How do you pick a Hagada to use at the Seder?

Question: There are hundreds or thousands of
editions of the Hagada available. How do you choose which one is best to use at the Seder?
Comment: Related: http://meta.judaism.stackexchange.com/q/1501
Answer: If you're having guests or relatives who might not be familiar with the Hebrew, get something with English translation, and preferably enough copies so you can call out page numbers for everyone.
Rabbi Hershel Shachter feels that everyone at the table should have the same Hebrew text.  (Although many different Hagadas use the same Hebrew text, just with different commentaries.)  Similarly, the Hebrew text you use should ideally match your usual set of traditions (Hassidic, Spanish-Portuguese, other Ashkenazic, etc.)  Most of the Artscroll Hagadas, for instance, adopt the non-Hassidic Ashkenazic text.
If you're trying to finish by "midnight" (more like 1AM due to DST), you can only spend so much time on commentary.  Either get one without too much commentary, or you (and all your guests) will have to be disciplined enough to not get bogged down in it.  Although some hagadas stand out for their illustrations, rather than commentary.
It might be worthwhile to find a fairly low-commentary, translated hagada and buy enough for everyone at the table to use for the Seder; but to also get some "study" hagadas to read and think about a few days before (or after).
Otherwise, if there's a particular rabbi (past or present) or school of thought that appeals to you year-round, there's probably a Hagada to match it.  Multiple-medival-commentaries Hagada, Vilna Gaon Hagada, Mussar Movement Hagada, Chief Rabbi Sacks Hagada, you name it.
Lastly: don't use any Hagada for the Seder unless you're prepared for it to look "used." As R' Levi Yizchok of Berditchev said:

A Hagada without wine-stains on it is
  like a Yom Kippur machzor without
  tear-stains on it.
Comment: This question just came to the top of the stack from a new answer.....I would have posted one myself around the idea "*but to also get some "study" hagadas to read and think about a few days before (or after).*" .....well said, +1
Comment: Another thing along these lines that I have done is to use a haggadah with "average" levels of commentary, but invite everybody to bring a selection from his favorite haggadah (or other relevant source) to share at the appropriate time.  (This works for a dozen people; if you have 20-30 you'll have to rein that in some, probably.)  So everybody gets to share one thing not in "the" haggadah, we all benefit, but we don't dive into a deep-commentary haggadah for the whole seder.
Answer: Decide what kind of Seder experience you are attempting to create, or figure out what kind of Seder you will be participating in. A few questions to ask yourself might be:
Are your guests/hosts religious, and/or of strong learning background?
Do you want to guide the discussion by asking questions, or do you have a more laid back approach in which people are free to share Torah thoughts if they wish?
Are your guests or hosts intellectually oriented or sophisticated?
Are they  interested in Chassidic thought?
How about yourself?
Are there children present? What are the kids like?
How late are you aiming to finish?
Apart from studying in advance and distilling ideas you learned to share during the seder, the kind of Haggadah you use should reflect the kind of seder you are experiencing or creating, with all these variables in mind.
Answer: There are basically two choices:

Pick the right nusach (Sephardi or Ashkenazi  or Chabad)
Do your guests need a translation?

If so, get one with translation.
Which translation do you like best?
How do you want it presented? (Facing pages? Interlinear? Linear with Romaji?)

Avoid long commentaries. Instead, get something that's easy to flip from one page to the next. Long commentaries are good if you want to start learning them the week before, or if you want to go back and share pieces of the commentaries during shulchan orech, so buy a few haggadot with commentaries that interest you (only one copy of each commentary). Since long commentaries are a pain for your guests during maggid, buy a dozen copies of something simple for everyone who will be at your seder.
Answer: I tend too purchase a new hagaddah every year, use it for the first sedar that year but always return to my favorite for the second sedar,
When looking for a new hagaddah to purchase I always look for one with some new and interesting story or commentary that I can share with my guests.
Answer: Probably one of the most important considerations is the language capabilities of your guests.  It does no good to do everything in Hebrew if your guests have little or no knowledge of Hebrew.  The seder is one service that needs to be done in a language everyone will understand.  As a consequence, as most of my guests have little or no capability in Hebrew, we do much of the seder in English.  Whatever I do in Hebrew (like kiddush, various blessings, etc.), we translate into English for the benefit of our guests.  If your guests have limited or no ability in Hebrew, you will need to consider the quality of the translation.
I also agree with avoiding long commentaries, particularly if you have young children present.
Answer: Every year I pick one Hagadda to go through and underline certain highlights that I plan to mention at the seder, and I use that Hagadda at the Seder.  Usually I pick this Hagadda based on a long list of recommendations, or else based on a experience with other writings of a given Hagadda author.
I have a bunch of copies of the Artscroll Children's Hagadda, which has lots of pictures, interesting "tidbits," and paraphrased "normal" english translations, and for anyone with the stomach to handle it, I recommend the Katz Illustrated Haggadah, which has very graphic illustrations based on Midrashim, with an index in the back sourcing all of the pictures to their respective Midrash.  After all, the Haggada is meant to elicit our emotions and give us a feel of being there.
Answer: A friend encourages attendees at his seder to use two haggadot.  One is common to all, and very cheap.  He also encourages people to use a second haggada with commentary that appeals to them.  For some this is transliteration, or Sephardic practice (the main haggada is Ashkenazic).  For others it is alternate readings, or pictures, or actual commentary, etc.  Those who see something interesting in their haggada often share it (the interesting tidbit, not the haggada).
It works pretty well for the literate crowd he tends to get.  I understand that may not fit everyone's needs.


What is software reverb?

Question: I was told to "put a microphone inside a guitar, and run it through software reverb".
What is this?
Answer: Though I've never heard anyone refer to as "software reverb" before, I'm fairly certain you were being told to record the dry guitar and then add in reverb and ambience using a plugin effect in your computer software you used to record the sound. Reverb plugins for software recording solutions come in all shapes and sizes and can use a few different techniques to give you reverb using an algorithm instead of doing in the old fashioned way and, you know, actually recording a space and waves bouncing off physical things.
If you elaborate on what software you're recording with more specific help on how to use reverb in that piece of software can be given.
Answer: Put in other words, "record the guitar uisng a mic, and then put a reverb effect on the recording using software."
As opposed to, say, putting a reverb effect on the recording using a hardware effect unit, or using a recording room with a reverb sound that you like.
I'm assuming you're already pretty familiar with reverb.  If not, Wikipedia's Reverb page has a pretty good summary at the top.

What is software reverb?


Would it be plagiarism if you use a changed scene?

Question: If I read someone else's scene that describes a situation in my own work if adapted to fit my characters and plot, would it constitute plagiarism if I so use it?
Answer:
Plagiarism: The act of
  plagiarizing: the copying of another
  person's ideas, text or other creative
  work, and presenting it as one's own,
  especially without permission.

Technically, stealing an idea is plagiarism just as much as stealing their words.  However, as another old adage goes, "There's nothing new under the sun."  Everything you ever write is going to be influenced by other things you've read in the past.
Just make sure that the story you're telling is your own, and not somebody else's.  Let yourself be inspired by other writers and what they do, but don't go stealing their work wholesale and trying to claim that it's yours.
Answer: During college, with my professor's permission, I re-adapted a short story that I'd read to be from the point of view of another character, changing elements of the story.  It was a great exercise for my writing skills and proved to be one of the best things I've ever written.
Without substantially changing the story so that the original author couldn't recognize it, I wouldn't submit the story to a magazine or journal.  While I'd added characters and modified many pieces, the original story was still recognizable.  It was a good exercise, but too close for comfort.
If you feel the original author of your scene would not recognize it, you have probably "owned" the idea enough to make it your own idea.  If, however, you have not been able to change it substantially, I would shy away from using it.
Comment: In a case like this, it wouldn't so much plagiarism, but it would be a derivative work. With the consent and proper attribution, it would be fine.
Comment: @Milan - since it was a class assignment, one that I was proud of but nothing special, I didn't feel the need to pursue anything further
Comment: Right, but i mean if you actually did want to publish it.
Answer: You are evidently aware of plagiarism and seem to consider it something that isn't right. In that case, to a certain extent, I would go with my gut feeling. Is what I wrote too much of the original text for my own comfort? Then I have probably stepped over the line. Am I not sure? Well, why not? I should probably reexamine my text. Do I feel that the source text was more inspiration than anything? Probably fine. Of course, you shouldn't take this rule as an excuse to steal, but generally speaking, I find it applicable most of the time.
You will be affected and inspired by books you read, films you see and everything else you take in, whether you like it or not. Probably the best recommendation would be to give credit where credit is due.
Answer: My understanding is that it (in most cases) it is not ideas that are subject to plagiarism, but rather the EXPRESSION of ideas.
If that's the case, then the old grade school saying, "tell it in your own words" is the best guide.
Answer: You should decide if you're worried about plagiarism or copyright infringement.  The first is an ethical concept, the second a legal one.  In copyright, you are protecting your rights to the expression of an idea; you can't copyright the idea itself.  So I can write a sci-fi story about a rebellious group of pseudo-druidic soldiers taking arms against an evil empire without George Lucas breathing down my neck.  I start naming characters Luke and Leia and I'm going to run into trouble.
Plagiarism is an ethical concept, so the boundaries are squishier.  Basically, if you think it's plagiarism and can make a decent argument, it's possibly true to a degree, even if that degree is vanishingly small.  "My God, your zombie/robot novel has characters! And they do stuff?  That's obviously stolen from Agatha Christie!"  Unless it's actually copyright infringement, there's also nothing anyone can do about it legally.  The only harm will be to your reputation.
Take the Hunger Games / Battle Royale dust-up.  Both stories are differing expressions of a similar idea.  Even the accusation harmed Suzanne Collins' reputation, but there wasn't a legal redress.


