Display transfer speed when performing "cp" from the command line?

Question: Is this possible?
Comment: Interesting that this is marked as a duplicate of a question asked 3 years later?
Answer: The standard coreutils cp command doesn't support this. There's a Gentoo patch floating around that adds it for different versions, although it's not included in Gentoo anymore for some reason; the version for coreutils 6.10 is in their bugzilla, and I'm sure there are lots of others around.
If you don't want to patch cp, you need to use some other command. For example, rsync has a --progress flag, so you can do:
rsync --progress source destination

If instead of copying you cat the data and then redirect stdout to the destination (i.e. cat source > destination), then you can use a program that measures pipe throughput and insert it in the middle (cat source | SOME-PROGRAM > destination); there are a couple mentioned in this related question. The one I recommended there was pv (Pipe Viewer):

If you give it the --rate flag it will show the transfer rate
Comment: @Chris Well, you can always add a function for it. `function cprate() {cat "$1" | pv --rate > "$2"}`
Comment: Using "cat" is a very dangerous method, I have experienced that cat on some AIX Systems will cut out what they interpret as garbage. Depending on the character set you chose by default. I would agree totally with rsync!
Comment: Very interesting, although not worth the effort.  I merely would like cp   to provide a rate similar to how it would report transfer rate using the GUI.  Not worth the effort to type that much text just to see the transfer speed.  Thanks though.
Comment: `pv` seems good, but I tried it for the same reason as the poster (progress/rate when copying to nfs), where the file gets crated in tmp and transferred afterwards. So, instead of nfs I have to use smb to see progess and rates.
Answer: I find that using pv in this manner works well for that purpose
pv -p file1 > file2

The -p switch shows the file transfer progress. To see the transfer speed, add the -r switch. If you want to see the average transfer rate over time, you can use the -a switch.
pv -pra file1 > file2

Comment: `pv` is [Pipe Viewer](http://www.ivarch.com/programs/pv.shtml), and is pretty awesome. @Patrick, please expand your post with an explanation.
Comment: This is the same command I mentioned in my answer, although I didn't realize it takes a filename argument (I did `cat file | pv`)
Comment: pv?
Comment: Good explanation: http://www.catonmat.net/blog/unix-utilities-pipe-viewer/
Comment: It seems to measure only the read speed and not the write speed, as it writes only to cache (even for a several GB sized file)
Answer: I know this is rather old, but...
If you do not actually want to display the rate, but only want to watch if something is happening on copying of a large file, you can also just use the watch command (also works with mv):
cp /path/to/myfile /path/to/target/myfile

Then, in another shell, or pushing the copy-command to the background (e.g. with Ctrl + Z followed by bg), you can check the result with:
watch "ls -sh1 /path/to/target"

This will continuously update the output of the ls command update (by default every 2.0s), displaying something like:
Every 2.0s: ls -sh1 /path/to/target
Tue Jan 12 15:02:45 2016

total 1.1G
4.0K data
130M tmp1.txt
137M tmp2.txt
151M tmp3.txt
168M tmp4.txt
162M myFile

Comment: This is a neat hack. Although mine shows Every 2s. And I don't think it is accurate.
Comment: Thanks - if we have already started the command this really is the only way to avoid checkign the file size manually every few secs :)
Comment: Also there's a -n option to specify a value larger than 2 secs
Comment: @GeneCode -n switch in the watch command allows to set the update interva in secondsl (also fractions like 0.5 are usually possible). the -h in the ls command makes output "human readable"... you can leave that out if you want byte counts :-)
Answer: Hi Another way to show the transfer speed is to use scp on localhost like this:
scp -rv src_folder user@localhost:/dest_folder
Answer: Here is a script that uses du to monitor throughput. This is more application agnostic and is also referenced in https://unix.stackexchange.com/a/301490/183269. Execute the script on the destination host.
monitorio () {
# show write speed for file or directory
    interval="10"
    target="$1"
    size=$(du -ks "$target" | awk '{print $1}')
    firstrun="1"
    echo ""
    while [ 1 ]; do
        prevsize=$size
        size=$(du -ks "$target" | awk '{print $1}')
        #size=$(ls -l "$1"  | awk '{print $5/1024}')
        kb=$((${size} - ${prevsize}))
        kbmin=$((${kb}* (60/${interval}) ))
        kbhour=$((${kbmin}*60))
        # exit if this is not first loop & file size has not changed
        if [ $firstrun -ne 1 ] && [ $kb -eq 0 ]; then break; fi
        echo -e "\e[1A $target changed ${kb}KB ${kbmin}KB/min ${kbhour}KB/hour size: ${size}KB"
        firstrun=0
        sleep $interval
    done
}

example use:
user@host:~$ dd if=/dev/zero of=/tmp/zero bs=1 count=50000000 &
user@host:~$ monitorio /tmp/zero
/tmp/zero changed 4KB 24KB/min 1440KB/hour size: 4164KB
/tmp/zero changed 9168KB 55008KB/min 3300480KB/hour size: 13332KB
/tmp/zero changed 9276KB 55656KB/min 3339360KB/hour size: 22608KB
/tmp/zero changed 8856KB 53136KB/min 3188160KB/hour size: 31464KB
^C
user@host:~$ killall dd; rm /tmp/zero


Is all acclimatization modeled by Newton's Law of Cooling?

Question: I have in mind things like language learning (native or foreign), and growth to adulthood.
Is acclimatization the same thing as saturation? Can the logistic function be regarded as simply an upside-down version of Newton's Law of Cooling?
Regards,
Comment: Do you mean that for $x>>0$, the logistic curve looks similar in shape to exponential decay?  This is not a coincidence, as $1/(1+e^{-x})=1-e^{-x}/(1+e^{-x})\approx 1-e^{-x}$, but for many applications, you care about the short term behavior too, and so the long term similarity is immaterial.
Answer: For Newton's law of cooling, you have exponential decay, $y=A+Be^{-Cx}$, where $A,B,C$ are parameters which control the final temperature, initial temperature, and cooling rate.  It satisfies the differential equation $y'=-C(y-A)$.  Note that if the initial temperature is less than the final temperature, $B$ will be negative and we will have Newton's law of heating.
In contrast, logistic functions are modifications of $\frac{1}{1+e^{-x}}=1-\frac{e^{-x}}{1+e^{-x}}$.  As $x$ gets large, we have $1\gg e^{-x}$ and so $e^{-x}/(1+e^{-x})\approx e^{-x}$, and so for very large $x$, the logistic curve looks a lot like a translated and reflected exponential decay.  However, this is only the long term behavior.
Overall, the logistic curve is very different from exponential decay.  In particular, when $x\ll 0$, it looks like exponential growth.  Indeed, logistic curves have been used to model population growth with a carrying capacity.  If we assume a maximum possible population of $M$, then one model for such growth (which has solution a logistic curve) is given by the differential equation
$$ y'=\kappa y (M-y).$$
When $y$ is very small (relative to $M$), this is approximately $y'=\kappa My$.  When $y$ is approximately $M$, this is approximately $y'=\kappa M (M-y)$.  The first is the equation for exponential growth.  The second is Newton's law of cooling.  Thus, the logistic curve is interpolating between these two different phenomena.
Unfortunately, for population growth or modeling learning or a host of other applications, you have to care about more than what happens at the extreme ends, as the  middle really does matter.  For example, for learning (just like with constrained population growth), if you don't know much, you can't learn much, and if you know almost all there is, you can't learn much, but somewhere in the middle is a sweet spot, where you know enough to be able to assimilate a lot (because you have proper context), while at the same time, there are a lot of things still left to learn.  If you want to model learning, you want to take into account all 3 of these qualitatively different phases, and not just the last one.
Comment: Thank you for your excellent answer, which I have up-voted and accepted.

Is all acclimatization modeled by Newton’s Law of Cooling?


is object constraint language worth the effort?

Question: so OCL is supposed to extend UML when we as a designer/analyst cannot express something with a diagram, is has a full blown specification still, there is not (at least not that i know) any production-ready compiler supported by any major company (Oracle, MS, IBM, Apple, Google for example) that can translate OCL to any intermadiate/machine language, so why would anyone invest in learning such a thing?, why not invest that time in learning an actual programming language instead ? there are a few easy-to-learn fast-to-pick up languages out there (ruby, php, visual basic) and if its only function is to extend UML diagrams why not just write some pseudocode and get done with it?, do we really need to learn a full blown specificacion just for writing a special case of pseudocode ?
Answer: This is similar to the difference between civil engineers and architects face. Architects use CAD software for their projects. The better they know the CAD software, the better the design shall be implemented. Engineers analyse the drawings and make their own calculation - and even change some parts by discussion with the architects. Architects can learn the calculation or the view engineers have however that is not sufficient for proficiency.
Regarding the possibility of UML to application, the code generated will be basic and to most extend will be standard. My experience suggests that will not be sufficient in real world applications due to many requirements of user experience improvements.
Answer: In UML2 you can add constraint on any element directly in the model. I mean click on the element and then add constraint. This constraint information will immediately be saved in the model and in the xmi.
You can create your own parser which will detect any model change and generate code depending on the constraints. Having said that I think that OCL is not anymore so important as it used to be but who knows how it will evolve in the next few years.
Answer: Here I keep a list of OCL tools. Even if it's true that no major software company provides good OCL code generation support, you'll find some tools that can translate ocl to sql and ocl to java.


