Salient features of the Norteño dialect of Mexican Spanish

Question: What features make this dialect different from the ones spoken in the rest of Mexico? I am keen on understanding what makes a Norteño speaker stand out; i.e. pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, that would make a native speaker instantly recognize a Norteño speaker as such.
Comment: It should be noted that what you are referring to is a **regional accent** rather than a ***dialect***, much in the same way the way people from *Shannon, South Carolina, (home of the pecan pie and ice cold tea)* do not speak an english dialect, but a rather thick **southern accent**
Answer: As a native norteño speaker I can tell you there is not a single norteño "dialect"
I'm from the northeast part of México (Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Coahuila) and we speak different to Chihuahua speakers and northwest speakers(Sonora, Sinaloa).
I thing the common factor is that sureños always ask if we are angry, I think our accent sounds aggressive to them. And by the words and some sounds you can identify the speaker origin. A typical example is the "sh" phoneme, northwest speakers pronounce shushi as chuchi.
Comment: @AmitSchandillia *Mushasha* instead of *muchacha*; *leshe* instead of *leche*. Anyway both are spelled as they must be, but the effect is represented in the first word.
Comment: That phonetic change ch -> sh occurs in some regions of Chihuahua, it's a common joke to tell Chihuahense something like "quieres osho shocolates mushasha shula" (quieres ocho chocoloates muchacha chula)

But in Sonora it's the other way. They can't hear/pronounce the sh phoneme, so the say suCHI instead of suSHI.
Comment: The sh-ch conversion sounds interesting...does it happen in every word with sh or only certain words?
Answer: I'm not from Mexico but living in el DF have had a lot of norteño friends, mostly from Monterrey.
People from the north tend to have a more rhythmic way of speaking that differs from the long drawn out syllables of the chilango in el DF. No maaaaanches weey súper Chilango. The northern accent can be a bit more lively and kind of 'chops' the words, commonly described as cantadito or golpeado.
Aside from this there is the slang and different verbs they use, some of them not real spanish and taken from english. They also insert more english words in their speech than chilangos.
For example ¿Que estás watcheando? - what are you watching. Pistear - to get drunk. Se fue a parkear la truka - He has gone to park the truck.
Also in the north they tend to say vato or compadre / compa for when we in the south may say wey. And in some areas, more towards Durango and Sinaloa, they often say el or la before the name of someone. Acabo de ver la Marioll hace rato y anda bien encabronada contigo.
pinishi - pinche (Like Motilio mentioned, the 'tsh' sound is very prevalent)
loqueron - loquera / borrachera
pichar - invitar vamos de parranda compa, si jalas?, va pero tu pichas, que yo invite la vez pasada
te la bañaste - te pasaste / te la mamaste (súper vulgar)
There are so many more and I'll add them as I remember them :)
This is a good video of slang comparison, although its not his native accent I think he does it well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IBSNVMQ7gc
This guy is norteño and this video is somewhat representative of mannerisms. Skip the first minute.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qW18sMYXU4s
Last one, check out this entry on Frikipedia, its a joke version of wikipedia maintained by Mexicans. http://inciclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Norteño
But, as Motilio mentions, there is no single accent. If you want a good example of the accent try and find a film called el infierno, its pretty famous.
Answer: I agree with the person who said there is not just one dialect in northern Mexico. As in other countries, dialects tend to form a continuum of variants. For example, Baja California, where I lived, has its own form of Spanish, mostly resembling other forms of northwestern Spanish but with FAR more anglicisms than the northeast, for example. This is primarily due to Tijuana being within three hours' driving distance from 12 million Americans, much more than any other place in Mexico. Plus the region is rather remote from the rest of the country, with the next nearest Big City, Hermosillo, being ten hours driving time from Mexicali. In fact, Baja's nearest linguistic neighbor is southwestern U.S. Spanish.
For me as a non-Mexican, the most noticeable difference is in the vocabulary. The Spanish I'm most familiar with is that of Tijuana, with has a number of factors that make it unique, mostly having to do with vocabulary.
Someone mentioned the "sh" phoneme and that is very noticeable if you're paying attention, otherwise it might escape your notice as not all northerners use it, and it's not common at all in the northeast. Mexicans have told me it has its origins in Chihuahua. And some speakers are midway between Sh and Ch.
So to sum up: The big differences are the vocabulary and the "Sh" phoneme. The further west you go through the border states, the more pronounced these differences are.


Titania's Song and Mycosynth Lattice

Question: How do Titania's Song and Mycosynth Lattice interact? What happens if Song enters the battlefield first, Lattice enters first, or they enter at the same time? Is there any circumstances under which all the lands would turn into 0/0s and die?
Comment: This sounds like it may be the same or very similar to the infamous Humility + Opalescence interaction; which you can read about in the rulings on either card.
Answer: Here is my current understanding, based on the Gatherer rulings for Opalescence

This is the current interaction between Humility and Opalescence: The type-changing effect applies at layer 4, but the rest happens in the applicable layers. The rest of it will apply even if the permanent loses its ability before it's finished applying. So if Opalescence, Humility, and Worship are on the battlefield and Opalescence entered the battlefield before Humility, the following is true: Layer 4: Humility and Worship each become creatures that are still enchantments. (Opalescence). Layer 6: Humility and Worship each lose their abilities. (Humility) Layer 7b: Humility becomes 4/4 and Worship becomes 4/4. (Opalescence). Humility becomes 1/1 and Worship becomes 1/1 (Humility). But if Humility entered the battlefield before Opalescence, the following is true: Layer 4: Humility and Worship each become creatures that are still enchantments (Opalescence). Layer 6: Humility and Worship each lose their abilities (Humility). Layer 7b: Humility becomes 1/1 and Worship becomes 1/1 (Humility). Humility becomes 4/4 and Worship becomes 4/4 (Opalescence).

According to this ruling, the fact that Titania's Song removes abilities from artifacts is irrelevant. The continuous effects still happen.
So starting with layer 4, we have Mycosynth Lattice turning things into artifacts and Titania's Song turning things into creatures. Since Song has a dependency on Lattice (because it changes the set of things that Song effects), Lattice is always applied first regardless of timestamps. So they're both artifacts, and then become artifact creatures in layer 4.
In layer 6, they both lose all abilities
In layer 7, they become a 4/4 and 6/6 respectively, despite the fact that they lost their abilities in a previous layer.
All lands will turn into 0/0s and die, regardless of timestamps.
This seems like a weird result, but it's the best I can determine based on the rulings I've seen.
Comment: Good call with the dependency between type-changing abilities. I missed that previously and updated my answer to not be misleading.
Answer: The multiple type-changing effects involved here is similar to a popular combo that uses Mycosynth Lattice and March of the Machines. (Titania's Song is slightly different in that it removes non-creature artifact's abilities as well, which is interesting but doesn't ultimately change the way the continuous effects of these static abilities are applied.)
Both cards create continuous effects, which are more specifically type-changing effects. Continuous effects are applied in layer order according to rule 613.1

613.1. The values of an object's characteristics are determined by starting with the actual object. For a card, that means the values of the characteristics printed on that card. For a token or a copy of a spell or card, that means the values of the characteristics defined by the effect that created it. Then all applicable continuous effects are applied in a series of layers in the following order:
613.1a Layer 1: Copy effects are applied. See rule 706, "Copying Objects."
613.1b Layer 2: Control-changing effects are applied.
613.1c Layer 3: Text-changing effects are applied. See rule 612, "Text-Changing Effects."
613.1d Layer 4: Type-changing effects are applied. These include effects that change an object's card type, subtype, and/or supertype.
613.1e Layer 5: Color-changing effects are applied.
613.1f Layer 6: Ability-adding effects, ability-removing effects, and effects that say an object can't have an ability are applied.
613.1g Layer 7: Power- and/or toughness-changing effects are applied.

This is performed whenever state-based actions are checked. The relevant layers here are layer 4 and layer 7.
Since Titania's Song depends on Mycosynth Lattice's effect, the timestamp rule is overridden.

613.7. Within a layer or sublayer, determining which order effects are applied in is sometimes done using a dependency system. If a dependency exists, it will override the timestamp system.
613.7a An effect is said to "depend on" another if (a) it's applied in the same layer (and, if applicable, sublayer) as the other effect (see rules 613.1 and 613.3); (b) applying the other would change the text or the existence of the first effect, what it applies to, or what it does to any of the things it applies to; and (c) neither effect is from a characteristic-defining ability or both effects are from characteristic-defining abilities. Otherwise, the effect is considered to be independent of the other effect.

At layer 4, Titania's Song must wait to for its dependencies to be applied before it can be applied. Mycosynth Lattice gives all permanents the artifact type. Then Titania's Song can be applied, changing non-creature artifacts into creatures. At layer 7, all artifacts that were turned into creatures from Titania's Song have base power/toughness equal to their converted mana cost.
The layers have been applied, which leaves us with 0/0 creatures.
The next time a player would get priority (which is probably immediately afterwards), we check state-based actions.

704.3. Whenever a player would get priority (see rule 117, "Timing and Priority"), the game checks for any of the listed conditions for state-based actions, then performs all applicable state-based actions simultaneously as a single event. [...]

One relevant effect of this state-based action check is that any creatures with toughness of 0 (any previously non-creature artifact with converted mana cost 0) are put into the graveyard. This might include lands, since they are now creatures as well. (Though if something buffs the toughness of creatures, it could increase their toughness above 0 and save them from dying.)
Note that if a permanent was already a creature, its power and toughness won't be based on it's converted mana cost. For instance, if Liege of the Tangle turned your lands into creatures prior to this, they will still be 8/8.
Comment: My response was a bit too long. I'm editing my answer to be more specific, by I still stand by my answer.
Comment: The difference with March of the Machines is that Titania's Song also removes abilities. Could you please update your answer to take that into account?
Comment: Edited the first paragraph to reflect how it differs from March of the Machines.
Comment: A few of the small details were off. I hope you don't mind that I fixed them. +1

Titania's Song and Mycosynth Lattice


Which hormones can cross the blood brain barrier?

