in IE.
To fix it go to open internet browser, Internet options, Security, Click Custom Level and enable file download. Next Step. Click on server manager (2012 and 2016), Local Server, IE Enhanced Security Configuration and turn it off
It will fix the issue
Comment: This issue happened because user first installed the AppFabric Manually. It needs to be installed by pre-requisite installer as the SP App Fabric set up is quite specific.


Music in your head

Question: I'm a little confused on the concept of hearing music in your head. I dont think I really do that. Some people I know say they can hear specific instruments as they "listen". Do I not have the wiring, or is it less hearing and more trying to recreate?
Answer: This is how I see it... Imagine something you've seen often. Can you "see" it in your head? Maybe you don't get a very detailed image but you'll probably see something. And I don't mean it should look like the image is actually coming through your eyes, you just kind of remember the image; the shapes, colors, some details. Similarly you might be able to remember how something feels, like how does it feel to touch the doorknob, etc.
The same way you can remember how a piece of music sounds. If you've listened to a piece many, many times you might remember it pretty well and be able to "play" it in your head. You don't actually hear it, but remember the aural image, foreground melodies, rhythms, probably some harmonies etc. If that image is detailed enough, you can really "listen" to it. For example you can follow different lines than usual or concentrate on large scale structure or whatever. And yes, you can hear specific instruments. For example you don't only hear the melody, but you hear how the melody sounds, which includes the timbre of the instrument.
You can also, at least to some extent, change it, just like you can imagine something you have not actually seen. Or if you're really good you can imagine a completely new piece. You can in your mind create the instrumentation, harmonies, melodies, rhythms, dynamics, anything (maybe not in full detail if you're not Mozart).
Comment: The thing is that a non-trivial amount of people are unable to visualize anything.  Most can recall properties of images via verbal/auditory means -- when they think about an ample they think "red", "fruit", etc. rather than seeing it in their heads.  I think something similar is likely at play hear.
Answer: You're absolutely right: not everyone can do this, although it's rare to have no 'inner ear' at all.  Most people's inner ear improves as they receive musical training; as you're asking on this particular site, I'm guessing you've either had some or are keen to begin.
Don't let this worry you.  You may find that you only think musically when you're actually playing or actively experimenting.  There's also a distinct advantage you have: getting a tune stuck in my head can keep me awake for several hours!
Answer: Listening to music is something we learn. It is cultural. In order to hear a sound and be able to read its elements you need training, exposure to music and the way music is made. Sound is, for the most part, a two dimensional type of information -- the air pressure in your ears and the time --. Since the pressure goes up and down in time people call it a wave, the sound wave.
When instruments are played, the pressure in the air produced by them is added together. Like 2+9, which gives 11. In principle, from 11 you cannot recover that it was 2 and 9 the numbers you added. It could have been 1+10. In the same way, from a given music, played by a violin and a piano for example, it is not determined that a piano and a violin were played together to produce that sound. For example, you can take, in a computer, the same wave and decompose it into the sum of two other waves (or more if you want), each of which doesn't have to correspond to the sound of a piano or a violin.
The reason we are able to make an educated guess that the sound comes from a piano and a violin is precisely that, education, experience. We have listened to pianos and violins and have learned (roughly) what sounds they can make. We humans are fairly good at pattern recognition and that is what we do. We detect rough patterns in the sound that reminds us of the sounds we have heard in past experiences.
This said. Even very experienced musicians can listen to the sound of an ensemble of many many instruments and miss detecting some of them if the music is complicated enough. Or at least it may take them listen to the sound many times.
If you lack the skill. That is not such a big problem. You can get it just by listening to music. Specially try some in which there are parts in which instruments play solo and then together. Even better if what they play solo is the same as what they play together. That way you build the memories of how the instrument sounds by itself and you can practice decomposing the sound when they play together into the sum of the different instruments.
Edit: I see. I mistook the "can hear specific instruments as they "listen"". Well, in that case, that "listen in your head" is most of the times using your memory of sounds you have heard and is far from the act of listening. On the other hand, there are also neurological conditions that make you actually hear sounds without external stimulus. In The man who mistook his wife for a hat, by Oliver Sacks, he talks about some cases like this. Many of us can also have small acoustic hallucinations, small rings, bangs, or buzzing in your ears (not coming from physical vibrations in your body like the blood flow). I personally have experienced some after long periods of sleep deprivation.
Comment: You missed the point....I'm talking about when no music is playing. They can be sitting in a quiet room. And a song they know plays in their head as clear as the real thing.
Answer: I've always heard music playing in my head, even as a little kid (I'm now in my late 60s).  My parents had the radio on a lot and there was usually some music in the background at home, pop, jazz, blues, as well as some classical.  My mother liked to sing along with the radio tunes.  The Catholic school I went to was big on music and taught us choral singing - even taught us Gregorian chant! - and we listened to classical music once a week in class.  My oldest brother played accordian well, and I learned a bit, and guitar too.  With all that music around me, I always thought it normal to be able to not only hear  music in my head at any time, away from any radio or record player, but also to expand on it, change it, make up new rhythms, chord progressions, and melodies, and so on, all in my head, with all the instruments playing their proper roles. I have learned to play some instruments, but none really well, so when I want to actually record a song I've created it takes me forever and a day to get it right on tape (or, nowadays, on the computer).  I wish I had the hand coordination and dexterity to bring the music in my head to reality a lot easier.  I like to think I've "created" some really great compositions, but they're still inside my skull! All that being said, sometimes my brain gets stuck on a tune and it drives me nuts playing over and over and over, especially if it's one I don't even like.
Comment: Gregorian chant. Oh, I'm envious now . . .
Answer: I don't hear music in my head at all... But when I write music, especially on a computer, I sort of hear instruments parts that are not actually here... I think it's a matter of practice, both in learning pieces and in composing yours. I think actually hearing music in one's head depends on an actual academic training : once you've learn rules of composition, you happends to hear what is supposed to come after following these rules...and then later on your musical path, you should or should not have a need to go beyond these rules.
Answer: The answer is really simple.