Internet Connection Speed

Question: I've been experiencing some issues with my connection speed. My router is able to get 650 kbps  download and 650 kbps upload. But when I ran a test (four times) all I got was 14 kbps. I do know the difference between bits and Bytes. my 650 kbps goes to 81.25 kBps and 14 kbps goes to 1.75 kBps and I don't want that. I've done almost all the basic diagnosis like disc cleanup, disc defragmenting, full scan, cookie deletion and none of them seem to be working to increase my speed. I use a disc program called McAfee Security Center for my laptop. And my internet service provider is Sasktel. I tried to download the iTunes program and it's taking me over an hour with 14 kbps. Is there any one who can give me any advice on increasing my connection speed. kthxbye
Answer: Rather than first suspecting the computer, I'd check out the network infrastructure. Are you using appropriate cabling for the modem? Are the phones filtered? Are the cables close to other electronics or cabling? -- it could be EMI problems.
I'd get in contact with your ISP.
Answer: Check and see if you have any programs that are hogging up your upload bandwidth as that may cause your download to be slow. Also check and see that your programs aren't stuck in download mode for an update that doesn't exist (this happened to me once with McAfee).
Other than that, definitely check with your ISP and get them to take a look at what's going in and out of the modem. It is possible that someone else could be stealing your bandwidth. Also try restarting the router by turning it off for 30 seconds and then turning it back on again. Some routers need to be restarted periodically for some reason. How that got past QA, I have no idea...
Answer: Do you have cable or ADSL? If you have ADSL please specify which type (ADSL1 or ADSL2) and find out how to get the noise margins and attenuation for your connection and post them here.
Answer: If you are using DSL, first replace the phone line going to the modem.  Try skipping any router you may be using and go directly to your modem.  If the speeds are still spotty there, go ahead and run a phone line from your demarc to your modem and try there.  If its PPoE dont forget to set up the connection on your system.
If you are able to check the speeds at the demarc and they are bad, you should be able to notify your provider and have them service the issue.  If the speeds are fine at your demarc then the problem is your lines coming in or some hardware/software issue.
If you are getting good speeds are the demarc you need to ensure that your filters are working, unplug everything that will put noise on your line, phones, satelite dish receiver, fax machine etc.  If the speeds improved, hook everything up one by one until you find the noisy culprit.
If you can verify its not the router, the filters, the PC, or the  phone line to the modem and the speeds are fine at the demarc you should take your modem to the ISP and have them verify that it gets good speeds there.  If it does, you need to have them investigate your line for slow throughput.
If cable, disregard the demarc information.  Try skipping the router and going straight to the modem.  try connection to a cable line that is closer to the demarc to make sure its not an issue of a bad splitter or line of cable.
You ISP should also be able to log into there router that you are connected to and view your outgoing connections.  If you are infected you tend to have a lot more outbound connections then normal.  You can also try and use a program like Wireshark to sniff your packets and see what is going on network wise.  If you are behind a router and idle, you should mostly see arp requests.  If you are getting a lot of connections on odd ports etc, you are probably infected with something. Good luck.

Internet Connection Speed


Pastoral Advice Questions

Question: I haven't seen any yet, but I would imagine that we are going to get questions asking for pastoral input. It may be anything from "I can't seem to stop surfing internet porn", to (if we're really having a bad day) "My friend has started cutting herself and cursing Jesus – is she demon-possessed?" We have the potential to be on dangerous ground here, at least as dangerous as medical advice. And like the medical questions, we almost certainly don't have the information anyone would need in order to offer good quality help. How do we want to deal with them?
Comment: "nearly as dangerous?" Did you mean "more dangerous?"
Comment: Yes, this is a [major](http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/409/) [issue](http://meta.judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/48/) [for](http://meta.judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/312/) us on Judaism.SE. Now that we're sharing this issue with more sites, I've [proposed](http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/104821/) a mechanism to help deal with it on MSO.
Comment: Ref. policies on Judaism.SE.
Comment: See also: [But can't I say just one thing?](http://meta.christianity.stackexchange.com/a/1601/914)
Comment: I wasn't intending to be precise. Whichever it is, its dangerous.
Answer: The most important thing is that we resist the temptation of providing an answer. I know that Christians are supposed to love others, and questions like this will undoubtedly tug at the heart-strings, but answering questions like this will always be a disservice to the questioner.
Why? The analogy of a medical diagnosis is a good one. Would any of us make a clinical diagnosis on the basis of a post on the internet? I don't think so. And neither should we make a spiritual one. We simply don't know the people involved, their motivations, their support network, their beliefs, their hurts... By answering requests for pastoral input we are more likely to do harm than good.
What we can do is the following:

Add a note in the FAQ that clearly states that this is a Q&A web site, not a church, and that this means that requests for pastoral input are off-topic.
Immediately close questions like this as off topic. Explain why the question has been closed.
Immediately delete answers that actually give personal advice.
Signpost the questioner to other agencies: their local minister, doctor, Citizens Advice service or whatever appears appropriate. Add a note that explains that we're offering suggestions, but they are no more than that. The questioner must take responsibility for their own actions.
Make it clear that we'd love to help directly, and explain why we can't.
Pray.

The FAQ should contain boilerplate text that covers all of the above, and copy and paste this in (or at least a link) so that questions receive a kind, thoughtful and well-expressed "no" to the request.
Comment: Good answer. It may be appropriate to put a blessing in the comment that refers the questioner.  For example, "Please ask an adult you know and trust...a pastor, counselor, teacher, parent... about this. Get help, you are worth it. May the peace of God that surpasses our understanding guard your heart and mind."
Answer: I think they should be closed promptly as "Off-Topic" and comments can point out a relevant course of action to take instead of consulting this site. This site is not a church. Pastoral advice questions should be referred to the relevant pastor in that persons life. Other resources can also be suggested, but in the form of comments, not answers and the main point should emphasize that that sort of thing is off-topic.
Comment: @wax_eagle [suggested](http://meta.christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/389/add-a-new-close-reason/390#390) that "too localized" might be a better close reason for these, and I tend to agree. The point of my post above is that they should be promptly closed -- what close reason we use can be decided upon.
Answer: What is the difference between "pastoral" and just "a question someone has because it affects them?"  Because that is the main point of an SE, to answer questions that YOU have, that are relevant to YOU.
Sure, if someone is asking for an answer that is only specific to them, it should be closed as "too localized."
"Pastoral" should only mean "the center circle."
However, this does not mean you should not ask questions that are IMPORTANT TO YOU. On SEs, you are encouraged to ask questions that you actually, personally have, not just "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" thought questions.
So here's the first question to get closed on "pastoral" grounds and it demonstrates the weakness of this approach.
Though the poster shares a bunch of personal details, he does not ask "help me!"...  He asks extremely specific and legitimate Christian belief questions.

How is it fair that I am not aloud into heaven when God was the one who made me homosexual?
In that case, should homosexuals be able to marry and love one another
(husband/husband, wife/wife) but be forbidden from sexual conduct?
How can a God who created my body and mind, create a world where I am specifically hated or considered "mentally ill", and/or "not of God".

