Why is the number 666 considered evil?

Question: People always make jokes about the number 666 and how it's evil and such. What is the basis of this?
Comment: @Paulo: He *was* actually trying to get this to be 666th question, but another user posted shortly before he did. :P
Comment: You added this question only so that the site would not have [666 questions](http://i.stack.imgur.com/ogH2p.jpg) anymore, didn't you?
Comment: @paulo i think he was trying to get #666
Comment: Or perhaps, seeing that the site had 666 questions made him think about why that number is....unique.
Comment: Yeah, there was kind of a race to get #666.  It jumped (within one minute or so) from #665 to #668.
Answer: It is the number of the Beast in Revelation:

Revelation 13:18 (ESV)
18  This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

Its significance is often claimed to be that the Emperor Nero, during whose reign Revelation was written, has a name with the numerical value 666. Citing Wikipedia:

The Greek spelling, "Nerōn Kaisar", transliterates into Aramaic as "נרון קסר", nrwn qsr. The Aramaic spelling is attested in a scroll from Murabba'at dated to "the second year of emperor Nero." Adding the corresponding values yields 666.

Personally, I'm not really satisfied with this explanation at all and am waiting for other answers.
Comment: I'm disappointed. This doesn't explain why it is considered "evil."
Answer: In Revelation 13:18, as cited by Dancek, it is the number of "the Beast".
The verse indicates that is the number of man as well.  A possible reason for this is that mankind was created on the 6th day, so 666 is a three-fold repetition of that.  I understand in Hebrew that repetition signifies degree, so God is called "holy, holy, holy" in Isaiah 6.
Comment: I'm disappointed. This doesn't explain why it is considered "evil."
Comment: It explains. See the "Beast".
Answer: 666 has several possible meanings. The most prominent answer is that, as it is the "number of a name" that it would be Nero. Since there are early manuscripts which have the number as 616 instead and this also can reference Nero (I believe it is in Aramaic as opposed to the Greek).
There are others who have stated that it has to do with the fact that it is DCLXVI in Roman numerals, something which is supposed to have been of special note in ancient Rome.
Personally, I find the Nero answer the most convincing with a caveat -- it is the symbolic future Nero. Most Biblical numerology, in my reading, is similarly future driven (and ALL Apacolyptic literature of that era -- Daniel, Revelation, Enoch, Hermas) -- it has a historical meaning, with an implication for the future.
Comment: I'm disappointed. This doesn't explain why it is considered "evil."
Comment: It's considered "evil" because it is said in the Bible: Listen, this figure is the figure of the Beast. In a verse where the Beast is described as really evil.
Answer: Understanding this number is deeply rooted into how one understands Revelation. I understand it as speaking of a near prophecy of the Roman Empires attack on the church, and in so doing, mirroring a continuous and distant prophecy of the churches existence in the world until the final judgment, with some things principally intending their final fulfilment.  In this contact 666 probably meant something very specific to the readers at the time (which they could decode) as well as being symbolic of something for all time and which at the end of the world may also take on renewed and final significance. History in the Bible is treated as a kind of prophecy so the meaning of 666 may be fulfilled more than once.
The initial meaning has been proposed by those who have studied gematria. Gematria was a popular practice at that time which corresponds letters to numbers, so that summing up a name gives a final number. This was practiced by Jewish mystics. For example, it has been argued by scholars that when the name "Nero Caesar" is spelled with Hebrew letters as נרון קסר (NRWN QSR) — Hebrew is written without vowels — the following addition is made from left to right: 50 + 200 + 6 + 50 + 100  + 60 + 200  =  666.
Emperor Nero may very well have been the initial meaning to the readers. Although our certainty about this is scanty for it seems no standard traditional view developed in subsequent church history, it nevertheless points to the intended meaning. There is little question in my own mind that the beast which is represented by the number was Rome. Rome especially as it represented Emperor Worship, making it difficult for Christians to engage in trade, without somehow paying homage to the idolatry of Rome, was 'the beast' opposing the church. Not only so but this political system that opposed Christ and enforced idolatry was soon to breakout into full undisciplined persecution against the church, which John wanted to prepare them for.
This naturally leads to a higher symbolic meaning of the number of 666. For it is more than coincidental that the Emperor's, who represented the fullness of the 'sinful nature' in a political system opposed to God, should have a name that is also equivalent to the plain biblical meaning of man-man-man. As man was made on the sixth day, this number is connected to him from the earliest scriptural history. Furthermore as seven represented perfection and holiness, being that this day was made holy, with the opposing facts that man fell and became unholy, he fell short of holiness.  Therefore the number means 'unholy-unholy-unholy' or 'fallen short-fallen-short-fallen short'. Three, is often meant to mean perfection in the Bible so this 'sinful nature' described by six, is said to be a perfectly sinful nature by identifying its fallen state three times.
We are now is apposition to see the meaning of 666 in its wider sense. The Roman Empire was a beast, the first beast that came out of the sea (Rev 13:1). The second beast that came from the earth was the religion of Rome in its emperor worship, having 'all the authority of the first beast ' and made 'the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast'(Rev 13:12). By enforcing idolatry among the various professional guilds and trades in the empire it became more and more impossible for Christians to earn a living without worship the beast.  They must be prepared to be martyred according to the prophecy.
Those who fell into the idolatry of Rome and denied their faith had the mark of the beast on their head, or hand. (Rev 13:16). This implies that if a Christian lived a wicked life, denying Christ and falling under the power of wicked Rome they were effective publishing their sins in an obvious way, on their foreheads, or in a more secret manner on their hands. Another view may be that their minds and actions were rules by the sinful nature.
As history progressed the world has continued to persecute the church with the same pressures of idolatry, whether the pressure to worship sex, career, religion, etc. Also at certain points Rome itself has been interpreted by many Protestant theologians as taken a heightened biblical role again. According to these view, Roman history shows a kind of re-fulfilling of its original role, making people worship saints and other idolatries, even killing Christians in the same manner as the original fulfilment.  It makes one wonder whether Rome might not have some direct relationship to the events marking in the end of the world as well. However, regardless of one's view this can't be limited to any one government but represent all secular governments and all the idolatrous nature of man.
Answer: Mike talked about this, but let me clarify a little:
In Greek and Hebrew, they use the same symbols for numbers that they use for letters. Basically, they use the first nine letters of the alphabet for the numbers 1 to 9, the next line letters for 10 to 90, and nine more letters for 100 to 900. As neither Greek nor Hebrew has 27 letters in their alphabet, they used alternate forms of letters or extra symbols to pad it out. See, for example: Hebrew Numbers for how it's done in Hebrew. Then for the number, say, 123, they would use the symbols/letters for 100, 20, and 3.
It would be like in English if we used A=1, B=2, C=3, ... I=9, J=10, K=20, ... R=90, S=100, T=200, ... Z=800, and we'd have to make something up for 900. So the number 123 would be written SKC.
Note that this wasn't some little side game people played now and then. This was how they always wrote numbers. So any number you wrote could look like a word, and any word could look like a number. You had to tell which it was from context.
Also note that unlike Hindu-Arabic numbers, where the order is significant so 19 is a very different number from 91, in Greek and Hebrew the order doesn't matter. The Jews normally wrote with the symbol for the biggest number first, but it wasn't essential. (I'm not sure about the Greeks.)
So they couldn't help but see numbers in every word they wrote. So let me go back to my comparative English example. (As neither I nor, I suspect, many others on this site know Greek or Hebrew.) So for example if you saw the word GUN, you would naturally think 7+300+50=357. You couldn't help but think of 357 as the "number of the gun". It would be inevitable that you'd have cases like, you'd tell a friend that you got paid $357 and he'd joke, "What, do you have a job shooting people now?" And you'd both laugh because you'd both quickly get the joke. Etc.
Of course many words wouldn't be the natural way to write numbers. Like you would normally write 123 as 100+20+3, SKC. But if you saw SKAB, i.e. 100+20+1+2, you would still add it up to 123. So any word could be read as a number, even if it wasn't how you would naturally write that number.
So when John talked about "the number of his name" being 666, this would be instantly understood by any Greek or Hebrew person as meaning that if you add up the values of the letters in his name, it will total 666.
Yes, the Hebrew version of Nero's name adds up to 666. At least, people give a Hebrew version that adds up. I freely admit that I don't know if this is the way people routinely wrote his name in Hebrew or if it is contrived. Anyway, maybe that means he's the Beast that John was talking about, maybe that's just coincidence, I don't know. I've heard so many conflicting theories about Revelation that I reserve judgement.
Let me add that there's a game that's played now and then of taking some public figure that you consider very evil and dangerous and showing that his name adds up to 666. Well, it stands to reason that most names would add up to something less then a few thousand. So one out of every few thousand names likely adds up to 666 by coincidence. With 6 billion people in the world today, if we translated all their names to Greek or Hebrew, there should be a million or so who add up to 666. Given that there are often multiple ways to translate a name between languages, and that you can plausibly choose either Greek or Hebrew, and that you could pick first name or last name or both or use initials or middle names or other variations, you probably have at least a 2 or 3% chance that any given name will come out to 666 without any stretching. Then toss in all the games that people DO play, like casually saying "... and if we double the 'r' ..." or "... and add 32 because he became a senator when he was 32 years old ...", or simply making up their own system of assinging values to letters with no reference to how the Greeks or Hebrews did it, and I'm sure you could get anyone you wanted to add up to 666.
Update in Response to Steve
As others noted, the number 666 is associated with a very evil person, the Beast of Revelation. Of course this doesn't make the number itself evil. When the number 666 comes up coincidentally, like if your change comes out to be $6.66 or a question is the 666th question posted on a web site, people will joke about this being evil. Perhaps some take this seriously. But nowhere does the Bible say that a number is good or evil per se or that such random numbers have any significance. In this case, all that the Bible says about this number is that it is the number of the Beast's name, as I discussed above.
Some people make much of "numerology", attaching some sort of mystic significance to numbers -- in the Bible or in life in general. I am not aware of any place in the Bible that endorses making a superstition out of it. Occasionally the Bible does link two numbers in a symbolic way. Like Exodus 20:11 says that, because God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, that therefore people should work six days and rest on the seventh. Or, Matthew 12:40 says that, as Jonah spent three days in the belly of the whale or great fish, so Jesus would spend three days buried in the Earth before his resurrection.  Perhaps this indicates some special significance to the numbers seven and three. Personally I think God is just making a point about a comparison between two things by re-using a number, not indicating that the number itself has significance.
I suppose a number can acquire symbolic significance just because it is the number associated with something important. Like because grass and leaves are green, the color green has become symbolic of environmentalism, we talk about "green energy" and so on. But I think few see the color green as having any sort of magical properties per se. It's just a color chosen to represent an idea.
Does it matter that the number of the Beast is 666 and not, say 523? The Bible doesn't attach a meaning to the number. Maybe that's simply what the number comes out to. Like if the police warn that a dangerous felon has escaped from prison and that he is wearing a green shirt, I don't ask what the symbolic significance of the color green is. I just take it that that is what color shirt he happens to be wearing. I've heard some discussions of why the number 666 is significant. One I recall is that 6 represents man because man was created on the 6th day, and 3 represents God because God is a Trinity, so 666 is man making himself God. Maybe, it's plausible in a way, but the Bible doesn't say this anywhere.
Answer: One of the reasons people believe the number 666 is evil because of how it is to be forced on humanity against its will in the future (if this incident takes place in the future as a literal event, which not every Christian group believes).
In Revelation 13:15-18, we find an individual leader who makes all people to take the mark in their right hand or forearm, and no one would be able to buy or sell but he who has the mark. This is commonly called the mark of the Antichrist. Modern Christian literature has made much of the fact that this marking is now possible in our digital age, when all the banks and financial centers of the world are interconnected. It is possible to have a mark, or chip of some kind, embedded under the skin that could conceivably replace physical money and cards like credit cards.
So the fear comes from the hysteria that this may happen in our day. Why? Because of the warning in Revelation 14:9-11:

And another angel, a third, followed them, saying with a loud voice,
  "If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his
  forehead or on his hand, he also will drink the wine of God's wrath,
  poured full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be
  tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and
  in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up
  forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, these
  worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark
  of its name."

So people are afraid to take the mark, and equally afraid that if they don't, then they will lose their homes and jobs, for they won't be able to get paid and wouldn't be able to support themselves without the mark.
This is the reason for thinking it is evil, because of the great misfortune of those who take it, and those who don't.
Answer: The triple 6 basically signifies that the person is sealed/marked unto condemnation by the unholy trinity (i.e. the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet), just as the believers are sealed with the stamp (Rev. 3:12), which has on it written the name of God (Jehovah), the name of the city of God (New Jerusalem, the metaphor for the Holy Spirit) and the new name of God (Jesus, since He is the same Jehovah, but now just come in flesh, 1 John 4:2).
Every person gets sealed with the spirit of faith in what he/she believes for salvation (Eph. 1:13; 2 Cor. 4:13). So, for example, if I believe that an idol will save me from hell, my heart would be filled with a spirit of faith in things that cannot save me. Every myth or false doctrine can be symbolized by a 6, because they are creations and because God created everything in 6 days, so that everything created can be symbolized by a 6. Only truth, which is God, cannot be symbolized by this number 6, since God was never created (He always "was"). Faith in truth for salvation, on the other hand, would seal me with 777 on my forehead/arm, i.e. the Holy Trinity. God/truth (John 14:6) can be symbolized by a 7 because God is Eternal Life/eternal rest (John 14:6), and because the Sabbath, which is the 7th day, is a day of rest.
Note also that the same spirit (of faith) which seals us, will likewise rest in our hearts, because it is written that people "believe" by means of their heart (Rom. 10:10). So, if I am not a Christian, for example, I will have 666 in my heart. If, however, I am a Christian, I would have 677 in my heart. Not the full 777 (that's what seals me, but it's not completely what will be in my heart), but only double 7, because one place is occupied by our sin-nature. Not the sin-deeds but the sin-nature. Our sin-deeds get washed away, but our sin-nature can only be washed (not washed "away") and disinfected, like the broken skin of the beaten man by the roadside, to whom ministered the Samaritan.
Our sin-nature, however, gets washed and atoned for when Christ fills our heart to the brim (Romans 8:10). Our sin-nature is with us until we die, and all we can do now is to wash our soul from all past sin-deeds, and get clothed with the double garments of the Spirit, i.e. get filled with the Spirit to the brim. Christ will fully heal us from it only when we meet Him on the other side. It is here to keep us humble by preventing us from exalting ourselves into thinking that we are the sinless God (1 John 1:8; 2 Corinthians 12:7-8).
Note that guilt is like hot coals, it quickly burns holes in our wineskin (Lev. 5:3), causing the wine to spill out and not be able to fill us anymore. This is what we should be aware of most, because if we keep our conscience clear, it is very easy to get refilled, since everything we ever do or say comes from our heart (Matthew 15:11; John 10:38), yet nothing can come out from our heart unless it fills it to the brim first (Luke 6:45; Psalm 23:5)! That means that whenever we do or say something from the Gospel, which can be only done by the Spirit (Luke 6:35-36; 1 Corinthians 12:3; John 15:5; 1 Peter 1:21), we get filled with the Spirit!
As for what the beast is, or the dragon, or the false prophet, the false prophet is everyone who represents those who preach false salvation doctrine (this includes atheism, for example, which is a form of faith, except faith here is faith in the absence of deity, as well as the non-existence of "salvation", in the after-life sense). The beast is every government that outlaws the "saved" kind Christianity (e.g. Europe of Middle Ages, many of today's moslem countries, North Korea, Soviet Russia, etc.). And the dragon is just the devil. The collective false prophet looks like the lamb because he offers his own doctrines as true, just as Christ would offer His, causing people to worship his religion/faith/"image"/idol, just as Christ tried to get people to worship truth/God. He would share ethics with the beast, and would try to get people to obey certain laws of the beast that God would just never give us faith to do, like burning incense to an idol or facing death (Rome the first few centuries A.D.), for example. Often the false prophet would be in charge of the beast altogether. For example in ancient Rome the caesar would also be the high priest. Another example is king Nebuchadnezzar of ancient Babylon erecting for himself a statue and making a decree to cause everyone worship his image. A recent example is Hitler when he outlawed sheltering the Jews.
Please note, that by "saved" Christianity I do not mean Catholic church, because they also believe they'll be saved, but this faith is based on the doctrine of Purgatory, which says everyone will be saved eventually. The kind I meant is the one that preaches that we shall be saved as long as we keep our souls washed of sins (even the unforgivable can be forgiven, since God's mercy triumphs over all of His condemnations, James 2:13), and clothed with the robe of the abundance of the Holy Spirit (lukewarm heart does not count, Rev. 3:16). Hope this helps.
Comment: Hi and welcome to the site! Are you presenting the interpretation from a particular group's (Tradition/denomination/doctrincal stance etc.) point of view or is it your own interpretation? If the former, could you please provide a link/reference to support it (if the latter, it is actually off-topic here - see [how we are different from other sites](http://meta.christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/1808/how-we-are-different-than-other-sites)).
Comment: My views are based on the Word of God and I did provide reference to the Scripture about everything I said. As for your rules, its structure is unergonomic and its content is offensive to Christians. For example you say: "I/you are a Christian, but 'we' are not". This statement contradicts itself. I praise that Kingdom of God is in every place, so that I am free to preach here despite of what you say. You are free to delete me. I shall count it all joy.

Why is the number 666 considered evil?