Good Sleep!!!!! Your mind's ear (inner ear) need to have good enough rest to be 100% when you want him to and sleep is also related to good memory. Have a good sleep habit and do those:
Listen to music..  I said LISTEN!!! NOT HEAR!! Listening requires mind's peace, good energy level, deep focus and repetitions. THIS IS THE GREATEST EAR TRAINING METHOD: LISTENING.. But the efforts will pay, may be as soon as  day two if you do focus and repete the process. After you spent time listening to a song, or solo, or anything, it may even be only one instrument, at some time in the day, away from the music, you will hear it playing, a saxophone phrase or the drummer conclusion, or ever the singer's timber. The result is guaranteed...
Never over do it. 25 mins sessions is great!! Or you just stop when you're bored or tired. It won't enter your mind. Better practice this on 2 or 3 songs at a time to avoid the boring thing and get tired with a song you like.
Start to mimic the instrument you hear with your mouth. This has been the only ear training for many of the greatest musician you know. Imitation means learning... start low..... dont put yourself under pressure. Don't even try it the first few days, the confidence will come by itself... your ears will tell you ;)
Keep music in your life... listen often, as often as possible. Your mind will get tune to it, and the theory stuff will come alive, the secrets of music are in the recordings, not on youtube videos or tabs etc... YOUR EARS ARE YOUR BEST ASSETS AS A MUSICIAN, tune it to the music. The Focus listening process will do GIANT STEPS ;) to your musicianship.

Give it a try for a week, but JUST DO IT. Then you come back to me... You won't have the same opinion on music, everything will become so logic...
That is.. do it and you will see.
Sorry for my bad english.. im not very good at it.