If someone who wasn't gay asked these same questions, they would be legitimate? If someone was "just askin'" out of morbid curiosity?
So someone who actually has a vested interest in the question can't ask them? And you think that is a positive think that will make this SE more valuable?
There is a huge difference between someone asking for specific pastoral advice, and someone asking about general Christianity questions because they bear upon their specific situation.
I'll be honest, interpreting questions like this as OT is more restrictive than what other "subjective" SEs are doing.  Go look at parenting.SE.  The highest rated questions there are EXACTLY parallel to questions like this one. https://parenting.stackexchange.com/questions/1776/how-can-i-prevent-my-8-year-old-from-spending-time-with-his-bad-friend
Or heck, like my Tyranny of the Weaker Brother question.  It's a point of theology, but it does affect me.  Is that asking for "pastoral advice" and should be mod-closed?  Because I see zero difference in nature between the two questions.
Furthermore, I hear concerns about legal implications of giving religious advice.  Unless this is based on real feedback from the SE team, it is totally a made up concern.  Someone might write bad code based on Stack Overflow and crush someone under a bridge.  Someone can poison themselves off Gardening, or crush their kids' fragile little minds from Parenting. This is known and accepted, and is no different here.
Comment: No, because "How can I stop looking at pornography" has an answer that depends on the person and why they are looking, and no competent pastor would give an answer based on 50 words written on the internet.
Comment: For me the critical point about a pastoral question is that the answer will depend on the person asking it and there circumstances. Questions like "How can I stop looking at pornography", "How can I know if I've committed the unforgiveable sin", and yes the Tyrrany of the Weaker Brother; even "can you get to heaven without believing in Jesus".
Comment: @DJClayworth depend how?  "Because the person cares" is a terrible reason to make something off topic, and one that has no justification.
Comment: I can see both sides of this. I agree with mxyzplk that the questions he's referring to aren't "help me!" pastoral advice questions. But they are worded in a somewhat aggressive, making-a-point way rather than an I'd-like-to-know-more-about-this way - perhaps that's the issue here.
Answer: I've got some good news for you: God actually speaks through people. Furthermore, He has made us able to communicate for a very good reason: so that we can communicate good and useful things to each other, which is part of loving each other as we love ourselves. As such there are many blessings available through wholesome communication. Whilst it's true that people abuse the gift of communication, if we allow this to prohibit communication in any way, evil has won: as long as evil can stop good being commuincated, that cuts off those in need of help from that help: a cruel blow to many. Of course God can send help to them through any number of sources other than this website, but it does seem strange that the most helpful form of communication (pastoral advice) is what's being prohibited. For any pastoral advice to be credible, it must surely refer to The Bible, which thankfully we've been provided precisely for the purpose of answering such questions.
On the related subject of what this site is supposed to be about, this is what the site currently says its about: 'Q&A for committed Christians, experts in Christianity and those interested in learning more'. I've seen these words on another question: 'brothers we are not Christians'. It seems at best misleading, at worst dishonest, to claim to be a site where committed Chrsitians can ask questions but not answer them. Anyone reading the description of the site above would surely conclude that answers are provided by committed Chrsitians. Why would a committed Christian seek guidance on the Bible from someone who isn't a committed Christian. It's utterly preposterous.
Comment: It doesn't say anywhere the committed Christians can't answer questions. But the point is that non=Christians can also answer questions, if they have the necessary knowledge.
Comment: ok, but by ruling out 'pastoral advice' questions, I argue that least some if not the majority of useful questions and answers are prohibited. The chief (if not only) preoccuapation of the committed Christian is to find out and practice the will of God and to communicate it to others. This preoccpation seems prohibited on this website and I think the description of the website is misleading as a result.
Comment: The "no pastoral advice" rule actually addresses the other problem you have - because we don't allow personal advice we don't have non-Christians providing "guidance on the Bible from someone who isn't a committed Christian." One of these is necessary.
Comment: @bluesh34 I understand where you're coming from, but that's simply not the purpose of this site. I struggled with whether or not this site was a waste of my time for that very reason. I know I'm not going to reach lost souls through this site. The reason I use this site is that it helps me to understand various doctrines and differences between Christian groups so that I am better equipped to do God's will elsewhere. If you're hoping only that this site is an avenue to spread the Truth of God's word, or learn His will, this site is going to be a waste of your time.
Comment: There's more on the reason giving pastoral advice online is a bad idea [here](http://meta.christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/1457/another-reason-this-is-not-a-christian-site)
Comment: IMO, the about page is in desperate need of a rewrite. That being said, this post might help you out: [Newcomers: Be patient. You will get there if you follow our direction. Keep trying](http://meta.christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/1927/newcomers-be-patient-you-will-get-there-if-you-follow-our-direction-keep-tryi)
Comment: @Ryan Frame One of what is necessary and which one?
Comment: Either preventing pastoral/personal advice questions or allowing non-Christians to provide guidance. If we allow these questions then we cannot keep *anyone and everyone* from answering them.

Pastoral Advice Questions


What does the sentence "It's just like him, to have to have the last word" mean?

Question: I heard this on a TV show and I've never really heard a sentence similar to it before. I'd appreciate it if you would help me out with the meaning of the sentence  and its structure.
Answer: "Having the last word" means making the final statement in an argument between two people. Obviously every argument has to end, and so someone has to have the last word, but it can be difficult to let the other person have the last word, as it feels like the person who has the last word has "won".
If someone "has to have the last word", it means that they can't finish an argument by listening to the other person. A person who has to have the last word always has to "win", they can't compromise
"Its just like him" is a way of talking about a person's character by describing their typical behaviour:

He's really rude. It's just like him to leave the dinner table before others have finished eating.
He's so kind. It's just like him to help the old lady who lives next door.

So this is saying talking about his character by saying he usually has to have the last word in an argument. In other words, he is the sort of person that usually wins arguments. He must have a very forceful personality. But is unable to compromise or listen to other people's viewpoint.  It means they are obstinate and can't back down, even when they are clearly wrong.
This is a negative thing to say about a person.
Comment: A great answer, but it might be even more helpful if you also explained the meaning(s) of "to have to." (Here it means the person insists on having the last word, but it can also mean "to need to," "to be required to," etc.) The fact that the quotation includes the seemingly odd phrase "to have to have" might be one source of the OP's confusion. Also, I don't quite agree that this necessarily means "he is the sort of person that usually wins [an] argument." Mightn't it just mean he's obstinate and can't back down even when he has clearly lost an argument?


Should I use aluminum and copper to make woodworking tools?

Question: I can make aluminum tools here at home. I can melt metal and anything like copper to 2000 F degrees. Would aluminum not be a good idea when it comes to tools? I want to make a thing for a lathe like a flat edge. But with it being aluminum would it keep its edge on wood? Would it bend? What if I used copper; would it still keep its edge or not and bend like aluminum? I am very curious as to what will happen, and if it is a good idea or not. If not why is it such a bad idea. I know it will more than likely not last as long as steel on wood but does anybody have a guess?
Answer: In short, copper and aluminum are soft metals, and you'd need to consider the quality of the casting and the metallurgical treatment of the tool as well. It sounds like a fun project, but watch out for potential catastrophic failure of the tool.
The first metal tools used by man were copper and copper alloys (bronze and brass). The main problem with these metals is that they are much softer than steel, thus holding an edge for less time and also in a greater risk of bending the tool itself (and not just the cutting edge). Aluminum in pure form (i.e. not an alloy of aluminum) is even softer than copper.
A further issue is with the quality of the casting. How well can you create a uniform alloy and then cast it so that the finished tool will not have any voids or weak spots due to poorly mixed alloy or other flaws? Any such issues will impact the strength of the tool.
Finally, there is a large difference in metal hardness with different treatment methods after the initial casting. Metals most often can be annealed (softened), tempered (toughened) and hardened. A good tool steel alloy can be hardened to twice (or more) the hardness of the original steel.
Now for some numbers (comparing different hardness scales is difficult, but just so that you have the right impression):

On the most commonly used Rockwell hardness scale, steel and copper/aluminum don't even use the same scale (there are HRC for steels and HRB for softer metals). Typical tool steel is about 60 HRC, while brass (which is harder than pure copper) is about 70 HRB. However, 70 HRB is much softer than even 1 HRC.
On the Brinell hardness scale, tool steel has a hardness of about 700, while aluminum is 15 and copper is 35. And just for comparison, hardwoods have a hardness of 3 to 7, so your aluminum tool might be only slightly harder than the wood it is cutting. I would imagine it would be like cutting pine with an oak chisel. The most dense hardwoods are probably even harder than copper (woods like Lignum Vitae).

Finally, since you are asking about tools for a lathe, I would be very careful. Lathes exert a lot of force on the turning chisels, and it might cause a catastrophic failure, especially if there is some flaw or void in the casting. The tool might snap suddenly, sending shards flying at high speed.
At the end, it does sound like a nice project to try out, but I would start from tools that don't have such a high risk of damage. A marking knife would be a good start - it will allow you to assess the edge holding capabilities of the metal you are working, and would be pretty safe should the tool suddenly break. Then I would step up to small hand chisels (not for lathe work) and then progress from there if results are satisfactory.
Comment: Okay, that was very helpful! I will make other things than tools then. But would there even be a metal that melts under 2000 degrees F and still be strong enough to work? If not then it is not a big deal, lathe tools and stuff are at a fair price and I do not mind spending the money. Thank you!
Comment: In general, there is some correlation between melting point and hardness (http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/defmech/chapter_18.htm), so you'll probably won't find a metal that melts at 2000 F and is harder than copper. Perhaps trying to achieve a hard alloy of copper will be easier (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_copper_alloys). Some of those start coming close to iron an mild steel (which are pretty far from tool steel, but better than nothing).
Answer: With such soft tools you might make tools that are supposed to dent instead of cut hardwood.  I am thinking of position adjusters like hammers and small sledges.
A copper hammer for your chisels would be nice. Aluminium is too light I guess but why not try?
You can make corners and decorations.
You can make some nice tool holders, steam punk style, and take advantage of the metal being strong while not denting the tools.
You can make jigs.
Comment: That's a very good suggestion. Brass especially is often used for high quality woodworking tools (not cutting edges) and jigs.
Answer: As a former machinist, aluminum for turning tools is a "no-go". Sorry. But, you can fashion a beautiful dead-blow hammer from raw aluminum. And a lot of other great gadgets to compliment you woodworking.
I would be interested in seeing and purchasing a dead-blow hammer.


How do you track and measure multitasked work and deliverables between different teams?

Question: Projects have different tasks. As PM, you need to measure how effective the team member with the task he/she is executing. What if the team member multitasks? How do you measure multitasking? I have no idea.
Answer: Are you doing EV on your projects?  If not, implement it.  With it, you can measure your cost and schedule (to a point) performance of your work packages.  Analyzing your indices, you can narrow down where you are over or under performing and then dig deeper from there.
Answer: If the team member is multitasking, then his or her work falls into one of two categories:

Work that you have handed out;
Work that you have not handed out.