"Digitally Remastered" Vinyl albums

Question: I have a vinyl record that says it has been digitally remastered - this would mean that there is no true analogue wave anymore.  One reason I still have and buy vinyl albums is because they are supposed to be analogue.  Is the digital wave on a remastered vinyl any better than a CD (44kHz/16bit) or would it be something closer to the studio quality digital audio?
Answer: Analogue medium do technically have a higher dynamical range than digital due to the nature of being analogue ("atom"-level wave description, although you have material limitations of the material vinyl itself, but still). If the human ear can hear the difference of a 24-bit digital version of it, or even a 16-bit version, is of course open for debate.
If the content on the vinyl has been digitally re-mastered the dynamic range of the analogue version would naturally have been capped off. The main purpose however is to remove hiss, noise, improve spatial and EQ area and such. Putting it back on vinyl you will still not be able to avoid static electricity and other "flaws" of the vinyl medium so in my opinion it is not necessary better if the original recording, provided it was all analogue, sounded good as it was.
If it has been digitally (re)mastered it will sound "better" (technically speaking as this will be a matter of opinion) on CD as the benefits of analogue (mainly dynamic range) is gone.
(Also as a side-note, the best mastering engineers uses analogue processing such as tape-saturation in their chain, but you will end up digital at the end nowadays. However, the membrane of the loudspeaker will remain analogue - nothing will change that for a while).
Comment: Usually the processing itself is done nowadays at 24-bit or 32-bit float (the latter is eventually converted to 24-bit integer). The Hz is not so important other than when dealing with anti-aliasing. But for vinyl 24-bit resolution is preferable (order of tracks matter too, and they can be mastered differently as outer tracks "behave" differently than inner tracks when it comes to vinyl). All in all tracks for vinyl are typically mastered specifically for this medium. But of course, no rule without exception - some could be "cynical" and use the same master for vinyl, cd and digital stores.
Comment: Trust me, I'm not here for the 24bit vs 16bit debate (there have been too many of those)!  But would the sample-rate and bit-depth of the digital audio pressed onto a vinyl be higher than those of a CD (44.1kHz/16bit)?  For **example** would they do the digital "mastering" with 192kHz/32bit audio?  Or would the mixers just downsample it to "CD quality"?
Answer: the "digital remastering" itself is not a problem. the year it was done and by who will affect whether it became a problem in a specific instance.
if you can get a mint copy of an original issue vinyl album, it's often nicer sounding, but it depends on your taste of course and your reference points.  the digital vs analog aspect of remastering especially these days is of immeasurable consequence to the quality of the master or any copies of any music.
if you can't just listen to a copy and judge if you like it or that it's made well, but you want to avoid later realising you bought a dud copy of something when your perception improves or you hear a better copy, then all you have to go by is what you know or what your experience has been with the label, studio, era and engineers involved.  for example, an album remastered by universal in the past 10 years is probably terrible, unless it's from universal france in which case it might be great depending on who worked on it, have a listen. stuff form japan is probably incredible from any issuer any year, etc.
to elaborate on why.. good engineers will have made high definition masters 96kHz * 24bit and not made the audio to fit the digital format constraints, but instead processed the signal for the constraints of the vinyl disc cutting and playback, and done that with analogue processes (a whole other big q and a), and the guy cutting the disc will have a good lathe, head, tip and a lot of experience.
re the technicalities if it puts your mind at ease --tho it probably won't-- ...
in digital audio you have a sudden absolute limit to bandwidth occurring just before half of the sample / clock rate for playback. this is done using a sync filter combined with some other filtering. there is a small amount of intermodulation with that clock rate as a result of the impossibility of making ideal filters and other imperfections.  also if you have very high frequency information and digital masters are not made very well --and most are not-- you will get overshooting and distortion in playback and other nasty sounds. some like the nastiness, some don't. there are always varying amounts of alias frequencies due to all this, scattered thru your final digital audio, making it a touch cloudy and digital sounding. these things are the trade offs of digital.  in the end tho, typical dynamic range and bandwidth for consumer grade digital is around 93dB +/-3dB from 0Hz to 19kHz, roughly, or way more than double that for higher resolutions like 96kHz 24bit or other resolutions used professionally.  unfortunately to cover all bases in this explanation would require writing a book and if you really care to understand it, you will need devote a few years of your life to studying and working with it.
in contrast to the constraints of the digital system, stereo vinyl has a dynamic range which is extremely complicated to explain and define, and varies by sooo many factors but typically it falls off in the center of the stereo image by 6dB from around 2kHz heading up and down the spectrum, tapering off further at 500Hz and around 13kHz around the outer perimeter of the disc at 33rpm when the disc is virgin, also taper off even further at 50Hz and don't think about having anything around that frequency in the stereo field, the range is also limited further in all dimensions depending on stereo content and how much energy at what frequencies is in the left or right channel.  and now consider at best you have around 80dB of range at that ideal point in the mids in the center of the stereo image, due to surface noise and other systemic noise. tho this varies hugely depending on cutting and playback systems and actual content of the signal cut to disc, the system is highly non linear in every respect but the distortions and noise do help to disguise other nasties that are otherwise revealed in the audio, like tape hiss or digital distortions, what have you, and all this ends up sounding nice to people who listen to and like the sound of vinyl.
so yeah, whatever really. the music and the particular product are what count. not whether something was / is digital or analog.
Answer: I'd like to take an Occam's Razor approach to this question:
Maybe the mastering engineer on the original didn't do such a great job or it could simply mean the press wasn't that great (each stamper is only good per 1000 presses, and degrades with each successive stamp).  If it was recycled vinyl versus virgin vinyl, well, the press is pretty much screwed before it's finished.  As such, the final vinyl output maybe wasn't all that great.
So, the best copy they find might have been carefully digitized, re-mastered within the digital/DAW domain (re-EQed, dynamics correction, stereo imaging/phasing correction, etc), and then carefully taken through a new vinyl pressing process again with great precision for a better, more definitive product, "digitally remastered".
Source: As a former House DJ and still House enthusiast, I do this all the time with all vinyl I buy (well, except the re-pressing).  White labels are notorious for being not that great of presses, and usually need to be digitized at a high sample rate into the digital domain, and re-mastered for optimal fidelity.  In this case, the resulting digitally-stored file (after digitally-remastering) will sound miles better than the original vinyl.

"Digitally Remastered" Vinyl albums


Character Building tips for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion?

Question: What are your good tips/strategies for making a good character build in Oblivion?
Comment: Why is this closed? I understand it. It asks for strategies about character building.
Answer: The Elder Scrolls Wiki has a lengthy article on this very topic: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Character_Creation
Perhaps the biggest: Plan from the beginning as to what kind of character you want to play. If you want to play a brawling fighter-type, eschewing magicka entirely, the Atronach might be a better sign than if you were making a mage. (Or inversely, a Dunmer[Dark Elf] with the sign of the Lord (I think it's the lord) won't suffer increased fire damage because of their innate racial resistance to it.)
Answer: If you are not modding the enhancement system, my strongest advice would be custom classes! Look at the defaults -- they're pretty decent, but often they use certain skills to level that you may not want/need with the type of character you're playing. Conversely, if you're looking for more of a challenge, you can put skills like athletics and acrobatics (both of which, I found, were hard to do simultaneously) in your custom class.
Remember that your skill choices will correlate directly to your attribute growth as well. For example, heavy use of blade will increase your strength. If you choose your class skills wisely, you can max out your character's most important attributes (whatever they happen to be to you) relatively quickly.
One important thing to note: There are no rules governing who may join the various guilds and factions. Thus, you can be a 98-pound-weakling with an arsenal of heavy destruction magicka and still be in the fighter's guild; conversely, you can be an all-brawn-no-brains axe-wielding thug and still become the archmage of the mage's guild.
One of the awesome things about Oblivion is that it is nearly infinitely replayable, simply on account of the extremely flexible class system. I've played through it completely at least three times (I lost track) -- once as a sneaky archer type with some magic for backup, once as a pure magick-using mage, and this most recent time as a close-combat sword-wielding maniac. (That was fun. I don't remember what I called that class, but the hardest part of leveling at higher levels was that I'd chosen both acrobatics and athletics.) Experiment and have fun.
Oh, finally, one last thing to note: Oblivion tends to level up the enemies as you level up. Thus, having more powerful weaponry at lower levels can make the game much easier than just constantly being on the level-up track. That said, by level 20 or so, just about everything is relatively easy. By level 30, the only issue you should have is exactly how to carry all your loot out of an Oblivion gate.
(My highest-level character was the most recent, the sword-wielding acrobatic guy, at 45 upon completion of all the add-ons.)
Answer: The interesting thing about this game is how you level up.  Since you need to increase ten levels in your 'core' abilities in order to gain a level you can either try to make it really easy to level up by creating a custom class that has core abilities that you use all the time, or go the exact opposite and have your core skills the ones you use least often.
I'm a sneaky guy. I sneak everywhere, so having sneak would be good to level up fast, while athletics would help me level more slowly because you can't gain experience in athletics and sneak at the same time (in theory, anyway).  The same kind of ying/yang can be found in the type of weapon you use and to an extent the type of armour you wear (although this can be mixed)
Selecting a character type should be dependant on the stat bonuses, not resistances.  A breton with high magic can still be a fighter, but an orc or redguard may have more trouble casting higher spells later.  Immunity/resistance to fire/poison/disease and even waterbreathing can be gained with items so they shouldn't weigh too heavily in your choice.
Ultimately though this game has tons of replay, and part of that is trying out new combinations.  Go nuts and have fun!
Answer: After playing hundreds of hours of Oblivion, I finally made a pure mage class.
The clue is that if you want to be both able to cast powerful spells and at the same time wield the best weapons in game, it is easier to train a mage to use sword or the like rather than teach a pure STR class to use magic, because (here comes the most important part) : you cannot use the mightiest spells since you don't have the mana for it.
That is a bit of a shame, since there are so many fantastic spells in the game!
Answer: Also, the question of whether you want to mod the advancement system or not is really relevant.  If you do not, you might want to make sure you have a skill tied to each primary attribute.  That way you can get to a better overall statistical level with a little extra effort.  I don't think that is at all necessary, but if you like to min/max it is something to consider.


How do I sync my iCal with an Android smart phone from T-Mobile?

Question: I am a T-Mobile customer wanting to upgrade to a smart phone.
I would like to be able to sync my Macbook iCal to Gravity Smart or Mytouch 3G.
Is this possible without being complicated?
Answer: iCal speaks CalDAV and Exchange active sync - so you have many choices to sync your phone to any server that makes sense to you.
Google calendars work well for a free solution, but it is only one of many services that you could use.
Answer: Probably the easiest way is to Sync your iCal to a Google account and then sync the phone from google. Android phones are very easy to sync with any google service and they get push notifications, push email, etc., as long as it's associated with a gmail account.
Of course, that means you have to use iCal connected with Google and if you don't like google services, you're hosed. On the other hand, if you don't like google services, don't get an android phone, most of the "best" features work side by side with gmail.
For professional reasons, I had to switch to Android phones and the first thing I did was move all my Apple stuff to Google and then sync from there. Whether you prefer iOS or Android doesn't change the fact that once everything is in Sync, the Android/Google thing works ok too.