Question: Can hormones such as testosterone, aldosterone and estrogen cross the blood brain barrier?
I looked on Wikipedia and there no mention of it in the testosterone article. Through Googling around I also didn't find a list of which hormones can cross the barrier.
Answer: Yes, both steroid and peptidic hormones can enter the brain, the obvious proof being that the brain responds to changing blood concentration of hormones.
The situation is different for steroid hormones (such as estrogen, testosterone, cortisol etc) which are small and lipophilic, and peptidic hormones (such as insulin, ghrelin, prolactin etc) which are big and hydrophilic.
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is selectively permeable to steroid hormones: some of them (such as the gonadal steroids) can readily pass the BBB, while others (such as corticosteroids) pass only in small concentrations. This may however be modulated by hormone carrier proteins in the plasma.
See: Transport of Steroid Hormones through the Rat Blood-Brain Barrier - Pardridge et al., JCI, 1979

When speaking of peptidic hormones, the classic hypothesis is that hormones pass through the areas where the BBB is "leaky", i.e. where capillaries are fenestrated.
These include circumventricular organs such as the median eminence (where the terminals of many neuroendocrine neurons are located), or the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT), important for reproduction and osmoregulation. The chorioid plexus is also often mentioned as a site for hormone entrance and/or sensing.
However, how exactly hormones enter the brain is still very unclear.
Our lab published a paper on this topic recently:
Rapid sensing of circulating ghrelin by hypothalamic appetite-modifying neurons - Schaeffer et al., PNAS, 2013
Answer: Yeah indeed they can.  The obvious proof is puberty and development, but a more involved look into how that is achieved can be found in this free article from last year.  In particular,

Nearly every mechanism by which a substance can cross or interact with the BBB is used by one hormone or the other. In general, steroid hormones cross the BBB by transmembrane diffusion whereas thyroid hormones, peptide hormones, and regulatory proteins cross by saturable systems.

In particular, I like figure 1:


What is meant by inverted water table?

Question: There are some papers in literature which discuss stream-aquifer interaction. They describe that the stream aquifer interaction ranges from connection to disconnection. When there is disconnection, then there is an $\textbf{inverted water table} $ below the stream and above saturated zone. I have not understood what is meant by this kind of water table?
Answer: An Inverted or Perched water table is a water table that is above the main or regional water table in an  unconfined aquifer.  The perched water table is generally above a layer of low permeability material such as clay.  In the image below, notice that there is an "inverted" water table along bottom of the perched water table.
Comment: I am sorry but I am still confused with the word "inverted". Normally inverted means upside down. What is upside down regarding water table? Also can you highlight the 'inverted water table' in the image you added.
Comment: On the perched water table, there is a water boundary along the top of the impremeable layer which is the upside down water table where the water is above that plane.
Answer: To amplify on Gary's answer for the situation under a stream: Surface water will be connected to an unconfined groundwater aquifer if the sediments are saturated between the aquifer and the stream. If the head (the elevation of the water i.e. its pressure) is lower at the stream than the adjacent sediments, then it will be a "gaining stream" the water in the aquifer will flow into the stream. If the head is higher at the stream it will be a "losing stream" and water will flow into the aquifer.
However sometimes, the water level in the aquifer drops enough that it is lower than the sediments right under the stream and the stream becomes a "disconnected stream". This can occur when the sediments in the stream bed have lower permeability than the rest of the aquifer. That's a common occurrence because fine sediment transported by the stream can build up in the stream bed - called a skin effect. If a stream has intermittent flow then the stream can be disconnected when it starts to flow but the water seeping into the bed hasn't had time to fully saturate the sediments underneath.
Note that the gaining or losing flow can be very low. The difference in head tells you the potential flow direction but the permeability of the sediments determines how much flow you will get for a given potential. It is analogous to a battery voltage (potential) and a resistor (permeability) governing currrent (flow).
Answer: When water is infiltrating an aquifer system which contains an unsaturated zone (vadose zone), whether from an infiltration bassin or a river, The first centimeters usually are saturated, the bottom of this saturated layer is called the inverted water table because under the layer there is a soil which is not completely saturated.

What is meant by inverted water table?


Is there any river that does not discharge into larger body of water?

Question: Do you know any example of a river that does not flow into sea or lake? For example, if water rises from the underground spring and forms a river but water vaporises in hot climate before it reaches any larger body of water. Or if there is a valley with very moderate precipitation and many little creeks flow out of the valley and the water from them is absorbed by the soil.
Comment: Welcome. I would assume that a river that drains away in a carstic environment whose water may appear later, even if the name changes and a water divide lies in between, doesn't count ? Am thinking of the Danube.
Comment: See this (in German): https://www.donauversickerung.info/
Comment: @a_donda There is of course an [English version](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube_Sinkhole) of that article.
Comment: @HanneloreSchmette: your name sounds German, would the German wikipedia article help ? https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donauversinkung. If not, I can do a short summary but that costs time ... and I think you've got good answers already worth being accepted at your discretion.
Comment: Where does Danube disappear from the map?
Comment: The entire surface water flow of the Alapaha River near Jennings, Florida goes into a sinkhole leading to the Floridan Aquifer groundwater - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinkhole
Comment: @DarrelHoffman: I do of course know. The translation is a bit imprecise and shortened. If OP is German, I'd recommend the German article (am German by accident as well). The karstic system is actually pretty compley and it took a long time to figure out what flows where. Still, by far not all has been explored.
Comment: Thank you very much. Actually I am looking for a specific river. It is not Danube.
Comment: Re *Actually I am looking for a specific river. It is not Danube.* Why not? You have received multiple examples. We cannot read your mind.
Answer: The Okavango River is a good example of this. It drains into a swampy delta in the middle of the Kalahari desert:

The Okavango Delta, CC BY Justin Hall.
Comment: Parts of the Okavango delta are permanently wet, so I don't know if this counts.
Comment: @DavidHammen I know, I hesitated because of the question's title. A swamp is indeed a "large body of water". But then the question specifies "sea or lake", so I figured the swamp was OK.
Answer: The Colorado River frequently fails to reach the Gulf of California, mostly due to diversion to agricultural and metropolitan uses upstream.
This National Geographic post from 2014 elaborates on the Colorado River reaching the sea for the first time in 16 years:

This reunion between river and sea is due to an agreement between
Mexico and the United States, known as Minute 319, to advance the
restoration of the Colorado Delta by releasing a pulse flow and
sustaining base flows in a five-year experiment.
Comment: The Gila River (technically a tributary of the Colorado) hasn't added any water to the Colorado for quite some time.
Comment: @MichaelRichardson, there are a number of rivers like that in the Arizona-New Mexico area.  For example, the Salt and Agua Fria rivers are both nominally tributaries of the Gila, but most of the time, they don't have any more water in them than the Gila does.
Answer: The concepts you are looking for are two categories of drainage basins, endhoreic basins and cryptorheic basins.
Endhoreic basins are drainage basins that do not drain to the oceans, either above ground or below. The rivers in an endhoreic basin flow toward a local low spot. In some places these low spots are permanently covered by water. Examples includes the Caspian Sea, the Dead Sea, and the Great Salt Lake. I suspect you would not count these rivers as the bodies of water into which they flow are permanent.
But in other endhoreic basin the bodies of water are only occasionally wet. These dry lake beds become short-lived lakes in the rare case of exceptionally high precipitation. The Amargosa River, for example, occasionally experiences high flow rates and turns the normally bone dry Badwater Basin in Death Valley in California into a lake. This lake doesn't last very long at all.
Another example is Lake Eyre in South Australia. Lake Eyre is dry most of the time, but occasionally it does get visibly wet, and very rarely it gets quite wet and then takes a couple of years to dry. There are several rivers in the Lake Eyre Basin that occasionally feed the lake. One of them is the Fincke River, one of oldest rivers in the world. The Fincke River is typically dry. On the rare occasion when water runs through it, the flowing water usually sink into the ground before going very far. But every once in a while, sufficient rainfall falls to enable the Fincke to flow all the way to Lake Eyre.
Yet another example is Okavango River, as mentioned by Jean-Marie Prival. In the aftermath of the wet season, the Okavango Delta drains into the Thamalakane River, which in turn drains into the Boteti River, which in turn drains into the Ntwetwe Pan. The Ntwetwe Pan is typically a very dry and nearly lifeless salt pan. The Boteti usually dries up before it reaches the Ntwetwe Pan.
There are many other examples of endhoreic basins in the world where the lowest spot is a salt pan that is only occasionally covered with water.

The other category I mentioned are cryptorheic basins. These are typically associated with karst. Karst topography oftentimes results where the surface rock is made of easily dissolved limestone. Much of the drainage in cryptorheic basins is hidden because it occurs underground, hence the crypto prefix.
The upper Danube provides a nice example. It eventually runs dry almost half of the year because its waters sink into the Danube Sinkhole. This sinking happens all year round, but at times the above ground flow remains sufficient to keep the upper Danube flowing. The underground flow eventually merges to form the Radolfzeller Aach, which is a tributary of the Rhine. The underground flow drains to the North Sea while the above ground flow drains to the Black Sea.
There are many other losing streams (streams that lose rather than gain water) in the world. Another example is the Lost River in West Virginia. It disappears under Sandy Ridge and reemerges a couple of miles (three kilometers) away on the other side of the mountain as the headwaters of the Cacapon River. There are several other streams named Lost River in the US.
Eastern Australia also has many disappearing rivers. The Great Artesian Basin is a large cryptorheic basin that ultimately empties to the ocean. Some of the rivers in eastern Australia disappear, not because of evaporation, but because their waters sink to replenish the Great Artesian Basin.
Answer: There are rivers that don't flow into seas or lakes if you consider influent rivers. Which are rivers that loose water to the ground (seeps into aquifers). For example "big lost river" of Idaho, which feeds into the Snake river aquifer.
In regards to evaporation, it depends on what you consider a river. Because water flowing through a tiny little rill or gully wouldn't necessarily reach a lake. But do you consider that a river? Wadis or ramblas are river beds in arid or semiarid areas, thus, dry. But when it does rain, they normally reach the sea. But if it rains a little bit, then it wouldn't reach.
From Wikipedia's Lost streams of Idaho:

There are two rivers in Idaho named "Lost", the Big Lost River and the Little Lost River. They are often considered separate streams, but both flow into the same depression and become subterranean, feeding the Snake River Aquifer. The rivers are located in Custer County and Butte County, in Idaho in the United States. Via the aquifer and numerous springs, they are tributaries of the Snake River.
Comment: Wait, where is that river? I can't find it... ;-)
Answer: Just locally to me, there are the Carson and Humboldt rivers, which drain into sinks of those names - the Carson Sink and the Humboldt Sink. There's also the Quinn River, which drains into the Black Rock desert when it has water in it, which it doesn't always.
There are many smaller rivers & creeks that do this.  For instance, a lot of smaller creeks on the east slope of the Sierra will (seasonally) disappear when they reach the talus slopes at the foot of the mountains.
Answer: A must-to-mention is Amu Darya. It was once flowing to Aral sea, but since ~1950s the water has been used for irrigation, and now its waters do not reach the sea. (And as a result, there it little that remains of the sea.)
Answer: The Luni River of India does not meet any sea, ocean, lake, or any other body of water. Most Indian rivers meet larger rivers or flow into the Bay of Bengal or the Arabian sea. This river starts at an elevation of 772 meters from the Naga Hills of Aravalli in the Ajmer district of Rajasthan. The distance covers about 495 km, and the river meets its end in Barine. The water from the river drains on a shallow bed, leading to its termination, without flowing into any water body. The hot temperature and lack of rainfall is the reason for the supply of the voluminous water. The river is shallow enough to evaporate at its mouth, and the water turns saline because of the salt rich surface in Barmer. It is also very strange because some parts of the river resembles a lake and an ocean with waves.
Comment: Welcome on the ES SE! [This](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luni_River#/media/File:Sarasvati-ancient-river.jpg) shows that Luni flows into the Indian Ocean, is it true?
Comment: There are more zoomed in maps that show the Luni does indeed not make it to the other river but dries up before that, it has the same problem as the Colorado, so much is diverted for irrigation it dries up. https://www.researchgate.net/figure/The-study-region-the-Luni-River-basin-is-defined-within-the-black-border-line_fig1_279061573
Answer: Locally to me, the Nailbourne rises at a spring in the small town of Lyminge, in the Kent Downs, and then sinks back into the ground shortly after passing through the village of Elham (except in a very wet winter when groundwater levels rise enough for it to stay above ground). You might choose to disqualify it because it does resurface lower down the watercourse and eventually joins the River Stour which drains into the sea.
Answer: Does a river emptying into another river count?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_River

The Roe River runs from Giant Springs to the Missouri River near Great Falls, Montana, United States. The Roe River is only 201 feet (61 m) long at its longest constant point
Comment: No, discharging to other river does not count


1TB hard drive not working on RedHat linux workstation, dialouge box saying ntfs is not installed on your system comes

Question: I have this new 1TB hard-drive from Sandisk for the purpose of taking backup from my linux (Redhat) based linux system, but when i try to use it, a dialouge box comes saying that u do not have NTFS system installed on your system. Please help how can i make use of this hard drive.
Answer: I think you have to format it in something linux can understand. So, if there's no data on it, try this, after doing some substitution:
<code>mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdX1
</code>
change X with the correct device
Answer: Your options are to reformat the drive or to install ntfs-3g on the system.
To reformat the drive, type this:

sudo mkfs.ext2 partition (partition is probably /dev/sda1 or /dev/sdb1)

I'm not quite sure how to install ntfs-3g on Redhat. I just searched my yum repos and it doesn't look like it's offered. You'll have to find another repo, download the rpm somewhere, or build it from source.
It's much better just to use a native filesystem though. So my recommendation is to reformat the drive.
Comment: Why just ext2? That's getting a bit long in the tooth at this stage! Typo I presume?


How do you share DLC across multiple profiles?

Question: I have purchased DLC on my profile and I am able to access it fine but my brother wants to have access to the DLC on his profile. The DLC is located on the same system but I can't seem to find a way to share it. Is there a way?
Comment: What platform is this on? If it's XBox you may have a way, but not on PC.
Comment: The platform is Xbox 360.
Answer: On Xbox, who can use DLC depends on who bought it and which console has the licenses.
The easiest way to be sure is to sign your account into a second controller. This will allow your brother to access the DLC.
If you are trying to use the DLC on the system that you used to buy it, then he should already be able to use it. If this is the case, I recommend contacting Xbox Support.
Lastly, if you bought the DLC on a different Xbox, like an old one for example, then This link explains how to transfer the license to the new system:
http://www.xbox.com/en-US/Support/LicenseMigration/Home
Answer: DLC on Steam (Live also?) is tied to the account, regardless of the presence (or absence) of the physical data. Strictly speaking, there's no way your brother can get to it without purchasing it for himself.
But, as a brother myself, I suggest a simpler suggestion -- let him make a character on your account!
Comment: For Xbox, if the two accounts are on the same physical console, both can access the DLC.
Comment: I have it on XBox it seems that DLC is not crossing over.
Answer: Its the same as if you were to buy a "live arcade" game. That game belongs to your account only so I'm afraid your brother won't people to access something you have purchased.
Answer: Have you tried signing in with both profiles at the same time (with 2 controllers)?
You can play Live Arcade games bought from another account this way.


What do we know about the character of William Adelin, son of Henry I?

Question: The chronicler Henry of Huntington doesn't have much good to say about William Adelin (or the Atheling). What about other chroniclers of the time?
Comment: He risked, and ultimately lost, his life attempting to save his half-sister during the wreck of *The White Ship*. That represents a good character trait for a person, but perhaps not for a future king. The chronicler might simply be upset about how William's careless death ruined the Kingdom for nearly 20 years during [The Anarchy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Anarchy)..
Answer: The short answer is "Not a lot". We know relatively little about the life and character of William Adelin (or William "the Atheling").

The main chronicles for the period are:

William of Malmesbury (Historia Novella)
Orderic Vitalis (Historia Ecclesiastica)
John of Worcester (Chronicon ex chronicis)
Henry of Huntingdon (Historia Anglorum)
and the Chronicle of Florence of Worcester [written later, but
based on contemporary sources].

There are also a number of other chronicles that mention particular events (such as the wreck of the White Ship) peripherally.

So just what do we know about William Adelin?

We know when and where William was born (in Winchester on 5 August
1103).
We are told that he was a pampered and (perhaps) somewhat sickly
child. (Henry of Huntingdon)
We know that he was invested as Duke of Normandy.
We are told that "all the free men of England and Normandy" swore
homage to him when he was 12 years old. (William of Malmesbury)
We know he was betrothed to Matilda, daughter of Count Fulk of Anjou,
in February 1113. We also know that they were married before the
Council of Rheims in Lisieux in June 1119.
We are told that he gave a good account of himself at the Battle of Brémule when he was just 16. (Orderic Vitalis)
And we are given several accounts of the events surrounding his death
in the wreck of the White Ship on 25 November 1120.

Given the implications of the death of the heir to the throne of England in the wreck of the White ship, it is perhaps not surprising that this is the event of William Adelin's life for which we have most information. This single event would lead to the two decades of civil war known as The Anarchy. Yet, even so, many of the details of his death in the wreck of the White Ship are uncertain.

We are told that there were either one (William of Malmesbury, John
of Worcester) or two (Orderic Vitalis - although he implies that one
died later) survivors from the wreck.
We are told that the survivor was a butcher from Rouen.

So, even if the details in the chronicles were honestly and accurately recorded, it was just the testimony of one (or, at most, two) survivors.

We are told that William Adelin survived and escaped the wreck in a
small boat, but that he returned in an attempt to rescue his
half-sister. The boat overturned and he was drowned. (William of
Malmesbury)
We are told that the captain of the ship, Thomas FitzStephen,
survived, but then allowed himself to drown rather than face the
wrath of the king after he learned of the death of William Adelin.
(Orderic Vitalis)
We are told that Stephen of Blois (the future King Stephen) was
supposed to sail on the White Ship but had disembarked just before it
sailed due to to a sudden, violent, bout of diarrhoea. (Orderic
Vitalis)
And we are told that the King was grief-stricken on hearing the news
of the death of his son.

[Some chroniclers (notably Henry of Huntingdon and William of Nangis) suggested that the White Ship sank "because all [the men] aboard were sodomites". This was, presumably, simply a reflection of the medieval belief that disaster was an act of God, and always the result of sin. That said, Henry was often quick to assume the worst about people - it's probably one of the reasons that his books were so popular!]

It's not much of a record of a life, but, then again, William Adelin was just 17 years old when he died. He never ascended to the throne, and lived his life in the shadow of his father.

For context, it is worth noting that Henry of Huntingdon's chronicle was first published, under the patronage of Alexander of Lincoln, in around 1129/1130. A second edition was published in 1135, with further editions following over the years, up to 1154. His writing style made his works popular (we have at least 25 surviving manuscripts from the period). Then, as now, (albeit to a slightly lesser extent, perhaps) a whiff of scandal sells!
Comment: By 16, William should have completed his training. The limited part he played was more likely due to the fact that he was the sole legitimate heir. Even so, according to  Orderic Vitalis it seems he won some spoils for himself in the battle, so he can hardly have disgraced himself either. 2. Possibly because Richard had fought in more battles, and was more likely to be personally known to Henry's audience? Like I say, we don't know a lot, so trying to understand Henry's motivation at this distance is likely to be more speculation than actual history.
Comment: Two further questions stemming from your answer: 1. In Orderic Vitalis' account of Bremule it seems (from the translations I've read) William played little part in the battle itself. Would it be fair to assume this was primarily because, at 16, he would not have completed his training as knight? 2. Henry of Huntington (as you said) is known for his contemptuous attitude but, after some cutting comments on William's demise, heaps praise on his half-brother Richard of Lincoln. Why would he do that if he didn't genuinely believe William didn't amount to much? Am I missing something here?
Answer: He also attested several charters and seems to have been in training as a co-regent along with his mother between 1116 and Matilda's death in 1118.
Comment: Sources would improve this answer.
Comment: I'm not sure that this answers the question about how he was viewed by contemporary chroniclers.