When you hand out a task, you should ensure that you agree a delivery date for that work, and monitor whether that delivery was achieved. Initially, at least, you can probably ignore the work that you have not handed out (unless the team member is taking work on without authority, which is a completely different issue.) Over time you will get a good understanding of whether the team member is usually achieving what has been agreed or not. If he or she is, then you have no real problem. However, if not, then you need to investigate whether the other manager (ie of the other team that has a call on the team member's time) is also concerned. At that point, it becomes a discussion between the two managers.
One further concern is that the team member could be playing the two teams off against each other, so even if the work is being done, you should probably still meet with the other manager to establish whether you both think you are getting a fair day's work from the person... If not, you may have to start monitoring performance on a more regular basis to find out what is happening.


Cheap metal to replace platinum in hydrogen fuel cell

Question: Platinum is used as a catalyst in hydrogen fuel cells because it increases the efficiency. However, if I just want to make a fuel cell for demonstration purposes, I don't want to use a lot of money to buy platinum wires. What "common" metal (aluminium, iron, etc.) works the best for a hydrogen fuel cell?
Comment: Actually, I've seen carbon used, but as far as I know only on the electrolysis end; it isn't that great of a conductor. Most metals are bad because they tend to ionize easily (and thus effectively corrode).
Comment: for demonstration purpose it is easier to stick with platinum despite its cost. It is possible to use, say, nickel on hydrogen end and a metal oxide covered  electrode on oxygen end, but the setup is a lot less reliable. Platinum wire is useful for other thing as well (say, for flame test)
Comment: Platinum "wires" won't get you very far anyway. An old, proven design is the alkaline fuel cell, which supposedly runs very well with silver or nickel.
Answer: We have tinkered with this a little. Currently, a handful of others have been experimenting with certain blends of metals, using lower costs to create equal reactions.
I have heard a lot of different ratios of Ni/Cu and Pd blends. But a good experimental blend (if your making a reasonable size batch), would comprise of a ZrO2–Pd(x)D core, with (x) varying as a slew of other metals.
 This article is regarding the direct deposition of hydrogen on palladium, probably a little more refined towards what you where searching.
While im not sure how intricate your going to get with your experimental cell, here is some good food for thought., If you can create a vessel with proper pressure safety, academic groups have been experimenting with super critical fluids, trying to test metallic blends as catalysts under states past standard classical critical conditions.
Answer: I would use alluminum plates. I've already tried it once and it's a great way to demostrate how a fuel cell works but where the bubbler (hydrogen) is you'll notice small signs of corrosion after 2 minutes of use. Mine were 1 1cm thick and they did their jobs perfectly. Alluminum should be your best bet.
Comment: thanks, this kind of thing was what i was looking for. the experiment has already passed but I'll keep this in mind for future use.
Comment: After I started my own project I've ended up using Graphite instead. They are easier to find and replace since the cost is way less.


Technology Selection for a dynamic product

Question: We are building a product for Procurement Domain in JAVA.
Following are the main technical requirements.

Platform Independent
Database Independent
Browser Independent

In functional requirements the product is very dynamic in nature. The main reason being the procurement process around the world is different from client to client.
Briefly we need to have a dynamic workflow engine and a dynamic template engine. The workflow engine by which we can define any kind of workflows and the template engine allows us to define any kind of data structures and based on definition it can get the user input through workflow.
We have been developing this product for almost 2 years. It has been a long time till we can get down with the dynamics of requirements.
Till now we have developed a basic workflow and template engine and which is in use at one of the client.
We have been using following technologies.

GWT-Ext (Front End Framework)
Hibernate (Database Layer)

In between we have faced some issues with GWT-Ext (mainly browser compatibility) and database optimization due to sub classing in hibernate.
For resolving GWT-Ext issue, which a dying community so we decided to move to SmartGWT. In SmartGWT we faced issues related to loading and now we are able to finalize that GWT 2.3 will be the way to go as the library is rich and performance is upto the mark.
We are able to almost finalize GWT-Spring based front and middle layer.
In hibernate, we found main issues with sub-classing due to that it was throwing astronomical queries and sometimes it would stop firing any queries for 5-10 seconds or may be around 30 seconds and then resume again. Few days back I came to one article related to ORM.
I am a traditional .Net SQL developer and I have always worked with relational database. Reading through this article, I also found it relating to the issues I face. I am still not completely convinced of using hibernate and this article just supported my opinion.
Following are the questions for which I am looking for an answer.

Should we be going with Hibernate in case of dynamic database requirements and the load of the data will be heavy in future? How can we partition the data, how we can efficiently join the data, how we can optimize the queries? If the answer is no then how do we achieve database independence?
Is our choice related to GWT and Spring proper or do we need to change that too?
Should we use any other key value pair database if the data is dynamic in nature and it is very difficult to make it relational?
Comment: I'm predicting you're going to fall prey to the Inner Platform Antipattern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner-platform_effect)
Answer: Browser independence is relatively easy to achieve, and if this is a web application, then platform independence isn't an issue (unless you mean deployment platform), and java does provide this to a large degree.
Database independence is an entirely separate matter. In 20 years of writing software I have not been able to properly crack that one. And, TBH, once you have a successful product, and customers are willing to pay for it, then it doesn't actually matter that much.
To some degree I support tdammers comment. And it is from this aspect that I would actually advocate not to use any ORM tool. For anything that requires complex and diverse data persistence, ORM tools will not give you what you need. You are much better off with a properly implemented data access layer of your own. That will give you the flexibility to refactor and subclass as and when needed and tune the database queries in the right places.


Can the mods see who is flagging?

Question: Can the moderators see who is flagging a particular post? Does it come anonymously like we see in "Close Votes" review? Or the name of the person who is flagging is shown to them?
Answer: Moderators can see who is flagging a post.
Close votes are not entirely anonymous either, when 5 votes are cast (or the first moderator vote), the users who voted to close the question are visible to all, and named in the close notice. They only retain anonymity until that threshold is reached.
I think this is mostly good, you should be willing to be seen to vote to close a post, or to flag a post too. The ability to hide behind anonymity could be a cover for mean behavior. People who flag or close should do it for the benefit of the site community, and therefore should be happy to be seen. Luckily this is fairly typical of the regular users here.
Comment: I haven't seen it happen on movies yet, but on some of the more technical sites people can get into long arguments about closed questions. lol, they are fun to read.

Can the mods see who is flagging?


I need help powering a raspberry pi by a solar panel

Question: I want to power my raspberry pi model 1B(not plus) with a solar panel I have. I know that there is a built in voltage regulator so what is the voltage range I can put in? I know 5 volts works but what about 3.5 or 10? Also how many amps will I need? I've heard from 1/2 an amp to 1 amp. Will I need an external rechargeable battery or external voltage regulator? And what size solar panel will I need?
Comment: Given the information you have provided it is impossible to tell if you need an external battery, voltage regulator, or the size of the solar panel you need.
Answer: If we assume your solar panels won't be providing enough current all the time(when there's not enough sun) you need a rechargeable battery.
If your rechargeable battery outputs a voltage out of the voltage range 4.75V-5.25V then you'll need to make some voltage regulation for sure.
As joan said you'll need amps enough to cover consumption which depends on what you are planning with Pi. If you lack power then Pi will malfunction and you won't want it.
Answer: Well, feeding the Pi directly from a solar panel won't work since the current from a panel (and by extension the voltage) varies wildly, depending on the light conditions.
At a minimum you need a battery, a solar charger, a 5 volt regulator and some voltage monitoring so you can safely shut down the Pi when the voltage of the battery drops below a minimum.
A possible setup would be a solar panel that can charge a 12 volt battery, a small 12 volt 'gel' battery, a suitable solar charger, a 12-to-5 volt regulator (use a switching power type, not a simple downregulator like a 7805). That should power your Pi. The Pi itself needs about an Amp at full power. A small 1.2 Ah gel battery would last about an hour then.
The next problem is a voltage monitor so the Pi can shut itself down cleanly if the battery voltage gets too low (i.e. at night and cloudy days). A simple resistor network connected to a analog input of the PI could do that. However, the next problem is starting up the Pi again when the battery is charged again. You need an external circuit that monitors the battery voltage, and either pulses the reset pin on the Pi or turns on the power (assuming the shutdown circuit turned it off). Something with an opamp and zener diode comes to mind...
You can feed the remaining electronics either directly from the 12 volt battery or 5 volt power supply. It would make sense to also add a circuit that powers down the peripherals when the Pi powers down and vice versa.
Comment: the pi does not have any analog pins.
Answer: The Pi is meant to be powered from the microUSB socket.  That was chosen in part to ensure only a safe voltage would be fed into the Pi.  The Pi expects 5V +/- 0.25V, i.e. between 4.75V and 5.25V.
Only you know what you will be powering so you will have to work out how many amps you need.
Answer: The Pi usually takes a little less or more than 5V (give or take 0.25V). 1000 mA works but it can need as much as 2000 mA depending on the peripherals connected to it.