How to insulate my garage walls using sheathing

Question: My garage is a pole building type with pressed wood walls and exterior siding. I want to put sheathing on the walls for some insulation. The girts that the exterior wall is attached to are 1.5" x 4" being attached flat and run the length of the garage and are attached to the poles. Should I install the sheathing between the studs letting the studs exposed? Or should I attach the sheathing to the studs letting the air space between the sheathing and the exterior wall?
Comment: We need a good picture here.
Answer: I can't quite picture what you're describing, but covering studs is always better than placing insulation in between when doing so is practical. Studs do not provide good insulation and turn into a heat sink. The dead air space left also provides a bit more insulation. Even better would be to insulate that space, then put more insulating sheathing over that and the studs.
Answer: If you don't need access to the girts (horizontally attached boards) then placing the sheathing over those, in between the poles, will provide more insulating value than placing insulation between the girts.
The more insulation, the better though, so doing both will be even better.
If you aren't stuck with sheathing, then you might also consider a spray on insulation which can easily and quickly go between and over the girts, and simultaneously provides a good vapor barrier.


What part do I need for my broken iPhone 3G?

Question: One morning my iPhone 3G just showed up with a gray screen. Everywhere I looked said that I need to replace the screen.
I bought an "iPhone 3G Screen + Digitizer" off the internet but it turns out this is NOT the part I need.
I have the technical ability to replace the screen...but I have no idea what part it is that I'm looking for.  Can anyone help me figure this one out?
Answer: I'm not sure which part you need exactly, but one resource that has helped me repair my iPhone 3G is iFixit.com. Especially their iPhone 3G page which lists many of the iPhone's parts.
They even have a Q&A section specifically targeting iPhone 3G repair which you may find of use.


What if my State / Country doesn't have a Ubuntu LoCo Team? How can I start one?

Question: I know what an Ubuntu Team is and where to find them, but what can users do if their area doesn't have a LoCo team?
Answer: Information (and guidelines) about how to create a new LoCo team are at Ubuntu Wiki: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LoCoTeamHowto
Answer: The key is to start small and to not be deterred by a ton of "process" or governance (as some of the documentation would indicate.)
An Ubuntu enthusiast can host an event in their area by simply inviting people that love Ubuntu to gather in an accessible, convenient, and free (or nearly free) venue. Coffee shops are great for this. Make some small posters that say "Ubuntu enthusiasts are getting together next week. Please join us!" Then, get together and have a discussion about Ubuntu. Host a few of these and see who turns up. If there's enough enthusiasm and energy, and it looks like it's going to be a regular thing, then consider turning it into a team down the road.
If you take the time to make a group that is fun to be around before proceeding down a formal organizational path, then more people will be attracted to your events :)


Calculate the stable height of a balloon

Question: My son has asked me a question, and I'm afraid my high school maths are not up to the task:
Is it possible to calculate the height that a given balloon (filled with a known quantity of helium) will attain when released, assuming it won't burst before?
My line of reasoning is as follows (and may already be flawed, so please point out my errors):

The balloon will ascend as long as the mass of the air that it displaces is heavier than the mass of the balloon. It will stop when both these masses are equal, so that's what we need to find out.
We know the mass of the balloon and assume that it will remain constant throughout (no leaks).
We know the air pressure on the ground. For simplification, we can assume that air pressure drops linearly (?) when ascending (no inversion weather etc.), so we can calculate the air pressure at any given height.
The effects of gravity on the balloon are reduced the farther up it goes.
The balloon expands when ascending because of the reduced air pressure, thereby displacing more air (which adds to its buoyancy), but this air is lighter (which takes away buoyancy). <-- This part is giving me the most trouble.

Are there any other factors that need to be taken into account? Shouldn't it be possible to calculate a height where equilibrium is reached and the height of the balloon remains stable?
Is it as complicated as it looks to me?
Answer: I guess you have mentioned all significant factors. Just a few comments.
Gravity reduction with altitude is not significant for altitudes accessible to balloons.
Pressure is a rather complex function of altitude (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barometric_formula).
You should take into account the elasticity of the balloon envelope to calculate the balloon volume as a function of altitude.


Marine Arena: Goliath multi-lock weapons system?

Question: I'm wondering if the Goliath's multi-lock weapons system is worth its money. It costs 300 minerals at the merc building.
I think the update is the same as in the campaign, and allows the goliath to fire anti-air and anti-ground weapons simultaneously. So if you are attacking air and ground at the same time, it is like you have twice the firepower, right? Or does the update just make the Goliath switch between anti-air and anti-ground without any delay?
Is there otherwise a delay between switching targets?
Is it worth the money, compared to the Goliath upgrade in the middle building, or a weapons upgrade?
Answer: They attack ground and air at the same time, making the goliaths "twice" the fire power.


Analogies, pitfalls and guidelines

Question: Analogies can be powerful tools in both explaining and misrepresenting a complex topic. What methodology works well for finding good analogies and how does one figure out whether an analogy is well suited for a specific audience?
Answer: You can eliminate many inappropriate metaphors by asking yourself a question: "Will the people in this audience understand this metphor?" I can't tell you how many American sports metaphors I've wanted to put into my presentations, only to take them out after a moment's pause to consider my international audience.
Ask a few members of the audience for their opinions.
Finally, I've found that metaphors are awful for persuading. They can be useful to explain new ideas to a generally sympathetic audience. But people who are skeptical of your ideas are likely focus immediatetely in the faults in the analogy.
Answer: Analogies should be things that your audience will understand, preferably something that they are familiar with and deal with regularly. For example, I tutor talmud, which consists almost entirely of concepts which are explained by analogy. When teaching kids, I use analogies revolving around sports, and XBox. When studying with businessmen, the analogies come from financial instruments and shell corporations. Just last week I was studying with a programmer so we constructed the arguments in terms of a tree.
Answer: Personally, I had experienced some unpleasant moments with students complaining that they were getting prose instead of (hard) facts because I am a bad teacher. A couple of troublemakers are able to ruin the whole lesson.

Analogies, pitfalls and guidelines


can Tilapia replace salmon in recipes and taste good?

Question: I have a few recipes for salmon, and a freezer full of tilapia. Can I just use the tilapia instead of salmon? It's for things like "salmon and rosemary", and "poached salmon with cucumber dill sauce" for example. I know fish is not all the same, but I would like to try these out without having to get more fish when I have so much. So can I just change it right over, or will it not taste right?
Answer: It depends on the recipe.
As Jefromi said, salmon does have a different flavor. Specifically it has flavor. Tilapia doesn't really have much flavor at all.
More importantly, salmon has about three times as much fat as tilapia. Salmon holds together better than more fragile white fish. This makes grilling salmon much easier than other fish which fall apart.
If your recipe highlights the flavor of the fish, or relies on the fat or cohesion of salmon then you should not make the substitution.
On the other hand if your recipe calls for baking in a pan and uses other flavorings, such as lemon, that can overpower the flavor of the fish, it would be a good candidate for substitution.
Answer: Salmon has a bit of a distinctive flavor; recipes meant for it probably won't match a mild white fish like tilapia quite as well. You probably want to look for recipes for more similar fish, like catfish, red snapper, bass, or sole.
Answer: I would use wolf herring to replace salmon. They have nearly the same texture, in that as a kid I could peel the flesh of poached steak off into layers for either of them. Wolf herring flesh is similarly as stable as salmon flesh.
When you cut up wolf herring and salmon into steaks, and take a b & w picture of them, they are nearly indistinguishable in shape and texture.
Both of them can be made into fish gefilte that hold together reasonably well (after doping them with tapioca flour starch). I have made fish balls out of both of them with similar results. They have the same firmness.
Their similar firmness allow both of them to be similarly poached or grilled without their flesh falling apart. You could similarly drop both their grilled steak from a height of 8 inches onto the table/plate and they would not disintegrate.
Wolf herring also has a rich and amenable flavour as does salmon.
Wolf herring is about the same body size and length of salmon.
Comment: This is very useful information about a very similar fish to salmon, but does not mention tilapia at all (and the poster has an excess of tilapia!)


iTunes smart playlist not syncing to iPhone

Question: My smart playlists created in iTunes are not syncing to my iPhone.  I have resolved to copying the songs that are in the smart playlist to a regular playlist to get the playlist onto the iPhone.  Why is it that smart playlists won't sync?
Comment: Update:  This is now working.  Automagically.  Not sure when it changed but saw this was working now.
Answer: I had the same problem, try:

right click the playlist
click 'duplicate'
delete the old playlist
then re-sync your iPhone/iPod or whatever

This worked out fine for me, i then just renamed the playlist taking '1' off the end (you'll know what i mean) - hope this helps!
Answer: I had the same problem with songs duplicating on my iPhone from smart lists. I fixed it by going into the smart list criteria and un-checking the box titled "Live Updating". then I updated the lists on my phone - all the duplicates were removed.
Answer: I had the same problem the other day.  Turns out iTunes lost the path between the playlists and my music folder location on my computer.  If you go to the iTunes "Library" box on the left, select "Music" then go to the main screen and look at all of your songs in the "Songs" format.  Scroll down through and if any of them show exclamation points to the left of the song's name, that means the path has been lost.  If you try to play the song, a window will pop up telling you iTunes cannot find the song.  It should ask you to search for the path.  When you select "Yes", a search window will pop up. Just navigate to the current folder where your music is on your computer.  Once you select the path, it should ask if you want to complete this task for all your songs.  Select "yes" or "ok" (I can't remember which one exactly).  This fixed my problem immediately.  Good Luck.
Answer: Smart playlists are nothing more than a folder which searches your entire iTunes library. For example, say you have a smart playlist for pop songs:
the playlist shows you only the songs for that search term.
The smart playlist isn't a playlist, it's just a search folder. There is nothing in it—it's completely empty. So, you cannot sync a search token to your iPhone.
Comment: Hmm, before icloud my smart playsists sync fine?
Comment: @REDGAR Hm, very strange... I've never been able to sync smart playlists, from when I started using iOS with iOS 3 all the way through iOS 5.


