Causality and anti-particles

Question: How can I quantitatively and qualitatively understand the fact that there is a relevance between the existence of anti-particles and causality?
Comment: I'm not sure why the question was downvoted.  Antiparticles are indeed needed for the (micro)causality relations.
Comment: I recommend you read chapter 6.4 of the book "Relativistic Quantum Mechanics" -Bjorken-Drell.
Answer: This is a consequence of the fact that there is no positive frequency function which is zero outside the light cone. If you have a particle in relativity, its dynamics require that it goes faster than light, and to restore causality, it must go back in time. This is explained in my answer here: Is anti-matter matter going backwards in time?  .
If you have a quantum particle with positive energy, the propagation function $G(x-y)$ is the amplitude to go from x to y. This propagation is said to be causal if the propagator is zero unless x is to the future of y, so that in a time-space decomposition, $G(t,r)$ is zero for t<0. In this case, the Fourier transform $G(\omega,k)$ cannot vanish for all $\omega<0$, because it is impossible for a nonzero function and its Fourier transform to both be exactly zero in a half-plane.
To see this, the condition of vanishing of $G(t,r)$ for t<0 implies the analyticity of the Fourier transform for $\omega$ with a negative imaginary part, since in this region, the Fourier transform of G becomes a sum of decaying exponentials.  An analytic function can't be zero in a region without being zero everywhere, so the Fourier transform of a future directed function is not strictly positive energy.
Because of this, there is no relativistic particle formalism in which the particles both have positive energies and causal propagation.  You can either deal with fields, in which case the particle notion is non-local, or you can deal with particles, but then they go back in time.
The back-in-time formalism is using the standard non-causal Feynman propagator, which is
$$ G(\omega,k) = {i\over \omega^2 - k^2 - m^2 - i\epsilon}$$
up to numerator modifications for higher spin, with the $i\epsilon$ pole prescription. This has two poles in $\omega$ for any $k$, and the pole prescription pushes one pole to have slightly positive imaginary part and the other pole to the slightly negative imaginary part.  There are singularities in both directions in imaginary $\omega$ direction, which means that the propagation is non-causal.
The part that goes forward in time is the positive energy part; the part that goes back in time is the negative energy part.
Answer: This is mainly an issue of the complex Klein Gordon field (There's no such requirement for the Dirac field for instance) It's most easily shown with the self propagator of the complex Klein Gordon field using plane waves in the x-direction:
The Klein Gordon equation is.
$\frac{\partial^2 \psi}{\partial t^2} ~~=~~ \left(\frac{\partial^2}{\partial x^2} - m^2 \right)~\psi$
A straightforward generator of time evolution would be.
$\frac{\partial \psi}{\partial t} ~~=~~\pm i \sqrt{-\frac{\partial^2}{\partial x^2} + m^2}~\psi$
With a (-) sign for particles and a (+) sign for anti-particles.
However, this generator is non local since it corresponds to an infinite series of derivatives. In fact it's equal to a convolution with a Bessel K function.
$\frac{\partial \psi}{\partial t} ~~=~~\pm i \sqrt{-\frac{\partial^2}{\partial x^2} + m^2}~\psi ~~=~~ \frac{m}{x}K_1(mx)~*~\psi$

source: wikipedia
This means instantaneous propagation since $\partial\psi/\partial t$ depends on non local values of $\psi$. This problem then enters the general time evolution operator for arbitrary $t$.
$\psi(t) ~~=~~ \exp\left\{ \pm i \sqrt{-\frac{\partial^2}{\partial x^2} + m^2}\right\}~\psi$
However, now comes the trick:
The sum of the particle and anti particle propagators is local (within the light cone)
$\psi(t) ~~=~~ \frac12\Big(\exp\left\{ + i ...\right\} +\exp\left\{ - i ...\right\}\Big)\psi ~~=~~ \cos\left\{ \sqrt{-\frac{\partial^2}{\partial x^2} + m^2}\right\}~\psi$
because the Taylor series expansion of the cosine only contains even powers of the argument there is no more square root operator.
It has to be said that the part outside the light cone is small to begin with, in the order of the Compton radius of the particle. But it also shrinks further as propagation progresses. For an electron it's about $10^{-13}m$ at the start of the propagation but only $10^{-20}m$ after a lightmicron (the time in which light propagates 1 $\mu m$). It shrinks further away linear with time.
This issue does not occur for the time evolution operator of the correct equation for the electron : The Dirac equation. This equation is linear and $\partial\psi/\partial t$ does not contain the above square root.
Hans.

Causality and anti-particles


Should we use special detergent/washing powder for the laundry of baby clothes?

Question: Any suggestions/experiences of the best characteristics for a baby clothes detergent would be appreciated. We are in the UK, in case that influences the options we should look for.
Comment: I'd just use very little washing powder.
Answer: We did buy special soap for our first child (it is very expensive) but by the time the third and fourth came around we didn't have time to wash their clothes separately and we found it completely unnecessary.  I would use regular soap (without perfumes) and see what happens.  If your child seems to be having a reaction (rash) then speak to the Doctor about suggestions (it may not be the laundry or he/she can tell you what to use)
Answer: I'm from the US, so I'm not familiar with the brands available where you live.  Here, though, the most popular "baby detergent" is Dreft.  If you compare the ingredients in Dreft with most other laundry detergents, you don't find much of a difference.  I have the feeling that the same thing would be true of baby detergents in the UK.
I agree with @morah; you should try regular detergent, and only consider switching if your baby has a reaction.  Then take a look at the ingredient list yourself, to see if paying more for a special detergent is worth it.

Source: http://baby.families.com/blog/the-dreft-wars
Ingredients: http://www.pgproductsafety.com/productsafety/search_results.php?searchtext=Dreft&category=ingredients&submit=Search&submit=Search
Answer: Both of our children have sensitive skin (to the point that it seems like looking at their skin cross-eyed causes a breakout, and they would have rashes anywhere the clothing would touch) and we switched our whole family to Charlie's Laundry Soap (you can get it on Amazon for approximately the same cost as other detergents) on our pediatrician's recommendation.  Haven't had any issues since.
Edit: our pediatrician felt that the dyes and fragrance chemicals in 'standard' detergents were causing the problem.  Since Charlie's is dye-free and fragrance-free, he felt it would be a good one to try.  No more rashes since we switched!
Answer: I always avoided perfumed detergents, and any that had "Bio" in the name, but I do the same now they are older. The less of those unneccesary chemicals, the less likely it will be that something will irritate the skin or be an allergen for the baby.
Answer: It depends on the child. Our first one would get a rash from normal detergent, so we had to hand wash her clothes in Lux soap flakes (it clogs up washing machines). Very annoying. Our son had no such problems, so we used Amolin detergent which claims to be for sensitive skin. Luckily, our daughter can now handle Amolin so everything can be washed together.
Answer: Biological detergent has enzymes in to help clean.  A few people are sensitive to those, so you might want to avoid biological powders or wash hotter. (Washing with bio powder at over 40c destroys the enzymes.)
Fabric softeners stop fabrics from being absorbant.  So you don't want to ise them on towels.  A bit of "rustling" before use softens towels.
If your child still has skin problems I'd get a doctor's advice.  If a child has ecxzma you can apply to your water supplier for a discount to cover cost of extra washing you need to do.
Answer: Oh, how I laugh at myself now because I bought that special baby detergent and separated all my baby's laundry from mine when my first son was young! You live and you learn. As others have said, it depends on the baby. Some babies need gentle detergents and others don't.
Throw a few items in your usual wash and see if baby reacts. If not, ditch the " special" detergent! You have better things to spend your money on!
*Here's an exception: cloth diapers made from anything other than cotton should only be washed in perfume and dye free detergents. Synthetics hold onto the fragrances especially and it'll react with baby's urine and cause stink-ironically-(best case scenario) or will burn your baby's bottom (worst case scenario).  Always defer to the diaper manufacturer's recommendation, of course.


how to close curved interior finished drywall opening with window or glass block?

Question: We have a curved opening between the entrance and bedroom/study. Since we would like to use this room as a bedroom and the opening is in the main entryway, does anyone have suggestions for closing this opening? It is large and curved, finished drywall with paint.
Comment: Could you add a picture?
Answer: I'm presuming by curved opening, you are referring to the top of the doorway where the header would be.
To install a door, you'll have to get a rough opening, and while doing so, it will probably be easiest to square off the top of the opening.  You'll lose the style of the opening, but the easiest solution is frequently the cheapest, too.
For enough money, you could also get a custom door made.  However, depending on the height, you could also install a thin header across the top of the door frame and close off the opening over the door with glass, curtains, etc.
And one final idea is that you could extend the doorway into the room, framing out a new wall a foot or so inside the opening for the doors.  The arched opening would remain with the door(s) set inside.  If this creates a nook on one or both sides of the door, you can create some built in shelves.  I'd only do this if your home has a formal look and this is the master bedroom.
Comment: +1 Great suggestions! I really like the last idea you had. I think a pair of French doors would look great in that type of setting.
Answer: Take down the drywall around the opening, frame a new door opening, re-sheetrock, add door.


Upgrading a boot camp machine to Lion

Question: I have a Snow Leopard MacBook Air with Boot Camp installed. I'm thinking about upgrading to Lion, but I'm worried about all the software I have installed on my Boot Camp partition. I have a lot of software, including Windows, which uses serial keys and product activation to ensure that I'm running a legal version. I'm worried that if something happens to this partition, all my keys will remain in use on an unusable drive.
If I upgrade Snow Leopard to Lion, will the Boot Camp partition remain untouched and still work properly?
I read this question which made me cautious about upgrading until I know for certain that nothing will happen to the Boot Camp partition. Are there any guides specifically meant to show you how to upgrade to Lion and still retain your boot camp partition?
Are there any other steps that need to be done once the upgrade is complete? Is the Boot Camp software from Snow Leopard compatible with Lion? Is it easily upgradable?
Answer: It should be fine. Just make sure to select the right disk (Macintosh HD) when installing Lion. A backup never hurts, either.
Answer: You should be good to go. You should always have a complete backup before performing a major upgrade of course. I've already helped a friend upgrade to Lion on a MacBook Pro with a Boot Camp partition and everything was fine.
Apple has a pretty good BootCamp FAQ related to Lion.

