Why are the registration fees for academic conferences so high?

Question: I was actually thinking about submitting one of my papers in a conference which is to be held in Spain (LATA 2014) but alas I might not be able to do so since the registration fees for this conference is 400 Euros (discounted since I'm a student) which is virtually impossible to afford (since in addition to the registration fees I will have to travel to Spain as well). In fact just to get a sense of how much money this is, this 400 Euros is almost equivalent to half the salary (in terms of basic pay) a senior professor earns in my country (India) and I see that this conference is not the only one when it comes to such high fees. What are the real reasons behind such high fees? Isn't this in some away discouraging genuine contributions in academia?
Comment: However, 400 Euros is far less than the average Open Access Journal's publishing fees!
Comment: I think it highly depends on the field of research. For example, if the subject of the conference lies in a serious part of mathematics, either there is no fee for attending the conference or the fee is under 100 USD (most of the time!!!).
Comment: @VahidShirbisheh not with the Canadian Mathematical Society meetings, it isn't...
Answer: Typically the fees are to cover the facilities of the meeting including services attached to the venue. In addition there may be administrative costs for the conveners to be added to that. My experience says that everytime you let a professional conference center and staff organize a meeting it becomes very expensive. this may seem like a bad ideabut what is often not seen is the work volounteers would have to put in if you tried to organize a large conference without such help. Free help is usually not easy to muster these days.
So while I agree that conference fees may seem ridiculously high at times the reason is that it would be hard to organize them otherwise. It may be easier for recurring conferences since they can build a knowledge base and tools to help but for a one-off the ask can be too large without professional help.
By keeping a discussion open about these costs we can perhaps put the spotlight on the problems and realize that we cannot both have the cake and eat it. In order to reduce costs meetings may have to be organized in simpler venues and by more volounteers from the community.
Comment: Well, during the Covid19 pandemic, conferences were conducted virtually, and even then they didn't reduce the fee. Even when a conference is held offline, certain conferences charge exorbitantly high fees that does not really match what it might actually cost to host the conference. Something is wrong. Moreover, it's crazy that researchers who put in so much time and effort to advance civilization's knowledge, should pay, when civilization uses that knowledge without paying the creator of the knowledge. It's like a scam.
Answer: Unfortunately, it is expensive to run a conference. You have to rent the venue, provide food, possibly pay for a keynote speaker, and pay for other incidental costs.
Furthermore, as you note there is a disparity in salaries between developed and developing countries, and this can price out participants from developing nations.
I don't believe there is an institutional discrimination against academic contributions from developing nations, but your inference that it is harder to make these contributions because of a wage/price discrepancy and the need to attend a conference to be published in it is valid.
One option that might be helpful is to try to publish in journals, which do not incur travel fees. Not the best answer, I admit, but something to consider.
Finally, this is a discussion that you should have with your university -- it is in their interest to help faculty and students get published, and there may be money for travel and conference fees that the university can help out with. Furthermore, research grants (often also harder to obtain in developing nations, unfortunately) should be set up to pay for conference fees and travel, and faculty members should do everything they can to compete for grant money.
Comment: @JukkaSuomela: Meetings with more than a few hundred participants can't be run at universities; they typically don't have the facilities to support it logistically.
Comment: @aeismail and, even when universities *can* support the logistics, increasingly difficult funding situation prevents them to do it for free
Comment: Not renting whole multi-star hotels in major cities may be a first step. But alas, it seems as if established players (i.e. professors) a) can lose sensitivity of these issues as their expenses are often paid for and b) *demand* a certain standard. Furthermore, I once read that things like printed proceedings and association with a large organisation like ACM or SIAM can make costs explode; can't verify that myself, though.
Comment: Well, you do not need to rent the venue; the local university can let you use their lecture halls for free or for a nominal fee (for example, the university can "sponsor" the conference by letting them use their facilities). However, I agree that it is expensive to run a conference, no matter how many students you have as volunteers. **Food** costs a lot. For example, seemingly simple things such as coffee breaks are surprisingly expensive, and it adds up to a non-trivial amount of money if you have a 5-day conference with 2 coffee breaks per day.
Comment: @JukkaSuomela: the universities I know even the normal labs and offices are rented internally by the group who use them (a calculation used to prove the support from university e.g. for certain types of grants). From there it is not far to charge proper rent to outside events such as conferences.
Answer: First, some practical side notes.

I'm in a field with high conference fees as well. However, my professor once complained with conference organizers when student fees were 250 € saying that no student (and no institute paying for the student) could afford that. I got in at a much reduced price.
However, I once attended a conference in Africa where many "speakers" didn't show up after they had tried to make the organizers completely waive the fees and pay their travel a week or so before the conference. The organizers felt blackmailed and refused (I believe they had a developing countries discount from the beginning, but I'm not entirely sure. Europeans paid about what you'd pay for a conference in Europe)
You may be able to negotiate a discount for not attending the conference dinner, tourist program, etc. (though I recommend attending if possible: this is where you can talk and get to know people)
Some conferences and/or professional societies have travel grants for students. Some universities have travel grants as well. They would usually help towards both conference fee, flight ticket and housing at the conference location. Ask around.
In my field (analytical chemistry/spectroscopy) in terms of conference fees for students I found that conferences in the US had much lower student fees compared to Europe.

Some more points on the costs:

you mention that the 400€ is half a months salary for a prof in your country. But the costs of living and the wages are not the same all over the world. You don't get as far in Spain with 400€ as you'd get in India. Unfortunately I guess from India most good conferences will be in crazy expensive countries.
However, I've seen conference announcements in southeast Asia and northern Africa, and the fees were not that much lower compared to european and north american locations.
Answer: I just had a discussion about this last night and the conclusion is that it's pretty much a reverse Robin Hood thing: tax the poor (with no grants) to pay for the elite (who have major grants). Meaning, a large part of the exorbitant fees consists of money to pay for the travel and lodging of the plenary speakers -- Plenaries in my view being the least interesting part of the conference, as the speakers, who have won the popularity contest, are generally not any better speakers than anyone else, not talking about my specific niche, and not talking about their own niche intelligibly enough for an outsider. Just a 20 minute torture extended into one hour and paid for by the unfortunate masses in their registration fees.
Comment: IMHO you should voice these concerns (in a polite but firm manner) to the conference committee: this doesn't have to be the case, and IMHO it should not. A lot of this is a matter of organization: I've been to conferences with very good plenary lectures that did indeed give a good introduction to sub-fields for normal attendees (judging by me understanding the lectures about things I do not work on) but it's certainly up to the committee to specify that good teaching is wanted and to account for known teaching ability for the invitations. To some extent, this means that the invited speakers...
Comment: ... are famous: the committee isn't likely to know of non-famous people whether they are good teachers/speakers. OTOH, I'm in a scientific committee right now that tries to mitigate this effect by explicitly saying that noone is invited who has been invited for the last or 2nd last of these conferences.
Answer: Here's the budget from a recent conference I attended, surprisingly  published in the conference program. Woohoo for transparency! What surprises me are the absolutely lunatic catering costs (14%): the catering was abysmally bad, just coffee and water in the breaks, and a conference reception with almost nothing served. (And true to US conferences, the hotel was ludicrously expensive with no breakfast included, unlike in Europe.) Definitely not worth the $71 USD that 14% of the $510 registration fee is (for minisymposium organisers--even more for regular participants). Also a lot of paying into SIAM's bureaucracy. The invited speaker costs are 8.5%, so quite a bit, but less than I expected. They filmed this conference to be distributed online, and I guess that is a lot of the 13.5% AV cost (SIAM did not even provide computers for the talks, session organisers had to bring their own)--in my opinion a total waste of participant money.
Comment: Two important notes: 1) the high catering and A/V costs typically set by the venue, and should be thought of as the rental fee for the space - hotels especially like to "package" their fee as catering and A/V,  2) the $34K of SIAM fees is probably just the society taking the profit of an unexpectedly high, as they would have covered the loss if the conference came under budget.  Societies typically offer a deal where they assume the risk and take the reward; good organizers then know to adjust their conference fees accordingly in the following year.
Comment: @jakebeal what $34k SIAM fees? The expenses are $34k larger than registration income, so it appears that they waived $4702 of their services and also donated ~$30k to cover the losses of that conference.
Comment: @Peteris Whoops! You're right - I read that loss as a profit.  Still supports the point, however: since they lost money, SIAM supported them; if they'd made a profit, they probably would have been paying it to SIAM to help support other conferences that lost money.  That's one of the big benefits of affiliating with an umbrella organization like that.
Comment: Actually, this is a great example that illustrates a big issue for conferences - as their finances are generally are one-off and not an ongoing business (even if "the conference" repeats every year or two for many decades), there is never likely to be an exact match between income and expense, no matter how hard you try to plan; and at the end some institution will be holding the final balance of profit or (more likely) loss.
Comment: ... making marketing expenses look smaller by splitting into two non-adjacent line items (Advertising is the other)


Would Utilitarianism say that surveillance of the public is wrong?