Music in your head


Scientific progress claimed to be caused by dreaming

Question: Kekulé, who discovered the chemical formula for benzene in 1865, claimed that he had guessed the ring formula with the alternating single and double bonds in a day-dream. Are there similar examples of significant scientific progress claimed to be caused by dreaming?
Comment: I'm not sure if this is a good question, because it is of course never for certain whether something came up in a dream or not. This makes this question nigh-impossible to really answer.
Comment: @Danu my question aims at examples of scientific intuition (or vision if you prefer), not at a strict verification of whether it really came up in a dream. I think it is a valuable question for the history of scientific thought.
Answer: Indian mathematician  Srinivasa Ramanujan claimed and is often said to have come up with theorems and questions in his dreams.
For example: Ramanujan's Mock Modular Forms: Indian Mathematician's Dream Conjecture Finally Proven

While on his death bed, the brilliant Indian mathematician Srinivasa
  Ramanujan cryptically wrote down functions he said came to him in
  dreams, with a hunch about how they behaved. Now 100 years later,
  researchers say they've proved he was right.
"We've solved the problems from his last mysterious letters. For
  people who work in this area of math, the problem has been open for 90
  years," Emory University mathematician Ken Ono said.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to verify such claims. But regardless I have always found Srinivasa Ramanujan's achievements amazing.
Comment: Ramanujan's mother was a deeply religious person and there is some debate if Ramanujan really discovered results in his dreams or he attributed them to supernatural deities out of reverence of his mother.
Comment: My guess is that since Ramanujan was so engrossed in mathematics while awake that some of it got carried into his dreams.
Answer: FamousScientists.org has a thread titled, "7 Great Examples of Scientific Discoveries Made in Dreams."
http://www.famousscientists.org/7-great-examples-of-scientific-discoveries-made-in-dreams/
The examples include those already discussed as well as:

Mendeleev and the Periodic Table
AR Wallace and natural selection
Descartes' scientific method
Loewi and synaptic nerve transmissions

Another article adds Watson's vision of the double helix structure of DNA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dreams
Comment: The first link doesn't have any sources... For all we know these could be myths.
Answer: I read just yesterday that the inventor or the sewing machine had worked on the problem of the needle for a long time. Then in a nightmare, screaming, sweating and all that that he got the answer. The savages that were stabbing him in the dream had the most unusual spears. One's that had a hole here and a hook there and...
The article, from one of the Pragmatic series, was about how the right half of the brain, the non verbal side, waits until pictures can be formed with the answer. Coaxing these out is where dreams and daydreams seem to do the job, if you let them.
Answer: It seems to be true. I dreamed of one myself. How to linearize hot wire measurements of shear stress (and only shear stress) in a turbulent flow? It is actually by squaring hot-wire signals.
It is in "Impossibility of Linearizing a hot-wire anemometer for measurements in turbulent flows"by S.P. Parthasarthy and D.J. Tritton, AIAA Journal, 1963, 1-5, p1210-1211.Indian Institute of science, Bangalore.
Comment: Welcome on the site! I suspect, the OP would more like to see some well-known result. At least a verifiable link seems to be useful. I think your contributions about the ancient Indian knowledge are okay and welcomed, but you need to pass them to the site rules.


Is an ethernet cable threaded inside a metal conduit is more protected from electromagnetic interference?