Upgrading a boot camp machine to Lion


Message notification does not work in iPhone 4S

Question: My iPhone 4S always showed a notification in banner (that is, the top of the iPhone screen) when a new message/mail came to me. Those notifications can be viewed in any state(Means, Even if I am playing a game or I am seeing some other apps, I can see the notification in the banner if a new message came).
But, the problem that I faced is, nowadays, it doesn't show the notifications on the banner. If a new message appears, it just show the notification on Messages app icon with the corresponding badge value. Also, I opened the notification screen (by swiping from the top of the screen), the notification appears.
The problem is, it does not show the new message alert in the banner. I attached my Messages app's notification settings here.

Did I miss something? Just confused!!
Answer: The source of my problem was Cydia app "Do Not Disturb".


What is the 'cake'?

Question: I've been looking into ways to restart unfinished fermentation and some sources talk about using a Cake, or yeast cake from previous brews. They also talk about pitching on the cake. I've searched to try and find an explanation but haven't succeded thus far. Can someone enlighten me please?
Answer: The cake is referring the yeast the was produced from a previous batch of beer. Yeast reproduces as it ferments the beer. The layer on the bottom of the fermenter is the yeast that grew during fermentation. Some people will brew a batch of beer and pitch it directly onto the cake created from a previous brew. The preferred method would be to wash the yeast and measure the amount used for the proper pitching rate.
If you have a stuck fermentation, try giving the fermenter a swirl to stir the yeast up, and also try warming the fermenter a bit, into the mid to upper 60's but depending on the style.
What is your current gravity reading? What type of beer? All grain or extract? What yeast strain?
Comment: Ok thanks. It might not be stopped, I won't gum up this question with details. I was just fact finding about cakes :)
Answer: The yeast cake is the name given to the body of yeast at the bottom of the fermentor that's left behind after racking off your beer.
Answer: The bigger question is WHY fermentation stopped in the first place? Did you pitch enough viable yeast? If not i would pitch some more yeast. Are you fermenting to cold? If so give the fermenter a good stir with a sanitized spoon and put it in a warmer spot.
How are you sure fermentation is stopped? Have you taken a gravity reading? Sometimes vigorous fermentation can end within 24 hours.
If you have hit your desired FG keep the brew on the current year cake for at least 2 weeks to finish some conditioning.
As to your question about using yeast from a previous brew. That is referring to using a yeast starter. Made with yeast from the trub of another brewing session and starting a mini brew with some DME. After that is finished you can pitching the whole thing in and you should have enough viable yeast cells to ferment.
Comment: Thanks, I'm not entirely sure it has stopped yet, it was a fact finding question. If it has though, I'll take your advice to try and restart it.

What is the 'cake'?


Splitting whole hops in half

Question: When using whole, wet hops (or maybe even dried for that matter), is there any disadvantage to splitting the cones in half?  Is there any data available to support splitting them in the first place, such as a stronger aroma in the finished beer?  I believe that the increased surface area would be preferred when dry hopping, but every picture I see of this has intact hops.  For the purpose of the question, assume that they are split by latex gloved hand or with a sanitized knife and dropped directly into the kettle or fermenter less than a minute later.
Answer: There is no significant advantage to do this as far as I can see.  Here is my reasoning:  When you account for using pellets vs. whole hops we typically only consider it a 10% utilization gain.  Pellets are completely pulverized and you only get a 10% increase.  Slicing hops in half or even quarters you'd be looking at probably less than 2-5% increase, still not at pellet levels.  And you'll probably lose that increase by getting the lupulin glands all over your hand, knife or scissors when you cut them up.
Not worth it.
Comment: Those numbers are for bittering, correct?  What about dry hopping, when you don't have a full boil to help break up the hops?
Comment: True for bittering, but its all coming from the glands.  So logically the pellets still win out.  I could be wrong but I think my rationalization is sound.
Answer: There is no disadvantage, other than you're wasting your time.  There is nothing to be gained by splitting them.
Comment: Are you able to be more specific?  I was hoping that someone had tested this.
Answer: Maybe splitting them in half won't do much good, but chopping them up into a lot smaller bits might. After all, this is why hop utilization of pellets if higher than whole hops- you are increasing the surface area amenable to the wort.
However, when I say "smaller bits" this probably does have to be quite small. If you are going to do this, you might as well use pellets unless you are particularly attached to grinding whole hops (maybe they are your homegrown hops?)
I reckon the disadvantages would be that you are going have lots of undissolved pieces of hop flower in your brew and it's a lot of work!

Splitting whole hops in half


Soloing in Lord of the Rings Online

Question: Which is the best race/class combination and tradeoffs involved for solo play in Lord of the Rings Online without the need to to be in a group most of the time?
Comment: Just wanted to drop a comment if this hasn't crossed your mind. Since LOTRO is now free to play, it's simple to multi-box it. Not as easy to control as other MMOs multiboxing, but it makes it easier to have a healer on standby.
Answer: The best class to solo with in LOTRO would be the Rune-keeper. The Rune-keeper can swap between healing and offensive spells, so you can pretty much deal lots of damage, and if you ever find yourself dying, stop dealing damage and heal yourself. (Note, with the rune-keepers' spell system, you need to build up healing or offensive energy - so if you've been casting offensive spells for a long time, you'll need to stop and start casting the low-power healing spells to build up healing energy, before you can heal yourself for any great amount of HP).
The class I've been soloing with is the burglar. He is good at soloing for the reason that he can disspapear if things get messy, and he can handle a large group of enemies better than other classes, with about 4 stuns and various debuffs.
Other than that, the Guardian - with a tank spec - can solo relatively easy, though it will take you longer as you won't be dealing a lot of damage.
Lastly, The Hunter is a pretty good soloer, as he can lay down traps and deal damage (more than the burglar can) from a distance, and can teleport away from combat if things get hairy.
Unless you have a class preference, I'd say go with the Rune-keeper or the hunter.
Comment: Confusing answer, please pick one!
Comment: I have answered in order of effectiveness, from highest to lowest
Answer: The Warden is an excellent class to play solo as well, as she's a tank that is able to deal some damage nonetheless. Plus, she can teleport to the same locations as hunters. (No campfire return or fellowship taxi, though.)
In combat, Wardens combine three basic attack skills (spear, shield, taunt) in chains that are up to 5 skills long and give you a special attack (gambit). This is not as complicated as it seems at first, since you won't be using all possible gambits anyway. Later on you will also be able to learn two-skill "macros" that speed up gambit building.
The Warden wears medium armor (which may seem a bit peculiar for a tank), but has some self-healing gambits.
Comment: Agree with the Warden. I have a Warden at level 45 who is able to handle single mob up to level 48 with no problems.
Answer: While Rune-Keepers (RK's) are nice because they can both heal/damage (although not at the same time), Hunters are nicer for soloing because of the ports. Starting at level 20, Hunters will aquire a series of skills that let them teleport to nearly every location in Middle-Earth (ME). They also have a skill called Return to Camp. This lets Hunters teleport to Campfires that are set in various locations (click here for list) across ME. However, all the ports require Travelling Rations. These are not hard to come by, you can buy them at a Provisioner for 26silver/100rations.
Another nice thing is that Hunters can also bring their entire fellowship with them when they port. However, the members must all be near the Hunter when this happens.
For the damage aspects, Hunters are better than RK's because RK's require time to build up their most powerful skill. In order for RK's to use their most powerful skills, they must first use weaker skills to build up Attunement. Once their Attunment reaches a certain level, they can use more powerful skills. However, Hunters can use their most powerful skills whenever they want (assuming they have Power for it), excluding two: Merciful Shot and Agile Rejoinder. Merciful Shot can only be used once the enemy has fallen to less than Half of its health. Agile Rejoinder can only be used when you Parry an attack.
While RK's use Attunement, Hunters use Focus. A Hunter can instantly gain Full Focus (9 points) by using a skill called Intent Concentration (in and out of combat), or they can do it over a few seconds with a skill called Focus. However, the skill Focus can only be used Out of Combat. Hunters can also aquire a trait called "Enduring Precision" that gives them one focus every eight seconds while in Precision Stance.
The Hunter's most efficient skill is Penetrating Shot. This is aquired at level 2, and requires three Focus points. Three focus can either be built up by using skills like Quick Shot (gives 1 point) Swift Bow (gives two points) Barbed Arrow (gives one point), or by using skill Focus/Intent Concentration. Penetrating Shot is most used in a Focus Build.
(Now that I'm reading this myself, I'm wondering why I wrote that last part)
Answer: I've played a bit of every class -- in fact, managed to get all but Runekeeper to 20 without dying.
There are several considerations when soloing: How long it takes to kill things, how much recovery time between fights, and 'disaster mitigation' survivability. For soloing purposes, I personally prefer to max out on the latter two.
Lore-master is, in my mind, a good soloing option for an advanced player. You have pets, crowd control, and heals. Grab the trait to remove the cast time on your Blinding Flash, and you're well suited to handling multiple mobs at once. You can either go for a tanking pet (The bear) or a quick-attacking pet to maximize your flank heal. Note that building for DPS will negate most of your mez, if you choose that route.
Tanks like the Warden and Guardian are excellent as well. You won't rock the DPS but your survivability is high. A Warden, in particular, has enough self heals that by higher levels you'll prefer larger pulls, as your AOEs will damage them all (and heal you that damage). The Warden also gets the same teleporting ability as the Hunter, although only for themselves rather than a party. (Which is fine for soloing)
The Runekeeper is a glass cannon. Excellent for soloing at lower levels, he runs into more trouble in the higher ones. You need to be much more careful on your pulls than the tanks or Loremaster do. Against a single opponent, they're dead before they reach you; against a group, you'll be dead where a Warden could simply tank them, and the LM would have rooted the melee, mezzed the caster, sent their raven to distract the archer and beat the last one to death with their staff.
If you choose to level through skirmishes, I recommend an herbalist for the Warden/Guardian and one of the DPS for the Loremaster -- but given your pets, you can't really make a bad choice with the loremaster. (I personally use an archer without any DOTS, so I can keep my targets clean in case I need to mez them.)
Regarding races -- it really doesn't matter. None of the bonuses are that stunning; I might recommend an Elven Loremaster for the ability to occasionally teleport to Rivendale, but you're probably just as well to invest in a second 'home' map location.