Question: If surveillance results in fear from the majority of the public, will Utilitarianism reject surveillance of the public for security reasons? I'm assuming this because Utilitarianism calls an action moral or right if it increases happiness for the majority of those involved. If surveillance doesn't increase happiness of the public, then it would be immoral. Right?
Comment: You might want to check http://philosophy.stackexchange.com/questions/24619/how-do-utilitarians-avoid-ethical-totalitarianism?rq=1
Comment: Jeremy Bentham's *[The Theory of Legislation](http://www.amazon.com/dp/1103201417)* is a good introduction to the principles of Utilitarianism.  Richard Hildreth translated it into English in 1864, and it was republished by Harcourt, Brace in 1931.  Useful excerpts are on pages 433 - 459 of [Volume II](http://www.amazon.com/dp/0231024770) of the Third Edition of Columbia University Press' *Introduction to Contemporary Civilization in the West*.
Answer: According to utilitarism your last implication is right "If surveillance doesn't increase happiness of the public, then it would be immoral."
But the problem is to determine which kinds of surveillance are to be considered and which additional effects - possibly increasing security - also result from surveillance.
Not until answering these questions one can decide, whether surveillance should be terminated or continued.
Comment: Online surveillance is a special case of surveillance. I tried to answer the general case, hence the special case is included.
Comment: I'm looking at online surveillance. If online surveillance is not found to actually increase security and if it results in public fear and distrust, Utilitarianism would say it's immoral, right?
Answer: You used the happiness version of utility in your question. There are other interpretations of utility which involve the greater good, regardless of happiness - remember that those two are not necessarily the same.
To answer your question you would have to know is the public happy about the increased surveillance or not? If they are, then the increased surveillance is moral, if not then it isn't.
If you had chosen the interpretation of utility which involves the greater good, then the answer would change. One could then argue that increased surveillance is moral regardless of whether the public is happy about it or not, since the public doesn't always know what is good for them.
Comment: "…is the public happy about the increased surveillance or not? If they are, then the increased surveillance is moral, if not then it isn't."  Not necessarily, even under the interpretation happiness=utility.  The public might be unhappy about surveillance, but it might be preventing something (e.g. terrorism) that would have made them even more unhappy, which would make it moral from the happiness-maximising point of view.  The key question is not "are people happy with it", but "are people happier with it than they would be without it".
Answer: One of the four categories of Good/Harm in Utilitarianism is religious.  Bentham refers to religion both as a category of good/harm, and as an avenue by which society can encourage individuals to behave in good ways instead of harmful ways.
Bentham lived in a Christian society.  Christian doctrine includes two kinds of continual surveillance on every individual:

The individual's own conscience.
An omniscient, omnipresent God who is the ultimate judge.

Therefore, the alleged emotional harm (from even omnipresent surveillance) that the original poster asks about is not a problem in Utilitarianism.  Instead, it takes it for granted as an influence on individuals' thoughts and behavior.


Beat detection in Matlab or Python

Question: Try to determine the start time and duration of each "beat" in an audio signal (circled in figure below). It looks like a simple question, and python or Matlab should have toolbox/functions to do this, just couldn't find them. I tried low pass filtering and freq analysis, but neither worked.
Comment: Did you have a look on the following [answer](https://dsp.stackexchange.com/questions/1522/simplest-way-of-detecting-where-audio-envelopes-start-and-stop)
Comment: Possible duplicate of [Smoothing signal / detecting bumps in a data stream](https://dsp.stackexchange.com/questions/948/smoothing-signal-detecting-bumps-in-a-data-stream)

Also research "Onset Detection" it's effectively a whole field on it.
Answer: The area you're asking about is called "Onset Detection" this is used all throughout signal processing, but most oven used in Music Information Retrieval to identify the start and stop to notes.

While there are many ways to accomplish this lets consider two: energy and  frequency domain.
Energy: We know that when there is a spike in a signal there is a marked increase in the energy of the signal. You could simply create sampling windows and calculate the average absolute energy of the window by tracking the area under the curve. When you see a large increase it means you've reached a peak (or close enough to an onset)
Frequency:
We know that in the time domain, if a signal is high in amplitude and short in time it will have a wide spread in the frequency domain with most of that content in the higher end of the frequency spectrum. (Dirac function is a prime example of this)
You could cut your signal into small windows, calculate the FFT and detect when there is a large change in high frequency content.
These two methods are theoretically the same, however your implementation would result in different accuracy.
Here's a tutorial on many of the onset detection algorithms out there.
Answer: The beat is pretty abrupt and packs considerable signal power. Power thresholding after low pass filtering and wavelet transform are good options.
If you are more specific and attach some code we'd be able to help better.

Beat detection in Matlab or Python


Any guidelines to find the "correct place"

Question: Now we have completed the trilogy. Stackoverflow, serverfault and superuser. But in some cases we might face with a problem of selecting the correct place. Specially there might be a question that can be considered as serverfault one as well as superuser one. But as the users we have a responsibility of putting the question at a right place. So are there any documented guidelines available for perform this "selection"?
Answer: A quick reference for where to post your question

STACKOVERFLOW Read the FAQ

programming

detailed and specific
of interest to at least one other programmer somewhere

SUPERUSER Read the FAQ

computer hardware
computer software

general computer software or hardware troubleshooting

Just for clarification, Super User is not about ....
<code>* videogames or consoles
* websites or web services like Facebook, Twitter, and WordPress
* cellphones or mobile devices, except their computer interface
* electronic devices or media players, except their computer interface
</code>
SERVERFAULT Read the FAQ

servers
networks

questions that contain no source code

META Read the FAQ

A question about Stack Overflow
A question about Server Fault
A question about Super User
Comment: @Noah: I suggest you edit to exclude web sites from SuperUser.
Comment: @John, I'm willing to make the edits, but not quite sure what you mean.  Websites in general, programming websites, what websites are good, etc...
Comment: see http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/39615/superuser-website-applications-policy.
Answer: The guidelines are in the faq pages for each site. You'll find the explanation of what questions are encouraged and which ones discouraged there.
Admittedly it's not all in one place, but here are the links:

StackOverflow
ServerFault
SuperUser
Comment: Why is it not [well DRYed](http://meta.stackexchange.com/questions/28217/what-questions-belong-on-super-user-vs-server-fault/28230#comment817194_28230) and in one place?
Answer:
But as the users we have a
  responsibility of putting the question
  at a right place.

Just make your best effort. I assume it can be moved by the Powers That Be if it's posted to the wrong forum.
Answer: serverfault.com

For system administrators and desktop support professionals

superuser.com

For computer enthusiasts and power users

from StackOverflow Trilogy
Answer: I would conclude that there is not a guideline to find the "correct site" for a question.  There are guidelines on each site for questions for that site but inferring from those guidelines that a question clearly belongs in one or another site is still largely subjective.  And being so, people will frequently get it wrong, both from the perspective of asking the question on the site mostly likely to yield a good answer and from the perspective of not asking the question on the site that is most likely to raise the ire of the QCP (Question Correctness Police).
I would suggest that "staff" start encouraging an algorithmic attempt to guide a questioner to the most effective choice of site much in the same way they are guided toward not asking a duplicate question.  I have a hunch the process is similar.  Similarly as the QCP weigh in I would ask them to qualify the reasons for their choices such than an algorithm can become even better at making suggestions automagically.


Why isn't there a tag for Fighting Fantasy?

Question: I was going to edit this question by adding a tag for Fighting Fantasy, because I noticed that he had missed it, but then I found out that there isn't a tag for it. That seems odd, given that Fighting Fantasy books are basically a gateway drug into the world of tabletop/pen-and-paper roleplaying games.
Comment: related: [Are the Fighting Fantasy gamebooks and contents on- or off-topic?](https://rpg.meta.stackexchange.com/q/2914/23064)
Answer: We don't have a tag for them because they're off topic.
From the FAQ What kind of questions can I ask here?:

We do not include[…]

Choose Your Own Adventure–type books, even if they have dice mechanics3

And from the question revisiting the issue five years later, Are choose your own adventure questions on topic?:

CYOA books, a.k.a. gamebooks, are not RPGs and are off topic.
RPGs based on a gamebook line (e.g., Advanced Fighting Fantasy) are on topic, since they're RPGs. Questions about using gamebooks in some way for an RPG are also on topic.
Basically, if it's just about gamebooks, we're not the relevant experts. If it's about using gamebooks in an RPG context then we can help, just as we can help with other things (like music or computer hardware) being used in an RPG context.

Gamebooks could need a tag if the community decided they should be on-topic
Although we don't need a tag for them because they're currently off topic (and what there are tags for is one of the ways to hint what's on-topic on a given Stack), they could in theory be made on-topic by community discussion.
Until that happens though, they're off topic and don't need a tag.
Answer: You could always add the tag yourself, which will get reviewed after some time has passed. But...
I think the question would be better off in sci-fi&fantasy.SE
It's a question about a book with some decisions to be made by the reader, the same reason we deem MUDs off-topic, it lacks the interactive element of tabletop RPGs, where soft skills and rules-clarifications are inevitable in the game. With interactive books and RPG-esque games, the soft skills and rules-clarifications are moot, as it is limited by not having an actual Game Master person.
Comment: Solo rpgs *are* on topic, though, and self-describe as RPGs.  Not all self-describing RPGs have GMs, and not all self-describing RPGs have interactive elements.
Comment: Should self-identification truly matter though? Because if the case; any self-identifying product as RPG would risk being deemed on topic here even if they obviously are not.
Comment: @thedarkwanderer yes, that's correct, I may have stepped on solo-RPGs in the answer, sorry about that. I'm struggling to find a better word for the difference... Question of ignorance though, because I am not at all familiar with solo RPGs, wouldn't you yourself be the GM- making it still have a GM?
Comment: Not usually.  Usually, the module book does the GMing.
Comment: @thedarkwanderer huh... Then I'm lost as to the difference :) Maybe I should just try one of those solo RPGs, and compare it to the Give Yourself Goosebumps books I read as a kid. Then maybe I'll be enlightened.
Comment: Good idea! You can look at a bunch of classic ones for T&T [here](http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/solo.htm).  In my opinion the biggest difference is that solo adventures identify as RPGs, whereas CYOAs don't.  I don't think that difference is necessarily material, though.