Plane activities for little ones

Question: I am taking four children ages 2,3,4, and 8 on a 4+ hour plane ride.  Ideas for entertaining them WITHOUT plugging them in for the entire time would be much appreciated.  We have the basics, crayons, coloring books, playdough, but what else can we do to keep the whining to a minimum?
Comment: It would be nice to see answers that address the various age groups, as well as the younger children (babies - 2 year olds)
Comment: Here's one I haven't seen mentioned: bring a couple of hand puppets.  The tall seats are ideal for showing puppet antics just above the top of the seats.  It works best if the older child sits in the row ahead of the little one(s), and kneels on his seat to put on the show.  It doesn't need to have a plot.
Answer: I don't know how into books your oldest one is, but it might be time to start a new book or book series ;-) if he/she is into that sort of thing.
Also...if your kids are at all prone to motion sickness, make sure you take some dramamine or something to help with that.  As an added benefit, dramamine makes most people drowsy.  I'm not advocating drugging your kids to survive the trip, but if motion sickness is an issue anyway, it's a nice side effect to have in this case.
We have traveled on a planee twice with our son (shortish flights--about an hour and ahalf--when he was 2 and 3), and once with our daughter (at around 16 months).  We have found that the younger the child, the more "stuff" you need to keep them entertained.  If they've never flown before (or even if they have), looking out the window alone is pretty good entertainment for a little while (I wouldn't count on more than 10 minutes or so though and if it's dark outside then that's pretty well shot, too).
I know you don't want to plug them in the whole time, but certainly throw a dvd or video game or something in there in case you are absolutely at your wits end.  Especially if you get stuck out on a tarmac or in a holding pattern or your flight gets delayed or any of those other annoying contingencies that seem to happen when traveling by air.  Last time we flew (Christmas), our flight out of Atlanta was delayed for 3(!) hours.  Hartsfield may be the busiest airport in the world, but it's still just an airport and the concourse gets boring after about an hour.
I did find this website that I wish I'd found earlier when we traveled called DeliciousBaby and they've got some good lists of toys/games/activities for kids on planes broken down into age groups, fortunately there are several items on the lists that can cross-over between age groups.
And I agree with Rachel.  Give the kids a small bag and let them pick some of the stuff to take with them--well, certainly your oldest.  You never know what a 2-year-old is going to pack...
Hope all goes well for you!
Answer: I would say that snacks are a must.  I would also definitely recommend gum (for the older one) and a sippy cup for the younger ones to help their ears adjust during takeoff and landing.
If they have any favorite animals or blankets, those might be obvious choices.
I would also let them help with the packing.  Give them a small bag (or whatever amount of stuff is reasonably carried) and let them decide what to put in it.
Another suggestion is to have a few brand new items in your bag to take out mid flight.  They could be as simple as happy meal toys, but the newness will keep their attention for a while.  This might be too much trouble, but you could wrap the new things up fancy, just to eat up a few extra minutes with the guessing what it is and unwrapping.
Answer: Though I always start with non-electronic activities, I make sure to keep a few tucked into my bag as a backup. There is nothing more miserable than realizing they've run through everything you packed them, and that there are three hours left in this stupid flight. Also, don't forget, you could have your flight delayed, and that one hour space before the flight could turn into four.
As for non-electronic toys, I've found keeping things as multipurpose as possible works well. I take paper pads rather than coloring books, books that can be read or just looked at (like Where's Waldo). Specifically, here's some things I've packed that have worked really well:

Where's Waldo (big, but perfect for more than one kid to look over)
Paper tablets (one per kid) and a box of 24 crayons (one per kid)
Snacks (no, they're not a toy, but they take time to consume)
Magazines that are age appropriate
Playing cards (best game to teach the kids for a plane trip: Blackjack. It's easier to hide your cards)

Once I'm at the airport, each kiddo gets to pick out one thing from the airport shop to add to their pile of goodies.
Also, please consider giving every child their own seat, even if they technically could be in your lap. A woman did this on a three hour flight with her two year old, and it was miserable on her, the child, and her seat-mates.
// mother of a ten and four year old
Answer: I have flown frequently with my children, now 7 and 4.  We have traveled a lot-and on long flights-like to Europe or to Hawaii from the midwest.  I do not like electronics for them, I prefer other things-I let them play/watch for 30 minutes per 4 or 5 hours of flight or per flight.  However, if they get really fussy, I might allow an extra 30 minutes or so... it is a special circumstance-considering how close the other passengers who don't love my children no matter what are.
We color, read, play dot-to-dot, play with toys.  I don't recommend cards, legos, or anything small.. playdough is a possibility for the oldest-but you aren't going to be able to keep them from grabbing onto the armrest or the walls or the chair or the... to keep them clean, so I personally would opt away from anything messy (paint or whathaveyou).  Color wonder is great, magnadoodles are AWESOME for the 2-4yos, but also older ones... etch-a-sketch?  I pack up little pony or littlest petshop things in a zippy bag-no SMALL items allowed and then they can play with that on their trays.  There are magnetic puzzles out there that my oldest enjoys-the container is metal and all the pieces are magnets.  Lace-up toys are good for on the plane for the 2-4 yo.  I brought a pop-up toy (big but SOOO worthwhile) for our almost 2yo once.. it was the hit of the trip.  I also brought one of those melissa and doug activity puzzles with the locks and things-again, big.. but a HUGE hit for the plane and it did fit in my carry on.
Think creatively... I always have 1 new toy, 1 new coloring thing, and 1 new book minimum for on the plane-at all ages for each child.  And I ONLY pull out a new thing when ABsolutely necessary.
Also, going for a walk up and down the aisle can provide hours of entertainment for the younger set (with you following, of course).. just don't go up too close to the front-they frown on that.
Don't forget to check if any of the lavatories have a baby changing station-some airplanes have them, some don't and USUally only 1 has it, if at all.
Enjoy!
Edited to include more 0-2 info and then some!.....
I always brought a new Sassy toy that lit up and had music (or something similar).  It kept my 6-12m olds intrigued when nothing else would.  However, there are some in this set that are WONDerful fliers.. and others who just aren't.  I used all of the same techniques with both of my children and one was a great flyer-whereas the others ears just never popped-no matter what I did... so, she wasn't the happiest flyer in those days.  Do know that they get over that-and learn how to pop their ears eventually.  At the younger age, I tried to time flights with naptime in there-or a little late for naptime (and then keep them up until we were on the plane)... there were flights that they fell asleep on the ascent and slept for 2-3 hours of the trip.  Or they'd fall asleep once up.  Early flights work well for this, too-because they end up waking up as you leave the house.. and then are up with all the commotion to the airport, at the airport, etc... and fall asleep on the plane (usually) at some point.
Snacks are wonderful distractions for the toddler and younger set, too.  I always brought more than they would need-some of their favorite-but healthy ones.
I should think the older set (possibly the 8yo?) might enjoy doing a trip journal of some sort... draw pictures of interesting things in the airport, on the plane, etc... write about it if they feel like it.  You can take some lined or unlined paper, fold it in half, put construction paper folded around it for a cover-and you've got a journal.  Or maybe have them draw pictures of what/who they hope to see/do once they get there.
A dry-erase board that fits in a locker and some markers and a cloth would be good.. they can color to their hearts content or play hangman or tic tac toe or whatever and then erase it and do something different.
Also, I would give the older ones something to do... draw a pictures to give to people you may be visiting, write postcards on the way home to family and friends, write a story about traveling in 100 words or less.. or more?  Play some games with them-there are lots of travel games out there... backgammon, chess, sorry, settlers of catan, etc... that are perfect for plane trips with older children.  And then there are always books and/or magazines for older children, too.
I second the idea of a sippy bottle... nursing, bottle, juice-all are good for on the way up and down... keeps those ears open.  I always ask the flight attendant if I could have a little juice in the sippy bottle when they come around pre-flight.. I have never been denied that.  Usually they want to help the wee ones have a good flight, if they can.  Also, some airlines (southwest and international flights, minimumally) have items they give to kids.. and some even have wings, if you ask.  (we have recently gotten delta wings, I think?)
Also, I only got an extra seat for my under 2yo once-and otherwise never needed it.  They love having the snuggle time on your lap... That one time, I was traveling alone with her-and wanted to be able to put her in her carseat for her nap-and give my arms a rest... as long as you have someone else who is willing to help hold the infant/toddler, an extra seat is not usually necessary.
Comment: +1 for everything except the not needing a seat for your under 2-year-old.  This is entirely up to the personality of your child.  When we flew with our daughter at Christmas (who was only 16 months old at the time), she HATED sitting in our laps and was much happier when she had her own seat.  If she had been younger and essentially immobile, I would agree with you 100%.
Answer: I would suggest small, portable board games such as Zombie Dice, or a more PC version of the same: Martian Dice.
A personal favorite of mine is Hive.
Other suggestions: Puzzles, the kind where you have to figure out how to release the horseshoe or ring or whatever. Something they won't be able to figure out without at least an hour of trying.
Any mental effort they consume will make them drowsy and, eventually, sleepy - bonus.
Answer: I don't understand the general ire for electronics.
In this situation, it's really a matter of the macro-child-rearing value of avoiding screen addiction vs the quality of life for you and nearby passengers for 4 hours as the kids get bored of playing rock/paper/scissors and start noising.
Lets face it: middle class kids that age have no idea what it's like to be in a world without screens. a middle class 8 yo simply can't fathom a world without a zillion hd tv channels, dad's smartphone and wikipedia. My 6 yo will sit and read... whatever... on a vanilla Kindle for HOURS... but won't look at a paper copy of the same book. So if the 4yo want's to play his Leapfrog on the flight, then falls asleep, then wakes up and does it till you land... how is that bad?
Screens are as much a part of their being as a car is to us, their parents. I grew up with a car but my dad never really sat in a car till he was almost 10. Expecting that our kids sit and occupy themselves for an afternoon without screen time would be like you or I attempting to do Saturday errands on a bicycle. To that, I say "lol".
If I know you from your history here, you moderate their screen time anyway. Therefore, this 'special situation' (4 hr flight to a special destination) could benefit everyone from a 'special rule' for screen time.
I'm not saying you should jack them in for the whole time. What i'm saying is that i don't think you should go so hard out of your way to avoid it. In this sutation, it's a tool... and if it works, it works.
Something else i'll bet you didn't think about . . . by avoiding screen time, you'll be packing a big giant Felix the Cat "Bag of Tricks" that may force you to check your luggage. Cha-ching.