What do you mean by "Sound Design Concept"?

Question: I've seen a lot of people praising the sound design concept for a film but what exactly does that mean, and can you give an example?
Answer: When I establish, or experience, sound design based on a concept, that usually means a set of overarching design principles or themes that act as a set of heuristics that can guide decisions - and critiques - made along the way. Is it intended to compliment or contrast the emotional tone of a scene? Are there emotive descriptors that can be used to influence the piece? Are there textural elements for certain scenes, actions, or characters?  It's rare that there is just one concept (unless it boils down to "hyperreal," "uncomfortable focus," " distance", or "uneasy"), but rather a small set of easy-to-remember strategic principles that frame the creative challenge before you and guide more tactical decisions.
This approach not only is helpful in the making of things, but also a key way to frame challenges, hold meaningful critiques, establish shared language between collaborators in discussing audio decisions, and defend aesthetic decisions beyond "I did it because it sounded good:" That, in my opinion, should always be the result, but never a justification.
Answer: Likely referring the aesthetic, and how that supports (positively) the underlying story/visual, and it's extreme uniqueness of style (like the sound palette of Transformers or The Matrix, for instance) - round an subtle for a drama, or abrasive and agitated for some hyperreal action piece like 300 or Sin City, or smooth and punchy like Inception, harsh and frightening for a thriller/slasher, etc.
So many aesthetic styles that can be chosen, and finding that best match to drive the story and thus serve the story's intent productively.
Overall that's my best guess.
Comment: It's funny that you mentioned The Matrix cause I watched/listened to it for the first time in a long time and Miguel's opinion on the sound design "concept" brought me to this question.


Change Magento base and display currency (and auto-update the prices in backend, EUR -> RON)

Question: I have an old Magento ecommerce site, with about 400 products. Initially, it was made to be in EURO, both in the backend, and the frontend. I need to fully migrate it to the local currency. Here is what I've done for now: I set the BASE currency to EUR (as it was), and the display currency to RON (Romanian Leu, local currency). And I set a base exchange rate, and then set it to update daily from WebserviceX. This solved half of my problem. When a user enters, he is presented the site in the local currency, with the option to switch to EUR in topbar. But my problem is that when I add new products, is asks me in EUR. I somehow need to set the BASE currency as the local RON. But if I set it to RON, the prices do not update! -- A product that is 500EUR, when base is set to eur and display to ron, displays as 2300RON, which is correct. When both the base and the display are in RON, a 500EUR product displays as 500RON, the conversion does not work if I set RON as base. I need to convert the prices in back-end automatically from EUR -> , so that than I can set base to RON and have them entered by default in RON from now on. How can I do that? I can't manually update 400 products.
Comment: Check my extension: https://github.com/akulkarni9/multiplecurrencies
Answer: Here is something that should convert the prices.
I know it's not the best way of doing it by touching the db directly, but it's fast and it works.
Please back-up your db before trying any of this.
So all price related values are kept in the table catalog_product_entity_decimal and catalog_product_entity_tier_price in case you have tier prices.
For tier prices is simple.
Just update the value of the column value with the converted value.
So today the conversion rate for 1E is 4.4193 RON.
Run this query:
UPDATE `catalog_product_entity_tier_price` set `value ` = 4.4193 * `value`;

This should solve it.
For the rest of the prices is not that easy.
First you need to identify the attribute ids for price and special_price.
For that run this query.
SELECT
    *
FROM
    `eav_attribute` e
    LEFT JOIN `eav_entity_type` et ON `e`.`entity_type_id` = `et`.`entity_type_id`
WHERE
    `e`.`attribute_code` IN ('price', 'special_price') AND
    `et`.`entity_type_code` = 'catalog_product'

This should produce 2 rows. Take the column attribute_id values and use them in the query below.  For me these values were 75 and 76.
Now run this query for updating the prices.
UPDATE
    `catalog_product_entity_decimal`
SET
    `value` = 4.4193 * `value`
WHERE
    `attribute_id` IN (75, 76)

Again 4.4193 is the exchange rate.
Now you can set your base currency to RON.
Clear the cache and reindex everything.
Comment: Should this work on any version? Haven't updated in about 6 months and not going to do it now. xD Anyway, thank you very much! Spent some time looking for this.
Comment: @Bodo It should work on any version. The way the prices are kept hasn't changed much. Just some indexes have changed but don't need to worry about this because the indexing will be done by Magento the way it knows. :)
Comment: So if I don't have tier prices, only one price per product, I only need to execute this one: UPDATE `catalog_product_entity_tier_price` set `value ` = 4.4193 * `value`; ?
Comment: @Bodo. Nope. The other way around. If you don't have tier prices skip the one you mentioned and run the rest.
Comment: (off-topic: was not expecting an answer from a Romanian guy. There aren't many of us on the stack network. Or I just didn't find :)) ) Ok got it. I don't have tier prices, but some products have set a "Special price". The discount is applied 'by hand'. (subtracted from the original price, not with a percent or something). Probably that's a different row, that needs different code execution? Am I right?
Comment: Oops, you told about that in your answer. Sorry I didn't read.
Comment: @Serpyre. I actually seen this work for 30k products and 30 store views. The indexing took a while, but it went through successfully.


Does the tempo marking on a piece refer to the bottom number (# of beats/measure)?

Question: Say you have an allegro marking on a piece.  This is about 120-144 bpm.  If the time signature is 4/4, that means that quarter note= 120 - 144.  However, if the time signature on the piece is 6/8, does that mean eighth note= 120 - 144, or is it still referring to the quarter note?
Answer: What I have seen from pieces I've played is that they specify that. At the top of the score, there would be a quarter note = 140 or eighth note = 140 or dotted quarter note = 140 or half note = 140 or something.
To be honest, I think that in a 6/8 piece it would be odd to have quarter note = 140 it should be dotted quarter or eighth imo.
Per the related wiki article:

In compound time signatures the beat consists of three note durations (so there are 3 quavers (eighth notes) per beat in a 6/8 time signature), so a dotted form of the next note duration up is used. The most common compound signatures: 6/8, 9/8, and 12/8, therefore use a dotted crotchet (dotted quarter note) to indicate their BPM.

If I saw a score that said allegro with a time signature like 6/8 and there wasn't anything that makes it clear, I would play the eighth note on 140; I would see it as if there was a eighth note = 140 on the top of the score.
Comment: Yup.  A mm marking that doesn't specify what note value is being counted is incomplete and meaningless.  If a piece in 6/8 specified q=120 I'd either assume a misprint, or examine the note-groupings in the piece, and the context, to see if counting quarters might be appropriate.  Today's music does not always follow the "6/8 is compound-triple, two dotted quarter beats to the bar" rule rigidly.
Answer: I would be very careful about assigning specific numbers to tempo names, where the composer did not specify those numbers. In general they don't match up that precisely, and its likely that the composer did not have that specific of a tempo in mind. "Allegro" for example, does not convey a specific range of tempos. It just conveys a brisk or lively mood (literally, "joyfully"). Tempo terms actually tend to be used as a mood indicator more than some kind of precise clockwork.
That said, while I wouldn't assume any particular tempo number, you should generally use the dotted quarter (not eighth notes or straight quarter notes) as the basis for the beat in a compound time signature. However, if a specific tempo number is given, it should make it clear (with a small note and an equal sign) which note is considered the beat (as mentioned in Shevliaskovic's answer).
See also: How to calculate the tempo of a song in numbers and find the Italian terms?


If an old FIN is delivered, will TCP terminate the new connection?

Question: Two programs use a TCP connection (3-way handshake) to open, communicate, terminate the connection and open a new connection.  If a FIN message sent to shut down the first connection is duplicated and delayed until the second connection has been established, then delivered, will the new connection be terminated?
Answer: A FIN for one connection has nothing to do with a second connection. Remember that a connection is identified by two sockets (source and destination). Either you would have two separate connections where one of the sockets in the pair identifying the connection is different, in which case, the two sockets are completely separate, or you would be trying to establish an existing connection, which should result in a RST.
Basically, your situation could not occur because the two connections are entirely separate, or the second connection could not be established until the first connection is completely closed.
RFC 793, Transmission Control Protocol is the definition of TCP, and it explains how it works:

Multiplexing:
To allow for many processes within a single Host to use TCP
communication facilities simultaneously, the TCP provides a set of
addresses or ports within each host. Concatenated with the network and
host addresses from the internet communication layer, this forms a
socket. A pair of sockets uniquely identifies each connection. That
is, a socket may be simultaneously used in multiple connections.
The binding of ports to processes is handled independently by each
Host. However, it proves useful to attach frequently used processes
(e.g., a "logger" or timesharing service) to fixed sockets which are
made known to the public. These services can then be accessed through
the known addresses. Establishing and learning the port addresses of
other processes may involve more dynamic mechanisms.
Connections:
The reliability and flow control mechanisms described above require
that TCPs initialize and maintain certain status information for each
data stream. The combination of this information, including sockets,
sequence numbers, and window sizes, is called a connection. Each
connection is uniquely specified by a pair of sockets identifying its
two sides.
When two processes wish to communicate, their TCP's must first
establish a connection (initialize the status information on each
side). When their communication is complete, the connection is
terminated or closed to free the resources for other uses.
Since connections must be established between unreliable hosts and
over the unreliable internet communication system, a handshake
mechanism with clock-based sequence numbers is used to avoid erroneous
initialization of connections.

-and-

Reset Generation
As a general rule, reset (RST) must be sent whenever a segment arrives
which apparently is not intended for the current connection.  A reset
must not be sent if it is not clear that this is the case.
There are three groups of states:

If the connection does not exist (CLOSED) then a reset is sent in
response to any incoming segment except another reset.  In
particular, SYNs addressed to a non-existent connection are rejected
by this means.
If the incoming segment has an ACK field, the reset takes its
sequence number from the ACK field of the segment, otherwise the
reset has sequence number zero and the ACK field is set to the sum
of the sequence number and segment length of the incoming segment.
The connection remains in the CLOSED state.

