This is my opening a new question after having one of my questions marked as a duplicate (). If you came from my previous question, after reading everything at this link:  :my question is still unanswered. I don't need a command line script, I think. The chosen answer at that link isn't suited for my problem, nor did I find anything pertaining to my problem in the other answers. The other answers contained information I would find useful if I were trying to enable unicode characters on the command line on my own computer.  I am trying to learn as much about coding as I possibly can. So I wrote a few small programs, and wanted to allow my mother to use them on her computer, which does not have Python, of course. So in order to do that, I have been using the cx_Freeze module to make it to where these little programs of mine will work on her computer, with her having nothing to do but extract a .rar and move the shortcut to her desktop.  This is what the programs look like when the .exe's are run.    This is the loop I am using containing the instructions for what to do if help is asked for.  valid_help_string_list = ['\'help\'',                           '\'HELP\'',                             'help',                             'HELP',                            '"help"',                            '"HELP"'] while True:     weight_entry = input('Please enter your weight or type \'help\' for the pictogram legend.\nPlease round decimal numbers to the nearest tenth: ')     if weight_entry in valid_help_string_list:         print('\nLegend:\n□ = 10 lbs\n▪ =  5 lbs\n▫ =  1 lb\n∙ = .1 lbs\n')     else:         weight_entry = validate_entry(weight_entry)         if weight_entry:             break   This is what it should look like when anything in the help list is input.    This is what I am getting. Whenever anything in valid_help_string_list is typed, the program crashes because of the unicode characters.    Is there any actual Python code that can handle something like this? I want to be able to make this happen on other people's computers locally during runtime (the change to the encoding of the command line, if that's what needs to happen).
When I try to print a Unicode string in a Windows console, I get an error . UnicodeEncodeError: 'charmap' codec can't encode character .... I assume this is because the Windows console does not accept Unicode-only characters. What's the best way around this? Is there any way I can make Python automatically print a ? instead of failing in this situation? Edit:  I'm using Python 2.5.  Note: @LasseV.Karlsen answer with the checkmark is sort of outdated (from 2008). Please use the solutions/answers/suggestions below with care!!  is more relevant as of today (6 Jan 2016).
I am considering purchasing a Mac for my godson who will be using it to run Blender 2.8.  I know very little about this program.  All I can find are requirements for a Mac that will run earlier versions of Blender.  Would someone please recommend a list of requirements for a Mac (or a link to a list of requirements) that I could use to find a model that can run 2.8?  Thank you in advance for all your help! Sincerely, M. Lap Doesn't Matlab work on ubuntu 16.04? Ambiguity of "quite" The adverb "quite" has the following meanings :     1: wholly, completely ("not quite   finished")      2: to an extreme : positively "quite   sure" —often used as an intensifier   with a "quite a swell guy" "quite a   beauty"      3: to a considerable extent : rather   ("quite near")   My understanding is that #1 and #2 conflict with #3. For example, when you say "She's quite right", do you mean "She's completely right" or "To a considerable extent, she's right"? Notice that in the latter case you're not saying that she is completely right.  Another example is "I'm quite sure". Does it necessarily mean "I'm completely sure"?   Does the word really have conflicting meanings that can possibly cause ambiguity? Or am I missing something? bash if -a vs -e option Both about -a and -e options in  is said:  -a file     True if file exists. -e file     True if file exists.    Trying to get what the difference is I ran the following script:  resin_dir=/Test/Resin_wheleph/Results  if [ -e ${resin_dir} ] ; then     echo "-e "; fi  if [ ! -e ${resin_dir} ] ; then     echo "! -e"; fi  if [ -a ${resin_dir} ] ; then     echo "-a"; fi  if [ ! -a ${resin_dir} ] ; then     echo "! -a"; fi   /Test/Resin_wheleph/Results exists and is a directory. And this is what I get:  -e -a ! -a   which seems to be a little strange (notice -a and  ! -a). But when I use double brackets (e. g. if [[ -e ${resin_dir} ]]) in the similar script it gives reasonable output:  -e -a   So:    What is a difference between -a and -e options? Why -a produces a strange result when used inside single brackets? I am trying to find the formula for the number $f(n,k)$ which is defined as the number of $k$-subsets of $[n]$ in which no two elements are consecutive numbers in $[n]$.  From the simple thinking I had made up following recursion:  $$f(n,k) = f(n-1,k) + f(n-2, k-1) $$  This is true since I can construct without last element of $[n]$ then make up $k$-subsets, then otherwise must contain the last element of $[n]$ then construct remaining $k-1$ elements among $[n-2]$ since with the last one, I can't use $n-1$.  However, I had never learned any techniques regarding changing those recursion into a well-summarized formula in terms of $n$ and $k$.  Any guidance would be appreciate. I was chatting with a friend after I saw his photos in Russia (Petersburg). He is a white British dude who has been to many, many, many countries. On the other hand, I am a pure Arab who looks like a typical Middle Easterner or North African, who has also been to many countries, but never to Russia or its neighbors.  Anyway, it seemed like he really liked Russia, so I told him it will be in my list. He told me "you do not belong".  At first, I wasn't sure what he did mean. He started explaining and told me stuff like "you will be hassled for no reason in some parts of the city" and "the police will stop you every few hundred meters asking for money". He made sure to make me believe that's all because I do not belong.  Can someone clarify this? Of course, some of this is hyperbole to help convey the point, but to what extent?  