Question: I am at the end of a renovation, and only now  I discovered that it is not recommended to run ethernet cable in parallel and closely to power cables, even if they are in separate conduits, but I may have the option to improve the safety and the data integrity:
As you can see in the photo there are 3 pvc conduits runs parallel to each other. Each with a diameter of 16mm. In one is threaded a telephone cable, in the other a cat 7 ethernet cable and in the third a 240V power cable.( I dnot know in what order)
On the left side there is an additional 50mm in diameter flexible PVC conduit also parallel and closely to the three conduits, but it is empty.I estimate that there is  2-3 cm between the cables. (not between the conduits)
I have the option to cancel the cat7 that is threaded inside the 16mm conduit, and thread a new cat7 cable inside a flexible metal conduit (that protects low voltage cables from electromagnetic) and thread the metal conduit into the flexible 50mm PVC conduit (conduit within a conduit)
Is it worth making this change?
(I am thinking of a future option that maybe I will increase the network speed, and even if there is a lot of amperage in the power cable which increases the strength of the magnetic field)
And another question: can there be an interference to the telephone cable as well because it is run parallel near to the power conduit?
It is not shielded and not a twisted pairs, but I can replace it with a more high quality cable, and also transfer it in the 50mm conduit.
Thanks in advance for any answers
Comment: `As you can see in the photo`... erm, did you take a moment to have a good look at the photo you have provided us?
Comment: All cat7 (and most cat6, even cat5e) is already shielded. Is the extra layer of shielding offered by the metal conduit "better"? Yes. Are you going to notice? Not a chance.
Comment: (I understand that you ask about interference, not lightning.  I also understand that a primary lightning strike is rare.  I'm not paranoid about parallel power and network cabling.)  But when I do avoid that, it's because I don't want lightning induced events on the power supply to needlessly induce an additional surge on the Ethernet which could kill some additional electronics.  It's like buying a surge suppressor: not strictly needed but sometimes worth it.
Answer: You discovered wrong. Ethernet runs at 100MHz and up, your line voltage at 60Hz is virtually DC at that frequently difference.
With that said, you should still run your data cables in conduit. Not for interference concerns, but so that in 2040 you can easily replace the cat5 with something new for our 20K ultra VR direct brain video or whatever is the deal then. Plastic Smurf tube is fine, it doesn't need to be metal.
Comment: @RanShalom: I believe that you read something like that, but the claims in that you read in that passage are simply incorrect.  This stuff matters if you are building an actual billion dollar data center with a gazillion cables and the difference in 0.01% of performance translates to thousands of dollars, but in a residential or office commercial environment, you can pretty much haphazardly space and align Ethernet and power cables as far as interference goes.
Comment: Agreed that this answer is lacking sources.  Power cables can carry a lot more than just 60Hz - plenty of equipment generates harmonic noise on the mains lines and that noise can radiate to signal conductors.  If you've never had to fight with interference, consider yourself lucky.  It's not a bogeyman, it does exist in the wild, and not following best practices is exactly how you discover that it's a problem.  Industrial environments tend to be the worst due to having a high density of electrically noisy, high power equipment.
Comment: @whatsisname: Yes, conventional wisdom is often wrong, but it's also usually right. Especially when it's what's taught to professionals in the field, and is also backed by the experience of (probably) most professionals. Since your claim goes against all that, the burden of proof is on you. You still have not provided any sources.
Comment: This answer needs some *serious* sources, as it flies in the face of conventional wisdom. When I was studying for CCNA certification, we were taught that interference from power cables can cause speed drops. I've also encountered, multiple times, performance problems fixed by moving power cables away from networking cables.
Comment: As per @J..., the problem is not the 60Hz (or 50Hz in Europe), but transients carried on it, particularly as a result of switching inductive loads. The conductors in the mains cable efficiently radiate RFI. As to what to do, remember the inverse square law - even a few inches away from the mains cable is better than right next to it. Metal conduit should act like a faraday cage (and shield you), but a better option might be to use STP (shielded twisted pair) if you are concerned. Perhaps a few lost packets when your boiler pump (or whatever) switches on or off would not be disastrous.
Comment: @J...:yes, industrial environments do have different problems, but this is a "Home Improvement" oriented site, not manufacturing facilities. Home and small commercial devices should abide by 47 CFR 15 or similar elsewhere, and testing and approval includes the effects they have on mains voltages. If you are using non-compliant devices, all bets are off regarding what kind of interference problems you may or may not have, and cargo cult cable placing won't necessarily save you.
Comment: This is what I read: "Keep unshielded Ethernet data cable at least 16 inches away from the power cabling and only cross at right angles.
If using shielded and grounded Ethernet cable, the minimum distance is reduced to 4 inches, but still only cross at right angles.
When using metallic conduit for the Ethernet cable, or if the AC wiring is already inside metallic conduit, you can use the 2" separation rule"                                                Its not true?                                                          I dont have 4 inches between the power and the ethernet cables..
Comment: https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/194565/18078 and https://diy.stackexchange.com/a/94561/18078
Comment: I suspect that the "conventional wisdom" of separating data and power cables comes from the days of non-twisted-pair wiring, and/or in non-differential signaling applications, either of which may be more susceptible to interference. The one place I can see having power parallel to data being a problem is if there is a massive surge in the power line (lightning strike?) where the surge may induce a spike current in the data line that bypasses surge protectors and such, and could stand to fry the receiving equipment.
Comment: @BlueRaja-DannyPflughoeft: Conventional wisdom is often wrong. I've never studied for a CCNA cert, but I think it's probably a safe bet that there are more than a few things in the curriculum that are outdated, unverified, or completely false, just like pretty much any curriculum covering a rapidly changing field.
Comment: @whatsisname Sure, but OP's blurry photo tells us almost nothing.  If that 240V feed is for a welder, etc, then that data line is going to have a bad time of it.  Regardless, even in a home, power lines carry a lot more than the 60Hz they're fed.  Power tools, blenders, HVAC blowers, microwaves - all kinds of things in a home generate EM noise.