Graph Slam Landmark remove and then again add it

Question: I try to implement Graph Slam in real dataset. My data set have some data that describe that the Robot observe same landmark over and over with a large amount of time difference. Prof. Sebastian Lectures(Udacity: https://classroom.udacity.com/courses/cs373) is not enough to understand this type of situation. So I study " The Graph Slam Algorithm with Application to Large - Scale MApping of Urban Structure" by Sebastian Thrun and Michael Montemerlo.(http://robots.stanford.edu/papers/thrun.graphslam.pdf) In this paper page number 414 at Table 4: Algorithm for Updating the Posterior mu" is written. I cannot understand this algorithm. First I remove all the landmark location then again I add it. But how could I add this? This is not clear to me. Also what is the need to first remove all landmarks then again add it? If any one know that please help me.
Answer: Let me start by saying that SLAM and other algorithms like that are beyond the scope of the work I've done. I am okay with the math, though, so I'll point out what I think is happening:
First, it appears that Table 3 on page 414 is not removing landmarks, it's collapsing them. Consider a hypothetical scenario where you have a bunch of measurements $x$ and $y$. If you want to do some operation on that data set, you have to carry those measurement vectors around everywhere and work on the entire set every time.
It might be easier, if the scenario you're in allows, to just use the average value of those sets. This appears to be what Table 3 is doing. It's important to notice the difference between the full set of data, $\Omega$ and $\xi$, and the reduced (averaged, conceptually) data $\tilde{\Omega}$ and $\tilde{\xi}$.
Second, it appears that there's a typo in Table 4. The equations given are:
$$
\begin{array}{c}
2: & \Sigma_{0:t} & = & \tilde{\Omega}^{-1} \\
3: & \mu_{0:t} & = & \Sigma_{0:t}\tilde{\xi} \\
\end{array}
$$
However, this is contrary to the statement on page 410 which says,

The posterior over the robot path is now recovered as $\tilde{\Sigma}=\tilde{\Omega}^{-1}$ and $\tilde{\mu}=\tilde{\Sigma}\xi$.

and additionally the equations (43) and (44) on page 417, which says:

The algorithm GraphSLAM_solve in Table 4 calculates the mean and variance of the Gaussian $\mathcal{N}(\tilde{\xi},\tilde{\Omega})$:
  $$
\begin{equation}
\tilde{\Sigma} = \tilde{\Omega}^{-1} \\
\end{equation}
\tag{43}
$$
  $$
\begin{equation}
\tilde{\mu} = \tilde{\Sigma}\tilde{\xi}
\end{equation}
\tag{44}
$$

So, in both locations (410 and 417), it is said that the equation given in Table 4 should be:
$$
\begin{array}{c}
2: & \tilde{\Sigma}_{0:t} & = & \tilde{\Omega}^{-1} \\
3: & \tilde{\mu}_{0:t} & = & \Sigma_{0:t}\tilde{\xi} \\
\end{array}
$$
This would then make line six of Table 4 make more sense:
$$
\begin{array}{c}
6: & \mu_j = \Omega^{-1}_{j,j}\left(\xi_j + \Omega_{j,\tau\left(j\right)}\tilde{\mu}_{\tau\left(j\right)}\right) \\
\end{array}
$$
So, in summary:

Table 3 shows how to reduce the full information matrix $\Omega$ and full information vector $\xi$ to a reduced information matrix $\tilde{\Omega}$ and a reduced information vector $\tilde{\xi}$.
Table 4 takes the reduced information matrix $\tilde{\Omega}$ and reduced information vector $\tilde{\xi}$ and uses that to generate a reduced map esimate $\tilde{\mu}$.
Table 4 goes on to use the reduced map estimate $\tilde{\mu}$ and the full information matrix $\Omega$ and the full information vector $\xi$ to generate a full map estimate $\mu$.
Comment: Thank you sir. This is a good explanation. But I have a doubt. I have to find out path and map using Graph Slam Algorithm. At page 411 Table 2. Calculate the omega and Xi. Now if I applied the formula mu=omega.inv()*Xi I get Path and Map. So what is the need of reduction as per table 3 and again update mu as per table 4. Table 2. Itself cannot be able to produce desire output if I just add one more line mu=omega.inv().Xi?
Comment: @EllenaMori - The path covariance $\Sigma$ is the inverse of $\Omega$. The authors state in the abstract that this algorithm is capable of creating/handling maps with $10^8$ features. This seems to be possible because the reduction step removes the features from the data and keeps only the pose information; this is explained on page 413. If 100 pose updates is enough for the robot to detect 10,000 features, then you can either invert a matrix that has 100+10,000 variables, or you can reduce the matrix to just the 100 pose variables and invert that. This is the reason for the reduction.
Comment: Exactly sir here is my doubt. As per my understanding features means landmarks. My dataset consist of 15 landmarks so do I need the reduction step? 2nd As per my knowledge each timestamp of the odometer dataset represent one node of Graph. So if I have 75000 time stamp I should have 75000 node of graph. Problem arise here. Practically it is impossible to invert a 75000*75000 matrix. Do I have any mistake in my understanding?
Comment: @EllenaMori - I'm not sure what to say here. How do you have 75,000 poses but only 15 landmarks? If you're trying to learn the algorithm, I would suggest starting with a smaller data set first, to be sure you understand the algorithm, and then trying to proceed from there. There are resources online, such as [OpenSLAM](https://openslam-org.github.io/), that provide free, prewritten implementations of various SLAM algorithms. [G2O is a graph SLAM algorithm](https://github.com/RainerKuemmerle/g2o) that is one of the ones offered there.


Does learning chess make you smarter?

Question: I noticed that a lot of chess experts state or imply that teaching kids to play chess is good for them. I wonder if there have been any reliable studies of this (As in, randomized controlled trials)? I wouldn't be at all surprised if chess-playing kids had higher IQs, but would there be any causation behind this correlation?
Comment: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5426665/
Comment: @David: Beat me *that* much :-) (Also note the study merely researches the effect on math scores. The claims are usually much far out, e.g. chess teaching social abilities and other beneficial personality traits.)
Comment: While the jury is still out, there's a Stanley Kubrick quote out there (that I discovered via the lichess.org site) that reads - 'Chess teaches you to control the initial excitement you feel when you see something that looks good and it trains you to think objectively when you're in trouble'.

Not sure if "smart" means different things to different people but I've found the above to be a characteristic of smart people.
Comment: i missed these comments.  from a education / clinical perspective that study is probably the most reasonable and balanced.
Answer: I believe so. From my personal experience, I found learning chess helped me to concentrate on something for a longer time. It also helped me with my memory specially when it comes to recognizing a pattern. Surprisingly I found chess to be helpful for my math skills, like I can calculate 3-4 lines earlier before I have reached that line while solving a math which I guess the benefit you get from practicing chess calculation. And most of all chess enables me to think clearly for solving any problem,. I believe all these qualities are components of a smart person. But that's also true that it can't be taken for granted.
Answer: This is somewhat of a tricky one because this answer is No , Yes and Maybe.
Chess doesn't necessarily make you smarter and there is significant research on the topic. The most clinical being "Your Move: Thee effect of chess on mathematics test scored"
They found that there was an improvement in mathematic scores when one in four weekly mathematic lessons were based on chess learning material.
The theorized reason behind this is due to training of of abilities in reasoning allowing for transference of concepts towards mathematical principals.
Other studies on the topic all generally concluded similar results.
That chess DOESN'T necessarily make you smarter.
I don't believe that chess in of itself makes you inherently smarter. It does however help develop and reinforce skills in Fluid Reasoning, Memory, Problem Solving and Processing Speed. These skills are often used as a determination of cognitive ability / intelligence.
In summary playing chess doesn't make you smarter. It does however re-enforce the required skills for cognitive processing which is often utilized as a measure of intelligence. Training your Brain.
Comment: Can you precise what your definition of "smarter" would be, if you consider it to be different from "reinforce[d] skills in Fluid Reasoning, Memory, Problem Solving and Processing Speed" ? I find the conclusion you draw a bit confusing... (maybe because I have played too much chess. Or not enough chess. Or maybe it's unrelated ?)
Comment: OK, but what I find odd with your answer is that you give sources and arguments for the claim that chess develops some skills, you explain in the comments that you don't consider those skills to be intelligence/smartness, and then you conclude that chess doesn't improve intelligence. That's a *non sequitur*. The sophism is the same as if I said : There is bread in the bakery ; cakes are not bread ; hence there is no cake in the bakery.
Comment: The clinical measurements for intelligence / or cognitive ability. are all derived off attributes of problem solving, speed of solving the problem (processing speed), Reasoning as well a few others. "Smarter" technically speaking is not a clinical term and is subjective.
Comment: In that case shouldn't your conclusion be "smarter is subjective and cannot be measured" rather than "playing chess doesn't make you smarter"?
Comment: No because they are entirely subjective things. "Smarter" is more of a lay term for intelligence. Intelligence can be measured in a number of ways. Chess doesn't make you more intelligent in and of itself. It does however train the attributes. These are extremely different things from a clinical sense.
Answer: I believe that there are studies coming to both positive and negative conclusions. I suspect that it depends strongly on the manner of teaching. A child who has merely been taught the moves and is able to play a legally correct game may not have have gained very much in other areas, but if the teacher is skilled (at chess and at teaching) then almost any game of chess is full of "teachable moments" in great variety. Although not every child may be equally responsive the possibilities are endless.

Does learning chess make you smarter?


What is the difference between a priest and a pastor?

Question: I'm writing a book and one character is Catholic and I'm not sure whether to use pastor or priest. And, one character gets possessed, yes I know that that's fictional, but would a Catholic "leader" perform an exorcism?
Comment: Welcome to Christianity.SE. For a quick overview, please take the [Site Tour](http://christianity.stackexchange.com/tour). For more on what this site is all about, see: [How we are different than other sites](http://meta.christianity.stackexchange.com/q/1808/20394).
Answer: I will first answer the question posed by the O.P. in the title.
Priests vs. pastors
A priest is a baptized man (he has to be a male) who has received the second degree of the Sacrament of Holy Orders. That is, he was previously ordained a deacon (the first degree), and subsequently ordained a second time to the order of the presbyterate (the second degree).* (For this reason, a priest may also be called by the more technical name of "presbyter." This term etymologically comes from the Greek "presbyteros"—that is, "older" or "elder.")
Priestly ordination confers upon the ordained the capability of exercising certain functions that are necessary for Catholic worship: in particular the ability to celebrate Mass and confect the Eucharist. (He can also hear confessions, give the Anointing of the Sick, and, in some restricted but fairly frequent cases, give the Sacrament of Confirmation.)
(For an overview of the Church's teachings on the presbyterate, or priesthood, see Catechism of the Catholic Church [CCC] Nos. 1562-1568.)
On the other hand, a pastor is simply the priest (or in a small number of cases, the bishop) who is in charge of a parish. As the Code of Canon Law (CIC) succinctly puts it,

A parish is a certain community of the Christian faithful stably constituted in a particular church [i.e., a diocese or similar structure], whose pastoral care is entrusted to a pastor (parochus) as its proper pastor (pastor) [probably better rendered "shepherd"] under the authority of the diocesan bishop.