Possible bug in inserting link over selected text

Question: I experienced a bit of really weird behavior on superuser this morning.  I created a new ticket, and in that ticket I had made two links.  The first link I added after typing some stuff, and I made it by selecting some text in the editor, pressing ctrl+l, pasting my link in there, then hitting ok.  It worked fine, and the text in the preview was correct.
When I submitted the ticket, the entire block of text between my first and second link became part of the hyperlink.  When I went to edit the post, the actual markup looked to be ok, so I removed the first link from my post.  After I saved my edits, there was no history of the previous version to be found!
Edit: Ok, I guess that there is an explanation for that behavior, as Kent points out.
I realize this sounds very crazy and probably hard to reproduce.  It would be nice if we had some type of sandbox to experiment around in without having to worry about generating a bunch of junk questions on the site, or does such a thing already exist.
FWIW I'm using chrome on vista.
Comment: Like a formatting sandbox? http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/3122/formatting-sandbox/
Answer: Edits in quick succession "squash" history-wise.
To give each edit own version history
Comment: Thanks, didn't realize that.  Original post edited with that in mind.


Estimating tasks using points

Question: I recently started working in an environment where task estimation is done using points. I failed to find any resources that underline the benefits of this process so I must turn to SO community to figure out what they are. If any of you have worked in a Scrum environment that uses points to estimate tasks, what are the main benefits over using hours?
Comment: I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because [project management is now off-topic on Stack Overflow](//meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/343829/is-stack-overflow-an-appropriate-website-to-ask-about-project-management-issues/343841#343841). Ask these questions on [SoftwareEngineering.SE](//softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/) and [ProjectManagement.SE](//pm.stackexchange.com/) instead. (Unfortunately, this question is too old to be  migrated.)
Answer: tl;dr The difference in naming is semantic, it's to help you think about estimates differently/properly.
When I worked on a Scrum team, the Scrum Master explained to me, that the point of points (pun intended) was that they are supposed to be an indicator of scale of the problem. If do your estimates in terms of time, then (non-technical people, PHBs especially) people will start thinking of your estimates as deadlines. If an admin page is estimated at 32 hours, those kinds of people will want "just" that page by the end of the week... despite the fact that it depends on other behind-the-scenes stuff which may take a 100 hours and might be part of a separate task or even story. Also, you could be wrong (and probably are) so it's important to think of these are scale indicators rather than how long it will take.
Answer: One of the tenets of Agile is feedback: measure and adapt. The benefit of using points over hour is that it's much easier to answer the question "is this task twice as big as this other", rather than "how long will it take the team to deliver that task", especially in the beginning of a project. As the project progresses, you observe how many points get shipped per unit of time, and you can easily determine if tasks can be done in a certain timeframe. In essence, this is equivalent at that point to estimating hours, but the estimates are based on the observed past of the team, including all the intangible factors that make estimation difficult (do people work well together, non coding activities that eat time) - and you avoid "time haggling".
Answer: Scrum doesn't specify how you estimate the remaining work of a sprints plan.  Sounds like you're using tasks to create your plan.  Some teams I've been part of successfully used the number of tasks as their sum of remaining work.  Some used hours.  Some teams simply use the remaining number of Product Backlog Item story points as the measure of what's remaining.
I have not worked with teams that estimate Tasks and Stories (PBIs) with points, but if they've come to understand the difference in economies I imagine it can work for them.
Answer: Estimation in Scrum is a critical aspect to understand and do effectively. It's very common for engineers (especially) to have come from more traditional estimation practices that are based in hours.  And we all know just how error prone these have been historically.
The premise behind points is that they are an estimate of the relative weight (basically, effort) of one story compared to another.  So if I say a particular story is weighted as a "2", and another story is weighted as a "5", I'm really saying that story #2 is roughly twice the size of story #1.  It turns out that humans are extremely well adapted to comparing items against each other - "this is bigger than that", "this is a lot bigger than that", etc.  We're not so good at assigning absolutes - "this is exactly 3 cubic meters in size". Thus why assigning arbitrary #'s of hours to work items has typically yielded very poor results in practices.
Where points come into play is in the velocity for a sprint.  This is simply a measure of how many points a group of people have typically completed in a given block of time, usually 2 - 4 weeks. After a short number of sprints and assuming the team members stay together, the velocity tends to stabilize regardless of what types of stories the team is working on.  However, it's critical that the team members create the point estimates themselves and not a Scrum Master, Manager or other non-team member.  Otherwise the whole process breaks down and sprints will likely fail.
Points are also a reflection of the complexity of a story.  The farther you move up the points spectrum to say, 20, 40, etc, the more risky and complex that story really is for that team.  So although you could say that a story of size 20 is roughly 4 times the size of a 5 pt story, it's also true that a 20 pt story may in reality be really 25 or 30 points in size; the complexity and scope of the story is leading to an estimate that is likely less reliable.  So typically a team will work with the Product Owner to size stories at a 2-5 point size where possible; not too big, not too small.
Finally, as a team becomes more skilled with Scrum, it's possible to begin to perform projections into the future of when a suite of stories, typically called an epic, would be completed.  This gets to setting target dates for products or features.  If a set of stories is estimated in points by a team, and that team's velocity has stabilized, you can project out the # of sprints it will likely take to complete the work assuming no further changes to the backlog.  I do this with my teams on several projects from new products to maintenance releases and it can be quite accurate, far more accurate than when we relied on hours in the pre-Scrum days.
The benefit in moving to points from hours can be summed up thus:

Estimating in points is faster.
Estimating in points is more accurate.
Estimating in points is easier.

Estimating tasks using points


Employer doesn't offer a 401(k).  Where can I invest pre-tax dollars?

Question: My employer doesn't offer a 401k and it doesn't look like they will anytime soon. I already have a maxed out Roth IRA, so I would really like to do something with pre-tax dollars before I push my money into something else. Can I setup my own 401k and invest into that?
Comment: Do you have an emergency fund set up already outside any sort of account that would penalise you if you're withdrawing money from it?
Comment: If you have to bite the bullet and invest outside a tax shelter, get some simple index funds with low turnover and low expense ratios. Long-term capital gains and dividend rates are better than income tax, anyway.
Comment: @Timo Yep, already have an emergency money market fund w/ six months of income in it.
Comment: good for you!
Comment: If you want to invest pre-tax dollars so much, you should have contributed to a Traditional IRA instead of a Roth IRA
Comment: Where can I go to sign up for a 401k plan? My job does not offer one, and I would like to save some for my son when he gets older.
Answer: You are already doing everything you can.
If your employer does not have a 401(k) you are limited to investing in a Roth or a traditional IRA (Roth is post tax money, traditional IRA gives you a deduction so it is essentially pre tax money).  The contribution limits are the same for both and contributing to either adds to the limit (so you can't duplicate).
CNN wrote an article on some other ways to save:

Roth or regular IRA
Insurance products (blech)
Low cost investments (index funds, etfs, tax free muni bonds)
Plead with your employer

One thing you may want to bring up with your employer is that they could set up a SEP-IRA.  This allows them to set a % (up to 25%) that they contribute pre-tax to an IRA for everyone at the company that has worked there at least 3 years.  If you are at a small company, maybe everyone with that kind of seniority would take an equivalent pay cut to get the automatic retirement contribution?  (Note that a SEP-IRA has to apply to everyone equally percentage wise that has worked there for 3 years, and the employer makes the contribution, not you).
Comment: A [SIMPLE IRA](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SIMPLE_IRA) is also a possibility for your employer, but I'm not sure there's an advantage over the SEP.
Answer: If you have kids, there are also 529 funds to consider. They aren't pre-tax, but do have tax advantages. If your employer doesn't have a 401k, chances are they don't offer Health Savings Accounts, but that is another thing to look at.
Comment: No kids and no HSA at work. I think the lack of a 401k is just one of the drawbacks of working for a small company. I'm giving Michael credit for the answer because it's more applicable to my situation...I'll give you an upvote though.
Answer: It's not pre-tax but you can consider some short term municipal bonds. The interest is tax free. I would keep to short term ones (1 year maturity), so that you aren't affected by big swings in interest rates and can get your money back within a year.


How are organic walled microfossils preserved in the fossil record?

Question: Organic walled microfossils have no hard mineralised parts, how are they preserved in the fossil record?
Comment: Lots of things without hard skeletons are preserved in the fossil record (plants, algae, coprolites, the Ediacara, and so on). Have you read much about the fossilization process? Is there something special about microfossils that interests you?
Comment: The question came from a conversation I had with a PhD student once at a research institution who was studying foraminifera, who scoffed at the notion that organic walled microfossils could ever preserve. I am also aware that other members have been critical of questions that are left too open.
Comment: Given that they do preserve (as you indicate in the question, and as any palynologist will attest), and given that lots of other non-skeletal things do too (as I pointed out), and given that we believe we understand at least some fossilization processes (as you can easily research), I guess my question is "Why wouldn't they?" Do you know why this student scoffed?
Comment: I suspect he subscribed to the church of mineralisation or the flesh is weak or something, it took me aback that a PhD student in such a field as micropalaeo would react to the suggestion in such a way.
Answer: Organic-walled microfossils (wether they be dinoflagellates, pollens, spores or "acritarchs")  all have in common to contain an organic compound known as sporopollenin (for the spores and pollens) or dinosporin (for dinoflagellates and, I believe, acritarchs as well). Both compounds have chemical and structural similarities but have appeared independently.
Those compound are incredibly resistant. To give you an idea, to collect siliceous microfossils we first dissolve the sediments with HCl (hydrochloric acid) to get rid of carbonate microfossils. Palynologists (who study such organic-walled microfossils) uses HF (hydrofluoric acid) to get rid of both carbonate and siliceous microfossils (e.g. Doher 1980). Sporopollenin therefore resist to HF, which has a pH of ca. 3. In addition to this, they are also unusually resistant to microbiological degradation (e. g. Gunnison & Alexander 1975).
They are however not resistant to oxydation, hence, probably, why we don't find more of them in the sediments. Additionally, to break sporopollenin walls (in order to study the inner side of those walls) ultrasound can be used (e. g. Lennie 1968).
"Organic-walled" doesn't mean no hard part, it just means no "mineral" hard part.
Sources:
Doher, I., 1980. Palynomorph preparation procedures currently used in the paleontology and stratigraphy laboratories, U.S. Geological Survey. Geological Survey circular, 830: 1-29.
Gunnison, D., Alexander, M., 1975. Basis for the resistance of several algae to microbial decomposition. Applied Microbiology, 29: 729-738.
Lennie, C. R., 1968. Palynological Techniques used in New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Geology and Geophysics, 11: 1211-1221.

