What are JS malware attack techniques?

Question: Malicious JavaScript (generated by malicious hosted PHP code for example) can lead to attacks.  What are  the types of attack that malicious javascript could perform? Are the drive-by download attacks the only ones that malicious javaScript performs?
Answer: To see an explanation of typical methods of exploiting Javascript, it would be better to get a book on the subject, rather than rely on fragmentary answers here. There are many such books, for example:
"The Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws" by Dafydd Stuttard, and Marcus Pinto.
"XSS Attacks: Cross Site Scripting Exploits and Defense" by Seth Fogie
If you would like a quick summary of past and known exploit types involving Javascript, you can check out MITRE's CVE (common vulnerability) database using the keyword "javascript":
MITRE CVEs involving Javascript
There are about 1,000 Javascript CVEs and perusing them will give you a complete view of the normal range of hacks using Javascript.

Perhaps a better way to approach your question, is not so much to provide a zoology of "attack types", but to understand why a web page containing Javascript is more likely to be able compromise a web client, than a page which has just plain HTML.
Javascript presents an increased security risk for two main reasons: (1) it is much more complex than HTML, and (2) it allows for more sophisticated interaction with the user, hence more opportunity to trick the user. Thus, there are two basic vulnerability surfaces, the client code and the human/social engineering factor.
When the client parses and reacts to HTML content, the range of possible actions is much more limited than the range of possible worlds that may arise after parsing and running Javascript. To protect against malicious code, the client programmer must anticipate every possible thing that could happen and avoid any bad consequences. Obviously, this is much harder to do for a computer program, than for page layout instruction.
Answer: There are many possible attacks, which all depend on the JS engine, the available API and the execution environment. JS is a language after all even though I suspect you only are interested in the Web uses. I know next-to-nothing about Web security, but for instance JS is also part of the PDF format
5 years ago you could load DTD's in a XML document in your JS code on Acrobat Reader, and make an external entity of your DTD point to local files on the system so you could get to read them if they were XML-like or plaintext. Obviously this was an unintended consequence of the API, which was changed. No engine bug in that cause though. Nowadays the same attack with the same API would also be impossible because the execution environment changed: Acrobat Reader now sandboxes the PDFs it opens (in Protected Mode).
In short, even though I can't really answer your question I can still tell that someone who doesn't cover all of this is not properly answering:

bugs in your engine allow a (resourceful) attacker to do anything they want
flaws in the API allow an attacker to do small unexpected things (cross-site scripting, clickjacking, keylogging fields you fill and then delete)
a permissive runtime environment favours or enables attack
Answer: Most of the Vulnerabilities in the browsers are in the complex parts, such as the dynamic DOM-tree building.
This is something that Javascript does, when a programmer makes a mistake (such as a use-after-free) people can exploit this. And by writing specific javascript you can groom the heap to hold the exact values you need to make the browser do what you want (as an attacker).
The other thing is like the beef exploit framework, uses the tricks the browser allows you to do (like Steve DL notices).

What are JS malware attack techniques?


How do you revert to a professional colour chooser in 12.04?

Question: When I want to choose a colour for the desktop background or for the terminal's profile, for example, the program is like a program for kids. You can't choose the colours according to value, saturation, hue etc. with precision and fast, as with a professional colour chooser, like it was before. So, is there a way to change the kids-like colour chooser for a professional colour-chooser?
Answer: Not that i know of, its how the GNOME devs wanted to do it. I admit I dont like it either, but I don't even use the GUI to change the colors like that, I use my terminal config settings.


How to clean a big butcher block?

Question: I've seen huge butchers blocks that essentially is a table with a butcher block top. How do you clean such a thing if you can't wash it in the sink? Should those blocks only be used for vegetables and not meat because it can get messy and hard to clean (oil and 'juices')?
Answer: You can certainly cut meat on these, I have a large end-grain cutting board that is too large to wash conveniently in my sink.
There are a number of methods to clean them:
Soap and Water
Soap and hot water are best for regular cleaning. Just get a rag or brush and scrub it. Dish soap is just fine for this use. Make sure to rinse and dry it thoroughly.
Vinegar
If you don't mind the smell you can use undiluted white vinegar to clean and sanitize your surface. If you keep some in a spray bottle you can just spray it down and wipe it with a paper towel. If you have a big oily mess, I'd suggest starting with the soap & water method, and finishing up with vinegar.
Vinegar is apparently very effective at killing microbes, surprisingly more effective than harsher quaternary ammonium solutions.
Bleach
A little goes a long way with this. You only need a teaspoon or two for a quart of water. Just spray it down thoroughly, let stand 5 minutes. Finish with rinsing and drying. Like vinegar this is best as a followup to soap & water for a really messy board.
Lemon
If you have strong garlic, onion, fish, or other smells in your butcher block you can cut a lemon in half and rub the board down with the halves. Lemon juice is a weak antiseptic, so this should be used primarily for odor control and not as a sanitization substitute.

Note that regular cleaning also requires regular seasoning of your block surface. You should oil your board/block once a week, or more with frequent use.
See also:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/CuttingBoards/AllAbout.htm
Comment: +1, We recently switched to vinegar as our main surface cleaner in our kitchen. It works really, really well. I was kind of surprised.
Comment: Vinegar is also cost-effective, too. :)
Answer: Professionally you scatter the surface with sawdust and then 'scrub' the surface (dry) with a metal brush. This takes off the top surface and removes any blood, etc, which is why if you see an old butchers block or one that has been in good use it will be worn down considerably. In a domestic setting I suppose that would be more difficult (but by no means impossible). Vinigar is an excellent cleaner, as Hobodave and Yossarian said, but I wouldn't use bleach on a butchers block, or wood in general really. Better for plastic chopping boards if you are going to use it.
Comment: I can confirm this. When I worked in a butcher's, I had to scrub the block down with a hard metal brush.
Comment: Wow...so over time you can see your block get thinner or develop a depression?

How to clean a big butcher block?


Lich + Laboratory maniac, replacement effects order

Question: You have Lich and Laboratory Maniac in play, 3 cards in your deck, and you play Solemn Offering or Serene Offering on Lich (either one will heal 4 in this case). Do you win or lose?
Comment: Do you mean Serene Offering or Solemn Offering? Divine Offering can't target Lich.
Comment: @diego I've replaced the mention of Divine Offering with Serene and Solemn Offering. Conveniently enough, they'll both heal for 4 in this scenario.
Answer: You will lose.
As the Offering is resolving you follow the instructions in order, thus first you destroy the Lich, then you gain life. Since Lich is no longer on the battlefield its replacement effect doesn't apply so you will not draw cards instead of gaining life. Then once the Offering is done resolving the Lich's leaves the battlefield trigger will go on the stack and you will lose the game when it resolves.

608.2c The controller of the spell or ability follows its instructions in the order written. However, replacement effects may modify these actions.
Comment: Thanks, indeed I forgot the text of divine offering was resolving the liche destruction completely before resolving the heal 4 hp part, hence no more lich replacement effect when the heal happens.


Caching options and modules

Question: My guess is that many ppl like me make Drupal websites just by using modules and simple CSS. Several content types, taxonomies, views, panels or DS to get results fast and more/less nice looking. Maybe add forum to all that.
When it comes to caching there are many options and i have no idea which ones to use. All my websites are on shared hosting (most popular ones).
In "performance" i always enable everything.
Minimum cache lifetime and expiration of cached pages are options i always gaze at for several minutes and in the end choose "1 day". No idea if thats good.
All other check boxes are clicked of course.
Views 3 are cached by default, nice, if i remember good i had to enable that in previous versions.
Now the fun part is picking modules from drupal.org for caching.
On this page Caching: Modules that make Drupal scale (updated 2014-07-09) we have 15 modules for D7. How many to use ? Which ones are "best" ? Which one you reccomend for shared hosting ? Should i for example disable default caching in performance and in views if i use those ?
So the final question would be: For nondevelopers who use shared hosting, what are the easiest/best modules - plugnplay.
Answer: I have usually used the Boost module. It provides a lot of functionality and works really well, but can be a bit to set up since many times you have to modify .htaccess files when rules changes are made. I've used Boost for many sites where Varnish or some other server-side solution was not available and the results were satisfactory. Keep in mind that boost will not work when authenticated --- in fact many caching solutions will not. But Boost does have other modules to help cache authenticated pages for users.
Comment: Great, ill try that one. Can you share links of other Boost modules for pages when user is logged in?

Caching options and modules


Can't sign into my Stack Exchange account

Question: Not sure if this question is really relevant to this page since it doesn't really have anything to do with game development but I thought that at least the administrators of this page should know and see if they could help me. I can't talk to the administrators directly because for some reason you have to have reputation to comment on YOUR own questions. Whenever I go to the sign in page I enter my email and password and press sign in. It takes me back to the homepage still not signed in. I know I'm not entering my password wrong because it tells me when I do. The administrators were asking me why I keep using different accounts, this is why. I can't use the account I created. If anyone knows why this is let me know
Comment: Hi @RedDragon2001, next time try using the Contact Form (https://gamedev.stackexchange.com/contact) for technical help with the Stack Exchange network
Answer: sorry you're having trouble with this login system.
Ordinarily you can comment on your own questions regardless of reputation. But because you're signing in with a new account every time, the system doesn't know you're the same person, so it's unable to give you that privilege.
StackExchange has a special feature called "unregistered accounts," designed to make it easier for people to contribute without making a big commitment to site membership. A user can sign in with just a name and an email address, without authenticating with a password. Instead, it uses cookies to associate your browser with this temporary account. If you decide you want to stick around long-term, you can register your account, providing a password that will let you sign into the same ID from anywhere.
Every post I've seen with your name so far has been from a different unregistered account. If you're hopping around between browsers / devices, using internet cafes, or private browsing features, that might be the reason: your cookies aren't able to follow you from one session to the next, so the system is unable to verify that you're the same user.
You can solve this by registering your current account and providing a password, then following the steps here to request merging it with your previous accounts. Then you can authenticate yourself using your login & password to sign into the same account even without the cookie.
Answer: Your question was migrated here to meta because it was about the game dev stack exchange site rather than game development itself.
Each stack exchange site has a meta site. You can learn more about what meta is & how it works here; a summarized version is:

It's a place for Stack Exchange users to communicate with the Stack Exchange company & each other about the Stack Exchange sites.
It functions a bit differently in terms of tags & voting.