(For the benefit of those not familiar with the Catholic Church's organization, parishes are usually territorial—that is, they occupy a geographical area, usually a relatively small area within one city or town—and are typically associated with a single church, called the parish church. Some parishes may support several church buildings.)
In summary: priests are those baptized men that have been admitted to the presbyterate—that is, the second degree of Holy Orders. Those priests that have been chosen as the permanent heads of parishes—that is, the smallest territorial division of the Church—are called pastors.**
Applied to exorcism
When a man receives presbyteral ordination, in addition to the capacity to effect certain sacraments, it also gives him the power to perform certain sacramentals, including solemn exorcism. Nevertheless, he can only perform this kind of exorcism with the explicit permission of his bishop. As the Catechism explains,

The solemn exorcism, called "a major exorcism," can be performed only by a priest and with the permission of the bishop. The priest must proceed with prudence, strictly observing the rules established by the Church (CCC 1673).

Hence, any priest—pastor or otherwise—could, in theory, be called to do a solemn exorcism (provided, of course, he has the necessary permission). However, the general practice in dioceses nowadays is to appoint a full-time exorcist who is an expert in these matters.
(Someone who fears that he is possessed, or otherwise suffering from demonic influence, would probably talk first with the pastor or another priest. This priest, in turn, would most likely direct him to contact his local diocese, who would then put him in contact with the exorcist, if necessary.)

* It is technically possible for a layperson to be ordained a priest per saltum—that is, without passing through the diaconate. However, such an ordination would be contrary to Canon Law (see Can. 1031) and the longstanding traditions of every apostolic church.
** There are a few complications that can be mentioned in passing. First, a handful of parishes are personal; that is, they are not associated with a geographical area, but comprise a groups of persons who have freely chosen to become members of that parish. Second, when the post of pastor becomes vacant, the diocesan bishop or ordinary will temporarily appoint an administrator, who has most, but not all, of the faculties of a pastor.
Answer: For your book, I believe it would be more accurate to employ the term that best suits the needs of your manuscript. In other words, if the exorcist priest is a Parish Priest, then yes he is a Pastor. But in everyday life, Catholics simply call their pastors Father "N."
Some Parish Priests are called Monsignor, if this title has been accorded to a priest by the Pope. In this case, a Catholic would address their pastor as Monsignor "N."
As Peter Turner points out in his excellent answer, priests may perform many functions within the Church such teaching in a seminary, chaplains in hospitals, prisons or some other institutions, etc. A priest exorcist may be chosen by the diocesan bishop from any one of these priests. I personally know of some exorcist priests who are Parish Priests (Pastors), one who is a professor from a Catholic seminary as well as one diocesan bishop (now retired) who has performed some exorcisms.
I grew up calling our parish priest (or pastor), quite simply Father "N."

In the Roman Catholic Church, a parish (Latin: parochus) is a stable community of the faithful within a Particular Church, whose pastoral care has been entrusted to a parish priest (Latin: pastor), under the authority of the diocesan bishop. It is the lowest ecclesiastical subdivision in the Catholic episcopal polity, and the primary constituent unit of a diocese. In the 1983 Code of Canon Law, parishes are constituted under cc. 515–552, entitled "Parishes, Pastors, and Parochial Vicars."
In American usage, a "parish priest" is any priest assigned to a parish even in a subordinate capacity, and some may be designated as associate pastors or assistant pastors. Globally they may be known as assistant priests, parochial vicars or curates. - Catholic Church Parish (Wikipedia)
Comment: Wikipedia has  screwed up again: the Latin for "parish" is _parochia_, while _parochus_ is a word for "parish priest"...
Answer: To a Catholic a pastor is a priest who shepherds a flock (metaphorically speaking).  There are many jobs for priests.  They can be lawyers, teachers, scientists and probably other things that I can't think of now.
Exorcism requires special faculties (permissions and training) granted by the local ordinary (which is the Bishop who is the boss of the priests in the area usually)

Canon 1172 of the Code of Canon Law states that no one can legitimately perform exorcisms over the possessed unless he has obtained special and express permission from the local Ordinary, and states that this permission should be granted by the local Ordinary only to priests who are endowed with piety, knowledge, prudence and integrity of life.
  Cardinal Josef Ratzinger - Letter to Ordinaries
  regarding norms on Exorcism - 1985

So, I know at one pastor (i.e. a priest with a parish) who is in the process of performing an exorcism.  It seems to be a very laborious effort that takes place over the course of many, many meetings (not too glamorous for a novel).
For a real depiction of what an exorcist does, I'd suggest picking up books by Fr. Gabriele Amorth from Ignatius Press.
But, to your question directly, you should be able to call your character a pastor.  A Catholic "Leader", i.e. a Bishop or a Cardinal or the Pope, probably would not be one who would be an exorcist.  But they (Bishops at least) would be involved in exorcism to the point where it seems likely that a priest who was to perform an exorcism would need the bishop's permission to do so.
Comment: Turner, might it not be more accurate to say "a Pastor is a Priest who shepherds a flock?
Comment: @brasshat yeah, definitely - thanks , that's what I meant to write.
Comment: [Number 1673 of the Catechism](http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c4a1.htm) is more authoritative and more recent than Cardinal Ratzinger's letter.


Does speech transcription change syntax/grammar?

Question: Just a question out of curiosity. Before typing became commonplace, many writing communications must have been transcribed from dictation. My hypothesis is that certain syntax and grammar must change from dictated to (personally) written communication. Is there any research in this subject?
Comment: To be clear, your hypothesis is that people don't write exactly as they speak (even in dictation)? Isn't that trivially true? We ignore repetitions, pauses, and filler words (hmmm, uhm, aah). It's also near impossible to convey vocal inflection in written form.
Comment: @acattle the hypothesis would be that written documents are different from dictated documents, phonetics would have little to do with it. I guess what I want to find out is—if software speech transcription ever becomes popular—will it influence our writing style? Is there anything in the past which supports this?
Answer: The problem you are thinking about may have to deal with linguistic recast which involves transformation of non compact speech(like spoken discourse) to or from compact metaphorical discourse(like a formal Essay). Related work on functional recast is by systemic functional linguistic scholars Mohan & Beckett they present two kinds of recasts: corrective recast which grammatically corrects the input speech and functional recast which recasts by paraphrasing the discourse rather than correcting syntactic mistakes. Ping presents example study of functional recast from textbook discourse to spoken discourse.
Answer: Certainly spoken syntax differs from written syntax; but dictation is a linguistic skill which can be learned like any other. Some considerations to keep in mind

In the heyday of dictation, most dictated communications were addressed to very routine matters for which the originator had developed a lexicon of stock phrases and sentences. "In response to yours of the 4th inst. I have the very great pleasure of informing you that ... "
By the same token, secretaries were skilled at ignoring the false starts and local solecisms endemic in speech, and took upon themselves - were indeed often relied upon - to rewrite as they transcribed. "Take a letter, Miss Samuels. My dear Harper, I was very happy to hear that, blah, blah, blah - you know what to say. Stick in something about his speech at the Chamber ... "
Finally, dictation was often only a first draft: an important letter or speech was dictated, typed, and then corrected, perhaps many times over.

Moreover, I would be surprised to find that dictation was more common before typewriting. My impression is that before the end of the 19th century bosses composed in longhand and handed off their drafts to clerks for fair-copying (twice: once for the recipient and again in the firm's letterbook). It was not until after the advent of the new technologies typing, shorthand and carbon paper - and of that new and exceptionally cheap IT drudge the female secretary -  that bosses found dictation a more efficient use of their time.


OpenID authentication in ASP.NET?

Question: I am starting to build a new web application that will require user accounts. Now that I have an OpenID that I am using for this site I thought it would be cool if I could use OpenID for authentication in my application.  Are there any good tutorials on how to integrate OpenID with an ASP.NET site?
Answer: See Scott Hanselman's post on using DotNetOpenID in ASP.NET. Andrew Arnott's blog is full of samples on using DotNetOpenID with ASP.NET, including ASP.NET MVC.
I recently hooked up DotNetOpenID for the Subtext 2.0 release. It went really smoothly - the code samples included with the DotNetOpenID download are pretty helpful. The one thing I'd recommend is that you just use the library and avoid the ASP.NET control. It uses table based layout (hardcoded) and is pretty difficult to restyle.
Comment: Just a note that there are several ASP.NET controls in the library.  OpenIdLogin is as you say.  But OpenIdTextBox is much simpler (UI wise) and is more CSS friendly.
Comment: Could you add direct links to the sample project, please?
Answer: DotNetOpenId available at http://code.google.com/p/dotnetopenid
Answer:
Are there any good tutorials on how to integrate OpenId with an ASP.NET site?

Andrew Arnott's post titled "How to add OpenID to your ASP.NET web site (in C# or VB.NET)"
Answer: I'm considering the same thing. On the Open ID site, there's a link 'For Developers' @ http://openid.net/developers/ and from there is a link to 'Open Libraries' @ http://wiki.openid.net/Libraries and finally from there is one called 'DotNetOpenID' @ http://dotnetopenid.googlecode.com/ which is probably what you're looking for.
Good luck.
Answer: DotNetNuke may not be a good current example.  When we did the integration, DotNetOpenID was not currently supporting OpenID 2.0 spec.  I hacked together a fork to get the 2.0 support and have not had a chance to rip it back out for the official DotNetOpenID 2.0 release.
Answer: You should check out the DotNetNuke codebase as well, they have been using OpenID for the last several revisions, and you'll find working code for implementing it there.

OpenID authentication in ASP.NET?