At the request of the OP, a little word on another group of organic-walled microfossil with a extensive, coherent Paleozoic fossil record: the Chitinozoans.
This enigmatic group was found by Eisenack (1931) and because of their resistance to acids & bases he thought they consisted of chitin, hence the name he gave them. However studies (Voss-Foucart & Jeuniaux 1972; Jacob et al. 2007) showed that they do not consist of chitin or any kind of chitin-like bioproduct but of a network of kerogen with aromatic compounds. The diagenetic path that lead to this chemical composition is however unknown, meaning that we know neither what was their chemical composition when those organisms (NB: we don't know as well what their biological affinities are, though metazoan eggs seem to be a popular hypothesis, see e.g. Paris & Nõlvak 1999) were alive nor how they preserved.
Additional sources:
Eisenack, A., 1931. Neue Mikrofossilien des baltischen Silurs I.
Palaeontologische Zeitschrift, 13: 74–118.
Jacob, J., et al., 2007. New insights into the chemical composition of chitinozoans. Organic Geochemistry, 36(10): 1782–1788.
Paris, F. & Nõlvak, J., 1999. Biological interpretation and paleobiodiversity of a cryptic fossil group: The "chitinozoan animal". Geobios, 32(2): 315-324.
Voss-Foucart, M.F. & Jeuniaux, C., 1972. Lack of chitin in a sample of Ordovician chitinozoa. Journal of Paleontology, 46: 769–770.
Comment: Answer is not just useful, it's awesome.
Comment: Just a mention of chitinozoans for completeness.
Comment: Ah indeed I forgot chitinozoans. But chitinozoans (as far as I know) do not contain sporopollenin. In fact I don't think anybody ever checked what they were made of (Eisenhack called them Chitinozoan because it "looked" like chitin but i don't think anybody tried to confirm or infirm it). I'll add something whenever I'll find some literature on their taphonomy.


Why do some tuned cars have very inclined tires?

Question: I've seen photographs of cars with strange inclined tires like the one in the picture I pasted here. They seems to be Japanese cars. Is it for drifting? Maybe for appearance?  Do the tires get injuries?
Comment: Because people are stupid.
Comment: Where we're going, we don't need roads!
*zooms off into the clouds*
Comment: I used to see this regularly decades ago on modified original VW Beetles. I assumed it was because lower those cars any other way was very difficult, but I could be wrong. I didn't see it on any other cars until much later when bosozoku/ricers came to be a thing(s?)
Answer: The tilt of the wheel is known as the camber angle.  Tilting the wheel in that manner is called negative camber.  Doing it the other way around (top outwards) is positive camber.
Mounting the wheel with a negative camber improves grip under hard cornering as it counteracts rolling.  On a completely level tire (0 camber), when a horizontal force is applied to the rubber, it rolls, causing the inner edge of the contact patch on the outer wheel (and the outer edge on the inner wheel) to lift, reducing the size of the contact patch, and subsequently grip.  By tilting the tire inwards, this is counteracted, but at the cost of a reduced contact patch when driving in a straight line.  It's a tradeoff and requires careful modelling and testing to determine the optimal camber angle for a given vehicle.
Some F1 cars utilize variable camber systems, allowing the camber angle to be adjusted on the fly, giving ~0 camber on the straights and proper amounts (again, determined by careful modelling and testing) of positive/negative camber when turning.
That extreme amount of camber on the car you showed is purely stylistic and would be horrible for both tire wear and handling, but lesser amounts of camber are common.  For example, the negative camber angle is plainly visible on the wheels of this Ferrari F1 car.

If you're only turning in one direction (i.e. oval racing), you can further optimize by applying both positive and negative camber to the inner and outer wheels respectively, countering the rolling on both wheels, giving you maximum grip when cornering.  This is pretty much seen in NASCAR.
Comment: +1 for showing how F1 cars (presumably the cars that would need the most extreme camber angle) apply the technique, thus illustrating just how excessive it is when done much more than this as a "cosmetic" modification.
Answer: In this specific example the car is more than likely using airbags.  When you decrease or increase the height of a car it affects the tire alignment by usually causing positive camber, pushing the top of the tires outward, this is a highly modified suspension system.
This particular person has modified their suspension so the top of the tires tuck in when the airbags deflate so they don't hit the fender well.  Which not possible with a dual wishbone configuration, so more than likely its a basic strut assembly.
Most people will adjust their cars for negative camber, this way during hard cornering when the tire deforms on the vertical axis you get the largest amount of rubber on the road.  Most tuners overdo this past performance and into the realm of looking good.
Comment: For the most subjective possible meaning of "good".
Comment: That's the beauty of car culture, we have so many definition of what "good" is and what each sub culture enjoys.  See https://jalopnik.com/5651022/meet-rusty-slammington-m5-gets-chopped-slammed-and-rubbed-the-wrong-way
Answer: The question assumes that the car is a drivable configuration, which may not be true. This car and similar photos you have seen probably have Height adjustable suspension this allows the ride height of the car to be changed on demand.
In all likelihood the frame of the car pictured is sitting on the ground. The suspension has been lowered (or tires raised) through a powered operator controlled method, until the tires are no longer supporting the car. There are several variables, but as you can see in the question image, the tires on the vehicle will not clear the body panels without being tipped in for the current ride height.
Alternatively @Freiheit has a good explanation also.  A search for images on Google finds some images of vehicles that appear to be moving with similar extreme camber.
Answer: It is entirely for style.
This is called "camber".
The tires will wear in an odd manner. The tire contact with the road is usually a rectangle on the bottom of the tire. This extreme camber makes the contact patch very small and near the inside edge of the tire. This does significantly reduce grip.
Comment: Perhaps in the photograph it's entirely for style but I've ran two or three degrees of negative camber on tarmac racecars as it significantly improves grip available at turn-in when the car weights up.  Reason is the action of the car turning, for example, right pushes weight over the left.  This pushes the tyre flat onto the road surface providing maximum grip in a hard cornering scenario.
Answer: As @Compro01 said, a few degrees of camber helps cornering. Too much camber places all of the weight on a small section of the tire, making it wear out faster and reducing grip when you're driving in a straight line. Racecars can get away with that because the tires only need to last for one race.
The photo in the question is definitely a case of too much camber. That car is going to be undrivable in that configuration. If you drive like this, the sidewalls will come in contact with the road surface. The sidewalls aren't designed for this and the tire will fail soon. You also need gigantic tire pressure to avoid the rims hitting the tarmac.
Especially in Japanese car culture, some drivers employ really exaggerated modifications: front spoilers 50 cm long, tailpipes sticking out 2 m beyond the rear bumper, and 45° of camber.
In some cars (e.g. with swing axles as used on the VW Beetle), when you lower the suspension you automatically/inevitably get increased camber. With live axles and modern independent suspension this is much less pronounced. With double wishbone suspension it doesn't happen at all.