Soloing in Lord of the Rings Online


How do I load just the data from SQL Server 2005 backup into a 2008 R2 database?

Question: I created a 2008 native database and I have the structures in place but need to load data from a 2005 backup.
Answer: Is your new structure different of the structure in SQL Server 2005? You may restore the backup entirely, there is no need to create first the structure and then load the data.
Answer: Restore the 2005 backup as a different database, then use a tool like Red-Gate SQL Compare to copy the data. Once you're happy, drop the restored copy of the 2005 data.
Answer: If you have a tool like Redgate's SQL Virtual Restore you can access the database inside the backup without restoring it, just mounting the backup as a real live db.
If not, after restoring it (it will work and will be upgraded as SQL 2008 db), if the structure of the tables is identical, then you can easily use Management Studio's Import and Export wizard to copy the data. You'll need just to point between the source and the destination of your copy operation and the wizard will build an SSIS package (can be saved and reused later) that will do everything for you.
In case the structure of the tables is not the same between the two databases, than you'll need to do your own custom scripts to do that (to map between tables..to cast necessary types).


Spark plug tips are breaking/melting or falling of my Bosch Platinum Plugs

Question: After 150,000 on the original factory plugs I replaced them all with Bosch Platinum, single tip, plugs. After a couple of months my car began to idle roughly at stops but not always. Then one day it got so bad the check engine light went on and stayed on. The problem was with the #6 cylinder. Upon removing the plug I noticed the tip was gone.  Replaced it with same type and about a month later same thing.  This time I used the type with four tips. Another month or so, #1 cylinder, remove plug, no tip. Few months later a loud backfire and a lot of power lost. #3 tip is gone and #4 but #4 was more severe because the coil sleeve is torn up and separated from coil. I was able to remove tipless plug but the treads were damaged and could not properly install new plug. Anyone have this kind of experience. Car is 1999 Chrysler 300M, 170,000 miles. So far the four prong plugs are all OK. Called Chrysler HQ, local Chrysler dealer, Bosch and other mechanics, no one knows what could have caused this.
Comment: Did you check if the Bosch Platinum plugs you put in were the correct heat range and length?
Comment: It's always wise to verify the gap, but do not attempt to re-gap platinum plugs.  They don't take kindly to it and can result in the tip/prong breaking off, possibly in the engine while you're driving.  The correct plug for your car should already have the right gap.
Comment: Would LOVE a picture. Haven't seen that kind of plug damage in a long time! The people you called I'm sure gave you ideas? Bosch had no answer for you? Not even a guess? Invoke you warranty and return the plugs.
Answer: The Bosch book "Gasoline Engine Management" has good information on troubleshooting spark plugs by appearance. It's a very useful book all-around.
They distinguish between damage to the center electrode and damage to the ground electrode (or electrodes in the case of the Platinum+4's).
Center electrodes can be melted or eroded by thermal overload due to auto-ignition (i.e. knocking). If the auto-ignition/thermal overload is bad enough, you can end up with simultaneous damage to the center electrode and ground electrode(s), and sometimes you end up with soft/spongy/cracked insulator tips (the white part).
If it's just the ground electrode that is eroded, for causes they point to:

Aggressive fuel and oil additives. Deposits or other factors interfering with flow patterns in combustion chamber. Engine knock. No thermal overloading.
Answer: It sounds like you have foreign objects coming into the combustion chamber. Barring the plugs themselves from being the problem (incorrect heat range shouldn't cause this, wrong plug length could), are there any holes along the intake tract where foreign objects could be ingested by the engine?
Answer: I am assuming you personally replaced them and aren't just talking to the service manager at the dealership.
Since the Bosch aren't OEM, they are of unknown spec, and likely not the correct replacement as indicated by their short life. Carefully measure the length against a plug you removed and also make sure the model number on the plug matches the model number on the Bosch box, a mix up may have occurred. Furthermore, make sure you personally check the fitment at the Bosch website and not just use what the parts guy hands to you. There is no replacement for checking this yourself.
It really sounds like you used the wrong plugs. There isn't any reason to use anything other than factory spark plugs in this car, especially since they last 150,000 miles and cost only a fraction of the Bosch.
Answer: I had the same thing just happen to my car. Cylinder #1 was running to lean for a little but. Then idleing she began to bog out. Removed #1 and #3 plug, both ends were melted, removed as much carbon build up and cleaned out plug hole. Was told due to low octane gas, this can happen and it happens often. I drive a 2007 Subaru Impreza 2.5i. I replaced all four plugs and wires, runs fine now but ensure you use OEM plugs.
Answer: Auto-ignition could be the reason, maybe your are using high octane gas or add to make hotter the temperature inside the cylinder.  Check the code for knocking sensor.


Deleting old posts

Question: I have around 30 old posts that I want to delete on my blog. Can I just delete them permanently or should I worry about the "errors" I will get on my google webmasters tools and redirect them somehow?
Answer: You should submit a request for Google to stop indexing them as soon as possible (accessible through the Google Webmaster Tools interface). I'm sure you know the purpose of posts, but is is that important to delete them? You could just leave them as an archive as posts were originally meant for. If you don't link to them, you don't have to worry about most viewers ever seeing them, just tell Google not to index the specific ones. There's no guarantee they won't continue to be crawled, but you can keep an eye on it and if they are still getting indexed you could delete them at that time.
Comment: Actually these posts don't fit anymore in my blog's subject so that's the main reason. I am familiar with the process you described in your answer and I will follow it. That's the way I was thinking of deleting my old posts, just to confirm before action. Thank you Jeremy!
Answer: If you need to delete them, delete them. Google will learn on subsequent crawls that those pages don't exist.
Posts, in general, should not need to be deleted though.

Deleting old posts


How to change the frame color in Keynote

Question: In Keynote, when adding a frame stroke, it is possible to change the background color.
However I am not seeing any way to change the actual color of the frame border (which always stays white).
Any advice for doing so?
Comment: Change the background color of the stroke, or the slide?
Comment: The stroke - I modified the question based on your input
Answer: As far as I can see, the answer would have to be no.
The options for changing the colours of picture frames are greyed out, and in all the many keynotes I have seen, green frames have never been included.
That is not to say it is impossible.
It may be possible to make one, like this.
Create a rectangle of a shade of colour 50% brighter than the desired shade.
Create two identically sized photos the first with a frame.
Set the framed photo to 50% opacity, and position it over the rectangle.
Finally, place the good photo over the frame, and hope it was worth the effort.
I hope this helps, somehow.
Answer: While you can't change the color of a picture frame, you CAN use line instead.  It has the standard color well for setting the color; you can use any width for the line.  24 px looks similar to the basic picture frame.  And you can use various line styles for the edge.  This is substantially easier than the double box method.
In addition, you can do this on a template with those media replacement place holders, and it will be done in descendent masters.


Logical way to learn movable scales on guitar?

Question: After learning the CAGED 'open string' scales, what scales to do next? In what order or what way? When I learn a new scale, it seems to have the effect of displacing my ability to play other scales correctly, and when I re-learn the older scales, my finger seems automatically want to go, before I can stop them, to where I know to be the wrong place to go when I do new scales. Is there a way out of this mess?
Comment: General tip for learning without forgetting: Keep practising the old stuff regularly, don't take a break and then go back to it.  You can lessen the time devoted to old stuff of course, just play enough to stay "in shape".
Answer: There are six canonical two-octave major scale fingerings for guitar, three with the root on the E-string and three with the root on the A-string, and they come in pairs---meaning, each root-on-E-string scale is paired with an root-on-A-string scale.  You'll see what I mean in a moment.
Here are the root-on-E-string scales, in the key of A:
Pattern 1 (start with the 2nd finger):
<code>$E 5 7 $A 4 5 7 $D 4 6 7 $G 4 6 7 $B 5 7 $e 4 5
</code>
Pattern 2 (start with the 4th finger):
<code>$E 5 $A 2 4 5 $D 2 4 $G 1 2 4 $B 2 3 5 $e 2 4 5
</code>
Note: A variation for this fingering plays the seventh note on the D-string, 6th fret instead of the G-string, 1st fret.  I think this variation is easier to play, but breaks the pairing with its root-on-A-scale equivalent.
Pattern 3 (start with the 1st finger):
<code>$E 5 7 9 $A 5 7 9 $D 6 7 9 $G 6 7 9 $B 7 9 10
</code>
Here are the root-on-A-string scales, in the key of D:
Pattern 4 (start with the 2nd finger; play the last two notes with the 4th finger):
<code>$A 5 7 $D 4 5 7 $G 4 6 7 $B 5 7 8 $e 5 7 9 10
</code>
Pattern 5 (start with the 4th finger; on the high E-string, play the A with the 4th finger and the B with the 1st finger, shifting your whole hand):
<code>$A 5 $D 2 4 5 $G 2 4 $B 2 3 5 $e 2 3 5 7 9 10
</code>
Pattern 6 (start with the 1st finger):
<code>$A 5 7 9 $D 5 7 9 $G 6 7 9 $B 7 9 10 $e 7 9 10
</code>
As you can see, each root-on-E-string is paired with a root-on-A-string scale, and the fingerings for a pair of scales are almost identical.  There are three pairs of scales so that you can play a scale beginning with the first, second, or fourth finger of the left hand.
Advantages of These Six Patterns
None of these scales involves an open string, so they are completely transposable.  You may ask: why six patterns?  Isn't one good enough?  The advantage of having these six patterns is that in any given hand position, you're only ever a one-fret shift away from 11 out of the 12 possible major scales.  For example, let's say you're in 4th position (meaning, your index finger is at the 4th fret).  Then with at most a one-fret shift, you can play:

G Major (shift down one fret, play Pattern 3)
A♭ Major (no shift, play Pattern 3; or shift down one fret, play Pattern 1)
A Major (no shift, play Pattern 1)
B♭ Major (shift up one fret, play Pattern 1; or shift down one fret, play Pattern 2)
B Major (no shift, play Pattern 2)
C Major (shift up one fret, play Pattern 3; or shift down one fret, play Pattern 6)
D♭ Major (no shift, play Pattern 6; or shift down one fret, play Pattern 4)
D Major (no shift, play Pattern 4)
E♭ Major (shift down one fret, play Pattern 5; or shift up one fret, play Pattern 4)
E Major (no shift, play Pattern 5)
F Major (shift up one fret, play Pattern 5)

That's a lot of flexibility with only six patterns, especially since their paired nature makes them easy to learn.
Practice Suggestions
In my practice regimen, I pick a pattern and play it beginning on the 5th fret, then the 6th, the 7th, up the 12, and back down again.  Then I go on to the next scale pattern.
Some other scale practice exercises I use include:

play the scale up and down repeatedly without stopping, beginning at the 5th fret on the way up, then the 6th fret on the way down, then the 7th fret on the way back up, etc.
play the scale in groups of three, as in:

Exercise: Groups of Three
<code>$E 5 7 $A 2 $E 7 $A 2 3 2 3 5 3 5 $D 2
</code>

play the scale in groups of four, as above.
play the scale in thirds, as in:

Exercise: Scale in Thirds
<code>$E 5 $A 2 $E 7 $A 3 2 5 3 $D 2
</code>
When I was first learning the scale patterns, I picked one of these exercises and used it with all six patterns, every day for a week; then I moved on to another exercise.  These days, I pick one of these exercises per day and practice it with all six scale patterns.  I rotate the exercises to avoid getting in a rut.
Comment: what is your opinion or experience of http://music.stackexchange.com/questions/3136/is-it-acceptable-to-move-hand-position-while-practicing-scales-on-guitar/3138#3138 ?
Answer: One reason why scale fingerings can be harder to remember on fretboard (than it is on keyboard) is because the octave can be fingered in so many ways there. Instead of trying to remember all the ways ( on http://i-love-guitar.com/images/exoctaveshapes1.gif ) all at once, stick with the one between the 2nd and the 5th strings to begin with.
Try practicing just the one octave shown below to begin with. After you have mastered the 7 modes of the diatonic scale (arranged in level of difficulty below, which happens to form a diatonic circle of fifths), extend your range above and below that octave gradually (one step at a time) in order to learn other ways of fingering the octave well.
That is, each time you extend your range of scale runs using the diagrams below, tell yourself "i am going to run exactly an octave from THIS string to THAT string now" before you start doing it. Otherwise, your hand can literally run faster than your mind, and you don't learn as much by practicing even though your fingers are doing the same thing - because your mind is not doing the same thing.
<code>+  +()+()+--+()+
+  +ti+DO+--+()+
+  +so+--+la+
+  +re+--+mi+fa+
+  +()+--+()+DO+
+  +()+()+--+()+
</code>

<code>+  +()+()+--+()+
+     +SO+--+()+
+  +re+--+mi+fa+
+  +la+--+ti+do+
+  +()+()+--+SO+
+  +()+()+--+()+
</code>

<code>      +()+--+()+--+()+
      +RE+--+()+()+
   +la+--+ti+do+
   +mi+fa+--+so+
   +()+()+--+RE+
+()+--+()+--+()+
</code>

<code>      +()+--+()+()+
      +LA+--+()+()+
   +mi+fa+--+so+
   +ti+do+--+re+
+()+--+()+--+LA+
+()+--+()+--+()+
</code>

<code>      +()+--+()+()+
      +MI+()+--+()+
   +ti+do+--+re+
+fa+--+so+--+la+
+()+--+()+--+MI+
+()+--+()+--+()+
</code>

<code>+()+--+()+()+
+la+--+TI+()+
+fa+--+so+
+do+--+re+--+mi+
+()+--+()+--+TI+
+()+--+()+()+--+
</code>

<code>+()+--+()+()+
+mi+FA+--+()+
+do+--+re+
+so+--+la+--+ti+
+()+--+()+FA+
+()+--+()+()+
</code>
Answer: The way I have always done it is to practice and learn the feel of a scale. I'm not yet at the stage where I fully understand all the modes - takes a lot of practicing - but I know that all the scales in an octave feel different, so what I do is cycle through them; 5 repetitions up and down of one type, then 5 of another etc.
This helps your fingers learn a lot of different correct way, and to me it seems like the feel I'm aiming for mentally steers my fingers to the correct scale/mode.
Reading that back seems very odd, and possibly not helpful if your mind isn't in the same place as mine - I guess the key is to not just practice one type of scale, but to learn them in parallel so you can identify the differences and switch between them easily.
But it comes down to just lots of practice - same as ever.
Answer: The CAGED system is a great way to learn Chord inversions and thus is suitable to learning scales.
Unfortunately, CAGED is also quite limiting in that it focuses mainly on the major chords of C,A,G,E,D... That is, the CAGED system looks at the first position shapes of these chords and moves them up the neck of the guitar.   So literally, your scale work would be relative to a C SHAPE, A SHAPE, etc etc.
But there's an important factor relating to to 2 of the shapes:  The D shape is really in transition to the C shape.

So in fact, there are SUB shapes in between the CAGED chords. These SUB shapes are usually made up of 3 notes, one per string (so max three strings).  If you figure out the 6 patterns from Alex's post above and relate them back to the CAGED shapes WITH THE SUB SHAPES, you'll see that the symmetry in the scale pattern usually breaks along the same notes where the D shape transitions to C shape.
Hope this makes sense.
So taking this all the way back... start with E.
You should aim to do E scales firstly within frets 1 and 3 from the lowest string to the highest string.
Then you transition up to the D shape and again, go from the lowest strings to the highest strings and back.
Then transition to the C shape and low to high strings again.
Then transition to the A shape and low to high strings again.
Then transition to the G shape and low to high again.
And finally back to E.   So in fact, it's a EDCAG.
It's always better to relate scales to a chord shapes - particularly in a structured progression.  That's why learning Blues is such a great introduction to the art of soloing.  All of the CAGED and EDCAG shapes are there... but it also throws in transitions between Major and Minor...
ie.  Key of A

i (Major scale)  iv (Minor scale)  v (Major scale)
A Dominant 7  -  D9  -  E7

Start with the A shape (first position) which gives way to the G/E shapes.  The E shape for the A Chord (5th Fret) can be used for all the Stevie Ray Vaughn/Hendrix licks you can throw a stick at.  Which then slides up to the D shape and the sub D/C shapes leading up to the 12th fret.
Rinse and Repeat.
Answer: While I agree that learning the feel of a scale is important, I think knowing the notes is really important, too. So my suggestion is to practice extremely slowly, and think of the notes that you are playing, and not only the shape and feel. If you are burning through your scales only for technical facility, and not also for the content, you are not going slowly enough. For this sort of practice you should go no faster than you can say the notes out loud while you play them. (I'd do this on your open string scales, too.)


What is the best way to clean dirty cards

Question: I have a few frequently played card games where the cards no longer feel "clean".  They aren't stained or anything, just a bit grimy.  Is there an effective way to clean the cards without damaging the graphics?
Answer: I've found that a slightly damp washcloth with a little bit of plain old bar soap on it works just fine -- don't use those goofy hand soaps with the beads or anything fancy in them.
Lightly rub the cloth on the card, dry it off with another washcloth, and let it sit for a few hours.  You definitely want to try this on one card first to make sure that nothing streaks on the card, and only do small batches at a time to make it manageable.
I wouldn't do this to any Magic cards that you find valuable; those should have been in card sleeves in the first place.  It might be safe, but I would hate to be responsible for damage to your Mox or Lotus.
Comment: I used to own a hobby game store that sold rare Magic cards, and I can vouch for using a barely damp cloth.  I have no insight on the soap, though.
Answer: Another option is to get a razor blade or hobby knife, and carefully scrape the grime off. You want to use a very light touch here to avoid scratching the card. Basically put the whole of the blade in contact w/ the card, just slightly off of vertical, and lightly scrape.
Regardless of what method you use, if the cards are used frequently prevention is the best method, but if you do have success cleaning cards, you'll definitely want to get some sleeves to keep your cards nice and clean.


How do you characterize "Breakfast Beer"?

Question: What makes a good breakfast beer?
Thinking of brewing something for an upcoming eggs and kegs event.
Any clones of Founders Kentucky Breakfast Stout out there?
Comment: If it was made with oatmeal
Comment: ...or [bacon](http://homebrew.stackexchange.com/questions/3373/why-does-my-beer-taste-like-bacon)
Comment: i make a oatmeal stout, strong coffes flavor, with lots of chocholate @ 9% all you need for breakfast(i work 3rd shift)
Answer: OK, you asked me to leave it as an answer, so here it is:
In this order: 1. It's cold. 2. It's got alcohol. 3. It's got enough sugar to go well with Wheaties or is neutral enough to work with Froot Loops. Basically, that means just about anything. 4. Lightly hopped. Hops are tough on morning mouth. But then again, the antibacterial properties in hops probably kill off all the funk in your mouth leftover from the stripper mammaries you were licking the night before... oh wait, I'm talking about me again...
Comment: I think your definition of a breakfast beer is called Whiskey. Likes.
Answer: For me, a good breakfast beer is something I can handle in the morning, or with a hangover. While strong is fine, if I can taste alcohol, it's not going to end well. Mkeller's beer geek breakfast, for example, has too strong an alcohol taste to be a good breakfast stout.
I think something malty with smooth flavors works best. Bitter hops just won't do at 8am!
I want to brew a breakfast stout that's a blend of 4 batches - oatmeal stout, coffee stout, vanilla porter, and a maple porter. Hit about 6% abv.
Comment: In this order:
1. It's cold.
2. It's got alcohol.
3. It's got enough sugar to go well with Wheaties or is neutral enough to work with Froot Loops.  Basically, that means just about anything.
4. Lightly hopped.  Hops are tough on morning mouth.  But then again, the antibacterial properties in hops probably kill off all the funk in your mouth leftover from the stripper mammaries you were licking the night before...  oh wait, I'm talking about me again...
Comment: You should totally leave that comment as an answer! :)
Answer: Old question, but I'll throw out an answer:  In Brewmaster's Table, Garrett Oliver recommended wits, hefeweissens, berliner weisses (wheat in general) to go with eggs.  A wit or hefe does go beautifully with eggs/omelettes.
If you're doing steak and eggs, that adds another layer of complexity.  Most of those wheats won't stand up to beef, so I would go with a weissbock, dunkel, or even a hoppy amber.
Answer: I have found, on several occasions, that the Belgian Blonde / Tripel I make is excellent at breakfast.
I've had it with pancakes -- it was wonderful!
I've had it with sausages and eggs -- it was amazing!
If I didn't have my own available to me I'd try one of these: Maredsous Tripel, Tripel Karmeliet, Saxo, Pranqster, Duvel.  I'm sure lots of others would be just as good, but those are the ones I know of and can think of right now.
Comment: Try beer **in** pancakes.  Also delicious.
Answer: Any beer I drink with breakfast, of course.