How can induction be used to prove binary search is correct?

Question: I'm having trouble understanding how to find an invariant to check if it's preserved, and generally how induction is used in proving the correctness of algorithms (binary search primarily, but others as well).
Answer: This is my interpretation of how to answer the question (perhaps there are others).
In binary search, we search a sorted list $L$ for an element $x$.  The invariant that is preserved by binary search is the truth value of the statement "$x$ is in $L$".
In each iteration, we compare $x$ with a middle element $m$ of the list $L$.

If $L$ is empty, then "$x$ is in $L$" is false.
If $x=m$, then "$x$ is in $L$" is true.
If $x<m$ then we perform binary search on a new sorted list formed by the elements in $L$ that are less than $m$.
If $x>m$ then we perform binary search on a new sorted list formed by the elements in $L$ that are greater than $m$.

So to prove binary search is correct, we need to check that the truth value of "$x$ is in $L$" is preserved by 3. to 4. above.  (1. and 2. form the base cases; there are actually infinitely many of them, but they're true by definition.)
We should also note that 3. and 4. both reduce the size of $L$ (which is why induction applies).
Answer: An invariant is a predicate that is provably true at certain places in your algorithm, and is meaningful for what the algorithm is meant to accomplish.
In this case, it must be true before each iteration of the loop (or, equivalently, just prior to each recursive function call, if that's your thing). And it must also be true after the loop terminates. (More technically, you must prove that it is true before the first iteration, and if it true before any iteration then it will still be true after that iteration.)
The part that really drives the selection of an invariant is an understanding of what it is that the algorithm is meant to accomplish. For example, in a binary search of an ordered array we want to get the index of a particular item, or a signal that the item is not in the array. So we have an array $A$ and a value $v$ that is being sought. So our final goal is to find a number $i$ so that $$A[i] = v$$ when the algorithm terminates.
There are a couple of reasons why this doesn't work as a loop invariant. First, it ignores the condition for when the value isn't in the array. This could be handled by a separate case, if we wanted to. But the other problem with this is that it is not true at the beginning of every iteration. It is only true at the very end. So that won't work.
So what is true at every iteration? The key feature of a binary search is that we have an ever-narrowing range of values in the array which could contain the answer. This range is bounded by a high value $h$ and a low value $l$. For example, $$A[l] \le v \le A[h]$$ contains the key piece of what is always true in a binary search. But that isn't really enough to prove that the algorithm is correct. We also have to make sure that it will terminate at some point. So for each iteration $t$ we also have $$h_{t} - l_{t} < h_{t-1} - l_{t-1} $$ meaning that the subrange under consideration gets smaller at each iteration. From this you can show by induction that the loop will terminate.
Each of these conditions should be easy to prove from your code (with the initial conditions $A[x] < A[j] \iff x < j, l = 0, h = |A| - 1$ etc.). Then you can easily prove at the end (when $h = l$) that $A[h] = v \iff v \in A$ or whatever.


Best way to learn iphone game development?

Question: I know php and some python, but not much c. Where should I start to learn iphone game development? Is there some recommended books/tutorials for beginners? I'm looking at using cocos2d but I'm open to anything that isn't too limited.
Comment: possible duplicate of [What are the best iPhone game development resources?](http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/5/what-are-the-best-iphone-game-development-resources)
Comment: Joe is right. Maybe we could merge the two questions/answers?
Answer: I also just recently started developing for iOS. I found the documentation over at cocos2d-iphone.org quite helpful, but sadly it isn't very in-depth. That's why I also bought the "Learn iPhone and iPad Cocos2D Game Development Book" (written by Steffen Itterheim who is also an active community member here on gamedev SE).
Objective-C was also new to me, but thankfully the documentation over at developer.apple.com is really good. Be sure to also read the introduction to Objective-C.
I've got some C++ experience, so the whole memory-management stuff wasn't totally new to me (well, actually everybody should know about that stuff, even if you don't have to manage things yourself). Since Objective-C doesn't come with a garbage-collector (at least not when you develop for iOS), you should also read the memory-management guide. XCode also comes with a handy tool called "Leaks" which allows you to profile memory-usage and detect leaks. This makes spotting memory-leaks much easier and you should definitely run your app through it (make sure to always run on the device, since the simulator apparently produces leaks where there aren't any).
Umm, I went a bit off-topic in the last paragraph I guess, but it's always good to know about this stuff beforehand :-)
Update: Since you're open to other options, you might also consider Unity3D, UDK or even Ogre3D (although it's not a game-engine but "just" a graphics-engine).
Answer: I've been very favorably impressed by O'Reilly's iPhone Game Development.  For my taste it's a bit deep in the mindset where "game" means "screen-oriented pixels-moving-around exercise", but since that mindset is dominant in the industry that's not too surprising.  It'll definitely get you a good start, in any event.
Answer: try this as a starter to learn or refresh your language skills:
http://www.stanford.edu/class/cs193p/cgi-bin/drupal/downloads-2010-winter
Answer: iPhone game development is incredibly fast using Cocos2d.
Since you already know some programming, I'd recommend you to first take a look at the basic concepts in Cocoa development here.
Now that you know how Objective-C thinks, you may want to pay a visit to Raywenderlich's blog. Many of his posts are about Cocos2d, like this one.
It is not necessary you understand the whole tutorial. You simply copy and paste the code he provides you and take your time to see what it does.
Cocos2d has all kinds of useful tools for making development fast. It has great iPhone retina display support, great bitmap font labels performance, process lots of sprites with ease, create tilemaps, schedule functions, stack scenes, create menu and buttons, box2d and chipmunk physic engine support, export to Mac feature, particle effects, great sound engine and a nice array of "actions" you can apply to your objects, like move, jump, rotate, fade etc.
Since Cocos2d is just a framework on Objective-C, you have full freedom to do lots of things game engines usually lack. You can quickly implement leaderboards and achievements for your games with OpenFeint, for example. You can use iAds too.
This is nice to read as well.
Cocos2d is well supported. The community forums are good, you shouldn't have problems asking what you need there. And there are starting to appear lots of ports, like Cocos2d implemented with javascript and html5 for web development, or with Ruby, etc.
So here's my opinion: Cocos2d has potential and is worth giving it a go.
Answer: I'm reading "Beginning iOS Game Development" by Patrick Alessi it's not a bad book, I actually knew how to program in Objective-C before I picked it up, because I'm old.


why is a video file with .mts extension so huge?

Question: I just recorded a 2 minute long video clip with my Sony camera. The output is an .MTS file, which is ~450 MB. What is the reason for that? Could you please recommend a (preferably free) app that I could use to convert it to another file format resulting a much more reasonable file size?
Comment: Related... http://video.stackexchange.com/questions/9228/how-to-convert-a-mts-file-without-loosing-the-quality-much
Answer: HD video is very, very large at high quality.  450MB for two minutes isn't actually that bad.  To put it in perspective, assuming you were shooting 1080P and 24fps, if there was no compression applied, that same 2 minutes of video would be 6 gigabytes of information.
The reason that videos you download or watch on bluray disks are so much smaller is that they are not source video, but rather highly compressed final output video.  When you compress video, a lot of quality is lost.  It isn't quality that the human eye can easily distinguish, but it is quality that impacts the quality of future encodings and the quality of edited results.
For best quality, you want to take those high quality, large files you captured, edit them to whatever the final output should be and then do a one time compression down to a final output format.  That final output won't be suitable for editing, but it will be perfectly suitable for viewing at a much smaller size.
If you have no desire to edit it and simply want the basic video to be smaller, using a free tool like Handbrake or FFMPEG will easily allow you to transcode to h.264 and a much, much smaller file size.  I recommend using two-pass VBR to maximize the quality you get for the size.
Comment: +1 for using Handbrake - great tool to convert video! It is a simple user interface instead of typing FFMPEG commands in the command line.
Answer:
The output is an .MTS file, which is ~450 MB. What is the reason for that?

It is desirable to record and master in the highest quality possible, and only convert to lower bitrates for delivery (if necessary) at the final stage.
450MB for two minutes is 30mbps.  That's not particularly high for a capture bitrate; it's a typical capture bitrate for low-cost consumer gear.
It's a lower bitrate, even, than you may find on a movie available on blu-ray.

Could you please recommend a (preferably free) app that I could use to convert it to another file format resulting a much more reasonable file size?

You don't specify your target format or platform.  Do you simply want to share this with friends?  If so, uploading to YouTube will take care of all the conversions for you and save you from worrying about additional bandwidth of sharing it with others, as long as you can stand the upload bandwidth.  Putting on DVD?  I assume not as you would have said so, but the authoring software would be able to do this for you.  Converting to an MP4 or MKV for sharing with friends and playing back on the PC or on a mobile device?  Then you could use something like Handbrake.  However, doing video transcoding yourself when you don't know what you're doing can result in unwanted results - most transcoding tools, unless they're specifically designed for a particular target format or device, will require quite a lot of technical knowledge.


How can I bolster up a boxed cake mix?

Question: Is there anything I can add to/change about a store bought white or yellow cake mix to take it from ordinary to extraordinary?
Answer: Using different spices, maybe a pumpkin pie spice added to vanilla cake, will give your cake a completely new and interesting flavor. Using citrus zests will spice things up as well! I have also used different flavored liquid extracts, added these to icing can really add that extra something special to the completed cake.
Answer: There are a couple of cookbooks by Anne Byrn who has built a franchise on this subject.  Her best known book (and the one I have) is titled The Cake Mix Doctor. written specifically on this subject.