If you have other questions about the site or questions about questions ('why is this question considered off topic', etc), this is probably the place the ask them.


Should I install the 64 bit version of Windows 7 on my Macbook?

Question: I have a Macbook that's maxed out to 4gb of ram. I had Leopard running on it, as well as the 32 bit version of Windows 7 installed with Bootcamp. Under Windows 7, only 2.97gb of 4gb of ram is useable by the OS. I recently upgraded to Snow Leopard which comes with the latest version of Bootcamp that now supports the 64 bit version of Windows 7. My question is, if I install the 64 bit version, will that number increase? Also, is there any benefit to upgrading to the 64 bit version? (I have access to either through my MSDN subscription, so I can grab any version I need.)
Comment: since 64bit computing is still in its infancy and many 64bit apps will use more memory than their 32bit counterparts, you will hardly gain anything from this upgrade. 64bit windows only makes sense when you go beyond 4 GB RAM.
Answer: Most people tend to focus on the 3Gb memory limit, but there are other advantages to using a 64-bit operating system, Windows or otherwise. There are features available in the x86-64 architecture that are unavailable to 32-bit operating systems.
Also, since you have access to the software via MSDN, the only cost for you to try it is time spent installing it. If you find that it doesn't work well for some reason, switch back.
Comment: Thanks for the link. I think I'll do it over the weekend, and see if I like it. I've imaged my current 32-bit install, so, like you said, if I don't like it, I just roll back.
Answer: Installing 64-bit Win7 will make all of your memory show up.  32 simply can't address that much.  Molly makes a good point, 64-bit apps tend to use more memory but you will also be able to use more of it.  I currently am using it on my notebook with 3 GB of RAM and have no issues and I did it just in case I want to upgrade my RAM in the future.
Ultimately, it's not a huge deal, but if you want access to all 4GB, then I'd do it.  You won't see a huge benefit unless you go above 4GB.  Also, there really aren't many downsides IMO as most peripherals and apps are now compatible (in some way) with 64 bit. (either through Win7's 32-bit mode or XP mode).  From Microsoft, here is the FAQ regarding the two different systems. Hope that helps!


Provisional application drawings vs non provisional patent drawings

Question: Can the drawings in a provisional application be less detailed than the drawings that will be submitted in a corresponding non-provisional patent as long as there are no material differences between the two?   Or is it typical that you use the same drawings from your provisional application when filing a corresponding non provisional application?
Answer: Ideally, while drafting a provisional application one should ensure that the subject matter to be claimed by a complete application is "enabled" in the provisional application. Otherwise, a claim in the complete application that was not enabled in the provisional application but included in the complete application may not be entitled to the benefits of the priority date established by the provisional application.
Patent drawings in patent applications are the visual form of Patent description or Invention; they aid in understanding the invention clearly.
For example a description such as  a spatial logical toy is formed from a total of eighteen toy elements, out of which two sets of eight identical toy elements two connecting elements are provided. The elements of the two sets have cam members with hollows with spherical convex or concave surfaces in-between. The elements are connected by the aid of the cams and the two remaining centrally positioned substantially identical connecting elements each having a T-shape cross-section and when assembled the toy is in the form of a regular or an irregular solid.
Fixation is performed by one single screw passing through bores in the connecting elements. In such a manner the toy elements forming the lateral faces of the spatial logical toy can be rotated along the spatial axes and by yielding several variation possibilities the toy is well suitable for stimulating logical thinking activity.
Will one be able to understand the product described above? Most likely, not. The product being described is a "Rubik's Cube", and the construction of the same can be better understood when the description is read in light of the drawings provided below.

Let the provisional patent application be as detailed as possible. Later while drafting a non-provisional patent application, you may narrow down or include everything disclosed in the provisional patent application. It is advisable to give importance for drawings and not just to the description of the invention in the provisional patent specification.
You may refer to this link to understand the importance of drawings in a patent specification: http://www.invntree.com/blogs/patent-drawings-and-their-importance-in-a-patent-specification
You may refer to this link to understand enablement requirement of patentability: http://www.invntree.com/blogs/enablement-requirement-of-patentability
Answer: They definitely can be less detailed, but the standard is that the provisional has to be "enabling." So if you have to work out some details and you want to get the gist out there in your provisional, just make sure the application hits that (albeit subjective) bar, and you should be all set. Provisionals aren't even required to have drawings, either (not that non-provisionals are in theory, but they certainly are in practice).
That all said, it is pretty typical to use the same (or very similar) drawings in a provisional and non-provisional, just to be sure it does enable. But there's no rule to that effect, and by the tense of what you've said, I'm guessing that you're in the process of getting a non-provisional written and already have a provisional, so I would just say make the non-provisional drawings as descriptive as you can and it should be fine.


How can I bake crunchy chocolate chip cookies?

Question: Since I'm British, I'm used to biscuits that are crisp, dry and crunchy all the way through, with no soft chewy centre. Most chocolate chip cookie recipes are trying to do the exact opposite. How can I bake chocolate chip cookies with a more British texture? Essentially, I want the exact opposite to the answers to this question.
Comment: The classic Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe produces crunchy cookies (biscuits). I just use the recipe from the back of a pack of chocolate chips.
Comment: @RossRidge I can't get Toll House cookies in the UK, and even if I could the recipe would probably measure dry goods in cups instead of by weight, which we don't do over here, because it's hideously inaccurate. I don't own a set of measuring cups.
Comment: I don't know what you mean by "I can't get Toll House cookies", but it's not hard to convert the recipe or find an already converted recipe.
Comment: @RossRidge I think he meant that he can't get the package in order to get the recipe off the back (and maybe misunderstood package of chocolate chips vs package of chocolate chip cookies).
Answer: The best way to achieve what you are looking for is to lower the temp and lengthen the baking time. Lowering the temp will slow the edges from getting burned while the center is allowed to continue to cook.
Allow the top of the cookie to brown before removing from the oven. For soft cookies, the moment it starts to turn brown is the moment you are just a little too late for the cookies to stay soft after they've cooled. If you let the cookie brown just a touch, the cookie will harden on the cooling rack.
Answer: It shouldn't be too hard to find a crispy chocolate chip cookie recipe if you want one, but if you're interested in experimenting with an existing recipe, here are a few ideas for things to change:
Mix in melted butter instead of creamed soft butter. That will greatly reduce the amount of air trapped in the dough. The dough will not loft while baking; it will spread out, allowing for more evaporation. (Not chilling the dough is a related tip: the faster it melts in the oven, the more it will spread.)
Cool them entirely on the baking sheet instead of transferring them to a rack. This has a strong effect on the finished cookies' crispness.
Use white sugar instead of brown. Brown sugar is used in baked goods when you want them to be soft, because it is even more hygroscopic -- pulling water from the air and holding onto it -- than white sugar.
Change the egg ratio to decrease the amount of yolk. While the whites contain a lot of water, they also contain much more protein than fat. The fat in yolks will diminish gluten formation and increase tenderness and "fudginess".
Answer: If what you want is a classic crunchy cookie with some chocolate chips thrown in, use your favorite crunchy cookie recipe and throw a few chocolate chips in. As you said yourself, the American "chocolate chip cookie" is a totally different thing, characterized by a soft texture. It makes no sense to use a recipe for that type of cookie if you don't like it.
Answer: Melted butter (or browned butter better yet!) will make a crispy cookie. Obviously, omitting all leaveners will help as well, but you can get an even flatter cookie by adding extra leavener, which will over expand and then collapse the dough.


Degree of collaboration between Asimov and Silverberg on Nightfall novel?

Question: Is there any reliable information as to the depth of Isaac Asimov's involvement in writing  the novel Nightfall (based on Asimov's 1941 short story) with Robert Silverberg? Were Asimov and Silverberg truly writing or otherwise working closely together? Or is the novel primarily Silverberg's work with Asimov simply giving his approval?
Comment: See also https://literature.stackexchange.com/q/1158/139 "How many works of Robert Silverberg's were based on Asimov's stories?"
Answer: To quote Isaac Asimov himself from the chapter entitled 'Robert Silverberg' in his autobiography, 'I, Asimov':

In 1988, Marty Greenberg had an idea. [...] why not find someone who would take my story "Nightfall," now forty-seven years old, keep the story essentially as written, but add a detailed beginning and a detailed ending to it. [..]
Marty said that we could always arrange for me to have full approval of the final novel and even make changes if I felt it necessary. [...]
[...] I explained to Bob [Silverberg] that I didn't want gratuitous sex, unnecessary violence, or vulgar language in the novel, and he agreed to that, indicating that he would be satisfied to let me have the final word on any matters under dispute. When I said "Delete!" it would be deleted, and when I said "Change!" it would be changed.
[...]
Eventually, I received the extended "Nightfall" manuscript from Bob. Despite everything, I had fearfully anticipated receiving something I couldn't endure [...]
I need have had no fears. Bob did a wonderful job and I could almost believe I had written the whole thing myself. He remained absolutely faithful to the original story and I had very little to argue with.