Mods: I know I know. . . I didn't really answer the question, I questioned the premise of the question... but I wanted to defend the perspective of kids and reasonable screen time.
Comment: Unfortunately, in many planes nowadays it is impossible to escape movies and electronic games, which are often on the back of the seat in front of you.  The worst is when someone on the aisle seat one row up but on the other side of the aisle is watching something violent, disgusting or gruesome.  This can be frightening for toddler and up, and it can make it difficult to get the tiny one to nap.
Answer: I've done a lot of road trips and a few airplane trips with my now 6-year-old and often alone.  I have NEVER needed to have a DS, video player or any other such thing and we've always been just fine.
There are TONS of travel games out there.  My four year old enjoyed travel boggle last summer, not as a game to play with others, but simply because reading was newish to her and she relished in the fact that she could find words herself!  Check out these two articles for more ideas:
I mention computer games in here because they are an option, especially if it is a super long flight, but there are other ideas too:  http://pinchxeverything.blogspot.com/2012/06/toddlers-and-preschoolers-on-airplane.html
This one is how I pack our car with Travel Activities for long road trips.  Obviously you won't want to bring as much, but hopefully it will give you ideas for everyone - including the 8 year old.  http://pinchxeverything.blogspot.com/2012/04/my-travel-bucket.html
I think you are right for trying to help your kids balance their screen time with other entertainment right from the start.  It will help them be more balanced as well as creative about how to spend their time when they are older.  You might also consider it a time to connect by predicting what you will see and do, or by reviewing stories and memories from your fun trip together.
Answer: Most of the parents find it difficult to how to keep their kids engage in activities. There are few wimple activities were kids can have fun.
Make some velco craft sticks.
Make an activity binder to take with you
Make them to paint
Make some craft stick puzzles!
You can make them to coloring pages with crayons. As this is one of the best activity were kids will have lots of fun.
My kid love doing the paintings and coloring pages pages as the are related to colors. So do collect the pages and take the print out of the page before travelling. Recently we went to travel to my moms place I have downloaded horse coloring pages from this site.
http://www.momjunction.com/articles/horse-coloring-pages_00102190/
So every kid love to color the sheets. It better engage in doing any coloring activities.

Plane activities for little ones


What do I do when asked to "open the Aron" or "take out the Torah"?

Question: If I'm in synagogue and someone asks me if I can "open the Aron" or "take out the Sefer Torah," what will I be expected to do, and when?
Answer: It depends on the synagogue, and depends what you're being asked to do. I'll assume the synagogue is Ashkenazic.
If you're being asked to open the aron (cabinet holding the Torah scrolls) for a particular prayer, but the scrolls are not to be removed, then the first step is to approach the aron at the appropriate time. (Actually, as mentioned in the other answer, some synagogues will want you to wear a talis for the occasion. If you're not wearing one already, then ask the person who gives you the job whether you need one and where you can get one.) The time to approach will be signaled by the gabay (usually the person who asked you), at least if you ask him (when he asks you to do the job) to signal you when you should do it. Or he might tell you ahead of time to do it at a certain point in the service, in which case you'll have to keep track. Once you're near the aron, you touch it and kiss your hand (or kiss it directly), wait until the appropriate point (signaled by having reached the right point of the service, by someone's signaling you (perhaps the rabbi, who usually prays near the aron), or by the entire two-hundred-person congregation's staring at you expectantly), and then open the aron. More on the mechanics of this in a bit. After the prayer is concluded, you close the aron, touch it and kiss your hand (or kiss it directly), and return to your place (not by the shortest route). People may tell you "chazak uvaruch" or "y'yasher kochacha" or "shkoyach" (all good wishes (blessings) told to someone who did a good job) or similar, and an appropriate reply is "baruch tihye" (="you should be blessed [too]") or just "thanks". Return the talis to wherever (or whomever) you got it from, and your job is done.
If you're asked to also remove the Torah scroll from the aron, then, in addition to the above, you, well, you remove the Torah scroll from the aron. You can check with the rabbi (who, again, is usually praying near the aron) about precisely when to remove it: some synagogues like to do so before, and others after, a prayer called B'rich Sh'meh. Also check with him which to remove, if there's more than one (except that if there's only one without a belt visibly around it, then that's the one to remove). When he gives you the nod, you remove it with two hands, kiss it, hold it in your right (even if you're a lefty, unless you are afraid you may drop it, in which case hold it in your stronger hand) or both hands, leaning against your right shoulder, and when the leader of the prayers approaches you, hand it to him with both hands. You hold it, and hand it over, in a vertical position. If it's behind a cordon, you will probably have to detach one end of the cordon first, in which case reattach it after handing the scroll over if there's another scroll behind the same cordon, or after returning that scroll to the aron if there isn't. You close the aron after handing the scroll over also. Then the leader of the prayers will carry the scroll, and you follow him until he puts it down on its table. Get the gabay to tell you when to return the scroll to the aron and where to stand to get it (in most synagogues, near the aron); then reopen the aron, detach the cordon if necessary, receive the scroll, kiss it, place it in, and reattach the cordon. In some synagogues you can close the aron when you're done; others will want to wait until the prayer recited when the scroll is being returned to the aron is concluded; usually (in my experience) the former don't sing that prayer and the latter do. The rest of the instructions are the same as above (in the case that you're not handling a Torah scroll).
On occasion, the rabbi or someone will tell you that there two Torah scrolls being removed from the aron that day. In that case, in some synagogues, you'll hand the second scroll to someone also, and proceed as above. In others, you have to hold it with one hand while you close the aron (and put the cordon back) with the other, which can be difficult. In that case, if you are afraid you will drop the scroll, ask the rabbi or someone else standing there to close the aron for you, explaining that you can't because of the scroll: he'll be glad you asked and will do it. (On Chanuka there may even be three scrolls to take out, in which case someone else will be there to take the second and either you or another will hold the third, as above.)
The mechanics of opening (and closing) the aron: Usually there's a curtain in front of the aron; this must be moved aside. If there's a drawstring hanging down in front of the aron on one side, then it probably controls the curtain; otherwise, just shove the curtain aside manually (it'll be on a curtain rod). Then there'll be a door. Sometimes it's a sliding door, sometimes a hinged door. Sometimes it's a safe. You'll be able to figure out how to open it, or someone there will tell you. Occasionally there's a curtain inside the doors instead of outside, in which case open it as described above for an exterior curtain.
I have not included a discussion of Simchas Tora, a day when many scrolls are removed and the procedure is somewhat different, nor of Hosha'na Raba, a day when, in many synagogues, several scrolls are removed, but also with a different procedure.
This answer is without citations to sources, but is based on what I've seen people do. Not everyone (and not every synagogue) does everything I've mentioned; not necessarily does everything I've mentioned have a basis in halacha. For practical halachic guidance, as always, CYLOR; let this be only a starting point of your discussion with him.
Comment: "Once you're near the aron, you touch it, kiss your hand" I've never seen anyone kiss his hand after touching the aron: a) Is this common? b) Is there a source for this?
Comment: @Curiouser, (a) I don't know. I've seen it done, though. (b) I don't know, and don't have time at the moment to look around. Feel free to [ask a new question on this site](http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/ask), indicating that you've heard of the custom (as you now have `:-)` ) and wonder about its commonness and source.
Comment: ...and now @Curiouser's question [is a separate question on this site](http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/12016). Incidentally, related to this question & answer are some other questions with the tag [tag:opening-the-ark], qq.v.
Comment: There are also three scrolls when parashat hachodesh falls out _on_ rosh chodesh Nisan. Or when parashat shekalim falls out on rosh chodesh Adar.
Answer: Do you have a Tallit?  You'll need one (in some synagogues you can get away without one if it's a weekday and you're wearing Tefilin).
The biggest "gotcha" I recall is that you need to be around afterwards to put it back!


Ubuntu x64 installation

Question: So my computer tells me that the processor is 64-bit capable, but it has 32-bit Windows Vista installed on it. Would it be okay to install 64-bit Ubuntu alongside 32-bit Windows or would it have big negative effects on my computer?
Answer: that will work fine. I did the same on my Asus 1201n EEE PC. :)
If you got less than 2Gb RAM I wouldn't install 64-bit since it uses slightly more RAM, not much but slightly. It depends on how much RAM you normally uses, like do you have 15 tabs opened in Chrome at the same time, then 32-bit might be slightly better. But this is a corner case and in most cases you don't have to worry about this.
Answer: there wouldn't be any problem for doing this , I have 32 bit windows 7 and UBUNTU 64 bit alongside it . I have a desktop pc with this combination and a hp probook laptop too .
if you want to do this I recommend you to have different partition for UBUNTU and your windows , I would not suggest you to install ubuntu on the same partition that windows is , and make sure you have more than 2 gigabyte RAM .

Ubuntu x64 installation


Wort Chiller Cool Down Times?

Question: What tools or tricks is everyone using to cool their wort down after the boil? How long does it take you to get down below 70 degrees? I am using an older copper wort chiller (hooks up to a garden hose) that a friend of mine made and has worked okay in the past but its getting kind of beat up and losing its nice coil shape so I was thinking of an upgrade. In the Michigan winter I am able to get our wort down below 70 in about 20 minutes and in the summer about 30 minutes. Any advice or tips would be much appreciated.
Answer: I've used the bathtub method, a home made immersion chiller (IC) and a counterflow chiller (CFC).  My beer improved by a great leap when I switched to the CFC.  I have not timed it, however I estimate it takes me around 20 minutes to chill 10 gallons of wort.
During the summer in this part of Texas the ground water is about 82º making it pretty much impossible to get a good chill.  To augment my CFC I will run the cooling water through an immersion chiller submerged in an ice bath.
My next project is to set up a whirlpool immersion chiller

The immersion chiller acts normally and the hot wort is circulated out of the kettle drain and returned to the inside of the chiller.  An IC is somewhat inefficient because only the wort surrounding it gets the benefit of chilling.  Moving the chiller around (or the wort around the chiller) speeds up the process.  A whirlpool speeds up the process tremendously.  To use this method you need a pump.
Answer: I have left my brewing spoon in the hot wort at flameout.  Then as the chill progresses I can stir it around abit to get the cold wort away from the chiller and the hot wort in contact with the chiller.
I have also picked up the chiller by the cold inlet tube and swirled the whole thing around a few times.  That seems to work well too.
So, you can manually move the wort around a bit if you don't have a pump.
I have a 50' 1/2" copper IC, FWIW.
I have an older 25' 3/8" copper IC, that I use as a prechiller in the summer.
Answer: I just got the Blichmann Therminator.  It chills my wort from boiling to 68 using 58F water in 40 seconds.  It'll chill down to 61F in less than 3 minutes.
I also use about a 1/12 the amount of water I use to to chill with my old immersion chiller.
Comment: Unless you're only chilling a very small volume, I'm highly skeptical. Given Newton's Law of Cooling and the stated performance from Blichmann (10 gal in 5 min to 68 oF using 58 oF cooling water at 5 gpm) that _seems_ impossible.
Comment: Want want want.
Answer: Second that on the Therminator. Unmatched chilling ability. I have been using it for a couple of years without any of the issues some users have mentioned with crud inside but I always backflush it with hot water and recently have been including it in my CIP with PBW.
I am capturing the hot water from the output and using it to clean up my mash-tun.