Grub doesn't show at start up

Question: Recently, installed Loky in dual boot mode with Win10 in my laptop. The installtion seemed to run ok. When the install program requested to restart, I did it, but the grub bootloader didn't show up, and the machine started directly to Windows. Will appreciate any suggestion that will  help me troubleshoot this problem. Thanks.
Answer: This is a possible duplicate : GRUB not showing after installing Elementary OS alongside Windows 10
In Windows, go to the menu and search for Command Prompt, right click on it to run it as administrator
Copy paste the command below:
<code>bcdedit /set {bootmgr} path \EFI\ubuntu\grubx64.efi
</code>
Comment: Good to hear! Can you please mark is as answered?
Answer: This is more of a comment for which I at this point still lack the reputation. Does your computer have a UEFI bootloader? If so, have you ensured that Secure Boot is off? (An appropriate switch can often be found in the BIOS settings menu.) Also concerning UEFI and in the case that you did in fact disable Secure Boot: Once again boot into the BIOS menu and verify the priority of your boot options: It might be that the Windows Bootloader is still taking precedence over Grub. In that case adjust things appropriately (which once again can be done in most modern BIOS settings).
Comment: Thanks for your comment. In answering your questions. Yes, secure boot is disabled as it is shown below.
[link]https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_ZOUN6JcLCXcGhtN2d0OHhGbmc[/link]
The grub bootloader was actually installed, but apparently not in the expected place. I found out when I chose F9 from the start menu (Device options). There, I found Ubuntu. See the picture below:
[link]https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_ZOUN6JcLCXYUxib1lsYUFfek0
Now, I need to know how to relocate the bootloader to the correct place.
Comment: As mentioned, relocating is typically possible in the bios menu. If not, either follow the advice of Pretzel Jones to do it from Windows, or, if booted into Elementary, you can also use efibootmgr of which a detailed description is available here: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/rhinstaller/efibootmgr/master/README

Grub doesn't show at start up


What is the difference between "legacy" and "inheritance"?

Question: Can someone explain the difference between legacy and inheritance?
Answer: In my mind, "inheritance" is almost exclusively used to deal with physical or monetary goods,  features, or character traits; you can inherit your father's estate, you can inherit your mother's good looks, you can inherit your grandfather's business sense.
"Legacy" can be used in that same sense, but it can also have a much broader sense to refer to a situation that is set up for for the benefit of the descendents:  "My father's legacy was the freewheeling, open, friendly town that bears his name:  Fatherville."  Or, "Our parents' legacy was not simply that they bequeathed us ten million dollars each, but that with that money in trust, we felt free to explore, experiment, and take risks that we would not have been able to, had we not had that safety net available."
(Also, as pointed out in some comments, "inheritance" is generally from the viewpoint of the receiver, while "legacy" is from the viewpoint of the giver: My inheritance was my father's legacy.)
Answer: Legacy, as it relates to inheritance, will be of broader or deeper scope. When inheritance refers to one generation's gifts to another, a legacy would refer to three or four generations.
Both terms can be used to denote objects other than money:

I have inherited my father's eyes.
Drinking is the family legacy.

Either an inheritance or legacy can be positive or negative. Legacy does carry a slightly more fatalistic connotation with it: The legacy will live on through the children.
Hellion's observation of legacy's use with regards to a specific individual is also completely valid. The word can be used to describe a legend or long-standing effect caused by one person ("this is his legacy") or even a family, nation or race ("this is their legacy").
Answer: 'Legacy' specifically has the additional related meaning of 'a person admitted to a university because of the attendance of a parent at the same school' often with the implication that it was done in disregarding merit of the applicant. 'Inheritance' has no such meaning.
Answer: Generally, "his legacy" would mean the money (or other stuff) somebody left after he died, and "her inheritance" would mean the money (or other stuff) she inherited after somebody else died. They are the same thing from different points of view.
Answer: As happens so often, there is the dictionary definition and today´s connotation.  The dictionary shows that both words are basically synonyms.  Inheritance is generally used when referring to monetary or material goods being handed down from one person to another.  Legacy refers to how a person will be remembered by others.
Answer: They are basically synonyms that have fluctuating nuances. See http://www.thefreedictionary.com/legacy
Comment: @Andrey: I don't agree with your friend: I would be more likely to say "legacy", because you are talking about it from your side. If you were talking about it from your son's viewpoint, I might say "inheritance", though "legacy" would still be possible.
Comment: Another difference is that "inheritance" tends to mean the whole of what one inherits from somebody, whereas "legacy" refers to a particular item inherited. Often these will be the same, but sometimes not.
Comment: That's what I thought as well. They are synonyms, but I'm really intrested in understanding the nuances. Recently I was corrected by one of my friends when I said that "this gonna be my legacy for my son" and he said that I should use word "inheritance" instead. Though I didn't really get why?
Answer: I use the word "legacy" as the inherent traits of my late mother, Grace, who weathered many a storm but kept a positive attitude, saw the good in the worst of mankind, shared goodwill, treated others with respect and kindness and never waivered in her faith that her soul was her most treasured possession. Thru her living her life in that manner we have now live our lives in the same manner and so her "legacy lives on"
Answer: I feel nuances do matter yet legacy deals more with traits those are intangible..with genetic mode of transfer  .. and more importantly related to traits in personality.  . Where as inhertance has more to do with material and earned properties.. having more to do with lawful .. a tangible actionable claim..
Answer: An inheritance is something that can be enjoyed by only one person: e.g.$1 million dollars of the patriarch's money inherited by his favorite grandchild.
A legacy is something that can be enjoyed by all descendants: e.g. the patriarch's surname, or even the patriarch's "good name" and reputation.
Comment: I don't believe this is correct.
Answer: For this, a dictionary of synonyms is helpful. Often the words are interchangeable, but idiom controls when each is best used. 'Legacy' is used more often in a figurative sense than is 'inheritance', but both can be used to refer to what is inherited in a physical sense (money, property, etc.).


I'm confused about how this site works; where can I go for help?

Question: I have something that I am confused or concerned about concerning how this site works. Where can I get help?
Comment: The intended purpose of this question is as a place to point new users to to let them know what they can do if they are confused about anything on the site. None of these options (besides the Help Center) are mentioned in the tour. I'm hoping it can be slightly useful in making the learning curve smoother for newer users by teaching them where they can go to find an answer and/or to ask for help.
Comment: community wiki?
Answer: Firstly, if you are a new user, welcome to the site! We are a community of people that want to help you and get you an answer. Unfortunately, the site has a bit of a learning curve to it. But many of us have already been through that and are here to help you get through it too.
If you are here and confused about anything at all, here are some of the options available to get help:

Take the tour — taking the tour will give you a quick rundown of how this site works. It covers most of the most basic questions and it only takes a minute to scroll through. Plus you get a badge for doing it!
Search our help center — This is a good place to come for questions about policies or mechanics about the site for things which the tour may have only briefly touched on. Search using some of the terms that are confusing you and see if anything helpful pops up.
Post your question to Meta — Meta is where we deal with questions about how this site works and resolve confusion and issues. Searching for your issue there is a good first step and your issue may have already been asked and answered! If not, simply post a question there and the community will be able to answer you or point you to an appropriate answer. Don't be shy about posting questions or concerns here, that is what it is for and we'd honestly be happy to help you out. If you are ever interested in browsing Meta, start with our FAQ which has answers to many of the most common issues you might run into.
Ask in our friendly chat room — Once you have 20 reputation, you will be able to post messages in chats. In the chatroom you will find people talking about a wide variety of topics. People almost always more than willing to help out someone with a concern or confusion. Just note that there are times when chat is not that active, in which case it might be a while before you get a response. However, if chat is busy, then you'll likely get an answer pretty quickly or pointed towards it.
Ask in a comment — If you are confused by something that somebody said, either in a comment or in their post (question or answer), you can try asking about it in a comment. Note that you have to have 50 rep to comment anywhere, but you can always comment under your own posts. To tag a particular user put "@[username]" in your comment. Tagging will notify the user, but only if the user has commented on that post already or has edited it (maximum of 1 tag per comment).

Just remember, we are here to help so please don't hesitate to use any or all of the resources above if you have any confusion or concerns or suggestions for us.
Comment: So where should we send new users? The Tour, The Help Center, This Meta, the FAQ? This seems like we're putting things in too many places.
Comment: If this a way to get more info than what's 'standard' in front of a user - i'm all for it :) Can we add the [good subjective](https://rpg.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/3204/how-do-we-ask-and-answer-subjective-questions) guidance to this? Maybe also add the homebrew links?
Comment: @NautArch This is a good suggestion, however my intent with the scope of this Q&A was only to provide a way to clearly point a person to a way to get help. That information would certainly be useful to put in front of a newer user, but I think it doesn't fit here.
Comment: Then I'm not sure what the goal is here - doesn't tour and help center already have all this? And if this is targeted to new users, then the issue you point out about rep requirement for comment and directionto ask as a comment doesn't make sense.
Comment: @NautArch Why not add another answer to this Meta with links you feel are relevant/useful?
Comment: @Jason_c_o See the chat - but mostly because i'm just trying to figure out the goal of this first :)
Comment: @NautArch the tour contains literally none of this information besides a simple unexplained link to the help center. That is why I wrote it. New users can still comment on their own posts, which is most often where I see them having confusion points. A 50 rep user can still be very new and still be confused (eg they could have gotten rep from a site association bonus at a site that does things differently from us).
Comment: Ha, fair enough :) But if we're consolidating information we think would be helpful beyond the standard, why not fully consolidate?
Comment: @NautArch Well, we could... However it would drastically change what I envisioned as the purpose of this post: a focused short place that we can point confused users to to help them find the resources they need to learn how to use the site. The goal is not to teach them how to use the site here. That would be the next step. The longer and more complicated something is, the less likely it is to be read by anyone. I think otherwise we'd just be replicating the FAQ which already includes that post (and is linked in my answer above). Does that make sense at all? I'm open to changes of course!
Comment: Fair enough - removing comments. And maybe what I'm thinking of is [this faq](https://rpg.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/7064/faq-index-for-role-playing-games-stack-exchange) - but then how does what you're doing interact with that?
Comment: @NautArch no need to remove comments BTW. I think it might help if other people have the same questions. I don't really see the FAQ and this as really interacting at all except for this might help people find it. Really I just wrote this as part of things I'm testing to try to help new users get over the initial hump of using the site more easily. The first thing I imagine most people feel on this site is confused and overwhelmed. I'd like to have a place to point them to to help them get over that. That's the idea anyways.
Comment: @NautArch First we should always point new users to the tour since that is the intended onboarding place. Anything else is personal preference really. I'm playing around with messages to new users to see what works and  thought this might be a good way to go. It might not be, but at least I'll have only wasted my own time :)
Comment: Let us [continue this discussion in chat](https://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/94723/discussion-between-rubiksmoose-and-nautarch).
Comment: @NautArch Fair, I will admit I didn't bother diving into the Chat.