Go to her website http://www.cakemixdoctor.com as there are several recipes and articles as well a listing of her books.
Answer: Substitute part of the butter with creme fraiche - say, 2oz creme fraiche for 1oz of the butter.
Answer: All answers provide great ideas but I'll take Jginger's spice recommendation a step further. I often use what I call "subtle exotic" spice combinations which is simply a fancy way of saying unusual or ethnic-influenced combinations. For example, Black pepper with dark chocolate; chili pepper and cinnamon; or cardamom. These types of spice combinations aren't typical in a cake and will provide a deliciously memorable flavor for your guests. A recent unusual combination I just tasted was a spiced gin cupcake. The baker used a basic cake recipe then infused spices and gin into the batter and frosting. A boxed cake could be that basic recipe.
Answer: When I make box cake mixes, I use vanilla almond milk instead of water and olive oil instead of vegetable oil.  The vanilla almond milk gives it a hint of sweetness and the olive oil makes it fluffier.  And then a add a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

How can I bolster up a boxed cake mix?


Possible hack aftermath

Question: After being hacked companies often give numbers and details on how much of their data was compromised e.g "13K user and passwords".
After a possible intrusion how do you know what the hacker did in your server?
Comment: This question appears to be off-topic because it is a question best asked on Security.SE, but is too old to migrate.
Comment: Might be better at security.SE
Comment: TheLQ i had no idea that one existed
Comment: Just for future reference, thats all
Answer: Assume a worst case scenario.  Examine your logs, figure out everything they might have gotten access to, and assume they took a copy of all of it.
Answer: Hopefully their activity is logged and you can analyze what they have done. Otherwise, without any sort of trace of their activity, it's hard to determine what could have been done. I would always assume the worst, but hope for the best. Usually companies report the worst case intrusion to alert their customers to what may have been compromised.
Answer: Security Stack Exchange has a range of Questions and Answers in this area - you should have a look.
While post-incident forensics is quite a mature field, and I have managed a number of these, it is high cost, and most organisations take the sensible view of assuming worst case - the attacker could have accessed everything. A usual tack is to wipe machines and revert to a backup taken before the incident - but this can be very expensive in a large enterprise.
In terms of likelihood of identifying activities, if you are logging at the perimeter you can often find out how the attacker got in, but after that point, if they set up an SSH server or other encrypted channel into your network you will lose the detail after that.
For individual servers, you may have logs which can be trawled through (very time consuming) but if the attacker got root on these machines they could alter the logs to hide any evidence - which is why it is always recommended to log to a machine elsewhere which has a write once, read many filesystem (which means anything written there can never be deleted)
Layers of security do help in not only preventing intrusion, but in detecting it before it becomes a 'lift off and nuke from orbit' scenario.
As an interesting aside - many times when running a forensic analysis after an incident, teams find evidence of other, longer-term, well-hidden intrusions...worried, anyone?

Possible hack aftermath


When sanding hardwood floors, should I buy a rotary or oscillating tool?

Question: I plan to refinish the hardwood floors in three bedrooms using an orbital floor sander because they seem easier and safer for beginners than the drum sander. I need something to sand the edges, and I've wanted to buy a rotary/oscillating tool for a while. Which would help me more with this job? Or should I buy an actual hand sander instead?
Comment: Orbital sanders are pretty foolproof and (useful)
Comment: A good electric DA style sander is hard to beat. Very versatile, easy to use on lots of applications.  I have two Rigid 5" units and work them to death. You can get velco backed disks anywhere in any grit. Great tool.
Answer: Unless you love spending time on your knees, rent the drum sander and the rotary edge sander.   If you are worried about losing control of the drum sander, start with fine grit while you are getting the hang of it.  Or ask the rental place to leave the old paper on it.  It is likely to be toothless enough that it will be very hard to do any damage.
Orbital sanders are very slow, and generally are used for furniture making.
Sanding produces enormous quantities of dust.  This is one reason you want to get done quickly.  Even if you put plastic over the doors and heating vents, dust gets everywhere.
It's a good idea to have someone working with a vacuum as you sand.  Get it off the floor ASAP so the next pass with the sander doesn't cast it into the air again.  You will probably want to wear dust masks.
I have three sanders right now.  A 7" disk sander that I can also put cuttoff wheels and wire brushes on, a 3x21 belt sander, and a 4x5 orbital sander.  All 3 get used regularly, but for a floor project it would be the belt sander that would be used the ost.


What is "my guy syndrome" and how do I handle it?

Question: I've been reading forum posts and blogs who mention "my guy" syndrome as a specific type of difficult player, but I can't seem to find a solid definition for the term. Can someone explain this particular kind of problem player to me? How do you deal with this kind of problem?
Answer: "It's what my guy would do!"
"My Guy" syndrome is when — often unwittingly — you disclaim decision-making power and responsibility by acting like "what my character would do" is inevitable and inviolable, even if it gets in the way of actually having fun in the game or being able to play the game at all.
JD Corley wrote up a story that covers it pretty perfectly in one of the original discussion threads:

So here's a practical example from the halcyon days of My Guyness and me.
d6 Star Wars. I was playing a trigger-happy demolitions expert. We were going onto an enemy ship in order to get the bad guy.
I say, "I have enough explosives, you know what? We don't even need to sneak onto the ship. I'll just plant the explosives below the engine exhaust."
Jedi player: "Dude, don't do that, I want to have my guy face off with the evil bastard in a big lightsaber fight."
Me: "But it's what my guy would do, it's the most effective way to take him out with the least chance of getting caught or hurt."
Alien diplomat player: "But I really wanted to find out what his plan was!"
Me: "It's what my guy would do, who cares what his plan was if he's dead?"
After some back-and-forth, the following transpired, which REALLY shows how much the well can be poisoned:
Jedi player: "Damn, well, you're right, it's what your character would do, go ahead."
Alien diplomat player: "Crap on a stick, yeah, go ahead. It's what your guy would do."
Me: "Sorry guys."
GM: "Roll 'em."
And I blew up the ship and the campaign was over and we won and all the players, myself and the GM included, had a miserable time.
Who's fault was this?
Sure as hell wasn't "my guy's" fault. (Or the designer or the GM.) It was MY fault.
And yet I felt absolutely no responsibility at all, and my fellow players didn't think it was my responsibility, and perversely, they often said, "I guess it was good roleplaying..." in campaign postmortems. Good roleplaying?? Damn, if good roleplaying means "everyone is miserable and thinks it's stupid", let me go find another hobby like getting beaten with sticks.
Even though I had designed the character to make that decision, and the GM had set up the general situation, and I had evaluated the specific situation, somehow an inanimate piece of paper became a token by which we could disclaim all responsibility for our own miserableness. We didn't even say "hey next time we should make sure our characters end up doing things that make us here in the real world happy and fulfilled". We just went and made the same mistake again. Why? Because I didn't do it, "it was what my guy would do". Pfui. I shall never do that bullshit again. Knock on wood.

"My Guy" thinking ruined that game because it made the players feel powerless in steering it towards where the fun was.
Why is this busted?
"My Guy" behavior is busted because you, the person at the table, are the one actually making decisions. Always. You always have the option not to pursue a path that'll negatively impact you and your friends' enjoyment of the game as a whole. You may feel compelled to act a certain way out of a sense of fidelity to established characterization, or you may be worried about losing a character (or a character losing face, which can be just as ego-bruising). But, well, the health of the game is in your hands, not in the hands of a fictional character.
Handling "my guy" syndrome
Dealing with "My Guy" is pretty easy once you're aware of it, really: don't hide behind "It's what my guy would do," and don't accept it for an answer. Instead, communicate and engage with each other as people at the table.
Just, like, say what's really on your mind. If something makes you uncomfortable, say "This makes me uncomfortable." If something seems out-of-character for the kind of game you're trying to run or play, say that.
As the player making a decision, look beyond "My Guy" to "Our Game." Are you doing something that you, as a player, actually want to see happen in play? Is it fun for you? Is it fun but only at the expense of someone else's fun?
Rich Burlew's article "Making the Tough Decisions" may be a useful guide, especially for traditional adventure RPGs like D&D:

You are not your character, and your character is not a separate entity with reactions that you cannot control. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a player state that their character's actions are not under their control. Every decision your character makes is your decision first. It is possible and even preferable for you to craft a personality that is consistent but also accommodating of the characters the other players wish to play.
[...]
Separate your character's thoughts from your own thoughts, but don't forget who is in control of both personalities. The division between your personality and that of your character only goes so far as it helps the game; once it begins becoming a disruption, a player has a responsibility to alter his or her character's decisions in the interest of the group. In the end, your relationships with the people you are sitting in someone's living room with are more important than your character's internal consistency.

Another good resource to look at is Same Page Tool, which helps you establish goals and structure for the game you're playing — if you do this ahead of time, you know have something concrete to talk about when a confusing issue happens in play.