Regarding unhelpful and weird comments by some user with a big reputation

Question: I have recently asked a question about Physicalism and if there are any useful thought experiments against the concept , like Mary's Room and Searle's Chinese Room ; I think it was Jobermark who replied 'I refuse to answer this question , I want to rant and rave about it , it is evil'. I commented this reply is not very helpful and gave a downvote. He later replied it is also not helpful to not have a sense of humor. The way his replies were put didn't seem humorous , more antagonistic. Like trying to intimidate me into giving up. I have recieved a lot of criticism on these sites for my contravertial questions and responces yet I  still plod along trying to hopefully promote some useful idea.
Comment: Can you provide links to specific posts and comments? Even if they are deleted, I will be able to see them.
Comment: So, the editor-contributor Jobermark has a "big reputation" does he?  What is he known for?  Personally, I have not found his questions or solutions very helpful.  He might try easing his own "anti-Christian" bias by a simple *re-reading* of the Gospel of John and the New Testament at-large.  Or, perhaps Revelation, Chapter 13 would serve as a start.  If he has read such at all.  Much good has come from Christianity and will yet follow.  Perhaps time will tell.  In the meantime, it could be that some other line of work might pose better (more life-enhancing) possibilities for Jobermark.
Comment: I wrote the question I just mentioned 'About the philosophy of Physicalism'. This is a specific post just a few days ago. The seemingly negative responces where by Jobermark. He says later the question is from a religious bias and I never mentioned religion; all I asked is if there where any thought experiments like Mary's room that are against physicalism. Is the 'MARY'S ROOM' thought experiment from a religious bias? I was actually afraid a bit to look back at these posts and see the responses.
Answer: From that question you mention, it seems jobermark posted an answer to the question which you did not like. The first sentence was originally not very tactful ("I refuse to answer this question. I consider it evil. And I want to rant about that.") and probably are the cause of his downvotes. But other than that, when you read the rest of the answer it seems reasonable. He did alter the first sentence since you've posted this META question and it reads fine now. From this question alone I see no issue with the current state of things.
Do you have other examples you want to point out? Otherwise, I would encourage you to not take people's comments and criticism to heart. While some people have more tact than others, in the end I think most people here are good, honest people, and are not deliberately trying to insult you or make your time here miserable — they are at worst just offering their opinions but more often than not they are also trying to help you and other users learn things.
Perhaps we can have you chat with jobermark here so you can reach an understanding?
Comment: @user128932 it was news to me that it has some religious bias. I thought the "I refuse to answer" your question thing was bizarre. There's no point in saying things like that. When I refuse to answer questions... I don't post answers to them.
Comment: Not all writers are 'stoic philosophers'. Diplomacy should be the default or assumed tactic when communicating. Wasn't Wittgenstein extremely emotional or 'passionate' as they say when he analysed or argued about a problem. Kurt Godel , that great logician got very paranoid and starved himself. Cantor the mathematician had a break down. Many intellectuals are high strung..
Comment: Thank you for your consideration. Jobermark did imply my question had a religious bias , when that is not true. Does the 'Mary's Room' thought experiment have a religious bias? It is just about 'qualia' and if they exist? I know nobody is trying to insult me although some have called some of my questions useless or something to that effect. I do suggest more diplomacy at reviewing other peoples questions. Regarding 'making my time here miserable' well I have gotten a few positive reviews and that is certainly encouraging..
Comment: If it helps, also note that not all of any given respondent's emotional reaction is at you personally.  My problem is with insisting upon dichotomy on certain subjects, over dualism or anything more subtle, and making unnecessary dichotomy an essential part of the question.  Once you find a given 'deep' philosophical position detrimental to your world, you will see it over and over again.  It is hard to answer the fifty-sixth time as though it were the first.
Comment: @user128932 That does not mean you should follow their (ultimately self defeating) examples.
Comment: One major flaw with these websites is they are not question and answer sites , more like question and FINAL answer sites. If a question is deemed 'acceptable' it is given a great final answer that is supposed to be the final word on the subject , unless some other user  gives their final answer. And there is not supposed to be any debate on the answers. If a user editor says their answer in a way that seems patronizing the question will respond, and the user editor will see this as a challenge meriting more lack of diplomacy. The questioner will respond to that and you get an endless debate.
Comment: So if you want these websites to avoid endless debates that are a bad learning environment and waste time and energy and money you should have rules to curtail any type what seems to be  of patronizing behavior by various user editors and don't advertise these sites to 'anybody' on the internet. As many user editors have complained about the quality of received questions. I suggest a complaint system for user editors that actually does something. I know various statements can be tagged as unhelpful or non-constructive or abusive , but that doesn't seem to stop condescending behavior.
Answer: You need a thicker skin.  Philosophical questions, especially ones which have some baring on or implications for religious ontology, easily invoke emotional responses (and I do not mean just from theists).  That's the nature of the beast.
It might be asserted that philosophy is an egotistical endeavour to begin with, so small wonder that philosophers might be a little above average in the ego department.  A lot of the discipline of thinking has to do with getting a perspective on your own ego and feelings.
Do people try to intimidate others into giving up?  I would agree that they do, but I don't think there's much to be done about that that doesn't involve throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Finally, there's the issue of projection, particularly with regard to people who champion positions opposed to your own.  We all have some nastiness in us but tend to see it more easily in people we don't like. Unless someone slights you in some direct way ("You're an idiot..."), don't presume their attack is intended to hurt you, only your position.  Even if it is intended to hurt you, this is the best presumption to make.  Going back to the discipline of thinking, part of why ad hominem arguments are not acceptable is that they inevitably involve some form of arbitrariness tangential to the point at hand.   Don't take the bait!
Comment: More blunt than the way I put it but basically spot on, esp. the last part. Assume they are attacking your position, not you, and even if you can't assume that, find comfort in the reality that you are being affronted by a random stranger on the internet who is (almost certainly) of no consequence to you. And, if they are in fact violating some etiquette policy or otherwise, that they will probably get banned.


Can I travel to Dublin, Republic of Ireland with UK Tier 2/Schengen visas with Indian Passport

Question: Can anyone please guide me if I can travel to Dublin for a short trip with UK Tier 2 Visa and an Indian Passport? Additionally I have a valid Schengen Visa stamped on passport as well.
Comment: I think it could be on topic here. Yes he's an expat, but the question is solely whether his current passport status lets him visit Ireland, which is most definitely a travel question.
Answer: In general Indian nationals require a visa to enter Ireland:

Nationals of the states or territorial entities listed below are subject to an Irish visa requirement for the purposes of travelling to the State. Possession of a valid Irish visa does not guarantee entry to the State.  An Immigration Officer at the port of entry has the authority to grant or deny admission, and to decide the duration of a person's stay in the State.
[...]
I
India, Republic of

However since you have a valid Tier 2 UK visa you should be allowed to enter Ireland as long as your intended length of stay is less than or equal to 90 days, or until your UK visa expires, as per the S.I. No. 473/2014 - Immigration Act 2004 (Visas) Order 2014. This rule entered into force in 2014, and is valid until the 31st of October 2016. Quoting from the linked regulation (emphasis mine):

It is hereby declared that the following classes of non-nationals are specified as classes the members of which are not required to be in possession of a valid Irish visa when landing in the State:
(a)  nationals of a state or territorial entity specified in Schedule 1;
(b) non-nationals who are holders of—

a valid Convention travel document issued by Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, or Switzerland and where the intended purpose of the travel to the State by the holder of such a travel document is solely for a visit of up to a maximum period of 3 months,
a valid permanent residence card,
a valid residence card,
a valid travel document issued by the State for the purposes of Article 28 of the New York Convention, or
a diplomatic passport issued by a state or territorial entity specified in Schedule 2;

(c) non-nationals who are family members of a Union citizen and holders of a document called "Residence card of a family member of a Union citizen" as referred to in Article 10 of the Directive of 2004;
(d)  until 31 October 2016, United Kingdom visitors who are nationals of a state or territorial entity specified in Schedule 31 and where the intended purpose of the travel to the State by the United Kingdom visitor concerned is solely for a visit of the shorter of the following periods—

90days or less, or
the remaining period of validity of that person's leave to enter the United Kingdom, or, as the case may be, leave to remain in the United Kingdom;

(e) United Kingdom visitors who are—

nationals of a state or territorial entity specified in Schedule 4, and
holders of a visa issued by the competent authorities of the United Kingdom that is endorsed by those authorities with the letters "BIVS",

where the intended purpose of the travel to the State by the United Kingdom visitor concerned is solely for a visit of the shorter of the following periods—

90days or less, or
the remaining period of validity of that person's leave to enter the United Kingdom, or, as the case may be, leave to remain in the United Kingdom;

(f) holders of a service passport or public affairs passport who arrive in the State in the company of a Minister of the Government of the People's Republic of China where that Minister is on an official visit to the State;
(g) qualifying United Nations officials who are holders of a United Nations laissez-passer referred to in Section 24 of the United Nations Convention.

1India is listed in Schedule 3
Comment: I have tier 2 work visa and I landed UK at 20th August. Is there any minimum stay required(at least 3 months completed in UK) before I apply for Schenegan visa? One of my friend applied to German visa, and his application got rejected.
Comment: @Rahul I don't know. And this might need to be asked in a separate question.
Comment: The so called 'Short stay visa waiver programme' you are referring to here, which regulates reciprocal visa recognition between UK and the Republic of Ireland  has been extended to October 31st 2016, does however not apply to this question. Holders of UK visitors visas from the countries in Schedule 3 are allowed to enter Ireland, but not holders of long-term visas (as a tier 2 visa generally is).
Comment: Sorry, I ment 'extended to October 31st 2021'.
Answer: No is the answer. As you are a resident of UK you need seperate visa. Visitors on 'C' visas can enter on UK visas.
Comment: Do you have any references for this?
Comment: @JoErNanO If I'm not mistaken, you have quoted the reference yourself and misinterpreted it. The paragraph you have emphazised relates to 'United Kingdom visitors', which in all the interpretations of the act I have seen is ment as 'foreigners who have entered the UK on a visitor visa'. A tier 2 visa is *not* a visitor visa.


How to write modular code for arduino?