In short, the central third of the novel is essentially all Asimov's work: it's his original short story with only some very minor changes. The first third and the final third are all Silverberg - but within Asimov's guidelines, and with Asimov's approval/veto.
As for the other two Asimov/Silverberg collaborations, 'Child of Time' ('The Ugly Little Boy') and 'The Positronic Man' ('The Bicentennial Man'), we know that Asimov saw Silverberg's original outline for one of them:

Bob has already outlined his version of "The Ugly Little Boy." I have seen that outline and approve it heartily.

Asimov's autobiography ends in 1990, and he died in April 1992. 'The Child of Time' (based on 'The Ugly Little Boy') was published in 1991, so it's likely that Asimov saw (and approved) the final manuscript. 'The Positronic Man' was published in 1992; Asimov was sickening during 1991 and gave up writing about August 1991, but it's possible that he also saw the final manuscript of this book before it was published.
Answer: With a little of Asimov's help, Robert Silverberg has expanded an earlier short story that Asimov has written.  That short story has ended when the night has arrived, that is, much earlier than the novel.  Also, the planet has a different name.  See the description for the novel in Jenkins' Spoiler-Laden Guide to Isaac Asimov
Answer: haven't read it in a while, but it "feels" like an Asimov original. So unless Silverberg's writing style is extremely close to that of Asimov himself I'd warrant to guess that Asimov did more than just put his name on the cover.
Can't look up information in the book itself right now, as I'm not at home with my library and the Kindle version hasn't been released yet (so can't order that).


Looking to duplicate vintage Batman font that was used for the pop up words?

Question: For the words like kaboom, zappp, taka taka, pow.
Answer: A lot of the style has more to do with the colors and orientation of the letters rather than the typeface itself. For example, a (really) quick attempt to mimic the "Kapow" graphic:

This uses Franklin Gothic Demi, a pretty conservatively styled typeface. However, if you mix up the colors and orientation a bit, you get something close. Gill Sans Ultra Bold may already be on your computer, and using it with some of that variance could put you about on par with any humorous-themed movie poster.
As for the fonts themselves, you'll do well to pick anything that's tagged as "comic" or "cartoon". FontSquirrel has a bunch of these.
Or, you can try searching for fonts that mimic the hand-lettered look. That would probably get you the closest to what you'd see in the original 'Batman' TV series. When I think of hand lettering-style typography, I think of House Industries. They have a free download of "House Slant" available that could suit your needs very well (again, a rushed example):
Comment: Blambot specialise in comic book fonts, and has a [range of sound FX fonts](http://www.blambot.com/fonts_sfx.shtml)
Answer: Look at badaboom-bb font, it seems pretty similar.
http://www.dafont.com/badaboom-bb.font
Comment: Hey Joh, welcome to GD.SE! Can you please edit your question to include an image of the font you linked to? It'll make it easier for people who read your answer, and it helps us battle link rot on the site (should than link ever go poof in the future). Thanks!


How do I change my default to adobe reader?

Question: I have Adobe Acrobat 6 and Adobe Reader 9.4 installed.
I have Reader set as the default for viewing downloaded files, but when on the internet (Explorer), it tries to open in Acrobat and it doesn't recognize that I have Reader.
How do I change that?
Comment: Usually when you open a PDF in a web browser, it will ask you if you want to use Adobe Reader, and then ask if you want to default it.
Comment: I inserted "Reader" and "Acrobat" into your question. I hope that's what you meant. Otherwise, please change it back.
Comment: Do you still use Adobe Acrobat 6?
Answer: Adobe Acrobat products (including Reader) are not designed to co-exist on computers. It's stupid, really, because unless you're made of money, you're likely to have an older version of "Pro" and will need Reader to operate with the latest features.
Anyway, the best way to determine which one gets precedence in opening files is to install them in the reverse order you wish them to open files.
So, if you want "Pro" to open files, install Reader first. And if you want Reader to open files, install "Pro" first.
Sometimes simply repairing the apps is enough to get them to take precedence if you've already got both of them installed.
Oh setting precedence for IE is another weird and horrific beast altogether. The above fix may work for IE, but I've found it best to set Adobe NOT to open the PDFs in the browser window so that the OS handles which one IE will open PDFs with.


Is there limit on the number of pinned tiles?

Question: I am customizing my home screen quite thoroughly and I have many pinned tiles on my home screen now. I am wondering if there is some limit on the number of pinned home-screen-tiles.
Comment: I have 165 or so tiles pinned in me home screen and it works fine...
Answer: I assume you are talking about a hard limit, and not a practical limit, right? I have yet to read or talk to anyone who has noticed a hard limit. That being said, I imagine there is one. The bigger question is what comes first, the hard limit or the practical one?
Can you honestly, truly use your phone with 50 live tiles? Do you really need every contact pinned? Every application?
So, I can't exactly answer your question other than speculating. Perhaps myself or someone else can get in touch with a developer on the Windows Phone team and get a more solid answer for you. In the mean time, if you run into this problem please share :)
edit
I found an article that mentions there is an unlimited number of tiles you can pin, but I don't see a reference for it. This still leaves the practical limit though.
I just found this guy who claims to have 75+ applications pinned.
second edit
I think I approached this answer semi-wrong. Although it seems like there isn't a hard limit (or one anyone has run into with over 100 tiles) there is a limit on notifications.  You can only have 15 3rd party applications that subscribe to notification. So you can pin many, many tiles, but only 15 of those will update, per-say.
If you want the full details on the "15 app limit" You can view the official blog post here. In short:

Yes, the limit is fifteen third party applications can be concurrently subscribed  to receive push notifications (whether that
is a live tile or toast).  Parsing it out, the applications that come
out of the box (like outlook, people hub, etc.) will not count towards
this limit.    So there is no limit on 15 live tiles.  You can have
20+ if you add it up (that is about 2.5 screens worth of tiles on star
menu)

An application is only counted if it has push notification or tiles push enabled and is subscribed to a channel.  If you install an
application but you do not enable push, it would not count towards the
limit.

You should not have to go uninstall an application in order to free a slot.  If an application is coded well, it should be prompting users
and giving them the option on whether they want to use push
notifications and/or live tiles (since there is potential bandwidth
charges from the operator when these are pushed).   if the user never
agrees or it unchecks the box to subscribe, the application should
free the channel; there fore uninstall should not be required.

Applications that use just scheduled tiles updates do not count towards the limit. If that is all you need be a good citizen and

If an application subscribes for tile updates, and is never pinned it unfortunately does count. Again, we count the channels.

Why is there a limit?  The usual thrive to ensure there is a great
user experience, good battery life, quality of service on back-end and
front-end, bandwidth (cost) , etc.  Limit will increase as we get
right data on how people use push, impact, etc.  Kevin's feedback on
there not being an API to enumerate all push apps is still valid.  I
know the product team has heard it (from Kevin, me and others) so I
hope that gets addressed or the limits go high enough that the problem
becomes a moot point.
Comment: I'll grab the source when I'm off my phone, but only 15 3rd party apps can have notifications. The 16th+ are not allowed. You have to disable one to add a new. you can have the other apps,the notifications just won't work
Comment: That's very thorough analysis of the topic! Good work, Joe!
Comment: I thought I'll just try that, but that could take a very long time in the case it is unlimited... :D
Comment: I had about 70 pinned items. Is very boring indeed. I even had used an app that shows something like separator black headers. Now a days I have about 50 tiles. And if I remove one I miss it.
Comment: If the theoretical number of tiles that can be pinned is unlimited (as the answer and article implies), then I suppose the actual practical limit (aside from usability) is whatever your memory will allow.
Comment: I just tried 101 tiles on 60 lines and it works smoothly.
Comment: @Victor I am also using grouping by black header tiles and I use about 40-50 tiles. The reason is probably that the app list is much worse than many tiles...
Comment: @Joe your second edit is interesting. Can you share the source for that information? Does that mean there can't be more than 15 notification-aware-apps OR only (first) 15 of them will be allowed to update?
Comment: @jumbo source added
Answer: If I'm not mistaken I think Ben Riga (Tech evangalist, Microsoft) said that the maximum number of pinned tiles is 256 (2^8).
Which is almost unlimited :P
Comment: It would be nice to have the source of that info ;) And although it is true that 256 ia almost unlimited, it is also quite testable :D Maybe I'll try that...
Comment: @jumbo I'll ask him if he can confirm it! :)
Comment: Wow. A lot lower than I was expecting.


Do guards ever take any action against you for shouting in cities?