Wait, can't the GM just fix it?
Kinda sorta, sometimes. But mostly no. Here's the thing: you can't really make something happen despite the other players and have it be the same as something happening because of them.
There's a world of difference between a game where the PCs naturally follow the genre-based (e.g. "Star Wars!") or structural (e.g. "2-3 fair fights a session") conceits and one where they don't but the GM tries to "backdoor" them in somehow. It's the difference between all building towards something together and one person having to expect extra effort just to block and twist what another player is doing.
Also, fundamentally, the protagonists define the fiction. You're not going to be able to create the experience you want (e.g. "Star Wars!") without having all the players at the table play their characters in a suitable way. There's no way to force the genre onto the PCs if the players aren't playing along.
Comment: I think by many standards, the scenario would be considered too easy if just killing everyone is both straightforward and a win. One option therefore would be for you to say "it's what my guy would do, but surely they'd have thought of that and defended the exhaust vent. Let's check for surveillance etc.". Then look hopefully at the GM to tell you "yep, looks like the place is thick with sensors. Practically bristling". Basically you can acknowledge your guy but undermine him OOC, if you don't feel happy just saying "I guess I should act completely against character. Sigh".
Comment: In the scenario quoted, although it's not his responsibility, the other player had a way to prevent this situation from transpiring - Yes, it's what 'My Guy' would do...but MY Guy wouldn't like that, and would stop him.  No longer is it a situation where he has to hold his character back to appease the players, now it is a situation where the player's desire shows through with their own character, and prevents a scenario that would not, in the end, be very satisfactory.  And it doesn't hurt to ask for an 'out' like this if you *know* it will cause a problem.  Heck, that's what MY guy would do.
Comment: A very common example, D&D-specific, is to abdicate responsibility for decisions that annoy other players or hurt the game, to the one or two letters of alignment. "I had to steal that treasure from the party - see, Chaotic Neutral!".
Comment: By the way, blowing stuff up instead of engaging enemies diretly can be a totally valid style of play. That kind of strategic play is particularly popular in OSR circles, I believe. But then it's not because "it's what my guy would do", it's because it fits that style of play, and everybody will have fun and congratulate each other on successfully avoiding a dangerous fight.
Comment: I think a key point with your Star Wars example is:  It's what Your Guy would **suggest**.  And the Diplomat would then argue "But I need to get the intel first".  And the Jedi character would argue that they need to face the Evildoer in single combat.  And if Your Guy kept insisting on his plan, and ignoring everyone else's arguments, then Their Guys would hogtie Your Guy, and march onto the ship carrying him...
Comment: Ideally the GM would design the scenario to prevent these kinds of issues, but you can't plan for every such possibility. At a certain point you have to accept that characters tend to do the fun thing instead of the sensible thing even if it's less "realistic"... if we can believe that lightsabers exist, we can believe that it makes sense for every mission to culminate in a dramatic confrontation.
Comment: I keep coming back to this question, time and again.  How is it that we have lost the ability to Role-Play in Role Playing Games?  If my group does not want me to make a thieving, lying, conniving, and detrimental to the group character, why in the hell did they let me join with that character from the start?  IMO, the problem is just as much, if not more, one of the group's inability to act like people with a set of decisions than it is a problem with a character role-playing his character.
Comment: @Chronocidal in my humble understanding, this post promotes exactly the opposite! The big point is: This is not about what any fictional character wants - it has to be about what the players want!!! There is absolutely no problem in the game-world with the depicted scenario, the problem is the players not having fun. And that is a problem the players need to communicate openly as friends sitting at a table not between the lines by their characters acting a certain way.
Comment: Because if we follow your logic, the guy might just lie to the other characters and sneak off, to plant the explosives without anyone noticing. Or the Jedi stops and kills the guy. Or a million different scenarios, which no one might like at all - all players at the table wanted to fight the bad guy on his ship, so this is what they should do, pieces of paper and fictional characters simply do not get a vote, only players do.
Comment: This is why MMORPGs have Role-Playing PK servers -- because it is a role-playing game and "my guy" is a crazed murderer who betrays all.  But not everyone can handle that, so they shard off people who want to be casual with their "immersion" and give over the rules for those who care deeply about immersion.
Comment: @IncorporealLogic That argument presupposes that everyone knows precisely what their character is about from the first moment, communicates that clearly to the group, and characters never change or evolve.  Yes, a discussion like what you describe can help head off problems in a session zero, but that isn't a panacea because many times these behaviors don't show up until later, or are unique to a specific situation. The solution isn't always "just get everyone on the same page", but it often is "take the responsibility to have your character change their mind when necessary".
Comment: The thing people need to remember is that while you _do_ want to look at what your guy would do, you _also_ want to look at what everyone else's guys would do, and what the _players_ would enjoy.  A good way to approach it is to ask the group OOC, something like, e.g., "This is what my guy would do, but I'm not sure if it'd be fun for everyone?  What do you guys think?"  If they're all for it, then fine; if not, it gives you the opportunity to RP your guy reacting to their plan being turned down in-universe.  How do they react?  Do they gripe?  Comply?  Betray?  Leave?  Pout?  Learn from it?
Answer: "My Guy Syndrome" is the tendency of gamers to justify anything they do in game, as "what my guy would do", even when that means the actions undertaken are contrary to genre, to game agreements, or other things the group may value.
For example - if you're playing a Golden Age Superheroes game, but someone decides their "hero" is going to start killing people.  "It's what MY GUY would do!" they whine.   You're playing a fantasy game, and they start trying to develop steam engines, advanced metalworking, etc. "It's what MY GUY would do!".  The team of heroes off to fight the Big Evil and one player starts stealing from the other characters, "It's what MY GUY would do..."
The linked post I have, that is referenced in Zachiel's answer, mostly has this key point to consider:

Come up with as colorful a concept as possible, preferably somewhat irrational, so that you can carry out the following safety-measures from "in character" and blame the character for "making" you role-play in this way.

And that the whole reason for this is that you have a player who WANTS to have input into play, wants to have power over their character (either because the current game doesn't give them enough, or they've come to expect it of ALL games), and that this is the dysfunctional solution they've discovered gives them some power.
"If I can't have the power to do what I'm interested in, I'll act out on what's going on in order to have ANY input and control at all."
This isn't necessarily done with hostility, since a lot of players pick up this behavior pattern by seeing others do it too.
The Solution
"Ok.  Pause the game.  Here's what I see going on - my interpretation.  Your character seems to be doing XYZ, but that doesn't exactly fit with what this game genre/setting/point of play is about.  I'm not sure what you're trying to do here.  Help me out.  Tell me what you're aiming for so we can make this work."
And, the more blunt point of it is, "How is this fun?"
Ask the player directly.  Treat them as an equal and get input.  But also, recognize that this behavior nearly always comes from a place where people expect NOT to be heard, not to be listened to, and not to be given any kind of input.  It's an ingrained defense mechanism and hard to get out of.
Bringing it to the player wipes out the illusion that this isn't US, at the table, talking to each other and making things happen.  What happens at the table is happening because WE, make it happen.  By putting it out in the open, we can coordinate it and get the fun we want together.  "My guy" doesn't ruin the game, or make the game fun, it's me, it's you, it's us here right now.
Comment: Another answer on this site used the phrase "conspire with the players against the characters". I think something similar applies here. You, the player, could say to the other players, "Hey, my guy would totally just blow up the ship, but that would be a short and boring adventure, but I can't think of a way to justify not doing it. Any ideas"
Answer: @Bankuei, who often wanders around these halls, tells us it's a synonym of the abused gamer syndrome, where a player with bad roleplaying-related experiences on his back has become unable to trust the environment, the game master, the system or the other players and plays against character, and often metagames, to protect his character from outside harm.
I should know, being a good example of the trope myself.
In Ron Edwards' words:

Play optimally concerning character survival. The game system is perfectly capable of killing your character, and at least some GMs are invested in making this happen or in not doing anything to prevent it.
Play optimally concerning your own ego. The GM is very invested in making his story happen, and if your character needs to be overly gullible or stupid for the story to work (often the case), then the GM will take him over and make him that way, making you look stupid and basically stripping you, personally, of social and creative power at the table. Such a GM is not a player-killer like the ones I mentioned in #1, but in some ways, he's worse!

If "play my character" is construed from these parameters, it results in the following tactics (I've stated them a little bit extremely):
  a. Come up with as colorful a concept as possible, preferably somewhat irrational, so that you can carry out the following safety-measures from "in character" and blame the character for "making" you role-play in this way.
  b. Safety-measure – treat all GM characters as hostile, treacherous, and of no emotional importance whatsoever.
  c. Safety-measure – avoid rolling the dice or otherwise engaging in the resolution mechanics as much as possible.
  d. Safety-measure – create as much minor strife or minor friendship for your character with the other player-characters as you can, because such interactions carry no risk, take up time
Comment: I think you're describing general turtling more so than "my guy"
Answer: You - the player - can always come up with a reason that makes sense for "MyGuy" to not do something that is too easy and makes the game unsatisfying. Using the forum.rpg.net post cited by Alex P, there is nothing actually stopping that player dreaming up how their explosives expert could ever possibly think of not ending the story way too soon.
A list of reasons that "my guy" would use to not do the thing that wouldn't be fun:

He doesn't want to use all his explosives on one target when he has no idea what he'll face later when he'll need the explosives rather than what would simply be a convenient way to use them.
It's so easy it's probably a trap, since it's the sort of thing anyone would think of therefore they probably have a countermeasure for just such a thing, so "MyGuy" realises he has to be less predictable to fool the empire.
He is hesitant about blowing up a ship that he knows his Jedi friend made clear he'd be heading to to face off with the Sith villain, he could be killing his friend.
It is actually such an excellent opportunity to blow up this ship it's too good an opportunity to miss, he could plant the bomb and only detonate it at the critical moment when it's most needed. If blown up now then they could send a replacement in time but detonating as a VIP ship is escaping is the perfectly timed distraction
If such a weakness were attacked now it would tip off the Empire to such a weakness in this minor battle, they'd easily get it fixed by the time of a major action. Hell they might just be grateful for exposing the flaw in their entire fleet.
He knows that's just what they'd expect him to do, who knows how he is being manipulated "what a fool I've been, if there's important diplomats on that ship and they can prove a rebel blew it up that's another propaganda coup!"