Wort Chiller Cool Down Times?


Podcast #4: Google I/O, Ditching the Mac OS X DVD, Reeder

Question: This is the fourth episode of the Ask Different Podcast, an unofficial podcast created by members of the Ask Different community about Apple and related technologies.
Your hosts this week are Kyle Cronin, Jason Salaz, and Nathan Greenstein.

We begin with site discussion: What, exactly, is the scope of Ask Different? Are questions about Windows XP graphics drivers acceptable? What about Mac-compatible Unix distros? Kyle tells us the vision he had for the site when he proposed it, and how recent questions do and don't fit in.
The recently released iMacs ship with a new feature! A new style SATA power connector replaces a thermal sensor cable. We discuss the purpose, and the positive and negative merits of this recent change.
We discuss the onslaught of Google I/O news, starting with Google Music. Users can upload 20,000 songs from their own computer. Google Music only works on devices supporting Flash, and Android phones.
"Chromebooks", based on the Cr-48 prototype, to be released next month.

Also announced was the Chromebook rental program. While originally announced as a flat rate $20/month rental for students, and businesses for $28/month, these prices vary depending on the exact model rented. Also, these rental programs with have a 3 year contract in tow.
A flat rate purchase with no contract will range from ~$350-$500 depending on vendor (ASUS / Samsung) and features (WiFi only, 3G). Currently it appears that certain models will be available from Best Buy, and all from Amazon. Engadget has all currently known details.

The war of attrition took another step between Facebook and Google, as we learn of Facebook's attempt at smearing Google's over privacy claims. An ad agency hired by Facebook promised placement in major periodicals to a independent blogger, but instead of writing articles the blogger released the correspondence between him and the ad agency.
Microsoft now owns Skype! And they paid approximately $8.5 billion in cash. Not equity, not stock, all cash. Skype will continue to support all current versions (Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android) of it's software. We also muse over separation of the Skype Engine from the desktop application GUI.
Kyle reflects on the current state of software distribution by Apple. We talk about the current trends of shipping software digitally, the shrinking physical software selection in Apple retail stores, and how you install Mac OS X on computers devoid of an optical drive. Adding to this that Xcode and the Developer Previews of Lion are distributed via the Mac App Store, we consider how Apple may distribute Lion officially, possibly announcing it this summer at WWDC.
Our Question of the Week is "Is There a Way to Password Protect Individual Apps", asked by Rabskatran. This question spawned a discussion on "The XY Problem" that occurs commonly on the Stack Exchange network, what it is, and what may be the best answer to officially accept in these cases.
Our App of the Week is Reeder. An iOS and desktop RSS reader that requires the use of Google Reader, but provides a much more attractive, functional, and native interface. We debate the merit of single-site apps, and the contrast between pushing functionality to the web and making them into webapps via Fluid, or building a specifically tailored interface for it like Reeder.

This episode was recorded on Saturday, May 14th. You can subscribe to this podcast via RSS or iTunes. If you have any feedback or questions you'd like for us to answer on air, leave a comment on this post or e-mail us at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Download
Answer: Errata:
During the segment on the Question of the Week, not once, but twice, I very prominently spoke out the key command: Ctrl+Shift+Esc.
As continued proof that my muscle memory is millions of times better than my recalled (spoken) memory, the correct key combination is Ctrl+Shift+Eject.
Pressing Ctrl+Shift+Eject will immediately sleep your display(s) attached to your Mac. Ctrl+Shift+Esc will do nothing by default.


Starhub Singapore network data issues

Question: I've been going to Singapore once a month for a week at a time for the last 10 months and I have been using Starhub's prepaid microsim with my iphone 4s. The data performance in woeful to say the lease, I find myself waiting and waiting for a simple page to load from the most reputable sites, and this happens more often than not. My traveling partner using an android has experienced identical issues at the same time. Does Starhub give priority to postpaid customers for data access and if so what are the alternatives? I usually sign up for 1gb for 7 days.
Answer: Singapore's mobile internet speeds are not exactly the fastest compared to its counterparts in East Asia - this Reuters article SingTel admits its wireless is slow, vows changes provides some insight into the issue.
The article does mention Singtel specifically but based on what I hear from friends, the speeds are barely sufficient for all 3 telcos. I'm using Singtel myself (postpaid, occasionally using a prepaid card for testing) and the experience varies from "OK" to "horrible" depending on location.
I'm afraid there aren't many alternatives without giving up the convenience of always-on data access.
Answer: All telco providers in Singapore are currently having this issue, especially in crowded area ( especially Orchard ) , during lunch time or after office hour. So, there is no alternative for your problem.
You can also refer to this article.
It caused by a high adoption of mobile internet in Singapore. Singaporeans are the global leaders for the longest time spent on Facebook. Read the article here.
Answer: None of the telecom providers in Singapore provide preferential allocation of data bandwidth to postpaid customers. However, the performance of the data access is highly dependent on your location. Singtel has a list of locations detailing the strength of their network coverage across the island.
Comment: just to make things clear, you mean that "none of them provide ..." or that "some may provide ..., but not all"? The way you write it does not sound perfectly clear.
Comment: @Vince I meant "none of them provide...".

Starhub Singapore network data issues


Good ways to store coffee?

Question: What are some key points to store coffee to preserve freshness?
Different methods for whole beans vs ground?
Answer: You definitely want to keep beans whole as long as possible. Ideally, grind just the amount you need right before you brew the coffee. Keep the whole beans airtight, and freezing probably isn't necessary unless you buy a month of beans in advance.
Comment: I've never seen coffee shops store beans at anything but room temperature, even those who import large amounts and store them for months. Keeping them airtight (even in vacuum bags) and whole, on the other hand, is taken very seriously by everybody I've seen. I'm guessing the temperature doesn't matter nearly as much as the oxygen.
Comment: I buy a pound of beans at a time, so I freeze them, and then grind what I want for that morning in the morning.
Comment: In my experience, freezing a non-airtight container with beans or powder does preserve the aroma.
Answer: From StarbucksStore.com:

Freshness
Use freshly ground coffee. Think of coffee as fresh produce. The enemies of coffee are oxygen, light, heat, and moisture. To keep coffee fresh, store it in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature. Storing coffee in the refrigerator or freezer for daily use can damage the coffee as warm, moist air condenses to the beans whenever the container is opened. Whole bean coffee stays fresh longer because there is less surface area exposed to oxygen. For the best results, coffee should be ground just before brewing and used or stored immediately.

So if you do use the freezer be sure to allow the beens to return to room temperature before opening the bag.
Comment: That advice sounds as if temperature isn't even closely as important as air and moisture.
Answer: With ground I have found the best way to keep it fresh is to store it in an air tight container, then keep it either in the fridge or in a cool dry place. Avoid any sort of moisture is the key thing I find.
Comment: Not in the fridge. You'll halve its life-span.
Answer: As others have said, keep them whole if you can.  This will keep them the freshest.  The other main comments here and typical advise, is to keep them airtight and in the freezer.  The truth behind this is that it does work, and it all has to do with moisture.  Keeping moisture out will prevent them from breaking down.  The freezer happens to be a dry place, so it works.  Airtight the same thing.  In the winter in a dry home, they will be fine too.
Another good tip for whole coffee is to grind them using a burr grinder.  Using a cheap blade based grinder will produce a lot of dust, that will make you coffee bitter.  We recently switched from a $20 blade grinder to a $50 burr grinder and it makes a world of difference.
Answer: Sweet Maria's, my principal vendor, has a page dedicated to this very topic.  Basically: store roasted beans air-tight at room temperature.  If you're roasting them yourself, don't seal the container until 8-24 hours after roasting.
Don't store ground coffee at all if you can avoid it.  It goes stale very quickly.
Answer: The best way to store roast coffee beans is NOT in the freezer. The freezer will damage the beans when condensation forms. The oils will break down, and you'll lose some of the flavour. Also, opening your freezer regularly, anything that will cause your beans to fluctuate in temperature enough for ice crystals to form will damage it.
The best place to keep coffee beans is in a air-tight, opaque container. Buy in smaller quantities if possible.
If you absolutely must store coffee for long time in the freezer, there is one way that you could minimize any damage. I would probably take the original, unopened bags of coffee, put them in multiple layers of ziplock bags, removing as much air from each layer and freezing the bags whole. When you are ready to consume it, take one bag out and transfer to your air-tight, opaque container, to be consumed in the next few weeks. In short, freeze and thaw at most once. Light, air, moisture are bad for coffee.
The fridge would be the worse possible place to store it. Coffee should never go in the fridge.
See:

http://www.coffeeam.com/coffee-storage.html
http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2010/10/taste-test-to-freeze-or-not-to-freeze-coffee-beans-v20.html
Answer: I place the bag of beans in the freezer. I have been told that this keeps the oils from escaping.
Comment: I haven't found this particularly useful, unless you just like to chew on cold beans. On a humid day, you'll get condensation faster, so unless you're trying for *long-term* storage, it probably does more harm than good... You're really looking to keep the oil from going rancid, and the fridge should suffice for this.
Comment: I have heard that this is effective as well.
Answer: Whole beans keep much much better than ground.  It's not necessary to keep the beans in the freezer, as long as they're in a pretty air-tight container, they're fine at room temperature.
Answer: Simple and to the point.