Note: The friend is . If you think the question is wrong, feel free to downvote him ;) CSS - Make divs align horizontally I have a container div with a fixed width and height, with overflow: hidden.  I want a horizontal row of float: left divs within this container. Divs which are floated left will naturally push onto the 'line' below after they read the right bound of their parent. This will happen even if the height of the parent should not allow this. This is how this looks:  ![Wrong][1] - removed image shack image that had been replaced by an advert  How I would like it to look:  ![Right][2] - removed image shack image that had been replaced by an advert  Note: the effect I want can be achieved by using inline elements &amp; white-space: no-wrap (that is how I did it in the image shown). This, however, is no good to me (for reasons too lengthy to explain here), as the child divs need to be floated block level elements. Find the derived subgroup of $A_4$ Find the derived subgroup of $A_4$.   Since it is $A_4$, for a permutation $\sigma$ to be in $A_4$, $\sigma$ must have a cycle structure of $2$ cycles. Therefore, $\sigma=(ab)(cd)$.  The commutator of such elements, would be obviously another permutation of $2$-cycle (of length $2$).  Does it mean that $A'_4=A_4$? I continue to find it amazing that something as “bulky” and macroscopic as a static magnetic or electric field is actually a manifestation of virtual photons.  So putting on your QFT spectacles, look closely at the space near the pole of a powerful magnet – virtual photons! Now look between the plates of a charged capacitor – virtual photons again!   But if it’s all virtual photons, how do we get the difference between a magnetic and electric field?  [This question needs the tag "magnetostatics" as well]. Evaluating string "3*(4+2)" yield int 18 What is the difference between therapy and treatment? Does anyone know if there is an API to get the current monitor state (on or off) in Windows (XP/Vista/2000/2003)?  All of my searches seem to indicate there is no real way of doing this.    tries to use  which according to Microsoft's docs does not work for display devices.   In Vista I can listen to  but I do not seem to get events when the monitor is turned off manually.   In XP I can hook into WM_SYSCOMMAND SC_MONITORPOWER, looking for status 2. This only works for situations where the system triggers the power off.   The WMI Win32_DesktopMonitor class does not seem to help out as well.   Edit: Here is  on comp.os.ms-windows.programmer.win32 indicating there is no reliable way of doing this.   Anyone else have any other ideas? Selecting a front derailleur: parameters The spec sheet for the Shimano Alivio FD-M430 front derailleur contains a number of points that I don't understand.   What does "Maximum capacity: 22 teeth" mean? Why are "Top gear teeth" constrained to "44/48T"? Is there anything wrong with 46? What is "Cable Routing: dual-pull type"? And most puzzling, what is "Chain Stay Angle  63-66 / 66-69" and how do I measure mine? I have a question about notation specifically square brackets $[$ and round brackets $($.  My textbook doesn't explain any of this and I cannot find a reliable source online to confirm the difference.  So my question is: What is the difference between round brackets and square brackets in terms of notation in Field Theory? For example, I see $F(x)$ and $F[x]$ in my textbook and I've always assumed they were the same thing. But apparently they're not. Is there ever a time they're the same?  I wanted to know the difference, it may be a silly question but it's something I want to make sure I understand. How to insert page number in Beamer navigation symbols? Local file access with JavaScript Is there local file manipulation that's been done with JavaScript? I'm looking for a solution that can be accomplished with no install footprint like requiring .  Specifically, I'd like to read the contents from a file and write those contents to another file. At this point I'm not worried about gaining permissions and am just assuming I already have full permissions to these files. Prove that $\left(1+\dfrac{1}{1^3}\right)\left(1+\dfrac{1}{2^3}\right)\cdots\left(1+\dfrac{1}{n^3}\right)&lt;3$   for all positive integers $n$   This problem is copied from Math Olympiad Treasures by Titu Andreescu and Bogdan Enescu.They start by stating that induction wouldn't directly work here since the right hand side stays constant while the left increases.They get rid of this problem by strengthening the hypothesis.$$\left(1+\dfrac{1}{1^3}\right)\left(1+\dfrac{1}{2^3}\right)\cdots\left(1+\dfrac{1}{n^3}\right)\le3-\dfrac{1}{n}$$ and then proceed by induction.  The problem is that I can't find a motivation for the above change.I mean,we could have subtracted a lot of things from the RHS but what should nudge us to try $\dfrac{1}{n}$?The rest of the proof is quite standard,but I can't see how I am supposed to have thought of it.Is it just experience?Or is it a standard technique?A little guidance and motivation will be appreciated. Why does Blender use so much memory for large textures? Compensation for missed connection due to delay with same airline but separate bookings Long story short, I had to fly from A (in Spain) to C (in the UK) and I booked two separate flights with the same budget airline, so the actual route was A (Spain) -> B (UK) -> C (UK).  The first flight was delayed by 90 minutes, which means that I was unable to catch the second one (the layover time was around an hour and a half) and had to buy another ticket for the following day (with another airline).  I googled a lot and found mixed responses. Is there any chance I can get a refund for my second flight? I will obviously ask them but I'm unsure what my best course of action is. How do I make a WinForms app go Full Screen I have a WinForms app that I am trying to make full screen (somewhat like what VS does in full screen mode).  Currently I am setting FormBorderStyle to None and WindowState to Maximized which gives me a little more space, but it doesn't cover over the taskbar if it is visible.  What do I need to do to use that space as well?  For bonus points, is there something I can do to make my MenuStrip autohide to give up that space as well?