If the connection is in any non-synchronized state (LISTEN,
SYN-SENT, SYN-RECEIVED), and the incoming segment acknowledges
something not yet sent (the segment carries an unacceptable ACK), or
if an incoming segment has a security level or compartment which
does not exactly match the level and compartment requested for the
connection, a reset is sent.
If our SYN has not been acknowledged and the precedence level of the
incoming segment is higher than the precedence level requested then
either raise the local precedence level (if allowed by the user and
the system) or send a reset; or if the precedence level of the
incoming segment is lower than the precedence level requested then
continue as if the precedence matched exactly (if the remote TCP
cannot raise the precedence level to match ours this will be
detected in the next segment it sends, and the connection will be
terminated then).  If our SYN has been acknowledged (perhaps in this
incoming segment) the precedence level of the incoming segment must
match the local precedence level exactly, if it does not a reset
must be sent.
If the incoming segment has an ACK field, the reset takes its
sequence number from the ACK field of the segment, otherwise the
reset has sequence number zero and the ACK field is set to the sum
of the sequence number and segment length of the incoming segment.
The connection remains in the same state.

If the connection is in a synchronized state (ESTABLISHED,
FIN-WAIT-1, FIN-WAIT-2, CLOSE-WAIT, CLOSING, LAST-ACK, TIME-WAIT),
any unacceptable segment (out of window sequence number or
unacceptible acknowledgment number) must elicit only an empty
acknowledgment segment containing the current send-sequence number
and an acknowledgment indicating the next sequence number expected
to be received, and the connection remains in the same state.
If an incoming segment has a security level, or compartment, or
precedence which does not exactly match the level, and compartment,
and precedence requested for the connection,a reset is sent and
connection goes to the CLOSED state.  The reset takes its sequence
number from the ACK field of the incoming segment.
Answer: No for at least two reasons:

source and destination ports
sequence number

Even though the pair source/destination ports is same as the first connection, the sequence number is unlikely to be same because the initial sequence number of a connection is supposed to be random.
The RST flag isn't seq nb dependent. Assuming the pair src/dst ports is same, a previous RST flag would terminate the session.
Thus, there is a very low probability that a duplicated FIN packet of another old already terminated session would terminate the new one.
Comment: You cannot even create a new session with the same socket pair until the full FIN handshake has finished, so there will not be a FIN from a previous connection.
Comment: In theory, I agree, when everything goes well. In practice, bugs are present especially with custom stacks that don't fully respect the specs.
Comment: The actual host OS implementations are off-topic here. We can discuss protocol theory, but what a specific TCP implementation does in off-topic here, but may be asked on [sf] or one of the OS-specific SE sites.


Declaring an array in C without giving size

Question: When declaring an array like this:
int array[][] = {
    {1,2,3},
    {4,5,6}};

I get an error saying: "Array type has incomplete element type"
What is going on??
Answer: With an N-dimensional array (N>0), you need to define the sizes of N-1 dimensions; only one dimension can be left for the compiler to determine, and it must be the first dimension.
You can write:
int d1[] = { ... };
int d2[][2] = { ... };
int d3[][2][3] = { ... };

Etc.
Comment: Sorry to be the unlucky upvote number 13, but I found this tremendously helpful :)
Answer: You need to specify all the dimensions except the highest.  The reason is that the compiler is going to allocate one big block of memory, as opposed to one array of pointers pointing to their own little arrays.  In other words,
int array[][3][4] = ...;

will allocate one contiguous region of memory of size 3*4*(however many 3x4 arrays you declare here).  Thus when later on in your code, you write
array[1][2][3] = 69;

in order to find where in memory to write 69, it starts at address (array), then jumps forward 12*sizeof(int) to get to array[1], plus 2*4*sizeof(int) to get to array[1][2], plus 3*sizeof(int) to finally get to the start of array[1][2][3].  Compare this to writing, for example,
int ***array = new int**[n];
for(i=0; i<n; i++)
{
  array[i] = new int * [3];
  for(j=0; j<4; j++)
    array[i][j] = new int[4];
}

(sorry if my syntax isn't exact...been awhile since I've had to code something like this in C).  In this example, array points to a block of code n*sizeof(int**) bytes long.  Each element of this array points to another array of size 3*sizeof(int*) bytes long.  Each element of these arrays points to another array of size 4*sizeof(int) bytes long.  In this case, instead of calculating that array[1][2][3] is at address (array + something), it would need to follow a few different pointers in memory before finding where to write 69.
Answer: You have to tell it at least all the dimensions except the largest.
ie  in your case
int array[][3] = {
    {1,2,3},
    {4,5,6}};


What is a soundscape?

Question: Could anyone please explain to me what is a soundscape?
If you are asked to create a soundscape, how should one go about it?
Does this term apply to film sound design? If so, how?
Answer: There are lots of opinions of this, and mine is that a soundscape is the exact same thing as a landscape, just aural-based instead of geographical. In that sense, the soundscape, in films, is the space in which the characters live, including both ambiance, wildlife, and events. It's mostly a three dimensional space that gives the impression of location, be it real or not.
Take for example a landscape; You might be standing on a field facing north-east, having a forest not 100 meters ahead. In this landscape there might be a deer grazing to the north, a pack of confused cows trying to make head or tails out of a mental goat trying to pick a fight (actually seen this myself) south of the forest, and there might be a gravel road crossing a brook in the distance.
A soundscape is mostly pretty much the same thing; You might hear a soft breeze through the leaves, two nightingales corresponding quite nearly, other birds all over the place, the sound of your feet in the grass, the soothing sound of the brook, as well as the less than soothing sound of some pissed off cows finally deciding the prick of a goat is a pain in the ass and deserves to be sent to kingdom come, in combination with a very surprised goat just realizing "kingdom come" just went "kingdom now". And we might as well throw in your voice commenting on this. (though the goat I saw only got a swift crash course in meekness, it didn't really seem injured in any other way that a smashed up ego :-)
In music, the soundscape is pretty much the same thing. Not dependent of melody or pitch, but in feeling, color and depth. There is, however, a big difference in cinematic soundscapes and musical ditto IMHO; In cinematic soundtracks the music and sound stands apart from each other even though they must collaborate to work, as such the music is not part of the soundscape, it's an enhancer of the moment. In music however, sound effects, spoken dialogue and ambiances might very well be part of the soundscape, in many styles like Ambient, Industrial, Noise-Music and some Avante Garde for example sound effects and such might very well be a vital part of the music. Good examples is Art Of Noise, Yello, Einstürzende Neubauten and Das Ich.
I think one might say that every talkie-movie and recorded song has a soundscape, which I do agree to, but frankly most people I know, me included, consider it pointless to use that word unless there actually is a perceptible space to hear, and not just a flat mix without contrasts or position.
Answer: A soundscape has been defined as the auditory environment which surrounds a listener.  The term soundscape is analogous with landscape in that it represents an individual's unique experience of inhabiting an auditory environment, based on their previous experiences and interests.
The term has also been used to describe soundtracks and audio art.
Answer: A coherent sound piece that describes an event, has an overall theme or something. For example in film sound a soundscape may be a sound piece that attempts to portray the visual image as realistically as possible to engage the listener. I would say it's equal to a piece of music, but differs by using "unmusical" sounds e.g. found sounds and unusual timbres. It's also more freeform i.e. doesn't need conform to rhythmic or tonal structures like music. A soundscape is not music, although it can have musical qualities, but more of a sound collage. Then there's stuff that's is somewhat a combination of being music and soundscape, like ambient music and some sound art stuff for example.

What is a soundscape?


What should I claim on tax withholding?

Question: I currently just graduated and received a job! Wahoo! My Dad told me he is still going to claim me though, for this year anyways. First question is: What does that really mean? Also, should I claim a 1 or a 2. I would like the most money I could get right away without having to pay in. Does him claiming me make me get less money back? I am only 21 years old and went to school for the first semester of the year.
Answer: Assuming you're in the USA, here goes:
In 2018, this is a very different boat than in 2017 and before.  Before, there was a personal exemption of $4000 that you didn't get if someone else claimed you, and instead they got you.
But in 2018, that doesn't exist - so your dad is wrong.  He won't claim you, because there's no exemption to claim.  (See for example this article.)
Ultimately, you are best served filling out the W4 according to the instructions for your first year.  Then figure out at tax time next year if you're over-withholding or under, and adjust accordingly.
My guess is you'll enter a '2', if you're single and have one job and no kids.
Comment: N.b.: Odds are your dad couldn't have claimed you, anyway; the cap for *your* earnings was $4000.  If you're earning over $4000,  you aren't eligible to be claimed.  Further, if you are over 19 and no longer a student, you're not eligible to be claimed, though if you were a student *part* of the year, maybe. But I'd hope you're making over $4000 in the second half of the year...
Comment: It might also affect the Earned Income Tax Credit.

What should I claim on tax withholding?


Can I convert a basement window to a door?

Question: We have a poured concrete basement, serving as the foundation of our home, which was built in 2008 in central Minnesota.
The basement has 3 vinyl windows, the sills of which are around 1' above grade.
We're planning our basement finishing process, and I wonder if we can convert one of these windows to a patio door or something similar, so we can walk out of the basement instead of needing to go back upstairs and then out.
There's an 18'x18' deck (with stairs) above the window I'm thinking of replacing, and preventing rain from seeping in wouldn't be a huge problem. There's around 7' of head room under the deck, specially at the end away from the house, while it's around 6' right next to the window.
Essentially, this would (hopefully) become a walk-up basement, with steps leading up to end of the deck.
Is this doable without in any way compromising the structural integrity of the foundation? Without introducing water pooling, etc?
Answer: Yes, you can.  However, doing it properly requires solid knowledge of how to transfer structural loads.  The soundest practice here is to hire a structural engineer to draft plans for you to tell you exactly what you need to build to keep your house safe.