Keep the roasted bean in a dry place.
Grind the bean just before brewing
Brew the bean just before dringing

Think of coffee as bread, after 7 days is not good anymore.
M. Torres
Answer: When storing roasted coffee beans you're wanting to keep it away from four things:

Sunlight
Moisture
Oxygen
Fluctuations in temperature

Additionally, the first few days after the beans are roasted they are emitting CO2 gas, which is why many coffee packages have a one-way valve on them to they don't pop.
I use resealable bags (zip-lock) with the one-way valves on them, and store them in the pantry. You can squeeze most of the air out of them as you seal them back up again. I get the bags from a local roaster. Use several smaller bags (about 250g) instead of one big bag. This is good for two to three weeks.
I'm not a fan of storing in the fridge or freezer as the cold and fluctuations in temperature every time you take the bag out will cause condensation.
The reason I think the bags are superior to an airtight container is because you can get most of the air out of the bag, whereas with the container whatever space isn't taken up with beans is taken up with air. (Maybe store the bag in a container if you're a fan of overkill.)
I've seen these Vacu Vin containers where you can suck the air out, but the low pressure created by the vacuum is detrimental to the oils in the beans. (I just found these which may be an option.)
If you need to store your beans for longer than three weeks, bag as above, then in a couple of zip-lock bags and put them in the freezer. Take each bag out and put it in the pantry as you start using it.
Only store whole beans and grind them as you use them. If you are storing pre-ground, it is already going stale.
Answer: I keep whole beans in mason jars and vacuum seal them. They sell an attachment that works with my foodsaver. It keeps them fresh for months in on the shelf in the cellar.
Answer: Whole beans store best in the dark, at room temperature with as little air/moisture ingress as possible.
Because the oils when the beans are fresh-roasted are quite volatile - hence the little 'breather' valve in retail bags - a hard-seal container is not ideal.
So… these foil/plastic bags the coffee comes in are, unsurprisingly, about the best thing to keep coffee in. Roll down the top tightly & put a bulldog/binder clip over the roll. Keep in a kitchen cupboard/pantry at 18-21°C or at least minimal temperature fluctuation for where you live.
Good for a month, after opening. Before opening, use the best before date on the pack of course.
Don't keep coffee in the fridge or freezer.
Answer: I've always been told that storing coffee beans in the freezer is a no-no.
Also, storing coffee beans in an airtight container might not be a good idea, as the beans release gas as they mature, which could cause the container to break (this is why the bags from Starbucks and similar places have escape valves).
The rules I've heard the most from my local baristas are to avoid temperature changes, to keep it in the dark and to just buy enough for 2-3 weeks.
Answer: Supposedly coffee beans kept in the freezer can absorb some of the flavor of whatever else you might be keeping in the freezer. I don't know if this is true, but it's something to keep in mind.
Comment: Absorbing other flavors is NOT much of a problem in the freezer. But it IS a problem if you store beans in the refrigerator. That is the main reason that the refrigerator should NOT be used for coffee beans.
Answer: I keep my pre-ground beans in the freezer in their original packaging (to re-close, I use tape or the bend-ends tie they came with). I do not defrost them before grinding.
I don't have any particularly good reason for keeping the beans in the freezer; it's just how my parents did it, so I do it too.

Good ways to store coffee?


Single operation to crop/resize to fit to specific size

Question: I have some images that I'd like to resize to a specific size by cropping and resizing. I've tried using Paint.NET, but the resize and crop are both individual operations. How I'd like it to proceed is as follows. I type in the size that I am trying to resize to. I then get given a box with the right aspect ratio, I can resize the box and move it around. When I'm happy, I click a button and the image is cropped to the selected region and then resized to the aspect ratio I originally entered. Are there any lightweight programs that handle this workflow?
Answer: This can easily be done in Photoshop, using the crop tool (C) you can insert a width and height or a proportion in the toolbar and crop an image with that proportion so you dont lose any quality.
Then you just save the image as any format you want, very easy and very fast only one step and if you want the all the have the same proportion the properties used for the first image will stay there so it would be even faster.
Another great thing in Photoshop is the scripts (Actions), if this was to be done to a large amount of images or maybe its something you do everyday you could automate it with scripts, here is a link to a simple guide: http://blog.epicedits.com/2008/03/07/how-to-create-photoshop-actions/
Hope this helped.
Comment: You can also save your crop box as a preset, and if you use "save for web and devices", it will remember your settings and where you were saving to.
Comment: Thanks, but I don't want to get photoshop just to crop images a bit easier
Comment: Not sure if a ligher program would have all the functions you want.


A question about partial Euler products

Question: Let $K/{\mathbb Q}$ be an extension of degree $d$. Let $S$ be the set of primes $p$ which split completely in $K$. What can one say about the analytic properties of
$$
\zeta_{K, S}(s) : = \prod_{p \in S} \frac{1}{1-p^{-s}}.
$$
More generally, one can define a similar partial Euler product for any splitting type, and ask the same question about the analytic properties of the resulting function. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Comment: Perhaps information at http://mathoverflow.net/questions/70318/euler-product-over-primes-congruent-to-3-mod-4 would be useful.
Comment: Aren't these sort of like Artin L-functions?
Comment: Thanks! The quadratic case is Galois and Abelian. I need this sort of information for a quintic extension K/Q.
Comment: Another relevant question: http://mathoverflow.net/questions/28000/what-are-the-analytic-properties-of-dirichlet-euler-products-restricted-to-arithm
Answer: This question turned out to be not too difficult. Please see
http://www.math.uic.edu/~rtakloo/euler-product.pdf
for a (casual) writeup of an answer.
Thanks for your comments and hints.
Answer: I hope this could be relevant to your nice question. There is a paper by K. Williams where a Mertens' type theorem for arithmetic progressions was proved,
K. Williams, Mertens' Theorem for Arithmetic Progressions, J. Number Theory 6 (1974) 353--359.
In this paper, the relation
$$
\sum_{\chi \bmod q}\chi(p)\bar{\chi}(a) = \begin{cases}
  \varphi(q),  & p \equiv a \bmod q, \\
  & \\
  0, & \mbox{otherwise.}
  \end{cases}
$$
for Dirichlet characters is used to derive an expression for
$$
\prod_{\substack{p \leq x\\p \equiv a \bmod q}}\left(1-\frac{1}{p}\right).
$$
Letting $G$ be the Galois group of $K/\mathbb{Q}$, $C_G(g)$ be the centralizer of $g$ in $G$, $\mathcal{C}(g)$ the set of conjugates of $g$ in $G$, $\sigma_p$ the Frobenius element of $p$, the Schur orthogonality relations
$$
\sum_{\chi}\chi(\sigma_p)\overline{\chi(g)} = \begin{cases}
 \left| C_G(\sigma_p)\right| = \frac{|G|}{|\mathcal{C}(\sigma_p)|},  & \sigma_p, g \mbox{ are conjugate}, \\
  & \\
  0, & \mbox{otherwise}
  \end{cases}
$$
where the sum is over all irreducible characters $\chi$ of $G$, can be used in a similar way to derive a formula for the partial Euler product in your nice question by writing, for some fixed $g\in G$,
$$
\prod_{\substack{p\\\sigma_p \in \mathcal{C}(g)}}(1-p^{-s})^{-C_G(g)} = \prod_{\chi}\left(\prod_{p}\left(1-p^{-s}\right)^{-\chi(p)}\right)^{\overline{\chi(g)}}
$$
where the $\chi$ are irreducible characters of $G$. In the mentioned paper, where the $\chi$ are Dirichlet characters, Williams wrote
$$
\prod_{p \leq x}\left(1-\frac{1}{p}\right)^{\chi(p)} = \left(\frac{1}{L(1,\chi)}+O(1/\log x)\right)\left(K(1,\chi)+O(1/x)\right)
$$
where $K(1,\chi)$ had some properties that could be stated in the paper. Hence in the case of the product in your nice question, maybe something can be worked out along such lines too. I guess it's more complicated as there are now Artin L-functions.
Answer: I do not know if you are willing to restrict to abelian $K/\mathbb{Q}$: if not, please throw away my whole answer. But let me assume that your base field is any number field $F$, as it does not change anything: and, accordingly, that $K/F$ is abelian.
Suppose first that $K/F$ is a ray class field for some conductor $\mathfrak{f}$ (for $F=\mathbb{Q}$ it means $K$ is either $\mathbb{Q}(\zeta_f)$ or $\mathbb{Q}(\zeta_f)^+$ for some $f$). Then you are simply considering the partial zeta function $\zeta({\bf{1}},s)$ where $\bf{1}$ is the trivial class in the ray class group modulo $\mathfrak{f}$. Those are well-studied and can be interpreted as suitable Mellin transform, pretty much as the usual Dedekind zeta function and admits the usual analytic continuation (see J. Neukirch Algebraic Number Theory, Chapter VII, Section 5, theorem 5.5 for the Mellin transform statement, Theorem 5.9 for analytic continuation caveat: I only have the German version and I ignore if numbering has been changed in the translation). This settles also the case in which you consider some different splitting behaviour which would be controlled by class field theory pretty much the same way – i. e. your Euler product would be that of $\zeta({\bf{c}},s)$ for the class $\bf{c}$ in the ray class field containing precisely the integral ideals whose splitting time is your favorite one.
If now your abelian extension is only contained in a ray class field, you need to follow more closely Tate's thesis (see the last chapter of Cassels and Fröhlich's Algebraic Number Theory) and chose the right measure to put on the unit ball inside $\mathbb{Q}_p$ for the primes you want to throw away – I imagine that you should chose the measure giving volume $1$ to some suitable subgroup depending on your local extension, but I am not checking. I guess that this would not affect anything at all, because Tate's strategy is somehow ''formal'' in the sense that it just depends on some very nice property of adelic Fourier transform. As for a reference, I suggest D. Ramakrishan and R. Valenza Fourier Analysis on Number Fields.
Let me also observe that what you are asking for is ''natural'' in the sense that when looking at zeta functions as being suitable measures on Galois group, your Euler product
at negative integers $k$ gives the special values of the measure agains the function $\chi_S|\cdot|^k$ where $\chi_S$ is the characteristic function of the set of primes $S$ seen as elements of the Galois group via class field theory – this is discussed very well in the introduction to Deligne and Ribet's paper about special values of $L$-functions at negative integers.
If your extension is not abelian, I think the situation is much more involved because it is not enough to play the same game simply on adeles group: and, as said before, you'd rather forget everything I have written...