Question: Do the guards just keep asking you to stop, or do they eventually charge you a fine or something?
Answer: Do not use harmful shouts in towns against guards.
Non-Harmful shouts, you get a warning. Harmful shouts you get a bounty if used and a town guard was in the affected area, or a person was in the area a guard was happening by.
Tested all of the below.
If you hit a guard or a citizen, the below will make them hostile:

Unrelenting Force
Fire Breath
Frost Breath
Ice Form
Marked for Death
Storm Call
Comment: I first tested storm call in a city, thinking it'd be like clear skies and simply change the weather. You can imagine my surprise when I see a thousand red dots appear on the compass.
Comment: Non-harmful shouts only ever get warnings, so shout away, lie to the guard that you'll stop, and shout some more.
Comment: My first experience with Storm Call was pretty much same as @Reid.  I've sworn to never use it again since.  Call Dragon makes for an awesome substitute.
Comment: You'll change your mind at higher difficulties. Storm call destroys while call dragon and followers are nearly useless.
Answer: As far as my experience goes. I Have never been fined or anything personally - dont know if thats possible. But obviously if you do a shout that hurts anyone, there guards will attack etc.
I use shouts in towns to get the 'Friend' letters that give you locations which lead to a 'word' wall.
Only ever been asked to stop shouting as it makes the residents nervous.
Answer: No, you'll never get a bounty just for shouting into the air, unless your shout actually hits someone and causes harm.
Alternately, you can end up with a bounty if a guard runs up to warn you about how shouting makes the townsfolk nervous, and you proceed to mouth off to the guard. Don't do that.
Comment: I did mouth off to the guard and he gave me a warning and walked away, didn't fine me.
Comment: I don't remember the exact set of dialog options, but I've been slapped with a 10 gold bounty by disrespecting a guard once. Might be hold specific. They do play a bit more fast and loose with the rules in some parts.
Answer: It depends. You get told off mainly if you knock something over in town and a bounty for accidentally hitting them. If you want to hurt people without being prosecuted, go to Dragonsreach and Unrelenting Force the dining table, the sheer joy of watching 50 pots and pans fly at a guard is just amazing if he actually gets hit (which should happen 3 times if you did it right). He will stroll over and tell you to stop. :D


Rails test offline application

Question: Does anyone know how to test offline part of the application using cucumber or jasmine?
Currently our team is developing application using backbonejs,localStorage,backbone-queues libraries for making possible for users to work offline in the modern browsers and syncing data through ajax requests.
But we need to test our application using user scenarios like cucumber steps because we need to clarify all our development steps with our customer.
We got the next following issue with cucumber/capybara-webkit gem. it doesn't support html5 features like localStorage(ok, we made fork of one guy from github and merged it with the latest sources of capybara-webkit). but we got another problem. How to simulate reopen/close browser actions or how to clean localStorage for each scenario. now scenarios are using the same localStorage.
May be someone has experience in such of testing applications.
Thanks in advance!
Answer: You should be able to clear the local storage by calling:
<code>Capybara.current_session.driver.execute_script("localStorage.setItem('YOUR_KEY', '{}')")
</code>
Comment: Did you try it in your project with capybara-webkit driver? and it would work if you have already opened the browser. but if you should have cleaned up localStorage before loading the page. I think it should not work.

Rails test offline application


What icing will stay stiff (even in tropical heat) after the cake has been decorated?

Question: I live in the tropics and every icing that I've used melts on the cake if it is not refrigerated. Is there any icing at all that will stay stiff once I ice the cake with it? I would like to be able to pipe borders, etc without the icing just melting off the cake. Traditional butter-cream and royal icings just don't work.
Comment: Similar to [What Kind of Frosting Doesn't Need To Be Refrigerated](http://cooking.stackexchange.com/q/4835/41) - have you tried icings based on vegetable shortening and still found that to melt due to the climate?
Answer: The ingredients that make icing creamy and give it the bulk for piped decorations, tend to be items that will go softer in heat (butter, shortening, egg whites, whipped cream).  A glaze might set up if you made it sufficiently thick, but it wouldn't allow you to do anything like pipe borders.
While I know it's not really a solution to what you want, your best options are probably to decorate with non-icing items like fruit or candy.  Probably the closest imitation would be to try using marzipan, which can be molded and coloured and I think would probably hold its shape better under heat.
Answer: This is just a guess but how well would fondant work in the heat? It may hold up better than traditional icing. It could still melt probably but may last longer before melting.
Comment: My guess is that fondant would work fairly well if it had time to set up before being exposed to the heat, since it's a common choice for wedding cakes (though I would have thought this true of royal icing too and it sounds like @Malika didn't have much luck with it).  If fondant works, then much like my suggestion of marzipan, you couldn't pipe it, but you could probably mold some decorative touches with the fondant.  I think most rolled fondant contains gelatin, and that's another ingredient that can go melty in heat, so I'm just guessing here.
Answer: You can use a creme, or icing custard. A chocolate one:

2 cups milk
4 yolks
1/2 cup sugar (feel free to reduce, I do)
20g cornflour
1/3 cup plain flour
250g coverture chocolate (but I use dark cooking chocolate)

Bring milk to the boil over a med heat.
Beat yolks and sugar until pale and think. Sift in the cornflour and flour and combine. Add 1/3 of the boiling milk whisking until the mixture is smooth. Pour into remaining milk and cook over low heat. Continue whisking, until the custard starts to thicken.
When custard comes to the boil, remove from heat and stir in the chocolate.
Beat for 10 mintues or until mixture is at room temperature and is thick & shiny. Frankly I usually just wait for thick and shiny. It is possible to do by hand, but a mixer is much easy.

This recipe is originally from "My Vue" by Shannon Bennett. It's used to decorate a chocolate sponge.
http://www.amazon.com/My-Vue-Modern-French-Cookery/dp/0731813219


The suffering servant? Yeshayahu- Isaiah - Chapter 53

Question: Who is the servant in Isaiah 53?
Comment: I don't see a lot of value in quoting an entire chapter, especially when the rest of the question is one sentence.  Perhaps you could focus on some key verses and add anything you've already learned on the subject.
Comment: It is a serious question,who is the suffering servant in Isaiah 53?How is this spam?
Comment: @Aaron It provides motivation for the question.
Comment: Why transform spam into non-spam? I would say just delete.
Comment: This was not asked in a tone of "why don't you believe such."  It only stated that someone else believes one thing, and asked for the Jewish understanding.  Perhaps it could be stated "Christians believe or understand this to be Jesus" rather than "in Christianity this is Jesus."  Perhaps rather than quoting the whole passage, you could select the verse that speaks directly of the "suffering servant," and provide a link to the chapter.   Also, for your own reference, Chabad has the Jewish translation up with Rashi commentary: http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/15984#showrashi=true
Comment: i removed the notion of Jesus as it's not relevant to the actual question.
Comment: @Eagle It's typically considered spam because we regularly get Christians who come here and ask some form of the question "Why don't Jews believe x? Look! It's clearly written here that they should believe x." We then give answer y. The situation quickly escalates, it's not fun for anyone. So in general we are tired of the harassment, and we are skeptical about any question that starts with comparing something to Jesus.
Answer: The nation of Israel.
http://outreachjudaism.org/gods-suffering-servant-isaiah-53/
As per that website, that has been the position of Jews for a long time

Origen, a prominent and influential church father, conceded in the year 248 CE – eight centuries before Rashi was born – that the consensus among the Jews in his time was that Isaiah 53 "bore reference to the whole [Jewish] people, regarded as one individual, and as being in a state of dispersion and suffering, in order that many proselytes might be gained, on account of the dispersion of the Jews among numerous heathen nations."

Origen, Contra Celsum, Chadwick, Henry; Cambridge Press, book 1, chapter 55, page 50
Some other resources
http://www.aish.com/sp/ph/Isaiah_53_The_Suffering_Servant.html
A longer discussion
http://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/answers/jewish-polemics/texts/isaiah-53-a-jewish-perspective/
Some other stuff
http://www.whatjewsbelieve.org/prooftext10is53.html
and this entire chapter dissects the quotes:
http://drazin.com/?12._The_Suffering_Servant
sorry for the loose links, but there is too much to quote.
Comment: @Eagel but just to give you an understanding, the idea that the entire nation of Israel is the suffering servant is based on a verse a few chapters before: Isaiah 41:8-9

"But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, the offspring of Abraham, my friend; you whom I took from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest corners, saying to you, "You are my servant, I have chosen you and not cast you off."" So when the proper context is clearly that Israel as a nation is the servant, the real question is: Why would anyone think the servant is anyone else?
Comment: Yet Tractate Sanhedrin 98b says it is about the Moshiach to come and Sotah 14a says it is Mosheh Rabbeinu. Not to forget that Isaiah 53:8 says that this servant bears the iniquity of God's people (Israel). So it is unlikely for the suffering servant to be Israel
Comment: The Ibn Ezra disagrees with your last point "For the transgression of my people was he stricken. Every nation will think: Israel was stricken because of our sins; comp. he was slain for our transgressions (ver. 5). The construction of the sentence is: For the transgression of my people plagues came over them. להם═למו To them, that is, to the Israelites. "
Comment: Sotah 14a simply shows that the logic God uses in promising to apply the credit of performance without actual performance is supported textually as the Isaiah passage demonstrates, and can be applied to Moses' situation. This does not mean that he is the subject of Isaiah 53, only that it is a proof text in a different case.
Comment: Sanhedrin includes a discussion of the Messiah's name and the text cites a variety of opinions citing passages which hint to a situation and extrapolating a possible name from the analogous situation. "The leper of the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi is his name, as it is stated". Unless you are also saying that Psalm 72:17 which is explicitly about Solomon is actually about a future messiah. Applying wordplay isn't the same as saying that the particular text is "about" something.
Answer: The answer is: the people of Israel, and specifically the righteous remnant of Israel . See Abravanel, Alshich, Even Ezra, Malbim, Metzudos Dovid, Metzudos Tzion, Rashi, Radak, Ramban, Shadal, etc...
A detailed article by Prof. Uri Yosef's on this can be found online here.
For further reading: Isaiah 53: Who is the Servant? by Gerald Sigal
Comment: Yet Tractate Sanhedrin 98b says it is about the Moshiach to come and Sotah 14a says it is Mosheh Rabbeinu


What is considered a Safek?