Connection time in Chicago Airport is 50 minutes from domestic to international flight for a non-US citizen

Question: I have a connection time of 50 min from a domestic flight coming from Albequerque going to Vienna. I am not a US citizen. Would it be enough time for me to catch the connection? I should clear customs in Chicago? Thank you very much for your answer!
Comment: The only ABQ-ORD-VIE routing I can find has a 23 hour layover. Did you purchase separate tickets, or is there another transit in your itinerary? What flights are you on?
Comment: The US has no immigration or customs checkpoints for departing travelers.
Answer: If you arrive on a domestic flight, you don't need to clear customs or immigration. Your luggage should also be checked through already (if both segments are booked on one ticket obviously). What could be a problem, if your international flight departs from a different terminal (e.g. if it departs from terminal 5 and your domestic flight arrives in 1). But again, if everything is booked on one ticket, the airline is responsible for rebooking you onto the next possible flight, if you should miss your original flight).
If you have booked two separate tickets, then i guess that's already a guarantee to miss your international flight.
Comment: Worth noting that the inter-terminal train at Chicago is currently closed for renovations; it'll take more time to change terminals because passengers have to take a shuttle bus instead.
Answer: If you have just one ticket, all you need to do is get off one flight and onto the next one. Your bags will be checked through and you don't need to go through security again. Things will get tight if your incoming flight is delayed at all or if you have to get a long way across the airport. However, each airport works out minimum connection times and airlines don't sell tickets that require faster connections than that. If you miss the connection on a single ticket, the airline will put you on the next available flight.
If you are on two separate tickets, then this connection is impossible. Check-in for the flight to Vienna will close an hour before departure, and you won't even have landed by then. The airline for the international flight would be entitled to say "Tough luck: you were supposed to get yourself to the airport with enough time to check in but you didn't"; they might book you onto a later flight, they might make you buy a whole new ticket, or they might charge you a fee to change your existing ticket to a new flight.


On Clenshaw's summation formula

Question: When one has a finite sum of the form
$S=\sum_{k=0}^{n}{c_k F_k(x)}$
where $F_k(x)$ satisfies a two-term recurrence relation
$F_{k+1}(x)=\alpha_k F_k(x)+\beta_k F_{k-1}(x)$
the standard algorithm used for computing $S$ is Clenshaw summation:
$y_{n+2}=y_{n+1}=0$
$y_k=\alpha_k y_{k+1}+\beta_{k+1}y_{k+2}+c_k\; ; \;k=n\;\mathrm{to}\;1\;\mathrm{step}\;-1$
$S=y_1F_1(x)+(\beta_1 y_2+c_0)F_0(x)$
I am also very familiar with the concept of "minimal" and "dominant" solutions of a two-term recurrence; to review, the dominant solution is the solution most stably propagated when the two-term recurrence is run in the forward direction, while the minimal solution is the solution that is stably computed when the recurrence is run backwards. As an example, for the recurrence relation of the Bessel functions, $J_n(x)$, the function of the first kind, is the minimal solution while $Y_n(x)$, the other solution to the Bessel ODE, is the dominant solution to the two-term recurrence.
Mystifying to me, however, is this remark given in the book "Numerical Recipes" without justification of any sort:
"...Clenshaw's recurrence is always stable, independent of whether the recurrence for the functions... is stable in the upward or downward direction."
My question now, is why would the stability properties of $F_k$ (i.e. its being minimal or dominant) not spoil the recurrence, if this is true? If not, I would be interested in seeing a counterexample.
Answer: I think the answer is quite technical, but nevertheless contained for the specific case of Chebyshev polynomials in the original paper by Clenshaw: http://www.ams.org/journals/mcom/1955-09-051/S0025-5718-1955-0071856-0/S0025-5718-1955-0071856-0.pdf

On Clenshaw's summation formula


Flying from Germany to Chicago with a 4hr layover in Dublin - Will I need a transit visa

Question: I'm Filipino on an F1 Student Visa from the US. I'm flying back to the US from Germany. I have a 4 hour layover in Dublin on my flight back to Chicago. My flight arrives in Terminal 2 and I depart for Chicago also in Terminal 2 (Aer Lingus flight, on a single-ticket with my luggage checked through to my final destination). I know I have to go through U.S. Customs and Border Pre-Clearance. On my way to pre-clearance, will I have to go through Irish Immigration?
Answer: As a Philippine national you do not need a transit visa for Ireland:

Soure: INIS website
You also will not go through immigration.


How could I keep the material on the print plate from bending up on a makerbot 2?

Question: I printed a big base for a model, but the corners of the bottom bent up, making the whole base rock when set on a table. Is there a quick fix for a makerbot2 without a heated plate?
Answer:
Consider using a different material. Since you're on a replicator 2 you're probably not printing with ABS (which would be a terrible choice for a large, flat model) but probably with PLA. Perhaps you could try printing with PET(G) instead, which tends to warp even less.
You could try modifying your model a little. If you include several grooves in the bottom surface of your model that may provide some "strain relief" so-to-speak, preventing warping.
Increase adhesion: print your initial layer slower, closer to the build surface, at a higher temperature, with a brim, and with some kind of print surface to increase adhesion (tape/glue/hairspray).
Increase ambient temperature. The Replicator 2 does not have a heated bed, but you could still make the cooling more gradual by enclosing the printer, shielding it from drafts, etc...
Answer: Try printing with a raft, and adding "helper discs" to expand the size of the raft. You might also try lowering your extruder temperature a bit to reduce the cooling temperature differential.
Answer: here are the options:

Use brim settings which increase contact surface.
Use some sort of glue. People are using many things including hairspray. I do prefer paper glue stick.


Literature that changed the course of history

Question: Are there any examples of literature changing the course of history, such as books or essays that made people fight for freedom, other than those written by Václav Havel, either positive or negative?
Comment: Subjective, list based, non bounded. Likely to result in more argument than clarity.  Did Gutenberg's Bible change the world? King James Bible? Uncle Tom's Cabin? The Declaration of Independence? The Communist Manifesto? The Protocols of the Elders of Zion? (False, but changed history)? The French Revolution generated incalculable amount of text that the authors thought was literature.
Comment: Seems subjective.
Comment: @MarkC.Wallace: Clarity, what clarity? People will argue about anything. Anything at all. That's how we're made. You're already arguing. Goodness. It's a legitimate question.
Comment: "legitimate question" is determined by how many people vote to close.  H:SE is not for debate, discussion or argument.[ask] states that questions should not be subjective, opinion-based, open ended nor should they admit a multitude of correct answers.  There are community standards here and a process by which we enforce those standards (including close votes).
Comment: I agree it should be closed, but not exactly for the reasons given. I think the question is far too broad and would inevitably lead to a long list (as Mark C. Wallace clearly illustrated). Opinion could be limited by refining the question, and there is documented evidence in many cases for how literature changed the way people thought and acted.
Answer: But of course.
When passions run high because life sucks, someone needs to sit down and try to define the grievances in order for those who are upset to make sense of what they're upset about.
Thomas Pain is the author of Common Sense, the book that inspired the American Revolution.
Jean Jacques Rousseau wrote a whole bunch of stuff that the French revolutionaries took to heart.
Karl Marx is guilty of publishing The Communist Manifesto that caused so much havoc in the industrial world.
And Abraham Lincoln all but accused the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin of the perils that befell the country in the 1860's by saying, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war!"
Which is to say ideas that cause people to fight need to be formulated first. Folks always need an excuse, a means of telling the bad guys from the good guys. Only Porthos the musketeer said "I am going to fight--because I am going to fight," but he was, of course, lying.
Comment: OK. Will be looking forward to your return. All the best and see you soon.
Comment: Likewise, dude!
Answer: Ricky gave a nice selection but let me add a few items:
The Bible. Quran. Mein Kampf. Das Kapital (actually more influential than Communist Manifesto, though few people read it:-)
Actually there is a book called "100 most influential people in history".
http://www.dlmark.net/hundred.htm
Most of these people influenced history through certain books. The list begins with:
Mohammed (Quran)
Newton (Principia Mathematica)
Then go J. Christ, Budda and Confucius (the first did not write any books, about the last two I am not sure), followed by
St. Paul (parts of the New testament)
and so on. I do not say that I agree with this book selection, especially with the ordering of the 100, but there is something in it. They changed the course of history, indeed. Certainly the books of Newton and Maxwell caused dramatic changes in history, but this is very difficult to compare with the impact of the Bible, Confucius, and the books of Voltaire.