So you haven't broken character, he's still the ruthless explosive expert, you've just had him choose the option which is on balance more interesting for the story.
Comment: Beware that answers are not in linear order here; they're sorted according to votes and to a reader's sorting options. They can also be deleted individually. So if you're going to reference another post, best to do it for credit only, and to incorporate all relevant information so that your post stands alone. Specifically, you should probably link to the forum post you mention so that a reader of your answer knows what you're talking about without playing detective.
Answer: "My Guy Syndrome" can also refer more generically to defending poor social behavior at the game table as somehow justified by the player's character concept.
In this instance, a player is repetitively rude or unkind to fellow players, and it may not be clear whether this is "in-character" or "out-of-character" (especially at a convention game, where the players may have only just met), but the player will defend the poor behavior as obviously "in-character" and appropriate for their character concept (aka "it's what my guy would do").
In the end, whether it's in or out of character doesn't make much difference for the player on the receiving end of the poor behavior. For a game based around teamwork, collective goals and cooperative story telling, having "jerk" as your character concept is not generally going to promote a fun atmosphere.
Answer: "My Guy" Syndrome is a Symptom of a Larger Problem
Syndrome: a group of symptoms that together are characteristic of a specific disorder, disease, or the like. (In this case, it's a "disorder" in the Tabletop Dynamic between Players and each other and the GM)
Typically, there are three main problems that result in "My Guy": Metagaming, Glory-Hunting, or Trolling, none of which have any place at the Table. So, to fix "My Guy", you have to fix the problem that's causing it.
My Guy is Metagaming
One of most-common issues with My Guy is when players don't trust the DM, and they are using previous experiences (which they know about but their characters don't) to try to "My Guy" their way around things which previous experience has taught them is a "trap."
For example, you try to set-up a story where the Party gets lured into a trap by a seemingly-innocuous Job, but a Player smells a trap and says, "No, My Guy wouldn't agree to that. He would think it's a trap."
Alternatively, you could be describing a room with a secret door to a treasure chamber, asking the Party to make a Perception check, and they all fail, so they don't notice the treasure door. But one person says, "My Guy is going to make an Investigation Check for Secret Doors."
And the worst instances are the ones with Mimics. An experienced player will have a sense of whether a chest is a Mimic or not, but the issue is that his Character doesn't. The general way a problem arises is that a Character fails to determine that a chest is a Mimic, but the player knows its a Mimic, so they say, "My Guy smashes the Chest with an Axe, just to be safe."
You counter this just like you would counter regular Metagaming:

Going "out of game" for a moment and asking, "Wait, how does your character know that?" It's a gentle call-out of Metagaming behavior, without being accusatory, which can often make people rethink their actions.
If the behavior persists, you can discuss with the DM about calling a meeting with the rest of the party to discuss that what they know outside of the game has nothing to do with what they know in the game.
Mimics can be fun to play with: If someone assumes that a Chest is a Mimic, quickly edit the story so the chest isn't: they just cracked a chest open and some armor, a golden goblet, and a sword fell-out. Of course, one of these items is the actual Mimic. If your players are trying to Metagame, don't be afraid to undermine them a bit.

My Guy wants the Limelight
My Guy can also be caused when one player really wants to make the story about their character and not anyone else's. It's a form of hijacking, and is just as bad at the Table as it is in a fanfiction, novel, or movie.
A good example of this is the Star Wars situation in the answer from Alex P.
Another example could be when someone says, "Well, My Guy keeps [insert critical item here] in-reserve for just this sort of occasion, so..."
In this case, it's best to talk to the player who is making the game not-fun about Mary-/Gary-Sues and why they can't hog all the limelight. Tell them that they need to share the glory and not just take it all for themselves.
Alternatively, you could give them the Apollo Diomedes Treatment (accompanied by a talk afterwards about the issue and why you had to "punish" them like that), though this may not work and may only exacerbate problems in the Tabletop Dynamic.
This is the hardest situation to deal with because, often, the player refuses and the situation escalates to the GM having to kick the player, who actually wants to play, from the Table, something which should never have to happen.
My Guy's a Troll
This is the worst form of "My Guy" out there because, unlike everyone else, the player is not interested in actually playing the game, and so they are actively trying to derail the party or mess-up the GM's plans.
Often, the solution for this kind of "My Guy" is to ask the Player why they are even at the Table in the first place, which will either result in an unfulfilled expectation or other issue (usually on-part of the Player) being expressed, or the Player might leave of their own accord.
For example, you have a Player who feels like the other players are out to "get" them and the GM isn't doing anything about it. Expressing this, which is often best done alone with the GM and the player, can help the GM fix the underlying issues.
Comment: This sounds like just plain ol' "metagaming", while (as I understand it) the concept of "my guy *syndrome*" is someone not-metagaming their character so hard that they get in the way of playing a game — the opposite of metagaming.
Comment: This seems more like a tangentially related story than an answer to the question. Metagaming is not "my guy syndrome" as it is generally defined. The other answers seem to be closer to the commonly accepted definition.


Modifying Article - Effect On SEO

Question: lets assume, I have a article that is ranked well (but not top) in search engine. Now, If I want to modify it a little more optimized, will the modification hurt on existing ranking in any ways?
Thanks.
Answer: It seems you are asking about putting more keywords in the article.
We know from the latest Google Panda and Penguin updates, keywords in an article is least important.
If due to certain modifications in the article a user spends more time with the article or even if due to some of the links (internal/external) you have put in the article which is relevant to your article and as a result users spend more time than usual, is a plus for you
If you have modified the site in such a way that user tends to perform Call To Action on the site, then the Google sees and considers the article helpful to users and so Google will increase the ranking as well as the position of the article.
I will again say Keywords in the site is of least importance, now-a-days SEO is all about user experience with the website.
Answer: I believe that when the search engine next 're-crawls' the page it will 're-rank' it based on the new content. I don't believe it would damage the ranking as a result of making a change per-se, but if the content/changes aren't liked by the search engine (for any number of reasons) then that could adversely affect your ranking.
It really depends exactly what changes you are making to your site. If its minor content changes then i wouldn't worry, if its a complete re-vamp of the site then it could work for or against you.
Hope that helps.
Answer: Google's Panda and their other patents are your worse enemy when changing ranking page content, I work on hundreds of sites and the best thing to do is improve a page by adding pictures, and text content but you should never TOUCH the key elements that Google and others is ranking you for.
Most SEO methods is unproven since only Google really knows how their engine works and its a very well kept secret on a lot of their factors specifically when it comes to changing page content. What you got to be aware of is changing the key elements as mentioned because Google can and most likely will think that those changes are due to the fact you want to RANK better and not necessary improve the page for your audience.
The Key Elements to avoid changing are:
1) Title Tag
2) Header Tags
3) Meta Description
As long as you add additional headers, pictures and text without changing the key elements your page should only improve or remain the same. Changing the key elements can resort in a negative effect and simply not worth changing if you are happy with the page rankings as it is.
It's worth mentioning I base this on the fact that Google have many patents about page changes that detect certain elements such as Header Tags, Title tags in such a way to to manipulate results or just to see what ranks better.
Google doesn't want Webmasters knowing exactly what the best tags to use and so forth, reason they don't want webmasters changing them often because well you get the point :P
Answer: In case you are working with your article in search engine, it is advisable not to change anything on purely experiment basis. Just focus on providing unique content with the useful information and try to optimize for long tail keywords and keyword phrases. Try to get more traffic through various ways.
Answer: If an article ranking at top position then it's a good for you. Here, I would like to suggest that modify your articles if there is a necessity to update important data or any modifications which occur is in technology or any other modifications which are helpful to readers then modify your article.
Finally don't modify it just for putting some targeted keywords which may back in result hurt your search engine ranking top positions for a specified article.

Modifying Article - Effect On SEO


Why don't we form immunity to some infections?

Question: I read another question, and its answers, about how vaccines work, but I don't see there, and and don't understand, why some infections can, seemingly, not be immunized against at all. For example, someone who gets the flu (or the flu vaccine) is immunized against that particular strain of flu for life (which was relevant, IIRC, when H1N1 came back a few years ago: many people above a certain age had immunity), whereas one person can get group-Α strep throat over and over again. Why is this?
Answer: The answer is sort of hidden behind the very first paragraph of your linked question:

Vaccines work by introducing an attenuated strain of the pathogen (or alternatively the antigens that are normally present on the pathogens surface) into the body, whereupon the body mounts an immune response.

The body mounts an immune response based upon a particular epitope (molecule/protein chain) derived from the infection itself.
If the bacteria/virus/parasite evolves so that the molecules/proteins on its surface change significantly, then the version stored in Memory Cells will no longer apply. There's some wiggle room depending on epitope length and specificity of the Immune Response (highly specific MHC proteins will invoke a very strong, very efficient response - while less specific [usually B-cell or early T-cell responses] will invoke a weaker, less effective response), but because pathogens can mutate so quickly it's not uncommon that you'll encounter a descendant of a virus you already encountered that has dramatically different characteristics.
Some pathogens are also just very "clever" at avoiding the immune system. Sometimes they can produce shells which can't be broken down to derive epitopes from, sometimes they live within host cells and simply hide (the most well known example being HIV), other times they can present the same "I'm part of the body!" MHC proteins that tells the immune system not to attack them, and they can even hide in parts of the body where the immune system rarely visits (eyes, brain, other very specialized tissues).
And at times the pathogen can be both very adaptive and very "clever", as in the case for Staphylococcus aureas - which can inactivate antibodies through surface proteins and has the ability to adapt to new antibodies very quickly.
You can think of it like a game of chess. If you play against the same person all the time you're going to learn their moves, their strategy, and be able to beat them very quickly. If you switch partners, or your regular partner learns new moves, you'll spend some time adapting to the new play style you've encountered before being able to win consistently again. Bacteria and virii are simply very, very good at coming up with new play styles.
Answer: MCM's answer is quite correct. There are quite a few specific ways various pathogens escape "immunity" (long term, often not truly life-long, protection).
To quickly restate what he has said:
First the pathogen can mutate to be different enough that your body won't recognize it (ie different strains of flu or HIV), it can hide in cells or immunoprivileged areas of the body, it can actually shut your immune system down, actively combat your immune system, or prevent an immune response from being mounted.
And just a few more thoughts:
There are certain pathogens we are still trying to figure out how they avoid the immune system (the technical quality is immunogenicity).  A good example human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).  Again this is actually an active field of study for a great many pathogens.  When we test many of these "tricky" pathogens in animal models, we find that they often can gain immunity.
+1 @MCM, I was trying to cram this into a comment, but I didn't think I could.
Some interesting areas to read up on if you are interested in the subject are immune avoidance/evasion and forward genetics.  You will more often hear about reverse genetics, but forward genetic experiments can allow us to see how the "chess game" will be played out by the pathogens in new situations.