going from PaintShop Pro 9 to Adobe Photoshop

Question: PaintShop Pro 9 offered vector layers and raster layers, and it has been a handy tool for web design and drawing objects. While I'm somewhat proficient in it, the program has its limitations, and I'm thinking about moving to Photoshop. Are there any "gotchas" to be aware of, besides what could be a steep learning curve? Does experience in PaintShop Pro mitigate some of the learning curve? I would especially appreciate the perspective of those who have experience in both programs.
Answer: I'm more familiar with Photoshop than with PaintShop Pro, but here are some objective things:
Interface: It's a matter of habit and personal taste. Both let you customize the layout.
Color and Tone: Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro offer almost identical sets of adjustment commands. Both support adjustment layers (non-destructive correction method).
Retouching: Both have good tools, I personally prefer the options in photoshop.
Layers: Both support layers, the handling is different but the technique is similar.
Masks: In Photoshop, a mask always belongs to a layer; in Paint Shop Pro, masks are separate raster layers. However, the work principles and achieved results are very similar.
Transformations: Quite the same in both (transform, rotate, distort).
Automating tasks: Photoshop macro commands - "actions" - are a bit more stable, while Paint Shop Pro "scripts" are more flexible.
"Photoshop feels the strongest, Paint Shop Pro - the fastest" (source)
"PSP is cheaper" (source)
If you already know PSP, you will get PS in a day, functionality-wise you can do the same things. Your curve will be a straight line, and there are plenty of tutorials to help you in the process.
I personally love Photoshop and not even my love for open source can let me migrate from it. If you also have illustrator, even better, you can use both in combination. PSP and PS do basically the same, I think PS is a bit more popular so there might be more elements around (brushes, effects, etc). I have only tried PSP so it would be good to read some other opinions on people who have actually crossed the frontier.
Here's a list of command equivalences for both programs: http://paintshoppro.info/tutorials/photoshop_to_paintshoppro_dictionary.htm
Answer: I learned computer graphics on PS6. There was a lot to learn and I only used it for a couple of years before deciding my hobby needs were 95.8% filled with a program 1/10th the cost of PS... Also, in either the 1st CS or next, the spyware was attached. (Whenever opened, sent a packet home to verify paid license). In those days, we still used aliases as the net was still evolving from it's wild west days and us 'netties' didn't trust anyone. (We spent over half our time on-line tweaking firewalls, proxies, protecting IPs and chasing un-mutuals to their basement control labs and turning off their computer fans!. Lol.) It was not until PSP 10 that Corel followed suit, which is one reason I still use PSP9!
Psp 12+ is a mystery to me, the entire working controls are completely unfamiliar to me... I know when I need to do something PSP9 cannot handle, (or other inexpensive stand alone), I will probably drop the cash for PS.
If you are in any way a professional, I could not urge you enough to get PS and spend the time to learn it... as sooner or later you WILL need it AND many of the same actions always come out better with PS without a lot more post processing which can be a huge time killer.
Always start with the best (in this case photos), post process with the best and develop the finished product with the best materials (or files)... the time you save in the end is a fraction of what you will need to learn PS in the short run.
As I see it.
*I see people knock people that sell graphic files that can be used in PS or PSP for 2-3-$5 not realizing that buying that item can save a professional artist 20-30-60 minutes... at 60 to $100 an hour, that purchase pays for itself on the 1st use! Same thing with buying more expensive programs that appear to do many of the same things... the money spent on PS and the time to learn it can pay for itself, sometimes within 1 or 2 jobs!
Good Luck
~Ðog§cout
(Still using that alias! Lol.)


Tools for creating mockups for mobile device UIs

Question: I am looking for tools that can help me to create UI mockups for different mobile phones such as iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7 devices. Is there any application that can do this?
Answer: If you are going to be prototyping for iPhone, there is a very interesting iPhone Mockup tool I found recently.
You might also want to consider the listing provided by this article, it has a lot of stencils and tools on the subject.
Comment: That's a great tool, Pam!
Comment: I know, right? I found it a couple of days ago while trying to help out some students at my old university with a mobile design project. Found it very neat myself =D
Answer: Good question - Balsamiq Mockups may be your best bet. They have iPhone controls built in, and someone has contributed controls for Windows Phone 7. They also have stuff for Nokia platforms, etc. Not sure about Android options here. Keep your eye on Balsamiq's Mockups To Go blog for further contributions from the Balsamiq community.
I also created two lists on Twitter following wireframing and prototyping tools, which you might consider following to see if those companies integrate support for those platforms. Since Windows Phone 7 hasn't launched yet, though, a lot of them haven't moved into that space yet.
Comment: Those lists are great!
Comment: Is there a free version of Balsamiq, e.g. a Webbased version
Answer: Also check out Pencil for Firefox.. and the Android stencils over at the android-ui-utils open source project (blog post here).
I also hear Adobe Fireworks is very good for UI prototyping (apaprently with support for interactive mocks and 9-slice shapes) ... I haven't tried it myself though.
Answer: There's a dedicated tool for the iPhone (and iPad) which actually runs on the iPhone - Interface.
As Rahul pointed out, Balsamiq is a good choice and Axure also has dedicated libraries (at least for the iPhone - I haven't checked for the rest).
Comment: The iPhone app sounds really interesting!  Thanks!
Answer: I'd like to add the WireframeSketcher Eclipse plugin to the list. A very nice and easy to use prototyping application that can be used right out of the IDE even by non-programmers.
One nice advantage of WFS is that the screens are saved as XML files, which allows easily storing them in a version control system and diff'ing and merge'ing them to keep changes organized.
While it was initially created for mocking up "normal" applications, some users have contributed mockup components - called "stencils" - for iPad/iPhone/Android apps (see the WFS Mockupgallery).
Answer: I often use gdocs. Im most flexible with it and Im used to it. I love the way u can share, discuss and collaborate the sketches. See here for example: Two step selection in windows phone 7
Answer: You can use Fireworks also or you can try and check this app http://www.fluidui.com/ dedicated solely on iPhone and Android for creating of mockups. :)
Answer: Here is another tool that can help you iPhone Wireframe Kit - Google Docs
Answer: Also, Please add this tool in your resources.
DesignerVista 4.0 for iPhone, Windows Phone 7 and Android Mobile GUI Mockups
http://www.designervista.com
Answer: I've preferred Fireworks for a long time now, but recently I moved to OmniGraffle (since Fireworks started to get really buggy and slow on my Mac). I've quite happy with the choice so far. Here's some very nice stencils for iPhone and iPad which includes both real graphics and grayscale versions for OmniGraffle.
Typically you start out with grayscale wireframes and add some graphics if really necessary. Personally I work faster with grayscale and it makes the wireframes stick to describing features and navigation, not colors.
Answer: I tried couple of methods.
Comments and links are as follows;

Photoshop or Fireworks with this http://www.teehanlax.com/blog/2010/06/14/iphone-gui-psd-v4/
Standard way, takes a bit longer to fine tune layouts.
Interface app for iphone
Takes too much time but perfect for prototype and production too..
Keynote Kungfu - Keynote, Powerpoint template for prototyping iOS
Best one yet, quick as keynote gives alot of hand, multiple export options.
Answer: I love Cacoo; it's my go-to for simple wire-framing and they have great options for iPhone, Android, etc. I've used other tools, but this has been the best for me, to mock something up before building it myself or with my friends.
Answer: You see, there are many tools. The right choice always depends on your previous experience and skills and obviously the context of your task. What do you want to show and and to who.
Additionally to the list I can recommend:
- if you want to explore all kinds of transitions, check Adobe Catalyst (or Flash)
- if you need to create specifications afterwards, the benchmark currently is Axure RP6
Actually, you can use whatever you have, as long as you know what you want to do and who is the audience of your deliverable ;)
Answer: Cannot add a comment to Rahul's post so I will mention here that Balsamiq's custom mockups site is relocating here https://mockupstogo.mybalsamiq.com/projects and its in a much nicer format than the Posterous site.
@OneWorld you can subscribe to http://mybalsamiq.com for $12 per month. But you are better off buying the desktop version IMHO.
Answer: For iPhone / iPad I use the following:
App Cooker and iMockups
Both are iPad apps.
Answer: Axure all the way! I have spent countless hours getting a prototype to work on mobile. The problem with every other program I have used is that they dont handle detailed forms. I had to prototype a workout form on the phone. Axure could handle the form 'remembering' the users choices when bouncing around from screen to screen. (ie: When the user selected 'activity' and they go to the next screen with the list of activitys, they could choose 'Run' and have that bounce them back on the previous screen with 'Run' prefilled. They could then choose the sub-activity, lets say 'treadmill run'. It would then pop me back on the original form screen with 'Run' and 'Treadmill Run' populated on the form.) Some other programs would handle this as a dropdown, but of course this is handled differently on the phone. Axure is the only program that would support this.
There is also a setting in the newer version of the software that allows you to adjust the viewpane of the prototype so that it looks like an actual app on the phone. It supports functions like 'tap' that are mobile functions.
On the site, there is a free trial. There are many widget libraries that are supported, even mobile UI elements.
I HIGHLY recommend this program!
Answer: You may want to try our tools:
1) Notepad for rapid paper prototyping of iPhone Apps GUI elements are on separated post-its. After prototyping you can take a picture of your design and send it to the UXPin App. It will be auto-converted for digital, fully editable, wireframe.