32 bit windows max ram with discrete graphics card

Question: I understand that if I have an integrated graphics and 4 gb of ram, windows 7 needs to address some of it o the integrated ones. However how come if I have a discrete graphics card with 1 gb of vram, the os can only see about 2.8 gb of ram? Is this because 32 bit can only address 4gb of total ram (gfx + normal ram)?
Answer: A 32-bit OS without PAE has a maximum address range of 4GB of physical memory. With an integrated graphics card, some of the RAM is used by the GPU. With an external graphics card, some of the address space is used for hardware mappings into the VRAM, but it is not as large as the amount of memory on the card. Typically, a discrete GPU needs about 256MB of mapped space regardless of how much memory is on the card. Other hardware mappings typically need around 256MB in total. Typically a 4GB machine with a 32-bit OS without PAE and a discrete graphics card will have 3.2GB to 3.5GB of usable RAM.
Note that if your BIOS has a specific setting for a 32-bit OS, it will keep the mappings to a minimum to allow more usable memory with a 32-bit OS. Usually the setting is called "Memory remapping". Turn if off if you're using a 32-bit OS without PAE.
Answer: The limit is 'set' by your Windows License (and enforced by the ntoskrnl) and nothing else .
Common misunderstanding re: how much address space is needed to support i/o for large memory graphics cards .
More than 10 years ago Intel started making CPU's with 'PAE' that could address whatever amount of RAM ...and MS released 32bit versions of XP known as '2003 Server versions' that could support whatever size RAM the Marketing Dept. deemed 'appropriate' .. (I believe Enterprise Ed. went to 128 GB see here
However in the case of their 'client' OS's, like XP Pro, that was 4Gb = and that address space had to be shared with Drivers
A PAE aware driver only needs about 32Mb of the 4Gb ... however non-PAE aware drivers will cause BSOD's, and that's what happened 10 years ago .. so MS decoded to 'reserve' about 750Mb of address space and that's the way it's been ever since ..
Needless to say, these days all drivers are PAE aware and there really is no reason for limiting real RAM on 32bit clients (such as win 7 32 bit) to 3.25Gb or less EXCEPT for the MS Marketing Department wish to 'separate' the 32 and 64 bit systems ..
Proof of this is that 32bit Linux / MAC OS on EXACTLY the same hardware can see and use all available RAM
Answer: Use a PAE patch to use all RAM.
MS added license check which only allows Server Editions to use the fully possible RAM with 32Bit systems. This patch hacks to kernel so that the license check always return true so that you can use the full RAM with the 32Bit Client Windows. I've used this patch in Vista and Win7 successfully with my Radeon HD. But don't use it with Intel HD chipsets (part of the Intel iCore CPUs). Their driver are buggy and can cause issues! This is not an issue with the patch!
Comment: While posting a link may lead to the answer, it's still a good thing to summarize what those links say, especially if they become obsolete.
Comment: Can you elaborate on this?  Maybe give some quick steps, and overview of what the patch does?
Comment: Great!  Now put that in your answer and I'll quit buggin ya :P  Seriously though, what we're trying to encourage here is higher quality answers, than just short, link only ones.  [Like this one](http://superuser.com/a/520945/47225), or [even this one](http://superuser.com/a/539245/47225) are great examples of what you can do.  Keep up to that type of quality of answers, and thereby keep SU a high quality site.
Comment: check the 2nd link. It patches the RAM limit so that the 32Bit Windows can use more RAM.


Resources to learn about testing theory

Question: Can anyone recommend some good resources (books, perhaps) to dive into the theory of testing?
(I don't mean "what is a test plan", but more on the level of "use these techniques to make your tests robust" or the like).
Comment: Having posted my answer I noticed you tagged your question with 'automated testing' - why? Do you want to know about testing or automation - or both?
Comment: @PhilKirkham Thanks for your excellent answer! Unfortunately, at least one tag is mandatory, so I chose that.
Comment: I would turn this question into a community wiki, as there cannot be "the best" answer for this kind of questions.
Comment: @dzieciou I would if I knew how. I hit edit, and there's no option to do that.
Answer: Practitioners Guide to S/W test design by Lee Copeland
Systematic S/W Testing by Rick Craig
These got me started off learning techniques
Then start reading stuff by Cem Kaner, James Bach, Jerry Weinberg....
Answer: Becoming a software testing expert by James Bach
Testing computer software by Cem Kaner, Jack Falk & Hung Quoc Nguyen
Lateral thinking by Edward de Bono
Lessons learned in software testing by James Bach
Perfect software and other illusions of software testing by Jerry Weinberg
Comment: Here's James Bach's talk on Becoming a Software Testing Expert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhfVK_ubk8U
Answer: Free online resources could be found on http://www.testingeducation.org/BBST/
Start with foundations and do all the readings.
Answer: As Karlo mentions (I'll explain a little more) the Black Box Software Testing (BBST) courses are the most in-depth courses I've ever taken (or seen). They are university-level courses so they contain a TON of information from a wide-variety of sources. Take a look at this diagram explaining the emphasis for each of the BBST courses:

Testing Knowledge, learning skills and testing skills are the main emphasis for 4 available courses. The courses are:

BBST: Foundations
BBST: Bug Advocacy
BBST: Test Design
BBST: Domain Testing

BBST Foundations is the first course. The materials are available online here free for the first 3 courses. Then next course (domain testing) is proprietary so you'll have to find someone who teaches them. There's also a workbook for BBST Foundations on Amazon and there's at least one review (mine) on the workbook.
The classes are a great way to get an introduction to testing theory because they gradually introduce you to concepts and then provide you with even more (20+) references that you'll be able to use to gain more information, including half a dozen or so book recommendations. The Association for Software Testing runs regular classes for their members.
Cem Kaner's publication list on his website has hundreds of references related to software testing that I suggest you skim. Also skim the BBST website.
If you want more resources than this, just ask. =)
Answer: A good online (and free) class is Udacity's Software Testing course. It covers a lot of theory.
Comment: Udacity's course covers some theory but it's more geared towards glass-box testing (which can be useful).
Answer: A great place to read through testing theory is the Software Testing Club and the Ministry of Testing. I read their content all the time and it always answers a question or gets me to think differently about certain testing scenarios.
http://www.softwaretestingclub.com/

Resources to learn about testing theory


My Minecraft Won't let me break blocks in Survival

Question: This is a highly talked about question, so I would like answers from people who know how to fix this or people who at least think they know what to do. So I enter a brand new game of survival Minecraft with cheats OFF. The first thing I do is try to get some wood. But when I try to break it, it just reappears. It doesn't give me the block for about 5-8 seconds. It seems to have gotten worse. And the mobs are slow. I try to kill a pig and it floats in the air for a few seconds, then they fall to the ground and I hit them again. It takes ages to kill mobs, and sometimes they are impossible to kill. This started about when the first or second snapshot for 1.13 came out and seems to have gotten worse over time. I don't want to play on an older version because I want to play in 1.13. What do I do?
Answer: This is basically in-game lag. Your system doesn't have enough resources to run your game efficiently. You can solve this by trying several things:

Reduce the strain on your system resources, by lowering the in-game performance:

Decrease your render distance.
Reduce your graphics settings. This can be done with a lot of the settings like using "simple graphics", turning clouds off, smooth lighting, etc.

Increase your RAM allowance for Mineraft (if you have the available resources). This is one of the most likely causes for in-game lag.

Close other programs. People who record their gaming are one of the biggest victims for this, since recording requires a lot of RAM as well. If you have a lot of other things open at the same time, they will all be using your PC's RAM, which means Minecraft suffers.
Comment: How do i Increase my RAM?
Comment: @Spacial follow the link I have provided. I will need to elaborate in the answer later
Comment: You may also want to wait several seconds before doing anything once you spawn into a brand new world to allow the system time to generate all the visible chunks around your spawn.


Difference between 研究所 and 研究室

Question: What is the difference between 研究所 and 研究室? Do both mean a research institute?
Comment: Is it possible, as in the now-deleted answer, you misread the kanji for 研究室?  What was the context you learned 研究屋 in, if I may ask?
Comment: Ah, yes. Put in the wrong kanji. Corrected it. Thank you.
Answer: 研究所 is a research institute whereas 研究室 is more like a lab.
Answer: I think the other answers address it pretty well but I just want to throw in something that's a little weird about [研究室]{けんきゅうしつ} gets used versus "lab".
[研究所]{けんきゅうしょ} is the place of study on the level of university or more likely research center. I say research center is more likely than university, because Japanese universities are, in my experience, more an amalgamation of different [学部]{がくぶ} that function mostly independently and then within that professors manage multiple labs that are the 研究室.
Now the interesting thing about 研究室 is that these exist not just in fields like chemistry and physics but in fields like philosophy and religion. What it means in the [文学部]{ぶんがくぶ} cases is a room that the students can use to study where many of the related books are there. At my particular university, these books are even cataloged by the library and can be checked out using a handwritten notebook -- even by non-university affiliated persons.
In my friend's 研究室, even though he works in fisheries science, the room they call the 研究室 is just their respective desk areas. The room next door is a lab with an HLPC. Also they their shoes off in the lab but not the 研究室

The same thing goes for professors and faculty. A professor's office is his 研究室. Translating it to lab won't work in these cases at all.
Comment: This is the "real-life" answer because 「研究室」 often does not mean what a dictionary may say that it means.  It usually just refers to each professor's room.  The "lab" explanations by others would make little sense to native speakers.
Comment: Ahh that's a good point I'll amend it to point out that my office is my 研究室 at my new job and it was my advisor's as well.
Answer: 研究所 means "research institute". I have never seen 研究屋 (and it's not to be found in the BCCWJ corpus). I think that 研究屋 is 研究 "research" with the suffix 屋, which could have a number of nuances, e.g. "someone scientifically-minded", "Mr. Research". For a better translation, you'd have to provide some context.
In any case, 研究屋 is definitely not a way to refer to a research institute.
Edit. 研究室 is a type of 室 "room", so "research lab".
Comment: Yes, 研究屋さん refers to a certain type of *person*, and can be used exactly as you suggested (and it may sound slightly derogatory). A medical doctor can be categorized into [研究屋さん and 臨床屋さん](http://syuugakukai.seesaa.net/article/154656499.html), a research-minded doctor vs. a practitioner.
Comment: Is it not that 屋 is used in places of commercial business such as 本屋 (bookstore) or 電気屋 (electrical appliance store)? As such wouldn't it be the case that 研究所 is a research facility/institution and that 研究屋 is more along the lines of a commercial laboratory?
Comment: I don't think so.
Comment: It looks like Rachel G. misread the kanji 室 as 屋.
Comment: @snailboat I see. We should bring back the deleted answer, then.
Comment: @naruto Great, thank you for the feedback!

Difference between 研究所 and 研究室


in reality, do you believe convolution compression can work?