Goldenberry Storage Conditions

Question: I have a question about goldenberries (aka Cape Gooseberry, Physalis, ground cherry.) Is it better to keep goldenberry in the fridge or not and for how many days maximum? My berries rotted in 3 days in fridge.
Comment: Were yours dried fruit?
Answer: I used to grow them years ago so I could have some summer fruit in an area with little fruit other than strawberries (that I also grew) and crab apples in an empty yard. I had hoped to grow enough to make jam and pies but we ended up eating the fresh. The nearest grocery store with fresh produce was over 1 1/2 hours away.
Since you grow them, you'll know they're similar to tiny tomatoes but their skin is very thin. I've found that with soft fruits (vegetables which are technically fruit too), the thinner their skin, the less keeping quality they have. I left our ground cherries on a large shallow bowl on the kitchen counter and never refrigerated them. They were never heaped in a pile the way grapes are naturally since they were soft.
I can't see why they couldn't be refrigerated for a few days (2 or 3 only). But I can see a couple of drawbacks that might increase the chances of them rotting though.

Did you wash them first?
Generally softer fruits/vegetables shouldn't be washed until you're ready to eat them. Most already have some natural waxes or such (?) on their skin to protect from fungi.  Mind you, I always wash grapes I buy from the store to remove dirt and possible/likely pesticides. But they're thoroughly rinsed after and then laid on a towel for a couple of hours til completely dry. They last much longer that way for me.
Did you put them in a container where they'd be 4 or more layers thick?
The weight of the top layers could easily have broken the skin or crushed the bottom layers. Even a small break or bruise would be enough to start decay, especially if any already had a small unnoticed break.

If your ground cherries are yielding lots, faster than you can eat them, you could try drying them instead. There are videos on YouTube showing how to as well as multiple blogs and different sites explainin. I had no idea ground cherries were now so popular. I grew them simply to have fresh fruit.
Comment: In answering, I assumed the OP grew them. I had no idea stores sold both fresh and dried ground cherries. I've never seen them sold in any stores around where I am (fairly close to Vancouver Canada). Now I'm curious if the OP grew or bought them. If bought, I doubt they'd last as long as fresh from one's own garden.
Answer: If you mean the dry Goldberries that you get in packages (read later on for information about fresh Cape Gooseberry ground cherries), I got some of those a few times, and they kept dry, after opening, for a very long time (I just ate a few a day or so until they were gone, and kept the bag zipped up). I never attempted to refrigerate them. So, they lasted much longer than three days. In this case, it would appear that they store longer when dry.
However, if you're talking about Cape Gooseberries you've grown yourself, and that haven't been dried, they tend to keep well while still in the husks, fresh, unrefrigerated (for at least a couple months). If they're like tomatillos, I imagine they could keep a long time in the refrigerator (not dried) without their husks—probably a comparable length of time to unrefrigerated Cape Gooseberries (I could be wrong). However, as they're much smaller than tomatillos, I would take this idea with a grain of salt. Most people tend to think tomatillos should always be stored in the husk, but I've had them store for several months, after husked and washed, in the refrigerator. (Tomatillos I grew myself.)
If you peel the husks and keep them unrefrigerated, they'll dry up really fast, just like other ground cherries do (and I imagine they'll stay good, although hard, for quite some time). I'm not sure what the company does to keep them from going hard when dry, but they must do something. I've grown the Giant Cape Gooseberry ground cherry from Baker Creek (so, that's what my experience is with). It's giant as in a giant plant (not as in giant fruit).
For fresh fruit (not dried), you may be interested to know that ground cherries can be frozen, and they taste the same frozen (except that they're cold, which can be pleasant when it's hot). I haven't tried this with the Cape Gooseberry, but I have with other ground cherries.
Three days sounds like a very short time for any form of Cape Gooseberry to spoil, but I haven't tried refrigerating the whole, husked or unhusked, or even dried fruits. Maybe they're trying to dry out, but the moisture in the refrigerator combines poorly with that.
If you bought them fresh and they were pre-husked, that may be the problem. I would just freeze those (and eat them frozen) if you want them to last a long time.
Anyway, my advice for the dried berries is not to refrigerate them. My advice for the fresh berries is not to refrigerate them; but, either freeze them (husked in a bag), or keep fresh ones unrefrigerated in the husks (they're not as pleasant when you husk them and they dry out, as they get really small and hard).
Comment: Why would you assume dried fruit? Most dried fruit doesn't have a short life span... and won't rot after three days.
Comment: It may not be common everywhere, but they can absolutely be bought fresh in stores.
Comment: But everything about the question suggests fresh (people don't usually refrigerate dried fruit, dried fruit doesn't rot after three days, and the question doesn't say dried), so it seems a bit odd to make an assumption based on what you've seen in your store. And yes, I've seen them labeled "golden berries" when sold fresh. See also [wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physalis_peruviana#Marketing): "...marketed in the United States most commonly as goldenberry..."
Comment: I assume it's dry because that's the only form I've seen Goldenberries sold as. Goldenberries aren't the real name of the fruit (it's just a term that a certain company is promoting, and I don't know that that company does fresh fruit; maybe they do). If the questioner had asked about Cape Gooseberries (without the mention of Goldenberries, I wouldn't have assumed they'd be dry).
Comment: But as they are trying to get others to adopt the term, it's possible the fresh market may be using the term Goldberries instead of Cape Gooseberry (to avoid confusion with gooseberries, which are not the same thing as the Cape Gooseberry ground cherry).
Comment: I'm not saying that the rest of your answer is not helpful - it looks good. It's just that there's not any need to begin it by making an assumption that's pretty likely false, and giving advice that's pretty unlikely applicable for the OP's situation. Why not start out with fresh fruit, and if you want to give advice about dried too, do that at the end?
Comment: @Jefromi It's just an assumption. I addressed fresh fruit in the answer, too (so, my assumption isn't a pivotal issue). I upvoted your comments, because they add helpful information about how the term is being used, and that you can get them fresh in stores. (This comment belongs before your previous one; I had to delete and repost it to edit it.) I can edit my answer (the assumption isn't necessary).
Comment: Yes, it's pretty much always best to just edit. I'm not sure I really get what you mean by "it's just an assumption" - surely assuming something contrary to the question is never ideal? And it does affect your answer, which is the salient bit - you still have dried first, fresh second.
Comment: Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/59154/discussion-between-shule-and-jefromi).

Goldenberry Storage Conditions


Hurricane Adaptation for smaller creatures and plants

Question: So I am aware of this question, which deals with large plants (trees) and animals, but I am interested in adaptations present in smaller animals on this planet, and how those might be stretched in a way that would lead not only to surviving a hurricane, but thriving because of it. I know that it's a sudden event, but I am looking to build a place that gets hit by hurricanes or monsoons often enough (even more than prone areas on this planet) that it may be evolutionarily essential.
Comment: Would this have anything to do with Irma?
Comment: @TheoclesofSaturn In a way, yes. It was an abandoned idea of mine, and I have lived in FL all my life, in various parts of the state. It's inspired in part by an agriculture question I saw earlier as well, even though this is about evolutionary tracks, and because the impending hurricane made me think of it.
Answer: Rain of animals.
There is enough written about rains of small animals that I think it must sometimes really happen.  I can imagine an ecosystem where small animals depended on hurricanes for dispersal.  For example, consider freshwater animals that live in widely separated small lakes and ponds.  Perhaps these lakes are not permanent, with some occasionally drying up and new ones forming.   Fish or frogs would not on their own be able to traverse the dry land (or saltwater?) between suitable ponds and colonize new ponds.  Storms that sweep up these small animals could carry them to new regions and drop them off, where some could found new populations in previously uncolonized ponds.
Answer: For plants to survive a hurricane, it would be similar to a fire. The most obvious means is being fast growing so once the competition has been taken out, the fastest growing plants get the most sunlight. The other option is to be resistant. If the plant is flexible, it can lay down in the strong winds and stand back up once over.
For animals, they need to be able to take shelter. Smaller animals would have an easier time inside a burrow. Larger animals would be best if were migratory, moving out of the area during hurricane season and returning when safe.
Answer: Plants: Seed dispersal. This seems like an obvious answer. Those winds will spread seeds easily, even up the coast as the hurricane travels.
For animals, any event that reduces competition from greater beasts, allows smaller beasts to rule. Small mammals survived the asteroid event that killed dinosaurs. Those small mammals gave rise to ... us.
Hurricanes can do similar things on local scales - change the competition for resources.
Answer: Look at the adaptations small animals, insects and birds have on Islands prone to cyclone.
Birds often lose the ability to fly, insects change shapes and habitats, some change domicile during the cyclone season, some birds lay their eggs on the ground instead of trees. There are countless adaptations that you could use.
Fruit bats that usually roost in trees roost close to the ground in sheltered brush etc,.
For en extreme adaptation take the emperor penguin who stands with it's egg  and then it's chick on it's feet for months through gales that may last a week. Having the ability to do this means it has no predators to worry about until well after the eggs are hatched and the chicks can fend for themselves.
Answer: Plants:

Be a potato, or at least store some energy and nutriments in the roots. If the hurricane flattens everything, this gives you an early start to grow fast against other plants which have to start from seed, or can't regrow well after the main trunk was broken.
Develop extensive root systems to fix the topsoil in place to make sure it isn't carried away by the flood.
Have a wind-resistant form (lots of thin, flexible trunks compared to a single, taller one which is more likely to break); mangrove is an example.
Be able to survive underwater for a while until the flood clears.
Survivalist plant cuttings: every leaf that is torn off by the wind will land somewhere. Some plants grow very well from leaf cuttings. Others don't.
Answer: I'm not sure if this is what you're after, but I weathered Irma in Florida... During the storm I was forced to go outside to smoke so I had an opportunity to watch the ducks and squirrels. They seemed to weather the storm just fine, by just doing their usual things.
When the wind got really high I noticed a squirrel gripping the tree on the leeward side, using the trunk of the tree as a wind break. The ducks just seemed to huddle together on the ground and faced into the wind so that their feathers didn't ruffle.
The next morning I went out to find that even the baby ducklings had survived.
I think the animal kingdom tends to do better than humans in these situations, because they're not dependant on infrastructure to survive. When it rains they get wet, when it's windy they get blown around a bit, but other than that they're good with it.
Comment: any story where ducklings are in peril but survive...+1


calorie restriction connection to muscle building

Question: I am about average weight (145 pounds, 170cm tall) and about 2 months ago I joined gym and doing 1 hour cardio (pretty intense) then 1 hour lifting (targeting each different muscle group, really push myself) about 5 times a week. I try to eat around 1200-1400 cals everyday with 80-100g of protein. My primary aim is to lose weight and gain muscle and have that sexy shredded look. I haven't been weighing myself to avoid disappointment but have noticed I've lost weight and gained some muscle. However I've read limiting calories makes it nearly impossible to gain muscle. I realize I am gaining muscle now as I'm new to it so its easy to gain muscle but how long will this last for? How can I continue to gain muscle & lose weight without increasing my calories then leading to weight gain?
Comment: Newb gains will taper off rather quickly, maybe in a few months, probably earlier seeing how you drive your metabolism into the ground. With all your activities (assuming a desk job) you're looking at >2600kcal energy expenditure while only taking in ~1300kcal. That's way too little to keep up over a long time and will most likely hamper any muscle growth.
Comment: @LarissaGodzilla, isn't "Tori" a woman's name.  I think the numbers you've listed work for a man with those dimensions, but for a woman would be somewhere around 1950 Calories.  1400 Calories would be a 1 lb a week deficit in that case.
Comment: @BerinLoritsch: I wasn't sure, so I kept my guesses at the lower end. An hour of 'pretty intense' cardio should be ~300-400kcal, an hour of full body lifting ~200-300kcal. Baseline amount for women according to the FDF is 2000kcal, so it's ~2600kcal overall. Did I miss something?
Comment: @LarissaGodzilla I'd give an hour of 'pretty intense' cardio *at least* 500kcal, although its difficult to be very accurate without more information.
Answer: Based on the information provided and your name, I'm going to make some assumptions (required to provide a wild guess at maintenance Calories).
My assumptions used to fill in the blanks for a calorie calculator are:

Female (based on name, body weight, adjectives used in the question)
About 25 years old (default on the calculator, calorie requirements go down the older you get)
170 cm / 5' 6" (provided above)
145 lbs / 66 kg (provided above)
Moderately active (based off of exercise only 5 days/week)

You can correct the numbers and enter it in for yourself here.
The results I get back from those numbers are:

2,200 Calories to maintain weight
1,700 Calories to lose 1lb / week
1,200 Calories to lose 2lb / week

Based on that information, the numbers you listed aren't too crazy, but long term they will hurt you.
It sounds like you are working primarily on your physique.  In that case, it's better to think in terms of body fat rather than pounds gain/loss.  I've seen a number of transformation stories (mostly women) where the person actually gained weight and lost inches.  I've also seen some where the end weight was the same, but they looked and felt better.  Based on your starting weight (only 145 lbs), you might be in the same boat as the women I mentioned.
I would focus on the following:

Start by finding what really is your maintenance Calories.  This is where you neither gain nor lose weight.  It's your starting position.  Adjust your calories up or down by 100-200 a week until your weight stabilizes.
Since your starting point is what I would imagine very normal size and body fat, focus on getting stronger while maintaining that weight.
If you don't really have 2 hours a day to burn at the gym then I would start with a slightly different plan.  3 days a week should be in the weight room to get stronger, with 20 minutes tops for cardio those days.  The two in-between days can be cardio days.
Find an approach you enjoy.  Nothing will help you stick with the plan more than really liking what you are doing.  Try different approaches, and then focus on the one you like the best.
After 3 months of really improving your strength and activity decide if you need to change your weight.  You may find yourself very happy at 145 and a different body composition.  Whatever you choose, only make minor modifications at a time.  No more than a pound a week (and if trying to gain weight no more than 3/4 pound per week).

I would increase your protein a little bit.  Your macros should be something along the lines of:

1.8g / kg protein (118g based on the information given)
20-30% of total calories as fat (48-73g on a 2200 Calorie diet)
all the rest as carbs (~1000g based on this example)

This is just a rough starting point that can be adjusted to something that works better for you.  If you eat 4 times a day, that's only 30g of protein in a meal or just over 4oz of meat.  Adjust the fat and carbs until it's something you are comfortable with, but don't go under 20% total calories as fat to keep your body happy).


Tomcat 6 logging date

Question: My predecessor set up Tomcat 6 on a RHEL5 server and it's logging to /var/log/tomcat  and creating log files like catalina.2012-11-28.log (catalina.date.log) - how do I change the log format from date to catalina.1.log, catalina.2.log, etc.?  The server.xml does not contain any references to logging, the only place I see is in logging.properties.  How do I change the behaviour of Tomcat's logging?
Answer: Have a look of the documentation of the FileHandler :
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/6/docs/api/java/util/logging/FileHandler.html
There is possible to specify a generation number with the parameter "%g" in the file ${catalina}/conf/logging.properties.
example :
<code>1catalina.java.util.logging.FileHandler.pattern = ${catalina.base}/logs/catalina.%g.log
</code>
See also :
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2014609

Tomcat 6 logging date


Structure of an if and only if proof

Question: I am trying to get this proof to work out and so far I feel like I have the first part right but I'm stuck on how to get the A→B part.
Answer: Here is a very similar question with three answers: Prove (¬P ∨ Q) ↔ (P → Q)  Your question seems to be focused on the Fitch system and your approach to the problem seems to be different. I will only address how you might proceed without considering how you might do this in the Fitch system.
You are attempting to use disjunction elimination with the first line having ¬A v A. However, what you need to show is given A→B that you can derive ¬A ∨ B and then show given ¬A ∨ B that you can derive A→B.
Here is how it would be done with another proof checker. I include it to show what might work. You will have to adjust it to the rules and syntax of the proof checker you are using.

Note that one direction of the biconditional (if and only if) proof occurs on lines 1 to 9. The other direction occurs on line 10 to 17. On line 18, the biconditional (↔) is introduced.
The descriptions of the rules are given in the links below.

Kevin Klement's JavaScript/PHP Fitch-style natural deduction proof editor and checker http://proofs.openlogicproject.org/
P. D. Magnus, Tim Button with additions by J. Robert Loftis remixed and revised by Aaron Thomas-Bolduc, Richard Zach, forallx Calgary Remix: An Introduction to Formal Logic, Winter 2018. http://forallx.openlogicproject.org/
Answer:
I am trying to get this proof to work out and so far I feel like I have the first part right but I'm stuck on how to get the A→B part.

Begin by assuming A → B, then state LEM as a  Tautological Consequence to use disjunction elimination to derive ¬A ˅ B.  Also, your attempt needs to be tidied up, you have a few unecsessary steps and you seem to forget that the goal is ¬A ˅ B (rather than A ˅ ¬B as you have towards the end).
<code>| |_ A → B            Assumption
| | ¬A ˅ A            Taut Con (LEM)
| | |_ ¬A             Assumption
| | |  ¬A ˅ B         ˅ Intro
| | ¬A → (¬A ˅ B)     → Intro
| | |_ A              Assumption
| | |  B              → Elim
| | |  ¬A ˅ B         ˅ Intro
| | A → (¬A ˅ B)      → Intro
| | (¬A ˅ B)          ˅ Elim
| (A → B) → (¬A ˅ B)  → Intro
</code>

Now, for the converse, you should assume ¬A ˅ B and derive A → B through ˅ elimination.  Assuming ¬A and A will derive B from explosion, while assuming B and A will derive B from reiteration.
Hence (¬A ˅ B) → (A → B).

Then use biconditional introduction to complete the proof.

Structure of an if and only if proof


Are frame changes needed to switch groupset from Shimano to Campagnolo?