Question: I've been learning all these laws about Sekefot-doubts, but I'm coming up shy on a basic point. What is considered a Safek? Example:if there are 100 pieces of lettuce and I check all of them and only find one bug on one piece of lettuce, this means that 1/100 are the chances that I'll find another in my next batch of 99%. Is 1/100 a Safek Deroayta or is it just such a small chance that we say the Rov is too overpowering to Oser?
Comment: If anyone understands what I'm trying to ask please edit for others to better understand.
Answer: Contemporary poskim discuss how to approach statistics -- we tend to work with concepts of mi'ut hamatzui -- a "commonly occurring though less than 50% event", for which we do need to check; vs. mi'ut sh'eino matzui -- a rare event, for which we don't.
Many poskim treat 10% as the cutoff line for mi'ut sh'eino matzui, based on a fascinating application from the laws of Trumah, about when we need to check if wine has spoiled, to laws of sales, regarding the normal spoilage rates of wine in Talmudic times.
Furthermore we have the distinction of ruba d'ita kaman, i.e. we know there is a bug someplace in this bag, vs. ruba d'leita kaman, we know in a theoretical sense that occasionally there are bugs.
Rabbi JD Bleich addresses this in a Tradition article c. 2007: let's assume that 5% of dairy cows are treifot. That means that 5% of cows produce non-kosher milk. Now if I buy a bottle of milk made at a commercial dairy, it was mixed together from many different cows, meaning that on average 5% of this bottle is non-kosher -- and 5% is not batel! Answer: we apply ruba deleita kaman -- the statistic of 5% is an abstract one. Therefore, take any given cow, and we rule: "we assume this cow is kosher. 100%." Take the milk from that cow, and it's kosher. 100%.
Specifically with regards to miut, safek, hazaka and the like as applied to bugs in food, see Rabbi Eitam Henkin's book Lakhem Yihyeh Le-Okhlah.
Comment: Related question: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/27862
Comment: Based on http://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/57314/9275, perhaps we should interpret the statistical answer in a belief-based sense. In other words, we don't conduct many tests on many lettuces, but instead to establish a 10% safek shiur, we ask, "If I received 1 dollar if there were no bug, but paid 10 dollars if there were a bug, would I consider that a good deal?" In particular, the shiur might be evaluated differently by different people in different situations in a ruba d'leita kaman situation.
Comment: @DanielMoskovich fascinating but I don't think so. If the average human being doesn't KNOW with normal senses that A will cause B, then if he does A on Shabbos and B occurs, that's not called "thoughtful labor" (mileches machsheves). Using my normal human senses, I can't tell whether this bench will dig a hole. Contrast to checking my wine for spoilage or lettuce for bugs -- it's something I certainly could do, but the halacha says I'm not obligated to do so if the probability is sufficiently low. And the Talmudic precedent for that seems to be an objective one.

What is considered a Safek?


Why turn mobile phones off on take off and landing?

Question: Why do commercial airlines insist on turning phones to airplane mode? Does it really interfere with the planes dedicated frequencies?
Comment: Sorry, I'm new to this but I'm not sure the two questions above are the same, else my question would have pointed that out?
Answer: It is unlikely that phones and other personal electronics could interfere in a way that would significantly impact communications, navigation or other systems. But, the possibility is still there, and that possibility forces the FAA to impose regulation. In most cases, device-use regulations are passed down to the airlines, and it is the airline that sets rules for device use on their flight. It's quite possible they limit device use during critical flight phases like takeoff and landing to help ensure people pay attention to safety briefings.


Installing libgd2 in Suse

Question: I normally work on CentOS and Ubuntu machines but I have been busting my head against the wall trying to install libgd2 on Suse (Suse Enterprise Server 11. x86_64). Plenty of google searches point me to install gd but that's version 1. Even a zypper search "gd" only yields "gd - A drawing library for programs that use PNG and JPEG Output".
Ultimately I am trying to install Perl's GD module but it depends on libgd2 and trying to install from source is also throwing error after error.
Mostly ...
<code>configure.ac:51: warning: macro `AM_ICONV' not found in library
configure.ac:51: error: possibly undefined macro: AM_ICONV
If this token and others are legitimate, please use m4_pattern_allow.
See the Autoconf documentation.
Failed
</code>
On CentOS and Ubuntu installing libgd2 is a one liner and that's that but unfortunately I'm stuck with trying to get it to work on Suse.
Has anyone ever installed libgd2 on a Suse box before? Or if you know the magic command for zypper that would be great too.
Many thanks!
Janie
Answer: Install development libraries for gettext (gettext-devel under opensuse, I presume), clean everything and configure again.

Installing libgd2 in Suse


Guitar wiring diagram confusion

Question: I am trying to change the pickups in a guitar I own. I've done this before with more simple circuits but am now trying to follow this diagram to get more complicated switching options. I find the diagram confusing though, there are wires that have to be attached to multiple places, what is the best thing to do here? Am I supposed to solder to one of the destinations and then wire those together?
Comment: You might get a better answer on the forums at http://www.sevenstring.org/ or almost any guitar modding site - also note that diagram will ONLY apply if you have that exact model of switch.  (Other than that I don't have a good answer)
Comment: I have these exact components, I got them all specifically for this
Comment: This might be a complicated question to answer, but the most important thing to start out with is this: Are the pickups you are installing **Iron Gear** brand pickups? If not, you can't use this diagram, since the colors of the wires coming from the pickups won't necessarily match. If they are the same brand as the diagram, then the answer to your last question is pretty much "yes". Andy is right that you'll need the exact right kind of switch also.
Comment: I could answer this question, or it might be a better fit at a sister site: http://electronics.stackexchange.com/  Based on the help center, I think we can consider this "Instrument maintenance" and therefore it is on-topic.
Answer: I'm pretty sure you're talking about something like the red wire coming from neck pickup in the attached diagram. The diagram shows a red line coming from the neck pickup and then branching off to four locations, and it's not clear how one wire can go four places. Here's how you do it for that one wire (and you can extrapolate to the others).

Locate the closest of the four places where the red wire should go.  Electrically, it doesn't matter which of the four places is closest, it just helps us run the wire more easily.
Run the red wire to the closest point and solder it there. (Note that I would leave as much length as possible still attached to the pickup. If you want to move the pickup later you don't want to wish you had longer leads - don't cut them short if you don't have to.)
Using some additional wire that you might have to buy separately, run a wire from the point you soldered the pickup lead to in step 2. to the next closest point where the red lines go in the diagram.
Repeat step 3., going from point to point with more wire (that you have bought separately from the pickups) until you have connected all the points that are touched by a red line in the diagram together.

Some additional notes:

When you buy the additional wire, you want some small, stranded wire, if you can get it. Solid is ok, but stranded is better.
If you can get colors matching the colors in the diagram or the colors of the pickup leads, that will make it easier to do the wiring and to fix it or change it in the future.
With multiple contacts that are right next to each other that need to be connected together (like on the selector switch), you can do them all at once by stripping extra length from a wire going to one contact and running the stripped length through all the contacts. Flow solder on to each connection with the bare wire running through it and then clip off the bare end. Make sure no stray wire strands or solder are touching any other contacts.

Have fun with your new pickups! I've been planning to wire something like this up in one of my guitars with split-coil pickups and I've just been too busy to get to it.
Comment: This answer is perfect!
Comment: Thank you, and thanks for accepting the answer. You can also upvote answers if you like them (I'm not sure if that requires reputation or not), and if someone writes a better answer, you can change which one you have accepted. Welcome to Music.SE! I think you'll like it here - I certainly do!

Guitar wiring diagram confusion


Crème brûlée without torch

Question: Is it possible to finish a crème brûlée without a torch? Are there any other creative methods to get the sugar to crisp up on the top of this delicious dessert?
Comment: In my opinion, a blowtorch is a worthwile investment. Do yourself a favour though and buy a proper welding blowtorch in the hardware store - not one of the "cooking" ones. Mine runs on MAPP gas (which is flavourless and unscented, so food doesn't get that gas smell if the flame should go out for any reason) and crisps up crème brulée within a couple of seconds. It also works great for browning meats after cooking them sous-vide.
Answer: The classic method is to do it under the broiler (grill in UK parlance).
You have to watch it carefully, so that you can take it out when it is done but not burned, but otherwise that is is it.
Comment: But a torch is so much more fun! If you make creme brulee often it's worth getting a torch to make the torching event part of the entertainment for your guests.
Answer: The third (and really old-school) approach which some people use is a branding iron.
Comment: While quaint, the success rate is low, expect burning!
Answer: In Cambridge University England where creme brûlée was often made for the High Table the method was to heat the sugar in a saucepan until is caramelised and then poured over which set in a hard crust.   This receipe also known as Trinity Creme dating back to the 1600.
Comment: Interesting ... I would think that if people are concerned with the hot sugar cooking the custard too much, you could put down a layer of granulated sugar first to help insulate it from the hot sugar.  (although then the top would be thicker).
Answer: Here are some more alternatives (some really common in kitchens and some, not so much):

The broil setting in a toaster oven also works.  Don't forget to ice-water bath your ramekins.
A BBQ lighter.  A little slow, but gets there.  The "windproof" ones are better.
A piece of red hot charcoal from the fireplace.
Hotter heat guns work, but you'll end up warming the custard with the blowing air.
CO2 Laser, so you can print Hello Kitty on the custard. (most laser engravers are FDA approved)
Answer: Make the toffee/caramel tops separately some hours earlier, and store in an airtight container
When ready to serve. Line up all the creme's. Have one person carefully placing the tops, while a second person uses the largest torch you have to just blast the middle to cause it to stick to the creme. Fifty can be done in a few minutes just before serving
It just a mater of finding 3 x 4 muffin tins or similar as molds, with the same base size or slightly smaller than your ramekins tops
For an artistic look, make large very thin sheets of toffee/caramel and shatter them into pieces. Poke a couple of large pieces just into the creme at a slight angle to the surface, and then finish with scatter of smaller pieces and crumbs. A very short blast of a large torch will set them in place. much more interesting
Or go overboard and blow some toffee/caramel balls the right size the day before, and use a hot wire cutter (used to cut polystyrene packaging) to make a half sphere to place on top, or invert and fill with creme! (store sugar balls in airtight containers etc...)