Comment: The problem is not with 60Hz interfering, but with the voltage transients and spikes that are inevitably present on a power cable.
Comment: @whatsisname fat7 has 600MHz of bandwidth, that doesn't mean it runs at 600MHz, ethernet can use all frequencies down to DC for signalling. It's probably not wise to run un-shielded twisted pair cables next to a strong signal source, twisted pair is good at rejecting common mode gain, but not perfect. That being said cat7 is shielded and rated to 10GHz. It's extraordinarily unlikely that OP has 10GHz equipment or a need for that kind of bit rate.
Comment: First question:
There will be no interference on the Ethernet cable because the power cable has a very low AC frequency (60 Hz) that creates a weak EMF, or because the power cable and ethernet cable have different frequencies?
Second question:
What about the amperage? After all, the more electrical appliances are connected, the stronger EMF. The amperage that will pass through this power cable will be at least 14A
Comment: @RanShalom No, the answer is incorrect.  Mains power is 60Hz, but the load equipment receiving power can generate harmonic noise on the power lines far higher in frequency than the 60Hz which carries the electrical power.  Yes, the amperage matters, but so does the type of load.  A heater drawing 15A will produce no harmonic EMF.  An arc welder doing the same will generate lots.  Large motors that start and stop frequently, change direction frequently, etc, will also generate noise.  Anything using SCR/thyristor phase control can generate ringing currents also.
Answer: Speaking as somebody who's spent much more time messing around with networks and power cables than with bricks and beams: keep them moderately separated but don't go full paranoid.
Power cables are substantially more robust than network cables, have different failure modes, and are tested differently by people with different skills and equipment.
Network cables are invariably twisted pair and sometimes screened, which will reject what is known as "common mode" interference. Untwisted cable, as shown for example in Best way to stick a very long Ethernet cable semi-permanently to walls? is not intended for high-speed networks and should be avoided (this photo https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Ams-ix.k.root-servers.net.jpg shows that type of untwisted cable in its intended use as a low-speed console connection).
Network interface cards have isolation circuitry, but this can be overwhelmed (inductors driven into saturation, insulation damaged) by noise of sufficient amplitude.
Power cables can often have substantial amounts of switching noise on them (e.g. from an induction hob), which can easily be sufficiently high in frequency to result in a measurable network degradation. Note that I'm saying measurable here, not necessarily detectable "by eye".
An extreme case of this is a nearby lightning strike which can result in fried network equipment, although the ingress for that is usually a computer's power supply (hence the recommendation that stuff be disconnected during storms).
There is a slim possibility that network traffic could be "sniffed" by putting monitoring equipment on the power lines. This is a VERY slight risk compared with other ways your personal data could be exfiltrated.
Broadly speaking, high-frequency noise and cross-coupled data will travel between several houses etc., until stopped or at least attenuated by the inductance of a power distribution transformer (normally described as "at the end of the street").
The "keep them separate and cross at right angles" rule applies to 'phone lines and low-speed data cables, i.e. the sort of thing that was run for substantial distances before about 1990. These days, as I've said, keep them moderately separated but there's much less need to go full paranoid.
Comment: Re "Power cables can often have substantial amounts of switching noise on them..." +1
Comment: Apropos switching noise for anybody unfamiliar with the art. These days most power supplies take very short sips of current from the mains, repeating this tens or hundreds of thousands of times a second. The sharp on-off transitions result in harmonics which can easily get into the MHz (million cycles-per-second) or 10s of MHz range, and that's high enough to be difficult to distinguish from the 10 to 100 MHz data on a network connection.
Answer: It's not the problem it's made out to be.
Ethernet is running at millions of frames per second.  Power is 60 frames per second.
Imagine we stretch that time frame out by a factor of 86400*60.  Now, the AC frequency is akin to the rising and setting of the sun, and the Ethernet is akin to ships passing light-gun signals.  Does the sun interfere with that?  Of course not, it is massively, glacially too slow to affect that.
One conduit for telecomm is fine.
In those conduits, one conduit should get all telecomm - phone, ethernet and coax/cable TV if that is present.
The large conduit should be reserved for big power, or for water lines or whatever the original layer envisioned.
Consider fiber-optic.
If you're really that worried about it, maybe fiber-optic is for you.  It has the merit of being immune to EM interference, but also, it can be placed in AC power conduits if the optic line is entirely non-conductive.
Comment: @SteveSether -- the other killer app for fiber is "going between buildings" -- even if it's not a long distance, the need for a Category rated *and* UL497 listed *primary protector* at each end of the outdoor link is a major cost/installation hassle adder for running copper inter-building
Comment: In enterprise networks, Fiber IS used for short distances in RF prone areas. I've set up fiber media converters for going from Fiber to UTP Cat 5 cabling while working for an internationally known aerospace company in one of their manufacturing buildings.
Comment: @Steve around here, the "killer app" for fiber is you can put it in AC mains conduit and boxes. It basically ends all discussions of "I wanna put Ethernet with my power wires" :)
Comment: Actually, my one real experience with fiber several years ago was on communicating with electric meters using fiber to link to a router. Distance was an issue and it was one instance (high voltage equipment in the basement of a **huge** building) where interference with serial and/or Ethernet cabling was a potential issue. But someone else handled the details - my job was just to configure the meters and test communications.
Comment: RBR (reduced bend radius) fiber makes "special rules for bends" pretty much "don't kink it" and actually will take tighter bends than Cat5e/Cat6/Cat6A/Cat7 assuming you actually want those to work to spec.
Comment: There is not only 60 Hz on the mains cables - there is stuff going all the way up to radio frequencies due to devices attached to the mains cables.
Comment: @SteveSether Well, the topic on the floor is crosstalk and  conduit to an outbuilding.  You say what you say, but in my other ear I have J... lecturing me that crosstalk is a big deal.  I'm in a no-win situation here.
Comment: The edit is an improvement.
Answer: Let's talk interference for a second. Some other answers have dismissed EMF as a concern, but it's worth noting something on the subject.
Most networks today are 1GB or less. That equipment is ubiquitous, as is the cable. Very few people are running 10GB networks because