Question: I want change the groupset on my Scott Addict R2 from Shimano to Campagnolo.  Is Campagnolo fully compatible or will I need to make frame changes?
Answer: I don't think you will need to change the frame, I looked at one of the bianchi series a while back and I saw the same frame (the Oltre - I can but dream) offered at different prices depending on the groupset. But the groupsets available were from both shimano and campag. There's variations with Dura Ace, Ultegra, Athena, Super Record etc. I can't imagine the actual frame would be different between these groupsets, otherwise surely it would have a different name?
Here's the link to that page: http://www.bianchi.com/Uk/Bikes/Bikes_List.aspx?RangeIDMaster=74825&CategoryIDMaster=74829
You may want to visit the Scott site, you may find something similar
However I can imagine you're going to have to change just about everything else, though, including wheels (well, as far as the freehub at least).
Answer: No. There are no frame changes required. The only time I could imagine this would be required is if you are looking at the electronic groupos, and frames that have specific battery mounts for one particular groupo. However, even then I'm sure there'd be a workaround.
Answer: You'd have to change the rear wheel or have it rebuilt on a campy hub (the shimano hub is not compatible with campy cogs), and of course all the components. That said, nothing should need to be changed on the frame itself.
Answer: There are no compatibility issue at all. For the most part, Campagnolo, SRAM and Shimano have designed their groupsets to work to common frame characteristics. Drillings for electronic might be an issue in that Campagnolo EPS has until recently and still in the case of Chorus) needed an extra drilling for the Power Unit charge port, but that is a hurdle that any competent fitting technician should be able to clear.
Campagnolo make adapters for all of the current formats of BB with the exceptions of BB Rite in PowerTorque only (they do it in UltraTorque) and Specialized OSBB, neither of which is not a problem that applies here. Shimano use third party solutions - they don't offer any in-house compatibility with anything other tha BSC or Italian threded BBs.
Comment: Sounds like "vendor lock-in" slowly creeping into frame design.
Answer: As your Scott is a modern bike, I'd be inclined to agree with some of the other answers here and say that I don't think you will require any modifications to your frame if you switch from Shimano to Campagnolo. There are some areas which are not strictly frame related where you may need to be careful.
If you're switching to an EPS groupset then it's likely that your frame won't have specific mounts or routing for the electronic cabling. However, in my experience you've often got options to run the cables externally quite neatly.
As already mentioned, you will need to either change your wheels (or the freehub body if possible on your current set) so that they can take a Campagnolo specific cassette. If your frame was much older, I'd also suggest that you check the spacing between the dropouts to ensure there was sufficient room. One area I have run into that's worth checking, is that if you intend to use an 11t sprocket at the rear with a compact chainset (or triple) that there is sufficient practical space between the chain and the chainstay.
You should be mindful of the bottom bracket setup on the R2 and make sure that any new Campagnolo system is compatible with it, or that you have a relevant converter if required. The same goes for the front mech, make sure your new one is the same (band or braze on) as the existing Shimano one.
Again, not a problem for the R2, but if your frame was setup for longer reach brake calipers, I'd also suggest that you measure the existing ones before you order, to ensure that the new ones have sufficient depth.
If in doubt or if you want extra reassurance, I'd check in with your local Scott dealer to get their confirmation, they may also be able to offer advice on subtle changes they make when setting up for Campagnolo which will make your transition smoother.


High Trust App Unable to launch in dev

Question: I have a vm dev environment with SharePoint 2013 (SP1 +  October 15 CU) and a SQL server.  I have a User Profile Service Application, App and Subscription Setting Application and all the services are started.  I created a self-signed certificate in IIS and exported the PFX and CER for creating a new SPTrustedRootAuthority and new SPTrustedSecurityTokenIssuer.
I created a brand new TestApp (visual studio 2015 update 1, Office dev tools at same level) and tried launching it (verified cert path, password, and IssuerID).  I get to the page to trust the app which I select, but then I am redirected to AppRedirect.aspx and it spins for forever.  I inspected the page and found a hidden form with an error in one of the fields:

"The Azure Access Control service is unavailable."

Only think in ULS (even with verbose logging enabled) is a similar message:

Error when get token for app
  i:0i.t|ms.sp.ext|a978d8ad-8b8e-4f37-a99e-eaa1af75d0e3@174e37d4-6011-4ab3-bfb3-7305b8cba8fe,
  exception: Microsoft.SharePoint.SPException: The Azure Access Control
  service is unavailable.
App token requested from appredirect.aspx for site:  but there
  was an error in generating it.  This may be a case when we do not need
  a token or when the app principal was not properly set up.  Exception
  Message:The Azure Access Control service is unavailable

I have been trying to set this up for a day and a half now and am stumped.  Even stranger, if I manually launch a page with the app redirect url provided in ULS, the app launches fine and I have an authenticated usable SharePoint context.  Any ideas on what is happening that prevents the app from launching?
Answer: So I was never able to get the self signed certs working as described on technet, but following these steps, I was able to get everything running and it provide me a more realistic setup to prod/dev.  I think the error about Azure ACS is a misdirect, but it is still disappointing to not be able to get the "easy" way running based on technet articles.

High Trust App Unable to launch in dev


A question about the meaning of the term "metaphysics of presence"

Question: In the term metaphysics of presence does presence refer to a physical presence or a presence of time?
Comment: Presumably, you're reading this through Derrida or one of his followers. A good reference (at least on first reading): http://www.iep.utm.edu/derrida/
Answer: As is typical for Derrida-related concepts, the short answer would be something like both yet neither.
"Metaphysics of presence" refers to the way in which our thought privileges what is present over that which is absent. "Presence" in this sense can be a physical presence, a temporal duration, a presence in thought, a presence in speech—any mode of being-present.
An example of what is meant by the "metaphysics of presence" can, perhaps, be deduced from a passage in Plato's Phaedrus (Derrida has written on this dialogue famously in his essay "Plato's Pharmacy" published in Disseminations). In the Phaedrus, we find the following exchange:

Socrates I cannot help feeling, Phaedrus, that writing is unfortunately like painting; for the creations of the painter have the attitude of life, and yet if you ask them a question they preserve a solemn silence. And the same may be said of speeches. You would imagine that they had intelligence, but if you want to know anything and put a question to one of them, the speaker always gives one unvarying answer. And when they have been once written down they are tumbled about anywhere among those who may or may not understand them, and know not to whom they should reply, to whom not: and, if they are maltreated or abused, they have no parent to protect them; and they cannot protect or defend themselves.
...
Phaedrus You mean the living word of knowledge which has a soul, and of which written word is properly no more than an image?
Socrates Yes, of course that is what I mean.
Phaedrus 275d–276b

Here, Socrates is expressly thinking of the written word as an image of speech. I may write something down, but what I write down most properly belongs to a dialogical context which will be lost in its being written. Unlike in a dialogical context, my written words cannot be subjected to interrogation. Removed from this spoken context, the written word loses its life. Here, what is favoured is the face-to-face context which is taken to be the more authentic means of communication, because in face-to-face communication, the person who speaks is present to us: we may question that person to see for ourselves if what he or she has to say is truly wise.
It is presence in this sense that is meant by the "metaphysics of presence." What is at stake is not the way in which something is present to us, but that we take certain modes of presentation as being more authentic and truer than other modes of presentation. What the deconstruction of the metaphysics of presence (ugh... what a phrase...) tries to do (roughly) is to uncover these more or less automatic structures of privilege and bring this structure of privilege into question.
Comment: Good explanation. But isn't it also important to add, crudely,  that the assumed "presence" behind the network of inferior "representations" is endlessly displaced and deferred, hence "metaphysical" in the traditionally derogatory sense? Or am I mistakenly treating "presence" too transcendentally, as a kind of noumena?
Comment: @NelsonAlexander: I don't think you're mistaken about presence being endlessly displaced and deferred. That is why presence always deconstructs itself. I'd hesitate a bit over "'metaphysics' in the traditionally derogatory sense" if only because the metaphysics of the metaphysics of presence is a very real, very efficacious phenomenon, i.e., it is worth deconstructing and not simply mocking.
Comment: Metaphysics in the 'traditionally derogatory sense' doesn't appear to be the same kind of metaphysics in Aristotle, where it appears to mean an inquiry into first principles; he also called it first philosophy; even if it comes last in studying Nature.
Comment: Yes, I myself am interested in metaphysics, of a traditional sort, and it has returned to the curriculum, I only meant the disrepute it slipped into circa 1900-1990, rough guess.


How to counter martelo de negtiva

Question: As can be seen in the video at 2:20, martelo de negtiva (capoeira kick) is considered a very lethal and fast kick. Is there a way to counter and defend against such a kick (not necessarily in capoeira) where you are in a standing position? I would appreciate it if you can add videos to your explanations.
Answer: Step back away from the kick, or step closer to the attacker's body. If that kick always starts from a crouching position, it would be fairly obvious that your opponent is moving to that position, giving you time to move in or away.
If you do step closer, the only thing supporting him appears to be one hand; take out his support and you're in a winning position.
Having said that, I know from my own experience how hard it is to step closer to someone you know is going to throw a kick at you! Remember, though, the most power in the kick is at the end of the limb (that's the bit that's moving fastest); by stepping closer to the body, you will reduce the effectiveness of the attack.
Comment: If you can read the body language and tension, it basically is just a step forward and a nasty kind of stomp kick into his crouched position while covering the side the kick is expected. This does not take much time and kills his tension and balance.
Answer: In general, there are four primary ways to counter a kick.

Dodge - This can be tricky, since a kick can strike on different levels, but the nature of Capoeira is such that this sort of kick generally defaults to landing somewhere between the waist and head. Leaning the torso back and away from the kick is likely to take the target zone out of consideration, or at least reduce the impact. A traditional Capoeira esquiva combines this with counter-balancing using the leg opposite to the direction you're turning with the benefit that if you successfully dodge, you can do a sweep with a rasteira on the supporting arm.
Block - This is probably not as good of an idea with a power technique like this, but if you take steps to reduce the force such as stepping into the kick so that the part that strikes you is traveling a shorter distance, and taking the strike across a broader surface such as your back, you can take away a fair amount of the power.
Interrupt - While a martelo de negativa is a fairly fast kick, it's not the fastest one. A shuffle chapa baixa (low side kick) or ponteira (snap kick) has a decent chance of getting there faster. At the least, having a foot coming at the head will often break the concentration of an attacker. If you're really feeling froggy (and have the control to stop if you're doing this in a sparring situation), jumping in with both feet for a stomp closes the distance, blunts the force if they do get the kick off, and possibly hits the largely prone martial artist.
Avoid - A martelo de negativa can travel a few feet, but is otherwise limited in range, and the position from which it's launched is not the most mobile, so another option is to step back out of range. In a self-defense situation, this is a good time to run or throw things at your opponent from a distance. Within the roda, you will probably instead go for acrobatics, floreios, to taunt your opponent who's sitting there waiting for you.

Frankly, I would disagree with you that it's "considered a very lethal and fast kick". The National Geographic "Fight Science" show flirts with sensationalism. Lateef Crowder indeed registered with the strongest kick, but he's also bigger than most of the other martial artists on display.

How to counter martelo de negtiva