2) UXPin App - wireframing tool with full live collaboration (people can edit the same prototype in the same time) and ability to recognize paper prototypes from UXPin Notepads. You can wireframe iOS and Android apps. We're thinking about Phone 7.

I don't want it to be just a marketing post so - please remember that Apple itself got nice SDK with great tool XCode 4. You can quickly create UI there using traditional drag&drop method.
I also used to use Axure for both iPhone and Android wireframes.


What are good exercises for strengthening knees to hold stances better?

Question: About a year ago I suffered a major knee injury and while I have been cleared to return to the dojo and train, I still have some weakness in the knee. What are some good exercises to strengthen the knees for when you are in low frontal stances such as shiko dachi (四股立)?
Answer: Not to sound terribly flippant or dismissive, but the best way to build up to doing a stance is to do the stance.
When we perform a specific activity, we engage the muscles necessary for that activity. If you want, for instance, to effectively chop wood, then you should chop wood. This also serves the secondary purpose of building up your neural pathways to reacquaint your body with what is potentially going to become a new way of performing that action; if you have any sort of nerve damage or muscular damage, the surrounding muscles and tendons will compensate to the best of their ability to protect the damaged region as well as the body as a whole.
Unfortunately, physical therapy only goes so far – their interest is largely to get you back up to the ability to live an ordinary life. Your life, as a martial artist, is extraordinary, and thus has higher demands of your body.
The real key is to perform the activities you need to perform, but slowly and carefully building up to deeper and more intense variations of that activity.
Comment: @SeanPatrickFloyd: You think that's long, you should see my other answers ;)
Comment: TL;DR, but +1 for "the best way to build up to doing a stance is to do the stance"
Comment: No, it's not too long, but I'm still at work and just don't have the time I wish I had.
Answer: As mentioned in this and other answers to that question one of the biggest things you can do to help your knees are progressively more difficult bodyweight squat variations or barbell/dumbbell squats (preferably with help of a trainer). These have a direct impact on the muscles that are responsible for stabilizing the knee, and done correctly they are tremendously valuable for these sorts of things.
The big thing is to make sure your form is correct and that you are going below parallel (if your form isn't correct they are hell on your knees), and I'd talk to your physical therapist about any particular considerations, if squats are counterindicated by your particular condition, and if so what alternatives exist that would serve a similar purpose.  I wear a knee brace when doing squats on recommendation of my chiropractor (who is also a physical therapist).
The other thing, as mentioned by stslavik, is to do the stance or as closely as you can reasonably manage.  My experience here is that "lots of light practice" is a good way to go: We used to advocate rapier students go into their fighting stance and hold it during commercial breaks while watching TV, or just for a few minutes here or there throughout their day.  So rather than trying to do it only in class, on days when you don't have class take a few minutes here and there throughout the day to practice. Sink into it (or as close as you can manage without pain), hold it for a little while (letting up if you can't manage it, no sense further injuring yourself), maybe do a little of the footwork from that stance or do a little practice from that stance, and then go on with whatever you are doing. Listen to your knees and don't overdo it, but keep practice to whatever degree you can.
Answer: I have a knee injury that I take care of by an excersize recomended by my orthopedic surgen. It's basically knee bend while hovering and moving your other leg around your body in different positions. Here you can see an instructional video of how to do it. The exercise will strengthen the muscles around the knee and the ankle and I've found that it helps me hold my forms better.
Answer: In agreement with @stslavik, doing the stance and using the stances during your training will be the most beneficial to your ankle/calf/knee/quads/hips/lower back strength.
Pay careful attention to remaining in the stance during the technique, and when moving through the kata.  Take care to keep your feet correctly aligned (according to the style of your training).  If you're supposed to stay low, then remain low all the way through - i.e. don't "pop up/stand up" with a straightened leg.
If you're trying to improve leg strength then worry less about getting the technique to work and concentrate on doing it right.
On a knee injury, you should concentrate on improving mobility and strength in the knee "joint" muscles, and in your lower back.  Squats (slow and low, back straight) are great.
Answer: If you are in a stance and your knee hurts (glancing pain), then most likely your weight is too far forward. If you put more weight in your heel, you'll find that your quads get to work much more. When your knees begins to hurt that way, ease up from the stance. Eventually the knees will get stronger and the type of 'pain' you get will change.
Now - it is all well and good to be able to get into a stance without hurting your knees, but the problem is, a stance is only good if you can move with it. It's important to remember that the knee is only a bidirectional joint. You can bend the knee and you can straighten the knee, but if you attempt to turn the knee sideways, you'll soon realize, probably painfully, that the body is not meant to do that. So, you're down to two options: the ankles and the hips. The ankles are useful for the smaller tweaks, mostly the ones involving the feet (which I'm sure you already knew, even if you weren't aware of it). This only leaves one option - the hips. For proper mobility, it is CRITICAL to have good hip flexibility. The hip is a rotating joint, so it can move your leg. Even better, you can move BOTH legs! Now, if you attempt to move in a way which the hip cannot accommodate, the movement will stop. If you force it, other joints will try to accommodate you.. And the knee will try, and then possibly give out, if you ask for a movement which SHOULD be a hip movement and turns out to be a knee twist.
The short of it is, don't do that. :)
Comment: What about twisting the knee because your hips don't rotate sufficiently?
Comment: Hey now, I don't poke holes in your naive-questioning-tactic :-) Now here's something I have not really explored: what about ankles? It has less freedom-of-movement than the femoral socket, but more than knees.
Comment: @Ho-ShengHsiao I daresay you have answered your own question :) I'll edit and add things to my answer, it might be too long for a comment.
Comment: *chuckle* It was a good question.
Comment: @Ho-ShengHsiao the ankles are useful to absorb the energy from the start or end of a movement - for the ground and the direction. Imagine how painful it would be to start a sudden movement if the ankle weren't there to absorb that.
Comment: Hmmmm, interesting.
Comment: I just made it up, to be honest, but the more I think about it the more I want to play with it. Heck! I'm gonna make that a REAL question.
Answer: It depends on the injury!
Muscle injuries
If it's primarily a muscle injury, you can do well with squats, leg strengthening, 1 legged balancing, and of course, the stance itself.
Tendon injuries
If you've had a tendon damaged (replaced, torn, restapled to bone), then the issue is that the joint itself is unstable.  Again, you'll want to do strengthening leg exercises but at lighter weights and slower.  If you can do single legged balancing, this can help (hold on to a wall if you need to initially).   Slow leg kicks and similar control focused exercises will also help build the muscles up and the muscle intelligence to keep the stabilization of the leg.
When that's strong, try using a balance board as well.
Cartilage damage
If you've had cartilage damage - meniscus discs, etc. I'd be very careful and honestly, you may not be able to do some stances or deep stances.  Cartilage barely repairs if at all, and isn't really replaceable.  You may end up having to simply forego some stances and adapt your movement/fighting style.   More pressure on damaged cartilage doesn't heal or toughen it - it continues to wear it away.
The general rule is that muscle strengthens with use, tendon can be toughened over long periods of time, joints can be protected with strong, reactive muscles, but cartilage has to be preserved.  A lot of schools/teachers/training often will treat all types of injuries as something to "tough out and work through" which can make things worse!  Be careful with your body, train right so you can get the most out of it.
If your injury is a combination of the above 3 (common for sudden injury, falls, car accidents, etc.) then use the worst case scenario as the protocol, and be kind to yourself.  Whatever exercises the PT has given you, KEEP DOING THEM.
Answer: Cycling is by far the best rehabilitative exercise for any part of the leg. It's low-impact ( or rather, non-impact) and doesn't put any limbs at odd angles. A pedal you can clip into will ensure that you work your ligaments on both the up- and down stroke.


Any toys that are at proper miniature scale?

Question: One thing I've periodically wondered is whether there are any kid's toy/action figures that are of the proper scale to be used as minis.  Has anybody found anything that works?
Answer: We've used lego minifigs as characters for a couple of years, and now and then as major NPCs. None of us can be bothered to collect or paint miniatures you see.
A lego minifig fits nicely enough on an inch grid wipe clean battlemap thingy.