Question: convolution reverb is a well known thing to us all...  however, what about convolution compression?  can it work?  what do you think?
Comment: The convolution part of Convolution reverb refers to the math involved in generating the space as given by the Impulse response. I don't see where the complicated math would figure in compression. A sound hits a threshold, the compressor reduces the volume based on the ratio set by the user for a set amount of time also set by the user. Where does convolving factor in?
Comment: I am not sure how to wrap my head around this concept of convolution compression. Are there impulse responses involved? Whereas convolution reverb is an attempt to create or simulate a space, convolution compression is what exactly?
Comment: @Hubert I think he's talking about sampling a compressor to use it as a plug-in? Kind of like sampling an LA2A to make it a plug-in... Right?
Answer: From what I've read -- days ago, when I was creating my first impulse responses -- you can't technically get a compressor IR to work.  Sure, you can get it's coloring, but it will never actually compress -- that's just the science of convolution.
Answer: Are you talking about modeling a real device by getting an impulse response from it and then convolving the impulse response with the signal to simulate the compressor?
Using convolution that way only works for linear time-invariant systems, and compression is non-linear and time-varying, so that wouldn't work.
Comment: @endolith is right about LTI systems and convolution. Nevertheless you can try to build an environment, that will capture certain aspects of a compressor in numerous IRs, as others pointed out below. So you would build a framework to compensate for the lack of convolution to work on non-linear systems, but the IRs (alone) will not reproduce all the characteristics of the compressor, as they do for example with reverb.
Another neglected fact is that IRs from parametric reverb gear often only capture one state as those machines use modulation to give the rooms more variation.
Answer: As far as i understand it, an impulse response can be created of any piece of equipment. Modeling equipment and modeling a space are both based on the same principles.
I think the best way of understanding/explaining this is probably to look at how we can model an EQ.
An analog EQ can be modeled in the digital world through two main ways, first by either looking at a frequency domain response or a time domain response. Every frequency response has an equivalent time domain (impulse) response because the two are inextricably linked. Using the process of Fourier Transformation we can turn a time domain (impulse) response into an equivalent frequency domain response.
If you change the way a filter responds in frequency you also change how it responds in time, and vice-versa.
Therefore theoretically it is possible to model the characteristics of a given EQ by simply measuring its impulse response and modeling it in the digital world (the same as we make an impulse response of a space). The way in which this impulse response is applied to a digital signal is through the process of Convolution.
The way in which this is implemented is where it becomes a bit more tricky.
A single sample from a stream of samples from the input signal 'triggers off' the impulse response which is then scaled by the amplitude and phase value of the input sample, a sample later the same then happens to the second sample. The second sample is then added to the first, the third sample undergoes the same treatment but again a sample later, this then goes on and on for each successive sample in the input signal.
Essentially Output = Input*IR (here * means convolution)
But convolution is not just a simple  process of multiplication, but the resulting sum of many many multiplications.
For example if we have an input signal that is 3 samples long (just for simplicity) with amplitudes at 11, 4 and 2. And a IR of 5 samples with amplitudes at 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, -0.4 and -0.2, we end up with 7 samples (remember because the samples are processed successively by one sample). This then give us the following multiplications and summations:
Sample 1 = (11x0.3) = 3.3
Sample 2 = (11x0.6)+(4x0.3)+0 = 10.63
Sample 3 = (11x0.9)+(4x0.6)+(2x0.3) = 12.9
Sample 4 = (11x -0.4)+(4x0.9)+(2x0.6) = 0.4
Sample 5 = (11x -0.2)+(4x -0.4)+(2x0.9) = -2
Sample 6 = 0 + (4x -0.2) + (2x -0.4) = -1.6
Sample 7 = 0+ 0+ (2x -0.2) = -0.4
(Sorry if thats a bit confusing, its a bit easier to see/understand if you plug it into excel and make some graphs)
Obviously these are just arbitrary numbers and really small sample numbers, even at 44.1kHz we end up with 100,000s of sample points for an impulse response. This, and the amount of variables in control positions for a device, means that creating a usable compressor based on IRs and convolution is very complex (hence the 'unique patented Dynamic Convolution process' of the Liquid mix im guessing). So yes, in a very long about way, convolution compression can work. Im not sure but i think the UAD plugs also work on a variation of these ideas, and there are probably many more. I think like any new digital technology it will probably a while for it to be perfected though.
EDIT:
yeah, endolith is right about Linear and Time-Invariant stuff. I'm thinking that the "dynamic convolution" they talk about in the things like the Liquid Mix is probably used in some way for capturing the "tone" of the compressor, and used in combination with other techniques to model a compressor. I'm far from an expert though, and I might be way off...
I've also found a couple of links that are pretty interesting reading:
http://www.sintefex.com/docs/appnotes/compsim.pdf
http://www.uaudio.com/webzine/2004/july/index2.html
Comment: "As far as i understand it, an impulse response can be created of any piece of equipment."

Sure, but a single impulse response doesn't characterize the equipment unless the equipment is linear and time-invariant.  An EQ (or any other filter) is an LTI system, and so a single impulse response is sufficient.  If the response changes for different amplitudes (the very definition of a compressor), then you can't model the system with a single impulse response, and therefore can't model the response of the system using a convolution.
Comment: @Josh you bad man!
Comment: @Josh - my head just exploded.
Comment: You know what... I think I just need to see it in action. Is the objective here to emulate other compressors? What would I hear from a Convolution Compressor that I could not appreciate from your average compressor that's popular on the market now?
Comment: @Jay Sorry! haha, I think I might have drank too much coffee...
Answer: Focusrite Liquid Mix/Channel do work with IR's for there compression. You only need a lot if IR's in order for it to work (compression is non-linear and IR's are so you need a lot of them to cover all gain levels). This is of course very CPU intensive and that is why it is not mainstream yet. But in the near future you will see this technique grow into the plugin world fast.
Answer: You do get a working compressor from an impulse-set, but it's FAR from the real McCoy I'm afraid. To actually get a faithful reproduction of a compressor you need to see exactly what settings it has that will color the sound, and then sample it in all possible configurations.
Ofcourse, I doubt most IR-compressors are actually very comprehensive, and the ones I've tried was rather boring, but if there are a specific sound you want & don't really care for a more personal touch or effing wildly with the settings (which is something at least I finds extremely creative occasionally), then it´s an easy and cheap way to go.
Many earlier compressors didn't have any other settings than input and output, in these cases it's much easier. But still needs a good set of different levels for the output-IR's.
I love my convolution reverbs a lot, but when it comes to compressors and filters, I will continue using plugins and hardware. Much of my personal style as a designer comes from finding the personality and strengths of my (mostly) outboard equipment, both things normally considered good as well as flaws, I can use as tools in my creativity. To capture these things you must know full well what you want before you do the capture, and that pretty much kills the whole idea of exploiting the stuff as hard as possible to begin with...
Haven't used any in a long time though, so chances are they might have grown better with calculating the middle settings, but I still prefer hardware, I use imperfection in my search for perfection.
Answer: Have you heard of the Nebula vst plugin (http://www.acustica-audio.com/)?  It features something akin to dynamic IRs called "Vectorial Volterra Kernels".  The net effect is that it can model non-linear effects and signal paths.  I've tried it out; some aspects are amazing, some are not quite what you hope.  But it's certainly worth a try... plus there's a free version.
Compressors do indeed work, but sound best at subtle settings.  Also, there are some amazing 3rd party models of different console signal paths that work quite well.
Comment: Nebula sounds fantastic, it's just a bit of a faff and a drain on system resources!
Answer: The only times I've seen "convolution" used in reference to compresson or any other dynamic processes is with products that model vintage compression units or mic pres.  Take Liquid Mix, for example.  It claims "the unique patented Dynamic Convolution process delivers unparalleled EQ and Compression emulations."  Sounds a bit like they're using convolution as a buzzword.
Modeling equipment is one thing, getting the IR of a space is another.  I'm not sure how one that creates echoes and adds and subtracts from the EQ could be applied to something that is essentially gain control.  Perhaps you could use an IR to selectively compress certain frequencies.
Do you have something specific you're refering to?


Copyright issue when referring to a textbook

Question: I'm currently writing a little book which explains all equations that first year students will use. There is a law that requires many assumptions and I have referred the student to the page in the textbook that explains the assumptions. Is this safe to do? I'm worried that I can be charged for derivative work as I am using the textbook's explanation to help the student understand my explanation of the formula. Any comments will be appreciated.
Comment: If you aren't quoting from the textbook and just adding footnotes, I find it difficult to believe you would be liable for copyright infringement, at least in the U.S.
Answer: Are you copying material from this textbook into your book? Or do you mean that you are just writing, "See page 42 of Such-and-such book"?
Usual disclaimer: I am not a lawyer. But as I understand U.S. copyright law, if you are not copying the actual words from another book, you are in no danger of violating copyright. You can certainly refer people to another book. You can rewrite the material from another book in your own words -- just make sure "your own words" are sufficiently different from the other writer's words, you can't just change two words in ten pages of text.
There is also the "fair use doctrine" that says you can quote small sections of someone else's work. The rules here are not hard and fast, but if you quote three paragraphs from a 200 page book, you are not likely to get into trouble. If you quote 100 pages word for word from a 200 page book, you are asking for trouble.
Answer:
I'm currently writing a little book which explains all equations that first year students will use

A short remark before going on with the question: your claim in bold is definitely questionable.

There is a law that requires many assumptions and I have referred the student to the page in the textbook that explains the assumptions. Is this safe to do?

Yes, it is safe to do it and it is commonly done in all scientific literature. Typically one doesn't cite the page of a textbook, which can change between different printings, but the chapter or the section, which are less likely to change.  So, you may write something like:

Equation (1) is valid when the following assumptions are verified [1, Sec. 4.6]:

If the equation is so common that it can be found in a large number of textbooks, you can stress this fact by writing something like:

Equation (1) is valid when the following assumptions are verified (see, e.g., [1, Sec. 4.6]):
Answer: You may want to query the publisher of the Original Textbook and see if they want to issue your guide as an Official Supplement?
I don't know what the subject is -- if it's something like Physics where these equations are now "known facts", you may be fine doing these as your own work, but if you're doing something where the choice of equations is more up for debate, then I would consult the publisher of Main Textbook.
Another route may be to link your supplement to a textbook that's more Public Domain, such as those in the Open Textbook Project, or seek for some Creative Commons ones.
(I am not a lawyer)
Answer: From your question it sounds like you are making a compilation of the equations. If you are not including any new material in your book (explanations or ideas) it is necessary that you provide a reference to all content in it.  If you provide an explanation and want your readers to refer to another textbook, then say so within your text. Most authors provide footnotes for this.  "First year students" refers to students studying what? If the contents of your book are something which will be useful for only a small group of people, it would be a better idea to publish your compilation on a blog rather than go through the laborious process of bringing out a book.