Should I go to a University or Trade school to be a Game artist?

Question: Im a senior this year and I'm seriously looking at colleges that can help me get into the game in the Game industry. I've been told countless times it's better if I go to a University(Usc, Becker college, etc) than go to somewhere like Digipen or Full Sail. I'm just really confused about how I should tackle this path. I'd appreciate some help and advice please?
Comment: I've asked a similar question but as a programmer here. http://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/1611/game-development-degree-vs-computer-science-degree
Answer: If your aim is to become an artist (as opposed to a designer or programmer), I would say a full on fine art degree will be the most useful. The game specific skills, like 3d modeling or texture painting can all be done on your own. There are many websites that you can post your work on to get criticism and pointers from industry artists (forums.cgsociety.org, www.Game-Artist.net, www.polycount.com). The REAL value of the university will be the basics of art: colour theory, composition, form, etc.
There are very few, if any, institutions which can give you a full on, useful, game art education and positions will be quite competitive. I bet you could learn the same things, if not more, on your own with the internet and some hard work in the same amount of time. I would recommend you check out those websites before you make any sort of decision. Many of the regulars have done some sort of formal education, and they are much more qualified to speak on the matter than I am.
Comment: The best reason to goto a university compared to a full trade school is a fall back.  You definitely won't learn as much in depth knowledge for a university but like you said, you should really be learning that on your own as well.
Comment: The trick is to learn the things you find necessary, but boring, at school. Pick up the rest on your own.
Comment: @Nailer: No, the trick is to find new interesting things at school, and learn them quickly and correctly by being able to work with experts.
Comment: @Joe: If you don't understand something, and can't seem to improve in it, it's boring. To overcome this first obstacle of boredom, it's great to have a course in it to get you started.

A: You are eased into the subject.

B: You get guidance when needed.

C: You get extra motivation from teachers,students and grades.

Of course, what you said is true too =) My courses were half and half. I sped through half of them with eagerness. The other half I finished reluctantly, but with great results.
Answer: The question you need to ask first is "What do I want to do?"  From what I understand, if you want to, say, make 3D models for games, or design AAA-style shooty-boom games, trade schools will probably serve you well.  However, I remember a story Anna Anthropy told of quitting her tradeschool after they were assigned to make a 3D model of a gun.  It had to be a weapon.  Trade schools may have narrow views of the nature of games.
If you want to be a programmer and work on the code side, I'd say go for a proper Computer Science (or Software Engineering) degree at a "real university."  Note that I'm biased, as I have a BS in CS from an engineering college.  The general-purpose knowledge and versatile coding know-how you'll get will be invaluable, and give you something to fall back on if gaming jobs are thin.
If you want to design artsy games or really stretch the nature of the form, you might want to check out a school that's got a good New Media or Interactive Media program; Georgia Tech comes to mind, but there are tons of others.  Note that this usually comes at games from a humanities perspective, so if you like English better than Math or Art, this is probably the approach for you.
So, in short, what subject most appeals to you?

Art, Architecture, Shop: Trade school.
Math, Science: CS or SE program at a university.
English, History: Humanities-focused program (harder to find).

I can't speak on music, as it's my area of least expertise.  I'd assume that a general-purpose composition program would be best, though.
Answer: If your goal is getting into the game industry as an artist, your portfolio is what is going to sell you, rather than your degree. I went to a university and then switched to a technical institute, but I would never have gotten a job based solely on the skills I learned there. The trick is to constantly supplement your education by educating yourself. If you have a degree in Game Art and Design but your portfolio is a mess, no one is going to hire you. If your portfolio is amazing but the school you went to isn't as well known, it's not going to be a big deal. They will hire you for your work.
As for supplementing your education, there are a lot of good ways to do this.
I'm a 2d artist, but there are similar methods for 3d art too. A good place to start focusing on specifics would be sites like gnomon, where you can get videos specified for very specific aspects in art, and ones that are more general. (Designing a weapon, or Animal Anatomy, for example.) They also have program-specific tutorials, like using Z-brush. (Since I just started here, I can't post hyperlinks more than once, so you will have to google these places to find them.)
Conceptart.org also has tutorial videos, and classes, and they also have an online school. It's pretty new though, so I can't guarantee quality, but the forums have been around forever and always have inspiration kicking around. I got my first game job by doing a contest on that site and having my entry seen by the Art Director, so doing contests I recommend for sure! (The one I did was the Character of the Week).
Art forums in general are a good way to guage how ready you are, get feedback, and learn new things. Other than CA, I also recommend CGHub, CGSociety, and Apedogs (smaller but awesome.) CG society also has some workshops.
Practice Practice Practice constantly. Work at your craft. Get feedback, get your work out there, get noticed.
Hope this helps. :]
Answer: I've spoken with a couple of artists in the industry on this very topic, and the general consensus has been that some of the best game artists are those that have a very deep traditional art education that they either learned through school or on their own. For example, a strong traditional art background can have a very significant impact an artist's textures.
Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to your question, as there are great traditional and trade institutions you can learn from. What I would recommend is looking into the schools individually and deciding whether or not they are a good match for you. Below are a couple of things you should look for in the school you plan on attending:

Mixture of traditional 2d & 3d art courses, in addition to game art specific curriculum
Exposure to different aspects of game art (prop modeling vs character modeling, organic modeling, texturing, rigging, special effects, animation, etc.)
Exposure to different tools
Exposure to different engines (Unreal/UDK, Source, Crytek, etc.)

Like many others, I would highly recommend supplementing your education by spending time on popular game art websites. I would even recommend asking your question to people there, to get their input. Lots of industry professionals hang out on those sites and offer free critiques and advice. It'd be a waste not to use such a valuable resource!
Answer: You can kill two birds in one stone.
USC Interactive Media Division
or USC Game Development
The Princeton Review rated USC as the number 1 Game Design school, Digipen rated 2nd.
http://www.princetonreview.com/top-eight-game-design-programs.aspx
Comment: Now USC is my first choice, but if I couldn't get into USC that's where the rest of the problem lies.


How do I find an ore mine?

Question: I have an urge to practice some smithing, but ore seems to be in short supply.  How do I locate a mine?  Will people be able to tell me where one is if I talk to the right ones?  Are there certain terrain features that I should look for?  Or is it just a matter of wandering the world map long enough to randomly locate one?
Answer: Like Cloudancer said, one of the first mines in the game is to the east of the Guardian Stones. If you fast travel there, you can look for the "Mine" icon in your compass:

Follow that, and it should lead you directly to the Embershard Mine. Once inside, you'll need to look for veins of ore. Look for any sort of discoloration in the walls, then walk up and see if the tooltip says that you're looking at ore. Here's what an Iron Ore vein can look like:
Comment: Will the ore veins in a mine refresh their ore supply overtime?
Comment: Great! THanks! You should really edit that into your answer.
Comment: also, do the type of ores that spawn depend on your level?
Comment: Veins are rumored to refresh over time, but I haven't seen it personally. The types of ores seem to depend on the area: the Embershard mine has all iron, and there's a dwarven complex with moonstone ore veins.
Answer: The easiest mine to find very early in the game is Embershard mine.  If you head northwest for Helgen Keep you will find the Guardian Stones by the road (they are 3 tall stones with holes in them).  If you head a little east from there you will hit Embershard mine.  There is a bandit outside that should help make it obvious.  There are also pick's inside the mine you can grab to mine with (after you kill the first bandits).
Beyond the first mine (above), here are the other locations for ore (or for dwarves, scrap) that I know about:
Iron: Iron Breaker Mine (Dawnstar), Left Hand Mine (Markarth), Redbelly Mine (Shor's Stone), Rockwallow Mine (Stonehills), Whistling Mine, Halted Stream Camp (Whiterun Hold, north east of town)
Orichalcum: Dushnik Mine (Dushnik Yal), Bilegulch Mine, Mar Khazgur
Silver Cidna Mine (Markorth), Fenn's Gulch Mine (Karthwasten), Sanuaroch Mine (Karthwasten)
Corundum: Darkwater Crossing, Goldenrock Mine (Darkwater crossing, EastMarch)
Ebony: Gloombound Mine
Gold: Kolskeggr Mine
Moonstone: Soljund's Sinkhole
Malachite: Steamscorch Mine (Just north of Kynesgrove, safe)
Quicksilver: Quicksilver (Dawnstar)
Dwarven Scrap: Mzultf (EastMarch)
I will update as I find more locations.  Feel free to edit your own in and/or comment and I can pull them in.
[Source: Game exploration, Official Strategy Guide (book), assorted]
Comment: Lost Prospect mine, (east of Riften) has gold ore if you got up behind the waterfall.
Answer: The ones I have found are in actual mines. The only way is either to ask people if there's anything to do (bandit quests) or just look around, AFAIK.
Answer: Some ores seem to spawn near water. All the ores I found that weren't in mines were near a lake, ocean, or river. Look along the banks and coasts and you might be able to find some.