A question about partial Euler products


Possibility of getting odd pair socks

Question: My son's drawer has 3 black socks and 2 white socks. He cannot understand that, when eyes closed and tries to get a pair, why  in 1st attempt same color pair is never found, it is usually mismatched. what he does if pair is mismatched he throws back in the drawer !
He has asked me this few times.. I cannot answer him ...( we are not color blind!)
thank you.
Rodney
Comment: Note that the probability of a match is not dramatically less than $1/2$.  Perhaps the "usually mismatched" perception comes from the fact that we remember mismatches more than matches, just like we remember wrong weather forecasts more than right ones.
Comment: 1. I think this is not real-analysis. 2. Draw a small tree chart and mark all cases you have and you already solved this. (Consider the probabilitys are not all equal)
Answer: There are $$ \frac{5 \times 4}{1 \times 2} = 10$$ ways of choosing two socks from a drawer containing five socks. There are three ways of choosing a matching pair of black socks and one way of choosing a matching pair of white socks. Thus there are four ways of choosing a matching pair of socks. The probability of choosing a matching pair of socks is $$\frac{4}{10}.$$
Answer: Jay has already provided a good answer, but it often helps people to see a different approach to a problem.
To pull out a pair of black socks, you have to pick a black sock on the first pull (probability 3/5), and then pull out a black sock on the second pull (probability 2/4), giving overall a 6/20 probability of pulling a pair of black socks.
To pull a pair of white socks, you must first pull one (probability 2/5) then pull the remaining one (probability 1/4), giving an overall probability of 2/20.
The probability of pulling a black pair or a white pair is the sum of those, or 6/20 + 2/20 = 8/20, which is the same thing Jay got combinatorically.
BTW, the way you should pull socks from the drawer is to pull two socks. If they are matched, great! If they are not matched, pull a third sock. You will then have a matching pair, and an odd sock that you can throw back in the drawer. You'll end up wearing black socks 7/10 of the time and white socks 3/10 of the time.

Possibility of getting odd pair socks


What are the different rarities of tokens in Magic: The Gathering?

Question: Anyone who has opened a decent amount of MTG boosters will notice that they get much more of some tokens than of others. I understand that this comes from varying needs for them, because far fewer people are going to need a planeswalker emblem than need a spirit token, but are there different rarities for tokens like there are for regular cards? Or does each token in a set have its own unique frequency of occurring?
Answer: I couldn't find an official answer, but I can make an educated guess based on how cards are produced in general.
Cards are printed in big sheets and then cut out and randomized. These sheets are grouped by rarity. You print sheets based on the desired ratio of rarities in the final product, e.g. 1 rare sheet per 10 common sheets if the two sheets are of equal size.
Sometimes, more than one copy of a cards is on each sheet. For instance, early sets, particularly the small sets which tried to simulate three rarity levels with only two print sheets, had multiple copies of some cards -- this is why Camel is listed as "Common 5" in some collector guides, or why Knights of Thorn is an "Uncommon 1" (functionally a rare for The Dark). For a more modern example, consider mythic rares: mythics don't get their own sheet; instead the rares sheet has two copies of every vanilla rare and one of each mythic.
This is undoubtably how the ads and tokens sheet is arranged as well: all of the ad and token cards are printed on one sheet, but there are multiple copies of the "common" tokens and few copies of the "rare" ones. For example, a whole sheet of around a hundred M13 ads and tokens might contain twenty goblins and only one Liliana emblem. The exact mix of cards is likely to vary from set to set, but you can get a good idea of the rarity of "rare" tokens if you know the overall sheet size.
Answer: I've seen it suggested that token rarity is proportional to the rarity of the least rare cards that produce those tokens.  So you would find many more of a token that is produced by a common card, than a token which is only generated by a Mythic.
Seems like the actual policy hasn't been made public by Wizards, but it seems like this would be a sensible route to take, and it's probably a good rule of thumb to work by, in terms of whether a given token is likely to be easy or hard to come by.  No one seems to have provided compelling evidence that it doesn't work something like this; though of course there will always be people who have opened boxes with anomalous token distributions in.  Isn't that just how opening boxes of Magic cards works?
Comment: This sounds like it should be the way it works, but anecdotally at the prerelease I ended up with many Horror tokens (generated by an Uncommon cipher card,) and only one Frog Lizard (generated by a common instant.) Perhaps in that case they upped the number of Horror tokens printed because the effect is repeatable?


Can you use Watir successfully with AJAX\GWT Applications

Question: It seems that some UI automation tools struggle with GWT grids & the asynchronous aspect of Ajax based applications.  Has anyone tried Watir with an GWT\Ajax application.  Please share your experiences.
Answer: Watir drives a real browser, so it should work. We tried that but at the end settled for our own tool that drives either Firefox or other browser (using WebDriver). Additionally you can pick anything from "no code at all" to "full Java (optionally JRuby) code". The link to the tool is in my profile.
What is most challenging and this is not related to the tool, you have to wait for certain states to happen, before you can continue. The asynchronous stuff forces you to do so.
So despite the tool, you have to "code" or train your tool to do that. That is error-prone and it takes a while to master it, but you can get it to work.
We found it very difficult to deal with GWT/GXT due to the dynamic IDs and the lack of semantics in the html code (aka class-attributes). A good automation here requires help from the developers.


Can one author exclude another author from an invention?

Question: For context, a patent is being based on a paper I coauthored with my former post-doc advisor in graduate school five years ago (i.e., I was first author, he was the last author). I just learned that he filed it for a patent in late 2007 with only himself named as an investor and the application is about to grant. Is there anything I can do to assert my rights at this point?
Comment: Here's a podcast worth reading / listening to. It gives an example of a patent being declared invalid because a co-inventer was not listed. http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/06/07/188370495/when-patents-attack-part-two
Answer: If the patent was filed in 2007, and your joint paper was written 5 years ago (=2008 or 2009), then I would assume that you had no input on the actual patent -- the patent was written first.
Instead, your partner may have included material from his patent into your joint paper -- and if that is the case you would not have any rights to any part of his prior invention, especially since he filed the patent prior to writing your joint paper.
Answer: The only way this (you not being included as an inventor) would be proper is if the only aspects are claimed are aspects that were conceived by the other person. An inventor (don't think author = inventor, they are completely different concepts) is someone who made a conceptual contribution to something claimed in the patent. If you conceived of X and the other person conceived of a related Y (that isn't a special case of X) then a patent that only claims Y has only the other person as an inventor.
If that is not the case then you should be named as an inventor by law. What benefit that would convey to you is a separate issue.


Is the pre-image of a regular subscheme with respect to a universal homeomorphism of regular schemes regular?

Question: Let $f:X\to Y$ be a universal homeomorphism of regular (excellent finite-dimensional) schemes, $Z\subset Y$ be a regular subscheme. Is $f^{-1}(Z)$ necessarily regular?
Answer: Well, $f^{-1}Z$ could easily be non-reduced (for example, take the relative Frobenius morphism $\mathbb A^1_k \to \mathbb A^1_k$, defined by the embedding $k[y] = k[x^p] \subseteq k[x]$, where $k$ is a field of characteristic $p > 0$, and let $Z \subseteq \mathbb A^1$ be defined by $y = 0$), so I would guess that the question should be interpreted as asking whether $f^{-1}Z$ with its reduced structure is regular. But the answer is negative even in this case. For example, take the morphism $\mathbb A^2_k \to \mathbb A^2_k$ defined by the embedding $k[y,t] = k[x^p, t] \subseteq k[x, t]$, and let $Z \subseteq \mathbb A^2_k $ be defined by $y + t^{p+1} = 0$.
Answer: Can't we base-change $f : X \to Y$ with $Z$ and obtain: $g : f^{-1}(Z) \to Z$?  This also is a universal homeomorphism by construction, right?  So now we have a universal homeomorphism to a regular scheme, but a regular scheme is weakly normal, see A. Andreotti and E. Bombieri, ``Sugli omeomorfismi delle varietà algebriche''.
Therefore $g$ is an isomorphism at least as long as $f^{-1}(Z)$ is reduced and the map $g$ is birational.
EDIT:  My argument that $f^{-1}(Z)$ was reduced was junk.  I shouldn't have tried to do math while on the run.  But as long as $f^{-1}(Z)$ is reduced and $g$ is birational, then I think things are ok.
Comment: Sorry, why $f$ being a universal homeomorphism contradicts its generic inseparablity?
Comment: I was being dumb.  Nevermind.


What do these icons in Gmail indicate?

Question: In these icons, some have two >'s, others one or none. What are the meanings behind these icons (highlighted in yellow)?
I know that clicking on them marks the conversation as important, but what do the >'s mean?
Answer: They are called "Personal level indicators" and show you at a glance whether you were the only recipient ( » ) or there were more than one ( › ). They can be turned on/off from the settings page.
Comment: Funny thing is I must have turned that on at some point.
Answer: To add to @Alex's answer: the 'hollow' arrows themselves (the figures containing › or ») are the actual 'important' indicators. They are yellow/gold-colored if Gmail considers the message important, and are empty (white color fill) when unimportant by Gmail's algorithms.  This only to point out that the personal level indicators and the importance indicators are two separate options, but appear in the UI as one combined option.
This importance mechanism can also be turned on/off in Gmail Settings - Inbox.

What do these icons in Gmail indicate?


Is there a way to tell Google Docs not to upload files that have already been uploaded?

Question: If I upload a file that already exists on Google Docs (because I didn't realize I already uploaded it, or because I'm doing a bulk upload) I get a second copy of the file.
Is there any way to get Google Docs to check for duplicates?
Answer: There is no such option in Google Docs as such . But there may be possibility of using GreeseMonkey Scripts or third-party browser extensions for doing so.
But there the problem would be that we have to match the file-name and size of each newly uploaded file with all the existing once, but Google Docs does not shows the file sizes of individual files in anyway.
The third-party extension would have to download the all the files to make it possible - which is not practical and also not possible because Google Docs sometimes converts the uploaded files into it's own format - screws the formatting and file size also alters.
So, basically not possible.