I managed to source some nice round bases for them as well, which you can just see at the bottom of the above picture.
Here's a character portrait that the lego fig is an attempt to represent:
Comment: ... and Lego bricks can be used to quickly create in depth representations of an intricate battle map.
Comment: Seconding Legos. They're ready-made, recognizable, and easy to take care of/replace.
Answer: I don't know if there is a Michael's craft store in your area, but they have various miniatures of animals, dragons, horses, hydras, giants, dinosaurs, etc.  Most of the miniatures that would be used for player characters are bigger than the standard 1-inch square.  Even so, I have used several of their products, and you might find something you like.
Comment: That sounds great--how does the price compare to minis?
Comment: I think the smaller pieces are comparable to regular gaming miniatures, but the larger pieces are mush cheaper than regularly large gaming miniatures.
Answer: Many car models and toys have the scale listed, if you look for it, or search for it online. For car and motorcycle "miniatures" in my Shadowrun games, I use 1/43 scale items (e.g. City Cruiser cars). Any action figure in 1:43 or a similar scale would work, I imagine. I think military scale (1/33) is too large, and I don't know if there's a matching railroad model scale.
Comment: Another option: HeroQuest is a board game that has good minis for dungeon furniture (doors, treasure chests, tables, etc.), heroes, and monsters.
Comment: Nice.  I play so many fantasy games I hadn't even thought of this--I was thinking of character, animal, and monster figs, but that is definitely useful.
Answer: I've used heroquest minis quite a bit.   They're made for a board game, but work great in general RPGs.  Also tend to use MageKnight figurines.
Answer: Back when I was a lad, you could get big bags of plastic soldiers, which were of roughly the right size. For games in a less modern setting, there were also bags of vikings, Native Americans, samurai, etc.
Whether these things still exist, I don't know, but they're in Toy Story, so I'd assume they do.
Answer: It's really a question of scale; it's theoretically possible to use ANY product line for minis as long as it's the only product line you're using, because they'll all be to scale with each other.
If you're doing D&D, though, then presumably you're operating in the traditional "1 inch equals 5 feet" scale, which mathematically works out to 1:60 scale, but in practice means that (as long as you're only talking about Medium-sized creatures) you're actually just looking for things which don't significantly occupy more horizontal space than a square inch. (This does, incidentally, include Lego minifigs; I've done games where the PCs were minifigs on little bases - the ones that came in the recent Toy Story Army Men set would have been perfect for this - and the monsters were D&D Minis.)
Incidentally, some online hobby retailers will allow you to search their product listings by scale., although that won't help you for things which are technically not-to-scale but which are close enough for minis representation.
Answer: We use everything. Kitchen magnets, Kinder Surprise toys, dice, glass pellets, 4-in-a-row chips (for effects)...
I've noticed that this works greas as long as you limit yourself to only using crap. We've used the few mini's we have managed to acquire over the years (heroquest, ebay, the gutter of the street, ...) in combination with junk and that kind of kills it for me sometimes. When you have an awesome model of a goblin, one of an orc and the orc mage is represented by a sugarcube... I would rather have them all be sugarcubes with their names painted on.
Anyway, I recommend 4-in-a-row chips or bottle caps for lasting effects (-2 on attack, +4 to all saves, ...). They stack well and you can distinguish by using red as bad and yellow as good.
Answer: Many Japanese gashapon are about the right size, if you are into that kind of things.
If it's a problem of budget you have, though, consider buying a boardgame with lots of plastic minis in it. Something like Descent.
Answer: Micromachines figures for Star Wars are close enough to 15mm to be used as such.
HO Scale is just a little under 15mm.
15mm isn't as popular as it used to be, but was once the norm for Sci-Fi minis games; it's still fairly popular in some circles for historicals, too. And if you're printing out your own maps, just halve the scale for use with 15mm or HO people.
On the other hand, you may want to look at some of the plastic minis by Zvezda and Ceasar in 20mm. And they're cheap... 20-30 figs for a $15 box... and durable, flexible plastic.
I used them for my L5R games.


How can I make my adventures more bard-inclusive?

Question: For whatever reason, it seems that no one in my campaigns ever chooses to play a bard.  I am beginning to wonder if it has something to do with the adventures I construct as our game's DM.  These adventures tend to alternate between traditional kick-in-the-door dungeon crawls and mysteries/political intrigues, so that both the kickass warriors and nuanced tacticians get some play.  I rarely, if ever, make use of silence spells.  It doesn't seem to matter if I play premade adventures (which might theoretically be unbiased against bards) or my own created ones.  I guess this lack of bards bothers me because there are so many great literary examples of bard in the books I've read (eg. The Belgariad, The Name of the Wind) that it seems an obvious choice of character.  A bard also would seem to solve the "leadership" problem our parties often have.  So, it has gotten me wondering, aside from changing the arguably broken mechanics of the Bard in Dungeons and Dragons v3.5, what are the adventure features and bardic bonuses I can incorporate to make my worlds more bard-inclusive or appealing to bard characters?
Answer: When a bigger hammer doesn't suffice, intelligent heroes need to use Guile and Cunning... which sometimes includes talking enemies to death.
The concept of the "face" in role playing games exists because of some problems that cannot simply be solved by beating them to death with a bigger hammer. These problems include: getting paid, finding a gig, explaining that "it wasn't us" to outraged authorities, and all sorts of other... politics.
The need for a face, for a bard, is directly proportional to how much political wrangling the party faces. If getting paid is a matter of dropping a head on a desk somewhere and saying "gimmie my money" and... they do, then there is no need for a bard. If there's a entrenched bureaucracy between your (carried) head and that desk; suddenly there is a need for a bard.
Incorporate political problems and consequent bonuses to make playing the face appealing.
Players should be able to earn greater bonuses, avoid some combats, get assistance, and get paid because of the abilities of the face. So long as the group is willing, this can also include scouting duties and other unsavoury "we don't have a big enough hammer to solve this problem" problems. However, since some people play RPGs to get away from politics, this is absolutely something that must be discussed with the group first.
Comment: '...some problems that cannot simply be solved by beating them to death with a bigger hammer. These problems include: getting paid, finding a gig, explaining that "it wasn't us" to outraged authorities...' If violence isn't working for you in these situations, you're *clearly* not using enough of it. :-P
Answer: The number one way to make someone want to play any class or race or character option is by showing off some cool ones in your game.
Do you ever include bards?  If you do, are they harmless buffoons?  I know my Pathfinder play group has a bit of this attitude about bards.  You bust in, and the BBEG is some really crazed butch looking villain, and then he... Begins to sing!!!  Frequently we'll relax and say "Aw, man, he's just a bard!" This is because the couple bard bad guys we've come across have been pushovers (hint: don't put a solo bard in an adventure - might as well be a commoner).
You should look up some bard handbooks and include some good bards in your game.  Friendly and/or enemy.  Ideally, a bad guy bard could own them (probably in a courtly intrigue kind of scenario), get them tossed in the dungeon or something.  Nothing emulates imitation like success.
(I'll also note that then those bad guy bards drop treasure quite suited to PC bards... A more pecuniary motivation, but one that might sway the gear queens in the group.)
But beyond that, there's a lot of classes and not everyone wants to play certain kinds of characters.  Unless you find that people are playing bard-like "face" classes and you're shutting them down, and thus people are thinking "no way I'd play a bard he wouldn't let me do anything," it doesn't really matter that no one plays them...
Comment: An excellent answer; a well-played antagonist is a great way to impress players with a class. For the Bard in particular, the [Joker Bard](http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5496158) is an excellent illustration of how the class can be used to great effect as a villain, and should be quite enough to impress players.
Comment: +1 for suggesting including more significant bards in my campaign, and also for looking up bard handbooks.  As obvious as it sounds, I hadn't thought of putting the group up against a bard villain.
Answer: The bard class is one that ties many more assumptions about the setting and the components of the setting that will be played in than many other classes do.
If you are loooking to entice people to play bards, you should make clear both:

Where the bard fits into the social fabric of your world.
How the social fabric of the world will impact game play.

If your game is all about kicking down doors, killing orcs and taking their stuff, many players will be much less interested in playing bards, than if you game is about navigating social scenarios, and gaining access to and guiding the decisions of persons of influence.
A player who wants to play a bard will probably also want to know where the bard fits in the reams in which the game takes place.

Are you in a psuedo-India where such a character may manifest as a snake charmer?
Are you in a quest-for-the-holy-grail-esq-England where the bardic instrument is a pair of coconuts?
Will the bard be playing for nobles?
Or storytelling in rough dives by the docks?
Comment: +1 for the first sentence. There's a world of difference between the social role of a bard in pre-Roman Britain and the social role of a bard in the middle ages.
Comment: And I think I may be going a bit sideways with this answer, as you're asking how to make adventures more "bard-y" and I'm answering how to invite more bards into your campaign.
Answer: Maybe your chronicles are not wrong. Maybe your players just don't like to play bards. I use to play Vampire, and I can't some of my fellow players to play a Toreador, for instance. Well, they could play one if it is mandatory, but never on their own will!
Anyway, the easiest way to know why your players don't want to play bards should be to ask them. Maybe you are investing so much effort in being bard-friendly, but it is wasted because they just don't like bards (or being one).
Answer: The D&D rules tend to discourage solving encounters by charisma skills, because doing so may cost X.P., and will probably cost treasure.  You can encourage Bards by making it advantageous to use those skills.  Adventures where the party has to conserve time and resources can make it useful to have a Bard that can avoid fights, or bring in allies.
Bardic knowledge can be made a really useful skill.  Be careful not to have an adventure that requires a successful bardic knowledge roll though, he might not make it.  (Unless you want to "roll" in secret to just pretend that the Bard is important but in fact have a predetermined plot, which I personally find a little silly).  But you can have bardic knowledge be potentially useful in many situations.
Bards can be socially important.  If bards are welcome everywhere, from the seediest bar to the palace hall, that can be useful.
Depending on your campaign, Bards can be mythologically important.  Magic rituals might require a bard to participate to be successful.  The gate to the ancient underground mountain passage might only open with a certain magic item and a perform check.  Epic level arcane magic might be incapable of creating anything, epic divine magic might only be able to create what the god the caster worships has already created, and only bardic magic can create something genuinely new and change the nature of the world.
I've thought about doing a plot line of following the trail of an epic level bard to recover the fragments of his lost epic level magical song.  The party could gradually uncover his story in the process, and part of tracking the fragments down would be understanding how he thinks and what he is trying to create, based partly on reading the fragments they do have.
I haven't done it because it's a lot of work, you have to actually provide the lyrics of the song fragments for it to really work, and they need to be really really good.  You could plagiarize them from various sources, but they have to sound like one person and fit the plot so it's still a lot of work.
In the unlikely event that you do something like that, it should be pretty natural that the bard in the party would play a key role.  Possibly at the end of the campaign he could complete the missing pieces of the song himself.
Comment: "D&D rules tend to discourage solving encounters by charisma skills, because doing so may cost X.P." - Not necessarily. You get XP for *overcoming an encounter*. Often that means killing a monster, but it doesn't have to.
Answer: Place the game in a city. Rather than the lone outback with a dungeon in a secluded area full of ruins and ZERO PEOPLE, you place your adventure in the middle of a bustling city. Instead of having to fight and kill some random animals/monsters along the way you have to deal with drunkards, petty thieves, and thugs in an environment where wonton murder is illegal. Instead of wreaking havoc on a forgotten pit genociding all the kobolds inside, you're tasked with protecting the VIP as they go about their daily business. That flower girl may be a potential face-dancer assassin, but you really can't just slaughter her out of hand. Investigating why she woke up last night missing an arm involves more than rolling some intimidate checks to see if any of the maids hide it.
You know, situations where you may want to talk rather than killing everything around you.