Crème brûlée without torch


How can i reload the page or a div using jquery and then catching the update like twitter?

Question: to clarify you know when your on twitter and you get an update telling you have 2 new tweets, i got the ajax referesh page bit sorted but how do i catch the new update and count them!! if i make sense sorry!!
help will be appreciated
cheers!
kindest regards
Solomon saleh
Answer: The way twitter do it is basically:

Have a regular AJAX call to a server-side script that returns the number of new tweets
When this number is greater than 0, the "N new tweets" bar is shown
Clicking this bar loads the new tweets via another ajax call

One way of catching how many updates there are is to keep track of the last tweet id shown on the user's page (each tweet has a unique id). So, when the page is loaded, the max(tweet id) is, say, 100. Your ajax call to check for updates will be something like:
/check_updates.php?last_seen=100

The check_updates.php script then basically checks the DB for latest tweets for the logged in user where id > 100. Similarly, when the user clicks "Show tweets", the url called will be something along the lines of:
/show_updates.php?last_seen=100

This will mean that show_updates.php only returns tweets that haven't been seen before, keeping response times to a minimum.
The examples above send the id of the last tweet back to the server for comparison, but it could equally be done via the current timestamp. The server-side calculations would essentially be the same (look for tweets since time: X rather than tweet id: y) but it has the benefit of the client side not having to keep track of the last tweet id loaded.
Answer: You just have to crate a server side page that return to you the amount of new updates since last reload.
And using jQuery (or "regular" JS) just get an AJAX call to this page and use it's response to show to the user how many update he/she got
Comment: thank you very much for answering this question, i understand your point, so basically the steps are are:

1.to referesh the page using ajax
2.see how many updates thier have been after the refresh by making an ajax call.
3. then displaying the number of updates!!

thanks again
Answer: You need to send server the information about the last tweet number or some kind of serial number for it to check with twitter (for ex: the last updated time of tweet) or to check from its own list of tweets to identify what tweets to respond back to the client with.
This is how twitter and friendfeed.com sites deal with to enhance user experience on their sites.
You could try checking out the PUSH mechanism on HTTP or sites like pusherapp.com to push your data to the users of your site.


Remove significant coursework from CV

Question: I'm a programmer with about 2.5 years experience. Right now my CV is two pages long. There is a part where I mention some significant coursework during my studies ("big" exercises). I believe this part gives a better understanding on what knowledge I have on some technologies that I haven't had the chance to practice in a working environment. Should I remove it? The size of this part is 120 words out of 700.
Comment: Why do you think you should remove it?
Comment: As @Joe said, there is sufficient work experience to render the coursework obselete. But I decided to ask, since there is no work experience for some specific technologies that I feel comfortable enough to want to showcase something.
Comment: Two page cv. Leave it in for now. Keep the cv that length and shorten older stuff
Comment: @EdHeal thanks for the response. Yes two pages is more than enough.
Answer:
There is a part where I mention some significant coursework during my
  studies ("big" exercises).  Should I remove it?

Yes, remove it.
After 2.5 years of work experience, few employers care about any courses you took in school.
You can include a bullet list of technologies you know, but in general courses you took about topics that you haven't actually experienced on the job don't add much value.
Comment: Thank you for your response. Upvoted but I will wait a little longer to see if any other answers come along. Have fun
Answer: As Jon Story says in his comment, it is important to customize your resume for each job you apply to. So you should definitely include the technologies that you learned in school - if they are significant for the job.
Joe's suggestion with the bullet list sounds good.
In addition to that, mention them in your cover letter.
In this answer I have explained my reasoning: If they are looking for a candidate who can do "foo" and you've spend the last couple of years doing "bar" then you should make it clear in your application why you consider yourself a good match for a position doing "foo" or else your application will wander to the bottom of the pile or even the trash.
Source: Own experience. After two years in a different technology, I applied to a position where I only had school experience in the main technology, although there was some overlap in the secondary requirements. I got the job.
Comment: This answer would be ideal if it mentioned the fact you can (and probably should) customise your resume for each job you apply to. I keep one or two "Relevant courses" in my CV under my degree, and adjust which ones I mention depending on what I'm applying for. The same for the "technologies" bullet pointed list, I include the core ones they're asking for (at the top!) and then a few related ones, then the "generally useful" stuff (UML is usually popular), and one or two unrelated just as a kind of "I can learn new things". There's no such thing as a resume, just a resume template.
Comment: @JonStory Done.
Answer: Two pages?  Leave it alone. You want to show some breadth of experience, and right now you probably don't have enough in work experience to substantiate a whole lot.
Contrary to another comment here, I gave up on customizing resumes job-for-job long, long ago.  If you're not a fit (because your resume doesn't reflect the skills required), no amount of customization is going to help.  Customize the cover letter.

Remove significant coursework from CV


Reasons for closing questions in beta

Question: Going through the beta site, I noticed that some questions are answered and closed and others are answered and open. What are the rules for closing a question? I have questions that are answered sufficiently enough for my needs, do I have to close them myself?
Comment: In short, Lindsey, you probably shouldn't be closing your own questions. The main reason why questions get closed is that they, in some way, are not a good fit for our site. Good questions (even if they have acceptable answers) should remain open so that later users can potentially add even better answers later.
Comment: @Gwenn I make note of that in my answer, I think OP might have them a bit mixed up.
Answer: I am not sure exactly what you are asking pertaining to closed questions, you might be confusing them a bit with accepted answers so I will answer as generally as I can.
Some questions are answered and closed because sometimes it takes the community a while to accumulate the votes needed to close the question as off-topic etc. In that time, people might have posted what they thought to be ok answers etc. Here are some examples:

How to create a simple extruded box model?
What are the best graphics cards for cycles?
Why is Quadro slower than GTX rendering on GPU cycles?

Others are answered and closed/locked because while they are not good questions that we should allow on the site, we answer them because of how generic they are and because they are very likely to get asked again.
Lastly, some questions are possibly answered and closed because they have been asked already or because they are so similar in content with another that they can be merged. (Any any answers on the duplicate will be transferred to the first one.) Here are some examples:

https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/1179/how-to-append-two-blender-files
How to Simulate the marble procedural texture in cycles
How can i use an image as a background in Blender Render?

Closed questions are basically those that don't fit well in the scope of the site and are too vague or broad to be reasonably answered. For example:

What are the best graphics cards for cycles?
https://blender.stackexchange.com/questions/573/strange-blender-bug-on-laptop
How do you keep a single object from casting a shadow?

Questions that are answered and open are because the OP didn't accept an answer.
If you have questions that are answered and you are satisfied with them, don't 'close' them per se. You can accept an answer as the one that was useful to you by pressing the little arrow next to it.
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Comment: Do we have an off-topic list somewhere here on Meta?
Comment: @DantheMan http://meta.blender.stackexchange.com/q/1/12
Answer: You might want to check out https://blender.stackexchange.com/help/closed-questions. It explains what "closed" (or "on hold")  are and why they are used. I will briefly explain here.

Some questions have already been asked or are answered by another question's answer. These are marked as duplicates, which is a type of closing.
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When a question falls into one of these categories, users with over 500 reputation can vote to close them. When a question receives five close votes1, it is put on hold for five days. If the question is not fixed by the end of those five days, it is closed.
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Reasons for closing questions in beta


Does it matter if I add cornstarch to my sauce instead of pasta water?

Question: Since it is starch in hot water in both cases, I wonder why starchy pasta water is so prized over adding (trigger warning for Italians) warm water and cornstarch when tossing pasta.
Comment: When you make pasta, you HAVE pasta water. Adding cornstarch to water is an extra ingredient and step that is odd in the extreme given there's pasta water right there...
Comment: Why are you adding cornstarch to your pasta water?
Comment: @ecnerwal I cook in 4 - 3 quarts of water so there is barely any starch in the water.
Comment: Others might prepare the sauce well in advance, and forget keeping any pasta water.
Answer: Flavor, that is all. The water left over from boiled pasta tends to have the flavor of the pasta, and a salty flavor. If you season your pasta water with salt, and I always do, why not bring some of that flavor into the sauce you are preparing? Better than just tossing it all down the drain.
Does it really matter? No, not really. But, if you want to use some of that water for something, add your starch to it.
Answer: I think for a few reasons -

it's being used to add a bit of "silkiness" and just a bit of body, but not a lot of thickening, so the pasta water has about the right consistency for that,
as others have pointed out, the flavor, and
Since #1 and #2 are taken care of, and you already are always going to have pasta water when making the pasta, the convenience of having it already there, with no additional or separate preparation needed.

I don't think there's anything particularly magical if you have the desire for adding cornstarch, there's just no particular reason for it, all things being equal.
Comment: I'd expect cornstarch to give the wrong texture. In pie fillings it has that glisteny, slippery texture. Maybe that's due to the sugar content, but I get a similar feeling from Chinese foods thickened with cornstarch.
Comment: @JoshuaEngel - Of course, the texture would be different.  Different methods will yield different results.  I mention the texture in my answer (point #1).  I would also never use cornstarch to thicken, say, gravy.  But people do.  If the user is fine with it, it will be different, but the flavors probably won't be ruined based on one type of starch vs the other.  I do like the emphasis that your comment adds to the answer, though.  I'd certainly never use cornstarch, but I'm trying to be non-judgmental.  :D
Answer: The starch in the pasta water has cooked for some minutes which reduces its taste. If you add raw starch to the sauce at the same time as the pasta the dish will get a starchy taste.
You could add the starch to the sauce several minutes before the pasta and cook the taste off if the sauce can handle it.
You could add some starch to the pasta water to make it work. Or you cook some starch-water seperately.