You need far better cable than Cat5e (or even Cat6)
The equipment is much more expensive
Very few people need bandwidth on that scale. I mean, most WiFi still struggles to top 300MB (0.3GB) and virtually nobody complains about that

If you're just running a 1GB network (which is probably 99% of DIYers), you're probably fine as-is. Metal is slightly better to limit EMF interference, and 1GB networks are fault-tolerant enough to where you probably wouldn't notice it. In fact, most devices aren't making a lot of EMF interference on electrical wires to begin with (which is why "powerline" Ethernet devices are a thing).
If you think you'll be running a 10GB network anytime soon, you'll want to rethink that and place the cables elsewhere, since you'll be paying a LOT for that extra shielding and even the minor EMF coming off electrical wires could cause interference.
The better solution here would be fiber, which doesn't use EMF. That equipment isn't that much more expensive than straight Ethernet, and the fiber itself has come down in price to reasonable levels. For comparison (late 2020 pricing), 100ft Cat5e is about $14, and 100ft two-channel fiber is $35 currently on Amazon (prices subject to change)
Comment: @BryanBoettcher That would be off topic but [Super User discusses what you'd need here](https://superuser.com/questions/723292/looking-for-a-fiber-optic-switch-or-router-for-home-use). Basically, you need something that can accept both Ethernet and what's called SFP. They make devices that do nothing but that bridge (one SFP and Ethernet), but if you've got a home network you should be able to find a switch that does SFP pretty easily.
Comment: Can you amend your post to include the kind of equipment a DIY'er would need to add to go fiber?  I appreciate the Cat5e vs 2-ch fiber, but what else would I need?
Comment: I run 500Mb on the cat7 , but it runs adjacent  and parallel to the power cable that conductive a current of 14A.
Is it safe, and will not interference to the integrity of the data? (From the EMF produced by the amperage in the power cable)
Comment: Cat7 is heavily shielded to reduce EMF interference. The likelihood you notice on a gigabit network is low.
Answer: One thing rarely mentioned is the interference from the Ethernet cables to other devices.
In theory, this should be prevented by conformity testing, but in practice, it's not too uncommon to find devices with appropriate conformity labels being sold, which, when combined with particular cables, tend to radiate like crazy. The situation with not-very clear standards for Ethernet cables, and optimistic cable labeling adds to the issue.
As a result of the what I mentioned above, it might happen that you, for example, have interference to FM radio, or low VHF over the air TV. To make issue even more insidious, the "regular" users of network equipment in general aren't going to be capable of easily detecting interfering devices, so you usually won't find any comments about that in equipment reviews.
Putting the cables into metal conduits is one of the things which might help mitigate such issues, if they pop up in the future. Of course, if you don't watch terrestrial TV, and don't listen to terrestrial radio, then these potential issues won't be very interesting to you.
Comment: A link I added to my answer earlier showed somebody using what looked like Cisco console cable for Ethernet. Untwisted and not a good idea at all for a long run- even if it did happen to have the right connector at each end.