How do I find an ore mine?


Partially polarized light in laboratory

Question: Does anybody know a way to create (in laboratory, but with no super-sophisticated equipement) a beam of light with partial linear polarization whose degree of polarization can be adjusted (at least over the range 0-0.5)?
Answer: Start with a narrow beam of unpolarized light (e.g. an incandescent bulb shining through a small hole.) Put a sheet of ordinary window glass (or a glass slide or whatever) into the beam, and I'm going to talk about the light transmitted through the glass. If the glass is normal to the light beam, the transmitted light beam will be unpolarized. Then rotate the glass so the light goes through at a shallower and shallower grazing angle. The transmitted light gets more and more linearly polarized. At the shallowest (most grazing) angle possible, 31% of the transmitted intensity is one polarization, and 69% is the other (if I calculated correctly), so the light is 38% linearly polarized. [Don't forget, in your experiments, that the overall intensity of the transmitted light also changes as you rotate the glass.] The nice thing is that the transmitted beam stays in more or less the same place as you rotate the glass, which is convenient for an experiment. The beam only shifts a little bit due to the refraction. If you put two identical pieces of glass in the beam (one after the other) and counter-rotate them, then the beam stays in exactly the same place (the refraction shifts cancel out) and you can get more polarization as well (up to 67% polarized if I calculated correctly).
If you need more polarization than that, of course, you can use the beam of light reflected off the glass, which goes from unpolarized at near-normal incidence, to 100% polarized at the Brewster angle.
Answer: Start with unpolarized let. Let it scatter off a surface at a variable angle.
You could also try scattered sunlight (i.e., light from the blue sky). The degree of polarization depends on the angle between the direction of the Sun and the direction the light is coming from. Apparently under the right circumstances you can get up to 75% polarization this way..
Answer: Why not just take polarizing filter, and mix beam of 100% polarized light with variable ammount of non-polarized light using semi-transparent mirror? One should be careful not to polarize light accidentally :-)
Comment: And what will be the apparatus for mixing?
Comment: semi-transparent mirror )

Partially polarized light in laboratory


What is a good way to determine if you should focus targets in team fights or go for a killing the closest person strat?

Question: Your team really needs to be on the same page with stuff like this but when is it the right call to do one or the other?
Answer: What's your role?

AD/AP carry:

The AD carry or the AP carry, must stay as far as possible from the eye of the storm, if you go in melee range you're probably dead in 2 seconds.
As you can't go too near, try the squishiest nearby target. BUT if your team is protecting you (asthey should), then you can try reach they AD/AP carry. If they have more than one, focus on the "glass cannon" (The one who deals tons of damage, but does not have defense at all). Try to save your Exhaust/Ignite + burst damage for them.

Tank:

The tank's responsibility is to protect their carries/attack the enemy carry. When you are chasing your opponent carry, you can be letting your entire team fall. So stay close, at the same time, attack the enemy carries. Again, focus on the "glass cannon".

Support

Your task is simple but also vital. You need to mess with the opponent. Polymorph their "glass cannon" so your team can finish him without any deaths. Stun their entire team or just the other support or even their tank. You need to think very carefully and fast. Make life and death decisions. You are there to make your team survive the encounter. Stay as far back as possible, you don't need to attack the opponent, you only need to avoid them to attack you and your team. Buffing, shielding and even healing your team is also your task.
Who should I focus the most?
You should focus the closest target to you the most , UNLESS the opponents have someone that can almost solo your team (aka "glass cannon").
The "glass cannon" usually comes in last, waiting until your team is fully engaged in a 5v4 fight. You must stop attacking the opponent and focus on him as soon as he appears close to you.
So I'll put this order.

Glass Cannon
Support
AP Carry
AD Carry
Off-Tank
Tank

Remember some of these other "rules". This should help your judgment.

DO NOT CHASE! Stay with your team
Attack the nearby enemy first (Follow the list above THEN follow this rule)

Should I EVER change this order? When should I change it?
Yes you should! You change this order depending on the enemy formation. Sometimes, the support is ruining all your strategies so badly that it is better finish him BEFORE the glass cannon (you'll notice that sometimes, after this, the enemy team just falls apart). Or even go for the AP carry first (killing the Karthus while he is casting his Requiem is a good way to avoid a huge amount of damage to your entire team).
Remember this formula is relative to your condition. If your team has a good CC (e.g. Fiddle + Alistar) you can CC the opponent carry and support and kill the tank first (this is a very, very VERY rare case).
Again, use your judgment in this question.
Answer: You should focus someone who is building "Glass Cannon." These are the people that have nothing but damage items and no survivability. Next, you should try to kill the people who can lock up your team with stuns and the like. Lastly, focus the tanks, which should almost ALWAYS be last.
Answer: If you catch someone out then by all means throw some damage at them, but the priority in a fight is to kill the carry or "glass cannon" as they deal the highest damage. If you cant do this, then your team may be in a bad position or is on the back foot.
Basically focus on the carry/glass cannon,if your target flashes out/runs away DONT CHASE, I REPEAT DONT CHASE,this will just let you get picked off as you follow. If the target does get away then simply change target, try and peel of the champs attacking your other carry/support etc.
Answer: 90% of the time,its the AD's job to just attack the closest person (Prioritizing non tanks). The tank/brusiers job is to peel off the damage, and the ap's job to burst someone.
Focus should always go away from the tank, unless you have the tank 100% separated from the group. Don't ever waste an ult, or even more then 1 cd on the tank. If you can get the tank inside your circle, while the tank and brusiers keep everyone from collapsing, that is when you target the tank. For the most part, your team will engage, and target the weakest person first. Usually they go for the ad carry, until he flashes, or they go for the AP carry if they have more kills.
The best way to know who to attack, is to look at two things. Who has the most kills/cs and who has the most tanking items/abilities, and who has the most aoe. There are always high priority targets. Kennen, karthus, morgana. They all deal great AOE damage. Take them down before they can kill your entire team. Even if Kennen is behind. A full ult will still lower your entire teams health.
If there are no high priority ult targets. Aim for the person with the most kills, UNLESS its a tank. Never target champions that have more health then everyone else. Targets that are more then 2 levels higher then you. Or targets that have massive defensive items. I've seen multiple games lost because they targeted the ww with frozen heart. He has too much defensive items and too much lifesteal. Go for the champions that can't survive your burst. Getting it to a 4v5, means you can beat the guy who is more defensive.


About constructing potential energy functions

Question: There are many classical systems with different potential functions. My problem is that I do not understand how one can construct a certain potential function for a certain system. Are there any references I can look up in order to understand how the potential functions must look for a system that I am interested in building?
Comment: Are you interested in a mechanical system that simulates the effect of an arbitrary potential or do you want a free space particle to experience a free space potential? Do you want the particle to travel in 1, 2 or 3 dimensions?
Answer: If it's possible to construct a classical potential $V(\vec x)$ for a system, then certainly the gradient of the potential should conincide with the force at every point. Likewise you can think of its values as integrating up the work $\int F\ \text{d}\vec s$ from the lowest point $\vec{x}_0$ of potential energy $V(\vec x_0)\equiv V_0$. And if there is an equilibrium situation, then the potential will have a local mimium there. If you make a second order expansion in that well, then you'll always end up with a harmonic oscillator.
A major guideline is also that the potential will have the same symmetries as the system. If you sit in the center and the whole problem is rotationally symmetric, then a potential of the form $V(|\vec x|)$ will not come as a surprise.
Answer: It depends on the situation. Firstly, if you the look at the points of equilibrium, you know the maxima and minima depending on the nature of the equilibrium (it may be either stable, unstable or metastable equilibrium). As Nick has pointed out in the earlier answer, it depends on the symmetries of the system. Forces which are rotation invariant are generally functions of $|\mathbf{x}|$. (Gravitational, Electromagnetic potential are of the form $1/r$) Sometimes, they do have quantum origin too. Say, the force between two neutral atoms or molecules also called the Van der Waals force goes as $1/r^{6}$. The force is generally modeled by the Lennard-Jones potential which looks as follows:
The Lennard-Jones potential is actually
\begin{equation*}
V_{LJ}(r) = \frac{A}{r^{12}}-\frac{B}{r^6}
\end{equation*}
To get the attractive $1/r^{6}$ term, you need perturbation theory and the assumption that all inter-molecular interactions are electromagnetic in origin. The details of the calculation is given in Sakurai, Chapter 5 (Approximation Methods). The repulsive $1/r^{12}$ term comes from Pauli repulsion. As it seems, the potential is minimum at the van der Waals radius which gives the most stable configuration. This models the real interaction very well and is also used for the nice functional form it has. If I remember correctly, this was also used in the study of the Drude Model (Ashcroft and Mermin) and it gives right answers. So, it is not always right to assume that a classical looking potential will have a classical origin. Hence, a lot of factors goes in while construction of the potential: Equilibrium points, symmetries of the problem, constraints (if any, at all), quantum mechanics, experimental data etc. The skill lies how nicely you can approximate it with a well-behaving function and predict results (as I pointed out earlier, the Drude Model is partially successful in doing it)
Answer: Potentials of real systems are usually constructed on the basis of measured spectral information, which are fitted to assumed general parametric forms for a potential. Thus the parameters are changed iteratively by an optimization routine in such away that the computed spectral differences (which according to theory defines the wavelengths of the spectral lines) best match the measured wavelengths.
For multiparticle potentials, doing this really well is highly nontrivial, and improving the techniques still a matter of research.
An example from the rich spectroscopic literature on the subject is
''Infrared spectrum and potential energy surface of HeCO''
http://scienide2.uwaterloo.ca/~rleroy/Pubn/94JCP-HeCO.pdf