Why Vidura did not paticipate in Kurukshetra war?

Question: We all know Vidura for his intellectual skills and as an advisior. But also why he didn't participate? Is it right to say that he was against Kurukshetra war? Is Krishna the reason for it again?
Comment: I have heard that Duryodhana showed 3 fingers to Krishna after being defeated by Bhima. Lord Krishna understood his thought and told he was remembering for 3 mistakes he made... he told 1st finger: a war fort in Hastinapur should have been made in 13 yrs. 2nd finger: Vidura should have been forced not to remain as neutral and his intellect should be used 3rd finger: Aswatthama should have been made commander of army as he knew Ashwatthama was Rudra avatar... But I don't know whether this story is mentioned in Mahabharat of Vyas or not...
Comment: Did you saw Karna some days back It comes on Sony Entertainment. It showed how Duryodhan went in argue with Vidur. Duryodhan said him he was just a नीच caste.
After being insulted by Duryodhan, he refused to plan battle for Duryodhan. As he was Mahamantri of Hastinapur, he could not support Pandav.
Answer: First Vidura was not considered as Kshatriya and He was insulted by Duryodhana
(see below)

Lord Krsna, the Personality of Godhead, as accepted the
  sons of Prtha as His kinsmen, and all the kings of the world are with
  Lord Sri Krsna. He is present in His home with all His family members,
  the kings and princes of the Yadu dynasty, who have conquered an
  unlimited number of rulers, and He is their Lord.  You are
  maintaining offense personified, Duryodhana, as your infallible son,
  but he is envious of Lord Krsna. And because you are thus maintaining
  a nondevotee of Krsna, you are devoid of all auspicious qualities.
  Relieve yourself of this ill fortune as soon as possible and do good
  to the whole family! While speaking thus, Vidura, whose
  personal character was esteemed by respectable persons, was insulted
  by Duryodhana, who was swollen with anger and whose lips were
  trembling. Duryodhana was in company with Karna, his younger brothers
  and his maternal uncle Sakuni.  Who asked him to come here,
  this son of a kept mistress? He is so crooked that he spies in the
  interest of the enemy against those on whose support he has grown up.
  Toss him out of the palace immediately and leave him with only his
  breath.  Thus being pierced by arrows through his ears and
  afflicted to the core of his heart, Vidura placed his bow on the door
  and quit his brother's palace. He was not sorry, for he considered the
  acts of the external energy to be supreme. By his piety,
  Vidura achieved the advantages of the pious Kauravas. After leaving
  Hastinapura, he took shelter of many places of pilgrimages, which are
  the Lord's lotus feet. With a desire to gain a high order of pious
  life, he traveled to holy places where thousands of transcendental
  forms of the Lord are situated. He began to travel alone,
  thinking only of Krsna, through various holy places like Ayodhya,
  Dvaraka and Mathura. He traveled where the grove, hill, orchard, river
  and lake are all pure and sinless and where the forms of the Unlimited
  decorate the temples. Thus he performed the pilgrim's progress.

Source : [Srimad Bhagavatam 3.1.12-18]
Comment: @AnubhavGoel it was not Vidur but Sanjay who narrated Mahabharata war events to Dhritarashtra.
Comment: @AnubhavGoel Sorry is Duryodhan, the text has already been corrected


How can I watch French TV programs on American internet?

Question: While in France, I got to watch a lot of cool TV: sports, documentaries, talk shows, etc. through my smart TV and SFR internet provider. I know that certain programming is geographically limited, but is there a way for me to watch French (internet) TV from my internet connection in the US? I miss watching the European cycling classics, as well as some old French TV series.
Comment: @outflak I am not sure I see where the problem lies. I could ask the exact same question and explain I am a homesick French expat. If the question itself is OK, there is no point in asking the OP to lie about the reasons why s/he is asking it (which is basically what such a rule would achieve).
Comment: This is more of a former expat question than a current expat question. Perhaps belongs on one of the other sites?
Comment: @ouflak I asked [a similar thing](http://meta.expatriates.stackexchange.com/q/245) on Meta a year ago, maybe could you add some thoughts there?
Comment: @Gala exactly. I didn't even realize the OP was not originally from France. Even then, repatriation is a traditionally overlooked part of the expat experience... Worth answering
Answer: The answer will be different for different kinds of content.

YouTube has a ton of good stuff. It can be a good place to start, especially for old TV series.
TV channels' own websites or apps have some content available, usually in the catch-up window (or "replay" as it's called in France) i.e. for a limited time following original broadcast. If there's a program you particularly like, you may be able to watch it everytime this way. These sites almost never carry movies.
iTunes and Google Play will carry some movies, though not usually a lot. Netflix used to carry French classics and arthouse movies online, but last time I checked they didn't have any of that available anymore.
Sports, particularly live or close-to-live sports, are the hardest to come by. The rights to broadcast them in the US are typically sold to a US broadcaster such as a cable sports channel or a pay per view operator. Whereas you can get other forms of content online, for sports, based on what you like to watch you may have to pay a cable or satellite TV subscription and maybe an additional package on top of that. It depends on the sport, so you should research your own...
There's TV5 Monde which is part of some "international" cable packages but it's a very limited selection of content.
Finally I've heard some people use torrent sites and VPNs to get around restrictions. I'm not that motivated to watch TV, so haven't tried...

Chances are you'll be watching a lot of content that's only available online so I'd advise a setup that lets you watch on your TV from the internet. Personally I use a Chromecast for this.
Comment: (+1) Another option is Molotov.tv, streaming all the major French TV channels in one place. It's only available in France though so it would need to be combined with a VPN (haven't tested it either).
Comment: Molotov relies on an app...
Comment: @RuiFRibeiro Yes. So?
Comment: malware concerns for starters. It also seems to ask an account
Comment: @RuiFRibeiro Okay, sure, but that seems to be coming out of nowhere, the question does not include any requirement of this kind and the solution you prefer also offers many apps. You might not realise it, but Molotov is a (relatively) well-known startup with big investors behind it that received quite a bit of press and many good reviews, not some random pirate streaming website or scrappy operation trying to make a buck by selling personal data. Technically, installing software is inherently less restrictive but I see no specific reason to be concerned about malware in this case.
Comment: How about the account, is it France-specific or is it paid?
Comment: @RuiFRibeiro It's a freemium app, some cloud-based replay/record-for-later functionality require a monthly subscription and you can also pay to have some premium package with twice as many channels. Otherwise the account is just a run-of-the-mill give-me-an-email-address registration. Just had it running on a VPN, seems fine.
Answer: I rely on Film On to see most of my European channels. SD watching is free, you pay for HD quality.
The site is http://www.filmon.com for browser streaming, and they have got a pretty good and free app for multiple platforms, from iOS, Android, LG TV, OS/X, Windows, Roku, xbox, Apple TV. Pretty amazing. app
They are pretty organised, and have groups of popular channels of different nationalities. They also have some groups based on interests.
For French TV, they have got Arte, BFM, France 3, RTS, M6, TV5, and France 2.
SD quality is normally enough for my needs.
I also when abroad have the option of doing a VPN for my country, and watching TV either with my account or my parents account using the software TV of the cable package we are paying.
Needless to say, Film On is more convenient to use, and faster without needing a VPN.
Film On for iPhone and iPad
Comment: (+1) RTS is Swiss, not French (Arte and TV5 are both international initiative but with significant French contribution).


Can a modern washing machine pump high enough to reach a sewer line that's 43" above the ground?

Question: Our sewer line is 43" above the ground. Today, the washing machine drains into a washbasin, into an ejector pump, and into the sewer. I would like the washing machine to drain directly into the sewer line, bypassing the washbasin and pump. Can modern washers pump the water high enough to allow for a trap above the 43"?
Comment: Graywater enthusiasts have a lot of experience running wash machine water greater than vendor recommendations.  Have a google on that topic...  I suspect you are just fine.
Comment: Hi Josh. As you can see @mt_heady "empty head?" says his does it find. Good for him. You need to check your manual. You will notice most washing machines tell the maximum and minum heights of the outlet. One thing to worry about on high outlet is that water will fall-back into the washing machine, causes damp damage, fungi and other nasties! That is why there MUST be a loop in the pipe and it usually says not higher than the washing machine itself. I am sure it will work but it will reduce the life of your machine and possibly health issues for you too! What you have now is kinda correct.
Comment: Also to be considered is all that volume of water in the hose that never gets pumped out, merely to drain back into the tub once the pump cycle quits.
Answer: No.  Well maybe it can, but it shouldn't.
RTFM
If you check the documentation that came with the washer, it should contain the maximum drain height.  Generally, the maximum height is around 39" (99 cm).

Newer washers often have a drain hose permanently attached, which is designed to make drain installation fool proof. The supplied drain hose shows you exactly how high the washer can discharge.
Raise the washer
Depending on the machine, and whether or not you're already using a pedestal.  You may be able to raise the whole machine up, to accomplish what you want.  The maximum height is not height above sea level, it's height above the bottom of the washer. So if it's possible to do so, raising the machine up a few inches (safely) might be the solution.
If it's a front loading washer; and you're not already using a pedestal, you may be able to purchase (or build) a pedestal to raise the machine up.  If not, you may want to think about building a raised floor to raise the whole area up.
Keep it up to code
International Residential Code (IRC) says.