What is the criss-cross pattern on top of peanut butter cookies used for?

Question: I've been making peanut butter cookies, but skipping the step of pressing the top of the cookie down with a fork.   What does this step do for the cookies?
Comment: Great question, this is something I have always wondered. If nothing else, it's a convenient way to identify exactly what type of cookie it is.
Answer: Peanut butter cookies don't spread as they cook, so you have to flatten them before hand. This ensures that the middle will cook through before the outside burns.
As for the pattern created, it actually creates slightly more surface area, so you'll get more browning at the extra edges that you create. Think of it like a meringue, or the top of a shepherd's pie -- if it's too smooth, you won't get the little bits of browned crispy bits that you'd get if you rough up the surface.
Answer: I believe the main reason is to help the dough spread out.  Peanut butter cookies recipes typically don't go for a lot of spread, and therefore you need to manually flatten the dough in order to get a proper cookie shape and allow the cookie to cook properly.
It's not clear to me whether the non-spreading recipe is a requirement for some aspect of the cookie, or if the reason that a non-spreading recipe is used is specifically to allow the fork-marks to remain, so you could experiment with some of the factors mentioned in this thread on cookie spreading if you'd prefer the cookies to spread on their own and skip the fork marks.
Answer: I actually just asked my wife about this! It turns out that the dough used for most peanut butter cookies is a little thicker than regular cookie dough. Pressing it can help it to cook more evenly. I don't know how much it helps, but she seemed to think it was pretty important!
Answer: The fork lines are so you can tell the difference between the peanut butter ones and the sugar cookies.
Comment: For my purposes, I can see the color difference between sugar and peanut butter cookies.  Also, I use chunky peanut butter, so the peanut chunks are often visible.
Comment: You know ... I was debating mentioning that part of it ... I mean, it's not like trying to decode what it's a box of assorted chocolates by the swirl on top, but it can be something you can teach to a kid with peanut allergies as a warning sign.
Answer: Nothing. It's just cosmetic. I didn't even know I was "supposed" to be doing that until I'd been making them for years.
Answer: It's not just there for cooking, it's to make the cookie look like the peanuts shell.