Question: I would like to create a program with separated modules, is this this possible using Arduino IDE?
Comment: Also see https://arduino.stackexchange.com/questions/348/how-to-organize-my-arduino-projects-structure-for-easy-source-control
Answer: While you can create your own libraries for the Arduino, a simple way to make reusable code is to create a header (.h) file that contains the code you would like to make reusable.
Specifically, in the Arduino IDE create a new tab with some name foo.h, and in your main tab, add #include "foo.h" at the top of your code. What this does is essentially copy paste the code from foo.h into your code during the build process. While simple in execution, it really helps organize more complex code, and in your case, helps with reusing code.
You can alternativly use "Normal Arduino code files (no visible extension), C files (.c extension), C++ files (.cpp), or header files (.h)."
And one extra note to help you - the header files do not have access to some of the typical Arduino commands and functionality, such as delay() or Serial unless you add #include "Arduino.h". However, for IDE versions less than 1.0, use #include "WProgram.h". This will give you access to those functions.
Answer: Arduino sketches can include Libraries (see https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Libraries).
In order to work with the Arduino IDE, such a library is required to adhere to a certain folder structure and naming convention (as described in the above guide).
Other than that, it's similar to modularized code in any other language. The canonical language in Arduino libraries is C++.
Since a regular Arduino IDE installation already comes preinstalled with a multitude of libraries, you can take a look and go from there.
I recommend that you look through the example sketches (from the "Examples" menu option). Whenever you see an #include statement at the top of the sketch, you have a hint where to look next in order to gain a better understanding about the inner works.
Answer: The sketch code can be easily split into several files by creating a new tab (file) without file name extension or .ino (source). No need for #includes as the Arduino IDE combines these files for the build process.
For proper modularisation make a Library or see the link above for further information on using .h/.c/.cpp as modules.
Answer:
I would like to create a program with separated modules, is this this possible using Arduino IDE?

the answer depends on your code.
writing modular code is mostly a thought process:
1) you have to design your code to a logic model: rather than setting an led on pin 2, you design your code to set a pin, use that code to set a pin specified as LED_PIN, and then define LED_PIN to be pin 2. With this approach, you can simply redefine LED_PIN in your new project to use the same code.
2) you have to design your code top-down: rather than start writing your code right away, break it down to logic blocks, design the input and output of each block so that they work together cohesively. this is the toughest part of writing modular code.
after that, breaking the code down to .c/.h files is a piece of cake.
Answer: Well.... The answers are interessting but depend on what JuanV is thinking about when he say "separated modules"...
For me, as an "old timer software dev", "separated modules" mean I build a central bloc of code (a nutshell) and the user download module which are automaticly "plugged" to the nutshell, expanding the feature.
A bit like a printer driver you add to your system, and which add feature for all software.
When I look at my past dev using this, I must admit I've some problems thinking of that on Arduino.
If you are looking for that you must think about various problems:
1) how to update? Maybe with an Android App getting the code from the Web and sending these data to the Arduino via Bluetooth. You can also think of adding a Wifi interface on the Arduino
2) where to store the new piece of code... It's seem you can write on flash "on the fly" but seems to be complicated
Due to this second point, maybe the easiest way would be to create a nutshell which will "interpret" data (so which read a kind of small script) and then you'll have just to send the data.
I suggest to have a look at the CNC made with Arduino. In most cases they use a  GCode interpreter. GCode is a descriptif langage for CNC machine. So the interpreter read the code and according to the code, send "orders" to the machine.
Maybe such a thing would be a good starting point.
On the other way, if what you call "modular approach" is just the way of building lib and re-use them, Lord Gonk answer is the way :)

How to write modular code for arduino?


Place a block in multiple regions

Question: Is there a module which can allow users to place the same block in multiple regions? That way I don't have to make the same View block twice.
Answer: Multiblock module makes this possible:

Drupal's block module is limited by the fact that a block can only
  have one instance. Each block has a 1:1 relationship with its region,
  weight, visibility (and other) settings. This means that it is
  impossible to have blocks in multiple regions or to have blocks that
  have different settings on different pages. MultiBlock module solves
  this problem by allowing you to create multiple Block Instances of
  already existing blocks.
Answer: It is unclear if you want to use the same block more than once on the same page or place it in different regions on different pages.  Either way I would recommend you take a look at the context module.
Using context you can place a block with in different regions on different pages.  Alternatively you can create 2 contexts which apply to the same page/s and place the same block in different regions.
Comment: It should be noted that this doesn't appear to work when putting a block twice within the same region. It appears that Context can only put one copy of a block per region.
Answer: The Panels module also makes it easy to use multiple instances of the same block on a page.
Answer: If you already have a custom module for the site, you can define your own blocks to repeat the content of an existing block. It will then appear twice in the block listing
<code>/* -------------------
    custom blocks
----------------- */

/**
* Declare what blocks are provided by this module.
* Implements hook_block_info().
*/
function MYMODULE_block_info(){

    $block['fibble_home'] = array(
        'info' => t('fibble (home)'),
        'cache' => DRUPAL_CACHE_PER_ROLE,
    );
    $block['fibble_members'] = array(
        'info' => t('fibble (members)'),
        'cache' => DRUPAL_CACHE_PER_ROLE,
    );
    return $block;
}

/**
* Define what our block is going to look like.
* Implements hook_block_view().
*/
function MYMODULE_block_view($block_key){
    $block = array();

    // tweets block to appear twice

    if($block_key == 'fibble_home' || $block_key == 'fibble_members'){

        //This is the title of the block.
        $block['subject'] = t('Fibble');

        $fblock = module_invoke('MODULE_ORIGINAL_BLOCK', 'block_view', 'ID_ORIGINAL_BLOCK');
        $fcontent = render($fblock['content']);

        $block['content'] = '<!-- content repeated by MYMODULE -->';
        $block['content'] .= $fcontent;

    }

    return $block;
}
</code>
Answer: Use the MultiBlock Module.
Go to Structure->Blocks->Instances. Give a unique instance title and select the block type and save. Then enable the block by assigning it to a region where you want.
Comment: The whole process is explained after enabling Multiblock module.
Comment: @SaayantaAcharyyaChoudhury Then you should have edited the original answer to make it better instead of writing another answer.
Answer: The Bean module also now has this functionality.  Not just for custom block entities but also for blocks defined in hook_block. See the dev version and the bean_all submodule.

Place a block in multiple regions


Getting used to Stomach Sleeping

Question: My daughter is going to be 5 months. She has recently started to turn herself over onto her side and that is how she likes to sleep. She then in her sleep rolls onto her stomach and sleeps on her stomach but only till her binky falls out. Then she wakes up and cries until we can get her binky back in. This happens 2 or 3 times an hour each night and my wife and I are starting to lose so much sleep it is effecting our work. She goes to bed at 8PM and used to sleep till 6AM - 7AM but recently she has been waking up at 4AM - 5AM. Does anyone have any ideas that could help her stay on her side? My wife is looking into a Merlin sleep sack but if she doesn't enjoy going back to sleeping on her back I can only assume our 5 hours of sleep a night will drop to 3.
Answer: There's nothing you can do to keep your baby on her side, once babies realize they can flip themselves over then they want to do it and sometimes they end up on their front. You can either:

Wait it out: she may get used to her binky (pacifier/dummy) falling out or figure out how to keep it in or get it back in herself
Wean her off the binky: kids rarely end up giving up their pacifier by themselves, you have to wean them off it. There's various ways to do this, but all of them involve a few bad nights. That's unavoidable, my advice is once you start it you have to finish it, if you give in once you'll never be rid of it. Once you are rid of it though she won't need it to sleep anymore and problem solved
Comment: I agree. At the age my son would turn over and lose his pacifier, I just stopped giving it to him. At about 6-7 months he learned how to put it in himself and we started using it again.
Answer: As someone who used to babysit and raised my own babies, I've seen the following:

Soft, breathable, terrycloth side barriers with a cloth connection between the 2 sides to keep a back or side position
A not-very-much-softer bed mattress (if your baby is skinny, then a hard baby mattress might be hard on baby comfort and baby bones, and they will turn to find a comfortable position)
Very soft, continuous music
Interesting things for baby to look at
Baby in a crib in the parents' room so that parents don't have to leave the room.

If baby isn't sleeping through the night on her back or side, maybe her milk or formula has components which her body is not digesting well (maybe causing baby to turn onto her stomach for relief). Maybe she's too close to a TV or other electrical appliances which could disturb deep sleep.
Answer: My girl did that one month ago, it last for a week or so. So, here is what worked for us :

Go to bed earlier : a few weeks of sacrificed evenings is nothing to keeping your job, if your kid cry at four in the morning means you get 3 hours of sleep instead of 5, get to bed at 23:00 instead of 1:00. I know it's a pain, I had to give up some things because of this, but it'll come back.
Have a quick "get to bed" ritual. We just did this and got back to our bed. She sometime complained for 2/5 minutes then got back to sleep. Our ritual : Go in her room, hug her, give her her pacifier back and put her plushie on her belly (one appropriate for kids, of course), put on a lullaby on low volume. Ten minute from baby crying to everyone sleeping again.
Don't feed your kid if she had somewhat enough during the day. Our first nights and days were made worse by trying to feed ours. It put her in a waked cycle that we needed to stay awake through. And it's far longer.

Getting used to Stomach Sleeping