International Residential Code (IRC) 2012
Chapter 27 - Plumbing Fixtures
SECTION P2706 WASTE RECEPTORS
P2706.2 Standpipes. Standpipes shall extend a minimum of 18 inches (457 mm) and a maximum of 42 inches (1067 mm) above the trap weir. Access shall be provided to all standpipe traps and drains for rodding.

Which means if you connect the drain hose to a standpipe, the standpipe has to be at least 18" above the point at which water will begin to flow from the trap. So your 43" height, could quickly become 61".
Comment: "sea level"--lolz! Re: sealed trap discharge. I'm pretty sure this is against code. It would be considered pressure discharge. The standpipe arrangement is sort of a special exception to the requirement that indirect waste be discharged through an air gap. No standpipe invokes the air gap requirement the way I see it. Otherwise great answer.
Comment: Right, the air allowance makes all the difference. So the with the sink, it's just a standpipe connection. The instruction is potentially wrong still, standpipes must be 18" min. vertical! Also, few sinks are properly sized for washer discharge in addition to the sink fixture units. You may recall all my code references are out of date, but I'd be very surprised if this aspect changed, though it has likely moved. Anyway, I'm looking at '94(yikes!) UPC section 805, Pressure Drainage Connections in the Indirect and Special Wastes chapter.
Comment: @bcworkz wasn't aware of the code limitation, can you site the applicable code (just curious)?  Does that mean the image from the manufacturers installation guide is wrong, or it works because the sink allows air in?
Answer: Most manufacturers will list the minimum height of the "top" of the Stand Pipe.
Usually 30" from floor. The International Plumbing Code for the actual 2" Stand Pipe is 18" minimum and 48" maximum from trap. In regards to the "sealed trap", the piping being installed together, "is" against code. The Stand Pipe itself is not subject to the "Air Gap" code, but it is to the "Air Break" code. Meaning the washing machine discharge hose can be inserted "into" the Stand Pipe, no more than 5"- which falls into the Indirect Waste portion of the plumbing code. The washing machine discharge maximum height is 96" for top and front loading machines. However, installing the extended height above the washing machine could cause that extended height of water to drain back into washing machine. Causing excess water laying in machine, damp clothes, and a shortened life of the drainage pump in the machine. One alternative, is to use a laundry pump (with or without a sink). A Stand Pipe can be installed into the laundry pump itself. Local codes permitting.
Comment: What does " A Stand Pipe can be installed into the laundry pump itself." mean? how can you install a stand pipe in a laundry pump?


Do animals go to heaven?

Question: According to the Quran or holy scriptures, is it made clear that animals go to heaven or not? As an aside, does the definition include insects?
Comment: Does this answer your question? [What happens to animals after they die according to Islam?](https://islam.stackexchange.com/questions/8042/what-happens-to-animals-after-they-die-according-to-islam)
Comment: as a related answer to your interesting query: http://islam.stackexchange.com/questions/8042/what-happens-to-animals-after-they-die-according-to-islam/10495#10495
Answer: According to verse no.5 in surat Al-Takwir in Quran (chapter-81) and also chapter-6/verse-38, and many hadiths in Sunnah, animals are questioned at the day of judgement. But there is no evidence that they will enter heaven. In fact, there is at least two hadiths informing explicitly that all animals are turned into earth after being judged hereafter.
Comment: Hi, thanks for the answer. Could you elaborate on what properties the judgements are decided upon?
Answer: I have read in various sites that animals will not go to heaven because they will be turned to dust.  But aren't humans also turned to dust?  Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.  does that necessarily mean that animals wouldn't go to heaven?  What about their souls.  Maybe the command to turn their bodies to dust also follows that their souls go directly to heaven since they are not actually sinners that need to go to hell.  It seems that any transgression they caused is reconciled on judgement day and they could just go straight to heaven.
I wish that anyway.  When I see the elephants suffering in India, horses in Central Park suffering or dogs being abused or cats murdered for fun by cruel people, etc.  How miserable to think that all they got was torment and no joy even in an afterlife.  : (
Comment: Welcome to Islam.SE. Answers here should be elaborate, and focused on addressing the question. Claims should be supported by evidence. Please visit our [tour](//islam.stackexchange.com/tour) in the [help center](//islam.stackexchange.com/help), and refer to [how to answer questions](//islam.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-answer).
Answer: Holy Quran does not overtly deal with the question of animal's place in afterlife. There are two verses which are often quoted in this regard. One states that animals and birds are communities just like people and that we haven't exempted anything in this book. It stops just here. The other one states that everything on the day of judgement will be questioned and every sheep without horns will settle its score with sheep with horn. I personally don't think that the meaning of the verse should be taken literally. Sheep with and without horns is a metaphorical way of differentiating between strong and weak and in no way stand for the class of non-humans.
The question, in earlier history, wouldn't have concerned Islamic scholars and historians at all. And must have only been addressed when Islam's spread began in order to accommodate people of different geographies and cultures.
Now the question concerns to fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and faqih decides the place of animals in cosmology using his knowledge and reasoning power. Note that faqih of each sect is liable to give different answer in order to demarcate his own sect's position from those of others. This amounts to saying that whenever we will come across some answer to the question of animals place in afterlife, the answer will be partially political rather than a universal solution which could put the question at rest.
But this is the case with every Semitic religion. Religion at its inception couldn't possibly have an answer. They are always developed in the process of its spread. Thus it is only sign of the times that we now see Pope declaring that animals have a place in heaven. Similarly, we find Muslim mufti's overseas issuing fatwas regarding keeping dogs as pets and sea food as halal.
However, if you wish to seek an answer in  confinements of sect which theoretically is most tolerant of animals, again, in terms of animals as pets and animals as consumable, then you need to read Imam Malik's texts. Then there's shafi and Jafferi sect which are somewhat tolerant of animals. Holy Prophet's cousin Ali's sermon are rich with animals' instances. He has devoted a whole sermon on peacock. And there are some rather mystical quotes regarding bees and ants.
So in the end, if you reiterate whether it has been made clear in holy scripture which is binding to all sects. The answer is No! It hasn't been made clear. As I said, it falls upon faqih and mujtahid to make it clear and not upon an ordinary Muslim individual (which is sad). If you ever happen to find a clear cut answer, remember, that the answer would be targeting only a particular sect and not Islam in general.
P.s. I am going to assume that you need an answer for research purpose or general knowledge rather than reinforcing your own religious's beliefs, whatever they be, to the effect of accumulating hate for others' beliefs.
Answer: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, Most Merciful
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. We cannot find words to praise Him, as He only sees fit how laudation should be addressed to Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the evils within ourselves and the evils of our bad deeds. Whosoever Allah guides will never be led astray, and whosoever He leads astray will never find guidance. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, the One without any associate, and We bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger and bondman, peace and blessings be upon him, his kith and kin, his Companions and all those who follow their guidance until the Day of Judgment.

Your Question: Do animals go to heaven?
Answer: No.
"Allaah will judge between His creation, jinn, humans and animals. On that Day the score will be settled between the hornless and the horned, until there are no outstanding issues left, then Allah will say, 'Be dust!' At the point the kaafir will say, 'Would that I were dust!'"
There are some animals who will not be turned into dust, but eventually will go to Jannah. There are 10 animals who will go to Jannah.

Prophet Abraham's calf
The ram slaughtered instead of prophet Ismail
The camel which was a miracle of Prophet Saleh
The fish which swallowed prophet Jonah
Prophet Moses's cow
Prophet Uzair's donkey
Prophet Solomon's ant
Bilqis hoopoe bird
Seven Sleepers' dog named Oitmir
Our Prophet's camel named Qaswa
Comment: Salam, what is your source for this answer? Thank you.
Comment: @SammyGuergachi Sure, I found on this site: https://qa.islam.com/s/18367/which-are-the-10-animals-that-will-enter-into-paradise#gsc.tab=0.
Answer: Sura 6 - Ayat 38
وَمَا مِن دَآبَّةٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا طَـٰٓئِرٍ يَطِيرُ بِجَنَاحَيْهِ إِلَّآ أُمَمٌ أَمْثَالُكُم‌ۚ مَّا فَرَّطْنَا فِى ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ مِن شَىْءٍ‌ۚ ثُمَّ إِلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يُحْشَرُونَ
Wama min dabbatin fee alardi wala tairin yateeru bijanahayhi illa omamun amthalukum ma farratna fee alkitabi min shayin thumma ila rabbihim yuhsharoon(a)
And there is not an animal moving in the earth nor a bird flying on its wings, but they are a nation like you; We have left out nothing in this Book – then towards their Lord they will be raised.
( As far as the mention that after the animal are settled score between them, and "The Kafira" being turned to dust. Kafira means: Of those who are Unbelievers, so this would not apply to all animalkind, just the nonbelieving animals.)
Answer: Why wouldn't animals go to heaven? Why would only an imperfect creation like humans have this advantage?
Think about it. Allah (swt) is the most merciful and most just.
This world does not belong to the imperfect humans
From the mess humans have created on this Earth, the cruelty they inflict on each other, other beings, and the Earth, do you really think that many humans will go to heaven?
They go to heaven and if you have any doubts, you can ask Allah(swt) to let animals in heaven.
You can ask Allah(swt) for anything.
For example, I pray that Allah(swt) makes sure hell is forever, and that He does not forgive people for their sins.
I pray that Allah(swt) does not show mercy to some. This is my right to pray for these wishes

Do animals go to heaven?