How to tell the difference between corny keg posts?

Question: I got the liquid (black) connector very stuck on to my keg, to the point where the plastic broke when trying to pull it off.  I'm guessing it's because I mixed up the little posts after removing them for cleaning.  They look really similar, but I can see that they're slightly different.  Which one is used for the gas, and which one is used for the beer, and how can I tell the difference?
Answer: Hmmm...Not an easy question to answer, since there are three types of ball-lock posts.
The gas posts all have what I would call a "double-nut" look.  The base of the post, the part where you put your wrench to take them off, have a line around it, making it look almost like it's two parts.
THIS has pictures.  Look at the gas posts, on the bottom part, from the side.  The place where you would put your wrench. (looks like the head of a nut or bolt)  You will see what I mean.
In addition, some older Firestone Champions will use a 12-point bolt arrangement on the gas line rather than the normal six point.  Those are pretty rare, however.
Hope that helps.
Answer: Its a very subtle difference and hard to see.  If you look at the post from the side and then scan down the post you will see these features:  Top of the post, the O-ring, straight shaft, then the first flange, an indentation and another a larger flange, more shaft, then the nut.  That very first flange is where the primary difference is.  That first flange of a gas post is slightly thinner and not as wide as the liquid flange. You almost need to hold two side by side to see the difference.
I recommend getting some enamel paint and putting a dot on the top of the nut of each gas post.  I have several kegs that I clean all at once sometimes, and this allows me to toss all the posts in a bucket of cleanser and then quickly sort then out afterwards.
Some of my gas posts have nuts with multiple points, so those are easy.  But most of mine look very similar to the beverage posts.
Answer: All of my kegs have the liquid side labeled "Out" in raised plastic near the base of the post.
Other than that, if you really have to force it, you've probably got it on the wrong one.
Comment: The OP is talking about telling the posts apart if you've taken them off the keg to clean them.


Problem installing Huawei E3131 3G modem on 2012 MacBook Air

Question: I have a Huawei E3131 3G modem and it doesn't work on latest 2012 MacBook Air. It works with older versions of OS X with USB 2.0 so it looks like the only problem is USB 3.0.
Comment: Are you sure the problem is USB3? I suspect the issue might be 32-bit vs 64-bit kernel drivers. Can you share the output of the `uname -a` terminal command on a system where it works and on a system where it doesn't? The output of the `kextstat` command on each would also be useful.
Answer: My personal experience with Huawei is that their installation app doesn't even run on a recent Mac for some reason. When I used it, I used to look into the package content to find another installation app that would actually start. If that is not the problem, please put more details.
pmjordan might be right as well as far as 32/64 bit-ness of their installation app. USB2/3 should be backward/forward compatible as per their specs as far as I know.
Answer: I solved my problem! I had the same problems with my mid-2012 MacBook Air and a Huawei 122 stick. Changed the stick to a Huawei 1221 first, then did some software upgrades, which nevertheless was helpless. Yesterday, I bought a USB 2.0 Hub (from Belkin) and everything's fine!
The guys from an Apple shop in Vienna told me that the MacBook Air starting from mid 2012 now has an unusual USB 3.0. (I can't explain in detail.)
Answer: It does seems like a problem with USB3 but to isolate it try two things:
1. Connect it to 2012 Air through USB hub
2. Connect it to a mac w/o USB3 but with OS X 10.8 onboard
Answer: It's a firmware issue. It will only connect via an USB 2.0 HUB.
Huawei has a firmware update for the modem but you won't find it anywhere. It's being distributed only via the carriers. The MobilePartner application update will not help.
There is hope.
You need "E3131Update_21.158.00.00.1020.B757.exe" and "Universal MasterCode.exe". You can search for them on Google. Or you can get them here.
The Mastercode application is required for the firmware update code. Launch it and select general huawei dongle (or don't select anything) and input your dongle IMEI. Use the software update key not the unlock key.
I got it working for my MacBook Air 2013 and MacBook Pro 2012, with 10.8 and 10.9 (Developer Preview) with this firmware update.
Comment: Can you please add direct links to the downloads instead of sending everybody to Google?
Comment: I cannot. Posting links to it is not allowed, they are infringing. But the first 2-3 links have the file that you need. What I can confirm is that I have successfully upgraded 2 USB sticks. EDIT: I have found a way.
Comment: Linking is not infringing usually, and it increases the chance that people will download the right file.
Comment: I've linked the file.


web services - userGroup.asmx

Question: _vti_bin/UserGroup.asmx

I downloaded this http://webservicestudio.codeplex.com to test the web services.
I tested userprofileservice.asmx and tested hand full of methods and it returns expected result.
I test UserGroup.asmx , tested GetGroupCollectionFromUser and put the user (domain\mSmith) and it returned data but group names are nulled
so I tested another method for the same endpoint. GetuserCollectionFromGroup and this time I put in group (man made created group) and I get error. But I put Approvers or Designers for the group I get xml with users in it.

I do have anyone can see the group checked at the group setting level. Anything else I am missing. I am on this all day (since 6am) and still stuck.
Answer: Laura: I had a very similar situation and after jacking with it for 4 weeks I decided to use workflow to update certain dates based on user approval.

web services - userGroup.asmx


Samsung Galaxy S keeps resetting itself on shutting down. How can I stop this?

Question: I have a Samsung Galaxy S and it has worked smoothly for the last couple of years. A couple of days ago, the battery charge died and when I turned it on, it had done a factory reset. Now every time I turn off the phone and then turn it back on, it always resets itself, How do I stop this and what could be the cause?
Answer: The Flash memory in the device may have died. This would cause any data on the chip (the /data chip) to not be picked up by the system, so it assumes that it is coming fresh out of a box.
This means that the chip(s) in the device may have used all of their write cycles. This is the reason SSDs aren't used for their reliability.
All flash chips (thumbdrives, SSDs, anything with a size of two to the power of X (2,4,8,16...) that isn't RAM...) have a limited number of possible write-erase cycles.
In most cases, this is unfixable other than replacing the chip. And in your case (if this is indeed your problem) this essentially is terminal.
Limiting writes to the chip (don't update apps, install-remove apps etc...) is the only way to slow this process.

... for the last couple of years...

In your situation this can be caused by general usage, esp, over this time period.
My eeePC's SSD didn't last a year.
Although, this could be something completely different, I'm just going by inferences as I couldn't see anything on Google.


Tools to save, tag and share images with clients/team?

Question: When you are doing visual research, what tools do you use to save, tag and share images or screenshots with clients/team? Do you know other tools than Little Snapper?
Answer: I use a combination of Evernote and Dropbox or Google Drive.
Evernote works to keep notes and visual reference together in a shareable 'notebook'. It also has a rather good ability to search the text in your images. This comes in handy when I take notes directly on my sketches (which I capture with my camera phone directly into Evernote).
Dropbox / Drive (depending on the preference of the team/client) is less for brainstorming and more about just sharing files. They both do a great job of keeping local directories synced between team members. If you just want to toss a bunch of images into a folder and know that everyone else will see them too, this is the way to go.
Answer: Pixlr is a fantastic tool to grab,edit and share pictures beetween my clients/team.
You can use the grabber if you want to click and share in firefox or chrome or use their image sharing service http://imm.io/
http://pixlr.com/grabber
Plus, now it has been acquired by Autodesk


A Way to Auto update plugins using cron?

Question: Is there a solution to keep plugins updated with wordpress by auto upgrade them without need to access to the admin panel every time?
Answer: Holy schmoly shadowpress - what a risky idea.
I imagine one could write a cron plugin to do it, BUT what a risk....Already the auto wordpress multi update feature makes it way too tempting to just hit the update button on a bunch of updates in one go.
Recommended 'safe' procedure for system upgrades is something along the lines of:
1) read the changelogs and test all upgrades on a local similar install first
2) make a backup before upgrading
3) apply updates individually, checking all is fine in between, possibly even making a new backup in between so you can rollback  should an upgrade not agree with your site.
If one can cope with the fallout of an error one could skip a step... but going to full automated update sounds like a recipe for disaster.
Consider the likelihood/risk/impact balance:
eg: the likelihood of a tsunami causing a nuclear reactor to melt down may be low, but the impact if it does......
Given that plugins are written by a variety of 3rd party developers, theres is a strong likeihood of a clash of some kind.   Also some plugins release major new features in an update and that sometimes requires human intervention.
That said - a look at the 'related' questions will show you that the question does come up now and then.
eg:
Real automated and unattended wordpress upgrade including plugins
Plugin for automated upgrade of WordPress core and it's plugins?


In Civilization V does a workshop help build wonders?

Question: The workshop says that it adds +20% production when constructing buildings. Are wonders considered buildings?
Answer: No. Workshops do not help wonders.
On the city screen, production is listed in the top left corner. You can see how production is calculated by mousing over the listing.
So I did a simple test. I found a city with a workshop, and looked at production while working on a building. It clearly listed "Modifier for buildings: 20%". I changed the city to working on a wonder, and that modifier disappeared, and production dropped appropriately.
Comment: Oh dang!! I felt much better before I read this ;-)
Answer: Since version 184.108.40.206 (1st March 2011) the workshop now does help with the construction of wonders.
As per the patch notes:

Workshop provides 2 production (bonus reduced to +15% but affects ALL production); cost increased
Answer: I wondered this, since The Pyramids, Pentagon etc. are buildings in real life. However The Pyramids isn't a Building in Civ 5 - it's a Wonder. This difference is indicated when you choose what you are going to build next: the options are grouped into Units, Buildings, Wonders, and Other.
(But workshops are still really useful imo.)